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PART 2.. t £deua 4liUe $ Wt. PAGES9-12.; VOL. XXXII.-NO 194. HELENA, MONTANA. MONDAY MORNING, AUGUST 24, 1891. PRICE FIVE CENTS ON SEPT. 1 ALE 7 MO E Into our new and commodious quarters, formerly occupied by Fred Lehman, at No. 117 North Main street. Wishing to go into our new quarters with as few old goods as possible, we will have a GRE:hT CLOSING OUT STLBI LOOK AT THESE PRICES! And then examine your Wardrobe and see what you need. LOOK AT THESE VALUES! HARRIS' $8.00 SUITS - I Are substantial and well made, being some of the nobbiest, Hat Department. Bos Deatent light-colored patterns to be seen in town. In the corner of every store FORMERLY SOLD AT $12.50 stock will accumulate, and from eHARRIS1' $0.00 SUITS every corner of our store Hats In this department we are par- HARRIS' . 0 UI have sprung that we never knew ticularly desirous of going into Comprise All Wool, Cas3imeresl and Cheviots, both light and we had, so what we get for them our newstore with a clean stock, Is all profit. We have dug up as a large part of our ground dark patterns, worth fully 50 per cent, more. abou t two dozen tiff hav floor will be devoted to it. FORMERLY SOLD AT $15.00. cost us $30 a dozen, but as they We have accumulated in the I' SUITS are rather old blocks we will past six months quite a number HARRIS 12.00 UU S offer you your choice for of odd suits. There are just 58 of them, some of them being sold Are composed of all kinds, in both Back and Frock, nobby pat- 50 CENTS. as high as $6 and $7, but as they terns and latest styles. Just see them. must all go, we have bunched FORMERLY SOLD AT $18.00. Our regular line of $3 Stiff them and placed them on sale at HARRIS' $15.00 SUITS $1.50. $ 2 7 5 Are the pink of perfection. All our fine, plain and fancy im N ported Worsteds and Cassimeres, that were sold from $22 to Our regular line of $4 Hats In lines, we have a large as- $35 are now going at this price. If you will need a suit within $ 2 7 5 sortment, out from $7 and $8 to the next year, as you certainly will, come in and see us and $ * $5. A large number of pieces of look at this line, as it is by far the cheapest, and most ex- Fashionable Straw Hats, cut Boys' Underwear at 30Sc., worth tensive ever offered in Montana. only because we do not want to double the money, and Hats, for- move them, formerly $1 and merly sold at $1.25 and $1.50, 4.* D O N O T M ISSOI T . T $1.25, you can now buy any one now going at 65 and 75c. for250. Bring your head with HA IS THE BOYS' CLOTHIER Sae Dai. THE DI St, A IS THE HATTER T Y LTSquae Dg,,. Maio Street, HARRIS THE NATTER. ,~~~~,~~~ -- -I- - II· II...--- · HE WAS SLOW TO REPENT The Story of Hiram Gates, He Being of a Very Proud Heart. Repentanoe Came 'to Him Very Late and in the Wrong Plaoe. Reversion of Opinion as to the Future of Hiram by Rival Preachers of Grinmesville. [Written for THE INDeZP.NDENT.1 HERE ARE TWO CHURCHES IN Grimeeville. They stand facing each other, by the road which leads from the village to the cemetery, and are thus compelled to view such processions as pass along the inevitable way, from opposite sides. Whether their relative position results from accident of design, it typifies exactly the theological attitude of their pastors. The doctrinal sermons pof the Rev. John Page, of the South church, burn holes in the paper on which he makes his notes; and Sam Brown, who builds the fl:es in the egg shaped coal stove in the corner, never hears one of them without a discouraging sense of the feebleness of mere t:uman endeavor. But the Rev. Newman Locke, of the North church, is so liberal in his belief that he hopes the best, even for the lt-v. Mr. Page. Grimeaville is a church-going place, as almost everybody can be found on a Sun day forenoon, in one or the other of these houses of worship; but the two flocks are severely separate, in spite of their iropin quity. When the services arc all over at the same time, and returning worshipers of different creeds mincle on their way home, it is not considered good form to show much cordiality, but rather, each treats the other as one who has been detected in a questionable proceeding. There was, however, a men in Grimesville whose attitude towards the two churches was one of absolute impartiality. I do not mean to imply that he never went to church at all; on the contrary he rarely missed a Sunday. But he heard the Rev. Mr. Page as often in the course of a year as he heard the Rev. Mr. Looh. For this reason he was held to be little better than an infidel, by North and South ohumch people alike. He was often blamed to his face and he al ways admitted that the censure was de served. He always admittid everything. Hiram Gates-for that was his name-was ball scounta the meekest man since s. He was as harmless as the flower of e ld. In his humble way-which was ~such humbler than any other way I Over heard of-he exemiplilied nearly all the Christian virtues. He had never been known to engage eveinI an argument. His wife, who was said to have been "as ross t- two sticks" before her marriage, had