"'"In the year of our Lord Jesus Christ 1642 died and are here buried Friedrich Wenzel of Bohemia, and Martin Jurischitz of Lusatia; who without knowing it had saved the Bible, and through the Bible have been themselves saved unto everlasting life." "'On the other side of the stone stood the words--"Hinnerk Hinz and Peter his son and Drewes Johan have had this stone erected for two gold gulden out of the Landsknecht's doublet." "'Two years after the end of the Thirty Years' War, those two peasants, of their own free will, pulled down their houses in the Buchhorst and built them up again in the village of Wesen; for the reason, that after the devastations of those years the wolves had so got the upper hand that it was no longer possible to be secure from them. Twice, with great difficulty, they had recovered their children from the wolves, which already had them in their grip and were dragging them off; and then they thought, to stay there longer would be to tempt God. Those two farms are still in Wesen and are yet called Drewes' farm and Hinz's farm, although the possessors in these latter days have long borne other names. May God give us from this old story the blessing, that we may be ever more as strong in the Bible and as firm in faith as the men of old were.'" CHAPTER XXI. "That is one of your very prettiest stories, Ditto," cried Maggie when he stopped. "Yes," said Flora, "I think so." "It must be a good story that can be listened to here," said Mr. Murray,--"and I have been listening with great attention. I have been thinking, while I was looking out over all this beauty and receiving so much by my ears of another kind of beauty,--I have been thinking and rejoicing to myself over the fact, how good our God is. 'Mountains, and all hills; fruitful trees, and all cedars; young men and maidens; old men and children: let them praise the name of the Lord.'" "Uncle Eden," said Maggie meditatively, "how _can_ hills praise the Lord?--or trees?" "Don't they?" "How, Uncle Eden?" "_Don't_ they, I ask?" "But they could not hear anybody tell them to praise." "You are a literalist. How can 'the trees of the field clap their hands'?" "Does the Bible say they do?" "It says they will. And it says 'Let the floods clap their hands; let the hills be joyful together before the Lord; for He cometh!'--" "But that is very strange too," said Flora. "'He cometh to judge the earth;' I know the chant; but it seems solemn and dreadful, and it is sung in the minor key." "I know," said Mr. Murray. "The composer did not understand the rejoicing either." "But how can any one, Mr. Murray?" "Those 'that love His appearing,' Miss Flora?" "I suppose I am very bad, Mr. Murray; but I tell you just how I feel. That seems to me the most awful of times, and nothing but awful."