The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1893-10-13
After that life went ON about as

So "oo oo iouS Wltunelu. OtueHs
oil about him were doing great things
toward building up the kingdom, yet
search and wait rs he would, nothing
ever came i'll his way.
- the time went on for eight or ten
years, until one day Deacon Chan ilor
awoke suddenly to the fnct TINT hi,
wife was slowly dying, His love for
his wife was one of the things that nd
one doubted, and when he noticed how.
pale and thin she had become he spoks
to her at once in an unusually anxious
way.
'Is there anything I can do for You.
wife," he asked.
''No-I don't know ns there is"
els there anything yon wnnt?"
Her eyes filled with tears.
''Shall l tell yon?' she Whispered.
"Y"s do"
%a lily and fir My 81" told him tnnn
the whole pitiful =; ;r,-.
81 want nv boy. van, To: :,
como back to mo. He was my first
born, AMI ] cannot fov e, how lovel
him when he WAS n baby i'll my arms.
Yes, aad when n grew to bc boy |
loved him still, and my love could have
saved him. But you-yuu w2r> 50
hard and cold with him. Conscious
of your own virtue, you could not
pity his intirmity and bear with him,
ms | would have done. No. hear mv
ont, na he would have spoken. "Yuu
have always praycl-prnyrl to the
Lord for some opportunity to do some
Grent good, and when it wn, h,rr. in
your own son, YOU nH%irctrl il. You
might hpyG ban mp"n l,,utiN; Nrl
might hHyrlelhlm "it 90 his evil wa;@,
Int you would not, nnl all those year,
my heart has been aching for sight
of my SONNY eldest born"
The words came sharp and fast now
and ended in n smothared sob
The deacon was surprised. Never
before had his wife questioned his WIS
dom or censurcd him for what nc did.
But the mother love so strong in her
had welled up and filled her heart to
overfiowing, and she must be heard
Her words had their effect. too, for
Deacon Chandler saw, as he had never
seen before this, his mistake and the
hypocrisy OF the fervent prayer he h,,d
SO often brcnthcd out to His Heavenly
Father when he was m unmcrciful--
nay, even cruel parent. How ho hol
prayed for an opportunity of doing
good, and when it came lot it pass
nay, threw it away willfully. He was Il
man of few words, and those H. spoa.
now carried healing balm to the heart
of the woman who had SO loved her
hayward boy.
'I have been wrong, wife Can YOU
forgive me?"
''Oh, freely !" she answered him.
He read in her wistful eyes the un-
spoken wish and answered it.
~ will find our boy and bring him
home" he said.
"And no matter how sinful he is or
how he has fallen you will bring him
home to his mother?"
"I will. And she was satisfied.
To those who wish to learn all things
are plain, and Deacon Chandler traced
his son, by constant effort, to small
Western city. OF the fact that he was
there he became convinced, but could
learn nothing more. A week found
him standing in railway station of
the city of c., inquiring of the by
ISLANDERS if they knew Thomas Chan.
dlcr.
''Know Thomas Chandler? Waal, I
reckon ! do," drawled one loafcr who
was warming himself in the sun.
Can you tell me where | can find
him?" asked the deacon.
"Waal, | kinder reckon about this
time cr day he's ter be found o7er to
the Sentcr House "
Having learned where the Senter
House was, Deacon Chandler walked
slowly up the main street Of the we'll
kept western city. How should he
find Tom? He inferred, from the
manner Of the man with whom he had
just talked, that his son was still the
wild young man he had turned from
home so many weary years ago. But
ii did not matter. He had promised
thr mother r-and then was not here his
opportunity? He would see that he
Crasped it now and would save his son
at any cost.
His mcditations were cut short by
the gilded sign directly in front of
his eyes and he saw in large letters Sen
ter House. He was almost ashamed 20
ask this gcntiemenly fellow about his
errinG son, but he did.
81 am stranger here, sir, he be-
gan. ''Can you tell me where / can
find Thomas Chandler"
eyes, sir, answered the brisk clerk.
Then he turned to boy who stood
near and said, "Go and find Mr..
Chandler.
The boy sped away on his errand
and Deacon Chandler waited. Then
he heard steps, IL mans surprised
voice called Gather" and he
looked up and saw his son. But where
was the sinful, dissipated man he had
thought to see? Here was we'll
dr ss@I anl prosperous-looking man,
holding ont his hand to him and bid
ding him welcome. And it was Tom.
That was the funny part of it,
''Comc, father" and he lead the ola
nan away to private parlor and
'iosed the door. "Don't you know
me, father? 1 would know you any
where"
"Yesbut it's SO strange" gasped
the old man.