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T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
May, 1938
Song at Tw i l ig h t
A Story
By PAUL HUTCHENS
Illustration by Ransom D. Marvin
upon Thriller, birdfully oblivious to her heartache, puffed out his neck, stiffened him self, and burst forth in a beautiful out pouring of melody. “ Thank you, little friend,” she said to him. “ You sing even at night, don’t you?” She turned and went up the stairs, “ Even in a cage,” Mother said to herself, as she, too, prepared to retire. Morning came, and Thriller was the only’ one who knew it was a happy day. Afternoon came. Tom came—walking. They walked to young people’s meeting together. The church was only four blocks from the Haynes’ home, t, I shouldn’t have gone but for you,” he told her as they entered the third block. She didn’t answer; she couldn’t answer; there wasn’t anything to say. The attendance at the young people’s meeting was small tonight. For some reason there were not more than fifty present, when there should have been a hundred. Mary Louise was the chorister, and a good one. She stood before them bravely, and with queenly authority announced the hymns and led the singing. She was wearing a pink, neat-fitting dress tonight—one Tom had always liked. She seemed so full of goodness and faith, as she stood there direct ing the music, her right hand keeping time in little graceful, dramatic movements. She was a princess, Tom told himself, a little queen; a rock. He’d have to depend on her a lot— all his life, he supposed. He felt very much ashamed of himself, now, for things he had said last night. But how could they ever be married when he was out of a job and she had never known poverty? How could all things work to gether for good to them—to him? After young people’s meeting came the evening worship service. It was peculiar how things worked out, as if some one had told the minister about their disappointment. “T o Them That Love God,” was the sub ject. It was a good sermon, Tom thought, good in theory, at any rate. They walked home under the stars. They were both thinking of the sermon, thinking of themselves and of their problem. She was the first to speak. “You remember what I said about the Granger school ? I’m glad I didn’t take it. Jane Howell is to teach there. She just told me it came as an answer to prayer. Her mother is ill, and if she hadn’t got the school, she wouldn’t have been able to teach at all. You know it’s been a hard struggle for the Howells.” At length he ventured, “ Perhaps I don’t love Him at all. If I did, maybe things would work together for good to me, like the minister said and like you said last night— and like they are for Jane Howell. Maybe I wouldn’t have lost my job, and the car, and— ”
PAR T 2 [After joyously singing "Just a Song at Twilight" as she thought of her approachr- ing wedding day, Mary Louise Haynes faced sudden disappointment a few hours later when her fiancé, Tom Mauer, informed her that he had lost his job. He further confessed that he had been living beyond his means in order to make her believe he was as well- to-do as she and her mother were. For the first time in her life, Mary Louise sought to use a promise from God’s Word in a moment of great need as she urged the embittered Tom to believe that "all things work together for good to them that love God."] M OTHER was up and waiting for her when Mary Louise entered the house. “ Hello, Mumzie,” she. greeted cheerily. Then, because she was very much a little girl as well as a disappointed young woman, Mary Louise found herself on her mother’s lap having a good cry, and sobbing out to her the whole story of their disappointment. “ Do you think God really cares?” she asked. “ He always cares. He cares just as much when He lets the shadows come as when the days are all sunshine.” “But I do love Tom so, Mother. And this —this thing has made him bitter against— against God!" “ He’s still walking by sight. When we walk by sight alone we sometimes fall. But, when we walk by faith, everything is all right, or will be made right in time, as our Father sees best. You and Tom can safely trust God even in the dark. He is your very own Father because each of you has accepted His Son as your Saviour. Trusting Him, you will find that all things work together for good.” “ Oh, do you believe that, Mother ?” Mother did believe it. And Mary Louise believed it. Only she had never seemed to need to believe it before. It seemed such a new and necessary thing tonight— so very, very necessary. In the adjoining room, Thriller was mak ing queer little noises as if to call attention to himself. Mary Louise went in to say “ Good-night” to him a little later. He was wide awake, cocking his saucy head on one side and looking at her questioningly. “What specific thing can you do?” need your song tonight.” But Thriller contented himsélf by jump ing from his perch to the swing, making a quick turn, dropping to his perch again, and shaking himself as from a bath. “ I don’t blame you for not singing to night, Thriller,” she said to him. “There aren’t any songs tonight, not at all.” Where
They walked home under the stars. . . . "But aren't you—doesn't it feel all shadowy inside?" Tom asked. “ That wouldn’t have made any difference, I think,” she answered. They were walking slowly, keeping step. “ You see,” she ex plained, “ He doesn’t promise all sunshine. He cares just as much when He lets the shadows come, as when the days are all sunshine. It isn’t the taking away of the shadows, we need, so much as the sunshine of faith within us!” How easy to say these things; how hard really to believe them! But aren’t you— doesn’t it feel all shadowy inside?” he asked. “You can’t just be glad about what has happened I” “W e don’t have to be, and of course I’m not. But I believe He can be working in our behalf, even if we don’t see it, can’t H e?” Tom sighed. “ I hope so.” He held her hand possessively, when he told her good-night. “ I need you, Mary Louise, I need you terribly. I need your faith.” She pressed his hand in return. “ You can have me, too, when the time comes. I ’m yours anyway— always. You believe that, don’t you?” “ I do,” ’ he said reverently. A little later he was gone. But all the way home he was wondering. Didn’t she really care that he didn’t have any money? That he had been bluffing? Had she forgiven him? Monday morning at six-thirty o’clock, Tom was sitting in the employees’ waiting room of the Great Western Manufacturing Company. “ Next!” a voice called from the Super intendent’s office. “What can you do?” was the fifth ques tion the Superintendent asked Tom. “Anything.” “What specific thing can you do?” “ I’m not a trained mechanic, if that’s what you mean. I’ve been a fountain clerk in a drug store. I got laid off last week. The boss’s daughter was married, and the Son-in-law got the job.” The Superintendent spoke sharply. “We give married men preference these days [Continued on Page 225]
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