The Argosy — page 31: what you’re looking at

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

18 The Village Blacksmith. As Reuben read, the burden seemed to fall from his shoulders. He was innocent of that awful crime. No one, not even Janet, who knew he had stolen the baby from her, suspected him of any sin in the matter. What sin there was was a secret sin, and no fear of being arrested for infanticide, nor any more thoughts of giving himself up to justice need distress him. As he put the letter in his pocket and came towards Vera, he walked erect again and looked, if not himself, a happier man than he had done since his illness. “Thank you, Miss Vera. I'll write to Janet next mail, and if you'll come and see me in a few days, you won’t know my garden.” ‘“That’s right, Reuben. You see my scolding has done you good ; you look better already.” “Ves, Miss Vera; you and Janet’s letter between you have cured me, I hope.” ‘‘T hope so, too; so mind you don’t have any more relapses,” said Vera, as she and Lion took their leave. A week later and Reuben’s crop of weeds had entirely disappeared. His garden was as neat as could be desired, and except that he was thinner and graver than before his illness, the village blacksmith was to outward appearance himself again. Inwardly he was changed. A man does not pass through a temptation such as Reuben had experienced unchanged. Such a crisis in the history of a man’s soul sets its mark for good or for evil, for eternity on him, according to whether the temptation be yielded to or resisted : for temptation has more to do with the moulding of character than either joy or sorrow. It was so in the Garden of \Gden ; it is’so in these latter days. ‘The joys of Paradise left no permanent mark on the souls of our first parents ; their sorrows died with them ; but the temptation branded not only their souls, but the souls of all the human race. Verily the consequences of sin are eternal. Vain to speculate on what would have happened had Adam declined the apple. The best way to discover is to resist temptation, decline the apple, though the proffering Eve be passing fair ; decline it, and then we shall know; and the knowledge of good surpasses the knowledge of evil as light transcends darkness. Ae PRR ee MR. RYOT-TEMPEST AND HIS CURATE ARE LEFT IN THE LURCH. THE winter passed as English winters usually pass, slowly enough for the generality of people. A trinity of fog, snow and east-wind governed the elements and had it all theirown way. At first fog was in the ascendant, and the metropolis was wrapped in a shroud of thick darkness, and the country in a veil of darkness made visible. Later on snow took the reins, and a white world was the result. Then Gomicdooks (E(0)