The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1900-01-10

lhe teHeIheHlS was beginning to be felt
and helped the family to the station
and then went with them to beautiful
spot on the coast. where, in the home
OF Christian woman, these bewildered
city tenants breathed for the first time
in years the cool salt air and felt blow
about them the pine scented fragrance
Of new lease of life.
There was sickly baby with the
mOther-three other children, one a
cripple. The father, who had been out
Of work until he had been, as he after
ward confessed to Maxwell several
times on the verge of suicide, sat with
the baby in his arms during the jour-
ney, and when Maxwell started back to
Raymond after seeing the family set
tied the man held his hand at parting
and choked with his utterance and
finally broke down. to Maxwells great
confusion. The mother. o wearied.
wornout woman. who had lost three
children the year before from fever
scourge in the Rectangle, sat by the
car window all the way and drank in
the delights of sea and sky and field. It
was all a miracle to her. and Henry
Maxwell. coming back into Raymond
at the end Of that week. feeling the
scorching, sickening heat all the more
because Of his little taste of the ocean
breezes. thanked God for the joy he had
witnessed and entered upon his disci-
pleship with humble heart, knowing
for almost the first time in his life this
special kind Of sacrifice. for never be-
fore had he denied himself his regular
summer trip away from the heat Of
Raymond. whether he felt in any great
need Of rest or not.
ut is fact. he said in reply to sew
eral inquiries on the part of his church.
II do not feel in need of vacation this
year. l am very well and prefer to stay
here. !" 1t was with feeling of relief
that he succeeded in concealing from
every one but his wife what he had
done with this other family He felt
the need of doing anything of that sort
without display or approval from others.
so the summer came on, and Henry
Maxwell grew into larger knowledge Of
his Lord. The First church 1as still
swayed by the power of the Spirit.
Maxwell marveled at the continuance
of his stay. He knew very we'll that
from the beginning nothing but the
Spirits presence had kept the church
from being torn asunder by this re-
markable testing it had received of it's
discipleship. Even now there were
many Of the members amoog those who
had not taken the pledge who regarded
the whole movement as Mrs. Winslow
did. in the nature of a fanatical inter
probation Of Christian duty, and looked
for return Of the old normal condi-
tion. Meanwhile the whole body of dis
ciples was under the influence of the
Spirit. and Henry Maxwell went his
way that summer doing his parish work
in great JOY. keeping up his meetings
with the railroad men, as he had prom
ised Alexander Powers, and daily grow
ing into q better knowledge Of the
Master
Early one evening in August. after q
day Of refreshing GOODNESS. following q
long period'Of heat, Jasper Chase walk
ed to the window of his room in the
apartment house on the avenue and
looked out.
On his desk lay pile of manuscript.
Since that evening when he had spoken
to Rachel WinslOw he had not met her
His singularly sensitive nature. sensi-
tive to the point of irritability when he
was thwarted, seemed to thrust him
into an isolation that was intensified
by his habits as an author
All through the heat of the summer
he had been writing His book was
nearly done now. He had thrown him
self into its CO lstruction with feverish
strength that threatened at any moment
to desert him and leave him helpless.
He had not forgotten his pledge with
the other church members at the First
church. 1t had forced itself upon his
notice all through his writing and ever
since Rachel had said 30 to him. He
had asked thousand times. Would
Jesus do this" Would he write this
story?" 1t was society novel. written
in a style that had proved popular 1t
had no purpose except to amuse Its
moral teaching was not bad. but nei-
ther was it Christian in any positive
way. Jasper Chase knew that such a
story would sell. He was conscious of
powers in his way that the social world
petted and admired. What would Jesus
do? The question obtruded on him at
the most inopportune times He be-
came irascibic over it. The standard Of
Jesus as an author was too ideal. Of
course Jesus would use his powers to
produce something useful or helpful or
with purpose. What was he. Jasper
Chase. writing this novel for? Why.
what nearly every writer wrote for
namely, money and fame as u writer
There was no secret with him that he
was writing this new story with that
object He was not poor and so had no
temptation to write for money. but he
was urged on by his desire for fame "a