early learned the fatility of trying to quar rel with Hiram, and they passed their days in unvarying peace. The seven little boys and girls who played about Hiram's door were almost as gentle nas their father, and even at school the Gates boys got along with one fight a week, while the allowance for the average Gri mesville urchin was two a day. It chanced that in the early spring Hiram fell ill and it was soon a matter of current report that he would not recover. I have observed that in the country no sick person ever is expected to live. The other day, when I was conlined to the house with a cold, the result of having stood for several HAD t OT BEEN DRINKING. minutes on the back of my neck in the deepest part of a trout stream which I had attempted to cross on a tree trunk, half a dozen old ladies took ocuasion to call on Maude and tell he, stories of reople who htd died in an unusually distressing fashion after similar experiences. They scared Mande so uadly that she nearly brought their melancholy predictions to fulfillment by uiving me what the doctors call a "shot gun dose" composed of all the medicine the old ladies had recommended. Naturally, in the case of Hi Gates,who had never looked robust, the prophets croaked with confidence. h'ley said that he was in quick consumption, and they were full of a cheerful pity for Mrs. Gates whenever they called upon her. I rather think that Hiram really was in a bad way, but I know that he accepted this as he had every other expe rience of his life with unquestioning resia nation. He viewed approaching death with a calmness which not even the event itself could have deepened. When the local physician became con vinced that Hiram was beyond the reachof juniper tea, he mentioned the fact to the Rev. John Page, and he added that if Mr. T'oga intended to call he would better do so at snce because the delay of a few days might make no eternal difference in the climate for Hiram. The Rev. Mr. Page called immediately and asked Hiram whether he proposed to die unrepentant. Hiram replied that he would be sorry to do such a thing if Mr. Page had any objection, but that he did not know what to repent of. Mr. Page was shocked. He was an earn eat man, full of fervid belief, and nothing on earth could have prevented him from doing his full duty by liiram. He present ed the case to the sick man on strict doo trinal lines, but Hiram, out of the depths of life-long humility, confessed that he didn't know what his visitor was talking about. Would Mr. Pegs, if he had plenty of time, be so very kind as to say it all over again? Certainly; Mr. Page always had plenty of time to do his duty when heaven was pleased to reveal it. He would begn again, and he hoped that Hiram would stop hiM with a question at the Irst dark point. When Mr. Page was all done Hiram hadn't asked a question; he had been wrapped in the best slumber he had enjoyed since sick nees prostrated him. He had not meant to be discourteous, but there was something so soothing in the minister's rich voice and the comfortable certainty of his doctrine that Hiram, in his weakness, had been un able to resist sleep. He apologized humbly when he was awakened and promised not to do it any more. Mr. Page was disappointed, but not oast down. Failing to impart to Hiram the the oretical idea of repentance, he resolved to try specilic examples. Could Hiram think of any act of his which he regretted? Yes; Hiram was sorry that he had traded horses with Jim Blakeman. Mr. Page brightened at this admission. He was afraid that dealings of this kind were often marked by reprehensible deception. And what particunlar part of the transaction did Hiranm regret? Hiram deeply regretted that the horse which Blakeman had "traded off" had gone lame in three legs almost im mediately after the swap, and had never been of any use since. His own animal had been a very good one, and he had missed it serioqsly. Mr. Blake could not see that this was ex actly a matter for repentance on Hiram's part, unless he had cherished revengeful feelings against Blakeman. No; Hiram had entertained no such feelings. Blakeman's horse had been right before his (Hiram's) eyes, but he never could learn anything about a horse. He couldn't, in common fairness, hold Jim Blakeman responsible for that. That is a fair sample of the grounds for repentance which Mr. Page discovered by carefully reviewing the path of Hiram's life. It is, perhaps, natural that in the course of so unnatisfactory a colloquy Mr. Page was led to take a sharply controversial tone, and to regard Hiram as more and more hopelessly in the wrong. That is the way with all argument. It is hard for any of us to escape a feeling of resentment against those who are pig-headed enough to hold their mistaken and imbecile opinions against the plain and simple truth which we are trying to beat into them. The Rev. Mr. Page was only human, and he left that bedside with the sad conviction that Hiram Gates was a miserable sinner. This virit occurred on Tuesday. On Fri day Hiram was reported to be sinking fast, and on Saturday evening the