ftT"< npT\ A 
 
 HETRA 
 
 OH 1 19 VY*** ? if^ A T^np/* 1 /^*\ v 
 THE HEARTS Of 
 
 ABE CORY 
 
 
 5
 
 ft?
 
 THE TRAIL TO THE 
 HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 0JE CALIF. LIBRARY, LOS ANGELES
 
 PAUL DECIDED TO TAKE A TRIP TO HANKOW AND BACK, 
 
 WITH HIS OLD FRIEND, THE CAPTAIN 
 
 (See page 114)
 
 THE TRAIL TO THE 
 HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 A STORY OF EAST AND WEST 
 
 BY 
 
 ABE CORY 
 
 ILLUSTRATED 
 
 " Straight is the line of duty, 
 Curved is the line of beauty ; 
 Follow the first, and thou shalt see 
 The second ever following thee." 
 
 NEW YORK CHICAGO TORONTO 
 
 Fleming H. Revel 1 Company 
 
 LONDON AND EDINBURGH
 
 Copyright, 1916, by 
 FLEMING H. REVELL COMPANY 
 
 New York: 158 Fifth Avenue 
 Chicago: 17 N. Wabash Ave. 
 Toronto: 25 Richmond St., W. 
 London : 21 Paternoster Square 
 Edinburgh: 100 Princes Street
 
 DEDICATED 
 
 To the Comrades of the Trail Far and Near 
 
 2126206
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 I. A FAR LAND 1 1 
 
 II. DREAMS OF DAYS AGONE ... 23 
 
 III. THE ACCIDENT OF ACQUAINTANCE . 31 
 
 IV. FATE'S HAND 38 
 
 V. THE TEST 45 
 
 VI. THE DECREE OF FALSE IDEALS . . 49 
 
 VII. OLD FRIENDS IN NEW LANDS . . 54 
 
 VIII. TIES THAT ARE STRANGE ... 58 
 
 IX. MAN'S FOES 66 
 
 X. " THE POWERS THAT BE " . . . 72 
 
 XL A NATION'S CURSE .... 77 
 
 XII. EXPLANATIONS 85 
 
 XIII. THE VENGEANCE OF HATE ... 92 
 
 XIV. RELIGIONS ANCIENT .... 98 
 XV. REAL INVESTMENTS . . . .103 
 
 XVI. LOVE'S YEARNING 109 
 
 XVII. CONFIDENCES 114 
 
 XVIII. Two VIEWS OF LIFE . . . .123 
 
 XIX. SEEKING THE ETERNAL . . . 129 
 
 XX. CHANGING THE OLD . . .. . 137 
 
 XXI. THE SOUND OF MANY WATERS . ; 141 
 
 XXII. THE SERVICE OF SALVATION . . 151 
 
 I
 
 10 
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 XXIII. PASSION OF REVENGE . . .159 
 
 XXIV. GRATITUDE'S EXPRESSION . .166 
 XXV. A FRIEND IN NEED . . . .176 
 
 XXVI. VICTORY OF EXAMPLE . . . 182 
 
 XXVII. THE JOURNEY'S TRIUMPHANT 
 
 CLOSE . . - . . , . 187 
 
 XXVIII. POINTING NEW TRAILS . . 191 
 
 XXIX. MONEY'S REAL RETURN . -...' . 196 
 
 XXX. CONQUERING THE DRAGON . . 200 
 
 XXXI. " GREATER LOVE HATH No MAN " 210 
 
 XXXII. STRANGE MEETINGS .- . . 219 
 
 XXXIII. THE NEW IN ACTION . . ; '. 230 
 
 XXXIV. A NEW NATION'S NEED . . 236 
 XXXV. THE FRUITAGE OF FORMER WORK 240 
 
 XXXVI. THE FORELOPER'S OPPORTUNITY . 248 
 
 XXXVII. THE LAST VOYAGE . ... , 253 
 
 XXXVIII. DECISIONS RECONSIDERED . . 259 
 
 XXXIX. FACING THE END . , . . 267 
 
 XL. WEALTH'S TEMPTATION . . : . 275 
 
 XLI. COMPANIONSHIPS RENEWED . . 283 
 
 XLII. MANY TRAILS .-.... . . 292 
 
 XLIII. "NOT YOURS, BUT You" . . 301 
 
 XLIV. THE POWER OF ACCOMPLISHMENT 308 
 
 XLV. THE ENEMIES' REVENGE . . 316 
 
 XLVI. TEMPTATIONS OF LONELINESS . 319 
 
 XLVII. THE CALL OF A FRIEND ETERNAL 324 
 
 XLVIII. To THE TRAIL'S END . . .329
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 PACK 
 
 Paul Decided to Take a Trip to Hankow and 
 Back, with His Old Friend, the Captain . . Title 
 
 "But How Can It Be Drained?" Chu Asked, 
 "This Water is Always Here" . . .138 
 
 " Can't You See that it Will Not be Alone ? " . 328
 
 A FAR LAND 
 
 OVER China hung the heat and stench of early 
 summer. Mist and sweat were rising from 
 fields, ponds and canals. Three horsemen fol- 
 lowed a narrow road through rich rice fields and fields 
 of poppies blazing in the sunshine. They rode abreast 
 when the way permitted, but more often they were 
 compelled to follow each other in single file. They 
 passed low-lying hills covered with the numberless 
 graves of China. Now and again the road ran close 
 to a narrow canal, and the travelers passed rafts made 
 of bamboo poles, little ferry boats and a large house 
 boat laden with grain. 
 
 Stretching far into the distance a flotilla of yellow- 
 ribbed sails, large and small, of hundreds of boats 
 scurried before a fair wind. The distant boats them- 
 selves were hidden by dikes, and only the sails could 
 be seen. On the foredeck of one of the boats, which 
 were only four or five feet in width and about a dozen 
 feet in length, was a young boy, half clad, stretched 
 out at full length, ready to drop the sail at a sudden 
 change of the wind, while in the stern sat a silent 
 figure whose duty it was to care for the rudder, and 
 as the wind dropped there could be heard from the 
 boat his call, half halloo and half cry, to the God of 
 the Wind. 
 
 11
 
 12 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 As the travellers swung back from the canal they 
 passed ponds covered with green slime, and before them 
 in the distance rose the walls, pagodas and towers of 
 the ancient city of Fou Cheo. 
 
 The three travelers were of as many different types. 
 One, from a casual glance, appeared to be about sixty 
 years old. His face was wrinkled and seared with 
 the scars of time, and his blue eyes looked straight 
 ahead, missing nothing in their range of vision. His 
 steady hand betokened a composure which comes after 
 battles fought and won. He sat his horse like an 
 aristocrat, yet his manner proclaimed the democrat. 
 When he spoke his voice rasped a little, but his laugh 
 always attracted those who heard it. For a moment it 
 seemed to come straight between his stubby teeth, then 
 become obstructed and finally bubble forth in a last 
 explosion. While he seemed thoroughly familiar 
 with the country through which they traveled, his 
 voice and manner suggested to the close observer that 
 he had also known the fields and hills of Canada. 
 
 At his side, in eager conversation, rode a young 
 man evidently city bred; his appearance marked him 
 as clean-minded, clean-limbed and clean-hearted, a 
 thoroughbred. He was the type of man who com- 
 manded attention wherever he went, to whom children 
 nodded gaily as they passed along, and into whose 
 eyes women who never glanced at other men looked 
 frankly, finding greater belief in the world because he 
 went by, and at whose coming men filled with a thou- 
 sand cares straightened unconsciously with new 
 courage.
 
 A FAR LAND 13 
 
 The third man rode his horse less easily. To the son 
 of the West, the manner in which the son of the East 
 sits his horse seems crude and grotesque. He sat 
 hunched up in evident discomfort. He seemed to 
 be a man of culture, and in whose veins flowed cen- 
 turies of China's life. 
 
 As the men neared the city they passed bamboo 
 and wood yards outside the city wall. Now they 
 entered the narrow streets and picked their way over 
 the slippery stones. On either side were small shacks 
 of bamboo matting where the rice merchant plied his 
 trade, and the maker of bread cakes could be seen 
 frying his bread on the little earthen stoves that were 
 placed in view of all. Everywhere were the stands of 
 venders of sliced watermelons, pumpkins, and all 
 sorts of edibles, which, as they lay out uncovered in 
 the summer heat, were food for flies and gnats. Here 
 the native bread and candies were also offered for sale. 
 Through this narrow street passed every phase of 
 Chinese life; the farmer carrying his burden of straw 
 reeds for fuel swung out on the ends of a pole, the 
 coolie with his basket of oil or of rice, the wheel- 
 barrow man pushing his human cargo, and the slow 
 moving figure of the teacher swinging his arms and 
 with difficulty maintaining his dignity over the slip- 
 pery stones and through the jostling crowds. Often 
 the flow of traffic was interrupted by the shrill cry of 
 an old woman who had been cheated in a bargain and 
 stood blocking the way, while she reviled the vender 
 and his ancestors for many generations. The bearers 
 of sedan chairs stopped frequently to toss a few cash
 
 14 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 to the vendors of watermelons and candies, and after 
 brushing off the flies and other vermin from their pur- 
 chase, munched it in evident enjoyment as they went 
 on their way. 
 
 As the travelers rode on, the older man turned to 
 the younger. " This is a fine mess," he said. " Look 
 at that stuff those people are eating, will you? It 
 means death. Fifty miles from here there is cholera, 
 and as sure as fate this swarm of vermin will bring 
 to this city the scourge of that terrible disease." 
 
 " But, Dr. Means, how are you going to stop it ? " 
 was the query. 
 
 " I don't know," was the reply in hopeless tones. " I 
 have tried for a quarter of a century to warn the peo- 
 ple in towns like this, but they won't listen. They say 
 their ancestors have eaten food touched by flies and 
 vermin all these centuries and lived, and why should 
 they be frightened. I dare say before another week 
 we will have a fine fight on our hands, and what can 
 we do in those temporary and limited quarters of 
 yours, I'd like to know ? " 
 
 Then he seemed to throw off the burden of it for 
 a moment. 
 
 " Redmond," he said, " I guess we shall have to do 
 what we have always done, wait and fight it when it 
 comes, and if I know the signs it will come and at no 
 distant date." 
 
 He turned to the tall Chinese who had alighted from 
 his horse and was leading it through the streets. 
 
 " Mr. Chu," he asked, " isn't there some way to 
 stop this business and clean up these streets? Look
 
 A FAR LAND 15 
 
 at those children there eating the candy from which 
 they have just shaken the flies." 
 
 " Honored sir," Chu laughed, " you and your hon- 
 orable land understand, but how little do we of this 
 poor land know of all these things." 
 
 Thus talking the three men continued their way to 
 the little, temporary quarters where Paul Redmond, 
 Chu, his teacher, and a native Chinese doctor had 
 established a station where they hoped to help the 
 people of the city. The older man was a veteran 
 worker. For a quarter of a century his hospital had 
 been known at Nanking and through the central part 
 of China, and he was now in Fou Cheo to spend some 
 time with Redmond, to look over his work, and to con- 
 sult him about larger plans. From what he had seen 
 that day he knew that the visit which he had expected 
 would last only a day or two would extend into weeks. 
 
 As they walked through the narrow streets, they saw 
 a group of priests, sounding gongs and chanting before 
 the door of one of the houses. Some of them wore the 
 long, gaudy, red robe of the Taoist priests, with hair 
 dressed high on their heads, while the close shaven 
 heads of the others, indicated that they were Buddhist 
 priests. 
 
 Pushing their way through this group and past the 
 large burning candles beside the door, they found the 
 people inside crying for help. On a cot lay a boy toss- 
 ing and muttering, and one look at him sufficed the 
 doctor. There were great red spots on the boy's body, 
 where he had been burned by hot irons, and native 
 doctors were trying to feed him crushed beetles and
 
 16 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 powdered snake-skins. They were calling out to the 
 spirits of the great heroes of Chinese medicine, Tung 
 Fung and Tsu Tau, and imploring them to come as 
 they had in days of yore, and ward off the evil disease. 
 Dr. Means reviled them for their ignorance and under 
 the storm of his indignation the beating of the gongs 
 ceased, and they came to him and asked him what to 
 do. In a few well-directed words he ordered a Chinese 
 doctor who had been trained in a foreign hospital to 
 administer certain remedies, and then left the house. 
 
 The old doctor shook his head. 
 
 " I fear it is too late," he 'said gravely, as they 
 passed into the deepening twilight. 
 
 The people were leaving their almost windowless 
 homes in search of a cool place to sleep. Out of the 
 mud and hollow brick houses one story high that lined 
 the long narrow streets there poured a stream of half- 
 clad men and women. Hundreds of men, wearing only 
 light calico trousers, were stretched out on the narrow 
 stones along the sides of the street, where, in spite of 
 the mosquitoes and vermin, they were able to find 
 some rest. 
 
 " It has come," said the doctor. " Four or five 
 times in this quarter of a century I have seen the 
 cholera come and go, and how little we have done 
 after all ! You know the magistrate of this town " 
 turning to Paul " let us go to him and see if he can't 
 do something." 
 
 When they reached the courtyard of the magistrate's 
 yamen large red cards were presented to the doorman, 
 and when it was known that Dr. Means and Paul
 
 A FAR LAND 17 
 
 Redmond were there, they were quickly admitted. The 
 magistrate, who had donned his proper robes, came 
 to them, and clasping his hands which protruded from 
 his long silken sleeves, bowed ceremoniously before 
 the old doctor whose fame had gone everywhere. The 
 doctor told him that cholera had been discovered in 
 the city, that the little hospital would be unable to fight 
 the scourge alone, and that they wanted his help. 
 
 The magistrate was very polite. 
 
 " But what can we do? " he said. " I have been an 
 official for nearly thirty years. Over and over again 
 I have seen cholera come and there seems to be no 
 way to prevent it. But if you can banish it tonight, I 
 will make you a god." 
 
 The doctor smiled. 
 
 " Not in one night," he said. " It means a fight of 
 months and of years, but we can fight it." 
 
 The magistrate shook his head. " I am afraid you 
 are over sanguine, sir," he replied. " I do not see how 
 anything can be done to save us from this scourge." 
 
 They went from him to face nights and days that 
 were to remain forever in their memories. When 
 called in the early stages of the disease they were able 
 to help, but they heard everywhere the beating of 
 gongs and saw the countless processions of mourners 
 clad in white and sack cloth. On the hills were human 
 bundles wrapped in matting, the bodies of beggars 
 and the poor outcasts. Over the graves of the rich, 
 paper houses and food were burned and every equip- 
 ment placed there by their friends for their long 
 journey.
 
 18 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 Means, Redmond, Chu, and the Chinese doctor went 
 everywhere, exhorting the tradesmen to cover their 
 food, to clean up the open sewers, and to make the city 
 more habitable. They asked the magistrate for money 
 to aid them in the fight. He gave them five hundred 
 Mexican dollars. But it was afterwards learned that 
 he also gave five thousand dollars for an idol proces- 
 sion, in which long lines of people marched through the 
 city bearing a long cloth image of a dragon and banners 
 proclaiming the relief that would come to them if they 
 worshiped this dragon. Down through the streets, 
 outside of the city walls, and over the hills to the edge 
 of the waters of the canal went the procession, burning 
 incense and tapers costing thousands of dollars. The 
 four men stood watching. Most of the priests looked 
 straight ahead, but some of those carrying banners 
 jeered at the onlookers. 
 
 " Ah, we know what will save us," they cried. 
 
 As the little group walked back to the mission house 
 that night, the doctor turned to Redmond. 
 
 " Paul," he said, " you've made a good beginning 
 here, but the years you have spent have only given you 
 a start. You can now see something of the struggle 
 before you, for centuries of hatred and superstition 
 are wrapped up in what you have to combat. Cholera 
 is not the only thing; that comes only now and then, 
 but your work and mine will not be completed until 
 this and a thousand other diseases and scourges are 
 driven from this land." 
 
 The next morning the doctor rode away across the 
 plains and hills back to Nanking. A day or two later
 
 A FAR LAND 19 
 
 Redmond stood alone in the center of one of those 
 houses which the forelopers of the world have changed 
 and altered to meet their needs. In its general form 
 the room was Chinese. The tiles of the roof which 
 ran sloping up from the sides to the center, could be 
 seen overhead, and no attempt had been made to cover 
 them. The great posts which supported the roof stood 
 out in the walls and in the center of the room. The 
 rough walls had been covered with paper and a par- 
 tition of bamboo matting ran through the room, but 
 the paper could not hide the crude construction. While 
 the room was of native birth its dress was foreign, 
 and everything about it, from the pictures to the fur- 
 niture, suggested America. This room had been Red- 
 mond's home for years. 
 
 He looked about the room and a merry laugh broke 
 from his lips. He stood before the picture of a beau- 
 tiful woman, whose features were both delicate and 
 refined. The picture was of a woman who had ap- 
 parently never known the hardships of life. 
 
 "When I return, she will be with me," he said 
 aloud. " But how different." 
 
 For a moment the glad look left his eyes. 
 
 " How different all this is from that to which she 
 has been accustomed! My only hope is that it will 
 appeal to the heroic in her, and that she will overlook 
 everything in the happiness of our being together once 
 more." 
 
 He stood with parted lips before the picture for a 
 moment, and then began to talk to it. 
 
 " Little girl, the years have been long, haven't they?
 
 SO THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 Too long. Back yonder in the college days we dreamed 
 that we would follow some far trail, but when I de- 
 cided to come to this strange land to follow one that 
 you knew not of, you couldn't see it, could you ? And 
 then when the pater threw me over, when the storm 
 of his wrath flashed out against me and I came away 
 disinherited of love and money, you thought I was 
 crazy. Now, after all these years, you are coming. 
 You say that you are not coming to stay, but to win 
 me back. Ah, little lady, you can't win me back. I 
 am here to stay, and once you see this life once you 
 know it you will come to feel about it as I do." 
 
 In the midst of Redmond's reverie, Chu pushed 
 open the door. The smile he had been directing to 
 the picture he now transferred to the tall young 
 Chinese who stood before him. How different these 
 two sons of the East and the West ! Each represented 
 the highest type of his civilization; one Occidental, the 
 other Oriental, one Christian, the other Confucian. 
 
 The young Chinese smiled in return. 
 
 " We must go," he said. " The people are ready 
 to say good-by." 
 
 Paul stood silent before his friend for a moment, 
 and then threw his arm around him. 
 
 " Well, Chu," he said, " I have dreamed a good 
 many years about this hour, and I have despaired of 
 its coming, but it is here." 
 
 " Yes, my friend, and I rejoice with you," returned 
 the Chinese, who had been both friend and teacher 
 during the long years of his service in that land. 
 
 " But to the son of the East," this friend went on,
 
 A FAR LAND *1 
 
 " there is one thing lacking the approval of your 
 father. It would be impossible for a Chinese to go 
 to his wedding knowing that his father disapproved." 
 
 " Oh, he doesn't disapprove of the girl, he disap- 
 proves of me," replied Paul. " That's his difficulty. 
 But why discuss that again ? It will ever be so, Chu, 
 that two kinds of sons are disinherited; the wastrel, 
 who lives a riotous life and brings shame upon his 
 father's name, and the one who dares to follow his 
 conscience and goes into unknown fields for the service 
 of Christ." 
 
 Silence lay between them; that silence in which the 
 deepest thoughts of friendship are interchanged, a 
 language surer than speech. 
 
 They went from the room through a quiet court 
 that lay before the gate which opened into the street. 
 Here had gathered his friends and a few curious on- 
 lookers, to bid farewell to this young foreigner who 
 had lived so many years in their midst, and was now 
 going to Japan to be married. Smiling and bowing, 
 they parted before him, and men carrying long 
 bamboo poles, around which strings of firecrackers 
 had been wrapped and which had been lighted upon 
 his appearance, walked before him. Everywhere 
 people bowed to him, and reached out to pat him on 
 the back. Down through the narrow street they went, 
 over whose slippery and uncertain stones he had once 
 toiled and stumbled, whose doors, from which kind 
 faces now smiled, had then seemed forever closed to 
 him. They turned into a wider cross street, and pro- 
 ceeded in the direction of the canal. Here and there
 
 22 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 a merchant sent out his servant with a pole of fire- 
 crackers to join the party, and amid the noise and the 
 smiles, he, the only son of the Occident in this city 
 of fifty thousand people, was escorted to the little 
 Chinese houseboat on which he was to sail for a day 
 or two to the great river where he would take the boat 
 which would bear him to Shanghai. 
 
 Partings were over. The ribbed sail of the Chinese 
 boat had been flung to the wind. The old boatman 
 seated in the stern, was handling the long arm of the 
 rudder, and the journey had begun. Paul Redmond 
 threw himself on the deck to dream of the years of 
 misunderstanding, the final capitulation, and of happi- 
 ness which had come to him at last, but to dream, as 
 many do, dreams that were untrue.
 
 II 
 
 DREAMS OF DAYS AGONE 
 
 TOWARD evening the house boat swung to 
 the bank, where it anchored in the midst of a 
 little clump of willows, and three or four of 
 the inhabitants of the boat came out to the front deck 
 and squatted around a large pail of steamed rice. Paul 
 joined the boat crew in their evening meal, which they 
 ate with chopsticks from a bowl of pork and greens. 
 Children from a farm house near by, attracted by the 
 figure of a foreigner, stood motionless watching this 
 man who spoke a strange language and came from a 
 far land. When the supper was over the old boat- 
 man lifted his face to the wind for a moment. 
 
 " They wished us a fair wind home," he said, " and 
 the wind is fair, let us go." 
 
 The blunt prow of the boat swung away from the 
 bank into the narrow canal, and the journey was re- 
 sumed. Paul threw himself down on the deck, im- 
 pressed with the unbroken silence which hung over 
 all. The Chinese on the boat were silent, too, and 
 not a sound could be heard other than the murmur of 
 the water as it rushed under the prow of the boat 
 now proceeding rapidly under full sail. In the east 
 the evening star blazed out in the sky, and in the 
 west, golden orange tints foretold a bright tomorrow. 
 When the shades of night rested over the land, hiding 
 
 23
 
 34 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 the banks in deep shadow, Paul Redmond turned his 
 face to the star in the east, and thought of the home 
 from which he had been absent so many years. It 
 did not seem strange to him that he should be traveling 
 in this far country. He was the scion of a long line 
 of ancestors, who had been trail-fighters and trail- 
 makers. They had cleared paths where none had been 
 before, for his grandfather had been one of those who 
 followed the trail of gold, and struck it rich. 
 The wandering of his race had seemed to have been 
 brought to an end; the extensive had become intensive 
 and his father developed and increased his inheritance. 
 The West was forsaken, and he brought his son back 
 to the home of his forebears. Paul's education had 
 included all the opportunities that wealth could com- 
 mand. He had traveled much. His father thought 
 the son would follow in his footsteps, but he made the 
 mistake that countless others have made, for every 
 impulse of blood and heart called Paul to the untried. 
 He wanted the joy of finding that of which men 
 knew little or nothing and proclaiming it to the world. 
 He had thought of going out for land and possessions, 
 but wealth was already his. He believed that the foot 
 of man had penetrated nearly every spot of the earth, 
 until one day the last trail, which lies across the world, 
 was pointed out to him. This trail was different from 
 the one of which he had dreamed. Its goal was the win- 
 ning of men from sin to better living in the name of 
 Christ. When it was first presented to him he had 
 laughed at the thought of becoming a missionary to 
 China; but somehow it had gripped his imagination
 
 DREAMS OF DAYS AGONE *5 
 
 and his heart, and for many weeks he fought a battle 
 which resulted in a decision to go out to China as a 
 missionary. 
 
 As he thought of this tonight under the quiet of 
 the Oriental sky and the gathering darkness, his face 
 saddened, for he remembered his father. He thought 
 of him tenderly. His mother had died when he was 
 but a lad of ten, and his father had not married again. 
 He had been as affectionate and tender as a woman 
 in his relation to those he loved, but few knew of this 
 side of his nature, for he was ruthless in the street, 
 and his will worked unbridled in the business world. 
 
 When Paul had decided to go out as a missionary 
 to China he had thought much of his mother, for her 
 memory was one of the most precious in his life. She 
 had taught him the fundamentals of religion, and he 
 remembered that her prayer had always been that he 
 might serve in the world. When he went to Robert 
 Redmond and told him he had decided upon this 
 course, the cordiality of the father disappeared and 
 the spirit of the man of the street returned. Paul 
 remembered his father had told him that it was sheer 
 madness for a Redmond to think of following a 
 fanatical religious career and he must give up all 
 thought of it. He remembered, too, the tenderness 
 that crept into the old man's face when he told him 
 how, during the years of Paul's youth, he had dreamed 
 of the days when they would be associated in business. 
 But he had stood firm, and reminded his father that 
 he had also exhorted him to be faithful to the church, 
 at which his father had laughed scornfully.
 
 26 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 " Every business man should have a church rela- 
 tionship," he said, " but I had no thought of your 
 undertaking a service of this sort." 
 
 Then he remembered when his father had ceased 
 to talk to him as a father and had given him his 
 unyielding answer. 
 
 " My decision is final," he had thundered, " if you 
 go, you go, not as my son, but as a stranger." 
 
 As Paul thought of this interview he raised himself 
 from the deck and turned his face to the cool wind. 
 He had been calm. " I have no desire to plead for 
 myself," he had replied, " but at this moment I am 
 no less a Redmond than you are. I feel that I am 
 true, not only to the history of our race but to the 
 traditions of our family. You have given yourself in 
 a great measure to material things, and it is necessary 
 that some generation of every family should devote 
 itself to the material, but the qualities that make it 
 possible for a man to succeed in that way are in a 
 measure the same qualities that some one of those 
 who come after him must return to the spiritual or the 
 race will be destroyed. Disinherit me if you will, 
 but your attributes will live on and manifest themselves 
 to the world." 
 
 His father had listened silently, then turned away, 
 and had never spoken or written to him again. Yet 
 Paul had written every week, but no word had come 
 from his father during many silent years. 
 
 Then his mind ran on to events which followed 
 quickly upon his disinheritance. He went at once to 
 the girl to whom he had been betrothed. Madeline
 
 DREAMS OF DAYS AGONE 27 
 
 Leonard was a girl in whom ancestry, environment 
 and training had wrought much, and to these things 
 had been added the test of sorrow, without which a 
 woman is incomplete. She was a thorough American 
 girl, beautiful, and of charming personality. Her an- 
 cestry, unlike that of Paul's, had always lived beside 
 the trail, and sought the gentler walks of life. When 
 he reached his final decision and the wrath of his 
 father had hurled him from his own, he had dreaded 
 to go to this beautiful girl. He knew that she was 
 religious, but he also knew that the new and untried 
 held unspeakable terrors for her. So he went to her 
 tenderly, expecting to win her to this new trail which 
 had crossed his vision and his heart. 
 
 His face flushed as he stood looking up at the stars 
 thinking of that night when he told Madeline Leonard 
 that he was going to be a missionary. How she had 
 laughed and how she had ridiculed him and the mis- 
 sionaries she had known ! When she realized that he 
 was in earnest and determined to go she had tried 
 with all the art of a woman to win him back, but he 
 had remained true to his vision. He tried to remem- 
 ber that her training had prepared her only for local 
 and limited service. The surroundings which had 
 made her the dainty and delicate soul which he loved, 
 had also instilled a great fear for a land so strange and 
 distant as China. But when it came to the final test 
 her will had been as strong as his own, for she felt 
 that she was called upon to save him from himself, 
 and though she did not want him to seek wealth, she 
 said, and wanted him to be useful, yet she considered
 
 28 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 the idea of his going to China as a species of insanity. 
 She had hoped against hope that his love for her would 
 change his decision and that he would yield, but she 
 had dreaded the effect upon him if he did. He had 
 not realized the tragedy of the hours which preceded 
 his coming, for as he remembered Madeline's face 
 there was no trace of sorrow upon it. The heart of 
 love can never know what sorrow it causes when it 
 calls upon a woman to decide a great question. 
 
 When Paul looked into her face he saw a determi- 
 nation such as he had never seen there before. To- 
 night, as he lay on the deck of the little boat, he remem- 
 bered the feeling that had come over him when he 
 knew that her decision had been reached and the last 
 words that he had said that night were not spoken 
 under the stress of tears, but in the calmness of a great 
 love. 
 
 They had stood facing each other where the trail 
 divides. In the heart of one was a great conviction 
 that was driving him against his love, against the 
 will of his family but which the whispering blood 
 of his ancestors told him was right. He was going 
 out as a pioneer. He had studied carefully the trails 
 that cross the world the trails of gold, fame, pleasure 
 and passion. But the one which he alone could travel, 
 now that he had seen it as it lay clear and distinct 
 across a nation's life held him. He prayed that the 
 vision might never have come to him, but when a 
 vision is once given to a strong man there is no taking 
 it away. In the heart of the other was a sincere feeling 
 that she was not fitted for the task which her lover
 
 DREAMS OF DAYS AGONE 39 
 
 asked her to share. Time and again he had almost 
 convinced her that she ought to follow him, but old 
 conceptions and ideals ruled. There were no angry 
 words spoken between them; both were smiling, but 
 with the smile which betokens the greatest sorrow. 
 They had separated, she saying to him : " When this 
 fancy shall have passed, you will find me waiting." 
 
 " I shall travel my trail alone," he had answered, 
 "hoping and praying that some day in this struggle 
 for a real empire, in this work of real reclamation, in 
 this only real trail that lies across the world, you may 
 come with me and be my comrade." 
 
 Then he remembered the lonely years. He recalled 
 the long correspondence, the story she had told him 
 of another man who had sought to woo her, the ques- 
 tion that she had finally asked as to whether she should 
 wait or not and then her decision to come with the 
 frank avowal that she was going to win him back. 
 At first his father had opposed her coming, but finally 
 withheld his opposition on the ground that she might 
 win him back to America and to him. Paul had tried 
 to make it plain to her that he never would return to 
 America, but tonight her question returned again and 
 again. 
 
 " Ought I to marry her when she believes that she 
 will win me back? " he asked himself. 
 
 He knew that a voice, such as had come to knights 
 of old who rode out for kings, was calling to him 
 the voice that had ordered world conquest was com- 
 manding him. 
 
 " Your forebears have gone out to battle," the voice
 
 30 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 urged. " They have sought gold, and have broken the 
 forest for land and for home. Can anything turn you 
 back from the breaking of a path that has been blocked 
 by superstition, pride and ignorance, so that it will be 
 possible for the best and highest to enter the hearts 
 of men instead of greed and selfishness ? " 
 
 He knew that nothing would ever turn him from 
 this path, but would he be able to win to this field the 
 beautiful girl toward whom the winds were carrying 
 him? 
 
 He was startled from his reverie by the clatter of 
 the bamboo ribs of the sail which had been loosened. 
 The boat turned into the bank for the night, and with 
 a cheery call that he would meet the boatman on the 
 morrow he threw his roll of bedding on the little cabin 
 floor and threw himself down to sleep.
 
 Ill 
 
 THE ACCIDENT OF ACQUAINTANCE 
 
 PAUL REDMOND'S journey to the Yangtse 
 River was over, and the little house boat had 
 fought its way against the swift flowing current 
 of the earth-laden river, up the four miles between its 
 mouth and the hulks which lay off of Wuhu. Every- 
 thing about the steamer suggested the antiquity of 
 China. Although some of the lines had put on new 
 boats, the one on which Paul was about to sail had 
 carried the cargo of that great river for many years. 
 He smiled as he looked toward the bridge and recog- 
 nized Captain Jenkins, with whom he had once trav- 
 eled. 
 
 The old man was calling out to the coolies in Eng- 
 lish, but using a vocabulary of his own. While bor- 
 dering on profanity it was so picturesque that those 
 who were usually shocked by such language laughed 
 instead. He came down the deck clad in white, his 
 face sunburned and wrinkled. By his sharp features 
 and high nasal voice one knew instantly that he was 
 a Yankee and came but from one place on earth the 
 State of Maine. 
 
 Paul saw little of the captain that day, though he 
 heard him giving orders when the ship started. He 
 found himself interested in his fellow passengers, for 
 as on all steamers in the East, the passenger list was 
 
 81
 
 32 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 made up of travelers from nearly every land. The only 
 other American whom Paul noticed was a tall young 
 woman whose face, in spite of a saddened expression, 
 was one of the most beautiful he had ever seen. She 
 remained apart, and he wondered who she was. He 
 tried to rest and decided to retire early. As the ship 
 glided down the yellow, muddy waters of the great 
 Yangtse he fell asleep. In the early hours of the 
 morning he was awakened by a great commotion/ 
 Whistles were blowing an alarm, bells were sounding, 
 and he heard the cry of voices, both European and 
 Chinese. Some expressed consternation and fear, 
 others commanded. He dressed hurriedly and rushed 
 to the deck to find it swarming with men and women, 
 mostly Chinese, who were crying out in utter fear. 
 From a passing officer he heard the word " fire " and in 
 the early light of the morning he saw that they were not 
 far from the shore, which seemed to stretch out as a 
 marsh into the mist and dawning light. He went quickly 
 to his cabin, and, gathering together a few things that 
 were valuable to him, returned to the deck. Smoke 
 was rising from various parts of the ship, and he saw 
 that the Chinese and foreign officers were working 
 together in their attempts to quench the fire, which 
 was steadily gaining, the cargo of native oils feeding 
 the flames. The captain on the bridge was control- 
 ing every move. He seemed calm amid the turmoil, 
 and each command he gave helped to direct and clear 
 the situation. A few boats and rafts on the steamer 
 were quickly launched, but the Chinese rushed to 
 them and rapidly filled them, and they were pushed
 
 THE ACCIDENT OF ACQUAINTANCE 33 
 
 off into the swift currents and eddies of the river and 
 carried far below. Junks appeared from the mist and 
 took on board some of the passengers, for it was evi- 
 dent that the ship would soon be destroyed and car- 
 ried to the bottom. 
 
 Paul remembered the young woman whom he had 
 noticed the first day, and after searching for her, found 
 her standing in one of the darkest parts of the ship. 
 There were traces of fear in her face, though the 
 general expression was that of resignation and even 
 contentment. 
 
 " You must go at once," he said. 
 
 She turned upon him as if resenting the intrusion. 
 
 " I have chosen to stay," she replied. " Why are 
 you here? You are not one of the ship's officers. 
 They think I have gone." 
 
