Mr. World and Miss Church-Member Part 12

A certain Mr. Downcast, who was a church-member and had just come from the top of the tower, visited this fortune teller, and by her descriptions of his happy future on the Broad Highway he was induced to travel thereon at once.

Mr. World and his companions decided to get the benefit of the broad view which could be had from the top of the tower. They entered a car at the base and were delighted by the gentle ascent toward the clouds.

Upon reaching the top of the tower they Were approached by an obliging attendant and furnished with spy gla.s.ses of great power with which they could see more distinctly the beauty and greatness of the world, and the roughness and inconvenience of traveling the King's Highway.

_To each one was also given an ingenious pocket mirror in which could be seen, at any time, the inconsistencies of church-members._

I saw throngs of people circling the top of the tower, and many evil agents busily engaged in the interest of their master.

There had just come from the King's Highway a group of church-members upon whom the scenery had a doleful effect. Some were filled with melancholy, and some were sullen, while despondency sent germs of slow death into other minds.

These conditions enabled Satan to destroy more easily all hope within them of ever succeeding on a way that appeared more rugged than ever, and also made them more desirous to taste the joys of this present life which now lay before them in such a winning way.

I then saw one called Mrs. Discouraged who had never before seen so much of the world at once. She stood on the edge of the tower not far from Mr. World and his companions, and listened to one of the polite attendants who had given her also a spy gla.s.s.

Mrs. Discouraged looked down upon the natural comforts of life which were here seen to best advantage. She saw, with ease, the Broad Highway presenting a picture of happiness as far as the gla.s.s could reach.

Then did one of the smooth-tongued attendants speak to another group of pilgrims who also had just come from the King's Highway.

"Witness the glory of the Broad Highway and see how it goes down this valley ever into finer stretches of country. See on yonder distant elevations that magnificent University of the World built at an enormous cost and sacrifice for the accommodation of all travelers. Each one of you who reaches the lower end of this valley should take the Mountain Trolley and spend a season at those schools. They occupy some of the grandest buildings in the world. Focus your gla.s.ses and behold the great sight."

Continuing he said: "The path you see leading down there, in this other part of the valley, is called King's Highway, very rough indeed, as you all can see. Thereon it is hard to travel and difficult to stand still. It is so narrow that if a traveler should stand still, he is constantly hara.s.sed or pushed about by those who wish to pa.s.s on. The other highway furnishes a marked contrast, for there a person may stand still without annoyance to himself or anyone else. The way is so wide that he can even sit on an easy chair and yet not be in the way of others who wish to hasten on. The one who built this Wider Way kept in mind the convenience and comfort of travelers.

"The so-called King's Highway," still continued the attendant, "is beset with many dangers, and pa.s.ses through many places similar to the one far down the valley." They all looked through their gla.s.ses and saw the Meshes of Doubt on each side of the Narrow Way.

"Those are the sorts of places," concluded the speaker, "that one must constantly pa.s.s through in the service of an imaginary king."

Mrs. Discouraged saw all these things and heard all these words. She was so disheartened that she knew not what to do.

"Have I served my G.o.d in vain?" she questioned inwardly. "Must all my testimonies fall to the earth? Surely the way of the world seems to be an easy way, and more suited to a person in trouble."

She suddenly fell on her knees, as she was wont to do in such emergencies, and, behold, I saw her, on wings of prayer, fly in triumph from the tower's top, down the valley, over the Meshes of Doubt, and land on the King's Highway in a most glorious place called Victory by Faith. She thence went on her way rejoicing.

[Ill.u.s.tration: The great victory of Mrs. Discouraged who, on wings of prayer, escaped from he Tower of Temptation to a place called Victory by Faith.]

Then did the attendant on the tower speak of her in ridicule. "The poor mortal, in her insanity, has descended to a bad level and must, of necessity, climb yonder terrible hill which, as your eyes bear testimony, is the last part of the Narrow Way visible from this tower."

"She went, however, in a miraculous way. Those wings were sure and steady, and I was pleased with the swiftness of her flight," said Mrs.

Diligence who was also a pilgrim from the King's Highway.

"Without doubt," answered the attendant, "but she went with heavy labor of her wings. Had she told me that she wished to take a flight, I could have given her a finer trip in one of the aerial s.h.i.+ps lately invented by the experts of the Wizard City. I will summon one. Look no more at Mrs. Discouraged with wings, but fix your eyes toward the east, and you will soon witness the floating car whereon thousands go out daily from this tower into pleasant places."

As he said this he gave a signal, and soon the strangely shaped airs.h.i.+p came in sight, to the delight of all who saw it.

