The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1912-08-29
ONLY A LITTLE WAY.
By Mrs. Annie A.. Preston.

May l sit by you, please, the little
way have to go?" asked a plaintive
voice, and Mrs. Perkins moved her
suit case from the seat Of the crowd
ed car of an accommodation train
middle-aged woman. who said again,
presently:
will it annoy, you IL / say some
thing unusual?"
Not IL you have good reason for
the remark" was the somewhat sur
prised reply; and the woman con-
tinued:
early faith, and / pray and pray for
it's return without receiving an an
swer. l have been away from home
for long time, but am on my way
there now, but do not like to trouble
my Christian mother with my deplor-
able state Of mind; and / said to my
self this morning, IL have to sit by
any one on the train, l will ask If
they have faith in God, and IL they be-
lieVe in heaven, hoping that I shall
receive help"
80, dear Lord, help me to help
her." Mrs. Perkins cried inwardly,
but to the woman she remarked:
What a very peculiar morning,
Do you often have such dense fogs in
Providence"
Rather often" was the reply, with
an air that showed a consciousness
that her question had been ignored,
but Mrs. Perkins continued:
President Taft was in the city last
night. but l m-as not favored by a
sight of him. l saw the decorations
on Westminster Street, however, as
was being driven to the wonderful
Roger Williams Park"
81 saw the decorations said the
woman, growing still more constrain-
ed, land l, too. visited the park; so
for few minutes and miles they ex-
changed experiences regarding the
beauties of the wonderful four hun
dred acres of landscape gardening
and then Mrs. Perkins said, quite in
cidentally:
How the fog deepens. Look, even
nearby objects are distorted, if not
quite invisible"
Eyes" said the woman, as if un-
der compulsion to reply. THE park
must look quite differently from yes.
terday."
"Do you believe it is there?"
"Where could it be? Of course
believe it,
yet you have lost your faith. Dc
YOU think the President was in the
city last night?"
81 know he was"
"You have said that you did mo-
see him. How do you know that the
Nation has a President Taft? YOU
have no longer any faith. You said {
little while ago that you were on YOU
way home, and mentioned your moth
er. How can person without faitf
believe in home and mother?"
II never have thought of it in tina
way"
"Why have you not? Are not al
believers on their journey to HEAVIER
and to the loved ones there?"
The woman was too deeply moved
to find her voice, and Mrs. Perkin
went on: Think of the fog as doubt
Just now that is the most real thing
yet we know that the clouds will
break, that the sun will come again
and that in place of all this greynes
there will be broad stretches of blue
So the fog of doubt is dispelled by tn
Sun of Righteousness. Although W
cannot see Christ with our natura
vision, He is the most real thing il
our lives. Can you not understan
it? You imagined you had lost you
faith. You had not. You had simpl
neglected your obligations to God
Have you read your Bible?"
mo; I see now how 1 have bee
permitted to stray so far away.
have neglected prayer. church-goins
Bible reading have been laughe
out of the singing of hymns even.
have been with thoughtless people
Let me tell you. I have been at wor
in a private insane asylum where
have received good pay, but wher
everything is so depressing that any
thing solemn, so-called, is hooted a
and discouraged. Some Of the In
mates rail continually against God"
"And you have sunk below the lev
ell of faith, yourself, instead of er
deavoring to raise others into the tru
atmosphere of hope!"
'I thought God did not hear m
prayer for help" sal dthe woman
with tears, "and He answered b