第6章

Thesewild，independentmenoftheWestwerenotatalllikethedegradedmenoftheward，fawningorsullen，whohadbeenhisformerandonlyparishioners。Ahorriblefearhadbeengrowinguponhimeversincehisfailure，asheconsideredit，withtheConvener’scongregationthenightbefore。IthelpedhimnotatalltorememberthekindlywordsofencouragementspokenbytheConvener，northesympathythatshowedinhiswife’svoiceandmanner。"Theyfeltsorryforme，"hegroanedaloud。Hesethisjawshard，asmenhadseenhimwhengoingintoascrimonthefootballfield。"I’lldomybestwhatever，"hesaidaloud，lookingbeforehimatthewavinghorizon;"amancanonlyfail。ButsurelyIcanhelpsomepoorchapoutyonder。"Hiseyesfollowedthewavingfoot—hilllinetilltheyrestedonthemightymassesoftheRockies。"Ay，"hesaidwithastart，droppingintohismother’sspeech，"theretheyare，’thehillsfromwhencecomethmyhelp。’Surely，IdonotthinkHewouldsendmeoutheretofail。"

Theretheylay，thatmightywrinklingofMotherEarth’soldface，huge，jaggedmassesofbaregreyrock，patchedhereandthere，andfinallycappedwithwhitewheretheypiercedtheblue。Uptotheirbaseranthelumberingfoot—hills，andstillfurtherupthegreysides，likeattackingcolumns，thedarkdaringpinesswarmedinmassedbattalions;then，whereravinesgavethemfooting，inregiments，theninoutpostpickets，andlastofallinlonelyrigidsentinels。Butfarabovetheloneliestsentinelpine，cold，white，serene，shonethepeaks。TheHighlandbloodinShock’sveinsstirredtothecallofthehills。Glancingaroundtomakesurehewasquitealone——hehadalmostneverbeenwherehecouldbequitesurethathewouldnotbeheard——Shockraisedhisvoiceinashout，again，and，expandinghislungstothefull，onceagain。Howsmallhisvoiceseemed，howpunyhisstrength，howbriefhislife，inthepresenceofthosesilent，mighty，ancientrangeswiththeirhoaryfacesandsnowyheads。Awedbytheirsolemnsilence，andbythethoughtoftheirancient，eternal，unchangingendurance，herepeatedtohimselfinalowtonethewordsoftheancientPsalm:

"Lord，Thouhastbeenourdwelling—place，Ingenerationsall，BeforeThoueverhadstbroughtforthThemountains，greatorsmall！"

Howexaltingarethemountainsandhowhumbling！Howlonelyandhowcomforting！Howawesomeandhowkindly！Howrelentlessandhowsympathetic！Reflectingeverymoodofman，theyaddsomewhattohisnoblerstatureanddiminishsomewhathisignoblerself。Toalltrueappealtheygivebackanswer，buttotheheartregardinginiquity，likeGod，theymakenoresponse。Theyneverobtrudethemselves，buttheysmileuponhisjoys，andinhissorrowoffersilentsympathy，andeverasGod’smessengerstheybidhimrememberthatwithalltheirmassmanismightierthanthey，thatwhentheslowmarchofthepinesshallhavetroddowntheirmight’sdust，stillwiththedewofeternalyouthfreshuponhisbrowwillhebewithGod。

ThenandthereinShock’shearttheresprangupakindlyfeelingforthemountainsthatthroughallhisvaryingexperiencesneverlefthim。Theywerealwaysthere，steadfastlywatchfulbydayliketheeyeofGod，andatnightwhilehesleptkeepingunslumberingguardlikeJehovahhimself。Alldayashedroveuptheinterminableslopesanddownagain，themountainskeptcompanywithhim，asfriendsmight。Somuchsothathecaughthimself，morethanonceaftermomentsofabsorption，glancingupatthemwithhastypenitence。Hehadforgottenthem，butunoffendedtheyhadbeenwatchingandwaitingforhim。

