Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-08-07

| ter?" She asked the question as she
put on her cloak and hat and resolutely
determined to go to church and be a
good Christian in spite of her troubles.
ITO him that overcometh," the verse
happened to be the subject of the En-
deavor meeting that very night, and as
| she took up her Bible and went out Of
the house she was feeling better as she
started down the avenue and then turn
ed toward one of the churches of the
/, same denomination as the one at home.
| For she was homesick enough to feel
that she would enjoy the worship bet
ter in such church.
Faiths Sundays in Chicago since
she had been there were not at all like
| the Sundays at home. She had at first
| tried to attend n church near her board
ing place. But at the end of her studio
experience she had found some Sunday
work to do in connection with one Of
| the social settlements. That work was
now too far away, and she was COM
PEELED to give it up.
Tonight, she said, she would go to
the Endeayor meeting in the large
church only few blocks from Mrs.
Fulton's. She had seen the notice on
the outside of the building. giving 6
o'clock as the hour Of service.
The young people held their meeting
In the chapel or prayer meeting room
| adjoining the main room. 1t was beau
stifullyS lighted and furnished, and as
Faith went in che xyoc yraatad ~ %bo
door by young woman. who gave her
a topic card and hymnbook and then
showed her to seat
| The meeting began promptly, and
| Faith could not help wondering a little
as she looked around at the very well
| dressed young men and women how
much any of them knew about the
ment she rebuked herself for judging
| others.
'They all have their trials no doubt"
she said. at won't do to Judge from
appearances. Rich folks are not the
| happiest ones"
She enjoyed the singing, and some of
the more familiar Endeavor songs
| UIOuSat TEARS 10 ucT eyes.
When the hour was about half gone,
Faith had an impulse to give her tes-
timony. She kept saying to herself that
what she had been through that day
was something that might help the
others. In her fathers church at home
the young people had always been en-
couraged to help one another by relat-
Ing their experiences, and Faith had no
| other thought in mind when she rose
during a pause and told very frankly
something Of her struggle that very
day.
The young people all turned and
looked at her in surprise. Faith knew
how to express herself very well. Her
| father had helped her very much. She
did not mean to exaggerate her difficult
| ties, but she spoke more frankly than
! she might If she had not been overflow
ing from the days experience. Besides,
her heart warmed to find herself in the
| society once more, and she longed for
the Christian fellowship.
| When she sat down, she had time to
think if she had said anything she
ought not. She had simply confessed
| her struggle as the Bible said Chris
tians ought, and she had only inciden-
| tally mentioned the fact that she was
| working out. At home they had girls
| in the society who worked out at serv-
| ice, and they did not think much about
| it.
But before the meeting was over she
grew hot and cold by turns as she
thought Of having told all those young
people that she was "hired girl" She
was almost tempted to get up again
and tell them that she was the daugh-
ter of minister and a high school
graduate and that her father had more
than one letter from the pastor Of the
| very church where she now was COM
mending the work done in Conrad and
asking for counsel as to similar work
in the great city. Then she glowed
with shame for her lack Of courage. IF
did te.s them what I am doing, it is
no disgrace! It is an honest thing to
do. / am not ashamed of it."
In spite of all that, when the meet
| ing was over, Faith fancied that the
| girl who had been sitting next to her
| turned away very hurriedly without
trying to speak to her. The one who
| had ushered her to her seat, however,
came to her and introduced her to a
girl standing near by. The girl shook
hands rather stitfiy and then excused
| herself, saying she had some commit
! tee work to do. Faith was left stand
| ing alone, and no one else spoke to
her. She tried to believe that there
was no intention in the neglect But
| her face burned, and she finally re-
solved to go out, to shake the dust of
that church from her feet and never
return to it.
She had reached the door when the
face of her father came up before her,
the patient, loving, long suffering ia
Their at home, who had to Faiths own
knowledge, endured for years number
| less privations and Sights without los
| ing his Christian manhood or courage.
With the face Of her father also came