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
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