AlittleafternoonShockfoundthetrailturnintowardalong，log，low—roofedbuilding，whichseemedtohavebeenerectedinsections，withanirregulargroupofsod—roofedout—housesclusteringabout。

Anoldmanloungedagainstthejamboftheopendoor。

"Goodday，"saidShockpolitely。

Theoldmanlookedhimoverforamomentortwoandthenansweredasifmakingaconcessionofsomeimportance，"Goodday，goodday！Fromtown？Wanttoeat？"

Aglancethroughthedoor，showingtheremainsofdinneronatable，determinedShock。"No，IguessI’llpushon。"

"Allright，"saidtheoldman，histonesuggestingthatwhileitwasamatterofsupremeindifferencetohim，toShockitmightbeasomewhatseriousconcerntoneglecttoeatinhishouse。

"ThisisSpruceCreek？"enquiredShock。

"Yes，Ibelievethat’swhattheycallit，"saidtheoldmanwithslowdeliberation，addingafterafewmomentssilence"becausethereain’tnospruceshere。"

Shockgavetheexpectedlaughwithsuchheartinessthattheoldmandeignedtotakesomelittleinterestinhim。

"Cattle？"heenquired。

"No。"

"Sport？"

"Well，alittle，perhaps。"

"Oh！Pospectin’，eh？Well，land’sprettywelltakenupinthisvicinity，Iguess。"

Tothisoldmantherewerenootherinterestsinlifebeyondcattle，sport，andprospctingthatcouldaccountforthestranger’spresenceinthisregion。

"Yes，"laughedShock，"prospectinginawaystoo。"

Theoldmanwasobviouslypuzzled。

"Well，"heventured，"comeinside，anyway。PrettychillywindthatforApril。Comerightin！"

Shocksteppedin。Theoldmandrewnearertohim。

"Pain—killerorlime—juice？"heenquiredinaninsinuatingvoice。

"What？"saidShock。

"Pain—killerorlime—juice，"winkingandloweringhisvoicetoaconfidentialtone。

"Well，asIhaven’tgotanypainIguessI’lltakealittlelime—

juice，"repliedShock。

Theoldmangavehimanotherwink，longandslow，wenttothecorneroftheroom，pushedbackatable，pulledupaboardfromthefloor，andextractedabottle。

"You’sgottobemightycareful，"hesaid。"Themblankpolicefellers，insteadofattendingtotheirbusiness，noseroundtillafellercan’ttakenorestatnight。"

Hewenttoashelfthatstoodbehindtheplankthatdidforacounter，tookdowntwoglasses，andfilledthemup。

"There，"hesaidwithgreatsatisfaction，"you’llfindthat’snoback—yardbrew。"

Shockslowlyliftedtheglassandsmeltit。"Why，it’swhisky！"hesaidinasurprisedtone。

"Ha！ha！"burstouttheoldman。"You’readandy;that’swhatitisathome。"

Hewasdelightedwithhisguest’sfinetouchofhumour。Shockhesitatedamomentortwo，lookingdownatthewhiskyintheglassbeforehim。

"Howmuch？"hesaidatlength。

"Oh，we’llmakethatfiftycentstoyou，"saidtheoldmancarelessly。

Shockputdownthemoney，liftedhisglassslowly，carriedittothedoorandthrewthecontentsoutside。

"Holdonthere！Whattheblank，blankdoyoumean？"Theoldmanwasoverthecounterwithabound。

"Itwasmine，"saidShockquietly。

"Yours，"shoutedtheoldman，besidehimselfwithrage;"Iaintgoin’tostandnosuchinsultasthat。"

"Insult！"

"What’sthematterwiththatwhisky？"

"AllrightasfarasIknow，butIwantedlime—juice。"

"Lime—juice！"Theoldman’samazementsomewhatsubduedhisanger。

"Lime—juice！Well，I’llbeblanked！"

