A Marriage Service. 38 



rangements very promptly. Well, what with rough 

 weather and head winds, we had a slow time of it 

 and were out about two weeks. By the fourth day 

 out I had, (I think, eight) patients on my hands. Of 

 course, in the two weeks I did not take off my 

 clothes, or go regularly to bed at all, and was on 

 deck only once, to bury one of my poor fellows who 

 had died. When we got to the quarantine station at 

 New York my patients were all doing finely, though 

 they were still as yellow as pumpkins." 



As he was never very sea-sick, he soon recovered 

 from the self imposed fatigue of nursing the sick. 



Hastening, with anxious forebodings, to his old 

 home, he found to his great joy, that his father was 

 convalescent. 



There was Itttle to mar the pleasure of this first 

 visit to the scenes of his early labors. The next 

 Sunday he was to preach to his former flock. His 

 father said to him "John, let Marriage be the sub- 

 ject of your discourse." The hint was taken and the 

 sermon prepared. On Sunday, long before the 

 hour for service, the village congregations from the 

 three churches flocked to the appointed place of 

 worship. His text was a great surprise to many of 

 his audience, for, until that morning, a profound 

 secret had been faithfully kept. 



When the services were ended, fifteen couples pre- 

 sented themselves to be united in marriage. John 

 Bach man describes the scene thus : 



" Intense excitement was betrayed by the congre- 

 gation as the young people, in pairs, walked up the 

 aisle. I stood at the altar and gave the exordium. 



