Evening star., 1924-04-06

of pair OF trousers anu
two weeks growth of
bristly gray beard and little of any
thing else. In this scant but patri-
archal attire he appeared at the Rev.
David Colhoun's evening service,
where he fluttered the faithful Gilbert
Islanders with mixed emotions. They
peeped between their devotional fin
gers and shuddered at the shameless
stranger who issued from the saffron
sunset, somewhere behind the spiky
line of the mission jack fruit trees.
The Rev. David Colhoun was not
pleased.
For a terror dwelt on Baliang.
License and pillage had ruled the
peaceful isle all day, and rum had
flowed like cocoanut milk. Back in
the lagoon lay the ruffian ship Of
pirat tes and pearl poachers, who had
come to rob and stayed to riot. The
very singing Of the hymns had been
punctuated with the pinging of re-
volver shots. In this dark hour who
should remain-aye, and did remain
The sole shield of his people against
alien outrage? Who but the Rev.
David himself?
No one had ever questioned the
courage of the gaunt Scots mission
airy of Baliang. He had proved it
that day. Three times he had faced
the leader of the villainous crew OF
the Galloway Lass below and three
times had won his point, single
handed, until even that great, dark.
sleepy-eyed devil had given up trying
to frighten him.
And here in his own chapel he
stood ready for further defense, if
need should be. But the stranger
made no provocative move. He stayed
clinging to a post, blinking in upon
that silent and hostile gathering
until, with u tardy start and an oddly
deprecatory gesture, as if conscious
for the first time of the place and the
presence he had invaded, he sidled to
the end of a bench and dropped there.
Colhoun's nervous hand caught up
the suspense and cast 1t dramatically
into his renewed petiti61.
He finished in a fervOr that whipped
the color to his gray chAGk. The con-
sregation recognized. perhaps, one
word in tent is not easy to pray
ex tempore in the Gilbert Island
tongue-but they caught his drift
quite well.
Earnestly, then, with simple eager
ness that lent a sudden dignity and
pathos to the effort, they lifted their
voices in the final hymn. SO they
followed their pastor as he had
taught them, stumbling the hard
meaning, perhaps, but finding d
subtler truth, bravely, one and all:
Do num-'res hosts of mildly foes
Do earth and hell my way oppose,
e save-ly leads me still a-lon'
Es lov'n k-ind'ess, oh 'ow stron'-
'Es lov'n k-ind-'ess, 'Es lOv'n kind
ess,
'Es lov'n k-ind'ess, oh 'ow stron'.
i: :; :: =
THEREAFTER under the benedic-
tion they broke up, hurrying
away each man of them to bar his hut
and lie hid until morning.
Amen" they murmured one to an
other, TO complete the rite as they
understood il. "Ah-men. Amen
A shifting of shadows and they
were gone, dispersed into the russet
dusk, and had left the chapel empty
empty save for Colhoun and the lone
visitor who had sat on the end of a
bench and who echoed curiously, ten
tatively, to himself in a dry whisper:
Amen! Amen
The Rev. David stepped down the
aisle and spoke over at him. What
do you want?"
The man lifted a face like the shell
of a nut, as brown and weather
beaten "Who-me? Nothin' much,
mister, and no offense. l take il
you're the lad as does the reg'ler mis-
sionaryin' here, amt you?"
His voice was low and husky. and
yet in other ways he hardly met the
olergymans rather academic concept
of the spirituous as opposed to the
spiritual state.
This is my nilsson, yes. My
church
He turned MS slow gaze around.
AN honest-t' heaven church? What?
1t don't look it."
ut was consecrated by a bishop"
said the Rev. David, quite sharply,
for he was touchy on the point.
"Bishop-eh?" The other seemed
to extract an obscure satisfaction
from the title. We'll. that makes it
churchier, don't it? Mister, I been
looking for real church and a real
preacher. ! come a long ways
lookin'."
Where on earth do you hail FROM"
"Mele"
Melee In the Marshalls? Two
hummer miles
with a bit of a proa-sai1 and
paddle. ] smashed her on the reefs
gettin' ashore just now"
The stranger was silent space.
Mister, it comes hard to me to
hoIler for help and 1 dunno quite
how to put the case, bein rough and
tough and not in your line. But one
thing I'll make bold. About these
here natives-Gilbert Islanders, well
say, ljke-Tour own-I want to ask
You something that may sound queer"
.wsflo" said Colhoun, marveling.
"well--here's you whose business
is good works for the black heather,
I believe. and here's me that never
give them a thought except at so
much per head, you might say. And
what l want to know is this: Has a
negro got soul?"
Sitting there beside him on the
bench the castaway listened in silence
while Colhoun made his brief answer,
speaking as was given him to speak
in that moment, and for time only
the muttering diapason of the reef
filled the prelude.
"A month ago 7 wasn't askin' fa-
vors.- began the stranger presently,
II was doin' of them. Leastways L
did when it seemed good business. L