Story of Chester Lawrence | Page 7

beside Mr. Elston's other wife. Let us walk a
little."
The older man linked his arm into Chester's as they paced the long
reach of the promenade deck. They walked for a few minutes, then sat
down again.
"I hope you'll not think I'm a bore, to continue my personal history; but
there is something in here," said Chester, striking his breast, "that finds
relief in expression to one who understands."
"Go on; tell me all."
"Do you know, I was tempted to 'chuck it all' after I had failed with
Julia. I even went so far as to play devilishly near to sin, but thank the
Lord, I came to my senses before I was overcome, and I escaped that
horror. Oh, but I was storm-tossed for a while--I thought of it yesterday
when we had the rough sea--but in time I came out into the calm again,
just as we are coming today on this voyage. But not until I had said
more than once 'not my will, but thine, O Lord, be done,' and said it
from my heart, did I get peace. Then I began to see that the girl had
come into my life, not to be my wife, but to turn my life into new
channels. I, with the rest of the world of which I was a part, had no
definite views or high ideals of life, death, 'and that vast forever;' and
something was needed to change my easy-going course. When I
realized that Julia Elston had been the instrument of the Lord in doing
that, I had to put away resentment and acknowledge the hand of God in
it. I read in the parables of our Lord that a certain merchantman had to
sell all he had in order to get the purchase money to buy the Pearl of

Great Price. Why should it be given me without cost?"
"We all have to pay for it."
"And I who had made no sacrifice, railed against fate because I had
been asked to pay a trifle--no it was not a trifle; but I have paid, and
hope to continue to pay to the last call. Now, what do you say, brother?
Tell me what you think."
"Well, you have an interesting story, my brother, and I am glad you
look on your experiences in the right light. To get the woman one
thinks he ought to get, is, after all, not the whole of life. There are other
blessings. To have one's life changed from darkness into light; to have
one's journey turned from a downward course to one of eternal
exaltation; to obtain a knowledge of the plan of salvation,--these are
important. If one is on the right way, and keeps on that way to the end,
He who rules the world and the destinies of men, will see to it that all is
right. Sometime, somewhere, every man and every woman will come
to his own, whether in life or death, in this world, or the next."
"Thank you for saying that. Do you know, I am now glad that Julia did
not yield to my entreaties, and marry me out of pity. Think how I
would have felt when the realization of that had come to me. * * * * I
found this expression of Stevenson the other day, purporting to be a test
of a man's fortitude and delicacy: 'To renounce where that shall be
necessary, and not to be embittered.' Thank the Lord, I am not
embittered. Some time ago I chose this declaration of Paul for my
motto: 'But this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind,
and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward
the mark of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.'"
The light of a soul of peace shone from the countenance of the young
man. The smile on the lips added only beauty to the strength of the face.
He arose, shook himself as if to get rid of all past unpleasantness and
weakness, and faced the east as though he were meeting the world with
new power. Then the smile changed to a merry laugh as he ran to the
railing and cried:

"See, sure enough, there is a school of porpoises!"
* * * * *
The ship was in mid-ocean. The rough weather had wholly ceased. The
sea lay glinting like a vast jewel under the slant of the afternoon sun. It
was a day of unflecked beauty. The decks were gay with people, some
walking, some leaning idly on the rail, some sitting with books in their
hands. A few were reading, but most sat with finger in closed book.
Why bother to read about life when