Mower County transcript., 1902-05-07

~.
IN Qddfs tsrtrs hs sson,t t,iousIht
d 1to psif. sbut I I'D 10 vurd.
Afte long pause ~ went y q, Il
have promised Mr.. Craig 70 sing 10.
night II II an needed, = and then, after
. moments hesitation, 1T IL two years
since have been able 10 ying-two
years, etshe repeated '<since, = and then
her brave voice trernbled my husband
Was diled" ~, - Il. .y9z<: y
III quite understand" ;" I said, having
no other word on my tongue f. @-s@ '."s
And" she went ON quietly, IT fear /
have been selfish. 1t is hard to sing
the same songs. Wewere very happy.
But the miners like to. hear me sing,
and I think perhaps It helps them to
feel less lonely and keeps them from
evil I shall try tonight IL am needed.
Mr.. Craig viii not ask me unless he
must"
I 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 I found no word to reply.
It 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 we'll in Nelson's
care"
"Then am glad, for must take my
little one with me. I did not put her to
bed in case should need to go, and I
Mdy uOL AcdVo ueI.
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 gallantly 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 a 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
reconctled me to Mrs. Mavor's singing.
'Thank the good Godv' he said, with
what came near being sob. II was
about to despair"
he Immediately walked to the front
and called out:
"Gentlemen, II you wish It, Mrs. Ma.
vor will sing"
There was dead silence. Some one
began to applaud, but a miner said
savagely:
i. "stop that, you foolv'>
There was delay of a few moments
when from the crowd a voice called
out:
"Does Mrs. Mavor wish 20 singT'
followed by cries of AYE, that's tty'
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
am tonight under God, to Mrs. Ma.
vor, and" with q little Quiver I'm his
voice, ''her baby. And we all know
why. And what I, say Is that IL she
does not feel Ike singing tonight she
is not going to sing 10 keep any drunk
en- brute OF slavtn's crowd quiet.'
There were deep grow3s Of approval
all over the church. I could have hug.
ged Shaw then: and there, Mr.. Craig
went to Mrs. Mavos and after q word
with her came back and said:
MIS-. maVor wishes me to thank her
dear friend Mr.. Shaw, but says she
would hike tossing" :
The response was perfect stiffness.
Mr.. Craig sat down at the organ and
played the opening bars Of the touch
Ing melody, ''Oft In the S1ny Night. :"
Mrs. Mavor came to the front and,
with a smile of exquisite sweetness
upon her sad face and looking straight
at us with her glorious eyes, began to
sing.
No. 10 BE ooNT1NUED.1 ,
$3I.7o to California.
Tickets on sale every day during
March and April with choice of three
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