Henderson daily dispatch., 1939-07-15
CHAPTER. THIRTv-E1cur

.A<AT LII IH1RTY-EIG3T
- WAS LATE Saturday evening
Wnen the door bell rang. Dozens of
req roses the minister's favorife
mower, were swathed in vet tissue
paper IN a gray florists box.
"Congratulation or coincidence 9n
Corrlnne mused. 'Is there a note 2"
so the family went to church and
Sorrlnne, Sarah Anne, and Bob
Ransom sat together in the last
pew. Down near the front Judith
Drake sat between her parents. and
Tar TO the right tall Jack Courtney
lowered above his mother.
The opening song was sung.
Praise God. from Whom, all bless
IngS flow.
Praise Him all creatures here
below
Sarah Anne. in her black dress.
worn with it's own black girdle this
morning, felt a lump rising in her
throat. She had joined this chorus
so many times when there had been
blessings to count. Now there were
SO rev. so few yet she had
health, youth, vision, courage,
faith. Maybe life was good. Only
she must not let her banner down.
She must not love again. She must
believe always that there was a
new horizon and go to meet it.
You carried on. Storm, stress,
wind, rain, famine did not stop you.
Perhaps they delayed you. Maybe
they sidetracked you for a little
while, but in the end you went on,
to meet that skyline beyond the
pioneer trek.
Her father was doing it this
morning. He did not know if these
people were his flock, if they had
decided he must stay with them or
must go on. But his voice did not
falter, and his eyes did not cloud.
Gallantry! That described him. It
was a shining word, and she must
wear it, too.
She was glad that she had
reached this serenity of under
standing alone, when the presi-
dent of the church official board
arose. His words had been care
fully prepared. He was large,
ponderOus man and Sarah Anne
visualized him struggling over the
correct form of presenting his mes
sage.
The introduction was long. It
was as ornate as a lace paper val
entine. It praised the minister and
his wife, their work, their devotion
to the church and the town.
But why didn't he hurry? Why
didn't he say simply: "Your resig-
nation is accepted with regret" or,
1--WE do not accept your resigna-
tion." The girls hands were
clenched tightly and Bob Ransom
leaned over and touched them.
"Relax, Sarah Anne. Bet you
quarter you stay"
The words broke her tautness.
She leaned back. She must remem-
ber, remember always, that it
wasn't what life did to you that
mattered. It. was how you accepted
it, met it, braved it. To go on
without ceasing.
But the chairman had reached
the pith of his message.
and so why our good friend
and pastor has any idea that we
would consider his resignation is
something quite beyond me. Ger
tainly we will do no such thing.
He stays-he stays for life if I have
my way"
The church was still for a mo-
ment. So still that when the clock
in the tower chimed its quarter of,
the hour the vibration left the au-
ditorium trembling. Then the ap-
plause came. triumphant and
happy.
And in tho midst of it Sarah
Anne slipped away. She walked to
the corner of the churchyard where
there were a few tombstones,
marking the graves Of some early
settlers. She sat down on the big
gest one, as she had done when she
was little girl. She did not close
her eyes. She looked into the bright
blue summer sky, hunting for that
golden throne where kindly
Father sat. 'Thank You," she said
simply. THANK You so awfully
muchw
All fho+ ,oxr, xxyooI, corot Auro