The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1907-01-30

4
smiling blue Of the heavens. Coun
tenances that had looked drawn AM
scared from the scorching brim
stone now began to regain a norma
poise and felt revivifying touch Of
life in the music as from a draugh,
of fresh air. And when the sons
reached
And sinners plunged beneath It'll
flood,
Lose all their guilty sta-a-a--
aims
the pianiste again perpetrated such
a frivolous undercurrent of motif
upon them they might have been
singing serenade.
The masses of glowing blossoms
nodded gaily to the weary eyes that
strayed out to them, the tiny brown
sparrow famed the air an instant at
the window to see how the soprano
was getting on. Meantime the invi-
tation to the Mourners' Bench, al
though urgent, even thrust upon
them, was, barring the solemn-eyed
elders. not obeyed. Over the few
bent backs of the righteous who had
gone up to the rail in order to set
an example to the others, the preach.
er looked into the audience that
scarcely more than a minute before
had seemed ripe for a rich harvest OF
souls. Now the magnetic current
seemed, in some inexplicable way. to
have been broken.
Red in the face, saving the air
with his arms, the Reverend Broad
side besought them to come forward.
Nobody but the elect moved. The
doctrine of his creed, in the present
atmosphere, seemed impossible.
Breathless, but seeming victory from
afar, the player played on, glancing
again from the suggestion of levity
that had crept into her accompani-
ment she played the closing bars Of
the hymn in simple chords, then TAX
ing new liberty with the order of
the service, struck into grand old
theme from the oraterio of 1.-The
Messiah moments revelation OF
Infinite love and the sublime and
simple dignity of the great Creators
plan.
Paul Henry Pennington glanced
oftener than he realized toward the
sopranos direction, and noted the
rising color in her cheeks that rival
ed the nodding roses on her hat, the
earnest eyes that seemed lost to every
thing but the enthusiasm of the mo-
ment, and recalled a certain text
from an epistle of Saint Paul.
The bombazine backs still knelt
around the Mourner's Bench alone in
their glory. The congregation, again
cheerful and serene, listened with
polite interest to Brother Broadside's
invitation without accepting it. AT
last, after a long and painful wait
FOR more recruits in the mourners'
ranks, the service was brought to "a
close and the beneiiction pronounc-
ed by a disgruntled, short-winded
parson. who felt sense of having
been baffled, and for no cause that
he could see. This sermon had never
before failed to do it's work, and the
music, he knew, had been good
extra good!
After the reluctant benediction.
the Broadside faction slowly gather
ed itself up and turned toward the
door, realizing its defeat. But the
postlude that followed them out and
even beyond the doors brought back
the hope to their hearts. Trium.
plant, ringing strains stirred through
their souls that knew no defeat,
strains in which the "Excelsis" of
the birds, the infinite blue seemed to
have a part.
The evening service was even more
largely attended than the morning
service had been, and the music, as
had been announced before, was an
especial feature.
The Reverend Paul Henry Pen.
nington was blessed with a rich bari
tone voice, that accorded excellently
with the clear, sympathetic quality OF
Miss Sallie's soprano. During his
discourse there was no effort to play
upon the emotions Of his hearers.
His was a strong, earnest plea for
the merits of righteousness. the ne
cessity Of setting high, Christ-like
ideals, the possibility of reaching up
to them. and the opportunity for use-
fulness and service to each other the
everyday business OF life offered
But still the congregation did not
know his position on hell.