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About Oregon City courier=herald. (Oregon City, Or.) 1898-1902 | View Entire Issue (May 24, 1901)
SUPPLEMENT Oregon City Courier-Herald OREGON CITY, MAY 24, 1901. I HIS STEPS. "What Would Jesus Do?" By CHARLES K. SHELDON. (Oopyrlgv'wl nnd pabllthed Is book form by the Ai noe PabllaUug Co. of Chicago. CHAPTER VI. For I came to set a man at variance againet hie father, and the daughter against her mutlior. and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, and a man'i loea shall be they of hi. own house hold. Bt jrt therefore imitators of God, as beloved children, and walk in lovt even aa Christ also loved you. When Virginia left the carriage and went to Loreen, she had no definite idea as to what she would do or what the result of her action would be. She sim ply saw a soul -that had tasted of the joy of a better life slipping back again into its old hell of shame and death, and before she had touched the drunken girl's arm she had asked only one ques tion, "What would Jesus dot" That question was becoming with her, as with many others, a habit of life. She looked around now as she stood close - by Loreen, and the whole scene was cruelly vivid to her. She thought first of the girls in the carriage. "Drive on. Don't wait for me. I am going to Bee my friend here home," she said, calmly enough. The girl with the red parasol seemed to gasp at the word "friend when Vir ginia spoke it. She did not say any thing. The other girls seemed speech less. ' 'Go on. I cannot go back with you, " said Virginia. The driver started the horses slowly. One of the girls leaned a little out of the carriage. "Can't we that is do you want our help? Couldn't we" "No. no!" exclaimed Virginia. "You cannot be of eny use to me." The carriage moved on, and Virginia wan nlnne with her charce. She looked up and around. Many faces in the crowd were sympathetic. They were rot u!l cruel or brutal. The Holy Spirit had sov'ceuod a good deal of the Rectangle. "Where does she live?" asked Vir ginia. , No one answered- It occurred to Vir ginia afterward, when she hud time to think it over, tb-.it the Rectangle showed a delicacy in its sad silence that would have done crt tr.t to tno ixmievaro. For the first ti e it flashed upon her that the immortal being who was flung like wreckage trou the shore of this earthly hell calle d the sidoon had no place that could l:e ct-. Jed home. . The girl suddenly wrenched her arm from Virginia's gr:ivp. In doing it she nearly threw Virginia down. "You shall not touch me! Leave me! Let me go to hcil ! Thv.t s where I be long I The devil is waiting for me! See him!" she exrV; ir. cd hoarsely. She turned and poinioi with a shaking fin ger at - the saloon keeper The crowd " laughed. . Virginia stepped up to her and put l. ..Vw,., . I,..- - Ud aim a mm ii iu.i "Loreen," she said firmly, "come with me. You do not belong to heil You belong to Jesus, and he will save you. Come. " The girl luddenly burst into tears. She was only partly sobered by the shock of meeting Virginia. Virginia looked around again. "Where does Mr. Gray live!" she asked. She knew the evangelist board ed somewhere near that tent A number of voices gave her the di rection. "Come, Loreen. I want you to go with me to Mrs. Gray's," she said, still keeping her hold of the swaying, trem bling creature, who still moaned and sobbed and now clung' to Virginia as before she had repulsed her. So the two moved on through the Rectangle toward the evangelist's lodg ing placa The sight seemed to impress the Rectangle seriously. It MW took itself seriously when it was draatb Imt this was different. The fact tMt oa of th most beautifully dressed girts la Raymond was taking care of eaaof the Bectangle's most notorious afcaneten, who reeled along under the iattoaw of liquor, was a fact astonishing eeevgh l throw more or less dignity aa4 im portance about Loreen heisalkt The it f Loreen stumbling tasvMh the er dead drunk always mmm the ltytaogle laugh and jest, bat Loreen staggering along with a young lady from the society circles np tew sup porting her was another thing. The Rectangle riewed it with soberness sad ore or less wondering admiration. When they reached Mr. Gray's board- ins; place, the woman who answered v lrgima s raocK saw mai ootn m. ana T1 1 1 1 1 a i . il If Mrs. Gray were out somewhere and ! would not be back until 0 o'clock. f . u T " I , , ! Virginia had not planned anything ; luriuer man a possiuie appeal no me M Al Al iH. I - -.1 - Grays either to take charge of Loreen ... . i for awhile or find some safe place for her until she was sober again. She stood now at the lodging after the woman had spoken, and she was really at a loss to know what to da Loreen sank down stupidly on the steps and buried her (ace in her arms. Virginia eyed the miserable figure with a feeling that she was fearful would grow into disgust. Finally a thought