The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1918, Page 84

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84

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The Lutheran Pioneer.

———SSaBaBE————X—X— OO ——L—L—L—l—l————_aa_—_—=—_a_a_eo—_s_—s____

*‘God Bless the Church Back Home!?’

A soldier boy was lying on a cot, swathed in
many bandages, in far-off France. The poor young
man was restless and terribly sick upon his bed, in
one corner of the large room. His nurse was stand-
ing by, smoothing out the sheets and readjusting
the bandages on his face and over his eyes.

A few beds away somebody was speaking. It was
a soft, low voice that came to the boy’s car, and to
him it sounded strangely familiar as he heard it
repeat words of a familiar hymn and speak a brief
word of prayer. The voice carried him back home
to distant Ohio, to the little town where he had
lived until the call of his country had taken him

away from his loved ones to the camp and the foreign _

battlefield in France. There arose before him the
spire: of the home church, and it was to him as
though he could see the cross glittering in the light
of the setting sun. He knew the church and its
shining cross were far away, and yet that. voice a few
beds away seemed to bring home so near.

The voice was still speaking. -

“Nurse, who is that man speaking over to the
left?”: asked the boy.

: “Oh,:I don’t know,” replied the weary nurse,
“but I suppose that it is some Red Cross man.”

» The boy again listened in. silence.

“Nurse, will you please tell me what the man
looks like ?””-

. The patient nurse cast a look at the man, and
then said, “He is of medium height, of slender build,

~ . and his hair is dark.”

“Has he a closely cut beard, slightly gray?”

. “Yes, I think he has. And he’also wears glasses.
But now you must be quiet, for I rather fear that
your temperature has again gone up. Let me see.”
; “Oh, nurse, please; one minute before you put
- the thermometer under my tongue. Kindly go and
ask that man to come to my bed before he goes
away.” _

“All right,” replied the patient nurse. She had
been on duty for a long time, and many hours of
weary watching and nursing were still before her
_ till relief would come.

; While the nurse was gone to call the man to his
bed, the soldier boy’s heart was beating rapidly. He

knew to a certainty that his temperature was rising ©

toa dangerous point, and that the nurse would scold
_ him when she returned. The bandages around his
_ head and over his eyes were almost unbearable; the

helpless arm at his side began to ache. Now the —
nurse was coming back, and he could hear that she
was not alone. He could feel their presence at
his bed.

“Our soldier here wants to speak to you,”
the nurse.

“Yes,” said the wounded boy; “I heard you
speaking a few beds away, and your voice seemed
familiar to me. You know they have bandaged my
eyes and I can’t see. Would it be impertinent if
I were to ask you where you are from?”

“Not at all,” answered the Red Cross man;
he named a small town in Ohio.

The boy was very sick and very weak; he was
near fainting, but a happy smile came to his face as
he held out his well hand and said, “You don’t know
me with all these bandages over my face and eyes,
pastor; but I am one of your boys; I am William
Smith.” Then to the nurse, “He is my pastor from
back home. I always knew he would come. You'll
let him stay a little bit, will you not?”

The nurse was in doubts; the boy was so very
sick. “If you promise to be real quict and let your
pastor do the talking, he may stay just a wee bit.”
Then turning to. the pastor, she went on, “He is
a very sick man.” And with her words went a look
which told the Red Cross man that his recovery was
very doubtful.

The pastor now sat down on a chair at the side
of the bed. Hundreds of questions rushed to the
soldier’s lips.

“How is mother? and father ?”-
question came from trembling lips.

“They are well, William. And they gave me
a message for you.” And then words came to the
ears of the soldier boy from father and mother,
a message simple, but sacred, a message for his ears
alone, true balm for his homesick heart.

“How are your wife and the boys, pastor ?”

“Two of the boys, William, are over here.
rest are well at home, I trust.”

“And the church, pastor? How is the church
going to get. along without you? How did the people
ever give you leave of absence to come over here?”

“Yes, Will, it is strange that they ever consented
to let me come. But God made them willing to send
me over here to do what I can for the boys. I am
here to do our Church’s part in the war.” 7

“Oh, pastor, I am so thankful that God sent you ©
here to me to-day. I must now be quiet if I do not
want to lose my sight. But will you not stay here
with-me a little while till I have gone to sleep, and ~

* said

and

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