Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-06-16
CHAPTER XXI.
A Call From the Superintendent Of
Missions

"A Jail rom tne superintendent OF
Missions.
1t was pitiful to see the little church go
down. The first Sunday the Morgans
stayed away: the next. Mrs. weIlman and
Tom and Maud. After that, most of the
women dropped out. Shed kept on So
did 10 and Tim Noonan and the other min
ers- So did Dick. Jack came more regu-
larry than ever. Barker manifested a sud
den zeal which was evidently designed to
atone for the absence of his daughter
Louise from the organ. There was no one
else who could play. so the preacher be-
came again the organist. as during the first
sundays after his arrival.
He appeared not to notice the dwindllng
of his congregation. His cheerfuIness and
patience were interchangeable He continued
30 preach with fervoy. to pray as IL speak
ing to One who heard him; and be sang
with melancholy sweetness which brought
moisture to the eyes of more than one of
the rough men present.
As luck would have it. even these pitt
fuiiy few adherents iessened Shed was
ophged to go away on business This was
early IN November The tenth OF Noyen-
Der the superintendent of missions was due.
on his annual visitation
He had left Eureka TN almost the e,d
OF the tour, promising there to comfort
himself for the disappointments and dis
couragements encountered elsewhere He
had been kept informed by Frank Henley,
antii within the past SIX weeks on the
subjects which Vaughan was too modest
20 mention; had been told OF the dare"
OF the debate, of other victories achieved
ey vaughan He stopped at Galena on his
way, but Frank confessed he had heard
nothing from Clement for over a month
haven't even had Sentinel from
l l1ani, s'iia FRANK I'd promised Mary to
60 over IL l didn't hear soon. Tell him so.
week" iN@>N
IN do So" said the superintendent. and
rode Off into the gray autumna4 landscape
l. seemed TO open and close upon him.
over him brooded duh sky Around him
the outlines of the mountains were dis
solved into s0ggy masses, without form or
strength. From an indistinguishable hiding
place IN their dark sides emerged a band
OF coyotes that followed him, at a respect
ful distance. but near enough to give him
an uncomfortable sense of being watched
and Swallowed
The gray of the sage brush was grayer
than It's wont. The rain had made the
roads heavy. Where he crossed the aIkali
hats every footprint of his horse filed with
the oeze Of the hideous, yellow alkau
water.
John Hartman was not in a frame of
mind to resist the somber influences of the
day and the scene Wherever he had been
he had found affairs in a more than u.s.
aally depressing condition. One preacher
drank. another was lazy. Most of his mis-
sioners were men of conscience; but they
were not men of ability. The shrewdness,
the snap, the endurance seemed to be ali
enlisted on the other side
Thank heaven there was vaushant
Would that there were more like him.
Some of the younger men must be sent
down to Eureka to see how Vaughan did
his work. Eureka could be handed over
to one Of these neophytes and Vaughan
could be sent to start another mission.
There should be one at Elko. He would
talk the matter over with Vaughan and
see what he thought
1t was afternoon when he drove M Rich
mond Hill and halted at the weilmans'
where he always stayed. Tom and Maud
ran out to meet him; their mother fol-
lowed slowly
She was tail. angular woman of New
England ancestry. Shed, who was born in
the middle west, declared that was all
that allied her" When she had scrupIes
ana convictions, or, he said bore
down., he would exciafm There you 60
SARAH Plymouth Rockt I'd have Il cut
outP But she was a good woman a kind
woman, and upon that very foundation
stone of her character which was some
times a stone of stumbling to her easy
going husband he leaned perpetually. The
only time of weakening he had ever known
in her was when she had learned during
his absence, of the advent of the woman
and child from England, and in her per-
plextty and worry had flung herself and
her commences upon MISS Sinclair
1T warn't a BIT ike her." he unused.
She must have been pretty well upset"
Her demeanor, today, when she met the
superintendent, showed that she was not
yet mistress of herself. He noticed it, be-
ing in the habit of noticing the mental con-
dition of those he had to deal with but at
trfbuted 1t to anxiety over the burden of
entertaining him during Wellman's alb
sence. This was indeed the subject of her
first comment.
at does seem" she said earnestly. ''as If
Shed was always out of town when folks
come. He says he'll be back tonight.
You'll stay over night?'' Reasured on this
score, her mind reverted to the other topic,
never far from her consciousness: He's
always away when things happen That's
the way it was when the trouble came" =.
TroubleT repeated Hartman, looking
puzzled.
ooh, dear, haint you heardt' sighed Mrs
Wellrnan. Have 1 got to be the one to
tell you? Warn't there nobody to tell you
but me?''
II came directely here" said Hartman
Il thought wouldn't go to the church I'M
I'll later l wrote Vaughan to that effect.
1 hadn't heard from him, directly or indi-
rectly, for some weeks, but he knew I was
travelling aboUt-does the trouble concern
him. For panied look had stolen over
Mrs. Wellnaan's face at the mention of
Vaughan's name.
Sarah Wellman choked and swallowed
before she answered Yes, 1t does"
is he i'll? Hurt? Hasn't he paid his
bills? Has he been getting into bad hab-
its?f'
I'm afraid he got into them before he
came here" she blurted out. II can't tell
you'll can't do it. There's Mr.. Wilkins
coming up the road. Tommy, run and ask
Mr.. wilkins to step in minute" She
turned to her guest. I'm goin' to see
about dinner He'll tell you all you wanter
know"
few searching questions brought out
the whole story from Ned. He believed
Vaughan had told the truth, but of course
things were In an awful mess-the church
had very nearly gone to pieces
you know how people are; they're like
sheep" said Ned. "They piled in there, the
church wouldn't hold them Now they've
all gone the other way 1 can understand
how Vaughan couldn't talk about his trou-
bles when he came here. 1t was perfectly
natural for such a sensitive fellow as he is
to say nothing, and go along about his
business."
His friends at Galena knew nothing
oil This said HnrTaan sfThRU said fnay