 The only light that came to them was from the un- 
 steady glow of the burning vessel. 
 
 " I thought that you were insane," he said quietly, 
 " but now I see that you have chosen to die, and that 
 is something no one has a right to choose. I com- 
 mand you to live while there is still a chance." 
 
 A smile played over the woman's face for a brief 
 moment. 
 
 " Command ? Ah, that is the way of men. They 
 always command, but sometimes women choose," she 
 sneered. 
 
 Paul saw that a junk was about to be pushed off, so 
 unexpectedly and without giving her the least warn- 
 ing, he grasped her by the hands and took her to the 
 edge of the boat where an officer stood, and together
 
 34 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 they lowered her into the jurik, which pushed off into 
 the mist. 
 
 The officer turned to him. " Don't you want to go 
 ashore?" he asked. 
 
 Paul answered that he preferred to stay until the 
 officers should leave the ship. The other looked into 
 his eyes and said, " That's the spirit ! I don't think 
 we'll need you, but we may." 
 
 A last boat had been left for the officers, but a num- 
 ber of Chinese firemen took possession of it, and the 
 word to leave the ship was given. Throwing aside 
 shoes and garments the captain and officers prepared 
 to swim ashore. When the captain saw that one pas- 
 senger was still aboard, he swore violently and de- 
 manded why Paul had not gone with others in the boat. 
 He replied again that he had preferred to wait for he 
 was a good swimmer and had no fear. 
 
 " You may have been able to swim some of those 
 ponds of yours back in the East, but your brain is 
 wave-scum if you think you know this river. It pulls 
 and pounds you as does no water on earth." 
 
 They went over the side of the burning boat just 
 before it turned and sank into the flood-waters of the 
 Yangtse. Redmond was swimming below the cap- 
 tain, who had gone into the river above him. As the 
 boat sank the debris fell about him and he saw that 
 the captain had been struck by some of the falling 
 timbers, and the body, turning over and over in the 
 current, floated towards him. Steadying himself he 
 grasped the captain and called to one of the officers 
 who had drifted towards him, but could not make him-
 
 THE ACCIDENT OF ACQUAINTANCE 35 
 
 self heard. Holding on to the unconscious man he 
 fought such a battle as he had never before waged 
 in sea, lake or river. The current tore, beat and 
 pounded both him and his charge. Slowly, however, 
 he made his way to the shore, and, at last, staggering 
 and faint, was able to pull the captain through the 
 reeds and mud to a place on the land. The passengers 
 were swarming up and down the shore and he was 
 surrounded by the Chinese. At last one of the Eng- 
 lish officers came to him as he worked over the uncon- 
 scious form. Slowly the captain regained conscious- 
 ness, and, looking about him, asked what had hap- 
 pened. 
 
 " Jenkins," the officer explained, " if this young 
 man whom you cursed had not waited you would 
 have gone to your last anchorage." 
 
 The old man staggered to his feet and reached out 
 his hand to Redmond. 
 
 " You had a codfish's brain not to have gone," he 
 said gruffly, " but, by gad, I am grateful that you 
 stayed." 
 
 As he reached out his hand Paul realized that he was 
 shaking that of a man who had seen life under two 
 civilizations. The old man looked into his face. 
 
 " Young man, what might be your business ? " 
 
 " I am a missionary," was the simple answer. 
 
 The captain looked at him in wonder and there was 
 a queer expression on his face. 
 
 " Well, in the name of a dead whale's blubber, you 
 don't say so." 
 
 Paul saw very little of the captain that day, though
 
 36 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 he helped to carry out his orders in caring for the pas- 
 sengers and worked as one of the ship's officers. A 
 down-river steamer took them on board and they 
 proceeded to Shanghai. 
 
 Several times that day he saw the girl whom he 
 had rescued. She had looked disdainfully upon him 
 at first, but every time he came in touch with her he 
 made some pleasant remark. He had learned from the 
 captain that she was an outcast from the world's 
 society, and this, he supposed, was the explanation 
 of her desire to end her life, and it had made him only 
 more eager to help her. 
 
 The boat had left the Yangste and had swung into 
 the Wu Sung River when she came hesitatingly to 
 him. 
 
 " I could not have you go without speaking to you," 
 she said. 
 
 " I am very glad to talk to you and to be of any 
 service if I may," he returned. 
 
 " My name is Catherine Williams. You must know 
 that, of course, I want to thank you for saving my life. 
 I suppose you have heard who I am, so you will know 
 it was not my life you saved, for that is ruined." 
 
 For a moment her frank statement left him speech- 
 less. 
 
 " Life is the greatest thing on earth," he finally said, 
 " no matter what our past has been. Do you see 
 that light in the east? It tells of the future of today 
 and tomorrow, not of yesterday." 
 
 Thoughtfully she turned to him. 
 
 " Yes, that is true for men, but for a woman with
 
 THE ACCIDENT OF ACQUAINTANCE 37 
 
 a yesterday there is no tomorrow. I am not going to 
 tell you of my past more than to say that the scar is 
 all that is left. The action of yesterday will not be 
 carried into today or tomorrow." 
 
 " Then why do you despair ? " 
 
 " I know what a man such as you cannot know. I 
 know that I have gone so far that all relationships are 
 severed and I can never return. For a man there are 
 other paths, for a woman there are none. I have been 
 fighting for months to cut the cords that have bound 
 me to the old life. I believe I have succeeded, but 
 who knows when the tentacles shall reach out and 
 pull me back. No one can help me; please don't try." 
 
 "I will not try if you ask 'me not to, but I want 
 you to know that if you go on the fault will be yours. 
 Let me say that I hope our paths may cross again, for 
 I am in this land to be a friend to those who need 
 friends. If in the coming days I can be your friend 
 I shall be honored by the fact that you believe in me 
 enough to call upon me." 
 
 She smiled her thanks and quickly left him. 
 
 In the years that followed he wondered if he would 
 have promised friendship to this waif of the world 
 if he had realized what it was to cost him.
 
 IV 
 
 FATE'S HAND 
 
 A DAY or two later Paul took the little launch 
 that ran between the bund at Shanghai and the 
 great steamers that wait at the mouth of the 
 river for the passengers they bring. The long days 
 of his journey were filled with dreams and he was 
 not interested in his fellow passengers, for he wanted 
 to be left alone. As the ship turned its prow to the 
 sea for the long journey eastward, Paul stood looking 
 back at the receding shores thinking of the years he 
 had spent there. He felt a touch on his arm and was 
 amazed when he turned and looked into the face of 
 Catherine Williams, the girl whom he had rescued on 
 the river steamer. Again this bit of driftwood of the 
 world was crossing his course. 
 
 " I hope you won't mind my speaking to you," she 
 said. 
 
 " Of course I do not mind," he answered. " I have 
 been wondering how you have been this last day or 
 two, and I have been hoping that some time I might 
 in some way change that hopeless philosophy which 
 you uttered the other day." 
 
 He had not realized how beautiful she was, but now 
 as she lifted her face to his he saw a strangely ap- 
 pealing beauty, one on which sorrow and sin had left 
 their marks. It was not a face that revealed spiritual 
 
 88
 
 FATE'S HAND 39 
 
 motives, but rather one that suggested strength and 
 courage. 
 
 " Yes, I have drifted and fought. I wrote you a 
 letter yesterday which I have not yet mailed, for I 
 wanted you to understand that I have given up the old 
 life. You know that I wanted to die the other day. 
 Well, before I'll go back to the old life again the waters 
 out there shall cover me. But if I live you can believe 
 that no matter what you hear of me I am at least 
 worthy of your friendship as far as today and tomor- 
 row are concerned. But we must not talk longer," 
 she said, and a cloud came over her face. " I told you 
 the other day that I did not know when the tentacles 
 of the past would reach out and try to pull me back. 
 There is a man on this ship with an awful companion 
 of his who has followed me half around the world. 
 I am afraid that if he saw me talking to you " she 
 hesitated for a moment and then shrugged her shoul- 
 ders after the manner of the East " well, it would 
 not be safe for either of us." 
 
 Paul was glad to have this added word with her, 
 glad that she had taken a stand for the highest and 
 best. He was happy in the thought that he had been 
 instrumental in holding her back from death. 
 
 That night, as he was walking down the deck, he 
 heard angry tones of men's voices. He was passing 
 on when he heard another voice that held him, for it 
 was that of Catherine Williams. He remembered the 
 promise he had made to her that if she ever needed a 
 friend he would be glad to be that one, so he listened 
 again. This time he recognized the other voice as
 
 40 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 that of the man whom she had pointed out to him as 
 the one who had followed her half around the world. 
 She was telling the two men that she had left the old 
 life had forsaken it forever. They sneered at her, 
 held former promises over her, threatened to trace her 
 to the ends of the earth, to blacken her name, no mat- 
 ter what she did. They demanded that she yield, and 
 at once. As he stood there listening, Paul marveled 
 at the quietness of the girl's reply, and the courage that 
 her tones revealed. 
 
 " You can follow me where you will and say what 
 you wish," she said. " I know I have a blot on my 
 life which can never be erased, but I know also that I 
 alone am responsible for my actions, and that no mat- 
 ter what men may think of me, I am now going to do 
 right. I am not afraid of you for you are miserable 
 cowards who can threaten but are afraid to touch me. 
 Although your kind has always driven me in the past, 
 I am strong now." 
 
 She had hardly finished when Paul was startled to 
 hear the sound of a blow and then sounds of an evi- 
 dent struggle. He heard her call for help in a stran- 
 gled, choking voice, and without a moment's hesitation 
 he sprang towards them. In the dim light that filtered 
 through the blackness, he saw that both men were try- 
 ing to overpower her. Coming up from behind he 
 seized one of them and threw him with force against 
 the railing of the ship. At this sound, his companion, 
 who was holding the girl, looked up. When he saw 
 that a man had come to her rescue he released the girl, 
 and, as he sprang forward, pulled a revolver from his
 
 FATE'S HAND 41 
 
 pocket. But Paul was too quick for him and knocked 
 it from his hand. 
 
 " You fiend," he cried, " I heard what you have 
 been saying and now you must take your medicine." 
 
 It was a desperate fight. One had known only the 
 brawls of the brothel; while the other possessed a clean 
 body and the training of an athlete. They clenched 
 each other for a moment and then the ruffian sought 
 to throw Paul against the railing. While he was strug- 
 gling to free himself he received a blow which dazed 
 him for a moment, but he still fought on in the dark- 
 ness. The other man, recovering from his fall, tried 
 to creep upon him from the rear, but the girl had taken 
 the revolver when it fell from the other's grasp and 
 was now holding it full upon him. She wanted 
 Paul to win, but if he did not win she was determined 
 that she herself would end the fight. 
 
 The noise of the battle reached the captain's bridge 
 and just as the first officer reached them, Paul, with a 
 mighty effort, threw his adversary from him, and, 
 swinging his left arm, struck him a terrible blow on 
 the point of the chin and brought him unconscious 
 to the deck. Ignoring everyone else, Paul turned to 
 the girl and asked: " Are you all right? " 
 
 She stood silent for a moment, trembling from head 
 to foot, not as a result alone of what she had gone 
 through, but in the realization that a good man had 
 been fighting for her. Unconscious of what she was 
 doing, and using the only expression of thankfulness 
 that her life had taught her, she threw her arms around 
 Paul for a moment, saying : " Oh, yes, I'm all right"
 
 42 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 And then, in the gratitude of her heart, she impul- 
 sively kissed him. 
 
 " What is the meaning of all this? " demanded the 
 first officer. In a few brief words Paul told the story 
 which the girl corroborated; but the officer lifted his 
 eyebrows and shrugged his shoulders, for he had seen 
 the girl's kiss and was skeptical. 
 
 The gossip of the ship ran wild, and no man can 
 know the gossip of the East unless he has felt its fangs. 
 " Why should this woman kiss a missionary ? Why 
 should he defend her in a deck fight, and what busi- 
 ness was it of his that these men of her kind had at- 
 tacked her? They owned her and why should he 
 meddle in her affairs ? " 
 
 When he heard the slander he put it aside as un- 
 worthy of consideration. He regretted that there were 
 marks of the battle on his face, and most of all that 
 he must go to Madeline with these scars. 
 
 " But when I tell her about it," he thought, " I am 
 sure she will agree that they are scars of honor. I 
 know she will be glad that I have fought for this girl, 
 and perhaps together we will find a way to help her." 
 
 The passengers kept apart from him, but he did not 
 realize the significance of this. He thought that per- 
 haps this was the manner of travelers in the East, and 
 he knew that a few days usually pass before ship pas- 
 sengers seek acquaintances. He was glad to be alone 
 and it did not worry him, but finally doubt crept into 
 his mind. 
 
 " I wonder if this is a plot," he thought. " I wonder 
 if this girl is really trying to harm me? "
 
 FATE'S HAND 43 
 
 But that night when the boat landed, he knew that 
 this was not true, for she came to him when they 
 could be alone. 
 
 "Oh, what have I done?" she asked tremulously. 
 " I've heard the things people are saying. In a moment 
 of excitement I'm afraid I did something that will 
 bring censure upon you and I am dreadfully afraid it 
 is going to harm you." 
 
 He smiled into her troubled face. 
 
 " You need not worry. Everything will be all right, 
 for I am going from this ship to my wedding. The 
 only thing I am going to exact from you is that you 
 shall now live a straight, clean life. I am glad that I 
 saved you; and if ever you need a friend, I shall be 
 glad to be that friend." 
 
 " Oh, I wish I could make a promise to you like 
 that," she said, " for I will worship you all the days 
 of my life." 
 
 Paul left the ship realizing that he had whipped two 
 of the worst characters on earth. In a physical fight 
 the men were what the girl had called them 
 miserable cowards. They had spread the scandal over 
 the ship, in the smoking room and everywhere, and 
 they had put suspicion into the minds of those who 
 heard the story. 
 
 " Now we have him," they said. " What matters 
 his wealth or his position; they can't protect him now. 
 This woman who claims his friendship has done the 
 very thing that will help us to accomplish our end 
 very quickly." 
 
 They rejoiced in what they believed to be a great
 
 44 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 victory, even though they had received a sound thrash- 
 ing. 
 
 Back in the city of Fou Cheo were other enemies 
 who lived in dirty temples and who had sought every 
 manner of excuse to do something that would blacken 
 the life of this man who was giving himself so un- 
 reservedly to their land. Eventually this word was to 
 reach those dirty temples and warrens of the opium 
 fiends; it was to run in other directions, and was to 
 work the havoc of destiny.
 
 V 
 THE TEST 
 
 PAUL REDMOND journeyed across Japan with 
 a song in his heart. He found that Madeline's 
 ship had arrived nearly two days ahead of sched- 
 uled time, and he hurried to Yokohoma on a fast train. 
 He was expectant and eager to meet her. The dreams 
 of the years were about to be fulfilled, and the long 
 time of waiting seemed unworthy of remembrance. 
 He was going to meet Madeline ! He hardly realized 
 that he was to meet her in another land and under 
 different conditions. He had always known that his 
 love for her was the biggest thing in his life, but now 
 that all barriers were removed, it knew no bounds. 
 The slow-moving Japanese servant who parted the cur- 
 tains into the drawing room irritated him. Madeline 
 was waiting for him. With the quickness of a man of 
 action he gathered her into his arms. She clasped her 
 hands about his neck. 
 
 " Oh, Paul, I love you, in spite of it all," she sobbed. 
 At such a strange greeting, he looked at her, as- 
 tonished, and, holding her from him, saw that she 
 was crying. 
 
 " Why, Madeline, what is the matter ? What is 
 wrong, sweetheart, on this day that you are to become 
 my wife? " 
 
 45
 
 46 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 Her hand wandering unconsciously over his face 
 touched the bruises which the fight had left. 
 
 " Oh, Paul," she said brokenly, " it is true. These 
 awful things I have heard are true. I denied them. 
 Oh, I didn't know a woman could ever suffer so. 
 You come to me with the very scars of the fight on 
 your face. Tell me, did you kiss that awful woman 
 publicly? Is that so?" 
 
 Paul was intensely angry when he realized that this 
 gossip had reached the woman whom he had pledged 
 himself he would always protect. 
 
 " Not exactly," he finally answered. " I did not kiss 
 her, Madeline, she kissed me but what of it?" 
 
 " What of it? " she asked. " What of it? Oh, Paul, 
 you do not understand a woman. You do not under- 
 stand what that means to me. I was so happy when 
 I left the ship until a woman who had been talking 
 against missionaries all the way over, came to me in 
 the hotel at luncheon and told me of this thing that 
 she had heard about a missionary. Don't you realize 
 what it means that you you, Paul should be talked 
 about in this way? Oh, it almost breaks my heart." 
 
 " But, Madeline, let me tell you about it. I want 
 you to know everything that has happened." 
 
 Holding her close to him, he sat down. 
 
 " I do not know that I can understand it, Paul, but 
 I will listen. Something within me seems to have 
 broken, from the moment I heard this story. Oh, 
 Paul, be patient with me. You, who were so patient 
 and loyal when we separated before, be patient with 
 me now and don't for a moment think I don't love you,
 
 THE TEST 47 
 
 for I do. But, Paul, all of this has raised a thousand 
 doubts in my mind. You remember that on the day 
 when you took me in your arms after mother died, and 
 I was left alone, you told me that the one thing a 
 husband and wife must give each other was faith, ab- 
 solute trusting faith, and, Paul, I am not sure that I 
 can give that to you now." 
 
 The man beside her was silent. He seemed to be 
 looking into the far distance. 
 
 " Madeline," he said at last, " I have but one request 
 to make. I beg you not to decide now. A decision 
 now might bring unhappiness to us for all time. Let 
 us think it over." 
 
 " Oh, Paul, I have thought about it until it seems to 
 me that I will go mad. I can only think of those 
 terrible days when we separated before. I don't want 
 to blame you, but you have been so stubborn. When 
 you have made a decision nothing turns you from it. 
 You persist and persist. Your father told me that I 
 ought not to come, and he gave his consent only when 
 I said I would win you back." 
 
 Paul Redmond stood up before her. He was indeed 
 a man formed by the centuries. His bearing uncon- 
 sciously revealed the struggle of past generations, and 
 showed the strength of one who had fought and con- 
 quered. As the gentle girl before him looked at him 
 she was afraid; afraid of the strength that he repre- 
 sented, afraid of the daring that she saw in his eyes. 
 
 " Madeline," he said, " you are beside yourself. You 
 must not let that gossiping woman instil doubt in your 
 mind, when your own heart tells you otherwise. Go to
 
 48 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 your room now and rest, and let faith find its expres- 
 sion. Then in the early afternoon, when you are 
 ready, I will come for you, and we will go to the con- 
 sul, who will marry us. I would not be true to my 
 love if I let you take any other attitude. You have 
 doubted, but having been with me again I am sure 
 you must believe ; and in the years to come you will be 
 proud to remember that your husband fought for a 
 woman, even though unworthy, who had no friends 
 or any one to protect her." 
 
 Looking eagerly into his face she listened to every 
 word. 
 
 " Paul, don't hope over much, don't believe over 
 much in me. Something in me has broken. I don't 
 know what it is I can't explain; but when you come 
 after tiffin I shall be ready to give you my answer. 
 Be patient, and keep on loving me." 
 
 For the first time a smile broke over his face and he 
 took her tenderly into his arms. 
 
 " Keep loving you ? Do you need to plead with me 
 for that? " and kissing her again, he was gone.
 
 VI 
 
 THE DECREE OF FALSE IDEALS 
 
 WHEN Paul Redmond left Madeline it did not 
 seem possible that she would refuse to marry 
 him, but when he went to his room and sat 
 looking out over the harbor where the little boats were 
 plying back and forth to the great ships that had come 
 to this wonderful land, a question came to him which 
 he had not believed could ever come. 
 
 " Suppose she should say ' No,' and turn from me 
 just now, when I need her so much? " 
 
 At first, his mind was unable to grasp such a situa- 
 tion. 
 
 "If she does, I will go back to America and win 
 her," he finally decided. " I will never let it be said 
 that a Redmond was refused by the woman of his 
 choice, because a doubt had been placed upon his 
 honor." 
 
 Then he thought of the little Chinese city with its 
 age-old walls and narrow canals where there was so 
 much to be done and where the demands upon him 
 were such as he had never imagined. 
 
 " The heart may dictate, but duty alone must de- 
 cide," was his final decision. 
 
 While he was making this fight, Madeline Leonard 
 was facing herself and the future. Never before had 
 she been so greatly in need of a mother to comfort her, 
 
 49
 
 50 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 or a friend who understood, to show her the way. She 
 dreaded Paul's coming, but when he came, her answer 
 was ready. There were now no tears in her eyes, yet 
 her face was drawn and showed the stress of emotion. 
 But she smiled up bravely to him as she said, " Paul 
 I am ready for you now." 
 
 He did not kiss her, for there was that about her 
 which seemed to forbid it. For a few moments neither 
 spoke. Each sat looking into the other's eyes, both 
 dreading the moment when speech should be necessary. 
 
 " Yes, Paul, I am ready, but not for that which you 
 want. I am going back to America and home." 
 
 At the word " home " Paul trembled. It recalled 
 to him that palatial residence in New York which had 
 been her home for so many years, and made him think 
 of that other house small and unpretentious, which 
 he had prepared for her. 
 
 " It is not alone because of this woman that I am 
 not going to do what you ask," she said. " It seems 
 to me, today, that there are a thousand reasons rea- 
 sons that I have been blinded to before." 
 
 Paul took her hand in his. 
 
 " Madeline, does this mean that you have found that 
 you do not love me? " 
 
 " No, that is not it. Can you not see that even when 
 people love each other, there are sometimes conditions 
 that make it impossible for them to marry ? Paul, my 
 eyes have been opened to that fact. I believe I love 
 you, but this woman has made me doubt, not only you, 
 but myself. In the life we live back home such a 
 thing would have been impossible, but you have chosen
 
 THE DECREE OF FALSE IDEALS 51 
 
 a life that seems to admit of it, and I simply can't 
 stand it. And then, Paul, these Oriental countries are 
 so strange. You know how often I have traveled in 
 Europe; yet I have never felt any fear. But these 
 people are different, and I have heard that China is 
 even worse than Japan. Those terrible dragons and 
 flags frighten me, the temples terrify me, and I can't 
 imagine myself living here for any length of time. 
 Then there is their awful language! One can at least 
 follow the words of European languages, even though 
 one does not understand them very well; but there is 
 no sound or form to this language. It is all jargon 
 to me. You may regard all this as very childish, if you 
 will, but for me it constitutes a very valid reason for 
 the step I have decided to take." 
 
 A trace of scorn passed over Paul's face. Then he 
 remembered her pleas to be patient with her. 
 
 " Madeline," he said, " these things that are now so 
 new and strange, will become familiar. After the 
 spell of the East falls over you, you will never want 
 to live anywhere else on earth. You will want to make 
 this country your own." 
 
 She stood up before him. 
 
 " Paul," she replied firmly, " I believe I might learn 
 the language and the land might become familiar. But 
 you, you are the strangest of all. You have told me 
 little of your life, and I dread, most of all, to hear it. 
 Wherever I have been I have heard missionaries ridi- 
 culed and their work declared a failure, and I can't 
 think of joining myself to such a work, nor consent- 
 ing that you should. I cannot do it. For my sake, for
 
 52 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 your father's sake and for your own give it up. 
 Come back to New York with me, and I will become 
 your wife there. There I know I can believe in you, 
 and this terrible incident will pass." 
 
 "Do you really mean that you are not going to 
 marry me ? " he asked in an unnatural voice, " and 
 that I must go back to China alone? " 
 
 " Yes, Paul, I mean that. Oh, please don't be stub- 
 born." 
 
 " Madeline, how little you understand. You think 
 I am following a fancy. Well, you are wrong. I am 
 following, not only the call of my blood, but the call 
 of that last trail that lies across the world the trail 
 to the hearts of men. Go back to your life in America, 
 if you will, and thereby fasten upon me the sting of 
 an incident that has no meaning. But I want you to 
 know " and his voice softened a little " that I shall 
 always be waiting for you on this trail, for as long as 
 I live I will follow it. When a vision is once given to 
 a strong man, there is no turning back." 
 
 With the fortitude of a man who held himself in 
 superb control, he passed easily from that which was 
 breaking his heart. 
 
 " Madeline," he said quietly, " this decision means 
 that you must return soon. May I arrange for your 
 passage?" 
 
 She looked into his eyes for a long moment, for 
 when he offered to do the little things that would make 
 her comfortable it seemed to her that she must recall 
 what she had said and follow him. She knew that she 
 uould not be with him much longer.
 
 THE DECREE OF FALSE IDEALS 53 
 
 " No, Paul, I can attend to it. In these years since 
 you have been away I have had to look after many 
 things of which you used to relieve me." 
 
 The man hesitated a moment. Then taking her into 
 his arms, he kissed her and went away. When he 
 was gone, Madeline stretched out her hands, crying: 
 " Oh, Paul, I do love you and shall always love you. 
 But oh, how I hate that woman, and this dreadful 
 land."
 
 VII 
 
 OLD FRIENDS IN NEW LANDS 
 
 PAUL went from Madeline crushed and broken 
 that is, as far as a man who has abiding hope 
 in his heart and a task to accomplish, can be 
 broken. Just at the time when his sorrow was most 
 intense, there came to him some old-time friends who 
 were to comfort and make easier his way. In New 
 York he had been intimate with a family by the name 
 of Stewart. Mr. Stewart was a man of large affairs 
 and the family were members of the church to which 
 Paul belonged. There was one daughter, Frances, a 
 girl of very different type from the gentle and re- 
 served Madeline. Always gay and enthusiastic she 
 sometimes gave to casual acquaintances an impression 
 of boldness, but everyone who knew her, believed in 
 her thoroughly. 
 
 When Paul entered the hotel after leaving Madeline 
 he was amazed to see Frances Stewart crossing the cor- 
 ridor. His first inclination was to avoid her, for those 
 associated with his old life were the last in the world 
 he wanted to see at this time. Frances had seen him, 
 however, and came to him. 
 
 " We have been waiting for you," she said. " Where 
 is Madeline and when is the happy event to take 
 place?" 
 
 For a moment he was tempted to tell her that the 
 
 54
 
 OLD FRIENDS IN NEW LANDS 55 
 
 day had not been set, but he looked into her face, and 
 said quietly : " Frances, our wedding will not take 
 place. Madeline is going home." 
 
 A peculiar look came into the brown eyes of Frances 
 Stewart and a scornful expression played about her 
 mouth. 
 
 " Oh, didn't she have the nerve ? A great many of 
 us could say, ' I told you so.' ' 
 
 This criticism of the woman he loved, instantly 
 brought Paul to her defense. 
 
 " It is not that, Frances, but something has hap- 
 pened that has made her doubt." 
 
 The scorn in the girl's eyes turned to fury. 
 
 " So she has heard some of that, has she ? Well, 
 so have I, but, using good old New York English, I 
 said it was a lie. Who cares what sort of a mix-up 
 you have gotten yourself into in the course of an argu- 
 ment?" 
 
 Thus it was that, under the stress of a great crisis, 
 that which had been little more than a mere acquaint- 
 ance, became a friendship. Frances immediately went 
 to her parents and told them the story so that there 
 would be no further embarrassment to Paul when they 
 should meet. Their sympathy remained unexpressed, 
 as does all true sympathy. 
 
 Paul's inclination was to see Madeline again, but 
 her answer had been so final and the pain of it all so 
 acute, that he decided he would not try to see her again. 
 He traveled with the Stewarts across Japan toward 
 China, and as they journeyed, he talked with them of 
 the years that had intervened since he left his home.
 
 56 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 Mr. Stewart was a typical American business man. 
 He was philanthropically inclined, but had given most 
 of his money toward benevolences at home. Each year 
 he contributed a few hundred dollars to some mission 
 in a far-off field, but the evangelization of the world 
 had never had any part in his interest, or in his life. 
 As they journeyed toward China, he experienced a 
 growing interest in missions. On the steamer were 
 several young people, full of life, and spirit and high 
 ideals, who were going out to this service. All this 
 was a revelation to Stewart, for his idea of mission- 
 aries had pictured something very different. He had 
 always heard them disparagingly spoken of and trav- 
 elers he had met in the East had ridiculed them. Now 
 he found himself questioning their judgment, and real- 
 ized that those who had made such criticism had never 
 made a business investigation of missions, but had 
 based their censure on the unfortunate shortcomings 
 of the few missionaries they had known. He was in- 
 terested, too, in finding Paul's chief companion to be 
 the cultured and educated Chu, a man trained in all 
 the learning of the Chinese schools and classics, who 
 was with Paul in the capacity of teacher. Mr. 
 Stewart asked a great many questions about their 
 friendship and the confidence that had grown up be- 
 tween them. The intimacy of these two men, one 
 an Occidental, the other an Oriental seemed strange 
 to him. 
 
 He inquired minutely into the nature of Paul's work, 
 and one night as they sat in the little hotel at Nagasaki, 
 Paul urged the Stewarts to go back with him to China;
 
 OLD FRIENDS IN NEW LANDS 57 
 
 but when he described the little Chinese house in which 
 he lived, he suggested that, after all, it might not be 
 possible for him to make them comfortable. Frances 
 laughed. 
 
 " Mr. Man," she said, " if you have been able to 
 live there for years, don't you think we can endure it 
 for a few days ? " 
 
 " I scarcely know. You see, my work was there, and 
 you come only as visitors and sight-seers." 
 
 A curious expression came into the eyes of Frances 
 Stewart and a smile lit up her face. " I'm not sure 
 that our motives are as far apart as you seem to think 
 they are," she continued.
 
 VIII 
 
 TIES THAT ARE STRANGE 
 
 WORD ran across Japan and on to China that 
 Paul Redmond had been jilted on his wed- 
 ding day by his bride-to-be because another 
 woman had kissed him after a brawl on a ship. In 
 the strange and insidious way that such gossip usually 
 travels, the news reached the old captain. He had 
 known Paul only a short while, but men who live long 
 in the East read character quickly and soon come to 
 know upon whom they can depend. When he heard 
 the story his anger knew no bounds, and those who 
 thought they knew him at his worst, never heard him 
 swear as he did now. He inquired very particularly 
 whether the men who had caused this trouble had re- 
 turned to China. 
 
 " I tell ye," he said, " if they ever come across the 
 boundaries into China and I'm here on that day, I'll 
 kill 'em. In all these years of hatin' and fightin', I've 
 never yet taken a man's life. But do ye hear me I'll 
 kill 'em. They've raised jumpin' hades in the life of 
 that boy who is as pure as the purest woman. Suppose 
 some woman did kiss him what of it? I'll be jim- 
 miny-horn-swaggled if I know what she was doing, 
 nor do I care, nor do I ever want him to tell me the 
 reason. I only know this that there was some rea- 
 son, and that there was nothing bad about it." 
 
 58
 
 TIES THAT ARE STRANGE 59 
 
 Most of those who heard the rumors simply lifted 
 their eyebrows or shrugged their shoulders and won- 
 dered. Paul had dreaded meeting the old captain for 
 he remembered how he had cursed and hated mission- 
 aries and he was heartbroken at the thought that this 
 gossip might have reached him. He hoped he had 
 heard the whole story, if any. He felt that it would 
 be harder to explain to him than to anyone else, yet 
 he felt sure that he would receive from him such sym- 
 pathy as man alone can give to man. The captain's 
 greeting was as hearty as ever. No reference was 
 made to that which was uppermost in their minds until 
 the boat had left the dock at midnight, when the cap- 
 tain came into his cabin. 
 
 " Well, lad, there's no need for me to be silent about 
 this. They've got you. Yet I hardly expected 'em to 
 get you this way. But I know their kind and I knew 
 they would strike in the dark, and that when they 
 struck, they would strike hard. But by gad, I'm glad 
 you've taken it like a sport. I don't want you to tell 
 me a thing for I know the story as far as the woman 
 is concerned. When I heard the rumor, I went at once 
 to where she hangs out and found that she had returned 
 to Shanghai, but not to her old haunts. I looked her up 
 and I know the story. She surely has messed things 
 up for us, but she didn't mean to. If she had, I'd a- 
 killed her. As it is, it is a hard problem to keep her 
 from killin' herself and I'm not sure but that she will. 
 Yet that's neither here nor there. I'm only hopin' that 
 these dirty scoundrels will come to China, so that I 
 can get at 'em. But now about this other woman
 
 60 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 what in the name of a shark's fin did she mean? I 
 can't figure that out." 
 
 Paul lifted his hand. 
 
 " Captain," he said, " I feel that we are going to be 
 good friends, and I shall never try to keep you from 
 talking about my affairs. But there is one person that 
 you must not discuss and that is Madeline Leonard. I 
 think she has made a great mistake; but it has been 
 an honest one and I happen to know that my father 
 played pretty hard upon her feelings ; that others tried 
 to influence her, and so she is not altogether responsible 
 for what she has done. If you knew her, I would allow 
 you to express any feeling that you might have, but 
 I am sure that you want nothing to come between us 
 for I need you now. I need you now as probably man 
 never yet needed man. So let's not discuss Madeline." 
 
 A peculiar look played over the old captain's 
 wrinkled face. 
 
 "By jimminy gad! All right, lad," he exclaimed, 
 " you are true to all the ideals that I want you to have. 
 If any man, even today, said a word against the little 
 woman who sent me adrift more than a half century 
 ago, I'd put a knife into him. Go back to your work, 
 boy. Don't brood. Work. Put yourself right into 
 the life of these people, and the pain and the burn and 
 the sting which today you think can never grow less 
 will, after a while, become bearable. But, the ache 
 will last always." 
 
 The two men walked out into the night and sat 
 down on the deck. For a long while they were silent. 
 They looked out over the river which had been the
 
 TIES THAT ARE STRANGE 61 
 
 scene of the old man's long career. Ducks and geese 
 flying across the shadowy sky shut out for a moment 
 the light from the moon, and as the boat swung nearer 
 the shore, the captain pointed out a deer that had 
 pushed its way through the reeds to the water and 
 stood drinking, bathed in the moonlight. Along the 
 banks, the fishermen could be dimly seen. They had 
 their big nets fastened to the corners of four large bam- 
 boo poles and were raising them up and down in the 
 river, and calling to their helpers as they flung the fish 
 back to them on shore. The silent junks were scurry- 
 ing past them down the river, ever and anon warned 
 by the shrill blast of the whistle or the call of the angry 
 steersman, when they ran too close to the steamer. 
 Finally, the old captain turned his sharp eyes on Paul 
 and gazed at him steadily for a moment. 
 
