hinkin'. After awhile he finished 'nd then a
gentle, kind-faced man stepped outer ther crowd 'nd sed he: 'What are
thet bright metal on ther end of y'r flag-staff?' Ther man sed it war
aluminum. Then the kind-faced man asked what aluminum cum from. Ther
other answered: 'Clay.' 'Jest common clay?' asked ther man. 'Jest common
clay,' said ther other. 'How long since ther beautiful metal war
discovered?' asked ther kind-faced man. 'It war within ther last half
century,' war the answer. Then the kind faced man made a discourse
sunthin' like this:

"'Yo' want a wisible proof thet man hez a soul. Ef yo' hed lived sixty
year ago 'nd men hed told yo' ther wur in common clay a metal ez bright
ez silver, ez ductile ez gold, with almost ther tensile strength uv
steel; sunthin' thet could be worked inter eny form, indestructible under
ther usual destructive agents of ther world, yo' wouldn't ha' believed
it, would yo'? Yet it war thar all ther time. Fur thousands of years, men
delved in clay. Ther wheels of ages ground it inter powder, which ther
winds blew away; when men died, other men sed, 'They is turned ter clay,'
which signefied ther utter degrerdation o' death; but ther men what bilt
ther Bable Tower, hed they but known ther secret, mighter from thet same
material have bilt a dome higher nor St. Paul's, thet would uv shone like
burnished silver 'nd would hev retained all its strength 'nd splendor,
notwithstandin' ther erosion uv time 'nd ther abrashin' uv ther ages,
even till now, tho' since then two hundred generations uv men has lived
and died.

"Still, yo' think thet ther power thet put thet imperishable,
indestructible, stainless soul in ther clay at our feet, war less
thoughtful, less wise, less merciful when he created man in His own
sublime image? Ther chemist found this property in clay after er thousand
nations hed spurned it under ther feet; this soul in clay, which will not
tarnish, which can be drawn out inter finest wires and thinnest leaves;
hev yo' ther audacity ter proclaim thet ther subtle chemistry of death
cannot reveal anything bright and indestructible fur man, when these pore
mortal senses shall have spent ther energies; when this pore body shall
uv fallen back ter dust 'nd ther clearer light shell 'ave dawned."

"It war a great sermon. The unbeliever shambled shamefaced away, 'nd I've
been er thinkin' uv it ever since."

"It must be true," said Sedgwick. "Somewhere must be kept the records of
the h