The Tomahawk., 1918-01-10

He promised to give them an answer
on the morrow and went 10 see
Flavilla. There was no happier wola-
an than she those days. She was sit
ting at her sewing when Gideon came
in, humming a quaint country ditty.
He thought her changed woman.
Surely, she had never seemed SO hand
some in the olden days of tois and
anxiety. He told her what the people
asked. It's full meaning daWned upon
her.
"You must do this thing, Gideon
she said, after a silence, lit will help
both you and the people"
"But a sermon?"
Flavilla struggled with the thought.
To her mind a sermon meant deep
knowledge, research, feeling, convic-
ton. Had not she talked these things
over with Gideon since they were boy
and girl together? The very fact Of
long, continued thought upon these
subjects served well now.
"There will be nothing expected Of
you that you are not ready for" she
told him after a time, "and since you
cannot talk Of great things, would 1t
not be as we'll to speak of these at
hand? Don't preach. You amt fit.
You're just common man now. Talk
man to man.
"And, Gideon, DEAR" she went on,
''don't forget to talk little TO us
women. We need lots o. God. It's
a God for every day we WANT
He only said, after silence, "Fla-
villa, I guess I'll go on home"
She understood him. They walked
down to the gate together. There was
a dark evergreen tree there and he
kissed her solemnly.
"Flavilla, you must wear your
bride dress. And sit all alone on tbs
front bench"
He still had his misgivings as to
the propriety Of his proceeding. The
next morning he wrote a misspelled
letter to the college president asking
him for advice. Sunday came and no
reply had reached him.
The interest in the meeting was
widespread. It was a Sunday In late
August and the little church was I'LL
ed, the overflow standing about the
doors and windows. Flavilla had
chosen some of her old school mates
to practice hymns with her. Their
musical knowledge was limited but 1t
would help. They sat on the second
bench in their clean summer array.
On the first bench, alone, sat Flavilla.
She wore the white dress she was to
be married in, and simple hat.
When the house was full, Gideon
walked in. He wore his new black
suit, but looked like true son Of toll,
Il lad from the very midst OF the peo-
pie. Flavilla started hymn, all sang
who could, then Gideon read, not any
too we'll, a portion of the Scriptures.
Afterwards he stepped down from the
pulpit and stood almost among them.
Gideon will never preach such a SER
mon again. He has gone from field
and wood and pasture to more con-
yentional paths. Never again will he
walk between an actual living, human
Christ and an actual, breathing COM
munity as or that day of his boyhood.
He talked. God-life in common life IN
common ways, was made real. In the
morning, at noon, in the tired hours
of the evening, at toll, in dealing, in
birth, life and death Christ-life was
depicted. Then Gideon spoke few
sentences of his own future hopes and
asked all to keep him in prayerful re-
membrance.
The silent and stolid people were
more moved than they cared to show.
Old men wrung his hand, women
looked at him with misty eyes.
Flavilla's tears ran down her cheeks
as she bravely started the last hymn.
But, while the people reluctantly
filed out, there strobe into the church
man of presence, of speech. He put
his arm about Gideon's shoulders, and
looked at him with proud eyes.
"The Lord was with you," said the
college president. The strange letter
had brought him hither.
Gideon is now a great preacher. His
own and Flavilla's dreams were moth
ing in comparison to the reality. Ihey
still tell at the college of his hard
study, Flavilla's aid and cOmradeshlp
and of the wagon load of provisions
that came to them every few months
from their old neighborhood. They
still tell of Gideon's gift of speech, his
honors, what a credit he is to the col
lege. If you ask the secret of his mis-
sion, he looks at .Flavilla and says,
II try to tell Of an every day God
and as man to man."
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The affinity between strategy and