 " Boy," he said, " you and I have just got to be 
 friends. Anyone who fish'd me out of the muck and 
 brine of this river, I have just got to be a friend to. 
 I don't like this idea of your being a missionary, but 
 still I guess I can put up with that, if you can put up 
 with my language and " here his face wrinkled into 
 a smile " I don't think one is any worse than the 
 other." 
 
 " Captain," answered Paul, " tell me about this land. 
 I have been in it a few years and I know something 
 about it. But to you who have so wide a knowledge 
 and understanding of it what does it mean to you? 
 I should like to know something of it, from one who 
 knows it so well." 
 
 For a few moments the captain smoked on in
 
 62 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 silence. Then he reached out his hand, and put it on 
 one of Paul's. 
 
 " Boy," he began, " I'm glad that you are my friend 
 and I want you to know that I'm not opposed to you, 
 even though I'm opposed to your work. I'm some 
 Mister Satan when it comes to teasing folks. I enjoy 
 my swearin' only because it shocks people. I realize 
 that few people know me and the fact doesn't trouble 
 me. But from the time I looked into your eyes out 
 there in the slush and the mud of the river banks I 
 felt that during these last years of my life, which you 
 saved, I should like to be a friend to a man like you, 
 and to have you for my friend. 
 
 " You've come on a big job, though I have never 
 been able to believe in it. A man who has lived here 
 for fifty years and who has cursed the missionary all 
 that time, knows a little of what the missionary has 
 done. I am coming to believe that missionary service 
 is finally to come into its own, and that what has been 
 accomplished will be little in comparison with what 
 will yet be done if they go at it right. But, by gad, 
 they've gone at it wrong, a good many times. It's a 
 joy to me, young man, that men of your type are 
 coming out here more and more. Missionaries have 
 been good and bad. They have been capable and in- 
 capable. They have been wise and blamed fools, but, 
 as I think of it, I don't know whether I should have 
 stayed in China fifty years if it had not been for them. 
 If every missionary was to leave China tomorrow I 
 have no question that you would see the customs men, 
 merchants and the sinners of the far East leaving this
 
 TIES THAT ARE STRANGE 63 
 
 place as rats leave a scuttled ship. They damn you 
 but they want your protection. 
 
 " But enough of that, young man. We understand 
 each other. I simply wanted you to know that you 
 can bring your problems to me, and if I can give you 
 any advice I shall be glad to do it, though it will be 
 rotten poor. You'll get cursed once in a while, but 
 that'll be good for you. 
 
 " Now, about China, my boy," he continued, " China 
 is a wonderful land. We cuss it and we hate it. We 
 hate its malaria and its stench. But that fellow Kip- 
 ling described China when he said that once you live 
 out here you can't get away from the damned place. 
 That's not his poetry, but his sentiments and they're 
 mine. Do you see the river there? That's China. 
 There is no such river on earth as that. There is none 
 on which so many people travel every day, and on 
 whose banks so much life throngs. See that water 
 there, lad? None of it started less than a thousand 
 miles away yonder in the uplands of Tibet. The 
 eddies, the rapids and the falls of that river make some 
 of the cataracts that people travel many miles to see 
 look like little pools. But the currents and the treach- 
 ery of the river itself that's China. There is no river 
 on earth that brings so much life when spring comes, 
 when all mountain streams and canals overflow and 
 make possible food for the next year. But, God, when 
 the water is too much, and this thing that is scarcely 
 a mile wide overflows the banks, and is in some places 
 from twenty to fifty miles wide, and those little mud 
 huts out yonder melt and crumble away, and the people
 
 64 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 like musk rats, flock to the gates of the great cities, 
 their homes gone, all gone, you can't know the sorrow 
 and the tragedy of it all. I have stood on the deck 
 of this boat and seen people float by in tubs and rafts, 
 and on the roofs of their houses. The people of the 
 West would have been screaming, but fatalism has 
 crept into their lives. They were going to their death 
 with no outcry. Many times the only expression is 
 an outstretched hand for help. 
 
 "You see the swiftness of that river? The water 
 now is battling against the tides of the sea that flow 
 more than one hundred and fifty miles inland, yet that 
 yellow water China's color throws itself far out 
 into the sea, a separate stream. You know I never 
 turn the point from the Yangtse into the Woo Sung 
 River without thinking that some day China is going 
 to throw her life into the life of all the nations. Japan 
 licked hell out of China, but what is Japan? Those 
 picture characters that they call writing they got from 
 China. All of their art and learning was originally 
 Chinese. That's only the beginning of the river's cur- 
 rent. Blame little good our immigration laws and ex- 
 clusion laws are going to do. You have come to a 
 land that cannot be curbed. It's a land of homes. It's 
 a land where men love their fathers. If the ideals 
 which I know men like you have in their hearts can 
 be given to China, the next century will see her influ- 
 ence reaching over the earth. They can't fight, it's 
 not in their blood and why in hell should they fight ? 
 A people that can make barren places blossom like the 
 rose, yet who have never heard of the scientific farm-
 
 TIES THAT ARE STRANGE 65 
 
 ing that some of your colleges are always blating about . 
 can do something better than fight." 
 
 The old captain paused. 
 
 " Well," he said, after a minute or so, " that's the 
 nearest to a speech any man ever got from me, but 
 somehow you dug in. I didn't know I knew so much. 
 But let me tell you that when you have had it beaten 
 into you; when you have hated and cursed for a half 
 century; when you have fought against tremendous 
 odds for so long, you'll know something, too, my boy. 
 I can't talk much longer now, for I must turn in; but 
 I want you to know this: When you leave the ship 
 in the morning, an old man will be sorry you are gone; 
 and I hope that when you hear of my going up or 
 down the river, and you are anywhere near me, you 
 will come to me and let me swear at you a bit just to 
 keep you human. It's little that I pray, but sometimes 
 when the road is hard, my boy, I want you to remem- 
 ber that an old shriveled-up old cuss, whom you have 
 saved, will look into the stars at night and pray that 
 you may be kept right, and that your life may be use- 
 ful. Sometime you will tell me your story. I know 
 you have paid a price to come out here, and I know 
 this little bit that has just happened. Already it is 
 written across your face. But keep to the trail, young 
 man keep to the trail. Let's turn in. Good-night."
 
 IX 
 
 A MAN'S FOES 
 
 THE hardest task that Paul Redmond had faced 
 in all his life was to turn back to Fou Cheo. 
 It was for Fou Cheo that, in the years past, 
 he had been disinherited of great wealth, and even the 
 woman he loved had turned from him because he had 
 gone out to work and to live in a Chinese city. For 
 Fou Cheo he had risked his life in the midst of disease; 
 for Fou Cheo he had fought against superstition and 
 ignorance such as he had never known before or 
 dreamed existed; for Fou Cheo he had fought men 
 of ancient religions and had made enemies who were 
 to oppose him for years to come. He had made 
 friends, certainly, and these friends had sent him away 
 to his wedding with all the congratulatory pomp com- 
 mon to the Orient on such an occasion, and now he 
 was going back unmarried. True friends were re- 
 turning with him, but to make it more difficult, there 
 was an unmarried woman in the party. 
 
 As he stood on the deck of the steamer, in the early 
 morning, it seemed to him impossible to leave his 
 friend, the captain, and go back to Fou Cheo. He had 
 written the whole story to Chu from Japan, explain- 
 ing everything that he could, for he felt that between 
 himself and this Chinese frie" 1 there must be abso- 
 lute frankness. 
 
 66
 
 A MAN'S FOES 67 
 
 There was a letter from Chu awaiting him when he 
 left the steamer at Wuhu, assuring him of a warm 
 personal welcome, but containing no word of the 
 problems he would have to face. Paul knew well what 
 it meant to return unmarried to an Oriental city, where 
 it was common knowledge that he had gone to meet his 
 bride. The meeting of the two friends was almost 
 one of silence, yet as the two men looked into each 
 other's eyes, each knew that the understanding be- 
 tween them was complete. Chu's tenderness was like 
 that of a woman. His Oriental stoicism seemed to fall 
 from him. He did everything in his power to take 
 Paul's mind from his sorrow. He shielded him as 
 much as he could from the rumors that ran riot 
 through the streets. 
 
 Chu and a group of Paul's friends had been very 
 considerate of the Stewarts and had given them a royal 
 welcome, but nothing could explain to the community 
 why he had returned unmarried. The priests, particu- 
 larly, were busy spreading their nefarious slander. 
 
 " Ah," they said, " why has he come back without 
 his wife, and how is it that the priests along the river 
 say that his name has been associated with that of a 
 woman about whom even the winds whisper? " 
 
 These rumors were damaging both to Paul's reputa- 
 tion and to the work which he represented. They 
 came to the ears of his colleagues in varying form, 
 who mentioned them only when they vitally affected 
 that which he was trying to accomplish. Chu had fre- 
 quently seen two foreigners in and about Fou Cheo, 
 and he felt sure that they were the source of this
 
 68 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 malicious slander, for he had noticed that they were 
 always anxious to keep out of Paul's way. Many of 
 Paul's friends laughed at these stories, but the ques- 
 tioning mind of the Orient was not so easily satisfied. 
 
 The immediate days after his return to Fou Cheo 
 were occupied in showing the Stewarts about the city 
 and countryside. School work was consuming much 
 of his time, for he had started schools in about twenty 
 villages, and one of higher grade was being con- 
 ducted at Fou Cheo. These needed constant super- 
 vision and it was difficult to find suitable teachers. So 
 great was the need that the University at Nanking 
 and other centers were unable to supply the various de- 
 mands made upon them. 
 
 Mr. Stewart and the ladies had insisted upon going 
 to all of these villages. Journeying to one of them 
 they passed the famous mountain of the district. On 
 its top was a temple to which tens of thousands of 
 people traveled every year, at the time of stated feasts. 
 On this occasion they were accompanied by Chu, a 
 young native doctor and an old Chinese preacher, who 
 was a converted opium smoker. As they stood look- 
 ing down from Wolf Mountain (as the height was 
 called) on the wonderful valley in which lay the city 
 of Fou Cheo, the travelers lingered long and studied 
 the picture that lay before them. Mr. Stewart was 
 familiar with the larger and crowded Chinese cities, 
 but never had he looked out over a land so teeming 
 with human life and abounding with gifts of nature. 
 The system of waterways running back from the great 
 Yangtse looked like a net-work of lace. They could
 
 A MAN'S FOES 69 
 
 see out over the surrounding country forty miles in 
 every direction. Groups of houses, with only short 
 distances between them, nestled in the midst of willow 
 trees. They saw the homes of a million people. 
 
 The mountain was crowned with a Buddhist temple. 
 As they stood in the shadows Paul remembered that 
 for centuries the devotion of this vast population had 
 centered itself in the gods of these temples. He had 
 heard of the claims of the priests during the cholera 
 scourge. No doors were open to the future life, and 
 as far as worship was concerned, the present was hope- 
 less. 
 
 Paul began to talk to Mr. Stewart of these things 
 and appealed to his sense of the bigness of it all, and 
 to his ability to deal with great situations. He pointed 
 out that here were a hundred cities of from ten thou- 
 sand to fifty thousand inhabitants each. Tens of 
 thousands of homes were scattered around, in each 
 of which was a household god, and all of which faced 
 and worshiped the past. 
 
 " None of the women in these homes have any hope 
 for the future," he said. " When they stop to think 
 at all, that thought must be filled with dread." 
 
 Chu and the other two Chinese in the little group, 
 the evangelist and the young doctor, were continually 
 commenting on the opportunities in the district. Mr. 
 Stewart was particularly interested in the old Chinese 
 evangelist, whose face was wrinkled and scarred, and 
 who, he said, reminded him of the mummy of Rameses 
 II. He showed the scars of life more than any man 
 he had ever seen. He was about sixty years old and
 
 70 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 had overcome the opium habit by the power of prayer. 
 He had been one of the classic story-tellers of the old 
 life in China, but was now telling the story of a new 
 life in an inimitable way. As the little group stood 
 together on the mountain, the old man reached out 
 his hand and waved it over the district, and said: 
 " Mr. Redmond, this is your new kingdom. We have 
 been told that your father made a great fortune in 
 the handling of money. Why should you not spend 
 your life here and be as successful in winning men 
 as he was in securing money ? " 
 
 When this speech of the old evangelist was inter- 
 preted to Mr. Stewart, he turned and looked fixedly 
 at Paul for a time and then said, " Why not ? " 
 
 As they talked together the old priest from the 
 temple came and stood beside them. With the art- 
 fulness of the East he inquired, " Are you travelers 
 here?" 
 
 " No," the old preacher replied, " we live in the 
 city of Fou Cheo. We have opened a hospital and 
 school there, and we are going to try, if possible, to 
 be friends to the people of this district." 
 
 " We need no hospitals," returned the priest. " My 
 people can come up here to my gods and for a few 
 cash they can be healed." 
 
 The old evangelist laughed heartily. 
 
 " But, my friend," he said, " what about that sore 
 that I see? You have a bandage about your leg. And 
 what about the scrofula on your head? If they can 
 be healed by your idols, why not have them healed ? " 
 
 Then his voice grew tender as he went on : " Hon-
 
 A MAN'S FOES 71 
 
 ored sir," he said, " I hope we shall be friends. But 
 if we increase you must decrease, and we want you to 
 know our purpose." 
 
 " I know your purpose," returned the priest, " for 
 were you not the man who went to the magistrate 
 during the cholera plague and did you not attempt to 
 cure the people and did not the people die? " 
 
 Then he turned to Paul with a sneer on his face. 
 " Is this your wife you have brought to our moun- 
 tain here? I understand you went away to be mar- 
 ried." With this he turned and went back to his com- 
 panions in the temple, and they realized that he went 
 not as a friend but as an enemy. 
 
 In every generation, no matter what the religion 
 and the age, the priests have been the enemies of 
 progress. They have served but never led. When 
 the prophet spirit has been combined with a priestly 
 office they have made marvelous progress, but the 
 priests alone have always fought a change from the 
 old to the new. It was to be no exception with this 
 young prophet of the new day.
 
 X 
 
 "THE POWERS THAT BE" 
 
 MR. STEWART was wonderfully impressed 
 with the vision he had had of the work its 
 beginning, its possibilities and its problems. 
 So also was Paul now able to forget some of his 
 sorrow by throwing himself actively into his work 
 and planning with the Stewarts about his future. 
 
 For months they had experienced extreme difficulty 
 in purchasing land. Redmond found that every piece 
 they went to inspect had already been bought by the 
 rich man of the district. This only gave him new 
 zest, and one night while the Stewarts were with him 
 a man came to him saying that he was the owner of 
 a piece of land with which Paul was familiar. The 
 price he put on it was three times what it was really 
 worth. But before morning, without any bickering, 
 and without even going to look at the land again, Paul 
 had secured it. 
 
 They went that night to the Yamen, the official resi- 
 dence of the magistrate, and with polite insistence 
 demanded that the deed be stamped. The magistrate, 
 because of the aid that Paul and his co-workers had 
 given during the cholera fight, could not well refuse, 
 but around this transaction a great battle was fought. 
 The priests, led by the hilltop priest, threatened death 
 on the man who had sold it, and the rich man tried 
 
 72
 
 " THE POWERS THAT BE " 73 
 
 to bring the pressure of false law suits upon him, 
 but the young missionary defended the man for his 
 action and told the magistrate that he had committed 
 no crime and that no charge should be lodged against 
 him. 
 
 The buildings they rented were of Chinese archi- 
 tecture, which they remodeled. The expenditure en- 
 tailed seemed ridiculously small both to Mr. Stewart 
 and to Paul, accustomed, as they were, to spending 
 large sums of money on themselves. 
 
 Often, when Paul went into the little dispensary 
 and hospital, where there were a few beds for the 
 worst patients, he debated with himself whether he 
 should, or should not, appeal to his father. He had 
 told Mr. Stewart that he had written to his father and 
 asked him for help to build a hospital, describing their 
 work in rented buildings and in limited quarters, but 
 had received no response. Mr. Stewart was very in- 
 dignant, and resolved that when he went back to New 
 York he would go to Robert Redmond, and endeavor 
 to make him understand something of what his son 
 was doing in the far East. 
 
 It was during this visit of the Stewarts, which they 
 had prolonged, that a runner came from the Yamen 
 bearing a message from the magistrate, telling of the 
 illness of his only son. Paul and the young doctor 
 went quickly to him. They found the boy very ill 
 and the father greatly concerned. For ten days they 
 fought the terrible disease. The magistrate showed 
 signs of care when Paul came to him one morning and 
 said, " We give you back your son."
 
 74 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 The old man hesitated a moment and then prostrated 
 himself before Paul, kowtowing again and again. " I 
 have allowed rumors to run down the streets against 
 you," he said, " and I have said that you could not 
 stay long in this district, but now I say that if I shall 
 ever hear anyone, great or small, say anything against 
 you, I shall have him beheaded, for starting the 
 rumor." 
 
 Paul smiled as he thought of how many people in 
 American society would lose their heads if such pun- 
 ishment were meted out in the United States to those 
 who had slandered others. 
 
 " Don't worry about our enemies," he said, " some 
 day we will win them as we have won you, for some 
 day they will need us and the doctor will go to them 
 and their children will come to our schools, or we will 
 do something to make their land valuable, and then 
 they will understand." 
 
 As the Stewarts, accompanied by Paul and Chu, 
 walked about the surrounding country, they often went 
 to a lake about a mile outside of the city. It was very 
 shallow and covered thousands of acres of land. It 
 was surrounded by canals which seemed to run every- 
 where. 
 
 " Why should not this lake be drained," Paul asked 
 Chu, " and the land given back to the people ? It is 
 sheer waste in this thickly populated district." 
 
 " Sure enough," Mr. Stewart commented, when he 
 was told what Paul had said to Chu. 
 
 " It cannot be done," Chu replied, " if you were to 
 touch this lake there would be an uprising in the city,
 
 " THE POWERS THAT BE " 75 
 
 for, as you know, the people believe that the wind 
 and water gods reside in the earth. Therefore, they 
 disturb the water and earth as little as possible, and 
 to interfere with such a body of water as this, would, 
 in their minds, be certain to bring the wrath of the 
 gods upon them." 
 
 Paul laughed. " I am more and more impressed," 
 he said, " that the religions of China contribute to the 
 poverty of the people because they do not deal with 
 the vital things of life. The religions of other lands 
 augment the prosperity of their followers. I feel sure 
 that if they found that the draining of this lake would 
 give them a great tract of land where food could be 
 produced, they would soon get over any fear of the 
 wind and water gods." 
 
 " It would be useless," Chu answered. " Then, 
 again," he went on, " this water is not always so shal- 
 low as it is now. When the dikes overflow and break, 
 this whole place, and even the city, is flooded." 
 
 " But why should they overflow ? Why should 
 great floods come and great districts go to waste in 
 these days? Do you mean to say it is only because 
 of breaks in the dikes and an inadequate diking sys- 
 tem? If so, then we must change it." 
 
 Chu laughed. 
 
 " Ah, I have heard men from the West talk before," 
 he said, " but my land cannot change. It is utterly 
 foolish for you to talk about it, for this condition will 
 continue." 
 
 Paul went often to the Yamen, and because of this 
 companionship the magistrate soon developed many
 
 76 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 progressive ideas. When Paul urged him to correct 
 the insanitary conditions and pointed out to him the 
 great evil of the opium habit and also the lack of 
 schools, the magistrate held up his hand and shrugged 
 his shoulders. 
 
 " Yes," he said, " we have been thus for centuries. 
 You cannot change us in a day. Besides, I shall only 
 be in this town for a little while; then I shall pass on 
 to another city." 
 
 Paul was always polite in his dealings with the 
 magistrate, and with all apologies he now said : " But 
 before you pass on to another city do something for 
 this one. For twenty years you have been passing 
 in and out various cities, haven't you ? " 
 
 " Yes, I have resided in more than twelve localities 
 in that time," said the magistrate. 
 
 " And what have you really done ? " asked Paul 
 apologetically. " You have beheaded a few beggars 
 and have put the iron brand on the faces of a few 
 adulterers, you have settled a few disputes, but with 
 all apologies I ask you what have you really done ? " 
 
 The old man shrugged his shoulders and said, " Yes. 
 What have I done, what have I done ? " Then there 
 came that look of action which is peculiar to the 
 Oriental, and Redmond believed he had an ally who 
 would help him in his plans.
 
 XI 
 A NATION'S CURSE 
 
 THE Stewarts were greatly impressed with all 
 they saw of Paul's work, and the closer Mr. 
 Stewart came in touch with the officials and 
 leaders, the more he realized its far-reaching effect. 
 They felt that they could not remain longer, for their 
 visit had run into weeks, so decided to go on to the 
 West and to the North and return for a later visit with 
 Paul. 
 
 Paul looked forward with the keenest anticipation 
 to their return, and in the meantime applied himself 
 to the task in hand. He saw the magistrate constantly, 
 and realized that he had put a question into his heart 
 that night when he talked to him about doing some- 
 thing worth while, that was to eventually bear fruit. 
 
 Paul had constantly urged him to rid the city and 
 the district of the opium traffic. He had intense feel- 
 ing on the subject and every time he talked with the 
 magistrate he manifested how deeply he felt on the 
 whole question. 
 
 One night the old man said to Paul when he had 
 invited him to a many course dinner : " Mr. Redmond, 
 I cannot do all the things you have asked me to do. 
 But as you have pointed out, my country just now is 
 stirred over the opium evil. The poppy grows over 
 
 77
 
 at least half of these broad fields. I am going to issue 
 an edict declaring that next year the poppy cannot be 
 planted, and I am also considering ordering the opium 
 shops closed at the New Year." 
 
 Paul sprang up, and shook the hand of the magis- 
 trate in hearty fashion. 
 
 " Do it, do it ! " he exclaimed. 
 
 " Ah," answered the old man, " but you know not 
 what it will cost. The people may drive you from the 
 city, and it is very probable that they may turn against 
 me. Remember, it is the rich man yonder in his 
 garden that gets the biggest revenue from opium. If 
 we strike at this thing, we know not what it may 
 mean." 
 
 They talked about it day after day and still the 
 magistrate hesitated; not that he did not believe that 
 the edict should be issued, but because he was afraid 
 of the price it would cost him. 
 
 Paul had come to look upon the opium habit as the 
 greatest sin of China. The first den he visited had 
 impressed its horror indelibly upon his mind. It was 
 not a large room and there were only five settees, made 
 from the black walnut of the country. Each of these 
 were about six feet in length and four feet high, and 
 held several cushions. In the center was a small table 
 about a foot in height. On either side of this small 
 table and resting their heads on hard round pillows 
 made of bamboo, were the smokers. Their long pipes 
 were placed over the lamp in the center of the table, 
 and as he entered the room he noticed that some of the 
 men were molding the opium in their fingers. Smoke
 
 A NATION'S CURSE 79 
 
 was rising from nearly every pipe. Several had just 
 commenced and were nervous and eager for the fumes, 
 while others were talking garrulously, and still others 
 were just entering upon the sleep that would bring 
 them the dreams that only opium can produce. As he 
 looked about the room he realized the terrible import 
 of the scene, for some of these young men were 
 acquiring the habit. The faces and bodies of the others 
 showed the terrible ravages of this worst of vices. He 
 had visited a few opium dens in San Francisco, but 
 when he found that here in a city of fifty thousand 
 people, there were several hundred of these places, 
 and that in many homes opium was used constantly, 
 he realized how completely this drug had enslaved 
 China. Already its death knell had been sounded, but 
 he knew that before China would triumph she must 
 have many friends to help her in the fight she was 
 making against it. Again and again he pledged him- 
 self to help in the effort to free her from this terrible 
 curse. 
 
 News came from the South and West that some of 
 the magistrates in these districts were making a fight 
 against opium. Paul and Chu looked for the papers 
 that gave any of this news and bought anti-opium lit- 
 erature and literally besieged the old magistrate. Paul 
 showed him that no great reform could be made in 
 any city as long as there was such an outstanding evil 
 among the people, and pointed out that he was trying 
 to do great things for Fou Cheo, but could not accom- 
 plish them unless there was a real reform in the city's 
 life. At last he persuaded the official to send out the
 
 80 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 edict declaring that in the next year the poppy could 
 not be planted in the Fou Cheo district, and that 
 at the new year all the opium dens in the city must 
 be closed. 
 
 Paul found that he had never known hate and bit- 
 terness in all its full passion until he saw an exhibition 
 of it on the night after the edict had gone out over 
 the district. He heard the call, the cry and the snarl 
 of the people as the crowd gathered. Everywhere 
 throughout the city there were rumblings and murmur- 
 ings. Word came to the mission house that two for- 
 eigners had been seen moving about the opium dens 
 and the temples. 
 
 At first the outcries seemed only incidental and 
 sporadic, but soon there was rioting before the mission 
 house, and the crowd finally besieged the Yamen, de- 
 manding that the edict be recalled, and threatening 
 the magistrate with reporting him to the Viceroy. 
 They declared that they would commit that direst of 
 crimes of China, that they would drive the official 
 out of the district or kill him unless he granted their 
 request. 
 
 After the crowds had left the mission house and had 
 moved on to the Yamen, Paul decided to go to his 
 friend there. He felt that he must not be alone in the 
 face of this mob, which was threatening vengeance 
 upon him. He well knew what it meant to venture out 
 in the face of a Chinese mob, for this was not the first 
 one he had encountered. 
 
 The old Chinese preacher and Chu came into the 
 room.
 
 A NATION'S CURSE 81 
 
 "If you are going, we will go with you," they said. 
 
 " Are you not afraid? " asked Paul. 
 
 The old preacher smiled. " Do you go in fear or 
 in faith?" 
 
 Paul returned the smile, and said : " I go with a 
 mission and if you go that way, you may come with 
 me." 
 
 They were jeered and hooted as they passed through 
 the streets. 
 
 " That is the man who is responsible," the crowd 
 cried, " let us kill the foreign devil." 
 
 Paul did not retreat. On the contrary he smiled 
 his way through the mob, and spoke to this one and 
 to that one whom he knew, and when they spat upon 
 him and cursed him he only smiled back at them, 
 proving what a reliable weapon a smile is, in the face 
 of a Chinese mob. 
 
 They found the courtyard of the Yamen filled with 
 hundreds of jeering and angry men. Paul quickly 
 passed through the courtyard into the interior and 
 joined his friend, the magistrate, while the old evange- 
 list and Chu mingled with the crowd, listening to what 
 was said and speaking to those whom they knew. 
 
 Finally an old shriveled-up man who had known the 
 evils of opium stood up on one of the stone lions in 
 front of the door. 
 
 " Men," he said, " I wonder if you will let an old 
 opium devil talk to you. See this old skin of mine that 
 seems dead, and these wrinkles and these thumbs, 
 well, they tell the story. As long as I live the stain 
 of opium will mark the thumb and first finger. For
 
 twenty years of my life I smoked opium. I know 
 what it is to have the veins burn hot, the blood scorch 
 and the flesh shrivel for the want of opium. I know 
 how it is when you recline beside the small opium table 
 and the first few draughts are taken, for it is then that 
 the visions come and the dreams that carry you to the 
 homes of your earliest ancestors and to those of Vice- 
 roys and Emperors. Ah, men, I know why it is that 
 when men want opium they sell their birthrights for 
 it and go out as beggars, and why they hate anyone 
 who tries to keep them from having it. 
 
 " See that beggar yonder on the edge of the crowd 
 hooting and jeering at the magistrate and us who are 
 trying to save him? Why should he jeer? Only ten 
 years ago he had a good home, a good business and 
 all that he desired. Now they are all gone because 
 he smoked opium. Men, you must be wise. You are 
 rioting; in the wrong place. The magistrate and this 
 man whom you call ' foreign devil,' and whom you 
 have jeered and cursed, are your friends. They want 
 you to produce life and not death. When the opium 
 dens are closed the money that goes into them and 
 into the pockets of a few rich men you may keep for 
 food, clothes and comfort. I am an old man and you 
 can kill me if you will, for this old opium-shriveled 
 carcass of mine amounts to little, but tonight you have 
 insulted your official. Now that you see that you are 
 wrong, why not call for him and make all this right 
 instead of persisting in evil ? " 
 
 He did not finish, for every Chinese mob, though 
 it may have evil leaders, has a strong element of
 
 . A NATION'S CURSE 83 
 
 justice. The stable element began to call for the mag- 
 istrate, and those who had been the leaders dared not 
 lift their voices in remonstrance. 
 
 The official had been exceedingly frightened, but he 
 now came out to be hailed and praised, and the leaders 
 of the mob asked forgiveness. 
 
 " You are all forgiven," the official said. " There 
 will be no punishment, for you did not understand." 
 
 Then someone in the crowd called out, " The for- 
 eigner ! the foreigner ! " 
 
 Paul at first refused to come, but the old magistrate 
 came forward. 
 
 " Friends," he said, " if this mighty thing is to 
 be done for Fou Cheo and this district, which at first 
 you disapproved and now you approve, it is done not 
 because of me, but because of this young foreigner." 
 
 Again and again they called for Paul, who finally 
 turned to the old evangelist, and said : " You know I 
 cannot make a speech in Chinese to this crowd. Tell 
 them for me that I love them and that together we 
 want to do certain things for this district, and that we 
 hope that in the future they will not be angry but will 
 first seek to understand, and that when they understand 
 we are very sure they will not disapprove." 
 
 The crowd was enthusiastic over what Paul had 
 said. Darkness had settled down and their faces could 
 not be seen in the flickering candle lights of the Yamen. 
 The little hand lanterns that some of the crowd car- 
 ried furnished only inadequate light, but as Paul stood 
 up beside the old evangelist on the stone lion, he thought 
 he saw in the darkness two men dressed as foreigners,
 
 84 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 and heard a voice cry out, " if this foreigner is all 
 right, why not kill the others who incited the mob." 
 But in the congratulations that were being heaped upon 
 him, he forgot it and he turned back to his home, realiz- 
 ing that a fight was on. The first battle had been won, 
 but what a fight still remained ! He had not dreamed 
 that the trail to the hearts of men could hold such 
 battles and such victories.
 
 XII 
 EXPLANATIONS 
 
 WHEN Paul Redmond went back to Fou Cheo 
 and his work, he at least had the motive of 
 a great task which helped him to bear his 
 sorrow and ease the pain. It was not so with Madeline 
 Leonard. She was crushed when Paul left her, for 
 the question that came to her a thousand times that 
 day was, " whether she should not follow him and tell 
 him that she was wrong? " But the more she saw of 
 Japan and the sights that were pointed out to her, the 
 more she felt the strangeness of the life. The Orient 
 held no spell for her. It shocked and stifled, rather 
 than charmed, her. The only thing that held her was 
 her love for Paul. Again and again she decided to 
 follow him, but her dislike of the country and the 
 people was too strong upon her. Then the terrible 
 question regarding the unnamed woman had never 
 been answered in the depths of her soul. She at last 
 left for New York and home, where she knew she must 
 face a thousand queries that would be embarrassing 
 to her, and which, if she answered them, would tend 
 to blacken the name of the man she loved. 
 
 The person she dreaded most to meet upon her 
 return to New York was Paul's father. Robert Red- 
 mond had heard that Paul and Madeline had not mar- 
 ried and he had rejoiced in this news, although he 
 
 85
 
 86 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 noticed that those who told him seemed to be holding 
 something from him. He asked his secretary what he 
 knew about the matter and instructed him to investi- 
 gate. But the investigation did not prove satisfactory 
 and he was never able to get at the facts. It seemed 
 that there was something that his friends did not want 
 to tell him. When he heard that Madeline was at home, 
 he immediately called her up over the telephone, and 
 asked if he might see her. There was a little hesi- 
 tancy in her consent, for she was not sure that she was 
 ready to see him. All the way home she had asked 
 herself again and again " What can I say to Paul's 
 father?" 
 
 There was a great contrast between the pair as they 
 stood facing each other. Mr. Redmond was six feet 
 tall, straight, and well-proportioned, save for a little 
 corpulency. He could not be called gray. His eyes 
 were clear, but his face was creased and chiseled, 
 showing the long fight he had made. 
 
 Madeline had lost the color that was one of her chief 
 charms, and the smile that had made her so beloved 
 and attracted so many, was absent. 
 
 When she lifted her eyes to Mr. Redmond they re- 
 vealed the stress of emotion, and deep sorrow. 
 
 " Madeline," he said, " I have come to congratulate 
 you, and I want you to know that I think you have 
 done right." 
 
 " Oh, Mr. Redmond, I am so glad if you think so, 
 for I have dreaded meeting you." 
 
 " Dreaded meeting me ? Why, do you not remember 
 how I pleaded with you not to go, and told you you
 
 EXPLANATIONS 87 
 
 were the last tie that held that boy of mine to this 
 land, and that if you should ever go out there, he would 
 never return ? You knew, Madeline, that I consented 
 but for one reason, and one only, and that was that 
 you promised to win him back." Then he reached out 
 as if to take her in his arms, but instead he took her 
 hands in his. 
 
 " Madeline," he said, " you are the only child I have 
 now and if I should die my fortune will go to you, 
 unless" and his face again grew stern as he continued, 
 " you should go out and follow Paul in his mad- 
 ness, and then it will go to neither of you. I know 
 you have enough to keep you, but I have loved you, 
 too, and one of the greatest sorrows that Paul's mad- 
 ness brought upon me has been the fact that you two 
 have separated. But I'm glad you did not marry him." 
 
 Madeline looked at him wonderingly, and as he 
 went on she knew instinctively that he did not know 
 the reason for her return. 
 
 " Mr. Redmond," she timidly said, " you cannot 
 know the reason of my coming back alone." 
 
 "The reason the reason?" he inquired. "What 
 reason could there have been other than this utter mad- 
 ness of Paul's, and the fact that he persits in staying 
 out there against our wishes. You do not mean to say 
 that there is some other reason than that, do you? " 
 
 For a moment the proud father's nature asserted 
 itself. 
 
 " Paul is an honorable man, Madeline. He may 
 have been mad on this one subject, but his honor has 
 never been questioned."
 
 88 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 The blood had crept slowly to the girl's white face. 
 
 " But it has been," she said, and her voice was 
 tense with emotion. 
 
 " Do you mean to say that something has touched 
 his reputation," said Mr. Redmond. 
 
 For a moment Madeline's attitude became defiant. 
 
