Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-07-17
The poor aoO11la1l sobbed out her he1rts
JOY at his Homecoming.

The poor aoon,a1, sobbed out her hearts
Joy at his Homecoming.
Dorothy. For the first time in her life
she knew that she was poor. Malcolm
Kirk had never known anything else.
Poverty was heritage to him, and
while 1t was full Of discomfort and pri-
walton 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 on
their help from various sources had
eaten into this little fund, and it was
gone. Dorothy's aunt would gladly
have helped, but her own resources
were shortened by business failures
within the three years that Dorothy
had been west. Now the loss of the
parsonage with nearly everything it
contained was added to all the rest.
little woman" said Malcolm that
evening after he had been to s"The
Forks" 4'we have very little left except
our good looks, and the balance is in
your favor"
They were sitting in the little room
kindly offered them by one OF their
church members and had been talking
over the situation with the frankness
that had always characterized their
married life.
II used to read in the novels" said
Dorothy, with peculiar smile, about
the girl who married the poor but gift
ed young man and spurned the rich
and highborn sutton, but I never
thought I should be material for such
a story myself"
Malcolm looked at her, and deep in
his heart there was a battle going on
that he hardly dared to analyze. He
only knew that he longed somehow to
be able to grapple physical, tangible
something and fight it for Dorothy's
sake and prove to her that he could
be more than a poor man.
Malcolm" Dorothy said as she came
over and sat down on stool near by
and put her hands in his great brown
palm, looking up at his sober, anxious
face" Malcom, once for all, If I need
to say it. am not afraid of being
poor. trust you. You do not think
will add to your burden by being weak
at such time as this? Was it not
through sickness and health, for bet
ter, for worse. that vowed to give
you all I have and am until death do
us part"
Malcolm Kirk caught up his wife,
and great shadow swept out of his
soul, and great burden fell of his
heart. He had not really doubted Dor
othy's ability to face any possible
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
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 a work in
Conrad that had the furthest possible
results on its after life. This work
was an attempt to unite the various
churches In q combined and constant
crusade against the saloon. Matters
were nearing a crisis for the temper
ance cause. All over the state meet
ings were being held. The agitation
for q prohibitory amendment wasi
growing into such proportions that mem
who felt the pulse of the common peo-t
pie predicted victory. And still thel
whisky forces sneered at the possi-,
bility of an amendment.