"That’swhatIaskedfor，"repliedShockgood—naturedly。

"Lime—juice！"repeatedtheoldman。"Butwhatinblank，blankdidyouthrowitoutfor？"

"Why，whatelsecouldIdowithit？"

"Whatelse？Seehere，stranger，thehullpopulationofthisentirevicinityisn’tmorethantwenty—fivepersons，buteverylastoneof’emtwenty—five’udtoldyouwhattodowithit。Whydidn’tyougiveittome？"

"Why，"saidShockinasurprisedtone，"Idon’tknowthewaysofyourcountry，butwhereIcomefromwedon’ttakeanyman’sleavings。"

Thiswasnewlightuponthesubjectfortheoldman。

"Well，now，seehere，youngman，ifeveryou’reindoubtagainaboutaglassofwhiskylikethatonethere，youjustremarktoyourselfthatwhiletheremaybeafewthingsyoumightdowithit，there’sjustoneyoucan’t。There’sonlyonespotforwhisky，andthat’sinsidesomefellowthatknowssomething。Heavensandearth！Didn’tknowwhattodowithit，eh？"

HepeeredcuriouslyintoShock’sfaceasifhefoundhimaninterestingstudy。

"No，"saidShockseriously，"yousee，Icouldn’tdrinkit——neverdidinmylife。"

Theoldmandrewnearertohim。"Say，"touchinghimwithhisforefingeronthechest，"ifIcouldonlybesureyou’dkeepfreshI’dputyouinacase。They’dcomeamightylongwayinthiscountrytoseeyou，youbet。"

BillLee’sangeranddisgustweregivingplacetocuriosity。

"Whatareyou，anyway？"heenquired。

"Well，mybosstoldmeto—dayIwasaprospector。"Shock’smindreverted，ashespoke，tothatlastconversationwithhisConvener。

"Prospector，"echoedtheoldman。"Whatfor，land，coal？"

"No，men。"

"What？"Theoldmanlookedasifhecouldnothaveheardaright。

"Men，"saidShockagainsimplyandearnestly。

Billwashopelesslypuzzled。Hetriedtogetatitanotherway。

"What’syourCompany？"heenquired。"Imeanwhoareyouworkingfor？"

BeforeansweringShockpaused，lookingfarpastBilldownthetrailandthensaidsolemnly，"God。"

Billstartedbackfromhiscompanionwithagaspofsurprise。Wasthemanmad？Puttingtheincidentofthewhiskyandthisanswerofhistogether，hemightwellbe。

"Yes，"saidShock，withdrawinghiseyesfromthetrailandfacingBillsquarely。"That’smybusiness。Iamaftermen。"HedrewfromhispocketasmallBibleandread，"FollowmeandIwillmakeyoufishersofmen。"

WhenBillsawtheBiblehelookedrelieved，butratherdisgusted。

"Oh，Igityounow！You’reapreacher，eh？"

"Well，"saidShockinatonealmostconfidential，"I’lltellyouI’mnotmuchofapreacher。Idon’tthinkI’mcutoutforthat，somehow。"HereBillbrightenedslightly。"Itriedlastnightintown，"continuedShock，"anditwasprettybad。Idon’tknowwhohadtheworstofit，thecongregationormyself。Butitwasbad。"

"Thinkin’ofquittin’？"Billaskedalmosteagerly，"Becauseifyouare，Iknowagoodjobforafellowofyourbuildandmake。"

"No，Ican’tquit。Ihavegottogoon。"Bill’sfacefell。"AndperhapsIcanmakeupinsomeotherways。Imaybeabletohelpsomefellowsabit。"ThesincerityandhumbleearnestnessofShock’stonequitesoftenedBill’sheart。

"Well，there’slotsof’emneedit，"hesaidinhisgruffvoice。

"There’stheblankestlotoffoolsontheseranchesyoueverseen。"

