The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1908-01-31

for him. he thought. How wretched
he was. How he wished he had gone
some other street and not strayed
here and been lured in by that halt
forgotten song.
The services we're nearly over
The good old deacon had prayed a
touching prayer: others had sent up
sweeping petitions that took III the
whole world and no one in partlc-
ular but as impeDled by an lrreslst-
ible power, the tramp had each time
gone down on his knees and buried
his cace in his arms.
Il want Us to sing a song Of IN
vitation now.' said the preacher.
looking str;;@h, into the eyes Of the
tramp. land if there are amy here
VINO want to turn back and take the
road that leads to heaven, We wan
th-m to come forward" and there
was a tender tone and touching ca
dence in the words. "God knows
nv heart-I want to be help to
this. people. l do wish. that TINS
night I might be the instrument IN
His hands by which some poor
soul could be made to see the Light.
Anything that I can do, any word
that T can bring, anythine-any-
thing. but oh. let me do something
to glorify my Father this night.
Young man, young lady. sinner, Will
YOU come to Jesus tonight?' The
choir sang:
"Why do you wait, dear brother.
Oh, why do you tarry so long?
Your Savior is waiting to give you
A place in his sanctifed th1ong.
Do YOU not feel, dear brother,
His Spirit now striving within?
On, why not accept his salvation,
And throw off thy burden Of sln?''
Many eyes were wet with tears
and many vent up for prayer. !he
tramp, wretched snd undone, touched
as he had never been before, halt
rose to 90 forward. forgetful Of his
filthy appearance. Bit the Devil
poked his head in at the door in the
or1isa Of a ci" ~otte fend and spoke
in loud VIII. er: '"Look at that
hobo, viii you! Blamed it ne
amt fixing to tart on the hunt for
religion, an he's rugged up for the
occasion tool" And the poor fellow
sank back in his seat, wretched and
undone.
"Ha! nal" laughed the Devil,
''he's changed his notion and colclu-
ded that ne amt the dear brother
that they aee fshia' fer. Gosh!
wouldn't he have been purity spec
tacle in the altar. Wonder now
many petitions woul1 have been sent
up in behalf of such filthy bundle
of rags?"
The preacher had seen and under
stood all. 1t was nothing unusual
to see a man weigh his soul IN the
balances with ridicule: but on, 1t
WIS awful. A little widow too, with
sweet sad face and hair streaked
with gray, glanced at the tramp oc-
easionallv. her heart filled with pity.
Somewhere in the wide world her
first bern was roaming and was per-
= haps in just such destitute clrcum-
stances; perhaps he, too, was dirty
, ragged. wretchel, penailass; friend
less and a stranger in a TRANCE land.
Perhaps he was sick with not soul
to minister to his needs.
On. how her heart had bled-how
she had praysE 3 for her waEward
bow, trusting that in the sad school
\ Of ex,.erience he would learn that
home was the best place after all
and tho5 he would repent and re-
turn. She had heard nothing from
him row in almost a year. but she
was sure that he still lived: had he
died her heart would have told her.
she believed. He was now twenty
one and had been gone five years.
And some where, if living, some
\ other mothers heart was aching for
| this lost tramp, praying that God
would protect and save nim. He, too,
looked to be about the same age OF
the absent Jamie. Oh, why would
I young men, the hope of the country
. fall so low? she wondered. How
was it that a man made in the image
of God, and created but a little low
l or than the angels-given every ad-
vantage of intellect. conscience, hope
and aspiration-how was it that ne
could fall so low? The little woman
l1,o onNr7