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T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
June 1926
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T H E P E A R L O P G R E A T P R I C E JOSEPHINE HOPE WESTERVELT
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fered much. He had no thought of finding his son, and long ago had given up every earthly hope of seeing him. This unexpected meeting almost completely unnerved him. When he had somewhat recovered, and Mr. Foster had with drawn, leaving the reunited family to themselves. Will Morehouse, with his little granddaughter’s arms around his neck loving him, began to tell his story. Long before he had finished, the little one was asleep, and reluctantly the grandfather carried her to her bed. “ She seems like my own little child,” he said, as he watched her snuggle into her pillow, and tucked her in. “ That’s worth a million dollars to me,” he said, as he turned back into the sitting- room with William and Louise. “ To think I was so near you, and never dreamed you were here. Mr, Foster spoke a number of times of Mr. and Mrs. Harmon, but I never thought of any connection with me. I never knew that Jack, dear old Jack, had adopted you. But of course he would.” “ I must send a cable to Uncle Jack in the morning, foil I promised him I would If I ever found you. He always said that if we ever did find you, it would be in South America, Dad. Uncle Jack adver tised again and again to find you. But father, I want to know first of all If you found peace in God. I never knew that there was any possible chance of your being alive until Uncle Jack showed me the letter you sent him, and that was years after you had disappeared. But always I have wanted most to know that you were at peace with God.” “ Yes, I found peace with God. But it is a long story. I left the United States after writing that letter, and have been, as Jack supposed, in South America ever since. The first years were years I do not want to remember. I tried to forget. I have been in every country in South America. I have been engaged in almost every kind of business, and in almost every kind of company, but wherever I was I was followed by the voice of God, and always that voice seemed to say to me, ’Against me, and me only have you sinned.’ ” Will Morehouse put his hands over his face, and sat in silence for awhile. William did not interrupt. “ It was a long, long time before I heeded that voice, and turned to Him with all my sinfulness and found peace. I knew then that He had never let me go, that He had been by my side all the time, and tt was the sin in my own life that shut from me His blessed presence. He cleansed me from all my iniquity, he gave me the assurance that I was still His child, although I had wandered far from the path of right, and from that time I have lived in the sunshine of His presence. For a long time I asked of Him as a sign of my full and free forgiveness that He would lead my son to (Continued on page 372)
(Concluded from last month) CHAPTER 24
iFTER an early dinner that evening, according to previous arrangement, Mr. Foster brought his guest in to see the Harmons. Just as William heard the two men approaching, he noticed that little Joyce was pleading with her mother, who was putting the child to bed, to be allowed to run in and give papa Just one more little tiny bit of a kiss. Apparently, she slipped
from her mother’s arms and ran to the sit ting room, opening the door just as the two expected guests entered. Little Joyce did not notice the visitors at first, her mind was so intent on reaching her father before her mother caught her.' In high glee she shouted, "Papa, papa, here’s another kiss.” There had not been time for any intro ductions when the little girl, clothed in her white nightie, burst upon the scène. Half way across the room she saw Mr. Foster and the strange gentleman; she stopped still and putting her finger to her mouth, looked shyly at them. Louise followed to the door and started to recapture the child, when they were all struck with amaze ment, for Senor Fernaldo* the stranger, stretched out his arms bewilderingly to the child, and cried out in English, “ Billie Bob, Billie Bob, come to papa.” Then he reached the child and knelt sobbing beside her, clasping her in his arms.
Refusing to f o l l o w God’s leading always brings loss and suffer ing. God in His mercy may restore the one who has gone astray, but the long years of living in the “ far country’ ’ cannot be made up, and the one w h o has refused to w a l k in the light g i v e n has to take God’s second or third best instead of His first.
Joyce was the first to speak, and scoldingly she said, “ I’m not Billie-Bob, I’s Billie Bob the Second. But mostly I’m Joyce.” It seemed to William as .if his tongue was paralyzed. Louise, with a woman’s quick intuition, grasped the situa tion first. With a hurried intake of breath she said as she stood by the man still clasping’"her child, “ Oh, are you Will iam Morehouse? You must be he. We have all wanted to find you for so long.” William reached his side by that time. “ O Dad, can it really be you? Tell me, are you my father. Will More house?” / ; , With his face buried on the neck of little Joyce, he sob bed out, “ Yes, I am Will Morehouse.” Louise leaned over little Joyce and said, “ Darling, that is your very own grandpa and you must love him hard, and tell him we are so glad to have him here with us.’’ Joyce, with a wondering look on her face, obediently put her arm about the neck of the’ sobbing man, and said, “ My very own grandpa, we’re so glad you’re here with us, and you must stop crying, for, if you don’ t, you might be sent right off to bed.” It was some time before Will Morehouse could control his emotions. He was older than the others, and had suf
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