CHAPTER XXX.
HOME MISSIONARY WORK.
Bert's recovery was as rapid as his illness had been sudden and severe.A fortnight after that memorable morning, when with the dawn camedeliverance, he was as vigorous and lively as ever. He found the days ofhis convalescence not at all unpleasant. When the pain had passed, thelong hours of suffering seemed like a dreadful dream, and the present,with its sweet relief and increasing strength, a blissful awaking. Athis home all was joy and brightness: there were silence and anxiety nolonger. Mrs. Lloyd and Mary went singing from room to room, Mr. Lloydcame back from his office whistling merrily, and sure to be ready withsomething to make Bert laugh. Frank ran in and out, the very type ofjoyous boyhood, and each day brought its stream of callers, with warmcongratulations upon Bert's happy restoration to health.
It would be a queer boy that would not enjoy this, seeing that it allcentred upon him, and Bert fully appreciated the important position heheld for the time being. Then what could be more delightful than thesense of returning strength, of enlarging activity?--to find one's-selfwith a clearer head, a sharper appetite, and a more vigorous frame, asone glorious summer day succeeded another; while the birds sang blithelyin the apple tree, and the blue waters of the ever-beautiful harbourrippled gently before the morning zephyrs, or were stirred into whitecaps by the afternoon breeze?
Bert's illness left no trace behind so far as his physical nature wasconcerned, and yet he was not altogether the same boy as before it laidhim low. Deep solemn thoughts had been his as he lay upon his bed, notknowing whether he should ever rise from it again. His life had been inmany respects a more than ordinarily blameless one, and yet when he hadlittle else to do save look back upon it, an almost overwhelming senseof his worthlessness came upon him, and he was filled with wonder thatGod could love him at all.
But that He did love him, and for His Son's sake had accepted him, henever for a moment doubted. Now that he was restored to health andstrength, he did not seek to forget those feelings, nor would he allowhis convictions of great obligations Godward to lead him nowhere. Heresolved to do some definite work for his Divine Master, and to seizethe first opportunity that presented itself.
His friendship with Frank passed into a deeper, stronger phase thanever before. It might with much truth have been said of them as it wasof two friends of old, that the soul of Bert was knit with the soul ofFrank, and that Bert loved him as his own soul. They had so much incommon now, and they found it so delightful to strengthen one another'shands in the Lord by talking together of His goodness.
There was one matter that troubled Frank deeply, and that formed thesubject of many a long and earnest conversation. His father was a manabout whose lack of religion there could be no doubt. He was a big,bluff, and rather coarse-grained man, not over-scrupulous in business,but upon the whole as honest and trustworthy as the bulk of humanity. Bydint of sheer hard work and shrewdness he had risen to a position ofwealth and importance, and, as self-made men are apt to do, laid muchmore stress upon what he owed to himself than upon what he owed to hisCreator. In his own rough way, that is to say in somewhat the samefashion as we may suppose a lion loves his whelp, he loved the onlychild the wife long since dead had left him. He was determined that heshould lack nothing that was worth having, and in nothing did Mr. Bowsershow his shrewdness more clearly than in fully appreciating theadvantage it was to Frank to be the chosen friend and constant companionof Lawyer Lloyd's son. He had manifested his satisfaction at theintimacy by having Frank make Bert handsome presents at Christmas time,and in other ways. In all this, however, his only thought had been forFrank. He made no attempt to cultivate intimate relations with theLloyds on his own account. He thought them both too refined, and tooreligious for him, and accordingly declined so far as he civilly could,Mr. Lloyd's overtures toward a better acquaintance.
Such a man was Frank's father; and now that the boy's heart was full ofjoy and light, because the peace that passeth understanding was his, helonged that his father should share the same happy experience.
"If father were only a Christian, like your father, Bert, I would be thehappiest boy in all the world," said he, one day. "Oh, Bert, what can Ido to make him interested in religion?"
"Why don't you ask Dr. Chrystal to go and talk with him?" inquired Bert.
"It wouldn't be a bit of use. He won't go to church to hear Dr.Chrystal, nor any other minister, and he wouldn't listen to them if theycame to see him. He says he has no faith in parsons, anyway."
"Well, do you think he would listen to father?" suggested Bert.
Frank's face lighted up. He had been thinking of this himself.
"Perhaps he would, Bert," he said, eagerly. "I know he thinks a greatdeal of your father. I've heard him say that he practised better thanmany of the parsons preached."
Bert flushed with pleasure at this frank compliment to his father.
"Then suppose we ask him to speak to your father about religion," hesaid.
"Oh, yes; let us," assented Frank. Accordingly, that evening the twoboys brought the matter before Mr. Lloyd, who listened to them veryattentively. Then he asked a question or two.
"Are you quite sure, Frank, that I am the very best person to speak toyour father on this important subject?"
"Yes, Mr. Lloyd; I'm quite sure you are."
"Well, do you know, Frank, I don't agree with you. I think I know ofsomebody that can do it much better than I can," said Mr. Lloyd, with ameaning smile.
Frank's face fell. He had set his heart upon having Mr. Lloyd do it, andcould not believe that anybody else would do as well. After a littlepause, he asked:
"Who is this somebody else, Mr. Lloyd?"
"He's not very far away from us now, Frank," answered Mr. Lloyd, stillwith that curious smile.
"You don't mean Bert, do you?" cried Frank, looking a little bewildered.
