Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1903-03-12
nd to hear her sing as she did for

t>..ly. All! Ali"
His voice unexpectedly broke. but in
a moment he was master Of himself
and begged me to forgive his weak
ness. l am afraid said words that
except when suddenly and utterly up
set
II am getting selfish and weak" he
said. Il must get to work. l am glad
to get to work. There is much to do.
and it is worth while, if only to keep
one from getting useless and lazy"
Useless and lazy" l said to myself,
thinking of my life beside his and try
ing to get command of my voice, so as
not to make quite fool of myself,
and for many a day those words goad-
ed me to work and to the exercise Of
some mild self denial. But more than
all else. after Craig had gone back to
the mountains Graeme's letters from
the railway construction camp stirred
one to do unpleasant duty long post
poned and rendered uncomfortable my
hours of most luxurious ease. Many
of the old gang We're with him, both
of lumbermen and miners, and Craig
was their minister and the letters told
of how he labored by day and by night
along the line Of construction, carry
ing his tent and kit with him, preach.
ing straight sermons, watching by sick
men, writing their letters and winning
their hearts. making strong their lives
and helping them to die we'll when
their hour came.
One day these letters proved too
much for me, and l packed away my
paints and brushes and made my VOW
unto the Lord that would be useless
and lazy" no longer, but would do
something with myself. In consequence
l found myself within three weeks
walking the London hospitals, finishing
my course that l might join that band
of men who We're doing something with
life or, if throwing it away, We're not
losing it for nothing. 1 had finished
being fool, 1 hoped, at least a fool of
the useless and luxurious kind. The
letter that came from Graeme in reply
to my request for a position on his staff
was characteristic of the man, both
new and old, full of gayest humor and
of most earnest welcome to the work.
Mrs. MAYORS reply was like herself:
I knew you would not long be content
with the making of pictures. which the
world does not really need and would join
your friends in the dear west, making
lives that the world needs so sorely.
But her last words touched me
strangely:
Bur De sure TO De thankful every day
for your privilege. +*+ 1t will be good to
think of you all, with the glorious noun
tains about you and Christs own work in
your hands. -. All, how we would like
to choose our work and the place in which
to do it.!
The longing did not appear in the
words, but needed no words to tell
me how deep and how constant it was,
and take some credit to myself that
in my reply l gave her no bidding to
join our band, but rather praised the
work she was doing in her place, tell
ing her how I had heard Of it from
Craig
me summer round me religlousIy Go.
ing Paris and Vienna, gaining more
perfect acquaintance with the extent
and variety of my own ignorance, and
so fully occupied in this interesting and
wholesome occupation that fell out
with all my correspondents, with the
result of weeks of silence between us.
Two letters among the heap waiting
on my table in London made my heart
beat quick, but with how different feel
ipos ono from, Eraama tallinu mo that
Craig had been very i'll and that he
was to take him home as soon as he
could be moved. Mrs. MAYORS letter
told me of the death of the old lady,
who had been her care for the past
two years, and of her intention to
spend some months in her old home in
Edinburgh, and this letter it is that ac-
dingy, dirty little hall running off a
close in the historic Cowgate, redolent
Of the glories of the splendid past and
of the various odorS Of the evil smell
ing present. l was there to hear Mrs.
Mavor sing to the crowd Of gamins
that thronged the closes in the neigh
borhood and that had been gathered
iiilo q NiuO w q iihS iSNiuiS lliS lhC
west end" for the love of Christ and
his lost. This was an Eat home" night,
and the mothers and fathers, sisters
and brothers, of all ages and sizes,
We're present. Of all the sad faces
had ever seen those mothers carried
the saddest and most woe stricken.
Heaven pity u.s." found myself say
ing. us this the beautiful. the cul-
tured, the heaven exalted city Of Edin-
burgh? Will it not for this be cast
down into hell some day if it repent
not Of it's closes and their dens of de-
Element? Oh, the utter WEAKNESS, the
dazed hopelessness, of the CHASTITY
faces! Do not the kindly, gentle
churchgoing folk Of the crescents and
the gardens see them in their dreams,
or are their dreams too heavenly for
these CHASTITY faces to appear?
| cannot recall the programme of the
evening. but in my memory gallery is
vivid picture of that face, sweet.
sad. beautiful, alight with the deep
glow of her eyes, as she stood and sang