 " I heard," she said, " while I was waiting for him 
 in Japan, that he had been seen fighting over a woman 
 of the streets and that he kissed her. I want you to 
 know that this is one of the chief reasons why I did 
 not marry him. It was not alone because he was a 
 missionary, but it was this awful thing of his kissing 
 this woman before all the people on the ship. More- 
 over, he confessed it to me." 
 
 For a moment Robert Redmond's anger was uncon- 
 trolled. Then he commanded her as he would one of 
 his office force. " Sit down, Madeline, you must tell 
 me all about it. There must be a terrible mistake 
 somewhere, but I want to get at the facts. I am, of 
 course, interested in your feelings, but you must realize 
 that Paul bears my name, and you must tell me ex- 
 actly what happened and then let me judge." 
 
 In the story Madeline told Redmond she related only 
 the facts and tried to conceal her own feelings and 
 her indignation at the seeming insult which had been 
 heaped upon her. She told him as clearly as she could 
 what Paul had said, and that he had told her that some 
 day she would be proud of the fact that he had fought 
 for a woman who had no friend, and that he had 
 pleaded for a chance. 
 
 " And you were not willing to give him that chance,
 
 EXPLANATIONS 89 
 
 because you could not trust him?" came the father's 
 quick question. 
 
 " Oh, I could trust him in New York or I could 
 trust him in a land I knew. It was not only what 
 this woman did, Mr. Redmond, it's the Orient the 
 Orient. It seemed to me that I would go mad among 
 those temples and the stench and color of it all." 
 
 " Madeline, if you left because of the land, that was 
 all right. But you can trust the word of a Redmond, 
 for that word is a word of honor," was the proud 
 reply. " I don't know how Paul could have become 
 mixed up with a woman such as you describe, but if 
 he said it was all right, that's enough for me. I am 
 sure his name will be cleared. I am sure that some 
 day we will know the facts and I am going to discover 
 them." 
 
 " You will tell me who the woman is if you find out, 
 won't you ? " asked Madeline. 
 
 Mr. Redmond hesitated. " No, I think not. I feel 
 that I would be interfering with something in which 
 I have no right. If Paul did not want to tell you the 
 facts neither will I. But I want to say this, Madeline, 
 that I am glad you are not married to Paul after all, 
 and now that there is this other complication I feel 
 that some day we can call him back and that we can 
 win him. If this had not happened and you had mar- 
 ried him we should have failed, failed," and as he said 
 " failed " the second time a sadness crept into Red- 
 mond's voice and face. Robert Redmond loved his 
 son across the sea. He stood up and looked at Made- 
 line.
 
 90 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 " Madeline," he said, " we must not fail. He thinks 
 he is following God, and I wonder sometimes whether 
 he is or not, but, Madeline, need a man leave the path 
 of wealth to follow God? I believe I have followed 
 Him. True, I have done many things which are ques- 
 tioned in these later days, but is not the securing of 
 money the greatest thing in the world? I want you 
 to know, girl, that I look at it as greater than any 
 profession. I have tried to be honorable, according 
 to my light, for it is the work which my ancestors 
 have given me to do, and given him to do, and a man 
 cannot be indifferent to that which has been thrust 
 upon him." 
 
 Madeline looked with wonder upon Mr. Redmond. 
 He was not a man to speak frequently, or at length. 
 She saw how he was suffering, and that though he 
 had disinherited his son and had thrust him from his 
 home, thus forcing him to live on a few hundred dol- 
 lars a year, Paul still held the biggest place in his 
 father's heart. A father may drive his son from him, 
 but that which has gone out in blood and flesh from 
 father to son carries with it the heart's deepest affec- 
 tion to life's end. So it was with Mr. Redmond. He 
 loved his son, although he felt that he must break 
 him and insist upon his accepting the life he had 
 planned for him. 
 
 Mr. Redmond left Madeline saying, " You must not 
 go out among our friends with that look in your eyes, 
 for, of course, I do not want this known. You know 
 how these people gossip, and I will consider it a per-
 
 EXPLANATIONS 91 
 
 sonal favor if you will save me and Paul from any 
 blot upon our name." 
 
 Madeline raised her face to his, " Do you think I 
 would do that, Mr. Redmond ? I will go out and bear 
 my sorrow and no one shall know that I am longing 
 for him, and, although I feel that he has wronged me, 
 yet I wonder constantly if I have not wronged him." 
 
 Thus while two lives were separated by continents 
 and seas, the yearning of love was still in the hearts of 
 both.
 
 XIII 
 THE VENGEANCE OF HATE 
 
 WHILE Madeline was seeking to readjust her 
 life to the new conditions that had been 
 brought about by her rejection of Paul, he 
 was unconsciously facing many dangers. No fight is 
 won in an hour. A spirit of friendliness often passes 
 quickly, while hatred endures. Paul had made many 
 friends on the night the mob gathered, but he had 
 not seen the hilltop priest when he turned from the 
 cheering crowd. This priest had been one of the in- 
 citers of the mob and had gone away with bitterness 
 in his heart. He had been the constant companion of 
 the two men Paul had fought on the ship. 
 
 While Paul and his friends were rejoicing over the 
 victory gained, two other conferences were being held. 
 One took place in the back room of the city temple, 
 where a half dozen priests were gathered; the other 
 in one of the opium dens among the opium dealers, the 
 sellers of incense, and traffickers in vice. The priests 
 had planned to rid the city and the district in a single 
 hour of what they called the hated foreign religion 
 and the reforms it was bringing, but now they knew 
 a long fight was before them, for they realized that 
 the outburst of the hour had failed. But hate takes 
 no account of time, it is willing to go on biding its 
 
 time and secretly doing its insidious work. 
 
 92
 
 THE VENGEANCE OF HATE 93 
 
 " This attempt has failed," said the priest of the 
 hilltop temple, " but the gods will bring success. We 
 must now fight under the guise of friendliness. To- 
 night, the mob brought sympathy to these people, but 
 we must now lay our plans to undermine their very 
 foundations, and we must seem to become friends 
 with them. People whom we can trust shall go to their 
 schools and hospitals, for we must know everything 
 they do." 
 
 The opium dealers, with their foreign confederates, 
 were even more bitter. 
 
 " There are two places where we must strike," they 
 said, " first at character, and then at life. We will 
 take their characters away from them, if we can, and 
 if, perchance, that should fail, then " and a shrug of 
 the shoulders indicated sinister prophecy of the future. 
 
 In a small, secluded mission house, feeling secure in 
 their victory, the little group was rejoicing, and, as is 
 too often the case with reformers, believed that a single 
 battle was to settle the fight. While their enemies 
 planned for the future, they planned not at all, and 
 were surprised in the next few days, when many priests 
 came to the hospital. The friendliness of the men 
 from the opium dens astonished them and Chu and 
 Paul rejoiced in this, but the old evangelist shook his 
 head. 
 
 " Remember," he said, " when the panther licks 
 your hand his teeth are set." 
 
 A few weeks passed, then the magistrate came to 
 Paul one night. 
 
 " I like not some of the things that I hear," he said,
 
 94 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 I trust you will be careful. I think it would be well 
 for you to limit your clinic to men only. I hear it 
 questioned why so many women come to the hospital, 
 and I hear suspicious things about some of the children 
 who have gone there. They claim that their spirits 
 have been stolen away. I speak as a friend." 
 
 Every care and every precaution was taken, but hate 
 was doing its work. While there was no open out- 
 break, the insidious tongues of those who had sworn 
 vengeance were becoming more and more active. 
 
 The temple priests were gathered about their vege- 
 tarian meal one night. 
 
 " Ah," said the priest from the hilltop temple, " the 
 knife may be rusty, but the tongue is ever keen-edged 
 and we will bide our time. If we cannot drive them 
 out, we will close the doors as they pass." 
 
 Paul went about his work with vigor, and worked 
 harder than he had ever worked before. His inherit- 
 ance of energy was manifesting itself. He made a 
 careful study of the entire district, and started schools, 
 not only in Fou Cheo, but planned that as soon as 
 possible, there should be schools over the entire dis- 
 trict. He went regularly with the old evangelist to 
 the out-stations, encouraging the people to bring their 
 sick to the dispensary. He noticed, when first the 
 schools were opened, that a great many children came, 
 but after a few weeks the number gradually dimin- 
 ished. Paul thought this came from loss of interest, 
 but it proved to be the work of those who had set 
 themselves against his efforts. Doors that were open 
 began to close, and those that were closed seemed
 
 THE VENGEANCE OF HATE 95 
 
 never to open. The novelty wore off his work and he 
 settled down to the routine. The test is not the first 
 trumpet-call to battle, but the long, hard days of picket- 
 duty, and the trying hours when one knows not 
 whether the fight has been won or lost. However, the 
 routine was soon to be enlivened. 
 
 One day Paul saw some of the priests and opium 
 dealers in the company of two foreigners. Men who 
 spoke English were so rare in Fou Cheo that Paul's 
 inclination was to go directly to them, but he was kept 
 from doing so by Chu, who was with him. 
 
 "You had better not," he said; "you would not 
 want to be seen with those men. They are traffickers 
 in women." 
 
 Their faces seemed familiar, and for a moment Paul 
 wondered if they could possibly be the men he fought 
 when he protected the girl on the ship, but put this 
 thought from him as improbable. 
 
 Paul saw that the opium dealers were pointing him 
 out to them, and he wondered if other difficulties were 
 to be added to those which he had to face. Rumors 
 of hostility toward the work of the missionaries were 
 growing with each passing day, and children called 
 him " the foreign devil " as he passed along the streets. 
 The efforts of the magistrate to overcome this antago- 
 nism proved unavailing. Once he was stoned, and he 
 was continually cautioned by his friends to use the 
 very greatest care for his personal safety, but he con- 
 tinued to go about his work as if he had heard none 
 of these things. 
 
 He noticed that a number of Chinese came quite
 
 96 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 frequently to his house, and on more than one occa- 
 sion he found some of them in the little kitchen where 
 his food was prepared by the Chinese cook, who had 
 been a farmer boy, and had previously worked for 
 other foreigners. Paul rather objected to having 
 these strangers come and go about the entire house, 
 but he soon learned that it was impossible to stop it. 
 
 One night he came in from his day's work very tired 
 so tired that he did not care for food, but he knew 
 he would have to eat something or offend the cook. So 
 he tasted the food, but very sparingly. Soon after 
 eating an illness came over him that worried him, and 
 Chu was alarmed when he saw the color of his friend's 
 face. The doctor took one look at him. " You have 
 been poisoned ! " he said. Paul recalled that some of 
 the food had tasted peculiarly. Even in his illness he 
 warned them not to mention the fact to anyone. In 
 a little while the effects of the poisoning passed away, 
 and when he was able to talk, he called the doctor and 
 Chu. 
 
 " You see the treachery we are facing," he said. 
 " These people are bound to get rid of us. They must 
 not know of this. I am going on the street tomorrow 
 as if nothing has happened." 
 
 The poison had been placed in Paul's food by a man 
 who had become friendly with the cook, who was thus 
 unwittingly used. This man had been employed by 
 Paul's enemies. 
 
 News of the missionary's death was anxiously 
 awaited in one of the opium dens, and the next morning 
 the would-be murderer went to the mission house and
 
 THE VENGEANCE OF HATE 97 
 
 was surprised to see Paul about. He artfully inquired 
 of the cook whether Paul had eaten his supper the 
 night before, and the cook replied that he had eaten 
 of everything. Then he returned with his message to 
 the priests and opium dealers. 
 
 " His god protects him," was their reply, " or he 
 himself must be a god, or he could not have stood such 
 a dose of poison as was given him last night." 
 
 To the Chinese this was reason enough for the fight 
 to be given up, but when the intrigue of the Orient 
 and Occident unites in the effort, Satan himself 
 might well be envious of the plans devised to mar the 
 progress of good.
 
 XIV 
 RELIGIONS ANCIENT 
 
 PAUL'S enemies had not made definite plans as 
 to how he was to be removed from Fou Cheo, 
 but they had determined that he must go. They 
 finally decided that the surest way to reach him was 
 through his friends, and they knew that the one friend 
 whom Paul loved seemingly as much as his own flesh 
 and blood was Chu, his Chinese teacher. To those 
 who knew them, these two friends stood for the com- 
 mingling of the East and the West. Into one antiquity 
 had poured its best; in the other, modernism had 
 wrought its works. Friendship was working its miracle, 
 and they recognized each other as kindred spirits, 
 a tie deeper than that of blood. Chu taught Paul 
 not only the language, but also the history and the 
 customs of the Chinese people. He was from an an- 
 cient and cultured family, one of which in each genera- 
 tion belong to the literati, that class which rules China, 
 although there are but thirty or forty millions of them 
 out of its four hundred million people. 
 
 Paul had learned the language quickly. Chu had 
 taught other foreigners, but he soon realized that he 
 had never known another just like this young man. It 
 was for this reason, that he had been willing to go to 
 this new field with Redmond. 
 
 " My friend," he said, when he learned what Paul 
 
 98
 
 RELIGIONS ANCIENT 99 
 
 had given up for China, " you are the man my country 
 needs. It may not readily accept your religion, but it 
 will accept you." 
 
 Paul Redmond was anxious to be well informed 
 about the religions of the people, for he felt that if 
 he were to enter sympathetically into their problems, 
 he must know their beliefs. One day they were in the 
 hill temple, where there are many grotesque figures. 
 He turned to Chu and asked, " Why do your people 
 worship these things ? " 
 
 Chu's answer showed that he had studied this phase 
 of China's religious life. 
 
 " So many who study our religions believe that these 
 are conditions," he replied. " You are mistaken, they 
 are only expressions of conditions. If any religion is 
 to reach the life of China, it must go beyond condem- 
 nation of idolatry. It must reach the conditions that 
 lead to idolatry." 
 
 On another day they went to the Temple of Ten 
 Thousand Gods. Chu asked : " Is there one God who 
 can express the ten thousand attributes of these gods ? " 
 
 Redmond chafed under the limitations of the lan- 
 guage, but he tried to express as best he could his idea 
 of God. 
 
 Chu shook his head. 
 
 " I do not worship these," he said, " for the one 
 teacher, Confucius, teaches me of one God. He knew 
 of his existence, although he did not know his attri- 
 butes." 
 
 Another day as they stood looking at the examina- 
 tion halls, with their ten thousand stalls, only a few
 
 100 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 feet in size, where every two years ten thousand stu- 
 dents came for examination, Redmond appreciated the 
 problem of education as never before. Chu explained 
 to him that these men came to write what they had 
 memorized from the classics, and this constituted their 
 education. 
 
 Paul had often been amazed at his teacher's wonder- 
 ful ability to memorize, and while talking about his 
 people, Chu began to recite from the classics. He went 
 on and on, and then said : " Now, I wish you would 
 repeat to me from your classic, which you say is the 
 Bible." Redmond realized then, that although he un- 
 derstood the Bible, he had not made it a part of his 
 life, as the Chinese had made their classics a part of 
 theirs. This question occurred to him: If this man 
 were to become a Christian, would it be necessary for 
 him to give up all of the things that he had learned? 
 Could not all of these teachings be embraced in his 
 acceptance of Christianity? 
 
 Paul knew that on the first and fifteenth of the Chi- 
 nese month, Chu went to the Confucian Temple to bow 
 before the tablet. He knew that once a year the Chinese 
 went to the temple on the hill and sacrificed to Con- 
 fucius. He asked Chu to take him to this annual sac- 
 rifice. On the day before the next festival Chu came 
 to him. 
 
 " If you will be ready to go at four o'clock in the 
 morning," he said, " you can come with me and see 
 the annual tribute we pay to Confucius." 
 
 They went before dawn. Chu left him at the gate, 
 indicating where he should stand so that he might see
 
 RELIGIONS ANCIENT 101 
 
 to the best advantage. In the distance he heard the 
 beating of gongs and the calls which told of the coming 
 of the Viceroy and other officials. He saw the run- 
 ners making ready for the coming of the Viceroy's 
 carriage. He could see, as the Viceroy alighted, that 
 he was clothed in robes such as were worn in the 
 presence of the Emperor. Following him came the 
 Provincial Treasurer, the Governor, and a host of 
 lesser officials. Servants carried the carcasses of oxen 
 and sheep, and tributes of cloth, and placed them on 
 the altar at the top of the hill. The Viceroy pro- 
 ceeded slowly to the altar, pausing at every few steps 
 to kowtow three times. Fagots were blazing from 
 baskets hanging on poles beside the brown stone steps 
 which led up the hill. Great tapers of incense were 
 burning before the tablets of Confucius, and here and 
 there officiated the Buddhist and Taoist priests. As he 
 stood viewing this ceremony Paul realized that 
 Confucianism must be purged of many practices if 
 it were to administer to China, or to blend with the 
 religion of Christ. As the clanging of the gongs grew 
 less distinct, the tapers and fagots burned lower, and 
 the coming sun began to crimson the sky, his heart 
 went out in real worship of the God of Whom it is 
 written : " Ye must worship Him in spirit and in 
 truth." 
 
 In the uncertain light of the early morning he passed 
 through the crowd who remained to worship. Chu 
 had left him. Firecrackers were still exploding as he 
 walked through the streets, and suddenly there came 
 the sound of an explosion louder and sharper than the
 
 102 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 others and he felt something pass his face so close 
 that he could feel the wind of it. He turned quickly 
 and again he thought he saw the figure of the foreigner 
 whom he had seen in the crowd on the night of the 
 opium riot. He realized that the revolver which had 
 not been used in the fight on the ship had been emptied 
 in the early light of that morning. The aim had not 
 been true, and again the attempt to end his life had 
 failed, and the very failure of it awakened questions 
 as to his invulnerablity in the minds of his Chinese 
 enemies.
 
 XV 
 REAL INVESTMENTS 
 
 PAUL never felt the need of the companionship 
 of his own race and kind as he did the morn- 
 ing he received the news that the Stewarts were 
 returning to Fou Cheo. It was with real glee that he 
 went to find his Chinese friend. 
 
 " Chu," he said, " the Stewarts are coming back." 
 
 " Ah, I am glad," said Chu. " You cannot know 
 how much this pleases me. As your friend," he went 
 on after a short pause, " I want to suggest to you some- 
 thing that only one friend can suggest to another. 
 Why not take this young woman for your wife? She 
 could love our people and our women would love her. 
 She could do a wonderful work, and this other woman 
 who has caused you so much sorrow, yet to whom you 
 seem devoted, she certainly is not worthy of you or 
 she would have taken the same attitude that this Miss 
 Stewart has." 
 
 Paul's first inclination was one of anger that his 
 friend should even suggest such a course to him, but 
 he finally contented himself with saying: "I know 
 your suggestion is born out of friendship to me, Chu, 
 and I will take it in the way you mean it, but I must 
 tell you that what you suggest is impossible. In the 
 first place, she would not accept me." 
 
 " Not accept you ? " asked Chu in astonishment. 
 108
 
 104 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 " You a man of such wonderful capabilities and 
 possibilities ? " and Chu gave way to a laugh that 
 was a combination of merriment, sarcasm and incred- 
 ulity. 
 
 Paul was sorry that Chu had made this suggestion, 
 for when he greeted Frances he could not help but feel 
 a little more reserved than he had ever felt before. He 
 wondered, too, whether this Chinese friend of his had 
 not offered him a solution of his future. 
 
 The Stewarts' return to Fou Cheo seemed like a 
 home-coming. On the first evening Paul sat with 
 them in the little living room of his made-over house. 
 Chu, the old evangelist, and the servants had gone for 
 the night. He told of the opium riot, of the attempt to 
 poison him, and of the shot that came in the early 
 morning when he was returning from the Confucian 
 worship. 
 
 Both Mrs. Stewart and Frances expressed their con- 
 cern, but Stewart listened in silence. 
 
 After a while he turned to his wife and daughter. 
 "You are tired," he said, "Paul and I will talk 
 together a little while and then we will rest, but you 
 had better go now." 
 
 When the ladies had retired and he sat facing the 
 older man, Paul thought of his last interview with his 
 father and a trace of sadness came over him. He 
 marveled at the different types of men that wealth 
 produces. His father had been hard and stern in the 
 presence of religious motives, but here was a man, who, 
 because he had seen, believed in and loved the work to 
 which he was committed. Before a word had been
 
 REAL INVESTMENTS 105 
 
 spoken, he felt that in him he had an ally in the fight 
 he was making. 
 
 " What are your plans ? " Stewart finally asked. 
 " You have a fight on your hands and you can't go 
 back. You are committed to this. What is there for 
 you to do ? What can you do ? " Then he hesitated 
 for a moment " but what is more to the point, my 
 boy, is what can I do ? " 
 
 Paul's heart seemed almost to stop beating, for he 
 knew that when a man like Mr. Stewart asked what 
 he could do, it meant that his dreams were to come 
 true. He shut his eyes and thought of the glorious 
 days that would come if American energy and conse- 
 crated wealth were combined in the fight at Fou Cheo. 
 He realized that he stood in the presence of a great 
 opportunity. 
 
 " Mr. Stewart," he said, " there are many things to 
 be done, but they cannot all be done at once. The 
 first thing we must have in this city is a hospital, not 
 a tumble-down one such as we have now, but a modern 
 one. Ten or fifteen thousand dollars can do here what 
 it would take one hundred thousand to do in America. 
 Then we must have two schools, one for girls and one 
 for boys. Ten thousand dollars each will supply these, 
 and, of course, that means that teachers will have to be 
 supplied for these schools. Then it seems to me we 
 ought to have a church; not the old type of church, but 
 one with reading rooms and moving pictures, an 
 institutional church that would show these people what 
 the world is doing. And there should be out-stations 
 with chapels and schools."
 
 106 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 A smile played on Mr. Stewart's face. 
 
 " Yes, Paul," he said, " you need all these things, 
 but what about a house to live in? Sometime I may 
 come again. It was romantic to live here the first time, 
 but I imagine it is going to be a little tiresome this 
 time, and the next time I shan't be able to stand it." 
 
 Paul laughed. 
 
 " Yes, that's so, Mr. Stewart. When I first came here 
 I thought it was all very romantic, and for the first few 
 months it continued to be so. But after a while the 
 barrenness of it all gets into your soul and it's hard 
 to adjust one's self to such conditions. But my home is 
 not the first thing. The first thing is to do something 
 adequate for these people." 
 
 Mr. Stewart had promised Mrs. Stewart that their 
 talk would not be a long one, but they sat far into the 
 night. Their attitudes, however, were a little different. 
 Paul did not mention his enemies. His whole thought 
 was for the city and the district. Mr. Stewart, while 
 he had come back to Fou Cheo prepared to do some- 
 thing for Paul and his work, was now much concerned 
 about the trouble Paul was facing, and he referred 
 again and again to his enemies and the victory that 
 would come to Paul as the result of his investing his 
 money to help him. He committed himself thoroughly 
 to Paul's work, but his chief motive seemed to be to 
 win a victory over those who had in mind Paul's de- 
 struction. 
 
 When the two men separated for the night, Mr. 
 Stewart turned to Paul and said, " Paul, you can count 
 on me. But we must investigate."
 
 REAL INVESTMENTS 107 
 
 During the days that followed, Paul, Mr. Stewart, 
 and Frances were together constantly. Sometimes, by 
 the end of the day, Mr. Stewart had grown tired of 
 the filth and stench, and sought rest in the little mis- 
 sion house. On these occasions Paul would go out 
 with Frances, and often stood with her looking out 
 over the lake, while he told her his dream of draining 
 it and building dikes to prevent floods in the city. 
 " This city is mine, Frances," he said. " I shall go 
 back to New York sometime, but I shall never feel 
 that my home is there again. I shall always feel that 
 this is my city and that my work is here, no matter 
 what may happen in the future." 
 
 And so there grew up between Frances and Paul 
 one of the highest relationships of life, a pure friend- 
 ship between a man and a woman. Frances told him 
 very frankly of the one man in the world to whom she 
 had been attracted, and the reason of their separation. 
 They often talked of Madeline, and at times Frances 
 told him of the things she intended to tell her when 
 she returned to America. 
 
 Paul could not entirely put from himself the ques- 
 tion Chu had asked. Yet he knew that if ever he 
 should ask Frances to be his wife it would not be be- 
 cause he loved her, but that it would be because he 
 was lonely and wanted a companion. 
 
 Mrs. Stewart and Frances took the usual woman's 
 interest in making Paul comfortable and, as he told 
 them on the last night of their visit, it seemed almost 
 impossible to let them go, as they had managed to 
 change the old Chinese house and make it habitable.
 
 108 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 Everywhere he seemed to feel their presence. Yet, 
 with the going of the Stewarts he felt a new future 
 for his work. But after they had gone he asked him- 
 self this question again and again : " What is the 
 future to this work, if it must be alone ? "
 
 XVI 
 LOVE'S YEARNING 
 
 AFTER the departure of the Stewarts Paul Red- 
 mond faced himself and realized that it was a 
 long, long fight he was making. The struggle 
 he had with himself was one with which neither priests 
 nor opium dealers, nor his foreign enemies with their 
 tongues of slander and plots against his life, had any- 
 thing to do. It was a battle with the deepest longings 
 within his soul. Often he sat with his head on his 
 arms asking himself, " Why should I, to whom so much 
 is given, who have so many opportunities to acquire 
 money and put it into this work, why should I spend 
 my life here? Does it mean that because I have seen 
 this vision I may not turn back ? " Against all this 
 there stood out clear and distinct his love for Made- 
 line Leonard. True, she had turned against him, but 
 he could not forget that she had said, "If you come 
 back to New York, I will marry you there." 
 
 Many a man believes that he can give up his love 
 for a good woman only to find himself mistaken. In 
 an unexpected moment his heart turns traitor and 
 reaches out to fight against him. It was so one night 
 with Paul. He tried to reason but logic forsook him. 
 
 " I will give it all up," he said, " and I will go back 
 to father and Madeline. She told me how lonely 
 father was, and I believe that even these people who 
 
 100
 
 110 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 reverence their ancestors so devoutly will honor me 
 more if I go back to him in his declining years. I 
 know what I will do," he concluded exultantly, " I will 
 go back to father and work with him as long as he 
 lives, and then when he dies, I will bring back his vast 
 wealth and put it into this work." 
 
 He remembered a dinner party in his father's home 
 one night when men of wealth and influence related 
 dreams of their boyhood days, and the good they in- 
 tended to do as they planned for the future. He re- 
 membered the ideals that his father had said had been 
 his, and the things he had meant to do with his wealth. 
 Yet, somehow, the grip of success had strangled all 
 their ideals, and nearly every one of the men had con- 
 fessed that instead of conquering, they had been over- 
 come. 
 
 The fight in his soul went on. When he retired he 
 said to himself, " I will go back." But the next morn- 
 ing when Chu came to him and said in his thoughtful 
 way, " Friend, you are troubled. I know the call of 
 the past is sounding in your ears. But remember, the 
 present needs you." 
 
 " You are right, Chu, but you need not be con- 
 cerned, I am going to stay," Paul answered him 
 truthfully. 
 
 When his talents seemed of no avail, he said to him- 
 self, " Mediocre men can come." But a voice within 
 him answered, " You know that such men could not do 
 this work. You have talents that many of them do not 
 have, and if you fail, what could they do? " 
 
 He thought of some of the missionaries whom he
 
 LOVE'S YEARNING 111 
 
 had met, men, who, because of lack of qualification, 
 were impotent in the midst of stupendous tasks. He 
 knew that he must stay, but he could not do it alone. 
 At such times he would say aloud to himself, " Oh, 
 what work I might accomplish if only Madeline would 
 join me at this time." 
 
 He thought constantly of his father during this 
 period. There is usually enough sportsmanship in the 
 average man to say when he is disinherited, " I can 
 make good, and will with what has come to me." But 
 no real man is ever put under his father's ban and cast 
 out from home, without finding a lasting sorrow come 
 into his life. 
 
 As the days passed, his thought for his father grew 
 more tender. " He was stern," Paul said to himself. 
 " but I know he loves me. No man could have moth- 
 ered me through all those long years when he was 
 fighting in the street, without loving me. I will use 
 that love to make him yield not for the money he 
 will give but for the love I need in my own life." 
 
 Thus the forces of two continents fought within him^ 
 one of love and blood, the other of great service and 
 need. 
 
 When the temptation to go back was the strongest, 
 he took an extended trip through his district to study 
 in just what way he could best use the money that Mr. 
 Stewart had promised him. He went a hundred miles 
 in each direction, but met no missionaries, nor were 
 there any hospitals or schools established in that dis- 
 trict, though he saw the homes of a million people. 
 The need was greater than he imagined, for he saw
 
 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 smallpox, leprosy and typhus fever on every side. He 
 went to the temples on the great fast days, too, and 
 saw the long lines of women beating their heads on 
 the ground. Yet stronger than any of these appeals 
 was that made by the young men whom he met con- 
 stantly during his journeys. He knew that the ancient 
 China would not change quickly, for many of the old 
 men smoked opium and were committed to all the 
 vile practices of the past. But here was a young China, 
 with hopes and possibilities. 
 
 One day as he sat with Chu in a tea-house in a 
 strange city several young teachers came to talk with 
 him. 
 
 " Some day these young men will change China," 
 said Chu. 
 
 " Do you mean that they will change the govern- 
 ment ? " Paul asked. 
 
 " Are we not loyal to the Emperor ? Is not he the 
 son of heaven? Why should you think that we want 
 our Emperor changed ? " queried the young Chinese. 
 
 Paul felt that he had won Chu's confidence in every- 
 thing except his attitude towards his government. He 
 thought his silence an unexplainable Orientalism which 
 he could not fathom, and whenever they talked about 
 the future of China and a prospective change in gov- 
 ernment, a smile would play over Chu's face that 
 always left Paul wondering, "What does he mean? 
 What are his real thoughts ? " 
 
 The trip was nearly over and having left behind the 
 donkeys on which they had occasionally ridden, they 
 were walking over the last five-mile stretch that led
 
 LOVE'S YEARNING 113 
 
 to the city. The donkeys carrying their packs and 
 bedding, followed on behind. 
 
 " Chu," Paul asked suddenly, " is this fight we are 
 making worth while ? Can we win ? " 
 
 He had grown accustomed to talking to Chu as if 
 he were a Christian, telling him of all his plans. He 
 knew that Chu was a Confucianist, and as such, held 
 the confidences of a friend to be something holy. 
 
 " Kind friend," Chu answered, " can walls which 
 took men a thousand years to build be overturned in a 
 day? It is said that Swenheotz, the fabled monkey- 
 man, could travel three thousand leagues in a single 
 somersault. But not so with this work we have taken 
 upon ourselves." It was the first time that Chu had 
 used the word "we." 
 
 " We must mark the dust of the road by every step 
 of our foot," he went on, " for those who come after 
 us can only trace us by our footprints. Courage, my 
 friend. You do not yet understand China, but if you 
 can let but ten years pass over your head and through 
 your soul, then you will be my brother and China's 
 son."
 
 XVII 
 CONFIDENCES 
 
 THE work and the battle that Paul was fighting 
 had taken their toll, and Chu and his other 
 friends urged him to go away for a little rest. 
 He decided to take a trip to Hankow and back, with 
 his old friend, the captain. 
 
 As the steamer pulled in beside the hulk at Wuhu, 
 Paul could hear the nasal Yankee twang and the flow 
 of picturesque oaths that had always attracted his at- 
 tention. The old captain apparently did not notice him, 
 but when the last order of " make fast " had been 
 given, he left the bridge and came down the deck with 
 a smile of real pleasure playing over his face. 
 
 " Well, by gad, if here isn't a resurrection ! There 
 was a feller inquirin' about you yesterday, and I told 
 him you had been dead and buried for a year. How 
 in the world some of you fellows can go and stick your 
 heads down in the mire and stink of this land and live 
 there, I'm hanged if I know. Where are you going? " 
 
 " I'm going to Hankow and back with you," an- 
 swered Paul. 
 
 " What are you going for ? " 
 
 " I'm just going up for the sake of visiting with 
 you." 
 
 " You're a liar," snapped the captain, " but it warms 
 
 an old man's heart to hear you say it, young man. Just 
 
 114
 
 CONFIDENCES 115 
 
 keep me believin' it, anyway, and only go ashore at 
 Hankow when I am asleep, so as not to break the spell." 
 
 " Captain," Paul replied, " I am not lying, for I am 
 lonely and I felt that I must see someone. It lay be- 
 tween you and Dr. Means, and somehow my heart 
 turned to you." 
 
 "Well, I'm glad you settled on me. Means would 
 have done you some good, but he wouldn't swear at you 
 as I will. I'll promise that if you go to Hankow and 
 back with me, and things go average, I'll let you hear 
 ' damn it ' a thousand times, and that will keep you 
 going another six months." 
 
 " By the way, have you a place for me?*" asked Paul. 
 
 "Have I a place for you?" the captain shouted. 
 " Man alive, you are going to stay in my own cabin. 
 There are two bunks. Do you suppose I'm going to 
 have you go over and be ruined by some of those fel- 
 lows I have on board. I've got a nice mess this trip. 
 Do you see that big fat fellow there, the one whose face 
 looks turned inside out? Well, that old fellow has 
 been riding with me, off and on, for twenty-five years. 
 He's one of the first American whiskey men that came 
 to this coast. Then, see that fellow down there that 
 looks as if he ought to die? Well, he's one of your 
 kind, for he thinks he's a missionary, but I doubt it. 
 By gad, if I was a heathen and ever looked on a re- 
 ligion that produced a face like that, I'm pretty damn 
 sure I'd turn away from it and leave it. And that pair 
 down there isn't that a sweet pair ? They're another 
 pair of what you ought to call globe-trotters. But 
 they're only globe-walkers. They can't trot a yard.
 
 116 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 If I had a boy and he'd ask such fool questions as they 
 ask, I'd souse him in the river here at the end of a 
 rope. And those dark-complexioned fellows down at 
 the end there, three of 'em well, I don't know who 
 they are, but I'll tell you what I think they are 
 They're the vomit of hell. They've passed through this 
 way now and then, and always with a bunch of women, 
 for they're trafficker-; in bodies and souls. It was their 
 kind that got you in Japan." 
 
 His face grew stern as he asked, " Are they the gang 
 that got you ? " 
 
 " No, they are not the same," answered Paul. 
 
 " I'm glad, for I would have finished them," the 
 captain replied. 
 