possessed. Virginia that she could not resist. What was to hinder Loreen from going home with her? Why should not this homeless, i wretched creature, reeking with the fumes of liquor, be cared for in Vir- I ginia's own home, instead of being consigned to strangers in some hospital or house of charity! Virginia really knew very little about any such places of refuge. As a matter of fact, there were two or three such institutions in ! Raymond, but it is doubtful if any of them would have taken a person like Loreen in her present condition. But that was not the question with Virginia just now. "What would Jesus do with Loreen! was what Virginia faced, and she finally answered it by touching Loreen again. "Loreen, come! You are going home with me. We will take the car here at the corner." Loreen staprgered to her feet and, to Virginia's relief, made no trouble. She had expected resistance or a stubborn refusal to move. When they reached the corner and took the car, it was nearly full of people going up town. Virginia was painfully conscious of the stare that greeted her and her compan ion as they entered, but her thought was directed more and more to the ap proaching scene with her grandmother. What would Mme. Page say when she saw Loreen 1 Loreen was nearly sober now, but she was lapsing into a state of stupor. Vir ginia was obliged to hold fast to her arm. Several times she lurched heavily against Virginia, and as the two went np the avenue a .furious crowd of peo ple turned and gazed at them. When she mounted the steps of the handsome house, Virginia breathed a sigh of re lief, even in the (ace of the interview with her graa&itpther, and when the door shut and she was in the wide hall with her homeless outcast she felt equal to anything that might now come. Mme. Page was in the library. Hear ing Virginia come in, she came into the halL Virginia stood there supporting Loreen, whoietaoS stupidly at the rich magnificence of the furnishings around her. "Grandmother" Virginia spoke without hewtaMon and very clearly "I have brought one of my friends from this Rectangle. She is in trouble and has no home. I am going to care for her a little while. " Mme. Page glanced from her grand daughter to Loreen in astonishment "Did yon say she was one of your friends!" she asked in a cold, sneering voice that hurt Virginia more than any thing she had yet felt "Yes; I said so." Virginia's face flushed, but she seemed to recall the verse that Mr. Gray had used for one of his recent sermons, "A friend of pub licans and sinners. ' ' Surely Jesus would do this that she was doing. "Do you know what this girl is!' asked Mma Page in an aagry whisper, Btepping near Virginia. - "I know very welL She is an out cast - You need not tell me, grand mother. I know it even better than you da She is drunk at this minute. But she is also a child of God. I have seen her on her knees repentant and I have seen hell reach out its horrible fingers after her again, and. by the grace of Christ, I feel that the least I can do is to rescue her from such peril. Grand mother, we call ourselves Christians. Eere 1b a poor, lost human creature without a home, slipping into a possible eternal loss, and we have more than enough. I have brought her here and shall keep her. " Mme. Page glared at Virginia and clinched her hands. All this was con trary to her social code of conduct How could society excuse each famil iarity with the scum of the streets t What would Virginia's actions eost the family in the way of criticism and the loss of standing and all that long hat of necessary relations which people af wealth and position must sustain to the leaders of society ! To Mme. Page so ciety lepresented more than the church or any other institution. It was a pew to . ... . nfl . Wfi(1, , Thn lnm its good will was loss more to be , ni . . v. aree an anything, except the loss .uK u, " aBwwu. She stood erect and stern' and con- I S-.J Viul.l. nll n. anA Ac. iiuuuou v Kimn. lull, luumu t..v utr- ermjnea Virginia placed her arm about Loreen and calmly looked her grandmother in the face. "You shall not do this, Virginia. You can Bend her to the asylum for helpless women. We can pay all the ex penzes We cannot afford, for the sake of our reputations, to shelter such a- f"11 Grandmother, I do not wish to do anything that is displeasing to you, but I am going to keep Loreen here to night and longer if I think it is best." "Then you can answer for the conse quences. I do not stay in the same house with a miserable" Mme. Page lost L self control. Virginia stopped her before she could speak the next word. "Grandmother, this house is mine Tt is your home with me as Ions von chouse to remain, tt . in ttie matter I shall act as I fully b-tlieve Jesus would in my place. I am willing to bear all that society may say or do. Society is not my God. By the side of this poor, lost soul I do not count the verdict of society as of ary value." "I