one that
ought to make you glad,--glad that such men have lived as those of whom
I am going to tell you. It all happened a good many years ago, in fact
so long ago that your fathers and mothers were little boys and girls in
kilts and pinafores, some of them mere babies in long clothes.

One bright Sunday morning in April the telegraph wires could be heard
repeating the same things all over the land, "Tic, tic; tictic; t-i-c;
tic, tictic;--tic, t-i-c, tic; t-i-c; tic, t-i-c; t-i-c, t-i-c, tic,"
they called out, and the drowsy telegraph operators sat up in their
chairs as if startled by the words the wires were saying.

"Tic, t-i-c, tic; tictic; tic, tictic; tic; t-i-c, tictic;--tic, tic;
t-i-c, tic," continued the wires and the faces of the telegraph
operators grew pale. Any looker-on could have seen that something
dreadful was being told by the wires.

"Tic, t-i-c, tic; tictic; tic, tictic; tic; t-i-c, tictic;--tic, tic;
t-i-c, tic," again repeated the wires. There was no mistaking the
message this time. Alas, alas, it was true! The terrible news was true!
Even the bravest among the operators trembled.

Then came the rapid writing out of the fearful words that the slender
wires had uttered, the hurrying to and fro; and messenger boys were seen
flying to the great newspaper offices, and the homes of the mayors of
the cities, and to the churches where already the people were beginning
to assemble. For the deep-toned Sabbath church bells high up in the
steeples had been ringing out their welcome to all, even the strangers
in their midst--"Bim! Baum! Bim!" they sang, which everybody knew meant,
"Come to church, dear people! Come! Come! Come!" And the people strolled
leisurely along toward the churches,--fathers and mothers and little
ones, and even grandfathers and grandmothers. It was such a bright,
pleasant day that it seemed a joy to go to the house of God and thank
Him for all His love and care. So one family after another filed into
their pews while the organist played such soft, sweet music that
everybody felt soothed and quieted by it.

Little did they dream of the awful words which the telegraph wires were
at that very moment calling out with their "Tic, t-i-c, tic; t-i-c; tic,
t-i-c; t-i-c, t-i-c, tic;--Tic, t-i-c, tic, tictic, tic, tictic; tic;
t-i-c; tictic."

The clergymen came in and took their places in the pulpits. In each
church the organ ceased its wordless song of praise. The congregation
bowed and