Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1916-03-01

rooms, and said nothing about nv
getting religion. The circuit preacher
was Of the same mind, an earnest.
modest, young man, wrestling with
English grammar, who on his first WIS.,
it sought my help about adverbs,
| while my mother-in+law looked on in
| evident displeasure.
To her this was the dawn of that
| new day, in which the Methodist
| church rivals all others in her insti-
tutions Of learning. The good time of
| inspiration was slipping away. What
wonder that she clutched it as Jacob
did his angel? There in that house
she had for long years been an oracle
to inspired man, and now to see Gods
Spirit displaced by Kirkham's gram
mar was rank infidelity. The Wilkins
burg Westinghouse was being built,
and that one which had been to her
all that the temple ever was to Solo
mon, would be left to the owls and
bats-her Zion desolate. Those walls,
made sacred by visions of glory and
shouts of triumph, would crumble to
ruin in the clinging silence. How
could she but think that the influence
was evil which could bring such re-
suit?
The new building was consecrated
with much ceremony. The two Hen
dersons staid with us, and on Sabbath
morning consulted me as to the best
way of taking up subscriptions. Moth
er-in-law looked on till she could bear
it no longer, and said:
brother Henderson, if you mean to
be in time for love feast, you must
not stay fooling there"
Both men sprang to their feet, hur-
ried away and never returned.
General Conference at it's session in
Baltimore, in 1910, passed the "Black
Gag" law, which forbade colored men,
bers of the church to give testimony
in church-trials against white men,
bers, in any state where they were for
hidden to testify in courts. Four
members of the Pittsburg Conference
voted for it, and when my husband
returned from the dedication, I learned
that three Of them had figured pronli-
nently in the exercises, and he had
refused to commune on account of
their ministrations.
Everything went smoothly for ten
days, when my husband came to our
room, where I sat writing, threw him.
self on the bed and poured out such a
torrent of accusations as I had not
dreamed possible, and Of which re-
frain from giving any adequate de-
scriptiOn. I looked up and saw that
he was livid with rage His words
appeared the rawlings of a mad man,
yet there was method in them, and
no crime in the calendar with which
they did not charge me. Butter mon
ey was not accounted for, pickles and
preserves missing, things about the
house were going to destruction, the
| country was full Of falsehoods and
had told them all. 1t was all a blur
| of sound and fury, but in it stood out
| these words:
"You ruined Samuel, and now you
are trying to ruin the boys and those
two fool preachers. People know it,
too, and I am ashamed to show my
! face for the talk"
When he seemed to have finished, I
asked:
"How long since you learned my
real character?'
This spurred him to new wrath, and
he exclaimed:
"There now, that's the next of it..
You will go and tell that I've abused
you. It's not me. I never suspected
your honesty, but my mother, yes, my
| poor old mother. I would not care,
if you could only behave yourself be-
fore my mother!"
sat leaning my elbows on my table
| with my head in my hands, and the
| word ruined Samuel became a re-
frain. l thought of the danger out Of
| which I had plucked him while in
Louisville Of the force with which
had grappled him with hooks of steel,
as he hung on the outer edge of that
| precipice of dissipation, while I chung
to the Almighty Arm for help.
| thought of the tears and sOlemnity
| with which this man had given to me
| the dying message of that rescued bro
| Their. Earth seemed to be passing
| away, and to leave no standing room.
| 1 was teaching school in the abandon
! ed Westinghouse. It was noon re-
cess and l must hurry or be late.
passed into the hall and out of the
house, with the thought II cross his
threshold now for the last time;;" but
I must remain near and finish my
! school, when I would be present to
meet those monstrous charges before
the world My reveries did not in
terfere with my school duties, and
when they were over sat in the old
meeting house or walked it's one aisle,
! with the quiet dead lying all around
me, thinking of that good fight which
I should fight, ere finished my course
and lay down to rest as they did. But
the sun went down, the long twilight
drew on he coming night, and I was
homeless. Where should I go?
l thought of the Burkhammers,
whose little son lay among the dead
beside me. l had tended him in his
last illness and prepared his body for
burie1 They were German tenants
of Judge Wilkins, and to reach their
house l must pass through the dark
valley over which now lay new pail.
There we're lights in the house as
passed, and Tom ratified his chain and
gave forth one of those shrieks which
pierced the air for mile. was glad
to know that he was not loose, and
that it was only my phantom which
crouched in every available place,
ready to spring. The bears beloved
a response to his shrek, but did not
hasten. The stream, so loud and an.
cry on that night of my first entrance
into this vale of tears, was now low
and sang lullaby of angelic music as
I crossed it on stepping stones. On
the hillside it was almost as dark as
that night when Father Clever stop.
ped and felt for the bank with his
whip.
The Burkhammers asked no ques.
tons, and went to sleep without Civ;