 " Those other two fellows down yonder, they be- 
 long to the British-American Tobacco Company, 
 good fellows, as the world calls it, but it's mighty poor 
 business that they are doing out here, when they're 
 making a million cigarettes a day. You see that fellow 
 there with the red hair and face that he's working up 
 and down, trying to look like he knows something? 
 That's one of the consuls of the British government. 
 He knows China, and you ought to talk to him a little, 
 for he came out here more'n twenty years ago. Britain 
 has consuls who know China ; they know but little else, 
 but they do know this country, its languages and its 
 people. Say, I wish you had been with us on the last 
 trip," laughed the captain, " and seen the American 
 consul that we brought up. Lord, he heard my gab 
 and he looked me over and asked how long I had been 
 away from England, and I told him nigh onto seventy
 
 CONFIDENCES 117 
 
 years, for I have never been in the bloomin' country, 
 strange as it may seem. And he says : ' Why, cap- 
 tain, you don't look that old.' Think of a man listenin' 
 to this weeze of mine and thinkin' I was a Britisher 
 me splittin' every ' a ' that I say down the middle 
 with an axe and then soft soapin' it on top ! Ha, ha, 
 ha," the old man laughed, " I'll start somethin' at 
 dinner. I'll throw a harpoon into 'em that will bring 
 somethin' out. Come on to the bridge. That darn 
 boatswain is blowin' his whistle. Let's get away from 
 the smell of this town. It's a pretty nice town when 
 you get far enough away to let the breeze blow under 
 your nose." 
 
 As the passengers came into the saloon that night, 
 Paul was able to get a closer view of them. Some 
 whom he had not seen before came out of their cabins. 
 It was a heavy load for the old captain's ship at that 
 time of the year. 
 
 " Captain," said one of the cigarette men as the 
 captain sat down at the table, " I haven't heard you 
 say a word about missionaries on this trip." 
 
 The captain's knife went down on the cabin floor 
 with a clatter, and as he stooped for it he said to Paul 
 in an undertone : 
 
 " They don't know who you are. Let me handle 
 'em." 
 
 For the next few minutes Paul heard such a scath- 
 ing of missionaries as he had never heard before. He 
 didn't know the old captain could talk in just the way 
 he did. The whole table was abuzz with its condem- 
 nation of missionaries in general. The one pietistic
 
 118 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 individual at the table was in confusion, and ate on in 
 silence. 
 
 " They're men who couldn't do anything else at 
 home and are out of a job," said one of the traffickers 
 in souls. 
 
 Paul had been silent up to this time, but the injustice 
 and indignity of this incensed him, coming from a 
 man whose kind had wrought such havoc in his life. 
 He looked down the table with an expression in his 
 eyes that men had seen in his father's when he was 
 going to annihilate them in business, and when the 
 old captain saw that look he knew that he had truly 
 started something. He saw a side of his courteous 
 friend that he had not seen before, and he revelled in 
 the spirit of the boy as he listened to him. The man 
 tried to reply, but Paul stripped his soul bare. He 
 was impersonal, but every man at the table knew that 
 he was striking fairly and squarely at the man with 
 whom he was talking, and was showing up the nefa- 
 rious business which Paul hated with all the intensity 
 of his soul, since he had seen the awful results in the 
 life of one woman whom he saved. 
 
 The captain put his hand on Paul's, not to stop him, 
 but to reassure him that he was with him in his fight. 
 One or two of the other men at the table joined in 
 the conversation, and finally the whiskey man turned 
 to him. 
 
 " Did I hear your name to be Redmond ? " he asked. 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " I wonder if by any chance you are related to 
 Robert Redmond of New York?"
 
 CONFIDENCES 119 
 
 "lam." 
 
 " Well," he said, " I knew somehow before I heard 
 your name that back of that whip tongue of yours was 
 some of his blood, for I have heard but one man in 
 the world who could slash both ways when he was 
 only striking in one direction as he does. What rela- 
 tion is he to you ? " 
 
 " He's my father." 
 
 " Are you out here on business ? " 
 
 " Yes, I'm here on business. I'm here to help these 
 people." 
 
 " Are you a missionary? " 
 
 " I am." 
 
 " Well, by gad, captain, if men of his type are mis- 
 sionaries, we must be wrong about a lot of them." 
 
 The shrill voice of the trafficker in souls now rose 
 above the other voices. 
 
 " They're all alike. I don't care whose son he is. 
 They're a lot of incompetents, and you know from 
 the talk that's going around about some of them, 
 they're all the same. This fellow only goes to prove 
 what I said, for he didn't do anything at home, and 
 so his rich father has to keep him out here to get rid 
 of him." 
 
 Before Paul could reply the captain's hand was 
 lifted from his, and he pointed his ringer down the table 
 at the speaker. 
 
 " Boys, I guess I went too far," he said, " for this 
 lad here is the best friend I ever had. He saved my 
 life and I said what I did just for pure deviltry. But I 
 want to say to you that this boy could have been worth
 
 120 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 millions and that his father disinherited him because 
 he came here. I hear this from others, not from him, 
 and when the kind he's been talking about are behind 
 prison bars and their names are forgotten, we shall 
 speak this man's name in tones of reverence. Now 
 you fellows can tell it up and down the river that I've 
 got a missionary friend if you want to, but I'm proud 
 of him, even though I don't believe much in his busi- 
 ness. But, remember this, if any man strikes at him, 
 he hits me." 
 
 In the evening, while the boat was making its way 
 up the river, Paul and the old man sat together in the 
 quiet of the cabin. 
 
 " You've made an enemy tonight," said the captain. 
 " In fact, you made several. They'll try to get you as 
 the others got you. They're hell turned loose, so look 
 out for them. I don't mean on this trip. They're 
 too big cowards to hurt you physically, but somehow 
 or other they are going to get you, and remember 
 that when they do it, I'll come any time and anywhere 
 to see you and to help you. Let 'em hate blame 'em 
 let 'em hate. It's the highest motive they know." 
 
 The old captain's face grew hard as he talked, and 
 it could easily be seen that he knew the type of which 
 the scum of the Orient is composed. 
 
 These two strange companions sat silent for a few 
 moments. Then the old man turned to Paul. 
 
 " And now, boy, what about this story? " he queried. 
 " I knew when I saw you coming up the deck, that you 
 had come to tell me what I have waited for months to 
 hear. Don't cut it short, for an old man wants to hear
 
 CONFIDENCES 131 
 
 it all, and when you go back yonder to the mire and 
 the stench I'll think it all over. So serve all the 
 courses, son, serve 'em all." 
 
 The story that Paul told the old captain was com- 
 plete. It was not only the story of his love, but the 
 story of his struggle. He talked much of his father 
 and told of the opposition and intrigue against him in 
 Fou Cheo. When he had finished silence fell between 
 them for a while. 
 
 " Son," the captain said at length, " it's been nigh 
 fifty years since a little blue-eyed girl in Maine gripped 
 my life. The tides of the ocean and of the world 
 coursed through my heart. Those were the days when 
 women sometimes stayed at home, and sometimes 
 traveled the far seas with those they loved. We had 
 been sweethearts from childhood. I don't remember 
 the time when she wasn't mine and I hers, and then, 
 son, the day came when I made the first trip down the 
 coast. Gad, those were hard days ! I had fished some 
 and she had never objected, but when I came back this 
 time she said : ' Bill, ye cannot go to sea again.' 
 ' Why? ' I said. * If ye go to sea again, I'll not have 
 ye.' Son, I'll never forget those words. I didn't swear 
 in those days, though I was wild and would dare any- 
 thing. I picked up my hat and said : ' If ye. ever change 
 your mind, let me know.' Son, that's a good many 
 years ago. I've only seen her once, just once, since 
 then. For nearly fifty years she's lived over there in 
 Maine waiting for me to give up the sea, and for fifty 
 years I followed the star out yonder in the north and 
 I've set my course by it. I've lived my life and this
 
 122 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 thing of livin' your own life is a queer thing, son. I've 
 never told this story to anyone, you are the first 
 person in the world who ever dragged it out of my 
 heart. 
 
 "After almost fifty years the keys get pretty rusty, 
 and the locks creak when they turn. It's been hell, 
 and I'd been a different man if she had laid her course 
 this way. I don't believe it's stubbornness when I say 
 to you that if I was to stand back tonight in that little 
 parlor beside the sea, I would not alter my course, for 
 when the tides of the world get to flowin' and a fellow 
 starts to check them or alter them, they force their way 
 over him and engulf him. When I'm gone, my name 
 will be tied up with the river. I've done my work and 
 I hope you won't think it's sacrilegious when I say 
 that I believe I've done the job that God wanted me 
 to do, for I've helped make a pathway across this land, 
 and I wouldn't give it up." 
 
 " There was a word in that story of yours about 
 Madeline and goin' back to her. You've got to decide 
 that. But let me say this to you my advice is to hold 
 to your course, boy. A star somewhere out yonder 
 as the star that set the course for me sets your course. 
 I know it's hard, but stick to it, my friend, though I 
 think that for the man who does it there's not much 
 chance of burning hereafter, for certainly all the flames 
 of hell are playin' over him now. As the one father 
 that you've got now, since the other kicked you out, 
 I say, keep to the trail that you've chosen. Follow it 
 and live your life. Let's turn in."
 
 XVIII 
 TWO VIEWS OF LIFE 
 
 THE Stewarts had left China and returned to 
 New York, while Paul was fighting the decision 
 to remain in China, and taking his brief vaca- 
 tion with Captain Jenkins. They had come to China 
 questioning the validity and usefulness of missions and 
 had left it believing in them, and giving large sums of 
 money to their advancement. 
 
 Richard Stewart went back resolved to win Robert 
 Redmond to his, Stewart's, opinion of Paul, and 
 Frances was determined to make Madeline see her mis- 
 take, and, if possible, to prevail upon her to correct it. 
 
 Stewart waited only a day or two after he reached 
 New York before sending in his card to Mr. Red- 
 mond, who saw him at once, for he was anxious to ask 
 Mr. Stewart whether he knew the facts of the story 
 which had disturbed him greatly, and to know if, in 
 the later months, there had been any more gossip. 
 
 The two men were of different type, one, business 
 had hardened and made selfish, the other, it had broad- 
 ened and impressed with the responsibility of his 
 wealth. 
 
 " I have come to talk to you about Paul," Mr. Stew- 
 art said after the first greeting. 
 
 " I hope you have not come to plead for him," re- 
 
 123
 
 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 plied Redmond. There was a suspicion of contempt 
 in his voice. 
 
 " Well, I am not here at his request that is one 
 very certain thing. He would have forbidden it if he 
 had known that I was coming here to speak in his 
 behalf. Nevertheless I feel that, after the years of 
 acquaintance, I should be recreant if I did not come 
 to tell you something about your son. I understand 
 you have disinherited him." 
 
 " I have." 
 
 " Then, let me tell you, you have disinherited one of 
 the great men of today, one who will bring great honor 
 to the Redmond name, and who will be remembered 
 long after your wealth is forgotten. He is one of the 
 empire builders of the world and is going to leave his 
 mark, not alone upon the country for which he is now 
 laboring, but on others ; for the things he is now doing 
 will affect all nations." 
 
 " I do not understand your employing such extrava- 
 gant language." 
 
 " I speak in this way because the facts demand it 
 because I have been where Paul lives and have seen 
 him at his work." 
 
 For fully half an hour, in straight, direct language, 
 Richard Stewart told Robert Redmond of his son's 
 work and influence. He made no reference to Made- 
 line or to the rumors that had spread so rapidly over 
 the East. At times during the recital the father's 
 heart called out for his son and glowed under the 
 praise Richard Stewart bestowed upon him. There 
 was one fact, however, that stood out prominently in
 
 TWO VIEWS OF LIFE 125 
 
 his mind that Paul had disobeyed him, and must be 
 punished for it. 
 
 Mr. Redmond listened in silence during the greater 
 part of Mr. Stewart's description of Paul's work, only 
 now and then asking a question in order to gain a 
 clearer understanding of what it was. 
 
 " Mr. Stewart," he finally said, " I thank you for 
 bringing this word to me about my son, but I have 
 waited patiently for you to tell me something about 
 the rumor that has spread over the East and that has 
 reached us about him." 
 
 " You have heard it, then ? " 
 
 " Yes, I have heard it," replied Mr. Redmond. 
 
 " We did not pay any attention to it," explained Mr. 
 Stewart. " We were in Yokohama the day the break 
 came between Paul and Madeline, and afterwards vis- 
 ited Paul in Fou Cheo twice. Everywhere in China 
 people laugh at this story, except those who are enemies 
 of missions. Of course these try to make capital out 
 of it." 
 
 Mr. Redmond was silent for a moment. Then he 
 said : " Mr. Stewart, I believe there has been some talk 
 of Paul marrying your daughter, and I am wondering 
 if that is why you are here today speaking in such 
 extravagant terms of him." 
 
 Stewart gew intensely angry. His eyes blazed. 
 " It is not," he replied with considerable heat. " I 
 know that Paul and Frances are very good friends, 
 but as to any thought of marriage between them I can 
 say to you that there is nothing in it. While we were 
 in Fou Cheo, Paul and Frances were the best of friends
 
 126 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 only, and that is what they are now. Of all the young 
 men I have known he is one of the most honorable, and 
 I feel that you do him a great injustice when you give 
 any countenance to the rumor. Furthermore, I can as- 
 sure you very definitely that you do both Frances and 
 myself an injustice when you intimate that there is an 
 ulterior motive in my coming to you to speak in your 
 son's behalf." 
 
 At almost the same hour that this conversation was 
 taking place, Madeline and Frances came face to face in 
 one of the great stores of the city. Each hesitated for 
 a moment, for they were unprepared for the meeting. 
 It was Frances who spoke first. 
 
 " Madeline," she said, " I know you were in the 
 East, and that we were in the same city on the same 
 day. But after the things I heard I could not come to 
 see you." 
 
 Madeline searched her face closely, trying to find 
 some trace of the old friendship that had existed be- 
 tween them. But she found nothing but condemna- 
 tion. 
 
 " Then you mean to say that you sanctioned Paul's 
 outrageous conduct in kissing that woman, and stay- 
 ing out in that awful land, when I need him at home ? " 
 
 " How can you put it that way, Madeline ? Even 
 the rumor of the East is more charitable than you are, 
 for it says she kissed him. But let me say this I did 
 not care enough about the rumor even to investigate it. 
 I met Paul in the hotel after he left you, and he was 
 brokenhearted, so I did not ask him to explain, and I 
 only told him, as a word of comfort, that I trusted him.
 
 TWO VIEWS OF LIFE 127 
 
 In the months that followed, while I was with him, he 
 talked of you constantly, and there was no word of 
 blame from him. He needs the faith of those who 
 love him and of his friends." 
 
 " You told him that after he left me ? " 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " Then, why don't you marry him ? " 
 
 " For one reason, at least, he has not asked me." 
 
 " But you would marry him ? " 
 
 " I do not care to answer that question, although I 
 was willing to answer the other one. But let me say 
 this to you, Madeline, and I think I have a right to 
 say it. You have missed the opportunity of your life. 
 You thought you knew Paul, but you did not, and 
 neither you nor I, nor any other woman of the pleasure- 
 loving set that we have been reared in, are worthy to 
 do the most menial thing for him. While he is a man 
 of our set, he is not a man of our kind. He is far above 
 us both. A moment ago you asked me if I would 
 marry him and I will answer you. I do not believe 
 he will ever marry anyone, for he has enshrined you 
 in his heart, he has made of you something which 
 you are not, but if he should ask me, I do not think 
 I could ever marry him for I do not believe a girl 
 such as I is good enough for him, and I do not be- 
 lieve I could do the work that his wife ought to do 
 in that land of opportunity." 
 
 " Oh, Frances, we are not so far apart as it may 
 seem. It was not only the woman, but that strange 
 country out there and the utter difference in the kind 
 of life that frightened me. I felt about as you do, and
 
 128 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 told Paul that there was nothing for me to do but to 
 offer that if he would come back to New York I would 
 marry him." 
 
 Frances smiled. 
 
 " Ah, Madeline," she said, " there is everything for 
 you to do. It isn't the question of nothing to do, but 
 the lack of desire to do it. If you had married Paul, 
 and had gone willingly to help him in his task, how 
 much you could have found to do for the women of 
 China. The men of that country have for centuries 
 been supreme except now and then when some 
 woman has flashed into prominence or has had thrust 
 upon her a great position, when in every instance she 
 displayed ability beyond that of the men. The woman- 
 hood of China calls for women who are willing to pay 
 the price. But more than that, Madeline one of the 
 best men who has ever lived calls for you. I hope 
 that God will forgive you for the sorrow you have 
 brought into his life, and I pray also that Paul may 
 forgive you, but I don't believe I ever can."
 
 XIX 
 
 SEEKING THE ETERNAL 
 
 WHAT time Frances Stewart and her father 
 were pleading Paul's cause in New York, he, 
 himself, was engaged in an endeavor to en- 
 list Chu more definitely on the side of Christianity. He 
 had never tried to persuade Chu by words or argument 
 to become a Christian, for he felt that if the Oriental 
 ever came to the point where he was seriously consid- 
 ering Christianity, he himself would speak of it. They 
 had often talked together about the deeper things of 
 life and Chu had asked many questions. He had be- 
 come almost as familiar with the Bible as he was with 
 his own classics. He told Paul that before he knew 
 him he had looked upon Christianity as a proselyting 
 force, and had never thought of it as playing a part 
 in revolutionizing national life. " You must concede," 
 he would say, " that many so-called Christian nations 
 are failing to carry out the principles of your Christ, 
 for how can a nation that calls itself Christian take 
 advantage of a weak country, as nearly all the nations 
 have taken advantage of China? Why do they use 
 force when they ought to use love? How can they 
 permit the things within their own border which obtain 
 there? Why do they allow whiskey and opium, and 
 such things, bearing the stamp and approval of their 
 
 129
 
 130 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 governments, to be sent out to nations that are not 
 Christian ? " 
 
 Paul's first inclination was to apologize for the coun- 
 tries which came under Chu's just reproach, but under 
 his keen questioning he realized as never before, that 
 these nations were not really Christian, and that their 
 habits of life were detrimental to the cause and spread 
 of Christianity. 
 
 At the close of one Lord's Day, when many in- 
 quirers had been baptized, Chu was sitting with Paul 
 in his little study. 
 
 " Chu," Paul said, " I am wondering why Chris- 
 tianity does not appeal to you why you have never 
 thought of coming to us. Others are coming, most 
 of them from lower classes than yours." 
 
 " My friend," Chu answered, " do you think I could 
 have lived with you and not thought of this? You 
 must know I have considered it. But I want to ask 
 you whether you think it is as easy for a man of the 
 East to accept Christianity, as it is for one of the 
 West?" 
 
 " No, I do not think it is, and I want you to know 
 that I appreciate the difficulties you face. But it seems 
 to me that the time has come when this question can 
 no longer be avoided, when you must think seriously 
 of Christianity as a factor in the future of your nation's 
 life, as well as your individual relationship to it." 
 
 " I have thought of my individual relationship to 
 it," answered Chu, " and I have thought of it in its 
 relation to my country and to other religions. Mr. 
 Redmond, there are several things that keep me from
 
 SEEKING THE ETERNAL 131 
 
 accepting your religion. One is the fact that Chris- 
 tianity does not recognize any good in other religions. 
 Practically every man who preaches Christianity con- 
 demns all others and accepts nothing from them. What 
 are you going to do with the great men that China 
 has produced? In what place will you put Confucius 
 and Laotz? The attitude of Christianity to the mem- 
 ory of my ancestors is most difficult for me, for I 
 cannot turn my back upon all the past, the past that 
 has made me, that is responsible largely for what I 
 am. Then, again, it is most difficult for me, and for 
 those of other Eastern religions when we look on what 
 you call your denominations. If Christ is one, why 
 should there be so many divisions among his followers ? 
 Why do you divide into sects and write creeds? It 
 is all very confusing to an Oriental mind, and if Chris- 
 tianity is so vital that it is to be carried to the ends 
 of the earth, why do the nations who are called Chris- 
 tian live so utterly out of harmony with the gospel of 
 your Christ ? You know, my friend, that I honor your 
 life and approve it, but you are one of the few so- 
 called Christians whose lives I can approve, and in 
 whom we believe we see the real exponents of the doc- 
 trines of Jesus Christ. But the thing that troubles me 
 is how to reconcile doctrine and life." 
 
 Such discussions now became almost a matter of 
 daily occurrence and Paul knew that Chu was facing 
 the real issue. He knew that the man honored the 
 New Testament, and had come to believe in Christ and 
 His mission to the world; but he also knew that there 
 were many elements of the old faith which he could
 
 132 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 not give up. Paul explained to him that all he would 
 have to abandon in his old belief were the things that 
 were false, but wherever the religions of China, and 
 Confucianism in particular, contained a great truth, he 
 should cling to it; that Christianity was great enough 
 and broad enough in its principles, to embrace the 
 truths of all other religions. 
 
 He was very patient with Chu on the question of 
 ancestral-worship. Paul had come to have an utterly 
 different conception of this worship than he had had 
 when he first came to China. He knew that many 
 deified their ancestors, but not all, and as he talked 
 with Chu he discovered a clear distinction between 
 holding in honorable memory those who had gone be- 
 fore, and making gods of them. 
 
 Two things seemed to disarm Chu more than any- 
 thing else. One was Paul's frank acceptance of the 
 fact that Christians were not living as near to the ideals 
 of Christ as they should; the other was his utter repu- 
 diation of denominationalism. Paul had expressed his 
 hope that the day would come when all the churches 
 of Christendom would be united. In one of his appeals 
 to Chu he said that he believed that this unity was fast 
 coming to pass in China. He pointed out the fact that 
 all the denominations were accepting a common nomen- 
 clature, that the distinctions that held in the Western 
 nations were disappearing, and that as they faced the 
 common task of a nation's regeneration, they were 
 having common interests in education, medicine and 
 literature. All of this appealed to Chu, for, with his 
 usual insight, he at once saw that if Christianity was
 
 SEEKING THE ETERNAL 133 
 
 to minister adequately to China's national life, it must 
 do it in a united way. 
 
 One night he came to Paul. " My friend," he said, 
 " you know I would do anything for you, but of course 
 you would not want me to take this step for you alone. 
 I know very well that you want it to be a matter of 
 conscience, that you want me thoroughly to believe in 
 it. You have convinced me on most of the things 
 we have talked about, but there are one or two facts 
 which I feel you must know before I can become a 
 Christian. First of all, I want you to know that I 
 am a revolutionist." He paused for a moment, for this 
 was a revelation, and Paul was amazed at this side 
 of his friend that he had not glimpsed. 
 
 " I do not look upon the Emperor as the Son of 
 Heaven," he went on. " I believe that the present 
 regime in China must pass, that the Manchu dynasty 
 must disappear, and in order to accomplish this some 
 of us must take a very prominent part in overthrow- 
 ing it. In doing so I am afraid that, as a Christian, 
 I might bring the faith into disgrace. I love my 
 country. I have loved you because you love it; but 
 I wonder if you realize that Christianity is at utter 
 variance with all the principles upon which a govern- 
 ment like ours is founded. It is more so than many 
 men from the West realize, yet I appreciate that you 
 cannot come out openly and proclaim yourself a revo- 
 lutionist, nor do I want you to, except as your religion 
 teaches the truth. But can I become a Christian and 
 go on doing these secret things, which may eventually 
 overthrow my government ? "
 
 134 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 This revelation troubled Paul a great deal, for it 
 was difficult for him to answer the questions that 
 Chu had raised. He tried to persuade Chu that the 
 right course to pursue would be to work within the 
 government itself and not conspire to overthrow it, 
 but he only smiled. 
 
 " Ah, that shows your ignorance, my friend," he 
 said, " and you will forgive me for speaking so 
 plainly. When that terrible event of 1900 occurred, 
 the people of your country and other foreign lands said 
 that the Empress Dowager was crazy. The Empress 
 Dowager was the seer of her age. She knew that if 
 Christianity was not expelled from China, the doc- 
 trines of Christianity would one day drive the Manchu 
 dynasty from its throne. And it will yet be so. The 
 more Christianity increases, the more the Manchu 
 dynasty must decrease. It is inevitable." 
 
 " Well, then, why not become a Christian if you love 
 your country?" asked Paul. 
 
 "If the rebellion that is sure to come should fail, 
 then I, as a Christian, would bring harm to others of 
 like faith. When I become a Christian, it will not be 
 merely to accept its doctrines, but its life. I believe 
 Confucianism and other religions where they are true, 
 but they do not vitalize life. Confucianism is five 
 hundred years older than Christianity. Buddhism 
 came at the very time Christ was doing his work in 
 the little country that you call the Holy Land. Yet 
 these religions have not cleaned the streets, they have 
 not stamped out the opium curse, they have not done 
 the things that China needs to have done for its life.
 
 SEEKING THE ETERNAL 135 
 
 I believe in the doctrines of Christianity, but, my 
 friend, it is the life and the practical living of it that 
 is vital to me. I have grown to love your Christ so 
 much that I would not want to dishonor his name in 
 the expression of love for my country." 
 
 Chu did not yield at once. He never did anything 
 in a hurry. The whole training of his race was against 
 it. He finally asked Paul if he could spare him for 
 several weeks, as he wanted to go home. Paul knew 
 he would not make that request if it were not im- 
 portant, so he helped him to start at once. He waited 
 eagerly for the return of his friend, for he missed him 
 greatly. When he came his father came with him. 
 Paul had met the elder Chu many times, and he was 
 glad to see him again, for he honored the father of 
 such a man as his friend. The old man asked him 
 for an interview, and they went apart at once. His 
 face showed tremendous sorrow. 
 
 " I come today to plead with you for my son," he 
 said. " I come to beg that you will not take him 
 away from the religion of his fathers. I come to ask 
 you to give him back to me." 
 
 Paul was astounded. 
 
 " But I don't want to take your son from you," he 
 replied. " I do not know what you mean." 
 
 " I mean that my son is about to leave us. I under- 
 stand that your father disinherited you because of your 
 fanaticism in coming to China. He was a wise father. 
 You may be doing something for the city I will admit 
 that you are helping to rid China of the opium curse 
 but you are doing a terrible thing when you come
 
 136 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 between father and son. I cannot consent that my 
 son shall become a Christian. In all the history of the 
 Chu family, which runs back in an unbroken line to the 
 days of the Christ you worship, there has never been 
 one who has not been faithful to Confucius. And 
 now, why should you, sir, come and win my son away 
 from me and away from the name of his father? " 
 
 Paul was exceedingly tender with the old man. He 
 tried to show him that it was not an individual matter, 
 but that men, to be true to themselves, must follow 
 the truth as they see it, no matter what it costs them. 
 He realized then that the great heart and brain of his 
 friend were inherited from his father. He had never 
 heard such an argument, he had never known such 
 pleading, he had never seen such wrath. When he 
 left he forbade Chu ever again to use his name, or 
 claim to be his son. 
 
 There was deep sorrow in Paul's heart for his 
 friend. They were drawn even closer together. Chu 
 stood side by side with Paul as a Christian, for both 
 had learned the meaning of Christ's saying : " If ye 
 forsake not father and mother ye are not worthy of 
 me." What a Christian he was! He accepted the 
 life of Christ, and he mingled with it all the mysticism 
 and idealism of the East.
 
 XX 
 
 CHANGING THE OLD 
 
 EVERY barrier that had existed between Paul 
 and Chu was removed by Chu's conversion. 
 They were together constantly. Paul's loneli- 
 ness, his longing for Madeline, and the whole worry 
 and responsibility that had been his, were much light- 
 ened because his friend had become a Christian. 
 
 In the early spring months they walked about the 
 city frequently and often went far into the country. 
 Their usual route was to the west and north of the 
 city, along the canal, and out by the lake. Whenever 
 they walked along the shores of the latter and looked 
 out over its waters, Paul dreamed of the time when 
 it should be drained, but how, he was trying to de- 
 termine. 
 
 He spoke of it to Chu. Since his conversion Chu 
 had become much interested in Paul's plan, and every 
 fear of the wind and water spirits had passed from 
 his mind. This had been replaced by a sort of reck- 
 lessness which sometimes comes to those who adopt a 
 new religion, and his attitude was something like that 
 of the iconoclast, whose desire is to change all institu- 
 tions. 
 
 One night as he talked to Chu of his dream, Paul 
 pointed over the waters. 
 
 " Let us go out there to the tea-house," he said, 
 
 187
 
 138 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 " and see what really needs to be done to this old lake 
 to prevent the floods." 
 
 They followed the cobblestone path until they came 
 to a series of pontoons built out into the lake in the 
 form of a walk three boards in width. Over these 
 pontoons, which rested on small boats, and which 
 could be swung open when necessary, they passed to 
 the little tea-house built on stilts in the water. The 
 tea-house is the forum of China. Here, during the 
 day, the news of the crowded streets is interchanged; 
 at night it is a place of popular resort, built out upon 
 the lake. They found very few people in the little tea- 
 house on the lake at that early hour in the afternoon. 
 The painted dancing girls passed them closely where 
 they sat, with the evident desire of obtaining a closer 
 view of the handsome young foreigner. Other for- 
 eigners had been there, but they did not look like this 
 one, and the word ran about that this was Mr. Red- 
 mond, the man who had fought opium and cholera. 
 These women, who had only known foreigners of low 
 motives, looked with wonder upon the man whom they 
 knew to be doing so many things for the city of Fou 
 Cheo. 
 
 The proprietor of the tea-house came to them and 
 bowed politely, for he knew that Redmond was fast 
 becoming a man of influence in the city. He told Paul 
 that he wanted him to be his guest as he drank his cup 
 of tea. Paul smiled. " Thank you," he said, " but 
 that would be impossible. I have invited my friend 
 here to drink with me." 
 
 They sat near one of the open windows over a table
 
 BUT HOW CAN IT BE DRAINED? " CHU ASKED, " THIS 
 WATER IS ALWAYS HERE*'
 
 CHANGING THE OLD 139 
 
 inlaid with mother of pearl, and looked out over the 
 broad expanse of shallow water. 
 
 "But how can it be drained?" Chu asked, "this 
 water is always here." 
 
 " I don't know exactly," Paul answered truthfully, 
 " but I'm sure it can be done. Every bit of this land 
 can be reclaimed, and think how fertile it would be! 
 Think of the rich soil that has been carried all these 
 centuries into this lake. It must be drained." 
 
 They discussed the system of canals that ran to the 
 great river far back into the interior, touching even 
 the Yellow River in the far north. 
 
 " But is this your business ? " asked Chu. " You 
 came out to make this land Christian. Is it a part of 
 Christianity to give back land to the people ? " 
 
 Redmond laughed. 
 
 " It may not have been recognized as a part of the old 
 Christianity," he said, " but the religion of today con- 
 nects itself absolutely with every part of a man's life. 
 You know how those streets back yonder in Fou Cheo 
 smell with their wretched surface sewers. You know 
 that at four o'clock in the afternoon you cannot pass 
 over them. That must be changed. When we drain 
 this lake, we must run a sewer under the city that 
 will carry off the refuse so that it will be impossible for 
 vermin to breed and disease to spread." 
 
 Chu laughed. 
 
 "You can do a lot of things, my friend," he said, 
 " but from the way you dream, I sometimes think you 
 are almost wild." 
 
 They left the tea-house and were escorted to the
 
 140 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 very edge of the lake by the proprietor. This dream 
 had become a fixed passion with Paul, and he was 
 laying his plans actually to begin the work and not to 
 wait any longer. But it was the spring of the year. 
 That very night the rains began to fall not little 
 spring showers, but the rains that melt the snow far 
 up in the mountains and hills, the rains that come from 
 skies loosed and unfettered. Paul was crushed and 
 discouraged, for he realized that the floods, which had 
 come and gone during the centuries, were again 
 threatening the city and the district. He hoped, how- 
 ever, that it would not be serious. He had not experi- 
 enced any dangerous flood since he came to Fou Cheo, 
 but now he dreaded the one that he knew was ap- 
 proaching.
 
 XXI 
 
 THE SOUND OF MANY WATERS 
 
 TO the west of the city of Fou Cheo several 
 canals and a little river came together. Here 
 a small town had been built, the trade of which 
 consisted largely in supplying the boatmen who trav- 
 eled the canals and the river and stopped there to 
 procure supplies. Only a few nights after Chu and 
 Paul had talked about the draining of the lake, the 
 dikes in the far district suddenly gave way. The 
 canals ran full, and with great rapidity and without 
 warning, the waters rushed down upon the city of Fou 
 Cheo. The flood came while the boatmen and their 
 families were quietly sleeping in hundreds of little 
 house boats that nestled at the mouth of the canals. It 
 struck them with a tremendous force, that could be 
 likened to the blow of Hercules. At first they felt 
 only an unusual rocking of the boat, and a few of the 
 men, believing that rain was approaching, covered their 
 sails with bamboo matting. The next moment, how- 
 ever, the water came out of the night with a mighty 
 rush, destroying everything before it. The boats were 
 jumbled and thrown together, one on top of the other, 
 and the oncoming water, as if angry at this obstruction 
 in its wa*y, seized the little boats by the hundreds and 
 flung them out of the canal into the larger channel, 
 where, before they could be righted or rescued, men 
 
 141
 
 142 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 and women were struggling in the night, calling for 
 their children and crying to their gods. The darkness 
 was intense. Except from the little houses on the 
 shore which were lighted only by candle there was not 
 a ray of light. Pandemonium reigned everywhere. 
 The men able to handle the boats in which they lived 
 all their lives accomplished, in many cases, some well- 
 nigh impossible rescues. But the morning light re- 
 vealed the bodies of women and children who had 
 been lost in the struggle, and here and there the body 
 of a man who had died in an effort to save his family. 
 A few were found unconscious on the banks, but hun- 
 dreds had gone to their death. 
 
 Chu came rushing in with the news that the dike 
 had broken a few miles above the city. The water 
 was escaping with a mighty rush into the already filled 
 canals. Many boats had been overturned and people 
 were drowning near the city. In the city itself the 
 water was rapidly rising. 
 
 " I am told that farmers are coming in in tubs, on 
 doors, wreckage, and every available thing that will 
 float," Chu said. " Oh, you cannot realize what awful 
 suffering is before my people. You do not know what 
 they will have to endure." 
 
