Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1902-12-11
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n. DA1 DE- roNNOp y
By RALPH COMMON
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IcoNT1NUED.l

CONTINUED
1 would have seen every miner and
lumberman in the place hideously
drunk before would have asked her
to sing one song while her heart ached.
I 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 too?"
And found no word to reply.
1t was nearing 10 o'clock and I 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 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 a 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 q sob. 81 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 miner said
savagely:
''Stop that, you foolv'
There was delay Of few moments
when from the crowd q voice called
out:
"Does Mrs. Mavor wish to sing?'
followed by cries Of faye, that's it!'
Then Shaw, the foreman at the
mines, stood up in the audience and
said:
"Mr. Craig and gentlemen, you know
that three years ago was known as
am tonight, under God, to Mrs. Ma
vor, and" with little culver in his
voice, "her baby. And we all know
why. And what 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. I 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
10
with smile Of exquisite sweetness
upon her sad face and looking straight
at us with her glorious eyes, began tc
sing.
Her voice, a rich soprano, even an,
true, rose and fell, now soft, nov
strong, but always filling the building
pouring around us floods of music.
had heard PATHS "Home, Swee
Home" and of all singing that alon
affected me as did this.
At the end Of the first verse the fey
women in the church and some of tn
men were weeping quietly, but whe
she began the words,
when remember all
The friends once linked together"
pOUo So11C vi SNSAS oAuS AAOAl lACS
J tender hearted fellows, and Shaw quit
lost his grip. But she sang steadily OF
q the tone clearer and sweeter and fulle
! at every note, and when the sound {
her voice died away she stood lookin
at the men as If in wonder that the
should weep. No one moved. Mr.. Graf
| played softly on and, wanderin
through many variations arrived {
e last at
t "Jesus lover of my SOUL
= AS she sang the appealing words HI
: face was lif,ed up, and she saw nor
: of us, but she must have seen son
t one, for the cry in her voice could on
come from one who could see and fe
help close at hand. On and on went IL
e glorious voice, searching my soul
t depths, but when she came to Il
J. words,
i "Thou. o Christ. art all I want"
e she stretched up her arms-she hs
g quite forgotten us; her voice had borl
|