Evening star., 1914-09-27

y
and successfully interested by Williams in
cases where their aid is imperative in saving
the life of one of his friends.
In rendering these and thousand other
services for those over whom he has thrown
the sheltering cloak of his friendship,
Williams has probably guaranteed more of
other peoples debts than any living man.
Here again the strong personality of the
Chaplain to Strangers comes to his aid; for
the one weak spot in his system is the feeble
and variable income he is able to command.
Undaunted even by the threats of prosecu-
ton that are sometimes made against him
by the more cold-blooded of his friends
creditors, he goes quietly and steadily on,
constantly seeking channels to provide for
the payment of old debts, and the oppor
tunity to incur new ones.
During these last three years Williams has
written over two thousand letters to the
relatives and friends of his needy ones, and
the cold indifference, the paltry excuses, and
the scarcely veiled insinuations as to his mo-
tive that he receives in reply to pathetic
ally large majority of his appeals would
shrivel the optimism of most men beyond
recognition; but it only spurs the Chaplain
to Strangers on to greater effort.
AN instance of the sort of thing that would
Z jolt his faith in human gratitude, if it
could be jolted, was that of a young fellow
who came to Asheville sometime ago.
Classed as incurable, and without friends
or funds, his case was soon brought to
Williams notice. He at once had the in
valid moved to more comfortable quarters,
assumed the debts that were harassing him,
and arranged for his support until money
could be provided. The only possible
sources open to the young man were his
mother and secret order to which he be-
longed. To these Williams wrote The
mother replied that she could do nothing
After considerable correspondence the So
at the same time that further requests would
be useless until the young mans DEATH
Then it would pay his death benefit of five
hundred dollars.
The young fellow fingered several months,
and then died with the Chaplain to Strangers
at his side. The unpaid bills incurred for
him, guaranteed by Williams, amounted to
about three hundred dollars
The mother came on to the funeral, and
the secret order, which had kept up with the
case, sent the insurance check to her prompt
ly at Asheville.
Her son buried, the lady made prepara-
tons for leaving the city, with frank in
tention of ignoring the bills contracted in the
ShOiC W saw VI tuolOllS ilSl Doy LlS, ellu
it was with great difficulty that Williams
finally persuaded her that the men who
trusted him should be reimbursed. Even
then her reluctance was so great that she
took a list of the bills, made settlements
where she could at fifty cents on the dollar,
and left the Others to be paid eventually by
Williams.
WHEN instances of this kind, and they
are not few, are mentioned the chaplain
smiles that slow smile of his, and points out
thescores ofgrateful men and women through
out the country who are living examples of
the probity of his scheme of friendship.
While the helplessly i'll claim much of
Williams time, there are scores compara-
lively well who draw heavily upon his SEEM
ingly inexhaustible store of friendship.
Many who come to him are merely friend
less and lonely. For these he always has
congenial friend or two in waiting, and his
own home. charmingly presided over by his
sister, is for social purposes the home of
every friend he has, i'll or well.
"These boys and girls have to have some
place where they can cough comfortably
is the way Williams puts it. Few men who
are not themselves stricken will be able to
appreciate just what or how much that
means to the consumptive, whose cough is
u,ith hin, TO Il,