Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1902-12-11

last verse, there was pause. Again
Mr.. Craig softly played the interlude,
but still there was no voice. I looked
up. She was very white, and her eyes
were glowing with their deep light. Mr.;
Craig looked quickly about, saw her,
| stopped and half rose, as If to go to
her, when, in voice that seemed to
come from faroff land, she went on:
"oh. sweet and blessed country!'
The longing, the yearning, in the sec
ond ooh" were indescribable. Again
and again as she held that word and
then dropped down with the cadence in
the music my heart ached for l knew
| not what.
The audience were sitting as in a
trance. The grimy faces of the miners,
for they never get quite white, were
| furrowed with the tear courses. Shaw
by this time had his face, too, lifted
high. his eyes gazing far above the
singers head, and l knew by the rap
ture in his face that he was seeing, as
she saw, the thronging, stately halls
and the white robed conquerors He
stress of the fight. and to him the
vision of the conquerors in their glory
was soul drawing and soul stirring.
And Nixon, too-he had his vision, but
what he saw was the face of the singer
with the shining eyes, and, by the look
of him, that was vision enough.
Immediately after her last note Mrs.
cfr
little girl, who was sitting on my knee,
caught her up and, holding her close to
her breast, walked quickly behind the
curtain. Not sound followed the
singing. No one moved till she had dis
appeared, and then Mr.. Craig came to
the front and, motioning to me to fol-
low Mrs Mavor, began in low, dis
tinct voice:
Gentlemen, it was not easy for Mrs.
Mavor to sing for u.s. and you know
she sang because she is a miners wife
and her heart is with the miners. But
she sang, too, because her heart is his
who came to earth this day so many
years ago to save us all, and she
would make you love him, too, for in
1ONiIS3 I'LL you dIG SdNGu lfO1u dll DdSG
loves. and you know what mean.
"And before we say good night, men,
want to know if the time is not come
when all of you who mean to be bet
ter than you are should join in putting
from us this thing that has brought
sorrow and shame to us and to those
we love? You know what 1 mean.
Some Of you are strong. Will you
stand by and see weaker men robbed
of the money they have for those far
away and robbed of the manhood that
no money can buy or restore?
"Will the strong men help? Shall
we join hands in this? What do you
say? In this town we have often seen
hell, and just moment ago we were
all looking into heaven, the sweet and
blessed country Oh, men," and his
voice rang in an agony through the
building-"oh, men, which shall be
ours? For heavens dear sake, let US
help one another! Who will?"
was looking out through slit in
the curtain. The men, already wrought
to intense feeling by the music, were
eyes, and as at the appeal "Who will?"
Craig raised high his hand Shaw, Nix
on and hundred men sprang to their
feet and held high their hands.
have witnessed some thrilling scenes
in my life. but never anything to equal
that, the one man on the platform
standing at full height, with his hand
thrown RI nd tha
men below standing straight, with
arms up at full length, silent and al
most motionless.
For moment Craig held them so,
and again his voice rang out, louder,
sterner than before:
"All who mean it say, by Gods help,
] will.'"
And back from hundred Threats
came deep and strong the words, "By
Gods help, will"
At this point Mrs. Mavor, whom 1
had quite forgotten. put her hand on
my arm. go and tell him." she pant
ed n want them to come on Thurs
day night, as they used to in the other
days-go-quick" And she almost
pushed me out. gave Craig her mes
sage. He held up his hand for silence.
Mrs. Mavor wishes me to say that
she will be glad to see you all, as in the
old days, on Thursday evening, and I
can think of no better place to give
formal expression to our pledge of this
night"
There was shout of acceptance, and
then, at some ones call, the long pent-
up feelings Of the crowd found vent
in three mighty cheers for Mrs. Mavor.
'Now for our old hymn" called out
Mr.. Craig, "and Mrs. Mavor will lead
u.s."
He sat down at the organ, played a
few bars of ''The Sweet By and By"
and then Mrs. Mavor began. But not
a soul Joined till the refrain was reach
ed, and then they sang as only men
with their hearts on fire can sing. But
after the last refrain Mr.. Craig made
sign to Mrs. Mavor, and she sang
alone, slowly and softly and with eyes
looking far away:
'In the sweet by and by
We shall meet on that beautiful shore"