Shockbecamealert。Hewasonthetrackofbusiness。

"What’swrongwiththem？"heenquired。

"Wrong？Why，theyaintgotnosense。Theystockupwithcattle，horses，andoutfittobeatcreation，andthenletthewholethinggotoblazes。"

"What’sthematterwiththem？"persistedShock，"Aretheylazy？"

"Lazy！notahair。Butwhentheygettogetheroverabarrelofbeerorakegofwhiskytheyarelikealotofhogsinaswilltrough，andtheywon’tquitwhiletheykinstand。That’snowayforamantodrink！"continuedBillindeepdisgust。

"Why，isnotthisaProhibitioncountry？"

"Oh！Prohibitionbeblanked！Whenanymankingetapermitforallhewantstouse，besidesallthatthewhiskymenbringin，what’sthegoodofProhibition？"

"Isee，"saidShock。"Poorchaps。Itmustbeprettyslowforthemhere。"

"Slow！"exclaimedBill。"Thataintnoreasonforaman’sbein’afool。Iaintnosaint，butIknowwhentoquit。"

"Well，you’relucky，"saidShock。"BecauseIhaveseenlotsofmenthatdon’t，andthey’rethefellowsthatneedalittlehelp，don’tyouthinkso？"

Billsquirmedalittleuneasily。

"Youcan’tkeepaneyeonallthefoolsunlessyouround’emupincorral，"hegrunted。

"No。Butamancankeepfromthinkingmoreofalittleticklinginhisstomachthanhedoesofthelifeofhisfellowman。"

"Well，whatIsayis，"repliedBill，"everyfellow’sgottolookafterhimself。"

"Yes，"agreedShock，"andalittleaftertheotherfellows，too。Ifamanissick——"

"Oh！nowyou’respeakin’，"interruptedBilleagerly。"Why，certainly。"

"Orifheisnotverystrong。"

"Why，ofcourse。"

"Now，don’tyouthink，"saidShockveryearnestly，"thatkickingamanalongthatisalreadyslidingtowardaprecipiceisprettymeanbusiness，butsnatchinghimbackandbracinghimupisworthaman’swhile？"

"Well，Iguess，"saidBillquietly。

"That’sthebusinessI’mtryingtodo，"saidShock。"I’dhatetohelpamandownwhoisalreadyontheincline。IthinkI’dfeelmean，andifIcanhelponemanbacktowhereit’ssafe，Ithinkit’sworthwhile，don’tyou？"

Billappeareduncomfortable。Hecouldnotgetangry，Shock’smannerwassoearnest，frank，respectful，andsincere，andatthesametimehewassharpenoughtoseethebearingofShock’sremarksuponwhatwasatleastapartofhisbusinessinlife。

"Yes，"repeatedShockwithenthusiasm，"that’sworthwhile。Now，lookhere，ifyousawamanslidingdownoneofthoserocksthere，"

pointingtothegreatmountainsinthedistance，"tosuredeath，wouldyoulethimslide，orwouldyouputyourhandouttohelphim？"

"Well，IbelieveI’dtry，"saidBillslowly。

"Butiftherewasgoodmoneyinitforyou，"continuedShock，"youwouldsendhimalong，eh？"

"Say，stranger，"criedBillindignantly，"whatdoyouthinkIam？"

"Well，"saidShock，"there’salotofmenslidingdownfastabouthere，yousay。Whatareyoudoingaboutit？"Shock’svoicewasquiet，solemn，almoststern。

"Isay，"saidBill，"you’dbestputupyourhorseandfeed。Yes，you’vegottofeed，bothofyou，andthisisthebestplaceyou’llfindfortwentymilesround，socomerighton。You’relineaintmine，butyou’rewhite。Isay，though，"continuedBill，unhitchingthecayuse，"it’sapityyou’vetakenupthatpreachin’business。

I’venotmuchuseforthat。Now，withthattherebuildofyours"——

BillwasevidentlyimpressedwithShock’sform——"you’dbefitforalmostanything。"

