News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1901-02-27


horse had been left.
mo, Mr.. Duncan. I believe l will re-
main down here, now am so near my
hotel quarters. Just as much under OBJ
legations to you. This has been a great
day of experience for you. l hope you
will not be the worse for it. The dan
ger from the men seems over for to-
night"
yes, think so. Sorry you are not
going out with me. 1t has been a day
of experiences. can't forget my in
debtedness to you. We shall know each
other better, am sure. need to know
all the good men possible these days"
I'm at your service, Mr.. Duncan.
Good night"
Good night" Stuart shook hands
strongly and drove up the street tin
Cling again from the pressure of that
grasp. Andrew Burke's handshake sug-
gested as much as some mems orations.
Stuart was so tired and ready for rest
when he reached home that, after see
ing Eric and being assured that he
would get through the night with the
watching of the nurse sent for by the
doctor, he went up to his room.
He slept hard, but Weakened early and
could not go to sleep again. He had
dreamed of his experience in the mine
and awoke at the point where he had
heard Burke's voice. He went over the
whole adventure again, and then ire
sistibly was drawn in thought down to
the town square and in memory stood
on the church steps a little above the
kneeling figure that prayed. He found
himself saying over the words of the
prayer. To his surprise he could re-
member almost every sentence. Then
he began to analyZe his feelings, pro-
voked by the expressions of the prayer.
But his mind soon refused to criticise
anything and, without any special rea-
son for it, he began to ask if the saving
of men was any more the Salvation
Army's business than his own. He be-
gan to dwell on the word Saved" as it
was used so often in the prayer. Then,
by logical step which he did not at
tempt to argue about as he might once
have done, he was confronted with his
own condition, and although he thought
he tried to avoid answering the ques-
ton, it persisted in being put: Gam
saved? What is Jesus to me?
The whole matter was foreign to his
moral code. Besides, how could a man
in his present position, with all this la
Dor trouble confronting him, attend to
religious questions? Nevertheless he
was forced to come back to the simple
question: Am l saved? What is Jesus
| to me-" All through the strange de-
| bate now going on within him he SEEM
ed to feel that he was being driven ir-
resistibly to a point where he must
answer or decide the matter of his own
personal salvation.
He dressed and in a growing excite
ment walked the room in the twilight.
| How are men converted? Was Saul of
| Tarsus expecting to be met by the vi
sion on the road to Damascus? Was it
not as sudden and astonishing to him
as a lightning bolt out Of cloudless
evening! Does the Lord have any fee
| bic limitations in his way of reaching
mems souls or in the time he chooses
| Stuart tried again and again to stop
the persistent question that rose re-
| peatedly to his lips, but to no purpose.
He said. Il will go down and inquire
about Eric" But he turned in his
walk every time he faced his door and
again paced back to the windows
which opened on the front of the house.
| Gradually as the light of the world
| grew stronger outside another and an
inward light grew in Stuarts soul. He
watched it grow in awe of it's strange
revealing power. He saw himself as a
child of Cod with opportunities, pow
ers, values, all of them hitherto used
selfishly, and in and through all the
| rest he saw illum.ned a radiant cross.
"What was Jesus to him" The ques-
ton grew with meaning. Why was
the Jesus of history a figure to be re-
spected simply? OF what value and
meaning was the cross unless it be-
came a personal redemption?
The sunrise of the outer world was
reddening the pines out on the hills.
In little while the sun would be look
ing out over the ranges, and new day
would be born. But new man was
being born in the room of the Cham
pion iron mine owner. The sun of
righteousness was rising in him, and
soon it would be daylight. Stuart
trembled. He was alone. No man had
spoken to him of salvation or of Chris
tianity. But the divine presence had
come at an unexpected moment, at
what might have seemed a most in
opportune time, and his whole nature
was in the hand of power that he
dared not resist. He almost feared to
breathe lest he should drive the heay-
emily presence away. He sat down
and with his head bowed waited, 1t
seemed to him, for something more to
happen. And then he seemed to hear
voice say, my son, give me thine
heart" lie clasped his hands togeth-
er and replied, God, be merciful to
me, a sinnerw And with the words n
food of light poured in. He at once
kneeled down. 1t was an unusual hab-
II with him. Now it seemed as neces-
Bary as breathing and as full of joy as
loving.
| -. tn, Iat