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Show THE FAIR APOSTATE CONTINUED. 343 strange heat was on his face. As the sun rose higher it seemed that his sight grew dim. The bordering mountains receded, the plain seemed to rise and swallow him up. Strange, distorted images passed before his face, and he fell prone upon the grass, with but a few hours' delirium between him and death. $ * * * # # * $ . It was something of a surprise to Willie Manson, when next he called upon the Briarlys, to be received by the head of the family with smiles of welcome, though he could not but notice that Marian left the room as soon as he entered it. Her father was flanked on all sides by documents: Orson Pratfs Works, The Pearl of Great Price, Tlie Key to Theology, The Book of Mormon, and the Doc-trine and Covenants. There was a long argument, of which he understood but little save the beginning and ending, in these words: " Why don't you accept the truth and become one of God's Saints?" If Briarly had asked him why he didn't fly to heaven without wings, the question would scarcely have seemed to him more absurd. But the elder soon convinced him that he had something to do beside mere pointless objecting, if he would answer the proof texts cited in support of Mormonism. There was first the whole tenor of the Bible, to the effect that prophets and apostles should always lead the true church ; there was not a line in the Old or New Testament to imply that mir-acles and prophecies should cease; and there was, on the other hand, this explicit declaration of Saint Mark : " And these signs shall fol-low them that believe : in my name shall they cast out devils ; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them ; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover." To this were added a score of texts promising that God would always be with His people to aid them in doing wonderful works; that they should have ever a witness to confound unbelievers; that they should trust, when sick, not in an arm of flesh, but call in the elders, who should lay hands on them, and that prophecy should not fail, or God leave himself with-out a witness. Against all this, where was there one text to show that these gifts were to be confined to the apostolic age ? For two hours did Elder Briarly continue this argument, heaping up a mountain of facts and texts which no man could meet who had not made theology a study. Poor Manson was utterly confounded. In his trouble, he happened to raise his eyes and glance into an adjoining room. There, hidden from her father's sight, stood Marian, listening intently, her gaze fixed upon Manson with an eager, pleading look that went to his |