The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1893-07-01

q
Money, credit, honor. Oh, for sudden
death blow! Rain came and he never
knew it. The damp wind chilled him
to the bone and he never felt it. Night
fell and he did not miss the daylight.
Ainlessly he wandered on, thinking
vaguely of his lost possessions, of his
ruined partner, of the girl he could not
marry now. Then he heard church
clock strike, and like q sudden vision
came a thought of the mother who had
taught him to pray. He had not
thought of her teachings for wears but
now, in his hour Of need, they came
back, with gentle force. He would
enter the church and pray. Perhaps
the spirit of that loving mother who
had died in full confidence that some
time the Good Shepherd would reclaim
her dear black sheep whispered the
thought to him, Who knows?
lie was Presbyterian if anything,
and the church into which he crept was
adorned with the crucifx everywhere,
but that did not matter now. A starv-
ing man hardly cares whether the
bread given him be white or brown.
For awhile he prayed as drowning men
are supposed to pray, then tired nature
yielded to the solemn, peaceful silence,
and he fell asleep.
When he awolse the body of the
church was still dark, but several black
robed priests were decking the bril-
liantly lighted altar ready for the next
mornings early mass. Then, ere he
could rise, a glorious voice swelled soft
~ forth: son, rest in the Lord,e it
said: "Oh, rest in the Lord, 9 over and
over again with all possible shades of
expression. Rest and he was SO
tired, SO tired. ''Wait patiently for
Him, sang the angel for so the weary,
heartsick man had mentally styled the
singer, although it was, in reality, only
the new alto practicing to-morrow's
solo before the other choir members
came. The word PATIENTLY troubled
her and she sang it over again and
again, while the soul-stirred man down
IN the dusky corner drank in every
word. Yes, he would be patient. "Com-
nit thy way unto Him, and trust in
him." the sweet voice intoned, and
much of the trust in the singers heart
was somehow transmitted to that other
heart SO fast losing its despair. And
while he listened, knowing now that
the singer was human, the opening
strain began again and passed with
glorious crescendo to the closing words:
And He shall give thee thy hearts de-
sire" His hearts desire! His darling
Agnes! He did not think of the money
now; he had no bitter feeling towards
the man who in enriching himself had
ruined so many; he only thought of his
promised wife and his long-dead moth
4er That heavenly strain had washed
all evil thoughts from his soul and
brought on its incoming tide all the
good qualities, so long hidden, to the
surface. The wandering sheep had re-
turned.
And all the while the tender voice
sang on. Sang until the choir, with
much talk and laughter, entered by the
side door and the man passed out.
Sang while he, buying paper, discov-
cred that the market had changed
again and that though he was no
longer rich, he had still enough left to
begin life again. Sang till the leader
called the choir to order and the owner
woke from the ecstasy which possessed
her to find that her evident enjoyment
Of her own music was furnishing great
amusement for the other singers.
She did not know why she was SO
blissfnlly happy. She never knew about
the newborn beauty her friends no.
ticed from that time on; she never
lsnew who sent the flowers she found
lying il her place on the music. rack
next morning; she never knew thatone
man blessed her memory many times a
day leng after that hour in the quiet