The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1900-07-20
[coNrINUED.J
CHAPTER Ali.
THE BATTLE FOR PROHIBITION.

THE BATTLE FOR PROHIBITION.
All the way back to Conrad his mind
was at war; He knew deep down in
his soul that he had no joy in the
change he had planned to make. He
knew well enough that his call to the
ministry did not mean a ministry with
the pen, but with the voice and in the
personal, living, hand to hand touch
with humanity.
He knew it when he said to Dorothy
there by tine ruins, Il will" He knew
it as he penned the letter that even
now he supposed had started on it's
eastward journey. He knew it as he
felt the touch of the sorrowful moth
er's hand on his arm. And no reason
ing or self persuasion could convince
him otherwise or satisfy him that he
had made q decision that his con-
science could approve.
The doctor had patient at the lower
eN1 of the town near where they drove
in on the way back, and Malcom left
him there and started to walk home.
As he went up the main street past the
| saloons Carver came staggering out of
one of them.
The sight of the minister seemed to
sober the man a little. He muttered,
"How do, Mr.. KirkY' and was sham
bling on, when he suddenly stopped, as
If he had remembered something, and
ran back to Kirk, who had gone sadly
| on, sick at heart at the sight of him.
Something of yours, Mr.. Kirk. Let
ter you gave me to keep. No trouble to
keep it. Glad to do favor" Carver
stammered, his drunken brain proud of
his apparent service to the minister.
He pulled out the letter Kirk had
given him and handed it over. NAL
com took it mechanically without a
word. Carver stared at him, and as
Kirk walked away he scratched his
head and muttered:
"Something wrong with the minister
evidently" He shook his head in per-
plexity and finally zigzagged into a
saloon to see if he could clear up the
mystery with fresh drink.
Malcom thrust the letter down into
his pocket and walked on like ose in a
dream. He went by the postOffice with
out looking up. He met several of his
parishioners and answered their good
struggle he had experienced when his
baby died, only this was a new form of
1t. Now Dorothy was the person he
was thinking of most. He was in the
habit of making up his own mind
quickly. If he ever did anything that
his whole soul could not rejoice in, he
felt suspicious of it; he felt suspicious
of his whole motive now in leaving
| Conrad. And Philip Barton, was that
soul laid on him to rescue? Was il
true that he must assume the salvation
of that particular individual and count
him one Of the lost souls he had really
pledged himself to save? And this
letter that had come back to him, was
he to take the event as a leading OF
the Spirit and interpret it all to NEAR
that he was not to send it, after all
But Dorothy, how could he ask her te
lead the life of hardship she must lea(
, II they remained in this Home Mission
ary field? After he had gone over al
the ground for going or leaving hi
came back to that final question. Ant
3 us uluO was IN b tumulC.
He was within block of the hous,
now and still walking on absorbed
when some one touched his arm. II,
, looked up and saw one of his churcl
members, one Of the poorest men II
: his congregation.
'How do you do, Mr.. Kirk? Wifi,
d and have been talking over what W,
could do toward helping on the new
!, church parsonage, and we have con
cluded to give this as our share" TIL,
: man handed to Kirk $40 bill. ever
'' sorry it isn't ten times as much. Gu
crops failed, you know, along with tn
sickness and Jim's death last spring
But we want to do something in memo
ry of the boy. His mother TIL
man choked up and did not finish th
sentence.
"That was a good sermon you CAV
us, Mr.. Kirk. last Sunday. 1t did US
world of good. We're praying for yo
at our house. God bless your worl
among U.S."
The man was gone, and Malcor
stood there holding the money, and
was impossible for him to prevent hi
mind from trying to guess by wha
self denial, hardship, sacrifice, that 81
had been saved. 1t was little thing
but the meeting with his poor parish
ioner profoundly moved him.
He went on slowly and had almos
reached the house when, as he turne
a corner, he came face to face with til
superintendent Of his Sunday schoo
The superintendent was one of til
r. leading temperance workers In Conrat
.sl He had been specially active in tn
l. work carried on in the country di:
tricts. He was one of Malcoms bes
!, friends, one of the comparatively fe'
J" men with whom he often counsele
and one whom he trusted entirely.
"I've just been to the house, NJ
Kirk, to see you. l won't take you
IS time now, but called to tell you that
was out at the Parker district las
night, and the men out there want yo
to come over tomorrow or next night
you can. They've never heard yo1
7 Pm sure you could do some real GOO
work there. It's needed bad enougl
The neighborhood is made up of youn
ranchmen who nearly all drink. If yO
M can 60, l can send word by one Of IL
men who are driving out there this af
o. ernOOn."
''Tell him I'll go tomorrow" sa
~ Malcom in q low voice.