Rev. Mr. Page was informed that the end had come. The case seemed to him to involve a sad but saR. PAGE CALtb. valuable lesson, and he longed to preach about it frankly. But of course that never would do in a place like Grimesyille, where everybody was at least a eousin of every body else, and the mention of names was always dangerous. In the line of his duty, however, he felt obliged to make some guarded allusions in his sermon to the sul try discomforts awaiting unrepentant sin ners. The controversial heat leftover from the argument with Hiram may have moved him too strongly, perhaps, or he may have underestimated the pienetration of a Grimesville congregation. At any rate, it was pretty well understood that Mr. Gates was the substantial text of the discourse. There was ten times the usual comment on the church steps that noon, ,qd by evening most of the North church folk, too, had heard where Hi Gates had been located. Party lines were instantly drawn sharply, and even those North church people who had always been secretly in doubt about Hi were now a unit for his salvation. The case was here further complicated by the discovery that Hi was still alive, and, indeed, had shown some signs of rallving. He lived a little out of Grimesville's main circle of gossip, and the rumor of his death had gained general currency before the official contradiction arrived. When the facts became known about twenty-five women of Grimesvillo deter mined to be the first to carry a report of the sermon to Mrs. Gates and hear what Hiram had to say about it. The consequence was that there was something like a reception at the house of the sick man on Monday after noon. Hi was feeling so much better that he conversed with the visitors and listened with gentle interest to a revised and en larged version of the sermon. They drew it very strong indeed. By their account it appeared that Mr. Page had added new and ingenious torments to a place which he had often pictured in terms which left little to be desired, and that he had announced Hi ram's arrival with the easiest confidence. The gossips of the neighborhood had come to harrow up Hiram's feelings or those of his wife if he had been beyond the possibility of furnishing that kind of amusement, and when they found that he remained calm they enlarged upon the sub ject until one of the Gates children who had crawled under the bed to listen un disturbed was scarel into hysterics and had to be removed screaming. Of course, by this time all connection with the actual words of the 11ev. Mr. Page had been lost. Nobody could then have re preated them correctly with the moat honest Inteotions. The reeonbtructed discourse bore about the same relation to the real one that l)ante's "Inferno" does to the South tlrimesville Heiald's report of cattle show (lldy. '1 think I should like to see Mr. Page again," said lHirna., when there was a lull, in the tale of horror. "I'm glad lie's showin' some signs o' havin' some aveerit." whispered Mrs. Wriggs, who was a North chu ch member, and therefore enlisted with the party of salvation. "It's well for him," replied Mrs. I'erkins, who was of the :outh church, or perdition. palrty. "Pastor Page will .,how himu what's awltiln' for him in uo time." No less than a dozen of lliram's visitors dropped in on the llev. Mr. Page that afttr noon to tell him that Ili gates wanted to call him to nocount for that sormuon. Mr. Page was setiously distur bed. le had not looked for so sudden and detinite an appli cation of his words, It must be confessed that lie had sol.e misgivings when he pre sented himself at the Gates house on T'ues desv. nli was much improved in appearance. and was able to talk freely. He fairly took the minister's breath away by thanking him cordially for the sermon. "It's conald'able muor'n I deserve," said he. "to have a minister o' the eospel go out of his way to consider my case. I ain't never been of no account here, an' I don't expect to amount to nothin' hereafter, an' it all them preparations you spoke of mn the sermon has really been made for me, they're a good deal mor'n I'm entitled to." Mr. Page endeavored to explain that the sermon was not so personal as Hiram had supposed, but he noticed evidences of dis appointment in the invalid's face, and de sisted in bewilderment. Hiram thanked him again; expressed the hope that he should be able to attend another service at the South church before long, and so Mr. Page took his leave, resolved to say nothing more in public about Hi Gates' future. But this was not to be. Before the week was over there was a genuine church war in Grimeaville. The Rev. Mr. Locke had come out as Hiram's champion, and it was understood that he had prepared a sermon in answer to that of his brother across the was. He had, and it was a wonder. The joys of Paradise had never appeared so precious to his hearers before. He pic tured a place where almost anybody could have a good time, and he showed Hi Gates -not by name, of course, but by unmis takable implication-in a prominent posi tion and surrounded by luxuries, which the members of the