Show W 4 I 1 IT 11 SEARCHING THE SCRIPTURE y r two old gentlemen farmers isaac gerald and billy hodge their mutual friendship and soc hoc docial i al habits were sitting one day on a bench in the piazza of a retail grocery with a couple of silver dollars on the seat between them both had on their spectacles and were busily engaged in turning with great care and scrutiny ecru tiny the leaves of a small bible they had just procured from the office of the clerk of the circuit or superior court as it is called in georgia the lids of the sacred volume had bad been worn or torn off occasioning many dog ears at both boh ends choing showing evidently long and hard usage each gentleman seemed anxious to have the he book for the time being while each seemed determined ter mined that the fhe other should not be so exclusive clu sive after a most unsatisfactory examination both participating gerald jerked the book from hodge with evident signs of impatience saying ell eli ill 1 I can find it if you will just hands off and let me alone I 1 read all about it many a time when I 1 went to school I 1 tell you its in the psalms of moses who writ and sung C all about tile the old dispensation 12 ill double the bet hodge rodge replied ltd ita neither in the psalms 1 nor or in your old as you call it it Is under the new constitution and if ever found twill twili be in revelations what did moses know about the postle postie paul and ard his hii family arrangements I 1 all ail allow ow I 1 he I 1 e was a right sharp old gentleman and could look I 1 into nt 0 circumstances about to crowd him as far as any one ia in his day bat bit the lark dark ages which they the y say was wag adlack as black blach as a night without stars meteors or lightning bugs come him and pul pm and he le had bad no speck specks magnifying glass cr or We graph to see through or work in them tidies I 1 tell you gerald you aunt now gowhar har bar wilh ich moin mein me in bible laming 11 the person thus taun taunted ted had been anxiously anxiously y searching the psalms and had pail pall very little at to his companion had an indistinct idea something had been said about dark ages akes or dark nights but distinctly comprehended the invidious comp comparison adson instituted between his biblical knowledge 11 and Hod hodges gels raising 9 his ilia eyes from the pages he had bad been so io closely scanning and khov ing lne his ilia spectacles to the top of his hi he lie lok iok looked piercingly into the face of the other miar wilar was you up billy hodge whar ah I 1 recollect now the evening I 1 you went through college you yon staggered I 1 into ato one end drunk and the boys kickel yli you out the lothert I 1 spose ghose you thought that was grad doating I 1 could have taken the same course the same time but declined but that ia is neither here nor what about tile the time you said they had them dark nights I 1 be surprised if they dij did make a power affine of gine fine wheat then you know they say wheat towed in the dark nights of osobel 0 ober always does well I 1 never could account for il it have looked plum thru the al manick maDick several times to see how low it was nut but this aint sett liae liag our bet I 1 want to handle the rhino I 1 know ive got you yonder is bab login tile tiie clerk I 1 reckon lie mout take lake this book and look up tip the passage hodge heard bieard nothing gerald had just bail sail except his allusion to the clerk etc for lor as oon soon as the latter had ceased his search abom among the psalms he mazid aez bez d the nible bible and commenced looking through revelations 1111 hallba Ha lloa iloa Lo logal logan garil garli continued gerald come here when this ofa off aclei official approached he lie proceeded 1 I and ho holge ige ilas lias made a bet H he lands me roe a silver dollar it was rauls pauls and not lots wife which was turned to a pillow of fait weve been ransacking this old bibe bible principally psalms and revelation and cant find the place what treats on oil that top pack now nid oid fellow just be kind elou enough lo 10 take your own bible 2nd and settle settie this matter mailer us IP f it is no use to take lake the bilie bille said taid login 1 11 I thou thought git every sunday boy and girl krew it was lots waa they rubbed ribbed tile the brine it into so extensive extensively they used the article articia so freely in ii the operation it has preserved her afe fare and sound souni through all season years and ag captain lynch reports it was but the other day tips seiw aw her stan standing dim in the tile suburbs of or gomorrah Gomo rah irah one he could not tell teli exactly vv wl I 1 i h I 1 but hilt she alie was there salty as ever with wilh the smell of fire and brimstone armourd iler her As for the apostle paul if ever lie he was married it was a clandestine flir effir h s biography bir graphy and autobiography are silent on that ahat subject and I 1 reckon that is an event a man would never forget whether for fortunate or uD unfortunate unfortunates though I 1 lu is filandus its mv my money shouted grald gerald and la hs was about raki ug th hesi besl esEver ver u when hen hode hodge caught his hand not dotso bo fast if you pleasa I 1 have seen sicker children live bob LQ logan an dont know ever every y thing be is like me and you if all he did not know had bad to be put into books printing paper would rise certain what be he and them school children ma may say with your captain lynch loot goot flae filing into boot cant move them deposits pointing to the money here is the docky anent gentlemen holding up the bible must settle this game nice idea indeed I 1 must give up my money on the say sa s1 a of a man which never reads his bible and keep apone one if the judge make him to swear people in court on and ard what children which gits all larnin from little red primmer may say and what the great captain lynch may say it wag was ix ivas as a good thing be he want sent into may brigham youngs diggins whar salt and wives are si so plenty and whar I 1 hope there will be no lack of fire and brimstone soon nice idea I 1 say again I 1 must knock under to all this rigmarole with the wore lof of truth here in my hand band tho though 0 h right hard bard to sift out here liere take the book wo rk LO logan t n straten up adhe corners comers ind and ird lork cios clos closely ei imi 1 I am afraid it aint I 1 billere some two iwo br or three of the leaves near the end is ril til you xou on will certainly find it in the last book revelations if not torn out after a long and tiresome search by the clerk hi found it in the chapter verse of genesis and read as follows but his lots wife looked back from behind him and she became a pillar of of sail lets see her said hodge taking the book from the clerk after reading enough to satisfy himself he was mistaken he ile remarked its your money mr gerald and I 1 reckon it is the hirst first time your bible larnin ever beung you the needful ive lost nothing on it yet retorted gerald as he be placed he the money in hir his pocket leitl leiti lil lii ill be brot gentlemen hodge continued if I 1 am entirely satisfied 3 et there thera has been so much hard shearin sw earin on that book pointing to logans ligans bible 1 I be surprised if the tile truth was not pretty considerable it I 1 Iha have been seen men could swear a mink 1118 his den take their corporate oath on that 1 I shant argued any more pinta pints with gour your you but whenever you on feel like staking your juge m anent ent on Scrip tur just at let me know ill take stock said geralt gerald 1 I be surprised if it you want vain arter this some of these days meet up with a man who knows something and get the tile starch taken you properly come treat arter y your our good hick luck fald tad fad hodge there wag waa a unanimous and simultaneous move movement merd merA for tile tiie lick lirk lor loe oz |