Waterbury Democrat., 1901-02-20
Christian Stewardship
BY CHARLES M. SHELDON,
@t+0@s-.90i%&o+:00s:0O-:os
1866, BY CONGREGATIONAL
 AND SUNDAY SCHOOL PUBLISHING socIE.

 | How long he had been in that deep communion with his Saviour, so new 1 1y found, he could not have told. It must have been some time. He was
 aroused by one of the servants knock ing at the door and announcing break | fast. He went down stairs, and the first person to meet him in the hall l way was Louise. It was a new world | that Stuart was henceforth to know, and his heart went out to his sister this morning with 3 new tenderness. | She put her arm about his neck as he | stopped to kiss her.
 What a dreadful time you must
 have had, Stuart. It is a great bless
 ing you were not killed in that awful
 mine. The doctor has been telling me about it."
 ''Yes. I feel as if my life had been spared for some great reason" replied i Stuart. How is Eric this morning?" He put his arm about Louise and nov
 cd with her toward the door of Fries
 room, which was near by. Louise slip l ped away from him and answered: :
 ''Oh, he is getting on all right! I don't
 want to see him. Don't wait breakfast 1 long. Stuart.'
 1 She crossed over into the dining
 room. and Stuart went in to see Eric,
 who still lay in the down stairs bed room which remained a feature of Ross ! Duncan's house as he had first design ed and built it.
 ! The doctor was there by the bed. He | had come up early. He had attended to l the wound, and Eric was resting com 1 fortably. He lay there looking very i pale and almost stern. Stuart felt an added tenderness for the man who had been his companion in that hour of peril Somehow the experience of the
 morning deepened and enlarged all his thoughts of friendship and love. He kneeled down by the bed and smiled as Eric turned his dark eyes
 toward him.
 What sort of a night did you have, dear felloW:' he asked as he laid his hand in Fries.
 ''Oh, I rested well. I'm able to get up this morning. but the doctor here won't let me move.''
 You can get up if you want to-" replied Dr. Saxon grufi1y Stuart, 1 please order my horse around so can get around to the undertaEer's s in time to make arrangements with him for E,ics funeral Do you want the hearse with the black plumes all around the top, or the other one with the weeping urn arrangement in the mi6dle:'
 ''Nonsense! I'm not so bad off as that!' replied Eric, with a feeble at tempt a q smile.
 You will be if you get out of that bed for two weeks,' replied the doctor
 as he gathered up his things to go. ''Besides, you can't get up if you want to- Stuart, l leave him in your care. The nurse will be able to attend to him all right. She has full instruc- tions." And with a word or two more tie doctor went out of the house and
 whirling down the hill
 Stuart remained few minutes with i Erie and then went in to breakfast There was a good deal to talk over Louise asked questions about the ac- cident. Stuart answered, feeling all the time that everybody about him 1 had changed since that Light had daWned upon him. Even Louise could see and feel difference, although she could not tell what it was. Finally she stopped in her questions about the mines and said:
 What is the matter with you, Stu art? What has happened? Are you i'll from the effects of your exposure yesterday?''
 Stuart looked across the table at her. and it was several moments before he replied. Then he said: T will tell you, ,Nl -1,,,, ,IA : to think. No; am not ill. feel bet ter than I have in q long tme.''
 Louise looked surprised, but she ask ed nothing more and went on to tell about the gathering at the Vasplaines' the evening before. Stuart listened thoughtfully, now and then putting q question, and at last Louise came back to the subject of the miners. NOW that troops have been ordered, l suppose the strike will end, won't it ?'' T don't know. Maybe it will just begin.'
 But don't you intend to get new men in? All the mines in the lower range are bringing in new men today. It is an outrage for the men to prevent oth- CTS from wOrking.''
 There will be trouble, am afraid, before the day is over," replied Stuart. He faced most serious problem, and he found his heart crying out for wis dom from the divine source he was be- ginning to know.
 Well, I don't understand you, Stu art. If father was alive, he would have 1000 men here in Champion ready to go to work this morning instead of waiting for the other men to accept terms he had made only to have them foolishly rejected. If they won't work on their own terms, which you say you offered them, how can they blame you if you get new men in and protect them by law? If I were. q man, I would teach those men a lesson. Look at the way they have treated you and Eric. They
 Louise looked prettier than ever as she stamped her foot under the table. Stuart sat silent and sober. Just then the telephone rang. He went over and after a few moments came i'll to tell Louise he would have to go down to the Iron Cliffs office. Word had been sent up that he was needed.
 "AI1nt Royal is coming fin on the noon