A Burning Brand
_All _at once the thought came into my mind, ‘I have not sought out Mr. Brown.’ Upon that text I desire to depart from the direct line of my subject, and make a little excursion. I wish to reveal a secret which I have carried with me nine years, and which has become burdensome. Upon a certain occasion, nine years ago, I had said, with strong feeling, ‘If ever I see St. Louis again, I will seek out Mr. Brown, the great grain merchant, and ask of him the privilege of shaking him by the hand.’ The occasion and the circumstances were as follows. A friend of mine, a clergyman, came one evening and said-- ‘I have a most remarkable letter here, which I want to read to you, if I can do it without breaking down. I must preface it with some explanations, however. The letter is writt