South church-by implioa tion again-might fail to gain. His discourse was widely reported through the town and it stirred the soul of the Rev. Mr. Page beyond endurance. On the following Sunday he showed conclus *r . ENDEAVOiINI TO XP.rLTAN. ively that the abode of the uinrepentant sin ner (Hi Gates) was even more liberally sup. plied with the machine y of general dis comfort than people commonly supposed. Next nunday Mr. Locke discovered new joys in the abode of the bleat, and new qualifications for their attainmlent in the huimble man of good works (Hii Gates). Peudition was hotter anid paradise more do sirable still on the following tdunday, and so it went on until the entire town quar reled on the question of Hiram's salvation. and lie alone wats calm. In two weeks' time, when it seemed noth ing could be added to either picture. Hirram was well enough to go to church, lie went to hear the Rev. Mr. Page. and listened to a disconurse which made everybody's hair curl but his. A week later he heard the Reov. Mr. Looke, and he confessed after wards that while the sermon was good In its way, it lacked the convincing force he had noted in Mr. Page's effort. "lBut don't suppose I mean to bear down hard on you." said Hi. to the Rlev. Mr. Looke. "You think I'm goin' to be saved, but we won't let a little difference of opin ion like that stand in the way of our bein' good friends." And still he wouldn't repent. Mr. Page had strong hopes, but they were repeatedly blasted and he was compelled to keep hi elnd up by sending Hi to the place which Hamlet's father was forbidden to speak of. And Mr. Looks, though he couldn't help feeling that Hiram had used him badly,was committed irrevocably to the theor of bliss unsoeakable. Mr. Page kept on com mitting Hiram to devouring torment with the kindest feelings, while Mr. Locke pio tured delights for a man whom he was learning to regard as a thorn in his lesh. Meanwhile Hiram had the whole town by the ears. His friends loudly proclaimed that he was lost, and his enemies contended that he was saved, and there was coldness between old friends, and Mr. Page's boys fought with Mr. Looke's behind the school house, surrounded by youthful partisans of the two theological opinions. Hiram was deeply grieved to have been the cause of so much ranoour. He did everything which his limited ingenuity could suggest to patch up the difficulty, but failed lamentably, and wasnearly made ill again by the mental strain of the con flit which was waged about him. One Sunday in July he took his acuonstomed seat in Mr. Locke's church-for he still attended both with strict impartiality-and bowed his head humbly while his ear was attan tive to the sermon. "He that is of a nroud heart stirreth no strife," read Pastor Locke as his text. Hiram's head sank lower and he covered his eyes with his hand. When the service was over he lay in wait for the Rev. Mr. Page. "l've seen the need of repentance," said he. "I am a man with a proud heart. The Bible says so, and it must be true. It's my proud heart that has stirred up all the strife in this town, and I repent it,-- repent as much as you think is necessary. The Rev. Mr. Locke had accomplished a conversion in a way that had been far from his intention. There is still war in Orimeeville, but the lines have been shifted. Pastor Page paints pictures that are the delight of the faithful, while Pastor Looke, though somewhat handicapped by his previous utterances, has managed to discover harrowing possibilities in the future of those who repent in the wrong place. HowAOU F.liuiiao. Copyright. DRESS REFORM. Kate Field Has Some Ideas on the Pre posed Scheme. New Yonx, Aug. 17.-Miss Kate Field left the Victoria hotel this afternoon for Long Branch to take a short rest. When asked what she thought about the proposed Chau. tauqua dress reform for women, she said that she hardly knew what the Chautauqua people were driving at. "There is one thing sure," Miss Field said, "the projected change in woman's dress won't be carried out unless the fashionable leaders say so and set the example, no matter how much the reform is agitated at Chautauqua or aivwhere else. Take shop girls, who ner hap, ass alass are the silliest of the business women. They certainly need the free use of all their muscles, but do you think that they would adopt any dress but a con ventional one? "Th6 reform, as I understand it, is more particularly for professional and business woiten, but they are by no means heedless of fashion. lint the fact remains that our dress naturally and by the prevailing styles hamper us. We all know that our girls' waists are too long and too small." "Would you do away with corsets to make a beginning of the reform?" "Oh, no; that could never be with the present fashion-makers. Why, the leading dressmakers will not make a garment for a customer unless she wears a corset, and they dietate just the kind of a corset she shall wear, too. If these women reformers propose a sort of embroidered bathing slit for a walking dress-well, all I ean say .s that I have seen some very pretty bathing salts."