Weekly Chillicothe crisis., 1884-11-13
DEACON M'NAB'S PRODIGAL.

The deacon watched anxiously for
his sons reply to his letter. He felt
sure that Alexander would reply. He
Judged from his own standpoint, and
from his knowledge of the disputa-
tious young man. He forgot to take
into account the influence of marri-
age, and of living in community
where men have to be careful in mat
ters of contradiction. He was ignor-
ant of many circumstances of his SON s
life which made this letter of less i'm
portance to him than it was to the
lonely, anxious sender of it. He was
sorry at its tone. and he said to his
wife: 81 have been little premature
Scotchmen have long memories for an
oflense as well as for Il kindness. !
will wait Il year and write again"
But year passed and he did not
write; tw' and three years, and then
he began to think he could hardly
write aga unlcs his father requested
it. He might be suspected, if he did,
of mercenary motives. He had bet
ter let things alone. So year after
year passed away, and the silence
was unbroken.
In the meantime a great change
had taken place in the deacon; but it
had been SO gradual that his Oldest
friends rather thought their estimate
of him had been wrong than that his
character had altered. "He is hard
when you first know him, but he
mellows as your friendship grows" !"
said McLaurin, who had been a IA
miliar friend for forty years. But it
was something more than the mellow
ing of time. As drops of water will
wear granite, so the preaching of
Dominic Frazer had toll upon the
deacons spiritual nature. There had
indeed been times when he had seri-
ously disapproved him, when he had
feared he was listening to something
very like Arminianism; but through
it all very few Sabbaths when the
words of Jesus had not found his soul,
even in its most secret places.
In the ninth year of his sons alb
sence he gan TO remember him very
tendcrly !; Id to find excuses for him.
"Hc was cry young and he had my
ain high temper and quick tongue. |
ken weel | hae gunpowdery temper,
and the laddie was like n flash o. fire;
in the vera nature o. things mischief
would co c. Iwish | kent where he
is at a. erhaps | ought. mean,
perhaps it would be kind like to look
after him. | wouldna like to meet
his mother in another warld if | had
failed in mercy to the lad. Whatever
way | can make up wi him."
1t was in mood of this kind he
went to church one morning. His
thoughts wandered great deal until
they fitted into the words which the
dominic was reading-the words in
which the wise woman of Tekoah
urged David to bring back his ban
ished son Absalom. He pointed out
the imperfection of David's forgive
ness, in that, though he brought him
back, he suffered him not to see his
face. Then he turned to the father
of the newer dispensation, limned in
Christlike colors, running to meet his
prodigal when afar off, taking him to
his breast with kisses of forgiveness,
calling together his friends to rejoice
with him over the son that was lost
and found.
When the deacon left the church it
was with one fixed purpose-to go
and find his son.
"And you'll do right, deacon" said
the dominic you are hale and
vigorous, and medina fear the travel.
You hac plenty o. siller 10 go to the
lad; maybe he hasna u bawbee to
come to you. He may hae fallen very
low-hae ou thought of thatP"
SAY, have l. If l can find him,
however low he has fallen, I'll lift
him up and gle him sons portion in
a things"
"If that is the spirit you are in go
your ways, deacon, and the Lord go
with you. Where to tirst?"
"He wrote me letter frae town
on the Gulf O. Mexico in Texas; but
| hae written twice to that place and
got no answer back, for l bid him
leave it on pain O. my displeasure, and
he'll hae game, but whichever way is
mair than | can tell. :"
In q month the deacon was in New
Orleans, and from there he went to
Corpus Christi; but since Alexander
McNab had lived there it had been
visited by an epidemic of yellow fever,
and the population had been con-
stantly shifting one. No one remem-
bered him.
an go UP to the seat Of govern
ment, he said to himself; "where
there is law-making thcre'll be law
yers Ma. be I'll find the lad among
them
So he bought horse and buggy and
went leisurely through the country.
1t was in nc first week in June, and
he was lost in amazement and delight.
There wa pomp and glory in the
sunshine aud flowers which he never
dreamed of; and as he rode though
miles Of blowing grasses and saw the