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About The gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925 | View Entire Issue (July 23, 1914)
HOME AND FARM MAGAZINE SECTION 13 The Mission 'HE MISSIONARY'S WIFE, sitting . It was the old itorT, and one to whieh in the veranda of the bleak, -white- khe had listened daily ver sinee she uuuiw, wbccacq me nau come 10 tae mission tnree years be- dust devils pirouetting down the Grand Trunk road, and gave herself up to thought. Betrospeetion may be good for the soul, but it is not wise to give way fore. "I ean not understand it," he said. He continued in this strain wrmtorlno why he failed and others had succeeded. " 6"" j i ""v - ami uiuerg naa sueceeuea. to the malady of thought in India when He went on rather longer than he should Ditiless sun in ,.-.,l ;,. -. ,. j .... . . t, v. "..,; uuu warping. - uuno, um mat was Deeause he did the earth, and the blue of high heaven M receive tho usual words of sympathy is bleached to a blinding, white bell of .land cheer from his wife. She remained lieat waves. Under such circumstances fo-cnt, her eyes fixed on the heat haze the average white does not think. Some-; m the distance. tunes he seeks forgetfulness in whisky "To make matters worse," he said pegs; sometimes she forgets the mad- changing the subjeet, "Joseph's broa dening heat in the greater madness of the one from Kabul, is here. He -A BUB . "e wron8 maB- lPPat at me as I passed him today and The missionary's wife, because she coiled from these mental drugs. She en ceavorcd to ward off the abnormal wave engulfing her by a renewed zeal to her religious faith; but she was so young, so untried, and so unaccustomed to viewing the world in its raw naked Bess that her faith faltered and Bhe would not be comforted. Perhaps, as the missionary sahib thought, she was a "trifle worldly"; perhaps she was. But (he was very young. Therefore she gave up herself to thought. Day by day she would sit on the veranda and watch tho dust devils dancing and whirling along the Grand Trunk road. Prom her position she could eee the road, a white ribbon of dust, Stretching its length across a parched, flat country until it was lnta in a i,o, of boat waves. From the haze would appear the dust devils, cones of light, "u ui wmppea up from the road way by a passing breath of air. She would watch them as they camo down the road towards the mission frnf.PH anin. ning along in fantastic dervish dances, nu sue continued watching until they were lost to tieht in another mall of leat haze on the opposite horizon. Be tween wnues suo thought. Her mind ran to things green and cool: of dm'ntv primroses smiling shyly from a moist tuna, 01 wua violets hidden ia the cool (hades of Yorkshire woods, of damp muss cunging to ancient rock, of moor land, spongy undorfoot, of moist mists on Ingleborough 'a heights. Then, an other dust devil would come revolving from the heat haze, and sho would find herself in India aeain. with ita whiu. washed mission house, its watching day uuu worse man sleepless nights. Separating the mission house from the Grand Trunk road was what tho mis- donary had intended for a pardon? but the sun had sapped tho mnitnr from the plant life, leaving it wilted, drooping, and coated with dust. It was merely a plot of caked earth and the mtiie endeavor at beauty had bnt in tensified its hideous barrenness. It had its purpose, however, in that it cave employment to tho solo convert of the mission. On the mission records he was identi fied as Joseph; but his native tongue could get no nearer to his baptismal name than Jojug, and Jojug ho re mained to tho missionary's wife. The missionary sahib, who did not quito ap prove of -levity, however, was careful to refer to him as Joseph. The convert, like the plants among which he worked, but accentuated tho failure of tho mis don. He was the result of five years of hard, ceaseless labor, a shambling, woebegone monument in a castoff suit cf European clothes. He was watering the plants while the missionary's wife (at on the veranda. It was a hopeless task, for the thirsty earth sucked op his tiny stream in an instant, leaving the surface as dry and as bare as be fore. Undeterred, howover, he would Shamble to the well to fill again a dilapidated watering ean minus the (prinkler and proceed about his futile, useless labor. Once, when passing near the veranda, he salaamed and smiled. She raised her head as he shuffled by, but turned again to watch a new dust devil dancing in the distance. She awoke from her apathy when her kusband walked onto the veranda and threw himself into a chair. He was a big man, was the missionary sahib, with a muscular frame and a dominant jaw hidden by a short brown board; but the heat had robbed him of his strength and fatigue showed in his every muscle. "Another fruitless trip," he said with a sigh. "Tho villagers only niocjsed .tue." infnrmn(? ma V. . ,1 a. . . . 