"'The world is very evil--
the times are waxing late.'"
"Parson here's got something of the same idea," chuckled Norman.
"Haven't you, Parson? That's why you preached t'other night on the text
'Without shedding of blood there is no remission of sins.' I didn't
agree with you--wanted to get up in the pew and shout out that there
wasn't a word of sense in what you were saying, but Ellen, here, she
held me down. I never have any fun sassing parsons since I got married."
"Without shedding of blood there is no anything," said Mr. Meredith, in
the gentle dreamy way which had an unexpected trick of convincing his
hearers. "Everything, it seems to me, has to be purchased by
self-sacrifice. Our race has marked every step of its painful ascent
with blood. And now torrents of it must flow again. No, Mrs. Crawford, I
don't think the war has been sent as a punishment for sin. I think it is
the price humanity must pay for some blessing--some advance great
enough to be worth the price--which we may not live to see but which
our children's children will inherit."
"If Jerry is killed will you feel so fine about it?" demanded Norman,
who had been saying things like that all his life and never could be
made to see any reason why he shouldn't. "Now, never mind kicking me in
the shins, Ellen. I want to see if Parson meant what he said or if it
was just a pulpit frill."
Mr.
Pages:
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94