The Argosy — page 105: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

go The Village Blacksnuth. were saying the other day, and I’ve decided to become a member of your chapel, if you’ll do your best to persuade Miss Janet to be my wife. I call that a fair bargain.” “Tt isn’t a question of bargain, Mark; it is the question of saving your immortal soul. Whether Janet is your wife or another man’s won’t matter a straw to you when you stand before the Judgment Seat. What will matter then is, whether you are to go straight up to heaven and sing among the angels for ever and ever with that tenor of yours, which will be a deal finer then than it is now, or whether you are to go straight down to a fire ten thousand times hotter than any furnace here? That is the question you have to decide. Iam not saying I would not as soon have you for a son-in-law, if you were a member, as any other of the brethren, but young people’s hearts can’t be forced into loving either God or man. Janet must choose for herself. So long as she chooses a good earnest Christian, I don’t care who it is,” concluded Reuben, as he examined the lawn-mower. ‘¢ And that is what I want to become—a good earnest Christian,” reiterated Mark. , This was not a true statement. He merely wanted to become Janet’s husband, and he thought the surest means of attaining that ‘honour was to join the Baptist Union. ‘So I was thinking, if you consider I am fit, Mr. Foreman, I should like to be baptised to-morrow evening,” he continued. He was also thinking there was a large tea-meeting on Whit- Monday, in connection with the chapel, at which he made no doubt — Janet would be present, and he knew that, by being baptised on Sunday, he should secure a ticket, and with it, perhaps, a wife. Now Mark’s position as the Rector’s servant, and his good voice,. made him a very desirable convert ; to say nothing of the still greater desirability of rescuing a brand from the burning. Reuben would also add greatly to his own honour and glory if he succeeded in landing ~ this fish, after whom he had long been angling. So, on finding his prey: was willing to be landed, he decided to give up his holiday. A new member required a good deal of looking after, and it would not be wise to leave Mark to his own devices for the first week after his baptism. ‘The Lord be praised for this,” said Reuben, devoutly. ‘I'll see the minister about it the first thing to-morrow, and if you’ll come round to my cottage this evening I'll read and pray with you.” This obliging offer was received by Mark with befitting gratitude, for he fondly imagined Janet would be present during this interest- ing function. He would have preferred spending the evening in lighter amusement, but the reading would probably afford him oppor- tunities of whispering sweet nothings into Janet’s ears, and he could, gaze his fill upon her during the prayer; so he left the forge in high - glee. ‘‘ Janet,” said Reuben, when he went home to dinner, “I am very — CORNICLOOOLKS. (Eve)