The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1903-03-25

OF the glories OF the splendid past and
of the various odors OF the evil SMELL
ing present. I was there to hear Mrs.
Mayor sing to the crowd OF gamins
that thronged the closes In the neigh
borhood and that had been gathered
into a club by "a fine leddie frae the
west end" for the love of Christ and
his lost. This was an Eat home" night,
and the mothers and fathers. sisters
n brothers, of all ages and sizes,
were present. or ali the sad faces j
had eve seen those mothers carried
the saddest and most woe stricken.
Heaven pity usl" I found myself say
Ing. as this the beautiful, the cul-
tured, the heaven exalted city OF Edin-
burgh? VIII 1t not for this be cast
down into hell some day if 1t repent
not of It's closes and their dens of de
Element? Oh, the utter WEAKNESS, the
dazcd 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 appear2
L cannot recall the programme of the
evening, but In my memory gallery Ia
a vivid picture of that face, sweet,
sad. beautiful, alight with the deep
glow of her eyes, as she stood and sang
to that dingy crowd. AS 1 sat upon the
window ledge listening to the voice
with It's flowing song my thoughts were
far away, and l was looking down
once more upon the eager, coal grimed
faces in the rude little church In Black
Rock. l was brought back to find my
self swallowing hard by an audible
whisper from a wee lassie to her moth
err:
"AIither! See till yon man. He's
greetin'."
When l came to myself. she was
singing 1.-THE Land O. the LeaI," the
Scotch Jerusalem. the Golden" i'm
mortal, perfect. 1t needed experience
of the hunger haunted Cowgate closes,
chill with the black mist of an eastern
haar, to feel the full bliss Of the vision
OF the words:
"There's nae sorrow there, Jean;
There's neither cauld nor care, Jean;
The day is aye fair in
The Land o. the Leal."
A land Of fair, warm days, untouched
by sorrow and care, would be heaven
Indeed to the jewellers Of the Cowgate.
The rest of that evening is hazy
enough to me now till 1 find myself
opposite Mrs. Mavor at her fire, read
ing Graeme's letter. Then all Is vivid
again.
I could not keep the truth from her.
I knew t would be folly to try. SO I
e hit on till I came to the
words: e has had mountain fever,
whatever that may be, and he will not
pull UP again. II 1 cam, 1 shall take
him home to my mother" when she
suddenly stretched out her hand, say
ing, ooh, let me read" and 1 gave her
the letter. In n minute she had read
1t and began almost breathlessly:
"Listen. My life Is much changed.
My mother-in-law Is gone. She needs
me no longer. My solicitor tells me,
too, that, owing to unfortunate invest
ments, there is need Of money, 30
great need that 1t is possible that Ell
ther the estates or the works must go.
My cousin has his all In the works.
iron works, you know. 1t would be
wrong TO have him suffer. 1 shall
give up the estates. That is best"
She paused.
ana come with mep' / cried.
"When do you sail7"
"Next week." I answered eagerly.
She looked ut me n few moments,
and into her eyes there came a light
soft and tender as she said:
II shall go with YOU"
And SO she did, and no old Roman in
all the glory OF a triumph carried a
prouder heart than I as I bore her and
her little II from the train to
Graeme's carriage, crying:
awe got her"
But his was the better sense, for he
stood waving his hat and shouting,
Hes all right" at which Mrs. Mavor
grew white, but when she shook hands
with him the red was in her cheek
again.
Graeme. "Connor's q great doctor.
His first case Will make him famous.
Good prescription-after mountain fe.
yer try II cablcgram!"
And II red grew deeper in the beau
tiful face beside us.
Never did the country look SO love-
ly. The woods were in their gayest
autumn dress; the brown fields were
bRthed In n purple haze; the air was
sweet and fresh with n suspicion Of
the coming frosts of winter. But in
spite Of all the road seemed long, and
1t was rs IL hours had gone before our
eyes fell upon the white manse stand
ing among the golden leaves.
"Let them gor l cried rs Graeme
paused to take in the view, and down
the sloping dusty road we few on the
dead run.
Reminds one n little of Abe's
curves" said Grncmc as we drew up
at the gate, but l answered him not,
for I was introducing to each other
the best two women in the world. AS
I was about to rush into the house
Graeme seized me by the collar, say.
ing:
Hold on, Conner! You forget your
place. You're next"
"Why. certainlyp I cried, thankfully
enough. what an ass 1 ami"
"Quite true" said Graeme solemnly.
"Where is hep I asked.
"At this present moment?" he asked
in a shocked voice. why, Conner, you
surprise NC"
ooh, 1 seer
Eyes," he went on ~gravely; "you may
trust my mother to be discreetly at
tending to her domestic duties. She Is
a great woman, my mother"
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