1 "U OUTil .... n.v ug Uftu CUttlC IU Will OUt waa a missionary's wife and becaus tthe family disgrace. Poor Joseph! We , V , v " uiiwwiy ciean, re- wuust nee mat no comes to no harm." Coiled frnm fhpa a cl. ... ir . j He paused aeain. awaitinir a r-nlv but hil wife only nodded slightly. ."Poor Joseph," continued the mission ary; "if I could convert a fw .would aot feel such an utter outcast fwny is it that I can not do so! Heaven (knows I am sincere enouph anil that Ufaith is strong." ' mis also sue bad heard many times .before and had comforted hi jhaps, now, the heat and the thoughts of iwn r,ngusn spring nad warped her mind iot sne asKed ouietiv: ' "Have you ever thought that vnn are not uttcd lor this work!" fi The missionary started in surprise. It iwas tno nrst time that his w f e had .questioned his ability. He paused a nio 'ment before answering ' "Faith," he said, "will move moun tains." His wife closed her eves in weari ness and lay back in hex seat Tier hus- oand watched her anxiously; her actions were ratner stranco somewhat nneer. Ho was a just man, was the missionary sanio, and witn a great tenderness hid den away under the dominant anil I rigid determination of his zeal. He no ticed ner utter lassitude, the dead pal lor of her skin, her frail wrists and hands. He recalled that three , he had brought her to the mission radi ant and sparkling with youth and laid caressing nana on ner shoulder. "You are tired." ha said, u if in apology lor this demonstration. She sprang from her seat and faced him tense with emotion. "Don't." she said fiercely, "don't 'touch me." Her body relaxed as she spoke and her shoulders drooped with ner weariness, "lour nand." sna add ed, "is so so abominably hot." lhis is hysteria," he said quietly 'You must control yourself." She walked to the end of the veranda and turning faced him with pleading in her eyes and a sob in her voice. "Let us eo home." she said, "haelt to England. Tako me away from here for God's love tako mo away." The missionary fingered his beard and lowered his eyes so that Bhe might not see his agony. "I ean not," he said, very quietly. "You can not," sho replied, whipped into immediate antrer. "Can't vou even you see that the mission is a larcc and that you are a lauurcT" "I know that," taid the missionary, somewhat sadly. "Then do you thjnk it just and right to yourself to me to allow vour pride and stubbornness to longer perpetuate this failurol" "I must remain," be replied. "Thi iq eAnfwlpftft fn!lv. Yftll know hat. the nnnnle at the church at home have criven nn snnnortiiii. tho mission e-- 1. " when the reports could show but one convert. We are Keeping it up now out of our private funds. Great heaven! What possible reason can there be for remaining longer!" Tim niiaiAnarv nn'intnA tn .Tn.l.ff. whn stood nearby, his back turned to them, patiently watering. 'Thprn'a the rr.as.nn " he Raid. "If we had ourselves to consider I would have given up tho struggle long ago. Dn nnt think that nerhans because I am not demonstrative I do not realize the effect all this is having on you. But we we can not leave Joseph," "And why not!" "Because," he said simply, "Joseph gave up everything for the Christian faith. Ho left his wife, his children, hia rplntivpfl. nnd home. His ncoulo. as you know, have tried time and again to have him rctnrn, but he refuses to do so. Now they threaten to Juii him. ius brother, the one from Kabul, ia the moat vindictive. Bo long as he is under our protection he is safe. The native dare ot attack him so long- as be is under the protection of the white sahib, bnt once we go ka dies. In fact, now that nig brother has returned, I think it will be necessary for him to stay continually in the mission compound. ' "And if I stay," she said, "I die.' She laughed bitterly and jerked a con temptuous hand toward the convert. ' ' My life for that Choose between us. He paled as he heard ber, for in his heart he knew that the coming