"It must be far better," said one of the spectators, "to travel in a car like that, than to be working your wings in the air."

"A thing of beauty." "The greatest invention of the century." "It moves as easily as a bird," were some of the various sentences that were spoken enthusiastically as the object drew nearer.

"Shall we ride in it?" quickly asked Mr. World as he turned to the little group at his side.

The new companions who so recently came from the King's Highway timorously fell back at his abrupt suggestion, but Miss Church-Member offered to accompany him.

As the aerial machine was stopping at the tower Mr. World and Miss Church-Member speedily exchanged words of farewell and prepared for the new ride.

They were soon numbered with a host of expectant pa.s.sengers on board.

The lines were loosened and the weird airs.h.i.+p cut the wind like a large bird on wing, and sped away to the pleasure grounds along the Broad Highway where most of the pa.s.sengers, being blinded by sin, found such delightsome fellows.h.i.+p that they refused thereafter to travel on any other than the Wider Way.

CHAPTER X.

DARK SCHEMES OF SATAN.

1. The two companions land far down the valley on "The Midway," whence they take the Mountain Trolley and visit the underground Schools of Suicide.

2. Satan's primitive address on Literature.

The aerial car carried Mr. World and Miss Church-Member to the far end of the Valley of Temptation where they spent a delightful season in the pleasures of sense and sight.

They lingered mostly on the wide intervening s.p.a.ce between the two paths which was known in this part of the valley as "The Midway." Here they saw a large number of pilgrims from the King's Highway who were engaging in one or another of the endless amus.e.m.e.nts which can be enjoyed without stepping altogether on the Broad Highway.

On this long Midway humanity swarmed by millions. Some, forgetful of their vows, or regardless of their honor, stepped into the lower haunts of vice, and offered sweet flowers of purity and fragrance in exchange for dry and filthy husks from the floor of the stall. But Miss Church-Member, in keeping with her moral character, did not surrender her chast.i.ty, and although she had such continual fellows.h.i.+p with Mr.

World she yet held the respect of many other church-members; for it was quite fas.h.i.+onable to belong to the church and still walk in the ways of the world. Satan, under a h.e.l.lish guise, offered to give, even before death, handsome rewards to any church-member who succeeds in carrying a certain amount of the world with him on his way to Heaven, and mult.i.tudes were trying the experiment. Some, in hope of winning larger prizes, were verily loaded down with the worrying weights of the world.

Looking away from this immediate vicinity of the valley, any traveler could see, far above the surrounding scenes, the "University of the World," whose front buildings crested the mountain elevations for many miles. This imposing sight had awakened the admiration of Mr. World and his friend, and had it not been for the countless attractions of the Midway they would have hurriedly pushed their way to the schools, immediately after the aerial car had carried them over the proud domes of the University and landed them in the vale.

During one of the darker periods which now and then cover the whole Midway with its shadows, the two companions caught the flashes of variously-colored lights which emanated from every part of the elevated structure, making the entire mountain appear as if a vast crown of nature were decked with dazzling diamonds rare.

Miss Church-Member was excited by this unusual show of brilliancy, and nothing on the lower level could any longer hold her attention.

"How can we best rise to that glorious summit?" she inquired with a glow of enthusiasm.

"Ah," smiled Mr. World, "surely we need not think of walking up this mountain. Have you forgotten the obliging attendant who advised us as we stood on the beautiful tower? Did he not direct us to take the Mountain Trolley?"

Without delay they sought the Midway station, entered one of the up-to-date cars, and instead of going directly to the mountain top they were surprised to find that they were being carried into the bowels of the mountain.

"Whence go we das.h.i.+ng through the dark?" asked the terror-stricken Miss Church-Member as she held fast to Mr. World.

But ere her escort could answer they came into an immense cavern dimly lighted. The car stopped at a station called Rest, and a voice announced in distinct tones: "Come, ye troubled or distressed, and ye who are disgraced! Here linger in this underground school and learn of the rest that is for the weary."

"What is your wish?" courteously asked Mr. World.

"I am neither in trouble nor in disgrace. Why should I tarry?"

"Only to see the lower schools before we go to the higher," was his winning answer.

They alighted and walked forth in the dismal light. They could readily discern strangely shaped buildings of a costly type. The air was stifling, and everything wore a melancholy dress; yet, withal, there was a pleasing charm about the place. Some secret touch in the doleful music, or some bright tinge to the ominous shadows, awakened a curiosity and a hope in the visitors that prevented them from leaving the cavern at once.