The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1900-07-13

was being lowered upon a bed he
reached up his arms and put them
about his mothers neck. The poor
| woman sank on her knees and with her
face buried on the breast of her boy
sobbed out her hearts joy at his home
coming. When Kirk was ready to re-
turn to Conrad, she held his hand, re-
luctant to have him 90.
Heaven bless you Mr.. Kirk. l owe
you more than l can tell. The fire
carried off our grain stacks in the field
out there, and we lost several Of our
sheds, but would gladly 60 out into
| the world beggar If Phil would only
turn to God and give up the drink.
And you and Mrs. Kirk have your
great burden. l am selfish to add mine
| to it"
| "'Bear We one another's burdens"
quoted Malcom and added instantly.
"'Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and
he shall sustain thee" So he left
her standing there, looking after him,
comforted.
l
| the situation there with a courageous
heart and an outward cheerfulness for
Dorothy's sake more than anything
else. There was no attempt on the
part of either Of them to disguise the
fact that the prospect before them was
one that would try all their Christian
courage and faith. The winter was
coming on, the crops had been almost
total failure owing to the hot winds,
and the little boom of which Wilson
had spoken in his letter had collapsed,
leaving the town in wrecked condt
ton financially. The fields that had
been planted to corn stood dry and
hard, unfit for fall plowing, and even
the storm that broke over the town
that night was only local and had no
farreaching result on the general situa-
ton.
1t was also a new and in some re-
spects a terrible condition that faced
Dorothy. For the first time in her life
she knew that she was poor. Malcom
Kirk had never known anything else.
Poverty was a heritage to him, and
while it was full of discomfort and pri-
vation it had no terror. But Dorothy
had for the first time on coming to
that Home Missionary field felt the
touch of grim and stern economy. Her
little dowry saved from the wreck OF
her fathers failure had been added to
Malcom's small salary, but the illness
Of the baby and the constant calls or
their help from various sources had
l ;v,xD Il;
gone. Dorothy's aunt would gladly
have helped, but her own resources
were shortened by business failures
within the three years that Doroth,
had been west. Now the loss of tn,
parsonage with nearly everything i
contained was added to all the rest.
Little woman" said Malcom tha
. evening after he had been to 9Th,
Forks" Eve have very little left excep
our good looks, and the balance is II
your favor"
They were sitting in the little room
kindly offered them by one of thei
church members and had been talking
!, over the situation with the franknes
. that had always characterized thei
married life.
81 used to read in the novels" sail
Dorothy, with a peculiar smile, ''abou
the girl who married the poor but gift
ed young man and spurned the ricl
!, and highborn suitor, but I neve
thought l should be material for sucl
a story myself"
Malcom looked at her, and deep Il
y his heart there was a battle going Of
that he hardly dared to analyze. II
= only knew that he longed somehow t
be able to grapple a physical. tangibl
something and fight it for Dorothy
sake and prove to her that he coul
be more than poor man.
"Malcom," Dorothy said as she cam
: over and sat down on a stool near b.
and put her hands in his great brow
y palm, looking up at his sober, anxiou
face-"Malcom. once for all, If I nee
| to say 1t, l am not afraid of bein
l poor. l trust you. You do not think
will add to your burden by being wea
!. at such time as this? Was 1t nc
through sickness and health, for bel
ter, for worse. that I vowed to Civ
you all have and am until death d
us part?"
Malcom Kirk caught up his wife
Il and a great shadow swept out Of hi
i soul, and a great burden fell of hi
heart. He had not really doubted Dol
= othy's ability to face any possibl
event in their lives, but he eagerl
welcomed her loving unconditions
y statement Of it.
u Nevertheless he began his struggl
II for a new church and parsonage dul
$ ing the weeks that followed wit
vague questionings Of his choice of
II place for his life work. He no longe
II had any fears for Dorothy's sake. Br
o he found himself longing to give be
IS what he could not give from any hi
It man foresight in the Home Missionar
II field where they now were.
e 1t was at this time, with this exper
d snce personal and peculiar to his MAJ
ried life, that Malcom Kirk, fightin
It against great odds, began q work
a Conrad that had the furthest possibl
6 results on it's after life. This wor
a was an attempt to unite the variou
!. churches in a combined and constar
e crusade against the saloon. Matter
were nearing a crisis for the tempe
ance cause. All over the state NEE
y ings were being held. The agitatio
for a prohibitory amendment wa
is growing into such proportions that me
e. who felt the pulse Of the common PEI
'e pie predicted victory. And still til
whisky forces sneered at the poss
bility of an amendmenT
lie Kirk succeeded in uniting the fiy
IS other churches with his own in a s.
IN ries of union meetings during the wee