The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-06-29

event in their lives, but he eagerly
welcomed her loving unconditional
statement of it.
Nevertheless he began his struggle
for new church and parsonage dur
ing the weeks that followed with
vague questionings of his choice of a
place for his life work. He no longer
had any fears for Dorothy's sake. But
he found himself longing to give her
what he could not give from any hui
man foresight in the Home Missionary
field where they now WERE
1t was at this time, with this expert.
ence personal and peculiar to his mar
ried life. that Malcolm Kirk, fighting
against great odds began work in
Conrad that had the furthest possible
results on its after life. This work
was an attempt to unite the various
churches in a combined and constant
crusade against the saloon. Matters
We're nearing crisis for the temper
ance cause. All over the state meet
ings Were being held. The agitation
for prohibitory amendment was
growing into such proportions that men
who felt the pulse of the common peo-
pie predicted victory. And still the
whisky forces sneered at the posi-
bility of an amendment.
Kirk succeeded in uniting the five
other churches with his own in Sc
ries of union meetings during the week
as well as on Sundays. His own church
secured for the use of worship little
storeroom on the main street while
waiting to hear from the Church Build
ing society to which they had made
application for a grant of $500 to help
rebuild church and parsonage.
Together with all this work in the
town Malcolm was constantly sent for
to speak in the district schoolhouses.
His reputation as Il temperance taller
was growing. He often went out dur
ing the week and spoke to crowded
houses, returning late at night
1t was during his absence from Con
rad on one of these schoolhouse cam
paigns that one evening four letters
came to him, and Dorothy opened
them, as Malcolm had always asked
her to do, in order that answers might
be sent in case he was detained from
home several days at time.
The first letter was from the super
intendent of the Home Missionary So
ciety and read as follows:
Rev. Malcolm Kirk, Conrad, Kan:
Dear Brother--lt is with great regret that the
society is compelled to announce to many of the
brethren who are commissioned on the frontier
n of Nors
treasury, it will be impossible to forward the
quarters salary when due. 1t is with the greatest
possible regret that l obliged to make this
statement but it is unavoidable. 1t is probable
there may be delay of three or four months be-
fore the money be sent. Meanwhile your
church must be urged to do all it for your
support until the Weather churches respond to
the special appeal now being sent out by the So
ciety in behalf of the missionaries at the front.
am, your brother, etc.
The second letter that Dorothy open
ed was from the Church Building So
ciety expressing great regret that, ow
ing to excessive calls from other fields,
the society did not have the funds to
spare at present to assist the unfortu-
nate church at Conrad, but hoped to
be able to do so at some future time,
ETC.
Dorothy hesitated before she opened
the next letter, and in spite of her eff
fort at self control tear fell with a
hot splash on the envelope. She knew
only too well what a real disappoint-
nient the letters she had already open
ed would be to Malcolm.
The third letter bore Boston post
mark and was from the editor of a re-.
ligious paper. 1t acknowledged the re-
ceipt of an article sent by Malcolm
some two months before and retained
it with a view to publication when the
press of matter already accepted would
permit, etc. Payment for the article
would be sent when it was published
Dorothys face flushed with pride at
Malcom'S success as a writer and at
the same time she could not help feel
ing that if the editor of that paper on
ly knew how much they needed the
money he would pay for the article
when he accepted it instead of keeping
the author waiting until it appeared in
print. But she was unfamiliar with
the customs of magazines and news
papers in this respect, and she rejoic-
ed, after all, that her husband had
been able to write anything that such
a famous paper wanted
The last letter also bore a Boston
postmark, and after reading the let
ter Dorothy laid it down and rose to
walk the little room, Willie her cheeks
burned With excitement and her eyes
flashed with a light that had not been
seen in them for many days. The let
ter read:
My Dear Mr.. Kirk-For several months we have
been considering your name in connection with
vacancy on ON editorial board and have at last
decided unanimously TO ask you to assume the
place OF assistant under the chief editor OF the
magazine. We have been led to this decision by
our knowledge of your work on the German
scholarship three years ago and also from pc
rusal OF several articles recently written by YOU
and printed in the Boston Review. In addition to
MIR. Wilson, your old seminary classmate who
last year was on our board for time We make
you this offer and hope you will see your way to
accept. The salary will be $1,000 year, with
opportunity of increase. The press is as powerful
as the pulpit in these days, and you may be sure
your usefulness will not be shortened or lessened
by making this change. We await your reply