 Together with Chu, Paul went quickly to the 
 scene of disaster. He saw that the water was indeed 
 menacing, and his quickly moving mind grasped the 
 situation. Something must be done and at once. He 
 knew their first problem was to find refuge for the 
 people whose homes were being flooded. How were 
 they to fight the water? If this dike had broken,
 
 THE SOUND OF MANY WATERS 143 
 
 others would break. He hurried to the Yamen, where 
 he found his friend, the magistrate, who, through 
 Paul's influence, had been allowed to remain in the 
 city. Very quickly he pointed out that two or three 
 of the big temples in the city which were on high 
 ground should be vacated and made habitable for the 
 refugees. " But," said the magistrate, " it will require 
 days to get them ready in the manner you have indi- 
 cated, for we move slowly in China." 
 
 " If you will give me the funds I will see that this 
 thing is put through and without graft," said Paul. " I 
 will see that a place is prepared where they can rest 
 safely." 
 
 Then he appealed to the selfish side of the old man's 
 nature. " I will see that this is done," he said, " not 
 in my name, but in yours. Thus you will be honored 
 as never before, because of what you will have done 
 for the people. After all, you know China is like any 
 other country. The people remember only those who 
 do the most to serve. We have often talked about 
 what must be done with this lake and the dikes. We 
 must go today and study the system. We must exam- 
 ine those dikes, the breaking of which would flood the 
 city and the district, and we must work to save them. 
 Perhaps we can't do anything now with those that 
 have already broken, but we must save those that still 
 hold and keep them from collapsing and destroying 
 the city." 
 
 The urgency of the whole situation was upon Paul's 
 soul. At first he was unable to make the magistrate 
 believe that anything could be done. The pioneer
 
 144. THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 spirit within him delighted in the work at hand; of 
 organizing the work of relief and of saving the city. 
 He asked the magistrate to call together a group of the 
 business men, the teachers, the leading Buddhist and 
 Taoist priests, and the old French Catholic priest who 
 resided in the district. 
 
 Meanwhile he secured a boat and went with a few 
 men over several miles of the city. He explained to 
 Chu just what he had in mind to do. 
 
 " But isn't it too late ? " asked Chu. " The water 
 has come." 
 
 " Yes, the water has come," Paul made reply. " But 
 it is not too late to help those who are suffering." 
 
 He found that the water was still rising, which 
 indicated that other dikes had broken. It was now so 
 high that they could easily row across the country in 
 any direction. Their boats were able to cross farms 
 he had often visited. Here and there they picked up 
 people from the tops of houses. Men and women were 
 seen on the tops of straw stacks and on the straw 
 roofs of their mud houses. In the distance he saw 
 buildings crumble away, with people clinging to the 
 roofs and bits of debris. Children were drowning 
 before his eyes. 
 
 One scene occurred which Paul was never to forget. 
 The waters were creeping up around a farmhouse. 
 The father instructed his boy of about ten years of 
 age, to bring to safety the support of the family, a 
 water buffalo. The boy jumped on the back of the 
 hairy, large-horned animal, and started to direct him to 
 safety, when a sudden onrush of waters overturned the
 
 THE SOUND OF MANY WATERS 145 
 
 animal. The boy clung to him with the faithfulness 
 of an officer who has been commissioned to a last duty, 
 but finally he, too, was swept away. Then Paul noticed 
 another object a mangy, ragged dog, swimming 
 toward the boy as he struggled in the water. The dog 
 let the boy sink once or twice, then finally grasped his 
 thick clothing and kept him afloat until Paul and the 
 man in the boat could go to the rescue. Afterwards, 
 Paul learned that the dog had been a stray and a wan- 
 derer, when this boy found him and fed him. Then, 
 when the waters came, the dog remembered his friend 
 and paid his debt. 
 
 The Chinese boatmen did not want to save the dog 
 and started to push him off, but Paul interfered. 
 " He is the hero," he said, " we must save them both." 
 
 Farther out in the district they passed a little steam 
 launch packed to the limit of its capacity. He sent Chu 
 back to the city with the instructions to hire all the 
 launches and boats that he could procure and send them 
 out over the district. 
 
 When Paul returned to the city he was truly a man 
 of sorrow. The sorrows of the past had been largely 
 those which had filled his own life. Those tragedies 
 had helped him better to understand pain and suffer- 
 ing. These new sorrows which were crowding in upon 
 him were the sorrows of others, but he felt them as his 
 own. 
 
 When he reached the Yamen he was surprised to find 
 a large group of representative men awaiting him. He 
 greeted the old Catholic priest cordially. They had 
 met before, but had never been thrown together in
 
 146 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 their work. He outlined in a word to Father Parrish 
 what he wanted to do. 
 
 The old priest listened in silence and then answered : 
 
 " My son, I rejoice in this great plan. I am glad 
 you have influence enough with the magistrate to get 
 him to yield to your wishes. You can count upon me. 
 I want to enlist as a private in the ranks and will be 
 glad to go out and do anything that I can. For half 
 a century I have labored with these people. They are 
 truly my people. I have seen floods come and go, and 
 we have helped only our own people. It seems almost 
 impossible for you to do all that you desire, but in 
 this modern time men are accomplishing the apparently 
 impossible in business and in science, and why should 
 we not work the impossible for God ? " 
 
 The magistrate spoke first. He told the business 
 men that something must be done. 
 
 " You know," he said, " the government usually 
 appropriates enough money to provide a small bowl of 
 rice a day, but this young man who has led us in re- 
 forms, is urging us to undertake something that is 
 really worth while. I am going to ask him to speak 
 at this time." 
 
 Paul had not intended to talk, but he now stood 
 before them, and in the simplest Chinese explained 
 what he had in mind. He burned into their minds the 
 tragedies occurring in the district, with which most 
 of them were familiar, and, taking a rough piece of 
 charcoal, he outlined on a piece of paper the city and 
 the district. He then showed them where the dikes 
 had broken, and pointed out where others were dan-
 
 THE SOUND OF MANY WATERS 147 
 
 gerous. He convinced them that these must be saved, 
 while the work of rescue and relief went on. 
 
 With his quick business instinct he also estimated 
 the expense. The magistrate designated the sum that 
 he would give. Paul turned to the rich men of the 
 district, with whom he had had little in common, and 
 said: 
 
 " I know that this good friend of mine intends to 
 give liberally, but I don't want him to give it all." 
 
 The next few moments of that meeting were to be 
 recorded in the history of the city. The sum of money 
 subscribed seemed fabulous to that group of men. 
 
 In the midst of the pledging the rich man, who had 
 taken note of the amount given, said : 
 
 " Mr. Redmond, may I say just one word? For a 
 long time I have realized that the kind of work you 
 want to do is sadly needed. Not only must present 
 relief be given, but a great deal will remain to be done 
 after the water has subsided, so for every dollar that 
 the magistrate and the others give, I will give a 
 dollar." 
 
 The group of rich and cultured men broke into ap- 
 plause. Paul, displaying his Occidentalism, wept in 
 the presence of them all. 
 
 The old French priest stood up and said : 
 
 " You know that many times Protestants and Cath- 
 olics have been enemies, but I want you to know that 
 the work of this young man has my approval, and I 
 am willing to go out there to the dikes as a laborer 
 and do anything that he tells me to do." 
 
 "And I" "And I" "And I" came from
 
 148 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 many. Men who had never toiled a day in their lives 
 stood up declaring they would go anywhere and 
 do anything that this young man, " their general," as 
 they called him, suggested. Paul was greatly moved 
 by this demonstration, but it was not a time for emo- 
 tion. 
 
 " Men," he said, " we must have a committee to 
 handle this large sum of money also a treasurer." 
 
 A committee was soon appointed. The rich man of 
 the district came forward again. 
 
 " Friends," he said, " you know what a vast sum of 
 money we will have to turn over, because of what has 
 been subscribed and what will be subscribed. There 
 is only one man who can be treasurer, and that man 
 is Mr. Redmond. I move that, therefore, we make him 
 the treasurer of this committee." 
 
 The committee appointed represented the wealthy 
 class, the literati, the elders of the city and the officials. 
 Many of these men knew how the hilltop priest had 
 fought Paul and planned to undermine his influence 
 and even to destroy him. No native priest had been 
 named. Paul pointed him out. 
 
 " I want my good friend here," he said, " the hill- 
 top priest, to be placed on this committee, for we are 
 going out in the name of all classes and all religions 
 to save the city." 
 
 If there had been any question as to his leadership, 
 or the success of his plans, that doubt was now re- 
 moved. They cheered him because they all recognized 
 his act as the moving of a magnanimous spirit, re- 
 turning good for evil.
 
 THE SOUND OF MANY WATERS 149 
 
 There was little time for rest or sleep during the 
 next few days. From the leading men of the city 
 Paul picked out those who he thought could accom- 
 plish what they had set out to do, and placed in their 
 hands his carefully-laid plans. To one he explained 
 his drawing of the proposed refugee camps. It was 
 crude, but it included a well thought-out plan for sani- 
 tation. He tried to place the refugees in various parts 
 of the city, out of the reach of high water. The work 
 of feeding them was one of the most difficult tasks. 
 He knew that at this point graft was liable to enter, 
 so he put Chu in direct charge of it. He told Chu 
 very plainly why he was appointing him to handle the 
 money, and see to the feeding of the people. 
 
 " You must take a receipt for every penny," he im- 
 pressed upon him. " You must keep a full statement 
 of money expended so that we can afterwards post it 
 on the city wall. Already we have heard intimations 
 of the probability of graft entering into the financial 
 end of this project. I am going to show them that 
 at least one enterprise in China can be carried on 
 without it. I am going to put the hilltop priest on the 
 committee with you. You know the proverb says 
 that ' to close the mouth of an enemy is to do more 
 than destroy the walls of his camp.' ' 
 
 Paul remained constantly in direct charge of the 
 work, going twice a day to all the camps, where the 
 people were being fed in the morning and in the after- 
 noon. He had estimated how much was required to 
 sustain life and they were giving ample rations. 
 
 The Chinese doctor was also doing heroic work. In
 
 150 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 spite of all his precautionary measures in the handling 
 of ten thousand people, disease was slowly creeping 
 into the camp, and the work was becoming more com- 
 plicated. 
 
 Paul's influence had grown marvelously, and the 
 demands upon him were greater than ever. Yet the 
 great unselfish service he was rendering these people 
 was, even then, being misconstrued. Some there were 
 who questioned his motive, giving him credit for noth- 
 ing, beyond a spirit of self-seeking and aggrandize- 
 ment.
 
 XXII 
 THE SERVICE OF SALVATION 
 
 THE waters had receded, and, together with 
 some of the men who had led in the work of 
 rescue, Paul made a careful survey of the whole 
 district. He knew that if the enormous task of re- 
 building the dikes was to be accomplished, he must 
 enlist a large number of workmen. His hope, of 
 course, was in the thousands of refugees who had 
 gathered in the camps. Up to this time he had not 
 mentioned his plan to drain the lake, for it would 
 necessarily have brought about an opposition, which 
 would have been fatal to his scheme. He went to the 
 magistrate and again told him of his plans. Formerly 
 the magistrate had considered them too Utopian, and 
 had never given them serious thought. But now that 
 this young man had succeeded so well, he was pre- 
 pared to listen the more eagerly to him. 
 
 " But to whom shall this land belong ? " he asked 
 Paul. " It is close to the city, really a part of it, and 
 is very valuable land. What can we do with it ? " 
 
 " There is only one thing to be done, it must be given 
 to the poor people who have been driven from their 
 homes, and in this way we can keep it clear from 
 graft." 
 
 He asked the magistrate not to mention his plan 
 until he had an opportunity to talk with some of the 
 
 151
 
 152 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 other leaders, and he went at once to the rich man of 
 the district. 
 
 " I want your support in a great enterprise that I 
 have in mind," he said. 
 
 He then pointed out the lake on a map and ex- 
 plained why he thought its drainage was necessary, 
 and what it would accomplish how it would prevent 
 a repetition of the recent catastrophe, and reclaim a 
 large tract of valuable land. He even showed him 
 what an underground sewer a thing then unheard of 
 in China would do if it could be built in connection 
 with draining the lake. 
 
 " But let me say right here," and Paul was em- 
 phatic in his statement " Let me say right here that 
 this land should go to the people who have lost their 
 homes it belongs to them. All of this work has been 
 carried on for the poor people of the district, and we 
 must continue to carry it on for them." 
 
 The rich man hesitated for a moment. Then he 
 spoke : " My friend," he said, " you are teaching us 
 the practice of unselfishness, for in the past we thought 
 only of securing things for ourselves, but it is true 
 that we are now coming to feel that only when we help 
 others are we doing a real service." 
 
 With the magistrate and the man of wealth back of 
 him, Paul carried his plan to others. Many of the 
 priests opposed it, but the people treated their opposi- 
 tion with derision. 
 
 " One day we would have listened to you," they said, 
 " one day we would have supported you in your oppo- 
 sition, but now we are very sure that the spirits of
 
 THE SERVICE OF SALVATION 153 
 
 the lake are willing, and we are not afraid that the 
 wind and water spirits will hinder us. We believe 
 they bless us, for in the past this lake has been the 
 cause of a great deal of destruction of property, and 
 we must not let it happen again." 
 
 Belief in the influence of the wind and water gods 
 is one of the deepest founded superstitions of Chinese 
 life. It is the common belief that to disturb either the 
 wind or the water is to set restless forces in motion 
 that bring destruction. Thus, while some of the lead- 
 ers were convinced that the lake should be drained, the 
 project was not to go forward without bringing a 
 multitude of questions to the minds of the people. 
 
 Paul was wise enough to send for a skilful engineer 
 and the cost of the project was carefully estimated. 
 The man marveled much when he learned that the 
 project was not to profit Paul financially. He at once 
 confirmed the missionary's opinion that the land would 
 be the most valuable and the richest in all the district; 
 valuable because of its proximity to the city, and rich 
 because of the deposits left upon it by the waters. 
 
 " I do not want a foot of it, or a dollar that shall 
 come out of it," Paul told the engineer, " for I am 
 doing this for the people, and those who come out 
 here to do this kind of work must not profit thereby 
 or their influence will be lost." 
 
 An army of almost ten thousand men moved out 
 into the country. Those in charge went with a double 
 commission first, to build a great dike; second, to 
 build it well. The dike was to be five feet higher than 
 the highest rise of water recorded in the history of the
 
 154 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 district, and it was to be strong enough easily to with- 
 stand any possible flood. 
 
 Paul had thoroughly organized his corps of men. 
 Those employed as laborers were the famine and flood 
 refugees. They were substantial men of the district, 
 and this employment was enabling them to care for 
 their families, for they were paid a small sum besides 
 being fed and housed. They knew that they were help- 
 ing to save their homes for the long future, and put 
 their hearts into the work. 
 
 It was a queer-looking procession that moved out 
 along the broken dikes and banks of the river and 
 canal. The central force was Redmond he was every- 
 where. The men were clad in blue muslin trousers 
 and while working, were bared to the waist. In the 
 throng were hundreds of women who had been accus- 
 tomed to working in the rice and wheat fields, and who 
 were glad to receive daily rice and the few cash that 
 the work afforded. They went out carrying the straw 
 matting that had been purchased, and in a brief time 
 the camp was completed. The little huts were only 
 about five feet at the highest point, and the beds were 
 of straw, thrown upon the ground. The early light 
 (for the Chinese are the earliest risers in the world) 
 found them moving out to their work. 
 
 Mud from the bottom of the rice fields and canals 
 was carried in wicker baskets, and piled and pounded 
 by shovels until no water that might come could 
 break it. 
 
 The foreign engineer laughed as he remarked that 
 if this dike were to be built in America tens of thou-
 
 THE SERVICE OF SALVATION 155 
 
 sands of dollars would be used for dredges, pile 
 drivers, etc., while here, this ragged, hungry army 
 went, out with spades, carrying poles, wicker baskets 
 and picks, to dig, to fight quicksand, and to build that 
 which would save homes and protect crops for years 
 to come. 
 
 The building of the dikes took up the greater part of 
 the summer and fall. In connection with the reclaimed 
 land, Paul went to the Governor and proposed a re- 
 forestation of the district, which that functionary 
 promised would be undertaken. 
 
 Through this vast army of men the familiar figure 
 of the old evangelist moved constantly, for he was 
 telling them a different story from any he had ever 
 related as a story-teller, he was telling them of God 
 and of Christ. They listened intently and day after day 
 the point was made: 
 
 " Do you want to know why this young man is 
 doing this for you? Let me tell you why. It is be- 
 cause his doctrine and his religion demand service." 
 
 The work had gone on splendidly for some time, 
 when one day Chu came to Paul with a rumor. 
 
 " I am greatly disturbed by the things I hear," he 
 said. " Some of the men who have been placed over this 
 work are demanding that the laborers pay them a 
 certain percentage. What the Chinese call the 
 ' squeeze ' is being used, and out of this vast work 
 someone is going to grow rich. The men are saying 
 that you are demanding this money. I know it is not 
 true, but something must be done to stop the rumor 
 at once."
 
 156 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 Paul was troubled, and immediately set to work to 
 locate the source, moving carefully but surely. He 
 suspected the rumor came from a group of priests who 
 were jealous of his remarkable success. He consulted 
 the old Catholic father. 
 
 " My boy," said Father Parrish, " I have often mar- 
 veled that it did not come sooner. But now that it 
 has come we will fight it together." 
 
 After much searching Paul found that his surmise 
 was a correct one. It was the priests who were re- 
 sponsible for the rumors. 
 
 " I feel that the hilltop priest is the chief culprit," 
 said Paul. 
 
 " That cannot be," answered Chu, " for I have won- 
 dered at his friendship and his loyalty, and I believe 
 the trouble starts with someone else." 
 
 With Western directness Paul called in the priest. 
 
 " I simply want to ask you about this thing I hear," 
 he said, " I want to know the truth." 
 
 " My friend," said the priest, " for you are now my 
 friend, I confess that some of the priests are at the 
 back of this, and I will not be a traitor and betray 
 them. But I assure you I am not one of them. Do 
 you remember the little boy who was swept from the 
 back of the water buffalo, well, he and the others 
 that you saved that morning, were among my family. 
 The priest of every religion goes out from home, but 
 where is the man who does not want those from whom 
 he came to live and be happy ? You saved mine, we 
 cannot be enemies, we must be friends." 
 
 He outlined very clearly where the whole difficulty
 
 THE SERVICE OF SALVATION 157 
 
 lay, and this enabled Paul to stamp out a scheme of 
 graft such as he had never before encountered, for a 
 man of the Occident can scarcely realize the extent 
 to which this form of bribery enters into everything 
 in the Orient. 
 
 The weeks went on and the dike was nearing com- 
 pletion when Paul noticed that they were building a 
 structure in connection with it which was not a part of 
 the original plan. He tried to find out what it was, 
 and was told that he must not ask. He was fearful 
 that they were building an idolatrous temple to the 
 wind and water gods. When he asked Chu, the only 
 answer he received was : " It is not that. But you 
 had better not inquire further." 
 
 Then one day they sent for him. That which had 
 mystified him was a tablet placed on the dike, bearing 
 his name, and as he read it he was greatly moved, 
 realizing what it represented. 
 
 "When the lake yonder has been drained," they 
 said, " we will not only put up a tablet, but a pagoda, 
 with your name upon it." 
 
 " No, no, I forbid it. This is enough," said Paul. 
 " I am glad you have seen fit to honor me in this way, 
 but I forbid you to do more, you must not, for I am 
 not doing it for honor." 
 
 They had succeeded in keeping disease out of the 
 camps, but now, just as the dike was completed and 
 the work of draining the lake was commenced, typhus 
 fever broke out. Paul sent at once for Dr. Means, for 
 he wanted his advice as to the best method of combat- 
 ing this dread disease. The good doctor came with his
 
 158 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 usual friendliness and laid out a great plan and made it 
 very clear to Paul that he, too, must be exceedingly 
 careful. 
 
 " Look at yourself," he said. " You're a fine sub- 
 ject for fever now."
 
 XXIII 
 THE PASSION OF REVENGE 
 
 ONE night when the dike-building was at its 
 height, a sallow, slender figure, yet straight as 
 an arrow, came to the door of the mission 
 house. 
 
 " This is a blasted poor place for a white man to 
 live," cried a high-pitched, nasal voice. " Where is 
 that young fool who lives in it ? " 
 
 Paul was resting after a hard day's work, but he 
 sprang to his feet instantly and a glad look came into 
 his tired eyes, as he recognized the voice of Captain 
 Jenkins. He rushed out to greet him and found the 
 old man swearing profusely at the Chinese servant, 
 who was answering him in his native tongue. 
 
 " A man would think you were a criminal of some 
 sort to see you here hiding yourself in such a place 
 as this/' was the captain's greeting. " By gad, this 
 beats the worst picture I've drawn of this damn fool- 
 ishness of yours, and if I don't have you out of this 
 in the next forty-eight hours, my name's not Jen- 
 kins." 
 
 Paul was shaking the old man's hand and there was 
 a suspicion of tears in his eyes, for his joy in seeing 
 him was very real. 
 
 " Who in the name of a torn sail is dead ? What 
 are you crying about?" 
 
 159
 
 160 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 Paul laughed. 
 
 " Well, I see you haven't changed any." 
 
 " Yes, I have," he answered. " I never felt so 
 mean in my life as I feel after comin' up here through 
 all these smells." 
 
 Then his manner softened. 
 
 " Lad, I'm sure glad to see you. I got a lay-off for 
 a few days just to come up and surprise you, for 
 everybody in this whole damn country is talking about 
 what you are doing, and I thought I would come to 
 see if there is really anything in it, or if the whole 
 bunch of them are liars. I wonder if you can find a 
 place to bunk me for a night or two." 
 
 " No. Of course there would be no place in this 
 house for you, so you will have to go to our Astor 
 House or some one of the other hotels in the city," r 
 Paul jested. 
 
 The old man smiled. 
 
 " I'd last in one of the hotels that you have in this 
 town about ten minutes." 
 
 When the servants and helpers about the mission 
 house found out who the old man was, they joined 
 heartily with Paul in his entertainment, for the cap- 
 tain was known to the magistrate and to many of the 
 men of the district who had traveled on his boat. They 
 could not talk to him in English, but they did every- 
 thing possible to show him honor as a friend of their 
 benefactor's. 
 
 The captain went everywhere with Paul, studying 
 the work in which he was engaged, and the latter 
 noticed that he did not condemn missions as much as
 
 THE PASSION OF REVENGE 161 
 
 usual. He went to the camps where the women and 
 children were being fed, and was interested in the 
 construction of the dikes. 
 
 He stood one night with Paul, looking out over the 
 land where the lake had once been. 
 
 " Son," he said, " if this had been done at home the 
 magazines would have made a hell of a man out of 
 you. Some of the enterprises that our country is 
 spendin' big sums of money on can't be compared to 
 this, and here you are, buried in this hole in the ground, 
 workin', workin', workin'. And I guess you're not 
 the only one, lad. All over this land men like you have 
 been doin' this kind of work for all the years that 
 I've been walkin' up and down the deck of my boat 
 cussin' 'em. I've been callin' some of these fellows 
 like Means and others fools, when I've needed to go 
 and look into the glass and see who the damn fool 
 really was." 
 
 Paul placed his hand caressingly on the old man's 
 shoulder. 
 
 " Well," he said, " it is good to know that you are 
 coming to believe in us a little more." 
 
 " Well, boy, I'm like all the rest of those fellows 
 who cuss missions up and down this coast. I've never 
 been in a hospital, I've never been in a school, I've 
 never seen the work. Let the likes of me come and 
 see a work like this, and if they've got an ounce of 
 brains, they'll know who the fools are." 
 
 The captain was now just as violent in his condem- 
 nation of those who criticised missions, as he once 
 jjad been against the missionaries themselves.
 
 162 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 It was during the days of the captain's visit that it 
 was reported to Paul that a great many people were 
 complaining because the lake had been drained. The 
 priests were telling them that the typhus fever had 
 been sent to them because they had disturbed the spirits 
 of the water. 
 
 On the last night of the captain's visit, he and Paul 
 were sitting in the latter's little study when a neigh- 
 bor rushed in, crying out that the dike was being de- 
 stroyed by a mob. Paul could not believe that such 
 a thing was really happening, but servants and others 
 came hurrying to him with the same news. 
 
 He turned to the captain. 
 
 " Stay here until I return," he said. " I am going 
 to look into this." 
 
 " Stay here nothing! " returned the captain. " I'm 
 going with you. Come on." 
 
 They hurried down the streets, gathering friends and 
 neighbors as they went, for the report that a mob was 
 destroying the dike next to the large canal, so that 
 the old lake-bed would be flooded again, spread quickly 
 throughout the city. The magistrate had already com- 
 manded the few soldiers stationed in the city to dispel 
 the mob, and the crowd that gathered and followed 
 them was armed with carrying poles and every other 
 available weapon. 
 
 Paul was surprised to find that the mob bent on the 
 work of destruction consisted of several hundred men. 
 He commanded the soldiers not to shoot unless it was 
 absolutely necessary. When he approached the mob 
 they cried out : " Kill the foreign devil kill him."
 
 THE PASSION OF REVENGE 163 
 
 He saw that persuasion was impossible that the only 
 thing to be done was to drive them off by superior 
 force. 
 
 The captain had not hesitated for a moment, for 
 down through the mob he went, cursing and swearing 
 at the top of his lungs. Paul saw him take a big Colt's 
 revolver from his pocket, and called to him not to shoot. 
 Among those who were trying to destroy the dike Paul 
 heard some talking English and he knew that the 
 enemies who had followed him for so many months 
 were about to accomplish their end. He prayed that 
 in the darkness the captain would not see them, for he 
 remembered his vow that if ever they crossed his path 
 he would kill them, and he knew that the old man's 
 hatred had grown no less, and that he would surely 
 keep his word. 
 
 From the water's edge on one side of the dike, to 
 the mud of the lake-bed on the other, the two opposing 
 factions fought, some armed with staves, others with 
 spades and picks. Men, holding each other by their 
 queues, rolled over and over in the mud, and men in 
 silks fought with men in cotton. The best fighters to 
 save the dike were the women, whose homes would 
 be secure if it were saved. 
 
 Paul shrank from striking these men who had once 
 been his friends, but he was trying to save the dike 
 and at the same time avoid bloodshed as much as possi- 
 ble. He stood on the top of the dike, silhouetted 
 against the sky, when he heard a pistol shot and the 
 whiz of a bullet, and from down in the mud and mire 
 of the dike he heard the voice of the captain.
 
 164 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 " Get down on your face, man," he cried. 
 
 Paul dropped to the ground, and he saw the flash of 
 a revolver as it shot out into the night. It was pointed 
 in the direction of the captain's voice. 
 
 " Ha, it's you, is it ? And you'd kill us here in the 
 night, you damn scoundrels," cried the captain. 
 
 Then Paul heard the captain's revolver, the cry of 
 a man and another shout from the captain. 
 
 " By gad, I've got you at last," he said. " I didn't 
 know when it would be or where. You'd ruin men's 
 reputations, would you? You'd destroy a man's good 
 works? Well, you'll do it no more." 
 
 One of the traffickers was dead. 
 
 The firing of the revolvers had scattered and quieted 
 the mob. Fearing that he had been shot, Paul's friends 
 called out to him. He answered them reassuringly, 
 but his chief concern was for the others who had been 
 hurt. Lanterns were lighted and a search for the 
 wounded of both sides made and preparation begun to 
 carry them to the hospital. 
 
 The captain was silent as he walked in the little 
 procession on its way to the hospital. When he passed 
 into the lighted interior Paul saw that his face was 
 white and drawn. He went quickly to him. 
 
 " What's the trouble? " he asked. 
 
 " Well, I guess you'd better let that pill slinger of 
 yours probe around in one of my wings. Somebody 
 put some lead into my arm." 
 
 Paul was amazed when he realized that the old cap- 
 tain had fought on after he was wounded, and had 
 afterward walked nearly two miles in the darkness.
 
 THE PASSION OF REVENGE 165 
 
 He stood with uncovered head before this man, who 
 had so signally proved his courage and devotion. Men 
 who talk much, suffer in silence. 
 
 " By gad, I had a hunch that I ought to come," said 
 the captain at length. " If I hadn't a-come, they'd 
 a-gotten you, lad; and I'm afraid for you even now, 
 for one of them got away in the dark. Don't think 
 the fight's over. It's only begun." 
 
 As the captain had fought, so could he prophesy.
 
 XXIV 
 GRATITUDE'S EXPRESSION 
 
 CAPTAIN JENKINS stayed only until the doc- 
 tor told him that he could go. Then he went, 
 with many words of caution and advice to 
 Paul. 
 
 The damage that had been done to the dike was 
 quickly repaired, and the scourge of typhus fever 
 seemed now to be under control. 
 
 One morning Paul did not rise fom his bed, and the 
 doctor went to him and examined him thoroughly. 
 When he left the room his face was troubled. 
 
 " Send for Dr. Means at once," he said to Chu. 
 
 Soon the business of the whole city was practically 
 stopped; for down the narrow streets, and into the 
 homes of the rich and of the lowest coolie, ran the 
 sad news that Paul Redmond was ill with typhus fever. 
 On the hilltop, in the dirt and filth of his temple, the 
 priest bowed his head and prayed, " Buddha, may he 
 live may he live." 
 
 Dr. Means came across the country from Nanking 
 on a swift horse. Upon reaching the mission house 
 he found that, although he had neither the daring nor 
 the experience of this veteran of a half of a century, 
 the Chinese doctor had done everything in his power 
 for Paul. In a short time the whole arrangement of 
 the mission house was changed, and a thorough hospi- 
 
 166
 
 GRATITUDE'S EXPRESSION 167 
 
 tal equipment installed. Then the doctor rubbed his 
 hands together as he stood talking to Chu and to the 
 old Catholic priest, who had come immediately upon 
 hearing of Paul's illness. 
 
 " Now for the battle," he said. " We've got a man 
 of splendid physique, but we also have one who is tired 
 and worn, which offers a serious handicap." 
 
 For two whole days Means remained constantly with 
 Paul. " We must have a nurse," he said on the third 
 morning. "A trained woman. Father Parrish can't 
 do it all. He is doing as much as he can, but some- 
 one else must be sent for." 
 
 A few days later a beautiful, sad-faced girl stood at 
 the door of the mission house asking Chu for the 
 doctor. She could not speak Chinese, but Chu had 
 sufficient English to ask her for whom she was looking. 
 
 " I wish to see Dr. Means," she said. " I am a 
 nurse." 
 
 The doctor came to her. " I am a friend of Mr. 
 Redmond's," she said, " and if you will permit me 
 J want to nurse him." 
 
 It seemed extraordinary to the old doctor that this 
 girl should come just at that time, and he wondered 
 who she was, and how she had heard of Paul's serious 
 illness. 
 
 " Are you a trained nurse ? " he chopped out. 
 
 She hesitated a moment. 
 
 " Yes, I have had some training, which I think suffi- 
 cient." 
 
 " I fear that if you are not a graduate nurse you 
 won't do. It is necessary that you should have had
 
 168 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 some experience in nursing typhus fever. Have you 
 ever nursed such a case ? " 
 
 " No, sir, I have not." 
 
 " Well, my dear girl, I'm afraid you won't do. I 
 don't know who you are, and I can take no risks at 
 this time." 
 
 Tears came to the eyes of the girl, and she spread 
 out her hands impulsively. 
 
 " Oh, please do not send me away," she said. 
 " Surely there is something I can do. I will do the 
 most menial work if you will only let me, for Mr. Red- 
 mond once did a great service for me. Now that he 
 is ill, doctor, you will let me endeavor to repay him, 
 won't you ? " 
 
 The old doctor was moved. 
 
 " Well, perhaps I can't do less than to try you. But 
 you will have to obey orders. When you go inside 
 the house, you must remember there must be no dis- 
 play of sentiment." 
 
 " You can count upon it that I will do everything 
 you tell me, doctor," the girl answered eagerly. 
 
 " Well, that's all right. Perhaps you had better tell 
 me who you are." 
 
 She looked steadily into his eyes for a moment. 
 
 " Doctor, my name is Catherine Williams," she said. 
 " Mr. Redmond was a friend to me once when I needed 
 a friend. Is that not enough ? " 
 
 " Well, I suppose it's all I am going to get," was 
 the reply. 
 
 The girl gave close attention to the doctor's instruc- 
 tions, and after the test of the long and anxious weeks
 
 GRATITUDE'S EXPRESSION 169 
 
 which followed was over the doctor recalled that he 
 had never had to repeat his orders. 
 
 The Chinese questioned " Whence came this 
 woman ? Who is she ? " 
 
 " She is a nurse." 
 
 But Father Parrish put to her the question which 
 the doctor had withheld. 
 
 " My child," he asked, " how, and why, did you 
 come ? " 
 
 " I was in Fou Cheo and heard that Mr. Redmond 
 was very ill. At one time in his life he did a great 
 service for me, so I came to see if I could not serve 
 him in return." 
 
 " You have a sad face," said the old priest, " but 
 somehow I believe you are on the path of God." 
 
 " I am," was the simple reply. 
 
 When Catherine Williams first went to Paul's bed- 
 side he was muttering in delirium. Now he was com- 
 manding the army of workmen; again he was talking 
 to the magistrate about the lake; again he seemed to 
 be talking to Chu as they used to chat in his little study; 
 again he was fighting with the old captain to save the 
 dikes; at times his heart reached out over the seas 
 to his father as he called to him by name. But more 
 often it was Madeline whom he named in his mutter- 
 ings. Only occasionally would he recognize the doctor. 
 
 Many people fought for the life of Paul Redmond. 
 The whole city was not only interested, but anxious, 
 and there was always a throng of people at the mis- 
 sion house, inquiring as to his condition. In the early 
 morning the magistrate's chair was daily carried to
 
 170 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN - 
 
 the door, where the official called in person, hoping to 
 be permitted to see the sick missionary. The elders 
 and teachers in their silken robes, the merchants, the 
 hilltop priest, coolies, and mothers with babes, were 
 in the throng that came for news. It soon became nec- 
 essary to send out bulletins reporting his condition, and 
 great throngs pressed about them when they were 
 posted in the large tea-houses of the city. Father Par- 
 rish, who had a large number of Catholic churches 
 under his supervision, sent out appeals to them all. 
 
 " Pray every morning and evening," he told them, 
 " that the life of this young Protestant missionary be 
 spared, if it is according to the will of God." 
 
