AN UNFORTUNATE ENCOUNTER
Jim Coates, the sick man whom Phebe Waring was called to visit, did not
die; on the contrary, from the hour of her first visit he began to mend.
Very often of an afternoon, when business was slack, she would go and
have a talk with him, and nothing pleased him better than for her,
instead of reading the Bible to him, to tell the stories out in her own
words and with her own comments. No child ever drank in fairy stories
more eagerly, and Phebe even discussed some infidel notions he had got
hold of, overcoming many of his difficulties. If she had been told two
months before that she could even attempt such things the firm answer
would have been "Impossible!"
After Jim had regained strength to a certain measure, came the difficult
question of getting work for him. Phebe at once thought of the ganger at
the railway-works, and drove over to enlist his sympathies on behalf of
Jim, frankly telling him all the story. The man listened respectfully,
and then said, "Yes, I'll put him on; but he'd better keep his mouth
shut as to how he got here, or the men will give him a lively time, I
bet. And if he keeps true blue among this crew, then he's a Briton, I
can tell yer, for they're the rummiest lot I've ever had. I go to chapel
myself with the missis, but I don't let on to them I do."
"Do you think then, it is impossible to be a Christian and work with
these men?" asked Phebe anxiously.
"I don't say as much as that," answered the man, nervously grinding his
heel into the soil as he spoke, "only you have to keep your religion to
yourself."
"Do you think that is possible?"
The talk was getting a little too personal, and the ganger, with an
extra red face and a muttered "Don't know," turned away.
Jim Coates was delighted when Phebe took him the news. The distance from
the town was no obstacle, he being the happy possessor of a
"bone-shaker" bicycle.
"But," said Mrs. Waring, in a serious tone, "the ganger says you must
keep your religion to yourself. Are you going to do that?"
"Not I; why should I?"
"Because they will give you a lively time."
"Well, let them; I'm not made of sugar."
"That's splendidly said; and you'll show your colours from the very
first, won't you?"
"I should be a sneak if I didn't."
That same day at the tea-table Phebe gave an account of her day's
mission. Meal-times were always made as interesting as possible. Nanna
remarked that she wondered what the men camped out there did with
themselves on Sundays.
Bessie suggested it would be a splendid thing if Mrs. Waring went over
there on Sunday afternoons and talked to the men, adding, "I am sure she
could do it splendidly, and they'd listen to her like anything; but
there, that will never come to pass, because the Bible says women
mustn't do that sort of thing."
Nanna was on the war-path instantly. "In what part of the Bible do you
find that, I should like to know? That's nothing but the teaching of the
evil one, just to hinder the Lord's work. I'd think twice, if I were
you, before I'd do that sort of dirty work."
"It says women are not to speak in church; I'm sure it does," stammered
Bessie, getting red and feeling uncomfortable.
"It says they are not to chatter in the church, and nothing more; and
that's what they still do in the east, so they say, both men and women.
You forget that the Bible gives particulars as to how women should dress
when they pray or prophesy, that Jesus Himself told women to spread the
news about Him, that God told Joel his daughters should prophesy, that
Phillip's daughters were prophets and Deaconess Phebe a foreign
missionary! You forget all that; but there, you are no worse than lots
of other women. Women run women down just as much as men do. Often and
often when women might have done a good piece of work for God they got
behind that bit of bad translation, and, like dying ducks, gurgle
something about it 'not being modest.' It's a good deal more immodest to
aid Satan in his work! I've no patience with the majority of women, and
I do hope, Bessie, you won't become one of the brainless sort that
think a good deal more about the fit of a skirt and the cut of a sleeve
than they do about God's Kingdom!"
Poor Bessie did not know what to answer. Fortunately the group broke up
just then, and she followed Phebe out into Sunshine Patch, where little
Jack was rolling in the grass, and where there was quite a show of
spring's yellow and violet tints.
"Life doesn't seem to get any easier," said Bessie, as they seated
themselves in the little arbour; "seems impossible to know sometimes
what is exactly right to do. But Mrs. Colston never seems at a loss,
everything seems pretty straightforward to her."
Phebe had been wondering how much of Nanna's speech had been intended
for her own benefit. "You see," she answered, "Nanna is so much older
than we are; her longer experience enables her to see more quickly
through things, and on so many points she has fought her way to clear
conclusions. We must not get discouraged. If we are willing to be
trained by God all will come right in the end."
"Yes; but I want things to come right now, and I want to be always able
to know at once what is right."
"I am afraid we all do, Bessie, dear; but we have to learn to curb our
impatience. If we more constantly remembered that this life is only a
training-time we should become more patient, and I find if I give myself
time for a few moments of prayerful waiting I am taught which is the
right thing to do."
"Ah, you're sweet and patient, that's it, and I am not."
"If it was a question of sweetness, dear heart, I think you'd gain the
prize. I think it is more a question of being perfectly willing to let
God train us."
"And do you think Mrs. Colston is right about women doing things just
like men?"
"I think she is, though I never heard it put so forcibly before. You
know it says we are 'all one in Christ Jesus.'"
"I love to hear you talk, and I love to hear Mrs. Colston, too. I do
believe I shall be real good some day; but I must rush in now, or
Reynolds will be up a tree and it will take me a whole day to get him
down again," and off the impulsive Bessie ran.
If Bessie found it difficult to know what was the right thing to do Jim
Coates did not. Right from the very first he had a plan ready, and
carried it successfully through. The first thing he did was to write out
the following notice with a pencil on a piece of tea-paper, and during
the first dinner-hour he tacked it on to the end of one of the sheds.
