McCook weekly tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 188?-1886, 1885-01-22
DEACON N'NABS PRODIGAL.

sure that Alexander would reply. He
Judged from his own standpoint, and
from his knowledge of the disputa.
tlous young man. He forgot to take
into account the influence of marriage
and of living in community where
men have to be careful in matters OF
contradiction. He was ignorant OF
many circumstances in his sons life
which made this letter of less impor.
tance 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. Scotch
men have long memories for an offence
as well as for kindness. will wait
ayear and write again.
But year passed and he did not
write; two and three years, and then
he began to think he could hardly
write again unless his father requested
it. He might be suspected, if he did,
OF mercenary motives. He he had bet
ter let things alone. So year after
year passed away, and the silence was
unbroken.
In the meantime 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 charac-
ter had altered. HE is hard when
you first know him, but he mellows
as your friendship grows" said Nc
LaurIn. who had been a familiar friend
for forty years. But it was something
more than the mellowing of time. As
drops of water will wear away granite.
SO the preaching of Dominic Frazer
had told upon the deacon's spiritual
nature. There had indeed been times
when he had seriously disapproyed
him, when he had even feared he was
listening to something very like Ar
minianism, 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 som S absence
he began to remember him very ten
derry and to find excuses for him. 'sHe
was vera young, and he had my ain
high temper and quick tongue. 1 ken
weel haze gunpowdery temper, and
the laddie was like a flash O. fire; in
the vera nature O. things mischief
would come. wish 1 kent where he
is at a. Perhaps 1 ought. l mean,
perhaps it would be kind-like to look
after him. l wouldna like to meet his
mother in another warld if had failed
in mercy to the lad. Whatever way
can make it up wi him?"
1t was in mood of this kind he
went to church one morning. His
thoughts wandered a great deal until
they fitted into the words which the
dominic was reading-the words which
the wise woman of Tekoah urged
David to bring back his banished son
Absalom. He pointed out the imper-
lection of David's. forgiveness, in that,
though he brought him back, he suf-
fered him not to see his face. Then
he turned to the father of the newer
dispensation, imned in Christlike
colors, running to meet his prodigal
when afar off, taking him to his breast
with kisses of forgiveness, calling to-
gether his friends to rejoice with him
over the son that was lostand found.
When the deacon left the church it
was with one fixed purpose-to 90 and
find his son.
"And you'll do right, deacon" said
the dominic. "You are hale and
vigorous, and medina fear the travel.
You haze plenty O. siller to 90 to the
lad; maybe he hasna bawbee to come
to you. He may haze fallen very low
haze you thought of that?'
SAY, have /. If l can find him,
however low he has fallen. I'll lift him
up and gle him a sons portion in "a
things
''If that is the spirit you are in. go
your way, deacon, and the Lord 90
with you. Where to first?'
"He wrote me letter frae town
on the Gulf O. Mexico in Texas but l
haze written twice to that place, and
got no answer back; for l bid him
leave it on pain O. my displeasure, and
'll.hae game but whichever way is
mair than l can tell"
In 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.
II 60 up TO the seat OF govern
ment," he said to himself s'where
there is law-making there'l be law
yers. Maybe Ill find the lad among
them"
So he bought horse and buggy and
went leisurely through the country.
1t was in the first week in June, and he
was lost in amazement and delight
There was pomp and glory in the
sunshine and flowers which he had
never dreamed of and as he rode
through miles of blowing grasses and
saw the countless herds of cattle and
felt ell the lonely beauty and peace
sank into his soul, he said rapturously.
Here one kens that the earth is the
Lords" The highly oxygenized at
mosphere gave him a feeling of exhil-
GRAFTON he found himself singing lines
of his favorite songs as ''Auld Lang
Syne,'' or '.Scots who haze wi Wallace
bied." But the strange happiness in
his heart he put entirely down to the
credit of his conscience. "It's a gran
thing he thought. '.to be on an
ierrand o. mercy. | dinna wonder
now there are sac many philanthro-