Mower County transcript., 1902-12-31

Malcolm Kirk went over on the cont.
nent and spent the year In France,
Italy, Germany and even two weeks in
Russia HOW he lived all that time
would make a story in itself. BE
walked great deal. Always lodged
In the most expensive places. Si1
months after he had been away from
home he sent to the president Of the
seminary a written report Of what he
had been doing. 1t was SO remarkable
in many ways that the president show.
ed it to Mr.. Gilbert. The Boston pub
Usher urged Its publication. The pres
ident wrote that the seminary would
assume the expense Of publication,
and Mr.. Gilbert's house printed the re-
port in neat pamphlet that at once
attracted attention.
The night Of the first issue Of the
pamphlet Mr.. Gilbert brought copy
of it home.
"By the way, Dorothy, you remem-
ber that theologue who took the Ger
man scholarship, Kirk?"
''Yes," murmured Dorothy demurely.
If Dorothy's mother had been living, it
is possible she might have told her
about Kinks declaration. Her father
was another person. Besides, he had
not asked her to be his wife. He had
only told her very bluntly that he loved
her. That was in one sense his secret
to be kept for him from others.
"Well, here's a bit Of work he's been
doing abroad. We brought it out to-
day. Knowing you have always been
interested in his work, thought you
might like to look this over"
Her father spoke with his usual pre-
else calmness and left the pamphlet on
the table. Tle moment supper was
ended Dorothy seized the report and
went to her own room.
She read it through as if it had been
a fascinating rovel.. 1t was written in
a simple style that possessed no merit
except its simplicity, but it was rec
ord Of how humanity lived, and the
pathos, the reality, the fact of how it
lived, stirred Dorothy Gilbert as her
mind and heart had never been stirred.
And all through the reading she seem.
ed to see Malcom Kirk with that baby
in his arms. She knew that If that
sketch had been put in as a frontis-
piece it would have exactly expressed
the contents Of the pamphlet. She rose
and walked her room strangely excit-
ed. Who was this man to stir her feel
ings so deeply? Francis Raleigh had
oh fo
that matter. All the other men she
knew were busy trying to have good
time or win fame or make money.
This man was interested in people. He
wanted the world to know and feel for
humanity. He was unlike the Others
Besides, he loved her. He had her pic
ture. She glowed at the thought. For
the first time in her life she trembled
at the thought of being loved.
A few days later she read the report
again. People in Hermon were talking
about it. 1t had actually stirred the
life of the village in some ways. Doro-
thy placed the sketch Of Kirk in the
pamphlet and put them away in her
desk.
Malcom Kirk finished his year and
took passage on one of the French
steamers for New York. He had used
his money we'll, but he had so little at
tho end Of the year that he took steer
age passage. That was Cne QeSrte
lower than the intermediate, and he
smiled a little grilly % himself as he
crowded into his noisy, close quarters
with French peasants and a colony OF
Mennonite emigrants. However, il
was literally true that he loved people
regardless of their condition, and tt
many simple, ignorant soul in the
steerage the American clergyman who
somehow was strangely there became
during the nine days voyage a frienG
and companion from whom they parted
with real regret and with loving mem
ory.
He started at once for Hermon. HI
would have nearly two weeks there tt
write out his report for the seminary
Then for his Home Missionary field IL
Kansas. And Dorothy Gilbert? HI
had not heard except Indirectly any
thing Of her. Once in Berlin he haG
CHANGED to meet one Of the Hermo1
professors who was taking his vaca
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