shall not rernain here, then," said Mme. Page. She turned suddenly and walked to the end of the hall. She then came back and said, with an emphasis that revealed her intense excitement and passion : "You can always remember that you have driven your grandmother out of your house in favor of a drunken wom an." Then, without waiting for Vir ginia to reply, she turned again and went tip stairs. i Virginia called for a servant and soon had Loreen earedfor. She was fast lapsing into a wretched condition. Dur ing the brief scene in the hall she had clung to Virginia so hard that Vir- ; ginia's arm was sore from the clutch of I th girl's fingers. I Virginia did not know whether her 1 grandmother would leave the house or . not She had abundant means of her : own, was perfectly well and vigorous i and capable of caring for herself. She 1 had sisters and brothers living in the ' south and was in the habit of spending several weeks in the year with them. Virginia was not anxious about her welfare, so far as that went, brat the in terview had been a painful one to her. j Going over if, as she did in her room ' before she went down to tea, she found little cause for regret, however.- "What would Jesus do!" ; There was no ques tion in Virginia's mind that she had j done the right thing. If she had made !' a mistake, it was one of the judgment and not of the heart. When the bell rang for tea, she went down, and her grandmother did not appear. She sent a servant to her room, and the servant brought back word that Mme. Page was not there. A few minutes later Rollin came in. He brought word that his grandmother had taken the evening train for the south. He bad been at the station to see some friends off and had by chance met his grandmother as he was coming out She told him her reason for going. Virginia and Rollin confronted each other at the table with earnest, sad faces. "Rollin," said Virginia, and for the first time almost since his conversion she realized what a wonderful thing her brother's change of life meant to her, "do you blame me ! Am I wrong!" "No, dear; I cannot believe you are. This is very painful for us, but if you think this poor creature owes her saf ety and salvation to your personal care it was the only thing for you to do. Oh, Virginia, to think that we have all these years enjoyed our beautiful home THE HOME HOLD CURE. An Ingeniont Treatment bv which Drunkards are Being Cnn-d Du'ly In Mptte af Thtmselvet. No Moxloua Dull. Weakening of the Nerves. A Pl-a aad PMltlve Cure for the Lte.ear Habit. It is now generally known and under stood that Drunkenness is a disease and not weakness. A body filled with poi son, and nerves completely shattered by periodical or constant use o( intoxicating liquors, requires an antidote capable of neutralizing and eradicating this poison, and destroying the craving for intoxi cants. 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I now have money to pay road war rants endorsed p ior to Autiust 11, 1H01. Interest will cease on the warrants in cluded in this rail on the date hereof. Oregon 1 ity, May 17, 1901. A. LUBLMNd, Treasurer of Clackamas County ,Ore. We have been askd which route is the best to take to net to thf Buffalo ex position. We would recommend the northern route on account ofiibsence from heat and dust. Take Noituern IV c fit; from Portland to ft. Paul and the Milwaukie from there to Chicago and then by the Wabash direct to Buffalo. and all these luxuries selfishly, forget ful of the multitude like this , woman I 8urely Jesus in our placeB would do what you have done. And so Rollin comforted Virginia and counseled with her that evening, and of all the wonderful changes that Vir ginia was henceforth to know on ac count of her great pledge noth'ng af- -fected her so powerfully as the thought of Rollin's change In life. Truly, this man in Christ was a new creature. Old things were passed away. Behold, all things in him had become new! Dr. West came that evening at Vir ginia's summons and did everything necessary for the outcast. She had drunk herself almost into delirium. The best that could be done for her now were quiet nursing and careful watch ing and personal love. So in a beauti ful room, with a picture of Christ walking by the sea hanging on the wall, where her bewildered eyes canght daily something more of its hidden meuning, Lioreen lay, tossea sne nuraiy knew how into this haven, and Vir ginia crept nearer the Master than she had ever been its her heart went out to ward this wreck which had thus been flung torn and beate-n at her feet. Meanwhile the Rfctair la waited the issue of the election .vM'b more than usual interest, and G:ay und his wife wept over the pitiuMu creatnre who, after a struggle with nurronnaius that daily tempted them, too often wearied of the struggle, and, like Loreen. threw up their arms and went whirling into the boiling abyss of their previous con dition. To bt contlnwd.
