Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1901-02-06

baby's face, ana the people in the it,
tie room quietly went out and left
them alone for awhile.
Next day Wilson read the funeral
service and prayed at the house. and
after the simple service a little COM
pany went with Malcom and Dorothy
to the cemetery just on the edge Of the
town, and the baby was buried there,
and these children Of the All Father
went back to the little parsonage.
1t was great blessing to them at
this time that Wilson was with them.
He, seeing how they chung to his pres
ence, staid over Sunday and preached
for Malcolm. 1t was during this stay
that he learned something of what
Malcom and Dorothy had been doing.
A short extract from a letter written
by him to his wife in the east will
show us something of the first three
years of Malcolm Kirk and his wife's
attempt to make@good their pledge to
help redeem the lives Of the people Of
Conrad:
81 cannot tell you what profound
sense of sympathy have felt for my
old classmate and his wife during their
great trouble. but l am simply aston
ished to find how great work they
have done in the three years they have
been here. This Is place of about
1000 people. 1t is having a boom at
the present time.
1.-THE agitation over the saloon is in
creasing, and l am told by Kirk and
others that things are nearing a crisis
and in all likelihood the next legisla-
ture will pass a prohibitory amend
ment. The liquor men laugh at this
probability and scout the idea that such
law can ever be passed. There are
ten saloons here in Conrad and all ap-
parently fourishing. Among other
things that the whisky element has at
tempted during Kinks stay here has
been to antagonize the business men
in his church against Kirk with some
success. Kinks wife has been a great
help to him. l think l never knew q
more happy union Of workers In all my
life. She has been the organist and
the leader in Sunday school work, and
her social influence in the town is very
strong. The church membership has
grown from forty odd to over a hun
dred. and Kirk has managed to gain a
hold on large group Of young men, l
think largely on account of their ad
miration for his unusual muscular de-
velopment. l think it is probably true
from what feel and hear that already
the influence of Kirk and his wife and
their little church In this wild western
town Is the strongest influence that
ever entered the place. They are very
much broken up by the loss Of their
baby. 1t has been a tremendous dis
appointment to them. am very anx-
ious for them. as l think Of what the
result may be on their future work.
The pay of Home Missionary out here
is small, and for some reason Kirk has
not been able to make much with his
writing. | cannot help asking myself
how the loss Of their baby will affect
their whole work here. Mrs. Kirk
seems to be stunned by the blow.
shall leave here Monday. and my great
COT IcSAct - tudt GALLUP Ue Vi more
help to my old classmate. He Is at
crisis in his career, and everything de.
ponds on tsAs way he accepts this death
Of his baby"
This Is Gully a fragment of Wilson's
letter, but the number Of times be re-
ferred TO the death of the baby rs
marking crisis in the lives of Malcolm
and Dorothy revealed the depth Of the
impression made upon his mind by the
manner in which they were affected by
their loss.
He went away on the morning train,
and Malcolm, who had gone to the sta
ton to see him off, came slowly back
to the parsonage and went into the lit
tie room next the kitchen which he
had fitted up for a study.
Dorothy was at work In the kitchen,
and Malcolm sat down at his study ta-
BILE and looked out Of the window
across the prairie. 1t was unfortunate
that from that window he could see the
little cemetery in the distance. He
finally rose and drew the curtain clear
down and went back to his desk. He