Abilene weekly reflector., 1922-02-09

splendid hour-when q long whis-
kered preacher by name OF Allen
Hickey was delivering a splendid
sermon on sin and Its effect ON
mans life, In a little church up on
Buckeye. When he got through with
his discourse he invited anybody
present to quit his meanness. Moth
er had always told me about TINS
matter, but 1t had never taken hold
of me as these words had. ] got up.
walked down the aisle and told the
preacher that | could never get TO
the right place on the wrong road
and that that night was as COED MS
any to change roads. From that hour
to this ! have never regretaed II. MY
life has been filed with sorrows ana
pleasures, the latter far outweighing
the former. Never a minute has
found me ready to quit. Never
night has found me afraid. / soon
found that he who Is born but once
must die twice and he who Is born
twice must die but once, and from
that day to this, the Cross OF Christ
has east Its shadow across my path
way. to the glory Of God In the high
est. M0ther-blesesd be her sainted
memory-sleeps half a mile from my
home. In her quiet tomb, and ! am
81 years old last September, but
don't you know I would feel little
more secure II she were alive. She
II was who first explained to me the
difference between being white wash
end being washed white. In my SER
mons, the vision of mother reaching
down her hand to her little laddie OF
7 or 8 and telling me to do right,
often comes to me.
remember one afternoon when
young woman passenger on west
bound train jumped from the steps
Of the day coach as it passed over
Buckeye street. She had bird
cage. a -four sack of clothing, small
sack Of dOughnuts, a market basket
of other stuff, and / don't recall just
what else. When we ran to her and
asked why she got off there, she ex-
plained that she had not been around
very much and that her brother had
cautioned her about sitting in the
train too long and getting carried by.
The train was moving Is miles an
hour when she struck the hard street.
recall the news of the JOhnstown
food as it came burning the wires.
People could not believe 1t. re-
member one man stood at my win
dow when / showed him press dis
patch that l had just caught, and
among other names of dead ones, he
had brother and sister. He said
to me with vehemence, "If / were
not so busy just now l would go
back there"
l remember how ], one hot day in
July, put up a notice on the windows
that we were going to have a STORM.
Nobody had told me this bit of news,
but the wires were working bad and
out toward Ellis heavy bad looking
bank of clouds had hung all after
noon. The people had good deal
of confidence in me on the weather
proposition and my notice interested
many. remember that, after sup
per, many Of the guests in the Pa
cific hotel came and read and dis
cussed my warning. l remember too,
that Charlie Estes had half car Of
empty egg cases piled on the west
end of the platform, back in behind.
where the express office was. That
night at low II quite cloud had
risen and the wind blew these egg
cases down and started them tum-
bling down the wide walk under the
caves Of the hotel in front. Thirty
guests Of the hotel sprang from their
couches, ran down the staircase and
out into the park. 1t was laughable
indeed, but serious to those folks.
The egg cases ran the etnire length
of the platform.
What shall l say further? Space