summer would bring the fulfillment of her words. He rose, however, to hia prin ciples. "There was Another," he said sol emnly, "who gave up Hia life." "So I am to take the role of a martyr in cast-off clothing and " "Hush, yoa must not talk in that strain." "I hate it," she said vehemently. "I hate it all I hate your faith, yonr God" , j "Silence!" Her husband towered above her, hia eyes aflame with anger. "Cease your blasphemy. Even hys teria will not excuse that" Her overstrung nerves snapped and she clung to him, sobbing and afraid: "Forgive me," she said. "I was weak and thoughtless and this heat and I have not slept have not slept " He led her inside. "Try to ealm yourself," he said tenderly, "it will be cooler very soon. The afternoon is passing." As he walked away his heart was wracked with sorrow; his mind was in a tumult. Her outburst had produced a doubt within him. Was his the right course! Had he, in the fulfillment of his duty, the need to sacrifice her! To send her away was out of the ques tion. He did not possess the means, and then again be knew she would never consent to live apart from him. His waa the ehoice the convert or his wife! It was through him that the con vert had come to the mission; through him that he bad left his home, his wife The missionary stopped in his rapid pacing. "I," he thought, "moat fol low in the footsteps of Joseph. It was weakness on my part to have hesi tated." He staggered into the mission house and found his wife on her knees; and at the sight of her thin hands tightly elenched ia prayer and her crumpled, drooping, tired shoulders he waa strick en anew. He knelt beside her and tried to pray. In the garden Jojng shuffled from plant to plant watering the dead bushes. "The missionary sahib," he thought, 'is a good man, but like all the other sahib log. It is hard for them to un derstand that wo may understand their tongue and yet talk oar own. And the remedy is so simple, r He bowed his head on his breast and worked on, calmly, stoically. Tram the heat haze came what appeared ta be another dust devil, larger than mj that had passed before and moving with greater rapidity. As it drew neanr Jojug saw it waa not a dust devil. At the mission gates it stopped, and Jo jng, watching', saw, as the dnst fdH away and settled, this his broth, mounted on a curveting horse, waa ho fore him the brother from Kabul, nho had vowed to wipe oat the family dxe grace. "Ohe, my brother," said the i one man. "There ia a little matter be tween me and thee. It is proper thai we shonld discuss it oat of the hnIn of the feringhee." Jojug did not answer. The watering can hong limp in hia handa asd, sa xf in abstraction, ka watered tke drra way. It was noticeable, aowerw, thai tke flowing water narked a eroaa aa the dusty ground. "Perhaps thy eonraee ii icpaitau with the faith,?' said the ether through hia teeth. " The mission woold be eiaaedL VSm memsahib would retarm to her kona m Belaith England and wwaJd anas more laugh aa aka fid ia the begjaw ning. Wat thou come?" Bid the knsam man. I come, nry brother," aH ft" vert calmly, and sknfOea tnwaxda tia gates. When the cool of tie erennry mal descended on the laad the mrmgiia.rj; and his wife Bought the venada. Where is Joseph," asked he trWa must tako care of him." He ia here," said a voice from fl gateway, and looking ap tie two- smr a horseman riding a curveting horaa. Across hia saddle lay a limp imnetnnq This." he eaid, "waa nry bruthaa, He was act upon by a band rf baV mashes bad men and rohbera w4a slew him." Hia voice rose m angaa. And and sahib, taa eawtaas thine." With a kiek of hia boot he tipped" t5a body in the dust, and taming kia har) head, galloped awagr. For a spaee they gaatf at what, if at their feet. Then Ue nnaauiniurj; turned to his wife. We are far from a poGee autpust" he said, "and nothing tan ha dons Come, let oa go. I will aury fuaenl while you pack np oar bekmgtngia. TJ mission is ended. f-Harrj- Davids, ia The Argonaut Rober Machinery Co. Oregon Ihtribiarm K W Ksater Ylbratorj and Bad Bknootbera; Hyde PropeUeT and BverjtMng for &m Motor Boat 280 E. Morrison 8L, Portland, Qrepaa. A LARGE, COMFORTABLE THREE-STORY HOTEL well furnished, affords accommodations for those who do not wish to keep house in a famished summer Bungalow. Servieo and euisiiie lf iha KAot A.,.. 1.1- IJJLJJ 1 4 I I I B 1 fateiifanjaii SURE NEW WAY TO KILL RATS . 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