servants of old, oh let them stand upon Thy right hand this night!'
Thus he prayed on in a wild rush of burning, pleading words, writhing
prostrate upon the floor in the vehemence of his supplication, while we,
poor trembling mites, huddled round our mother's skirts and gazed with
terror at the contorted figure seen by the dim light of the simple oil
lamp. On a sudden the clang of the new church clock told that the hour
had come. My father sprang from the floor, and rushing to the casement,
stared up with wild expectant eyes at the starry heavens. Whether he
conjured up some vision in his excited brain, or whether the rush of
feeling on finding that his expectations were in vain, was too much for
him, it is certain that he threw his long arms upwards, uttered a hoarse
scream, and tumbled backwards with foaming lips and twitching limbs upon
the ground. For an hour or more my poor mother and I did what we could
to soothe him, while the children whimpered in a corner, until at last
he staggered slowly to his feet, and in brief broken words ordered us to
our rooms. From that time I have never heard him allude to the matter,
nor did he ever give us any reason why he should so confidently have
expected the second coming upon that particular night. I have learned
since, however, that the preacher who visited us was what was called in
those days a fifth-monarchy man, and that this particular sect was very
liable to these premonitions. I have no doubt that something which he
had said had put the thought into my father's head, and that the fiery
nature of the man had done the rest.

So much for your great-grandfather, Ironside Joe. I have preferred to
put these passages before you, for on the principle that actions speak
louder than words, I find that in describing a man's character it is
better to give examples of his ways than to speak in broad and general
terms. Had I said that he was fierce in ins religion and subject to
strange fits of piety, the words might have made little impression upon