 In the Protestant homes and chapels, not only in the 
 places where Paul labored, but in neighboring prov- 
 inces where the people knew of his work, daily prayer 
 was offered for his recovery. 
 
 One day Chu brought a piece of astounding news to 
 the doctor. " Truly a miracle has happened," he said. 
 " Something that I have never heard of before in all 
 the history of China has come to pass. This morning 
 fifty business men and merchants not Christians 
 went to the temples in the city and asked the priests 
 to say to their gods that each was willing to give 
 a year of his life to be added to the life of Mr. Red- 
 mond; doctor, will he live?" 
 
 " I can't say whether he will or not, for no man 
 can know that, but we must fight this fever back to 
 normal. Twice I thought we had won, but each time 
 it broke with increased fury, and what the end will 
 be, no one can tell."
 
 GRATITUDE'S EXPRESSION 171 
 
 Catherine Williams was sitting by the bed of the 
 unconscious man. He had recognized her once or 
 twice, and had smiled wanly and thanked her for com- 
 ing. This appreciation had been very dear to Cath- 
 erine. As she sat with him this night the name of 
 Madeline was often upon his lips. He was living again 
 the hour he had gone to her when her mother had 
 died, and she had given herself so entirely to him. 
 His mind wandered back to the time when they had 
 planned the future together and he was again plead- 
 ing with her to follow him on this world trail which 
 he had chosen. He repeated word for word, to the 
 listening girl, his talk with Madeline that day in Yoko- 
 hama, opening to her the door to that part of his life 
 which had seemingly touched hers so incidentally, but 
 which, it was now revealed to her, had affected his 
 life so vitally. Now he was saying things which she 
 knew he had never before uttered. 
 
 " Madeline," he was pleading, " she was only a bit 
 of wreckage floating on the surface of life's ocean. 
 Why should I not have spoken to her? If her grati- 
 tude found expression in the way it did, what mattered 
 it? I shall always be true to you, and how I have 
 suffered no one shall ever know, but I can be truer to 
 you since I have helped a woman who has fallen by 
 the way. It was good of you to come, Madeline " 
 the girl at his side was listening with blanched face 
 and beating heart "it was good of you to come, dear, 
 now that I am ill, and it's good of you to be with me 
 when I shall go on the long voyage." 
 
 Catherine sought to quiet him.
 
 172 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 " Yes, yes, Madeline, I know it will be all right. I 
 will be quiet now. Perhaps I have talked too much, 
 but just kiss me and I'll go to sleep." 
 
 The girl's heart stood still. 
 
 "Why don't you kiss me, dear?" 
 
 She hesitated for a moment, then she pressed her 
 Kps against his hot forehead. He murmured a word 
 of thanks and turned over to sleep the first time in 
 many days. 
 
 When the old priest came to the room in the early 
 hours of the morning to relieve her from her long 
 vigil, he saw that her face was white and drawn, as 
 though she had been crying. 
 
 "Child," he said, "have you been quite careful? 
 We cannot let this disease lay its terrible hand upon 
 you." 
 
 She said nothing, but big tears stood out in her eyes. 
 
 " I do not want to pry into your heart. You are 
 not a Catholic but can I help you? " 
 
 Tremblingly she leaned against the door for sup- 
 port. 
 
 " I wonder if you know who I am," she asked. " I 
 wonder if you know the sorrow I have caused this 
 man." 
 
 " Dr. Means and I have often questioned," he re- 
 plied. " We can see that you come from a home of 
 culture, and we have wondered if you were the girl 
 who came out here and refused to marry him, and 
 then, hearing of his illness, turned again to him in 
 his hour of need ? " 
 
 " No, Father, I am not that girl. But I am the
 
 GRATITUDE'S EXPRESSION 173 
 
 girl whose rash act caused the other woman to turn 
 from him. I am one with a stained past." 
 
 " Child, whatever you may have been, you are true 
 now, and your conduct will be related as was Mary's 
 in the days that are gone. You may have cost him 
 the one that he loved, but Dr. Means says that, should 
 he live, you will have saved his life. Without your 
 tenderness and efficient help, Redmond would undoubt- 
 edly have died." 
 
 Catherine Williams had often tried to pray, but in 
 vain. Now she prostrated herself on her bed and 
 sought her God. When she returned to Paul's room 
 that night, she came unrested, for she had not slept. 
 She came, however, with a peace in her soul she had 
 not known for years. 
 
 " The next forty-eight hours will decide Paul's fate," 
 announced Dr. Means, " and we must fight harder 
 than before. I don't know just what we can do, but 
 we've got to win this battle, somehow." 
 
 The hilltop priest was waiting with Chu, for he 
 had been told that the next few hours would be deci- 
 sive as to whether the missionary would live or die, 
 and Chu saw that his head was bowed. 
 
 " My friend, are you praying for Mr. Redmond ? " 
 he asked. 
 
 An earnest face was lifted to his. 
 
 " Honored Sir, I have caused Mr. Redmond great 
 sorrow," the priest replied. " With others, I tried to 
 blacken his name, even to take his life, and then, when 
 I was unable to do so, and the gods I worshiped failed 
 to help, he came and saved my family. Here I am,
 
 174. THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 still wearing the gray robes of a Buddhist priest. On 
 my head are marks that shall go with me to the grave, 
 the marks of the vows of that priesthood. But I 
 know, and you know, that Buddha is impotent in an 
 hour like this. Mr. Redmond told me that many of 
 the things that Buddha taught are true, but I know 
 that Buddha cannot reach out and save him now in 
 his hour of need." 
 
 " The teachings of Buddha have not kept us from 
 sin, have they? " Chu asked. " We need a personality 
 and a life that will call us to the highest and to the 
 best, and Mr. Redmond has shown us these in the life 
 of Christ. The fact that he not only preached his 
 doctrine, but lived the life, is what won me. Don't 
 pray to your Buddha today, but pray to God in the 
 name of His Christ." 
 
 " I have prayed, and I am praying, and will pray," 
 said the priest. 
 
 Towards morning the magistrate, and one or two 
 others, came to the mission house and silently waited 
 for news. The doctor, Catherine, and the old priest, 
 had been in the sick room for hours. At last the door 
 opened and the nurse stood on the threshold. When 
 the silent watchers turned to look at her, they felt as 
 if they were in the presence of a being from another 
 world. Her face, though beautiful before, was now 
 radiant and glorious. It was the face of one who had 
 dared much in her service, and had won one who 
 had been born again in the struggle of that sick 
 room, who had recognized in that victory a direct 
 answer to her unceasing prayer. None of them could
 
 GRATITUDE'S EXPRESSION 175 
 
 understand her language, but when she went to Chu 
 and took his hand in both of hers, they knew as they 
 gazed into the face that seemed something more than 
 human, that Paul Redmond would live.
 
 XXV 
 A FRIEND IN NEED 
 
 DURING the days that Paul was fighting the 
 typhus and battling his way back to life, one 
 of Frances Stewart's many friends in China, 
 to whom she had said, " I always want to know when 
 Paul needs me," wrote her about his illness. Then 
 when the rumor went out that he could not live, she 
 cabled Frances, believing that she and Paul were 
 something more than friends. When she heard that 
 Catherine Williams was nursing him, she wrote again, 
 knowing that Frances was acquainted with the part 
 that Catherine had played in Paul's life. 
 
 Frances had not seen Madeline often since their 
 first talk in New York after the latter's return from 
 China. But now that Paul was so seriously ill, she 
 felt that if there was a particle of love in Madeline's 
 heart for him she would show it and go to him. She 
 did not care to see Madeline, so she called her over 
 the telephone. 
 
 " Madeline, this is Frances Stewart," she said. 
 " I've some letters here and a cablegram which con- 
 tain news that I feel you ought to hear." 
 
 She read the cablegram first, and then the letters. 
 
 " But who is this Catherine Williams ? " Madeline 
 asked. 
 
 "Don't you know?" 
 
 176
 
 A FRIEND IN NEED 177 
 
 " No." 
 
 " She is the woman who they said kissed Paul on 
 the steamer." 
 
 There was silence for a moment. 
 
 " Frances," Madeline finally said, " I think we need 
 not discuss this further. It is unpleasant to me." 
 
 When Madeline hung up the receiver she was in 
 utter despair. 
 
 " Then it is true," she said to herself. " I knew 
 that my intuition was correct. I have been disgraced 
 and he has been disgraced, for he must have sent for 
 her when he was ill, and she went to him. This terri- 
 ble woman who has caused me so much heartache is 
 humiliating me again, and it is all because he is out 
 there in that horrid land. If he were not there this 
 would not have happened. Oh, I hate the land, and 
 the work he is doing, and that woman as well. Why 
 can't he see that if he were here it would all be so 
 different. In my heart I've waited for him, and I've 
 wanted it to be proved that I was wrong, for I have 
 loved him, I love him now and shall always love 
 him. But now the world knows that this woman went 
 to nurse him. After all this I can never go to him, 
 however much he may need me." 
 
 She threw herself down on her bed. " Oh, God," 
 she cried, " I am sorry that I was right." 
 
 Frances Stewart was not at all satisfied with the 
 conversation she had had with Madeline, so she decided 
 to go to her and appeal to the best within her. She 
 wondered if, in the past, she had been too severe with 
 her. She went to the house unannounced and asked
 
 178 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 the maid who came to the door to direct her to Made- 
 line's room, fearing that if she sent in her name she 
 would refuse an interview. There were marks of 
 tears on Madeline's face when Frances entered the 
 room, and she saw the depths of her feelings and the 
 hurt she had received. Frances went to her and took 
 her tenderly in her arms. 
 
 " Madeline," she said, " I have been hard upon you, 
 I know, and I am sorry. I have been bitter over the 
 things you have done, but I know now that it is be- 
 cause you did not understand. I have come to you 
 this morning as I would to a sister, so I want you to 
 listen to me." 
 
 It was with the greatest tenderness that she talked to 
 her and told her of Paul's work, of all that she knew 
 of the work of rescue things of which Madeline knew 
 nothing. She told her, once again, how deeply 
 wounded Paul was as a result of his separation from 
 her in Yokohama. 
 
 Madeline listened eagerly and there were tears in 
 her eyes. " But, Frances," she began, " how can you 
 explain this woman's going to him, and Paul's action 
 in allowing her to do so? I know that he might not 
 have been to blame, but you cannot blame me for ques- 
 tioning. Is there any woman on earth who would not 
 question in an hour like this? It seems to me that 
 it is the most natural thing in the world to do, under 
 the circumstances." 
 
 "Ah, how little you understand," said Frances. 
 " Nurses are scarce in the East, and I feel certain 
 that this girl went to him out of gratitude.. You must
 
 A FRIEND IN NEED 179 
 
 not think of her as a designing woman. Somehow I 
 simply feel that she is a girl with a great sorrow, and 
 that I could love her, even though she has been way- 
 ward." 
 
 Madeline sat silent for a long time. 
 
 " Frances," she said at last, " everything within me 
 urges me to go out to Paul. Yet I cannot. Why, I 
 do not know, for God knows I want to go, and I am 
 anxious to go now. But I cannot go to stay, and if he 
 is doing the things you say he is doing, then the woman 
 who marries him must stay with him. I feel that my 
 work is here, Frances, and I am going to tell you 
 something that I did not think I would tell anyone. 
 I am going to marry George Curtis, a man of our set. 
 He has asked me often since Paul went away, and I 
 have now decided to accept him. That is cutting the 
 last tie. I believe you love Paul, for if you did not 
 you would not have come to me this morning pleading 
 his cause in the way you have, and I want you to 
 know that nothing on my part shall keep you from 
 him." 
 
 For a moment Frances' heart leaped and she won- 
 dered whether she really did love Paul. Then she 
 turned to Madeline with shining eyes. 
 
 " You think I love him because I'm his friend," 
 she said, " but that is not true. I honor him as a 
 friend and I am going to serve him as a friend. What 
 I shall do for Paul will be unselfish, for I am more 
 sure than you think I am, that his life and mine can 
 never be joined." 
 
 Frances went directly from Madeline's home to her
 
 180 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 father's office. She sat down with him and read all 
 the letters she had received. 
 
 " Father, I want you to send a cable asking for 
 information about Paul's condition." 
 
 She went home to wait for the answer, and when 
 Mr. Stewart gave it to her that night, he saw that it 
 brought great joy to his daughter's heart. 
 
 " Paul lives," was the answer. 
 
 " Father, I want you to understand what I am going 
 to say to you. I wish we could go out to China again. 
 I know Paul will be convalescing, but you will remem- 
 ber seeing those patients who had had typhus fever 
 about the little hospital there and how long it took them 
 to recover, and somehow I feel that mother and I could 
 help him in that terrible Chinese house. People will 
 say that I am in love with him, and our going out there 
 will be misunderstood, but when we know our own 
 motives are right why should we care what the world 
 says ? " 
 
 " Why not have him come here ? " asked her father. 
 " I will go to his father and I believe that if he calls, 
 Paul will come." 
 
 Mr. Redmond had heard of Paul's illness. He had 
 kept himself thoroughly informed. 
 
 " I shall be glad to have Paul come home and rest," 
 he said to Mr. Stewart, " if it means that he is coming 
 to stay. You may consider that brutal, but if he is 
 coming merely to gain strength to go back to that 
 country, I think perhaps he had better stay where he 
 is. I am glad of your own personal interest in him, 
 but I must make it very clear to you that neither he
 
 A FRIEND IN NEED 181 
 
 nor you must thinl, that there can ever be any of the 
 old ties between us until he relinquishes this mad idea 
 of his to follow a path such as no Redmond has ever 
 followed." 
 
 Mr. Stewart decided matters quickly. He knew 
 that he could trust Frances not to do anything that 
 would embarrass herself or bring reproach upon his 
 name. So it was decided that they should go out to 
 Paul in his hour of need.
 
 XXVI 
 VICTORY OF EXAMPLE 
 
 THE whole city of Fou Cheo rejoiced over Paul's 
 recovery. Dr. Means insisted that he should 
 go away for a rest and change of environment. 
 At first Paul refused, but finally consented to take a 
 boat trip to Hankow with the old captain. 
 
 "That is not enough," said the doctor. 
 
 " But there is much to do here, doctor, and I prom- 
 ise you that I will not overwork. You know the 
 Chinese church is just beginning to grow, many people 
 desire to come in, and our helpers are not all they 
 should be. I feel that I must remain near this cause 
 that I love, and while I have been lying here these 
 long weeks, I have realized that my plans for the city 
 have been inadequate. To begin with, we must do 
 something with these filthy streets. A new magistrate 
 is coming and that means new problems and there are 
 so many things to do, and then the welcome news has 
 come that the Stewarts are coming back and I must 
 get ready for them. Let me stay, except for a brief 
 trip with the old captain." 
 
 Dr. Means was forced to consent, though very un- 
 willingly, and the instructions he left with Chu were 
 minute and rigid. During his convalescence Paul saw 
 very little of Catherine Williams. One day while she 
 was still ministering to him, he said to her, " Miss 
 
 182
 
 VICTORY OF EXAMPLE 188 
 
 Williams, I want to talk with you. I am under the 
 impression that I said a lot of foolish things in my 
 delirium. I want to acknowledge, too, if I can, the debt 
 I owe you." 
 
 " Perhaps some day we shall talk," was her only 
 answer. 
 
 When Paul was able to be about again, Dr. Means 
 came to examine him for the last time. The period 
 of a possible relapse had passed. 
 
 " All you need now is good care and rest," he said. 
 Paul heard the doctor giving Chu his last instructions. 
 He wondered why they were not being given to the 
 nurse, but Dr. Means explained this as he left shortly 
 after. 
 
 " Miss Williams has asked me to say ' good-by ' for 
 her," he said. " She was called away an hour ago, 
 while you were sleeping." 
 
 Paul was disappointed and irritated. There were 
 many things that he intended to say in the way of 
 appreciation, and he regretted that Catherine had gone 
 away without giving him that opportunity. 
 
 " Paul," the doctor continued, " that girl is a won- 
 derful woman. I tell you, it is an exhibition of mag- 
 nificent courage to see a woman fight her way back 
 to purity, and then accept the place that the world 
 gives her because of her past. And that is what this 
 girl has done. She seems to feel that you were the 
 one who saved her. She is one of the best nurses I 
 ever had on a case. I'm glad she was here. I under- 
 stand that an act of hers robbed you of the woman 
 you were to marry, and no doubt you have blamed her.
 
 184 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 But if a man ever owed his life to a woman, you owe 
 yours to her." 
 
 Paul set himself to the task of getting well. If he 
 had ever doubted the wisdom of giving himself to 
 China, it was not in the days that followed his sick- 
 ness. The people overwhelmed him with kindnesses 
 that at times were a tax upon his strength. He gave 
 much of his thought to the church, and talked long 
 with Chu on the subject of making his work perma- 
 nent. Chu told him that there were an increased num- 
 ber of inquirers studying the doctrines of Christianity, 
 but he did not mention his talk with the old hilltop 
 priest, for he did not want to raise in Paul's heart a 
 hope of something which might not come to pass. 
 
 A few days later, however, Chu came in with a 
 radiant face. 
 
 " I have kept many visitors from you," he said, 
 " but there is one here now whom I am sure you will 
 want to see." 
 
 It was the hilltop priest, and Paul greeted him very 
 cordially. 
 
 " I am delighted to hear your expressions of friend- 
 ship, and I am glad you have come to visit me," he 
 said. 
 
 The priest turned to Chu. 
 
 " Then you have not told him why I have come ? " 
 
 "No," answered Chu. 
 
 " It will be hard for you to believe me," said the 
 priest to Paul, " because I have opposed you and have 
 done you so much harm. I am here to tell you that 
 I want to become a Christian."
 
 VICTORY OF EXAMPLE 186 
 
 Paul was filled with astonishment, but before he 
 could express it the priest went on : " To come to this 
 decision has been a fight such as you cannot appreciate. 
 My very life is in jeopardy. I have promised that if 
 ever I should give up the vows of the Buddhist priest- 
 hood my life may be forfeited, and that price may be 
 exacted." 
 
 Paul was deeply moved. Of all the men he had ever 
 included in his dream of leading to an acceptance of 
 Christianity, this man was the last. Could it be possi- 
 ble that this one-time enemy, powerful as he was, was 
 sincere in his expression of his faith in Jesus Christ? 
 
 The native church greatly rejoiced in this conver- 
 sion. Although he was crude and uneducated, as were 
 most of the native priests, this man was powerful. As 
 Paul looked upon the two men before him, one a 
 Confucianist and the other a Buddhist, he wondered 
 if this experience was not prophetic of what Chris- 
 tianity would do for China and for the world. He 
 longed for the time when a union of the churches in 
 China could be brought about, for he recognized that 
 division was a mighty hindrance to the propagation 
 of Christianity. The results in Fou Cheo exemplified, 
 unquestionably, just what Christian forces when 
 united could accomplish. 
 
 But for the hilltop priest new problems had arisen 
 of which he had 'never dreamed. His brother-priests 
 had hated the foreigner, but the human heart is so 
 peculiarly constituted that the deepest hatred is the 
 hatred of kind, the hatred of a brother far worse than 
 that of a neighbor, and so when the enmity of the
 
 186 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN ! 
 
 priests went out against him it was far greater than 
 that which they held against one not of their own kind. 
 Their vengeance was to wreak itself in the future upon 
 this priest who had named the Christ as Lord.
 
 XXVII 
 THE JOURNEY'S TRIUMPHANT CLOSE 
 
 PAUL had learned to love Father Parrish as a 
 brother and had come to understand that this 
 priest was a true prophet in spirit. They had 
 often talked together of the needs of the city and dis- 
 trict, and he had found him more liberal in his views 
 than he had anticipated. He had known the Catholic 
 workers only in a general way, and was glad to have 
 their cooperation, for it would mean a great deal for 
 the whole cause. 
 
 Father Parrish had returned to his district as soon 
 as he was assured of Paul's recovery, and one day word 
 came that he lay ill in a little inn more than fifty miles 
 distant. Swift horsemen journeyed to the little town, 
 where they found him in the throes of typhus fever. 
 The old man was still conscious, and when they asked 
 him where he would like to be taken, he replied : " I 
 would like to go to the hospital in Fou Cheo. I would 
 like to be near Mr. Redmond, for I am an old man. 
 Years of privation have told upon me. Perhaps I can- 
 not make the fight that he did, for a long life was 
 before him, while mine is nearing its close." 
 
 When he reached the hospital Paul went to him at 
 once. 
 
 " My friend," he said, " we will do everything in 
 our power to bring you back to health." 
 
 187
 
 188 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 A Catholic nun from a neighboring town was hur- 
 riedly summoned, and Dr. Means was again called. 
 When he came Paul was surprised to find Catherine 
 Williams with him. She was quite reserved in her 
 greeting. 
 
 " I am glad to be of service again," she said. 
 
 " But where have you been? " asked Paul. 
 
 " I have been working in a neighboring city," she 
 answered. 
 
 " I wanted to talk with you before you left the last 
 time." 
 
 " Perhaps some day we may talk, Mr. Redmond. 
 I came when you needed me. You are getting strong 
 now and I am so glad, but both of us now have but 
 one task, and that is, if possible, to save the life of this 
 dear old man." 
 
 Paul watched the struggle with deep anxiety. Dr 
 Means endeavored to banish Paul from the mission 
 house. 
 
 " But, doctor," Paul protested, " this old man at- 
 tended me day and night, and while I realize that I 
 must be careful, I cannot leave him." 
 
 The prayers of the churches, both Catholic and 
 Protestant, again went out for the life of one of God's 
 servants, but his work in this world was finished. 
 Father Parrish was dying. Dr. Means, Paul, Chu, 
 Catherine Williams and the Catholic nun were with 
 him. The fever had spent its fury and accomplished 
 its work. At the return of consciousness the two nurses 
 hurried to his side. The old man looked into their 
 faces, and, as he recognized the Catholic and Protest-
 
 JOURNEY'S TRIUMPHANT CLOSE 189 
 
 ant girls, he smiled. He reached out and put their 
 hands together. 
 
 " My children, I pray that you shall always love one 
 another," he said, and then the stupor returned. From 
 the gathering blindness of death he groped out again 
 to reach them. When he found their hands he said: 
 " My prayer for you all is that you may be one, even 
 as the Father and Son of God are one. May you hate 
 one another no more; but as you fight famine, opium, 
 and the other sins of this land, may you be one." 
 Having thus breathed his prayer, the old priest passed 
 on to his reward. 
 
 The passing of Father Parrish, and the manner in 
 which it happened, made a tremendous impression on 
 the whole community. 
 
 " Do you realize what that prayer meant ? " Paul 
 asked Dr. Means. " I believe it was an expression 
 of the thought of Christ Himself. Down in Nanking 
 they are united in their educational work and in the 
 north they are united in their medical work. I repre- 
 sent only one communion. Why should my work be 
 of interest to but one communion ? Why should I not 
 represent the whole Church of Christ ? " 
 
 Means was plainly interested. " My boy," he said, 
 " I feel that you are touching upon tremendous prin- 
 ciples and that God is going to lead you, and others like 
 you, to bring to China that which she sorely needs." 
 
 " Doctor," returned Paul, " I don't want union just 
 for the sake of the unity of the church, but I want it 
 for the purpose for which Christ prayed. What are 
 church doctrines, creeds and divisions in the face
 
 190 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 of the tasks that you and I combat? Here are the 
 undertakings of your medical profession and the prob- 
 lems of social reform which are opening before us, 
 and here is my work. It is no wonder that my father 
 scorns the church and looks upon it as an impotent 
 thing. There is one note which I intend to sound my 
 whole life through whether at home or abroad, and 
 that is that the church of Jesus Christ must be united."
 
 XXVIII 
 POINTING NEW TRAILS 
 
 THE world seemed much lonelier to Paul after 
 the death of Father Parrish, and he realized, as 
 never before, what a true friend this old priest 
 had been. Following closely upon his death, Paul went 
 to Catherine Williams, who he learned was preparing 
 to leave. 
 
 " I do not want you to go away this time until we 
 have talked together," he said. 
 
 Catherine stood silent for a moment and then lifted 
 her face to Paul's. 
 
 " Mr. Redmond," she said, " I want so much to talk 
 with you, but I do not know whether it is for the best. 
 I realize what I have cost you, and I appreciate the 
 courageous way in which you have endured it. But 
 the fact still remains that, by an impetuous and foolish 
 action of mine, I brought a great sorrow into your life, 
 and I feel that whatever I may do for you will never 
 atone for the pain." 
 
 Paul replied almost sharply. 
 
 " You must not think of it in that way," he said. 
 " The obligation is entirely on my part. Dr. Means 
 has made it very clear to me that I could not have 
 recovered had it not been for your care. As I have 
 thought of your future, it has occurred to me that you 
 
 191
 
 192 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 might wish to stay, in the mission, I mean and give 
 your life to such service as you are now doing." 
 
 " There is nothing I should desire more," she said, 
 " but in China it cannot be. I must go away and if 
 I do my work at all it must be under another name. 
 You know that is the penalty that society exacts of 
 those who have sinned against it." 
 
 Again Paul began to remonstrate, but she stopped 
 him. 
 
 " Mr. Redmond, you have said that you have some- 
 thing to say to me, and I want to hear it. Will you 
 please say it?" 
 
 " It is just this," said Paul. " You feel that you 
 have done me a great wrong, but I feel you have also 
 done me a great service. Had I married Madeline, 
 with her standards and ideals, there is no telling what 
 might have happened, for it might have been neces- 
 sary, after all, for me to have given up this work. 
 I believe that there is a Providence, the workings of 
 which none of us can understand, and even though 
 what you did wounded me sorely, yet it probably saved 
 me. I know you would not do such a thing now, and 
 I trust you more than you know. Moreover, I be- 
 lieve that you will serve society in such a way that 
 will compel it to take you back, and give you the place 
 that you deserve." 
 
 Catherine listened with a curious look in her eyes, 
 and a sort of baffling smile playing around her lips 
 for a moment. 
 
 " I thank you, Mr. Redmond," she replied, " for 
 believing that I am honest. You say that I have had
 
 POINTING NEW TRAILS 193 
 
 my lesson, and I have. I feel if Miss Leonard knew 
 me she would not blame me." 
 
 Paul assured her that he believed so, too. 
 
 " But the chief questions now, Miss Williams, are 
 what are your plans, and what do you intend to do? " 
 Paul added. 
 
 " I want first of all," the girl returned, " to forget 
 the past if I can. I wonder if I can ever again win 
 the world's respect. You don't know how much it 
 means to one who has strayed to regain the confidence 
 and respect of the men and women who now pass her 
 either with a stare or averted eyes. You know you 
 first gained influence over me by your simple cordiality, 
 and I desire above all else to win from others the same 
 attitude." 
 
 " There will be some who will not see life aright," 
 Paul said, " who will believe that you have forfeited 
 your rights to be recognized. But true men and women 
 will estimate you at your real worth. You need not 
 fear but that you will win those whose respect you 
 really desire, and whose good will is of value." 
 
 " Yes, that is true, perhaps, but here is something 
 I want to ask you," she replied, " and I hope you will 
 not misunderstand me. Do you think that any good 
 man will ever love me that any man who is doing big 
 things would ever want me to bear his name? " 
 
 Paul did not hesitate a moment in answering. 
 
 " I have no doubt of it," he said. " I know you are 
 lovable. I think you ought to forget the past and 
 profit by your experience, and let the day you speak 
 of come as it may."
 
 194. THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 They talked of many other things, but were inter- 
 rupted by a telegram informing Paul that the Stewarts 
 would soon be with him. He insisted that Catherine 
 should wait for their arrival. 
 
 " I want you to meet Frances," he said, " for she 
 did not doubt me, nor do I believe she censured you. 
 She is a wonderful girl." 
 
 " But I have avoided women entirely," said Cath- 
 erine, " for somehow I feel that men forgive and 
 understand more readily than women." 
 
 She was finally persuaded to stay a few days longer 
 and undertake work in the hospital that the Chinese 
 doctor had requested her to do. 
 
 The coming of the Stewarts was a joyous event, 
 and the greeting between Paul and Frances was free 
 from any trace of sentiment, other than that of close 
 friends. 
 
 " Frances, it is real good of you to come," said 
 Paul, " and I feel sure you were the one who pro- 
 posed coming." 
 
 Almost at once Frances asked for Catherine. 
 
 " Where is Miss Williams," she asked, " who nursed 
 you back to health? I inquired about her on my 
 way up, but did not succeed in locating her. Then 
 I heard that she was here again nursing Father Par- 
 rish. I want to take her in my arms and tell her how 
 much I love her for what she has done for you and for 
 the dear old priest." 
 
 " I am glad you feel that way, Frances," said Paul, 
 " for she is still here. Indeed, I have kept her here 
 so that you might meet her. She did not want to stay
 
 POINTING NEW TRAILS 195 
 
 because she does not care to meet women. She feels, 
 somehow, that they do not understand her." 
 
 Frances laughed. 
 
 " Perhaps she has had good cause, who knows ? 
 but let me see her." 
 
 Catherine came in with the usual hesitancy and diffi- 
 dence that had marked her relations with women since 
 she had forsaken her former life. It lasted only a 
 moment, however, for Frances went to her with open 
 arms. 
 
 " You must not hold back from me like that," she 
 said, " for you have saved this friend of ours, and any 
 one who has done that, is a friend of mine." 
 
 As Catherine felt the arms of a good woman about 
 her, and kisses of sincerity upon her lips, her reserve 
 vanished, and she wept as only a woman can weep 
 who has long held back her emotions. 
 
 Paul left them quietly, and found Mr. Stewart 
 searching for his daughter. 
 
 " Leave her alone now," he said, " Frances is doing 
 a piece of much-needed work."
 
 XXIX 
 
 MONEY'S REAL RETURN 
 
 WHEN Mr. and Mrs. Stewart and Paul went 
 to the girls, there was a calmness on the 
 face of Catherine Williams that Paul had 
 never seen before. She smiled at him and the others, 
 and that smile convinced him that she was prepared 
 for the struggle, and that no matter what life might 
 hold for her, she was ready to face it. She tarried a 
 day or two with them until the work she had stayed 
 to do had been accomplished. When she was ready 
 to go she went to Frances and Paul to bid them good- 
 
 by. 
 
 " Paul," said Frances, " Catherine must not stay in 
 China. She must go to America. There is one man 
 who can give her the proper assistance, our good 
 friend, Dr. Blackburn. You know the enormous prac- 
 tice he has and his need of efficient nurses, and while 
 Catherine hasn't had just the training that is required, 
 she can get it, and she has had valuable experience." 
 
 Paul fell heartily into the plan and the next day 
 Catherine left Fou Cheo with letters to Dr. Black- 
 burn. She left the Chinese city with a feeling of real 
 sadness in her heart, and wondered if she would ever 
 see it again. 
 
 The Stewarts took complete charge of Paul and 
 
 196
 
 MONEY'S REAL RETURN 197 
 
 made him rest as no one else had succeeded in doing, 
 and his gain in strength was marvelously rapid. 
 
 Mr. Stewart was pleased with the buildings which 
 his money had made possible. 
 
 " This expenditure yields three to seven times as 
 much in China as it would in America," he remarked. 
 
 He was pleased, too, with the work that Paul had 
 been able to accomplish in the whole district, for he 
 had regarded all these things as practically impossible. 
 
 " Paul," he said, " what you have achieved on my 
 investment is such that we now face the question of 
 what we can do next. I will confess to you that my 
 whole idea of missions has been revolutionized. I 
 never realized their possibilities before. I am im- 
 pressed with the inadequacy of their equipment, and 
 am determined that in this district, at least, we will 
 remedy such a state of affairs." 
 
 Paul hesitated a moment, and then asked : " Is it a 
 question of what we might do in this single section, 
 or is it not rather the bigger question of what concerns 
 your own life and your own work ? You know I honor 
 my father, but Christianity is incidental to him so far 
 as his money is concerned. He has accepted its doc- 
 trine, but he knows practically nothing of its practice. 
 I know you are one of my most sincere friends, and 
 because you are, I can say this to you. I recognize 
 the fact that this work has been accomplished because 
 of your help, but, Mr. Stewart, would you be willing to 
 give up every dollar that you have, in order to come 
 into a right relationship to your money? " 
 
 For hours they talked, the one who had accumulated
 
 198 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 wealth, the other who was giving himself to the serv- 
 ke of mankind. Paul emphasized the view that under 
 the old Jewish law the tithe was God's portion, but 
 that under the Christian dispensation there was greater 
 freedom, which resulted in men giving less, instead of 
 more, as Christ had meant they should. He pointed 
 out to Mr. Stewart that it was a matter of the invest- 
 ment of the truest part of a man's self, and that the 
 returns were other than financial. He pictured the 
 sordid influence of money from the viewpoint of one 
 who thoroughly understood, and made it clear to Mr. 
 Stewart that he did not want any of his for his own 
 use. 
 
 " Mr. Stewart," he concluded, in the words of that 
 greatest of missionaries, " We truly seek not yours, 
 but you." 
 
 Frances Stewart was keeping her relation with Paul 
 more on the basis of friendship and comradeship than 
 she had done during her first visit, but sometimes a 
 long silence arose between them, and she was eager 
 to get away. 
 
 One day while she and Paul were walking along the 
 dikes that had been constructed under the latter's super- 
 vision, they came to the tablet that had been erected 
 in his honor. 
 
 " Frances," he said, " I want to say to you that this 
 little tablet means more to me than a monument in 
 Central Park, or any other honor that could possibly 
 be accorded to me. I have often wondered why you, 
 who seem to have so great an interest in this land 
 you, who are still young enough to learn the ways
 
 MONEY'S REAL RETURN 199 
 
 and the language of these people do not give yourself 
 to its great needs." 
 
 Frances could not fathom the meaning of Paul's 
 words. Was he speaking impersonally, or was he 
 leading to a deeper question ? 
 
 " I have enjoyed my trips out here," she said, " and I 
 know how you people in the East despise a globe trotter, 
 but that is just what I am. While I am much inter- 
 ested in your particular work, it is only because it is 
 your work. I want to help out, but it must be from 
 the other side of the ocean." 
 
 Paul could not guess the sacrifice she was making. 
 If there was anything she really longed to do it was to 
 give herself to the land to which he was so devoted. 
 As for him, this answer settled any question he might 
 have entertained. 
 
 The Stewarts arranged to leave for America as soon 
 as Paul was well. But they were anxious about him, 
 and besought him to leave with them. 
 
