Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1902-12-11
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81 By RALPH COMMON -
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By RALPH COMMON
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I
drunk before 1 would have asked her
to sing one song while her heart ached.
wondered at Craig and said rather
angrily:
"He thinks only Of those wretched
miners and shanty men of his.'
She looked at me with wonder in her
eyes and said gently:
"And are they not Christ's tooY
And found no word to reply.
1t was nearing 10 o'clock and was
wondering how the fight was going on
and hoping that Mrs. Mavor would not
be needed when the door opened and
old man Nelson and Sandy, the latter
much battered and ashamed, came in
with the word for Mrs Mavor.
II will come" she said simply. She
saw me preparing to accompany her
and asked do you think you can
leave him?"
"He will do quite well in Nelson's
care"
'Then am glad, for 1 must take my
little one with me. did not put her to
bed in case I should need to go, and
may not leave her.
We entered the church by the back
door and saw at once that even yet the
battle might easily be lost.
| Some miners had just come from
| Slavin's, evidently bent on breaking
| up the meeting in revenge for the col
lapse of the dance, which Slavin was
unable to enjoy, much less direct.
Craig was CALAMITY holding his ground,
finding it hard work to keep his men
in good humor and so prevent fight,
for there were cries of "Put him out
Put the beast out" at miner half
drunk and wholly outrageous.
The look of relief that came over his
face when Craig caught sight of us
told how anxious he had been and
reconciled me to Mrs. MAYORS singing.
THANK the good Godv he said, with
what came near being a sob. IT was
about to despair"
He Immediately walked to the front
and called out:
Gentlemen, If you wish it, Mrs. Ma
vor will sing"
There was dead silence. Some one
began to applaud, but a miner said
savagely:
'Stop that, you fool!"
There was delay Of a few moments
when from the crowd voice called
out:
"Does Mrs. Mavor wish to sing?"
followed by cries of aye, that's It'll!
Then Shaw, the foreman at the
mines, stood up in the audience and
said:
"Mr. Craig and gentlemen, you know
that three years ago I was known as
old Ricketts, and that owe all 1
am tonight, under God, to Mrs. Ma
vor, and" with little culver in his
voice, cher baby. And we all know
why. And what I say is that if she
does not feel like singing tonight she
is not going to sing to keep any drunk
en- brute Of Slavin's crowd quiet"
There were deep growls of approval
all over the church. could have hug
ged Shaw then and there. Mr.. Craig
went to Mrs. Mavor and after word
with her came back and said:
"Mrs. Mavor wishes me to thank her
dear friend Mr.. Shaw, but says she
would like to sing" !;
The response was perfect stiffness.
Mr.. Craig sat down at the organ and
played the opening bars Of the touch
ing melody, loft In the Silly Night"
Mrs. Mavor came to the front and,
with smile Of exquisite sweetness
upon her sad face and looking straight
at us with her glorious eyes, began to
sing.
Her voice, rich Soprano, even anu
true, rose and fell, now soft, now
strong, but always filling the building,
pouring around US floods of music I
had heard PATHS "Home, Sweet
Home" and Of all singing that alone
| affected me as did this.
| At the end Of the first verse the few
women in the church and some of the
men were weeping quietly, but when
she began the words,
when remember all
The friends once linked together"
sots came on every side from these
tender hearted fellows, and Shaw quite
lost his grip. But she sang steadily on,
the tone clearer and sweeter and fuller
at every note, and when the sound of
her voice died away she stood looking
at the men as If in wonder that they
should weep. No one moved. Mr.. Craig
played softly on and, wandering
through many variations, arrived at
last at
Jesus, lover of my SOUL"
AS she sang the appealing words her
face was lifted up, and she saw none
of us, but she must have seen some
one, for the cry In her voice could only
come from one who could see and feel
help close at hand. On and on went the
glorious voice, searching my souls
depths, but when she came to the
words,
''Thou, o Christ, art all want"
she stretched up her arms-she had
quite forgotten us; her voice had borne
her to other worlds-and sang with
such passion Of abandon that my soul
was ready to surrender anything, ev-
erything.
Again Mr.. Craig wandered on through
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