Shocksmiledandthengrewserious。

"No，"hesaid，"I’vegottoliveonlyonce，andnothingelseseemedgoodenoughforafellow’slife。"

"What，preachin’？"

"No。Stoppingmenfromslidingovertheprecipiceandhelpingthemback。Thefactis，"and，Shocklookedoverthecayuse’sbackintoBill’seyes，"everymanshouldtakeahandatthat。There’salotofsatisfactioninit。"

"Well，stranger，"repliedBill，leadingthewaytothestable，"I

guessyou’reprettynearright，thoughit’squeertohearmesayit。

Thereaintmuchinanything，anyway。Whenyourhorseisawayatthefrontleadin’thebunchandeverybodyyellin’foryou，you’rehappy，butwhensomeotherfellow’shorsemakestherunnin’andthecrowdgetsa—yellin’forhim，thenyou’resick。Prettysoonyougitsoyoudon’tcare。"

"’Vanityofvanities，allisvanity，’"quotedShock。"Solomonsaysyou’reright。"

"Solomon，eh？Well，byallaccountshehitquiteagait，too。Hadthemalllookin’dizzy，Ireckon。Comeonin。I’llhavedinnerinashake。"

Friedporkandflapjacks，donebrowninthegravy，withblackmolassespouredoverall，andblackteastrongenoughtofloataman—of—war，allthiswithacondimentoftwentymilesoffoot—hillbreezes，makesadinnersuchasnokingeverenjoyed。Shock’sdelightinhiseatingwassoobviousthatBill’sheartwarmedtowardshim。Nofinercomplimentcanbepaidacookthantoeatfreelyandwithrelishofhiscooking。Beforethemealwasoverthemenhadsofarbrokenthroughthebarriersofreserveastoventuremutualconfidencesaboutthepast。AfterShockhadtoldtheuneventfulstoryofhislife，inwhichhismother，ofcourse，wasthecentralfigure，Billsatafewmomentsinsilence，andthenbegan:"Well，Ineverknewmymother。Myfatherwasadevil，soI

guessIcamenaturallybyallthedevilmentinme，andthat’safew。

But"——andhereBillpausedforsomelittletime——"butIhadasweetheartonce，overfortyyearsagonow，downinKansas，andshewasallright，youbet。Why，sir，shewas——oh！well，’taintnousetalkin’，butIwenttochurchfortheyearIknowedhermore’nalltherestofmylifeputtogether，andwasshapin’outforadifferentlineofconductuntil——"Shockwaitedinsilence。"AftershediedIdidn’tseemtocare。IwentouttoCalifornia，knockedabout，andthentothedevilgenerally。"Shock’seyesbegantoshine。

"Iknow，"hesaid，"youhadnooneelsetolookafter——tothinkof。"

"NonethatIcaredablankfor。Begpardon。SoIdriftedround，dugforgoldalittle，ranchedalittle，Justlikenow，gambledalittle，soldwhiskyalittle，nothingverymuch。Didn’tseemtocaremuch，anddon’tyet。"

Shocksatwaitingforhimtocontinue，buthardlyknewwhattosay。

Hisheartwasoverflowingwithpityforthislonelyoldmanwhoselifelayinthepast，greyandcolourless，exceptforthatsinglebrightspotwherelovehadmadeitsmark。Suddenlyhestretchedouthishandtowardtheoldman，andsaid:"Whatyouwantisafriend，arealgoodfriend。"

Theoldmantookhishandinaquick，fiercegrip，hishard，witheredfacelitupwithasoft，warmlight。

"Stranger，"hesaid，tryinghardtokeephisvoicesteady，"I’dgiveallIhaveforone。"

"Letmetellyouaboutmine，"saidShockquickly。

Halfanhourlater，asBillstoodlookingafterShockandrubbinghisfingers，hesaidinsoliloquy:"Well，IguessI’mgittin’old。

