Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1900-01-24
TN HIS STEPS
"auI1at 1uunid aRsus 9n?"
BY CHARLES N. SHELDON.

BY CHARLES N. SHELDON.
lCopyrightrd ~na publisher. in book for,l
BY the Advance Publishing o. Of Chicago
[tr":"FN' p
Don't you remember one day back
In 81 or 80 man came to your house
and told story about his wife and
child having been burned to death in a
tenement fire in New York2'
eyes; I begin to recall now" muir
INJURED the bishop. The other man
seemed to be interested He ceased dig
ging his stake in the ground and stood
still, listening.
do you remember how you took me
into your own house that night and
spent all the next day trying to find me
a job and how, when you succeeded in
getting me place in warehouse as
foreman, I promised to quit drinking
because you asked me tor
~ remember it now" the bishop re-
piled gently. II hope you have kept
your promise. -
The man laughed savagely. Then he
struck his hand against the fence with
such sudden passion that he drew blood.
"Kept it'll I was drunk inside of a
week. I've been drinking ever since.
but I've never forgotten you or your
prayer. Do you remember, the morning
after l came to your house and after
breakfast, you had prayers and asked
me to come in and sit with the rest :?
That got me. But my mother used tc
pray. can see her now kneeling down
by my bed when l was a lad. Father
came in one night drunk and kicked
her while she was kneeling there by
me, but l never forgot that prayer of
yours that morning. You prayed for
ne just as mother used to. and you d Il
not seem to take count # the fact til It
was ragged and tou}h looking and
more than haG drunk when rung your
doorbell. My God. what life I've
lvedl The saloon has housed me and
homed me and made hell on earth for
me. But that prayer stuck to me all tie
time. My promise not to drink Was
broken in a thousand pieces inside Of
two Sundays. and | lost the job you
found for me and landed in police sta
tion two days afterward. but / never
-4-Sot you or your prayer don't
know what good it's done me. but |
never forgot it, and won't do any
harm to you nor let any one else So
you re free to 60 That's why y
The bishop did not stir Somewhere
church clock struck The man had
put on his hat and gone back to his seat
on the stone The bishop was thinking
hard
"How long is it since you had work 2
he asked. and the man standing up
answered for the other
'More'n six months since either CT
Us did anything to tell Of unless you
count holding mp work | call it pretty
wearing kind of a job myself especially
when we put in a night like this one
and don't make nothing
Suppose l found good jobs for both
Of you Would you quit this and begin
all overY'
whats the useY' The man on the
stone spoke sullenly I've reformed
hundred times Every time | 90 down
deeper The devils begun to forcelosa
on me already It's too late
MOI sail the bishop, and never b..
fore the most entranced audience had
he fe's the desire for souls burn up in
him 90 strongly All the time he sat
there during the remarkable scene ilt,
prayed 20 Lord Jesus. give me the
souls OF these two for thee am han
cry for them Give them to mel"
moi the bishop repeated What
does God want Of you two men? 1t
doesn so much matter what | wal, t
but he wants just what | do in this
case You two men are of infinite value
to him And then the bishops won
derful memory came TO his aid in an
appeal such as no one else on earth
among men could make under such CIR
cumstances. He had remembered tns,
man 9 name in spite of the wonderfully
busy years that lay between his coming
to the house and the present moment
Burns he said and he yearned
over the men with an unspeakable long
ing for them both. ''if You and your
friend here will go home with me TO.
night | will find you both places Of
honorable employment will believe
in YOU and trust you You are b..th
COMPARATIVELY young men Why shoria
God lose you? 1t is great thin, to
win the love of the great Father Ii is
a small thing that l should love Won.
but If You need to feel again that there
is love in the world you will bel! We
me when say. my brothers, that hove
you and in the name Of him who was
see You miss the glory Of the human
life Come Be men Make another try
for it God helping you No one but
God and you and myself need ever
know anything of this tonight He has
forgiven it The minute you ask him to
you Will find that true Come Wen
fight it out together. YOU two and
It's worth fighting for Everlasting life
H. 1t was the sinner that Christ came
to help III do what can for you o
God. give me the souls Of these TWO
men,
The bishop broke into a prayer to
God that was continuation Of his ap-
peal to the men His pent up feeling
had no other outlet Before he had
prayed many moments Burns was sit
ting with his face buried in his hands.
sobbing Where were his mothers
prayers now9 They were adding to the
power Of the bishops And the other
man. harder less moved. without a