The Parkerstown Delegate (3 page)

It was the evening of the day after one of these sad, painful Sabbaths. Lois and his brother Franklin were sitting by Harley’s bed. They had been telling him about the meeting as he had asked them. Franklin let Lois do much of the talking, he only helping her out here and there when she forgot what came next, or called upon him to know who was present. He was not yet an active member, and apparently no nearer being a Christian than when the society was first organized. He came in regularly to the meetings and did whatever he was asked to do, even to reading a verse of Harley’s selection, but he never selected one himself, and always kept in the background as much as possible. People said he was doing it all for his little brother’s sake, and no one dared approach him upon the subject or even urge him to do more. Very few remembered to pray for him I think, there were so many others worse than he, they thought. But Lois was praying, and so was his brother. Many a night when he could not sleep he lay and talked with God and asked Him to make Franklin love Him.

“I want to tell you something,” said Harley suddenly rousing from deep silence into which they had fallen. “I have seen something, and I think you would like to know about it. I should like it if you should see such a thing to have you tell me about it. It was last Sunday when you were at meeting. The pain in my eyes was so bad that I had to close them and my head ached very badly, so that I couldn’t even have the bedroom door open to hear your voices in the room, but had to close my ears, too, to bear the pain. I could just hear the sound of the song you were singing. I do not remember what it was, but it was very sweet, though it seemed far away, and it grew further away, and further, until it suddenly seemed to turn and come back again and burst into the sweetest, clearest music you ever heard. It was like, and yet it was not like, the music in our meetings. It was such as that would be if every voice was perfect, perhaps the sort of singing they have in Heaven, though I never knew before that any singing could be sweeter than we have in our meetings; but of course Heaven has everything better.

“Well, this singing, although it was very near and loud, didn’t make my head ache a bit harder, and even seemed to rest my back; at least I forgot it was aching. There was a light all around, too, and I could look up without its hurting my eyes. I didn’t think how strange that was then, but just listened to the music and looked at the light. It took a shape in some clouds that were far off and yet all around— you see you were not there and so I can’t quite explain it all, because there wasn’t time for me to understand everything about it, and there was so much else to see. The light grew brighter and brighter and broadened out at the top as though a hundred suns were shining through one spot, and there was a long, sharp, golden crack in the clouds below, and the light changed and broadened and shaped and brightened in such a strange way until suddenly I thought of the shape of my Christian Endeavor pin, and then all at once I saw the letters at the top C. E., and the long sharp ray of light was the pin, and there it was in the clouds all gold, and growing ‘golder’ every minute, until I thought I couldn’t look any longer; but I had to, because it was so beautiful. And then I saw that the line that made the pin was only a break in the clouds, where the light from Heaven—it must have been Heaven—shone through. Above, in the large, bright letters was a real opening into such light as you never saw before, not even when the sun sets; and then there came angels, hurrying out of the letters and down through the narrow opening and everywhere towards me, and more were beyond up there in the brightness. I watched them come out through the opening, and more and more of them seemed to come from the golden letters until all the air was full of them, and one angel came quite close to me and touched me on the shoulder where I lay—right here in my room, just think—and he said: ‘Little president’—he called me ‘little president’ just as the secretary did when he wrote to me that nice letter after I wrote him about our new society and told him how young I was—‘Dear little president,’ he said, ‘you are one of us now, for we are Christian Endeavorers too, though our work is different from yours, but it is going on all the time. We are the “ministering spirits.” God our Father loves your society and will bless it.’ And then I felt it all so wonderful! I was just here in my bed, you know, and my head was aching so hard just a minute before, and there was the great piece of sky that I see from the window every day, and the hills at the foot of it, and there in the center of it the beautiful great gold badge, with the air full of lights and angels from it, and the most beautiful music floating all about. I was so glad and so astonished at it all that God should have taken so much trouble to send word to me, that I almost let the angel go away without saying anything but ‘Thank you’ to him; but just as he turned with a lovely smile to fly back, I asked him if he would please see that something was done for a few people down here in our society who didn’t love Jesus. Then he put his hand on my head and smiled again, and there was a look in his eyes that I’m sure meant yes, as he went back into the center of the light again. I could see him all the way, just as clearly as when he stood beside me, and when he reached the very center of the brightness the music got farther away again, and the angels all went back, and the Heaven’s badge grew dim, and pretty soon was all covered up, and I only heard the music; and pretty soon the music was the hymn you were singing in the other room, ‘God be with you till we meet again: and your meeting was breaking up. But I wish you could have seen it, and don’t you think it was wonderful?”

Later, after Franklin had taken Lois home, and come back to kiss the little brother goodnight, Harley put his arm about his neck and drew his face close down to his own.

“Frank,” he whispered, with his lips to the young man’s ear, “you were one of those that I asked the angel about, and I wanted him to be very sure about you, because I love you so much.”

The older brother finished the good-night greeting hastily, and drew away to hide his emotion, but there was a warmth in the quick grasp that he gave the little hand, that Harley knew meant that he understood and appreciated.

Now about this time there fell to the lot of that society a bit of good fortune and happiness such as they had not dreamed of. The society which had been expected to entertain the State convention in the spring was somewhat disabled, and wrote to say that they must withdraw their invitation, whereupon the State secretary and executive committee, having heard of the rapid growth of the Parkerstown Society, wrote to know if they would like to entertain the convention. Ah! Wouldn’t they? Such honor was almost enough to take the breath away! The dear young president was so excited that they almost had to keep him away from the next Sunday’s meeting. To have a real convention right there in their society, the first year, and the national secretary corning to it too, and perhaps—oh, wonderful hope!—perhaps, the dear Father Endeavor himself—for that was the hope that the State secretary held out to them.