Whatinthunderhasgotintome，anyway？How’dhegitmeontothatline？Say，whatabuncosteererhe’dmake！Andwiththatfaceandthemeyesofhis！No，’taintthat。It’shisblankhonesttalk。HangifIknowwhatitis，buthe’sgotit！He’swhite，Iswear！Butblankhim！hemakesafellowfeellikeathief。"

Billwentbacktohislonelyranchwithhislonelymiserablelife，unconsciouslytryingtoanalysehisnewemotions，someofwhichhewouldbegladtoescape，andsomehewouldbeloathtolose。Hestoodathisdooramoment，lookinginuponthecheerlessjumbleofboxesandfurniture，andthenturning，hegazedacrossthesunnyslopestowherehecouldseehisbunchofcattlefeeding，andwithasighthatcamefromthedeepestspotinhisheart，hesaid:"Yes，I

guesshe’sright。It’safriendIneed。That’swhat。"

VII

THEOUTPOST

UponaslightswellofprairiestoodtheOutpostmanseofBigRiver，thesoleandonlybuildinginthecountryrepresentativeofthegreatChurchwhichlaybehindit，andwhich，underablestatesmanship，wasseekingtoholdthenewWestforthingshighandgood。TheBigRiverpeoplewereproudoftheirmanse。Theministerwasproudofit，andwithreason。Itstoodforcourage，faith，andself—denial。TotheConvenerandSuperintendent，intheirhoursofdiscouragement，thislittlebuildingbroughtcheerandhope。For，whileitstoodthereitkepttouchbetweenthatnewcountryandwhatwasbestandmostcharteristicinCanadiancivilisation，anditwasforthisthattheywroughtandprayed。But，thoughtopeopleandminister，ConvenerandSuperintendent，thelittlemansemeantsomuch，thebareness，theunloveliness，and，morethanall，theutterlonelinessofitsmoteShockwithasenseofdepression。Atfirsthecouldnotexplaintohimselfthisfeeling。ItwasonlyafterhehadconsciouslyrecognisedthepicturewhichhadrisenincontrastbeforehismindasthehomeoftheFairbanks，thatheunderstood。

"Icouldneverbringhertosuchahouseasthis，"washisthought。

"Awomanwoulddiehere。"

And，indeed，therewasmuchtodepressinthefirstlookatthelittleboardbuildingthatmadeahomefortheMcIntyres，setdownonthetreelessprairiewithonlyalittlewoodenpalingtodefenditfromthewastethatgapedatitfromeveryside。ThecontrastbetweenthisbarespeckofhumanhabitationandthecosyhomesofhisnativeProvince，seteachwithinitsshelteringnestoforchardandgarden，couldhardly，havebeenmorecomplete。Butashiseyesrandowntheslopeoftheprairieandupoverthehillstothejaggedlineofpeaksatthehorizon，hewasconsciousofaswiftchangeoffeeling。Themightyhillsspoketohisheart。

"Yes，evenhereonemightlivecontented，"hesaidaloud，andhefoundhimselfpicturinghowthelightfromthosegreatpeakswouldilluminethefacethathadgrownsodearwithinthelastfewmonths。

"Andmymotherwouldlikeittoo，"hesaid，speakingoncemorealoud。Sowithbetterheartheturnedfromthetrailtothelittlemansedoor。Themomenthepassedwithinthedoorallsenseofdepressionwasgone。OutoftheirbarelittlewoodenhousetheMcIntyreshadmadeahome，aplaceofcomfortandofrest。True，thewallswerewithoutplaster，brownpaperwithfactorycottontackedoverittakingitsplace，buttheywerewind—proof，andbesidesweremostconvenientforhangingthingson。Thefurniturethoughchieflyinterestingasanillustrationoftheevolutionofthepackingbox，wasnonethelessserviceableandcomfortable。Thefloorswereasyetuncarpeted，butnowthatAprilwascomethecarpetswerehardlymissed。Then，too，thefewchoicepicturesuponthewalls，theingeniousbookcaseandthemoreingeniousplateandcup—rackdisplayinghonestdelfandsomebitsofchoicechina，thedrapingcurtainsofmuslinandcretonne，allspokeofcultivatedmindsandrefinedtastes。Staringwantstherewere，andmanydiscrepanciesandincongruities，butnovulgaritiesnorcoarsenessnortawdriness。

