The Caldwell Tribune

Jim Witherspoon had to shoot magpies on the sly and not let his wife know about it, until they were walking along where a sick hog was fighting for life. Whenever Jim would crack away and bring down Mr. or Mrs. Magpie, his wife scolded him and wanted him to be more careful. He would never think of shooting at other birds, and Mrs. Witherspoon did not understand why he had so much spleen for the magpie. Well, they took a look at the poor sick hog and then went on half a mile. After a while they returned and the hog was dead, and the magpies had eaten his nose off. This settled it, and when Jim made a flying magpie bite the dust with folded wings, it had no terrors for his wife for she had seen enough.

The Hired Man one time saw a flock of magpies after a thin old horse in the spring, whose back had a sore on it. The magpies were after that sore. We were about to kill the horse to keep him out of his misery, but we were in a strange place in the mountains and wisdom seemed to favor letting the case alone. In a few days we returned that way and the magpies had worried him off his feet, and were tearing great pieces of flesh from his live back. They say if you split a magpie's tongue, he can do a pretty fair job at talking, but the Hired Man thinks the best split to make is to take off his head and have done with him.

A man wants to know how under the sun God can be expected to work contrary to his established laws. In other words, how can he answer a prayer? Why don't somebody ask the Hired Man something difficult of answer? God works right along as it pleases him and never interferes with his laws in the least. Or if he does interfere with them, he doesn't mind. Here is a fifty-pound rock lying by the road-side. There are a number of God's laws effective on that stone. One law that is best understood is the law of gravity. This law holds that rock where it is to the extent of fifty pounds. I come along and lift the rock aside. I have not even touched the law of gravity. God ought to be able to do as much as I can. He can turn a mountain up-side-down, using the law of gravity to do it, and yet not interfere with that law in the least, or he can use one of his other laws and not disturb gravitation at all. Some people talk like they thought God would have to repeal a law everywhere before He could get action on one of His other laws. As a matter of fact God's laws are working contrary to each other from the first to last, no two pulling together no two in the same direction, but every two in opposition. If God wants to answer your prayer He can do it without uprooting Orion or spoiling Jupiter.

No sooner is a child born than nature puts after it half a dozen deadly diseases. When it is a year old, nature calls off the diseases that would now be almost harmless, and puts other more fashionable ones after it. Later the second year's diseases are called off and still more serious ones instituted. It would look like nature gave us a child and then started in to see if she could take its life. In this we see two laws working against each other. It is that way all along. Never mind about suggesting to God about how He is to do a thing, but if His laws are cinching down on you, there is the law of prayer and faith for you to use. If you came on to a spring in the parched desert, and you stood there reading a book about the good of water, and you did not drink some of the water, you would not make much headway. If, in your weary march through life, you famish for the water of life and you stand by its spring and read about it, yet never stoop down and touch your dry lips to it, you would be the same sort of a fool, only a worse one in degree.