“Oh, Lois!” he said, with his eyes shining very brightly, and his hands clasped tightly together with excitement, “this must have been part of what the angel meant when he came out of the letters in the sky and said God would bless our society. I can’t go to much of the convention myself; of course, because our room will not be large enough, and the meetings will have to be held in the church, but you can tell me all about them as you do Sundays about the service, and we shall have some real delegates in the house to talk to, for mother said so; she said we could have four. Just think, and that perhaps they would be willing if the secretary and Father Endeavor came, that they would stop here on account of my not being able to go out to hear them. Do you think others would mind and think me very greedy? Because I should want to have a little of them you know, and then perhaps they would have just one meeting here in our room. The consecration meeting would be so grand, or a morning prayer meeting; I should so like it!”

It was decided that the convention should come, and there was much looking forward to it, and the meetings grew in interest and in spirituality.

“Oh,” said Harley one afternoon at the close of the meeting, “I wish that every day was Sunday! If only our meetings could last longer. I did not want it to be out to-day at all.”

But the mother looked anxiously at her boy, and was thankful in her heart that every day was not filled with excitement for him. It was getting more and more apparent to the ones who were watching him closely, that Harley was not to stay with them much longer. They had questioned whether the meetings which were so dear to him were not, after all, doing him harm, and perhaps ought to be stopped; but the wise doctor shook his head sadly, and said:

“No; if he is careful not to get too excited, it can do but little harm. The disease will have its way, do what we will. The end is not far off, I fear, but I do not think that will hasten it. The boy is getting to be such a power in this community that I do not see how we can do without him.” And he went slowly from the room with bent head, while the mother covered her face with her hands, and sat down to silent grief.

Spring was coming. The convention time was near at hand, when the summons came to the little president to leave his society. He had been very ill for a whole week. On Sunday the society had met in the south room but to pray through the whole hour. Lois and Franklin were near Harley constantly. He could not bear to have them out of his sight.

It was the balmiest morning the spring had given them yet. The birds were trying some summer carols, and the breeze brought a few stray notes in at the open window. But to those in the room the notes had a sad sound, that told of some great change about to come. The whole family were gathered about Harley’s bed, for he had passed through a night of suffering, and Dr. Fremont had told them he could not last much longer. He suddenly opened his eyes and looked up as Lois softly entered the room, her arms full of the splendid white lilies he loved so much.

“Lois,” he said, smiling, and putting out his thin little hand to touch the flowers, “I don’t think I can stay to the convention here after all. I’m sorry not to see the secretary and Father Endeavor, and all the delegates, but I think I can’t stay. I saw the badge in the sky again this morning; it was brighter than before, and the angel came and spoke to me, and he said there was a convention in Heaven now, and they wanted me for a delegate from Parkerstown, and I’m to stay, Lois. The delegates to that convention all stay, and it’s to get ready for the great convention when you’re all coming—the angel told me so. And I don’t feel so bad about not seeing Father Endeavor and the secretary now, for they will come to the great convention pretty soon. It’s only a little while, and I’m to see Jesus, you know. Besides, I shall be able to do real work up there, and not have to lie on a bed, as I do here. He promised me. He asked me whom I would leave to do my work for me if I went, and I told him I didn’t think it mattered about that, that I was only a little invalid boy down here, and that I had been doing pieces of other people’s work. But he said no; I had a work of my own, and that I must give it to someone else to do. I thought of you, Lois, but I decided that you had enough of your own work to do, so I told him that I thought my brother Franklin would do it. You will, won’t you Franklin? You’ll have to give yourself to Jesus, you know, and then you can do it, and you didn’t have a work of your own. So he said it would be all right. You will, won’t you, Franklin?”

The strong young man bowed his head on the pillow beside his brother and grasped the dear little hand held out so pleadingly, promising to take the commission. Harley’s other worn white hand went feebly up to his breast, where was fastened the beloved gold pin, which he wore night and day. He took it off, and tried to fasten it in Franklin’s coat, but was too weak to do so.

“Put it on and keep it. The angel told me I wouldn’t need it up there, because he would introduce me as the delegate from Parkerstown, and they would know all about me. I think I know what makes that pin shine so now; it’s the light from the letters in Heaven, that catches all the pins in the earth. You’ll take good care of it, Franklin, won’t you? and you’ll take my place and work with Lois. She’ll show you how I wish you would find a verse to read for me at the next consecration meeting. I’m sorry not to be there, and oh! if you would say something for me at the consecration meeting of the convention I should like it, because I can’t be there, you know; and if they should call my name I should like some answer to be made to it. Good-by, mother and father, I must go now, the light is coming in the sky again, and the angel will be here for me. I thought I caught a glimpse of the throne when the letters opened the last time, and maybe I shall see Jesus right away. Good-by.”

And the little president of one winter passed into the “Great Convention which never breaks up,” and to the “Sabbath which has no end,” having accomplished more for Christ during his short winter than many of us do in a life-time.

Weep if we may— bend low as ye pray!

What does it mean?

Listen! God fashioned a house. He said:

“Build it with care.”

Then softly laid the soul…

To dwell in there.

And always he watched it— guarded it so,

Both day and night;

The wee soul grew as your lilies do,

Splendid and white.

It grew, I say, as your lilies grow,

Tender and tall;

Till God smiled, “Now the house is too low

For the child, and small.”

And gently he shut the shutters one night,

And closed the door;

“More room and more light to walk upright

On a Father’s floor ”

I was asked to write a short story based on the following chapter titles. I attempted to be clever with them.