The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-08-21
Brands From the Burning A Salvation Army Story

Walter Chambers, in the Atlanta Constitution.
 And a little child shall lead then,." This story began when young girl left her home in small town in a distant state many years ago to "see the sights of the city, of mar; riage which brought disillusionment but little else, except a boy who proved the means of the happy ending to the story.
 When the folks who told me the story first came into contact with the woman, 1t was through the boy. He was regular attendant at the Sunday school which the Salvation Army conducts every Sunday afternoon in its hall at Al Lucke street. The officers of the army had frequently noticed him and how silently he slipped away when the meeting was over.
 Finally they went home with him. That is, he showed them to the hovel which was the only semblance of home he knew And in these they found bedraggled, painted woman who said she was his mother.
 These Salvation Army lassies took an ir- terest in the woman because of the boy whom they had learned to love. But then, Saiva- tionists love everybody, think. They begged her. for his sake, to let booze and the rest ofs her present life go for the pleasures of the "happy life" And finally she consented, more or less half-heartedly.
 This was during the war, and they carried her out to the army's hostel at Camp Gordon and placed her in charge of cottage which housed a man and his four children, deserted by their wife and mother. But the woman was dissatisfied and when her old friends came in search of her, she wavered and was almost lost. fs ftrF
 The first time she came back to the army's cottage drunk they tried to win her back to them But second and third time, she re- turned from the carousal to the house where God dwelt until finally they warned her that a fourth offense and she must go.
 It came and she left in the silent paces or the night, carrying the boy with her. The army searched her out and began proceedings to take the boy from her. And then great thing came into the woman's life.
 A worker in the ranks of the Salvation Army, one of those "who are never out,' who, like the woman, had been "picked up by the army and had worked side by side with the woman, fell in love with her. When the army found that he was keeping company with her they told him of their experience with her and warned him that she might drag him, also,
 
 One night he came home intoxicated. And then again, and he was warned that he must leave if it recurred. And so he, too, left.
 Several weeks after he came to see Staff Captain Graun, out at the mems social de- partment of the army on Luckie street. T am preparing" he said "to marry her."
 And against the counsels of the army. he did
 "We are married" he said few days later. land I want my old job back" He was given trial and he made good, even, as he had once before.
 "I would like to rent two rooms in the cot tage over there,' he said several days later' pointing to the old industrial home which the army had just vacated. q want to get her out of the old environment he added.
 So it was arranged. The woman learned to know and love the Salvationsts again. She had already learned to love this man who had taken her and, as she expressed it, treated me so good" Then gradually they brought her to the altar and she lifted up her voice in praise for Him who gave her renewed life.
 As she went singing about her work, pains in her chest that had been neglected For 70 long suddenly caused her to collapse. And, little later, holding the hand of her husband, she died.
 An old telegram was found among her papers from the little town where she camo from originally. It was signed Mother" And her mother came to take the body back home, where it is resting tonight under the shadow of the old church where she went to Sunday school as little girl. And the boy is' there, the heir to fortune, where every day his grandmother can tell him of the happiness his mother gave her when, like him, she was grow ing up.