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e preachers have always told us
that no matter what we had done of evil, we would be sure of complete
pardon and forgiveness for it all, even murder, if we only could say
that we accepted and believed what they told us. So many just went on
and played merry hell, and at the last minute sent for a sky pilot and
repented, and were assured by the clergy that they were saved and sure
of heaven.

"Now, young man, don't you take any stock in that at all. Don't forget
for one minute that when you do a thing that your inner self feels to be
wrong, you are going to pay for it, and you won't pay the debt in
counterfeit coin, either. If people only knew enough to understand that
that very inner sense of what is right and wrong which we call
conscience is the law we should follow closer than the laws made by men,
they would be coming nearer to obeying the commands of the Master than
they do. Unhappily we do not know that until it is too late, but the
Master knows our motives, our ignorance, the pressure of outside
influence, temptation and environment, and it is safe to trust to Him,
for knowing all and being our Creator He knows and pities our
weaknesses, and compassionately gives a chance to-and-so-well we can-my
dear sir, I can say no more now, for the time is up. Good-bye till next
year-good-bye."

As the Sociable Ghost said this, a bell began to ring somewhere. At this
sound all the ghosts sank out of sight so swiftly that all the young man
could remember was that the good-natured ghost had waved his bony hand.
The change had taken place so rapidly that the young man sat and rubbed
his eyes to see if they were open. As the sound of the bell grew louder,
night began to fade before the early dawn.

The young man looked around and found that he was seated on the very
slab where he had been when he had first seen the Sociable Ghost. He
almost convinced himself that he had had a vivid dream. He might have
come to believe it fully if he had not found the tobacco paper entirely
empty and the matches all burned. And there was not a drop of whiskey
left.

And as if these facts were not enough, he noticed that it had rained
heavily during the night. There were pools and puddles of water in all
the depressed places. The trees dripped water, but his clothes were
perfectly dry. He was and is still convinced that this was not the
baseless fabric of a dream, but the reality. He fully intends to keep
his two unusual appointments next year, and try to fulfill his promises.

One good thing came out of this night's experience, and that is that his
heart has ceased aching in that dreadful way about the marriage of the
girl he loved. In the light of all he learned it became a chastened
sorrow, and he could even think of it as something that had happened
years ago-many of them-and we all know that when a grief reaches that
point it is really cured.

But he never found the little cat, nor the dog, and his conscience still
twinges whenever he thinks of his wanton cruelty in bestowing that
unmerited kick on the dog, and throwing the stone at the cat.

THE END.

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