The Newtown bee., 1907-04-26

life. And the black pail of death cov- cred the sweetheart, who was to have become bride on Christmas night.
 kloeHer was rough, unlettered quent place for loafing for him, But Saturday night, after the little sor- rowful funeral party had laid to rest the companion, who had sacrificed his life, Kloeffer sat silent and sad in his dark, cold room, thinking of the past ia place of George? Why didn't George let him alone? He had no loved ones dependent upon him. Oh, the grief in
 that young woman'S face! and poor
 little John, how he wept and clune to
 his uncle! Colder and colder it grew.
 It seemed as though he was out on a
 plain, under the bleak sky, and there
 was but one star, a great bright light
 that seemed to move forward. He
 heard a faint voice saying Follow
 me-" He could not tell from whence
 it came. It seemed to be all around star, and was surprised to see it move
 forward. He followed as fast as he gould over the plain, and after several
 hours came. to a. little village and
 to cave where the star seemed to stand still. He entered and found
 himself in the presence of a little child, babe with his mother; and
 shepherds were worshiping him and calling him "King of Kings" and
 "Lord of Lords," the Saviour of the of the cave an angel came down from
 the star, which then disappeared; and
 the angel said to him, s'I am the spirit
 of George Rodner who died for you on
 Thursday. l gave my life that might
 become star to lead you to Him."
 pointing to the child within.
 Kloeffer then awake and found him.
 self alone in his room and almost
 chilled from cold, as the fire had died
 out.
 The next day was Christmas Sunday
 and the bells made joyous sound as
 they rang with quicker and richer peals than on other times. The streets and avenues were lined with fashion able people going to the uptown D churches and cathedrals. Koeffer side along the river front to little
 chapel among the fishing boats and filled with rough Seamen. It was not
 large building and few score would fill it. There was no Christmas laurel | or flowers to grace the pulpit, which
 upon little platform. No pipe organ sent forth deep pealing music to thrill the worshipers. Only a low cabinet | organ much out of tune. There was | no paid choir to sing the halleluiahs Of MendelSSohn or Brahm; only a | rough sailor with an uncertain voice who played the organ and started the hymns. But the praise was not a weak one, but more like the mighty organ of heaven with all the stops opened; for every one of those three score men sang with all the fervor and | joy of their souls.
 The minister was plain man with out ministerial coat or a white cra- vat. He did not even dress in black, but wore rough gray suit of home | SDUn cloth and if ha ca | Tor wear. But he was like the singers, full of earneStneSS and zeal for God, and when he took as his text the words or the three wise men, We have seen | worship Him. they all knew that it l would be sermon of practical help fulness. The preacher knew little else than that three princely men left their homes and friends and the ridi-
 cule of neighbors and followed a star | over thousands of miles of mountain and forest and plain to find the Christ, | to whom they bestowed their greatest possessions. After dwelling upon this touchingly the preacher turned to his audience ana asked: "Who among you have seen the star that God has placed
 in your heavens to lead you to Christ ?'' This star may be the conservation of a noble life, the dedication of ones | wealth to Gods service; or it may be the devotion of noble father or mother; or the sacrifice of some friend | for your sake. There are such stars | shining to-day to lead you to this Christmas. It may be that they have been shining in your lives for 20 or 40 years. Have you ever followed them | as they appeared again and again to you, sometimes when you have been | sorely tempted, sometimes when you were stranger and an outcast and forlOrn, or sometimes at night when you have been in the midst of grief? Will you follow them to-day and be- come the wise men of this Christmas
 was pause as he waited and looked l anxiously over the audience Of sturdy
 men for reply. finally there arose in the farther corner of the chapel, next
 to the door, an old man, with white
 laas hair L and i'd bent piE body His voice was years ago." he said "when I was a young man like many of you here to- day, cursed the church and hated
 everything in religion. Most of the
 wife and children. A new church was
 built in our town, the gift of the boss
 in my mill. It stood opposite our mill
 and cursed It because I must face 1t
 every day at work. l attended the
 dedication dedl ,.eI saeryice, aiJ though I don't say that it would be like light from
 Heaven, star to guide the wayward and sinful. He also said it would be a
 place of safety for the sorely tempted.
 These words burned in my mind and
 kept me from drinking for a few
 nights. But one night as the fellows
 were all drunk, a short distance above
 my house, l felt compelled to rush to
 them and drink till 1 was dead drunk
 Just as l was lifting the cup to my
 lips bright fire darted through the sky, down to that church, like a thous- and stars, that lighted it up with pe- culiar weirdness. My hand dropped and the rum spilled and I rushed home, never to touch another drop of liquor. l believe that was my star in the east and l have been trying to follow 1t ever since, ana now l see the Christ" He reached forth as if to touch something just before and above him; then he fell back with the smile Of Heaven upon his face.
 From the opposite side of the room young man arose and spoke with a foreign accent, though in polished language. He told how, when he came to this country twenty-five years ago, he was saved by noble man, a stranp- CT, who took him into his home and became father to him. "If ever a star shone out of darkness, ," he said. 'it Was MT Lawrence, who took him when all else failed, and has ever since led him on toward God" To-day" he said, s'I came to this little chapel,