Whattheyhadwasfitting。Whatwasfittingbutbeyondtheirmeansthesebravehome—makersdidwithout，andallthingsunfitting，howevercheap，theyscorned。AndShock，thoughheknewnothingofthegenesisandevolutionofthishomeanditsfurnishings，wassensibleofitsatmosphereofquietcomfortandrefinement。ThewelcomeoftheMcIntyreswasradiantwithgoodcheerandheartyhospitality。

Itwaspartlythesea—roverinhisblood，makingimpossiblethefamiliarpathstroddenbareofanyexperiencethatcouldstirtheheartorthrilltheimagination，butmorethathighambitionthatdwellsinnobleyouth，makingitresponsivetothecallofdutywheredutyisdifficultanddangerous，thatsentDavidMcIntyreoutfromhisquietcountryhomeinNovaScotiatothefarWest。A

brilliantcourseinPictouAcademy，thatnursingmotherofgeniusforthatProvincebythesea，astillmorebrilliantcourseinDalhousie，andafterwardsinPineHill，promisedyoungMcIntyreanythinghemightdesireinthewayofscholasticdistinction。Theremonstranceofoneofhisprofessors，whenhelearnedoftheintentionofhisbrilliantandmostpromisingstudenttogivehislifetoWesternmissionwork，wascharacteristicoftheattitudeofalmostthewholeCanadianChurchofthatday。

"Oh，Mr。McIntyre！"saidtheProfessor，"thereisnoneedforsuchamanasyoutogototheWest。"

EquallycharacteristicofthemanwasMcIntyre’sreply。

"But，Professor，someonemustgo;andbesidesthatseemstomegreatwork，andI’dliketohaveahandinit。"

Itwasthenecessity，thedifficulty，andthepromiseoftheworkthatsummonedyoungMcIntyrefromalltheopenings，vacancies，positions，andappointmentshisfriendsweresoeagerlywavingbeforehiseyesandsethimamongthefoot—hillsinthefarfrontasthefirstsettledministerofBigRiver，theprideofhisConvener’sheart，thefriendandshepherdofthescatteredfarmersandranchersofthedistrict。Onceonlydidhecomeneartoregrettinghischoice，andthennotforhisownsake，butforthesakeoftheyounggirlwhomhehadlearnedtoloveandwhoselovehehadgainedduringhisstudentdays。Wouldsheleavehomeandfriendsandthesocialcircleofwhichshewasthebrightestornamentforallthathecouldoffer？Hehadoftenwrittentoher，picturingintheradiantcoloursofhisownWesternskythegloryofprairie，foot—hill，andmountain，thegreatnessandpromiseofthenewland，andtheworthoftheworkhewastryingtodo。Buthistwoyearsofmissionaryexperiencehadmadehimfeelthehardship，theisolation，themeagreness，ofthelifewhichshewouldhavetosharewithhim。Thesunsetcolourswerestillthere，buttheywerelaiduponraggedrock，lonelyhill，andwind—swept，emptyprairie。Ittookhimdaysofhardridingandharderthinkingtogivefinalformtothelastparagraphofhisletter:

"Ihavetriedfaithfullytopicturemylifeandwork。Canyoubraveallthis？ShouldIaskyoutodoit？Mywork，Ifeel，lieshere，andit’sworthaman’slife。Butwhetheryouwillshareit，itisforyoutodecide。Ifyoufeelyoucannot，believeme，Ishallnotblameyou，butshallloveandhonouryouasbefore。ButthoughitbreakmyheartIcannotgobackfromwhatIseetobemywork。Ibelongtoyou，butfirstIbelongtoHimwhoisbothyourMasterandmine。"