"No; I don't mean Bert," responded Mr. Lloyd.
"Then----." He stopped short, a deep blush spread over his features; hecaught his breath, and then, as if hoping that the answer would be inthe negative, exclaimed:
"Do you mean _me_?"
"Yes, I do mean just you; and nobody else, Frank."
Frank threw himself back in his chair with a despairing gesture, saying:
"Oh, I could never do it, Mr. Lloyd. I know I never could."
Mr. Lloyd looked at him with tender sympathy, and laying his hand uponhis knee, said, gently:
"Do you remember the motto, Frank: 'Quit you like men, be strong'?"
Frank heaved a heavy sigh. "But how can I go about it, Mr. Lloyd?" heasked.
Mr. Lloyd thought a moment.
"I have an idea, Frank," he said, presently. "Suppose you were to startfamily prayer in the mornings. I believe it would be the means of doingyour father good."
At first Frank could not be persuaded that such a thing was possible ashis presuming to conduct family prayer in his father's presence, butthey talked long and earnestly about it, and finally he went awaypromising to think it over very seriously.
As he turned the matter over in his mind, however, little by little hiscourage strengthened until at length he felt himself equal to theundertaking. It was a Sunday morning that he chose upon which to makethe venture. So soon as breakfast was finished, and his father hadmoved away from the table, wishing to himself that there was a paperpublished on Sundays as well as upon other days, for he had time to readit comfortably, Frank took up his Bible, and said, very hesitatingly:
"Father, do you mind if we have family prayers?"
"Eh! What's that? What do you mean?" asked Mr. Bowser, looking up as ifhe could hardly believe his ears.
"Why, father," answered Frank, timidly, "you know they have prayers atMr. Lloyd's every morning, and I thought perhaps you wouldn't mind ourhaving them, too."
Mr. Bowser scanned his son's face with a hard searching gaze, but Franklooked back at him with so much love and respect in his clear, browneyes, that all suspicion was banished from his mind, and hi
s heartmelted not a little.
"Who's going to have the prayers? You don't expect me to, do you?" heasked, gruffly.
"Well, father, if you don't care to, I'll try, if you've no objection,"replied Frank, modestly.
Mr. Bowser was silent for a moment. He had noted a change in Frank oflate, and had been impressed by the increased interest he took in churchand Sunday school as proven by the regularity and punctuality of hisgoing off to the services. Had Frank become a Christian like Mr. Lloyd?He would not be sorry if he had, although it was rather a pity that hehad not waited until he had had his fling first, sowed a few wild oats,seen something of the world, and then settled down. Here was a goodchance to find out. So with some relaxing of his gruffness, Mr. Bowsersaid:
"All right, my boy. I've no objections so long as you're not toolong-winded. Go ahead."
Thus encouraged, Frank, with beating heart and trembling lips, proceededto read one of the Psalms; and then, kneeling down, offered up a simple,fervent, faith-filled prayer.
Mr. Bowser did not kneel. He sat sturdily upright in his chair, lookingstraight before him. But he could not prevent strange emotions awakingwithin him as he heard his boy, whom he was still inclined to look uponas hardly more than a child, though he was now sixteen years of age,address himself in reverent, earnest tones to the Great Being that hehad so utterly neglected himself.
When Frank had finished, his father rose and left the room withoutsaying a word. That evening Frank took tea with Bert, and they went tochurch together. Shortly after the service began Bert happened to glanceabout the church, and his eye fell upon somebody that caused him to givea little start of surprise, and then nudge Frank violently. On Frank'sturning round to see what Bert meant, he too started, and an expressionof joy that was beautiful to witness came over his countenance, forthere, in a pew not far behind him, and evidently trying hard to lookentirely at his ease, sat Mr. Bowser, this being his first appearance inchurch for many long years.
Dr. Chrystal preached one of his very best sermons that night, and allthe time he was speaking Frank was praying that his earnest words mightgo straight home to his father's heart. That was the beginning of thegood work. Thenceforward every Sunday evening found Mr. Bowser anattentive listener; and Frank, continuing the morning prayersfaithfully, was surprised and delighted when one day his father broughthome the finest family Bible he could find in the city, and handing itto him, said, in his kindest manner:
"Here, my boy, if we're going to have family prayers, we may just aswell do it in proper style."
Frank joyfully reported all this to the Lloyds, who rejoiced with himover the prospect there was of his prayers for his father being fullyanswered ere long, and Mr. Lloyd was therefore not at all surprised whenone evening Mr. Bowser called, and in an agitated, confused way beggedthe favour of an interview with him in the privacy of his study.
It was as Mr. Lloyd anticipated. Frank's simple, but sincere efforts athome missionary work had been crowned with success. His father's hard,worldly nature had been stirred to its depths. A longing the world couldnot appease had been awakened within him, and he had come to Mr. Lloydas one in whom he placed implicit confidence, that he might guide himtoward the light. The conversation, which Mr. Bowser found wonderfullyhelpful to him in his bewildered, anxious state of mind, was followed bymany others, and the result was made evident when, ere that year closed,Mr. Bowser publicly united himself with the Church; and there were fewwho were familiar with the circumstances that could restrain a tear ofsympathetic joy when Dr. Chrystal made the event the occasion for abeautiful and inspiring sermon upon the place of the young in thevineyard of the Lord.
Bert Lloyd's Boyhood: A Story from Nova Scotia Page 31