"This is to give notice that Jim Coates, who is a Christian,
has come here to work, and he thinks it would be so much easier
for him to keep straight if he had a mate going the same way as
he's trying to go. If there is another Christian in any of the
gangs do find me out and give me a word. You'll know me by a
piece of red ribbon in my waistcoat-buttonhole.
"JIM COATES."
At first it passed unnoticed, but the second day a man tore it down to
read it more readily. After he had spelt the words out he called out in
a loud voice: "I say, chaps, here's a lark! Do you just listen: it's as
good as a play," and then in quite an affected tone of voice he read out
poor Jim's brave notice.
"There he is!" exclaimed quite a score of voices, while as many derisive
fingers were pointed in his direction, "there's the red ribbon," and
then they gathered round their victim, and began giving him a warm time.
One took away his ribbon, another tried to dry up imaginary tears from
his face, and, last of all, they decided to carry him away to some pond
and give him a ducking. Jim prayed as he never prayed before. It was so
hard to keep down "swear words," but just as these rough fellows were
about to carry their threat into execution the ganger, whose
acquaintance Phebe had made, came along.
"What are you up to, lads?" seeing Jim on the ground in their midst.
"None of your larks, I tell you, or it'll be the worse for some of you."
The words acted like magic. With a few sulky expressions, and a sly kick
or two, they all moved on. The man who had taken the notice down tacked
it up again--not through any spirit of restitution, but in the hope it
would bring Jim further trouble.
"Better keep yourself to yourself," was the ganger's advice, "or they'll
make this too hot for you."
The news of the "red ribbon man" and "the advertisement for a mate"
spread all through the company, and men even came to have a look at Jim
as a kind of curiosity.
Two days passed, but no mate turned up, though he had put up a second
notice in another place. The ganger's advice did not deter or frighten
him in the least. But on the third day, just as he was mounting his
machine, a very big, lanky fellow came up behind him and said: "I'm the
fellow you're looking for, if you've found no one better."
Jim grasped him heartily by the hand: "Bless God; I am so glad you've
come. Now there are two of us we may find some more, and we might start
a little prayer in the dinner-hour--a friend of mine (Mrs. Waring) says
the railway-men do that in some places."
"But I'm a poor sort of a Christian," said the man; "bless you, I
couldn't pray in a meeting; and as for doing what you've done, I should
never have had the courage in a whole blue moon. Why, I've stared at
that paper two whole blessed days before I was man enough to come up to
speak to you. I was afraid the fellows would see me."
"What's your name?" asked Jim.
"Dick--Dick Witherson."
"Well, Dick, don't you go worrying 'cause you didn't speak to me sooner.
I'm only too thankful you've come now. And you know the bravest disciple
of all was the one that was at first the biggest coward, so don't you
lose heart. Where shall we meet to-morrow in the dinner-hour?" The place
was agreed on, and then they parted.
The very next day a third mate was found, and this gave wonderful
courage to Dick, almost transforming him into another sort of man.
The following day was Saturday. Work was knocked off at twelve; so there
was no time for meeting together again till Monday.
Early that Saturday afternoon Mrs. Coates, breathless and agitated, came
into Mrs. Waring's shop and, seeing Phebe behind the counter, went up to
her at once, exclaiming, "Oh, Mrs. Waring, can you help me! Jim's never
come home; he's quite an hour late. I know they often have to wait a
good while to be paid, but that's not all. A lad as plays with my
Freddie says he saw him go into 'The Rose in June' about half-an-hour
ago. O God, help me; it's all over with him if he's gone in there!"
"It cannot be true."
"The lad says he was sure it was him. Oh, Mrs. Waring, would you mind
going in to see if he's there, and try to get him to come home? I
daren't go in by myself; he'd give me such a time afterwards if I did."
"Do you want me to go into the public-house?"
"Yes, if you would; we might get him out then before he had spent all
his money and was quite drunk. Do you mind? I know it is asking a great
deal."
Phebe paused for a moment; but when she looked up at the star she at
once answered: "Yes, I will come with you."
It was a very busy time, she could ill be spared, but what was all that
compared with the rescue of a soul!
A few minutes afterwards these two women had passed through the
swing-doors of "The Rose in June"--the first time Phebe had ever entered
a public-house.
No sooner had the doors swung to behind them than they were face to face
with Jim! To say that a straw would have knocked the man down is but a
faint description of his utter astonishment.
"What--what--is the matter!" he gasped. There was not the slightest
smell of drink about him.
"Oh, come outside! Come outside, do!" exclaimed Mrs. Coates, bursting
into tears.
It did not take the three long to get the other side of the doors, and
then, standing on the doorstep, Mrs. Waring began to explain: "You must
forgive us; we were afraid----"
"I understand it all, Mrs. Waring," broke in Jim. "Don't you make any
trouble of it. You thought I'd come in to have a drink; but I hadn't. I
only came in after some of my mates to keep them straight, if I could."
"But, ought you to put yourself in the way of temptation?"
"Bless you, the drink's no snare to me now. I hate even the smell of
it. I thought----" and then he faltered.
"I am so sorry," said Phebe Waring, putting her hand on Jim's arm.
Just then who should go by but Stephen Collins and Bessie's
superintendent. The former raised his hat and gave Phebe a smile; but
the latter passed on without any recognition, except for an extra look
of grimness on his face.
"No, you're not to say you're sorry," said Jim, magnanimously. "It was
only natural you should think it queer. As for my old woman here, no
wonder she was nervous, after all she's suffered. And I thank you with
all my heart, Mrs. Waring, for coming here, for it shows that if I had
indeed gone crooked you wouldn't have given a fellow up."
* * * * *
"A very strange place for a woman who wishes to be thought respectable
to be found in!" said the superintendent to Stephen. "Those three had
just come out of that public-house."
"Just the very place Jesus would have been found in," answered Stephen
drily.