Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1899-11-02

man, harder, less moved, without
previous knowledge of the bishop, leaned
back against the fence, stolid at first,
but as the prayer went ON he was moved
by it. What force of the Holy Spirit
swept over his dul1ed, brutal, coarsened
life nothing but the eternal records of
the recording angel can ever disclose,
but that same supernatural presence that
smote Paul on the road to Damascus
and poured through Henry Maxwell's
church the morning he asked disciples
to follow in Jesus steps and had again
broken irresistibly over the Nazareth
Avenue congregation now manifested
himself in this foul corner of the mighty
city and over the natures of these two
sinful, sunken men, apparently lost to
all the pleadings of conscience and
memory of God. The bishops prayer
seemed to break open the crust that had
for years surrounded these two men and
shut them off from divine communica-
tion, and they themselves were thor
oughly startled by the event.
The bishop ceased, and at first he
himself did not realize what had hap
pened. Neither did the two men. Burns
still sat with his head bowed between
his hands. The man leaning against the
fence looked at the bishop with q face
in which new emotions of awe, repent
ance, establishment and broken CLEAN
Of joy struggled for expression.
The bishop rose.
.'Come, my brothers God is good.
You shall stay at the settlement tonight,
and will make good my promise as to
the work.
The two men followed the bishop in
silence. When they reached the settle
ment, it was after O clock. The bishop
let them in and led them to room At
the door he paused moment. His tall,
commanding figure stood in the door
way, and his pale face. worn with his
recent experiences. was illuminated
with the divine glory.
"God bless you, my brothersl" he
said, and, leaving them his benediction,
he went away.
In the morning he almost dreaded to
face the men, but the impression of the
night had not worn away True to his
promise, the bishop secured work for
them. The janitor at the settlement
needed an assistant. owing to the growth
of the work there. So Burns was given
the place. The bishop succeeded in get
ting his companion position as driver
for firm of warehouse dray manufac-
turers not far from the settlement.
And the Holy Spirit, struggling in
these two darkened, sinful men, began
his marvellous work of regeneration.
1t was the afternoon following that
morning when Burns was installed in
his new position as assistant ianitor
| that he was cleaning off the front steps
of the settlement when he paused a
moment and stood up to look about him.
The first thing he noticed was beer
sign just across the alley. He could al
most touch it with his broom from
where he stood. Over the street imme-
diately opposite were two large saloons
and little farther down were three
more.
Suddenly the door of the nearest sa-
loon opened, and man came out. At
the same time two more went in. A
strong odor of beer foated up to Burns
as he stood on the steps of the settle
ment. He clutched his broom handle
tight and began to sweep again. He
had one foot on the porch and another
on the step just below. He took another
step down, still sweeping. The sweat
stood out on his forehead, although the
day was frosty and the air chill. The
saloon door opened again, and three or
four men came out A child went in
with a pail and came out moment
later with a quart of beer The child
went by on the sidewalk Just below him,
and the odor Of the beer came up to
him. He took another step down, still
sweeping desperately. His fingers were
4 purple as he clutched the handle of the
| broom.
Then suddenly he pulled himself up
one step and swept over the spot he had
just cleaned. He then dragged himself
by tremendous effort back to the floor
of the porch and went over into the cor.
ner of it farthest from the saloon and
began to sweep there. so God" he
cried, ''if the bishop would only come
backl" The bishop had gone out with
DR.. Bruce somewhere, and there was
no one about the settlement that he
knew.
He swept in the corner for two OF
three minutes. His face was drawn
with the agony Of tho conflict Gradu-
ally he edged out again toward the steps