The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1900-02-21

pied 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 If a
week. I've been drinking ever since,
but I've never forgotten you or your
prayer DO You remember, the morning
after / 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 to
pray. can see her now kneeling down
by my bed when I was lad. Father
came In one night drunk and kicked
her while she was kneeling there by
me. but / mover forgot that prayer Of
sours that morning. You prayed for
mo just as mother used to. and you did
not seem to take count Of the fact that
] was ragged and tough looking and
more than half drunk when I rung your
doorbell. My God. what life I've
hvedi The saloon has housed me and
hoined me and made hell on earth for
me. But that prayer stuck to me all the
time My promise not to drink was
broken in thousand pieces inside of
two Sundays. and l lost the job you
found for me and landed in a police sta
tion two days afterward but | never
forgot you or your prayer | don't
know what good it's done me. but ]
never forgot it. and l won't do any
harm to you nor let any one else So
you're free to 60 That's why -
The bishop did not stir. Somewhere
u 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 work2'
no asked. and the man standing up
answered for the other
"More'n six months since either of
MS did anything to tell of. unless you
count holding up work call il pretty
wearing kind of a job myself. especially
when we put in a night like this one
and don't make nothing.
Suppose ] found good jobs for 10th
Of you. Would you quit this and begin
all Overt
Whats the usef' The man on the
stone spoke sullenly 1--WE reformed a
hundred times Every time ! go down
deeper The devils begun to forcelose
on me already It's too late
"No!" said the bishop. and never be-
fore the most entranced audience had
ne felt the desire for souls burn up in
him 90 strongly All the time he sat
there during the remarkable scene he
prayed 20 Lord Jesus, give me the
souls OF these two for thee am hun.
CRY for them Give them to mel
mol" the bishop repeated. What
does God want of you two men? It
doesn't 80 much matter what want.
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.
He had remembered the
mans name in spite of the wonderfully
busy years that lay between his coming
TO the house and the present moment
Burma he said. and he yearned
over the men with an unspeakable long.
ing for them both "if you and your
friend here will 60 home with me TO-
night ] will find you both places Of
honorable employment will believe
In you and trust you You are both
young men. Why should
God lose your II is a great thing to
win the love Of the great Father 1t is
a small thing that l should love you.
but II you need to feel again that there
Ii love In the world You will believe
me when | say. my brothers. that love
you. and in the name Of him who was
crucified for our sins cannot bear to
see you miss the glory of the human
life Gomez Be menl Make another try
for 1t. 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 1t out together, vou two and L
It's worth fighting for Everlasting life
Is 1t was the sinner that Christ came
to help I'll do what can for you. o
God. give me the souls of these two
meni"
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 mis- face buried in his hands,
sobbing Where were his mothers
prayers nowr They were adding to the
power OF the bishops And the other
man. harder, less moved. without
owledge of the bishop. leaned
back against the fence. stolid at first.
but as the prayer went on he was moved
by it What force Of the Holy Spirit
swept over his dulled. brutal coarsened
life nothing but the eternal records of
the recording angel can ever disclose.
but that samesupernatural presence that
smOte Paul ON the rond to Da,noscua