 " This is my work," he answered with a smile. " I 
 must stay here until the end. I am coming home in a 
 year or two, but to leave China in an hour like this, 
 when such tremendous changes are coming I cannot 
 think of it."
 
 XXX 
 
 CONQUERING THE DRAGON 
 
 THE work that Paul Redmond had been able to 
 do was indicative of the general spirit of change 
 and unrest prevalent in China. Great move- 
 ments often take form suddenly, and the months and 
 years of preparation back of them are lost to sight. 
 When the revolution broke over China it was the gen- 
 eral opinion that it would soon lose favor; that it 
 was only a local affair which would end with the 
 decapitation of a few leaders. But the preparation 
 had been more thorough than was generally known. 
 The secret societies of China had been getting ready 
 for this hour. In America and in England groups of 
 foreign-trained Chinese had planned for years for the 
 overthrow of the Manchu dynasty, and each month 
 a contribution to the cause was sent to the leaders in 
 China from every city in which Chinese resided. The 
 leaders who had carefully studied the situation, were 
 now directing the campaign. They had studied it from 
 a military standpoint, reviewing the resources of China 
 in all lines. They had appealed to the very highest 
 motives. The revolution was not instigated by those 
 who craved power. The Manchu dynasty represented 
 an element in China's life that must pass. Leaders 
 showed their followers that the greed and graft of the 
 
 old administration must be stamped out, and pointed 
 
 200
 
 CONQUERING THE DRAGON 201 
 
 out that China had failed in every reform, and that 
 the inadequacy of her preparation for war with Japan 
 sticks of wood made in forms of guns for Port 
 Arthur, and grafting enterprises of similar nature 
 was the cause of her defeat. The Manchu dynasty 
 was essentially a foreign power, and this fact had 
 rankled in the hearts of the Chinese throughout a long 
 period of years. A great cry which thrilled the hearts 
 of the younger generation, went out " China for the 
 Chinese." 
 
 When the first news of the rebellion reached Fou 
 Cheo, Paul Redmond only regarded it as another of 
 the many attempts that had already been made. He 
 recalled the Chinese saying that there was always a 
 rebellion in some part of China, and paid little atten- 
 tion to its progress, until one night Chu came to him 
 and said : " My friend, the hour about which we 
 talked has arrived. The revolution has broken over 
 China." 
 
 " Oh, it is only a passing thing," answered Paul. 
 
 " You are mistaken," replied Chu. " At previous 
 times we struck prematurely, but this time we are pre- 
 pared. You do not know of the vast sums of money 
 back of us. You are wondering how some of us who 
 are living on such small pittances manage to contribute 
 to this cause. You know that many of our people 
 have gone to America, to England and to other coun- 
 tries. Do you know that there is not a laundryman, 
 nor a restaurant keeper, nor a merchant beyond the 
 seas who does not send every month his donation to 
 the fund which is to finance this rebellion? This has
 
 202 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 been so for a long time. The leaders have tremendous 
 resources to draw upon that will enable us to strike 
 in a real way this time. We appreciate that because 
 we have failed so many times the people have lost 
 faith in us, but you know the proverb reads : ' A 
 thousand failures mean one great success.' So you 
 can count upon it that this time we shall not fail. 
 The present dynasty will be driven from Peking, and 
 in the southern capital there will reign a man who 
 loves his country, and who will minister according to 
 justice." 
 
 " But will it not take a long time to accomplish 
 this ? " questioned Paul. 
 
 " No, it will not." 
 
 Paul did not take Chu seriously and was inclined to 
 smile at his enthusiasm. But he loved his friend the 
 better for his firm belief in his cause. 
 
 From the hour of the breaking of the rebellion, 
 Paul noticed that Chu gave more and more of his atten- 
 tion to it. When Chu became a Christian he told Paul 
 that he was not working actively with the little secret 
 group of rebellion leaders, because he wanted to help 
 in the church work, but now he came to him saying 
 that he must answer the call of his country. 
 
 "Does not the Bible teach loyalty to one's coun- 
 try? " he asked. 
 
 Paul was greatly troubled. He believed in the cause 
 of the revolution as Chu preached it, and he believed 
 that Chu was sincere in what he said regarding it. But 
 he also knew that if it should fail he would lose this 
 friend whom he had come to love almost more than
 
 CONQUERING THE DRAGON 208 
 
 any other man. Paul needed friends now, for the 
 new magistrate was less friendly than the old one 
 had been. The missionary had consistently tried to win 
 him, but he was antagonistic in many ways, and op- 
 posed the work of the church. He was not openly 
 against it, for he knew it was already too firmly estab- 
 lished in the district, but Paul felt his opposition from 
 many sources. 
 
 The increasing success of the revolution was re- 
 ported from a number of districts, and several of the 
 elders of the city came to Paul saying that rumor was 
 rife that Chu was a revolutionist. Paul was in a 
 difficult position. He could not betray the confidence 
 of his friend; but he knew that great caution was 
 necessary, for the government would deal harshly and 
 summarily with his friend if his connection with the 
 rebellion could be proved. 
 
 He listened to them with the greatest respect, as he 
 always did when they brought anything of importance 
 to him. 
 
 " Friends," he said, " I cannot tell who is, and who 
 is not, a revolutionist, and I cannot repeat any confi- 
 dences that may have been given me. But I am 
 grievously troubled about another matter, and you 
 can help me. Suppose this revolution reaches Fou 
 Cheo what are we going to do? Are we going to 
 allow our women to be ravished and the city pillaged 
 and burned, or are we going to save them and it? I 
 haven't anything else in mind to talk with you about, 
 today, except a plan to save the city. This is not your 
 city alone, it is also mine, and every thought and
 
 204 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 every plan must be for its welfare. I am sure you 
 are not here this morning to incriminate any individual. 
 We have all worked to save our city in the past, and 
 I feel sure that this is the supreme thing in all our 
 minds today." 
 
 Paul's loyalty, backed by the tremendous work he 
 had done, appealed to them, and they went directly 
 from him to the magistrate, telling him that Paul had 
 urged upon them the necessity of a plan to save the 
 city if the rebellion should reach it. 
 
 " Go back and tell him," said the magistrate, " that 
 we do not need the help of a foreign devil to save our 
 city. We can protect it ourselves. All we need to know 
 now is who are, and who are not,' revolutionists. 
 Then we will act." 
 
 The magistrate was a Manchu and this expression 
 only turned the leaders of the city against him, for 
 though many of the people were not revolutionists in 
 name, the cry of " China for the Chinese," had laid 
 hold of their hearts and imaginations. Instead of the 
 magistrate's words inciting them against Paul and 
 Chu, the effect was otherwise. 
 
 " Friend," Paul said to Chu. " I must know what 
 is going on. What are your plans? What are you 
 really trying to do? " 
 
 " Our only plan," said Chu, " is to possess China. 
 Every city we take is to our advantage. In many 
 cities the magistrates are coming over to us voluntarily, 
 and in some provinces governors, lieutenant-governors 
 and treasurers are uniting with our cause. But here 
 we have a serious problem."
 
 CONQUERING THE DRAGON 205 
 
 Paul told him that many believed him to be a revolu- 
 tionist. 
 
 " Yes, I know, and somehow I feel that my end is 
 not far off. Yet if death shall overtake me, I want 
 it to find me loyal to Christ and to my country, for 
 I love both so well." 
 
 Paul requested him to hold his interviews with the 
 revolutionists outside of the mission house. 
 
 " We must be loyal to the powers that be," he said, 
 " for we must be able to say that there have been no 
 revolutionary meetings here." 
 
 Chu promised that he would do this, and he re- 
 mained true to his promise. Though he knew he was 
 being watched, he continued to labor for the cause to 
 which he had pledged himself. 
 
 The garrison of soldiers at Fou Cheo was reinforced, 
 and every preparation was made to resist an attack 
 upon the city. A great host of Manchu soldiers poured 
 into the place, presumably for its defense. But Paul 
 soon had a new problem to face, for from every quar- 
 ter came complaints that the people were being robbed. 
 Now and again he learned that women were being 
 ravished. He was indignant when many of these re- 
 ports reached him, and deciding to see the Manchu 
 general himself, mounted his pony and rode toward 
 the camp. 
 
 As he rode through the narrow streets, the people 
 called out, telling him of their grievances. He had 
 not quite realized before how much he loved this city 
 with its narrow streets and quaint houses and stores. 
 Here was the shop of a silver merchant, who was
 
 206 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 hammering away on a delicate little ornament. Close 
 by was the store of the crockery merchant, with his 
 wares piled from the floor to the ceiling. Men and 
 women of the better class were going and coming from 
 the little shut-in shops of the silk merchants. Paul's 
 heart went out to this city of his adoption. 
 
 Leaving the business section, he rode through 
 broad streets, past one-storied, tile-rdofed homes, and 
 then on to the poorer section, with its houses of 
 mud walls and thatched roofs. At last he reached the 
 camp of the soldiers, who had converted the old mud 
 houses around the parade ground into a barracks, from 
 which flaunted the red banners and the yellow dragon 
 flags of the Manchu dynasty. Some of the soldiers 
 sneered at him. At the door of the general's quarters 
 he dismounted his pony, giving it to a boy to lead. 
 The attendant did not even rise when he accosted him 
 and was insulting in his manner. 
 
 " What country do you represent ? " he asked. 
 
 " I am an American," Paul answered, " but I come 
 representing the cause that has ministered to these 
 people, and I demand an audience." 
 
 When the runners saw his tremendous earnestness, 
 they finally made way, and he went confidently into the 
 presence of the general. 
 
 " I have come, sir," he said, " on a most delicate 
 mission, and one of the greatest importance. I am not 
 here in my own interest, nor in the interest of the prop- 
 erty that I have in my care. I am here in the interest 
 of the women of this city, and of the property holders, 
 who say that your soldiers are committing deeds of
 
 CONQUERING THE DRAGON 207 
 
 violence and outrage that cannot, and must not, be 
 permitted." 
 
 The Manchu general was supercilious and demanded 
 to know by whose authority Paul made this statement. 
 
 " Sir," Paul answered, " when the city was about 
 to be destroyed by a great flood, and when that group 
 of farms now covered with grain formed the bed of 
 a lake which endangered the city in time of flood, I 
 had the honor to help those who directed the rescue 
 work and the building of those dikes which will make 
 a repetition of that catastrophe impossible. That was 
 done for the sake of China, and for the sake of this 
 land that you are here to protect, and because of what 
 has been done I demand, sir, that you shall protect 
 the city." 
 
 " You come here with the rumors of old women," 
 said the general. " You do not come with proof." 
 
 Paul named several instances, but the only answer 
 he received was that the matter would be investigated 
 that his word for it could not be accepted unsup- 
 ported. 
 
 The interview was unsatisfactory, and Paul went 
 out from the presence of the general only to find his 
 horse gone. The boy with whom he had left it was 
 weeping, and said that a soldier had mounted it and rid- 
 den away, because he wanted the foreign saddle. Dur- 
 ing the interview the Manchu general had declared, in 
 the extravagance of Oriental speech : "If you can 
 prove that my soldiers have been doing any of these 
 things, you can kill me." 
 
 On finding his horse gone, Paul immediately re-
 
 208 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 turned to the general. The men at the entrance to his 
 quarters tried to stop him, but made way as they saw 
 the fire that flashed in his eyes. Before, he had been 
 calm and tactful, now, he was intensely angry. 
 
 " You dare to say, sir, that your soldiers have not 
 been robbing the people when my horse has been stolen 
 at your own door? I care nothing for the horse," he 
 said, " but I now demand that you protect the city." 
 
 The general listened in silence, but in his heart there 
 was hatred for the foreigner. 
 
 " I will see that your horse is returned, because you 
 are a foreigner and it might complicate us with your 
 government. But who are you that you come here 
 and talk of loyalty to my people? I know the city 
 wants to be rid of you and my advice to you is keep 
 from the streets, for we command the city." 
 
 That night it was rumored that the revolutionists 
 were approaching. Soldiers appeared on the streets, 
 and it was reported that the gates had been broken 
 down and that the city had been entered. Paul tried 
 to quiet the people. He was threatened by the sol- 
 diers, who were rioting and breaking into the stores, 
 and commanded to leave the streets. 
 
 He found Chu absent from the mission house, and 
 after some difficulty, located him in the house of a 
 friend. 
 
 " Chu," he said, " tell me are these men who are 
 sacking the city revolutionists?" 
 
 Chu faced him with angry eyes. 
 
 " For the first time you have insulted me." 
 
 " Chu, you know I did not mean to insult you, but
 
 CONQUERING THE DRAGON 209 
 
 I have been told that these men are revolutionists, and 
 I must know the truth." 
 
 " There is not a single revolutionary soldier in the 
 city," answered Chu, " and we have sent out no word. 
 The hour to strike has not come. The Manchu sol- 
 diers are anxious to gain as much from this revolution 
 as possible, and that is why they are spoiling the city. 
 They care nothing for their country. But their very 
 madness will turn the people against them, for they 
 are being recognized, and tomorrow, or very soon, this 
 city and this land will be ours, my friend ours 
 and the hindrances that have impeded our work re- 
 moved." 
 
 The man seemed as one inspired. 
 
 " Mr. Redmond," he continued, " or may I not call 
 you Paul? you have prayed for opportunities, you 
 have sought them. The day has arrived when doors 
 will be opened to the church which you never dreamed 
 would open. But we cannot talk of these things now. 
 You must go. You must not be found here with us. 
 Tomorrow you will see the five-colored banner of the 
 new government in the streets, and you will see it 
 floating over the magistrate's yamen, and over the 
 Manchu general's camp. Then, my friend, we can 
 talk."
 
 XXXI 
 "GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN" 
 
 EARLY the next morning the magistrate and the 
 Manchu general struck what they believed 
 would be the hardest blow that could be given, 
 not only to the work of Paul, but to the whole cause 
 of the revolution. Paul was wondering what the next 
 move on their part would be, when a friend brought 
 word that Chu had been taken prisoner as a revolu- 
 tionist. It was staggering news. Paul had feared this 
 for some time, and had wondered what he should do 
 if it should come to pass. Chu was still at the house 
 of a friend, and throwing all caution to the winds, Paul 
 hastened to him, for the hour had come to act quickly 
 if his friend was to be saved from the awful fate 
 which otherwise awaited him. He found Chu calm 
 and deliberate. When he saw Paul he looked long into 
 his friend's face. 
 
 " We cannot talk here," he said, " let us see what 
 they are going to do; then I will have many things to 
 say to you." 
 
 An official of small rank came in with a great deal 
 of pomp, but upon seeing Paul, hesitated for a mo- 
 ment. 
 
 " I have instructions to execute this man at once," 
 he said. 
 
 Paul stood aghast. 
 
 210
 
 " GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN " 
 
 " But there has been no trial," he said. " There is 
 no evidence." 
 
 " That does not matter. The order has been given 
 and must be carried out without delay." 
 
 Paul went quickly to his friend and stood before 
 him as if to shield him. 
 
 " You shall not execute this man until I hear with 
 my own ears the order of the general and of the mag- 
 istrate," he said. 
 
 " The magistrate has nothing to do with this," the 
 official returned angrily, " and there is no need to dis- 
 cuss it further. The order must be carried out." 
 
 But he was not prepared for Paul's tremendous will. 
 
 " I hope you will listen to me peaceably," Paul con- 
 tinued. " I have many friends here, and if there is 
 no other way I will take this man from you by force, 
 and take him before the general." 
 
 The soldier recognized that this threat was not an 
 idle one, for there were many onlookers friendly to 
 Paul in the crowd that had gathered. The young official 
 was now extremely deferential as they started for the 
 quarters of the general. Paul walked beside Chu. News 
 of his capture and sentence ran like wildfire down the 
 streets, for the people even in this hour of severe trial 
 had not forgotten that Chu had worked side by side 
 with Paul during the long days of the famine. 
 
 A great crowd followed them. All traffic was 
 pushed aside and people poured from the houses and 
 came running from every alley and street that they 
 passed. This crowd was not composed of the rabble 
 of the city, such as usually follows a prisoner, but
 
 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 of bankers, merchants, and teachers. Men, young and 
 old, were crushed together in the narrow streets. In- 
 tense excitement filled the throng, and they cried out 
 against the Manchu general. 
 
 When they reached his quarters Paul demanded of 
 the guard: " Is the general inside? " 
 
 The man nodded. 
 
 Without hesitancy Paul conducted Chu past the 
 protesting doorman and into the presence of the gen- 
 eral. The officer was surprised to see this prisoner 
 before him, for the order he had given was that Chu 
 should be executed quietly. If he had to face this 
 foreigner, and what seemed to be half of the popula- 
 tion of the city, he knew that he would be implicated 
 more than he desired. He had planned to disavow any 
 knowledge of the execution if any trouble resulted 
 from it, and to put to death the deputy who had car- 
 ried out his order. But now a new complication had 
 arisen, one that involved him directly. 
 
 " Have you ordered the execution of this man ? " 
 Paul asked. 
 
 The general knew the situation was such that he 
 could not deny the charge. 
 
 " I have," he cried, " and what is more, I am going 
 to execute him here before you to show these people 
 that I am not afraid of you or your so-called au- 
 thority. I will let you know how little I really think 
 of you." 
 
 " I have not come to interfere with your authority," 
 returned Paul, " I am here only to ask for justice and 
 a fair trial."
 
 " GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN " 213 
 
 " No trial is necessary. This is military govern- 
 ment. I know he is a revolutionist, and you know it. 
 You dare not stand before me and declare that he is 
 not a revolutionist. Ah, ha, I have your own testi- 
 mony." 
 
 " I am giving no testimony. I know that my testi- 
 mony is not accepted in a Chinese court. Is this not 
 true?" 
 
 " That may be, but we have other testimony, and 
 though you would deny that he is a revolutionist, I am 
 going to execute him." 
 
 " Let him be executed." " Behead him," came 
 from the attending soldiers. 
 
 " No, no," cried the crowd. 
 
 " Sir, you shall not behead him," Paul declared as 
 soon as he could be heard. " If he dies at all, he must 
 die as a soldier, but I beg of you, sir, not to put him 
 to death." 
 
 He turned to the mob that had crowded into the 
 quarters and was standing in the court in front of 
 them. 
 
 " Friends," he implored, " this man whom the gen- 
 eral is about to execute is he a friend or a foe of the 
 Chinese people ? " 
 
 A great cry went up. " A friend " " A friend." 
 
 Then a man, prominent in the affairs of the city, 
 whose loyalty to the government was unquestioned, 
 stood out from the crowd. 
 
 " If he is a revolutionist we have not known it," 
 he declared, " he has not preached revolutionary doc- 
 trines. All of his work has been for the people. He
 
 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 has served us constantly and helped us when others 
 failed." 
 
 Prostrating themselves before the Manchu general, 
 men in rich attire pleaded for the life of Chu. The 
 general was amazed. To antagonize these people was 
 to antagonize the city, but power was sweet to him, 
 and he was pleased to have men of this type on their 
 knees before him. To yield now would be a sign of 
 weakness. 
 
 " I will concede but one point," he said. " He must 
 die, but if you want him to be shot instead of be- 
 headed, I will grant it. Take him away, I have work 
 to do. I do not want to be further troubled. Take him 
 out of my sight." 
 
 Paul yearned to lay violent hands upon him. He 
 could not bear the thought of his friend meeting this 
 fate, but Chu's hand was on his shoulder. 
 
 " My friend," he was saying. " I know China. For 
 years I have known that this hour would come, so I 
 am ready to go to death like a man." 
 
 Turning to the general he said : " Sir, I realize that 
 there is no appeal from your decision, nor do I make 
 one. You are correct. I am a revolutionist because 
 of these things that have occurred today, for my case 
 is not an individual one and this is the way the govern- 
 ment which you represent carries on its affairs. Ac- 
 tions similar to this forced this rebellion and made us 
 your enemies, and I die knowing that my death and 
 the death of other men like me will mean the freedom 
 of China from the rule of men like you." 
 
 His voice was calm, but his words, had terrific effect
 
 " GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN " 215 
 
 on the crowd. They cried out against the decision; 
 they threatened the life of the general and declared 
 that they would join the revolutionists. 
 
 Chu sought to quiet them. 
 
 " My friends, it is useless. I served you in life; I 
 am now willing to serve you in death." He turned 
 to the general again. 
 
 " I ask of you, sir, but one thing. Let me have 
 one hour alone with my friend. I have confessed 
 that I am a revolutionist and you need no further 
 evidence, but there are some things that I want to 
 say to my friend, and we want to be alone." 
 
 " Ah, it's a plan to escape." 
 
 " Sir, I will guarantee his return to you," Paul 
 broke in. 
 
 The general, realizing that he could not further 
 oppose it, granted the request, hoping that it might 
 win him a little favor. 
 
 The two friends went apart. At first, neither of 
 them could speak. Paul was suffering keenly. 
 
 " My friend, you must be calm," Chu said at last. 
 " We have traveled side by side a good many years. 
 This is no time to give way to emotion. There are 
 many things that I want to say to you. I want you 
 to take a message to my father, and I want you to 
 tell him that I did not die because I was a Christian, 
 but that my country called and I answered. Tell him 
 that I believe that my religion will save me, and 
 that I go out into the great beyond happy and con- 
 tented. I do not know how I could face death, with- 
 out the peace and comfort of the Christ."
 
 216 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 He was silent for a moment. Then he went on: 
 " I want you, if you can, to tell my father of the re- 
 ligion of Jesus Christ. He has disinherited me, but 
 tell him that we can again be united in the love of 
 Christ." 
 
 " I will go to your father, Chu," Paul assured him. 
 " I will try to make him understand all the things 
 you have told me, and I will tell him that you died the 
 death of an honorable man." 
 
 " But, Paul," Chu continued, " there are other things 
 about which we must talk. Don't doubt for a mo- 
 ment that the revolution is going to succeed. The 
 government is in its last desperate throes. They would 
 not kill me, and others like me, if they did not realize 
 that they are defeated, and they want to destroy those 
 of us who have planned this thing. The government 
 will change and men who are Christians and those 
 who have been trained in Christian schools will be 
 placed in authority. When that time comes, the church 
 must strike. I don't mean the little church here in 
 China, but I mean that great church in America and 
 England. Neither do I mean one communion I mean 
 all communions, for they must work together for this 
 land. At one time the church could have possessed 
 Japan, but it let a strategic hour pass, and look at 
 Japan today. The revolution would not have come 
 to pass if Japan had not connived with the present 
 dynasty. Japan is a mighty power, and if it were 
 Christian, think of what it could do for God! But it 
 is not, and that is only because the church did not 
 strike in the hour of its opportunity. And now, my
 
 " GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN " 217 
 
 friend, I beg of you to make adequate plans for imme- 
 diate action." 
 
 Paul listened eagerly. 
 
 " You must not depend upon foreign missionaries 
 alone," Chu went on, " but those who come must be 
 men of the highest convictions and the best possible 
 training. Mediocre men will not do. The real work 
 before the missionary should be the training of young 
 Chinese leaders. Our chief thought has been how to 
 rid ourselves of the Manchu dynasty. Now that it is 
 about to be destroyed, the young men will want to 
 know how best to serve the new government. Thou- 
 sands of them know that they can best serve it by 
 following me Christ. Train these young Chinese, for 
 in them lies the hope of my country. 
 
 " And now, my friend, you have given me your every 
 confidence. When I am gone, who is to be your com- 
 panion ? I know you have a love, but she is not worthy 
 of you. Why not marry one of these young women 
 who have been here, that beautiful nurse who saved 
 your life, or that other friend, Miss Stewart? They 
 love the Chinese and the Chinese love them." 
 
 " Chu," Paul answered, " I would like to promise 
 you anything you ask, but you know a man must follow 
 the dictates of his heart." 
 
 " I know that," Chu returned, " but I shall never be 
 able to talk with you again, and I am giving you my 
 last thoughts. I ask you to promise me but one thing, 
 and that is that you will never allow your father's 
 money or the influence of the woman you love, to 
 take you from China."
 
 218 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 " Chu, I never will." 
 
 The soldiers were knocking at the door. The hour 
 had passed. They started to lay hands on Chu, but 
 Paul interfered. "He goes willingly and alone," he 
 said. 
 
 Chu walked with head erect out into the open court. 
 When they came to blindfold him he protested. 
 
 " I die with my eyes open before Heaven," he said, 
 " and with my face towards my friend." 
 
 Many in the crowd turned away heartsick. Every- 
 where there was sobbing and crying, and the soldiers 
 were beating back those who were seeking to rescue 
 their friend. Paul stood so close to Chu that many 
 feared that he was in the range of the fire, but he 
 refused to be separated by a great distance. 
 
 With a smile on his face, Chu faced the firing squad. 
 Almost instantly the command was given. When the 
 shot rang out Paul felt that life must pass from him 
 also, so great was his sorrow. 
 
 Thus in the presence of his friend, and of the people 
 whom he had served, Chu gave up his life, a martyr 
 for his country. He was dead, but his silent lips 
 called to the people of Fou Cheo as they had never 
 called in life.
 
 XXXII 
 STRANGE MEETINGS 
 
 WHILE a revolution was changing a nation, 
 forces far removed from the scenes of war 
 were bearing upon the lives of two women. 
 
 Catherine Williams entered enthusiastically into her 
 work in New York and soon gained the confidence of 
 Dr. Blackburn and other physicians. She perfected 
 her training, specialized on nervous cases, and was in 
 constant demand. Her calm and gentle manner, to- 
 gether with the beauty of her face and character, 
 quieted and soothed her patients. 
 
 One day Dr. Blackburn called her over the tele- 
 phone. 
 
 " I have a special case to which I want you to give 
 your attention," he said. " It is one that has baffled 
 me greatly. It is the case of a Miss Leonard. There 
 seems to be something on her mind, and she has broken 
 down completely. I think you can help her." 
 
 Catherine did not connect the name of Miss Leon- 
 ard with that of Paul Redmond. On reaching New 
 York she had wondered who and where Madeline was, 
 for she knew that she lived in the city. She had even 
 thought of finding her out and calling upon her, but 
 was afraid, lest it would displease Paul. 
 
 She went quietly into the home of Madeline Leon- 
 ard, and neither woman suspected the identity of the 
 
 219
 
 220 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 other. Madeline delighted in looking at Catherine, 
 considering her one of the most beautiful women she 
 had ever seen. Her illness was due to the strain under 
 which she had been living, and she was suffering from 
 a difficulty which was far more serious than a case of 
 nervous exhaustion, for she was really fighting a 
 battle for her life. Catherine, desiring to help her, 
 was exceedingly tender with her, endeavoring in every 
 way to arouse her from the apathy that caused her to 
 gaze long and wistfully from her window, with eyes 
 that seemed to be ever searching the far distance for 
 that which they never found. 
 
 Catherine rarely left her patient and so had seen 
 very little of the beautiful home. But one morning 
 Madeline sent her to her own little study. When she 
 entered the room her heart stood still, for there on 
 the table, directly in front of her, was a picture of 
 Paul Redmond ! In a flash she realized that her patient 
 was the Madeline to whom Paul Redmond had called 
 in his delirium. She now recalled the picture of 
 Madeline she had seen in Paul's study, understood why 
 she had been so baffled by the sick girl's resemblance 
 to someone she had seen or known before. 
 
 " Will it be honest to remain here ? " she asked her- 
 self "or must I leave her?" 
 
 She succeeded in covering her agitation when she 
 returned to Madeline, but when the doctor came, she 
 told him that there were reasons why she thought she 
 ought to be relieved from the case. 
 
 The doctor laughed. 
 
 " Not at all," he said. "If you will stay you can
 
 STRANGE MEETINGS 221 
 
 help her, but if I should have to call in another nurse 
 now, the outcome is uncertain." 
 
 And so she was forced to remain. 
 
 " Perhaps in staying I am serving Paul Redmond," 
 she thought. 
 
 That night Madeline was more than usually restless. 
 She cried out in her sleep, and again and again she 
 called to Paul. 
 
 " Oh, why did that terrible woman come between 
 us? " she asked piteously. 
 
 If she had awakened at that moment and looked 
 into the face beside her, she would have been startled 
 by the look of pain upon it, but Catherine sat with 
 quieting hand upon hers. 
 
 As the days went on Catherine decided to talk to 
 her. 
 
 " There is something troubling you," she said. " I 
 wish you would tell me all about it." 
 
 " Catherine," Madeline answered, " there isn't any- 
 thing I wouldn't tell you. I have made few women 
 companions, and you seem more worthy of love and 
 trust than any woman I have ever known. I can't 
 understand why you are doing this kind of work. You 
 surely must have had many opportunities of marriage. 
 Why haven't you married ? " 
 
 Catherine smiled to cover her pain. 
 
 " It is not my story that we are to talk about, but 
 yours," she answered. " What is it that is troubling 
 you?" 
 
 Madeline then told her nurse the story she knew 
 so well. Catherine listened intently, for Madeline was
 
 222 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 revealing her attitude. She rebelled against the blame 
 that the sick girl heaped upon Paul Redmond, and 
 when she arraigned the woman who had kissed him 
 on the steamer, she turned away to cover the flush 
 that crept into her cheeks. 
 
 " Catherine," Madeline went on, " I have promised 
 to marry another man, but it will be almost a crime 
 to do it, for I do not love him. He is a good man and 
 I respect him, and he knows exactly how I feel towards 
 him. But that is not enough. Oh, how I wish this 
 terrible thing could be explained." 
 
 " He only asked you to trust him, didn't he ? " asked 
 Catherine. " Why should you not trust such a man 
 as he?" 
 
 " Do you know him ? " Madeline asked quietly. 
 
 Catherine hesitated, but only for a moment. 
 
 " I have heard of him. Dr. Blackburn speaks of 
 him often. My advice to you would be to trust him." 
 
 Catherine had almost decided that the time had 
 come to tell Madeline the truth, but she wondered 
 if it would be right, seeing that Paul had refused to 
 do so. The unburdening of her mind seemed to have 
 helped Madeline, but she was still troubled about her 
 relation to George Curtis. 
 
 " Before you can get well," Catherine advised, " you 
 must break your engagement. Even though you should 
 never marry Mr. Redmond, at least while you love 
 him, you ought never to marry anyone else. You must 
 follow the trail alone." 
 
 " The trail ? " exclaimed Madeline. " Why, that is 
 Paul's expression. That is the way he speaks of life.
 
 STRANGE MEETINGS 223 
 
 Indeed, at times you talk very much as he does. I 
 have often noticed and wondered at it." 
 
 Still Catherine said nothing. She was not yet ready 
 to tell all that was in her heart. She advised Madeline 
 to see George Curtis. He had been very solicitous 
 during her illness, but she had refused to allow him 
 to come to see her. 
 
 At last, with the doctor's permission, Catherine told 
 George Curtis that he might see Madeline. He came 
 expectant and joyous. The interview left Madeline 
 trembling and white to the lips, for she did not wish to 
 be cruel. 
 
 " Oh, why must I hurt two men ? " she said. " I 
 have broken the heart of one, and now I know how 
 deeply this other man loves me, even though I cannot 
 return his love. He, too, has gone away broken- 
 hearted." 
 
 It was decided that a change of scene might help 
 her, and so a trip that extended over ten days was 
 arranged, from which Madeline returned feeling much 
 stronger. 
 
 " Miss Leonard," said Catherine, " Dr. Blackburn 
 has another important case for me, and I must leave 
 you now." 
 
 " Oh, Catherine," Madeline said, " I don't want you 
 to leave me now, or at any other time. I want you to 
 stay with me always to be my companion. I will 
 give you a place in society that will enable you to go 
 anywhere, and until the time arrives when some good 
 man asks you to be his wife, I want you to remain 
 here with me."
 
 224 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 Catherine's answer was very positive. " No, I can- 
 not do that," she said. 
 
 " But why can you not ? " Madeline pleaded. " Why 
 do you hold me at arms' length, dear? I have told 
 you everything in my life, but I have never been able 
 to get a glimpse into yours. You hardly ever speak 
 of your parents and you have never told me how you 
 happened to come to New York. Why are you so 
 silent?" 
 
 " Some time I will tell you, but not now. I will 
 stay a few days, and during those few days I promise 
 to tell you, but not now." 
 
 " Oh, Catherine, you must not leave me. There is 
 only one condition under which I could consent to it, 
 and that is if Paul should return. Perhaps then I 
 could give you up, dear. Oh, why did that woman 
 come between us ? " she repeated again, her lips quiver- 
 ing and her eyes full of tears. 
 
 Catherine was white and tense. 
 
 " Can't you imagine a circumstance," she asked, 
 " under the stress of which a woman like that would 
 involuntarily do something that might bring criticism 
 upon a man? Imagine a woman an outcast from 
 whom good men turn away, and women scorn? Can 
 you imagine a man, such as you describe Mr. Red- 
 mond to be, raising his hat to her in the morning and 
 at night, while walking up and down the deck, al- 
 though he knew her reputation? Can you think what 
 that would mean to a woman like that? Can't you 
 understand why that woman would want to talk to 
 him for a few moments, and that it would be only
 
 STRANGE MEETINGS 225 
 
 natural for a man of his type to plead with her to 
 forsake her life of sin ? Then, perhaps, some months 
 later, when they met again by accident, and some of 
 the men from her old life tried to overpower her and 
 drive her back to a life of shame, this man who had 
 been a friend to her before, interfered and saved her, 
 and the girl, in the impetuous expression of her grati- 
 tude, kissed him. Can't you imagine a thing like 
 that ? " She was white and breathless when she finished. 
 
 " Oh, if that were only the story. I should love Paul 
 all the more," said Madeline, " and I would love the 
 girl for kissing him." 
 
 " Then listen. That is the story, and I am that girl. 
 I did not know you were the woman Paul Redmond 
 loved when I came into your home, or I assure you I 
 would never have come." 
 
 " You ? You the girl I have been hating all these 
 months ? " cried Madeline excitedly, but her voice 
 was exultantly glad. 
 
 " Yes, I am that girl," said Catherine again. She 
 then told Madeline the story of Paul's illness, and of 
 how his mind had wandered in his delirium, and how 
 he had called out for her. 
 
 " I will go to him at once and bring him home," 
 Madeline said. 
 
 " Oh, you are mistaken," said Catherine. " You can 
 never bring him home. I believe that if you will tell 
 him that you will travel the ' trail to the hearts of 
 men ' with him, as he puts it, you will bring great joy 
 into his life, and he deserves it oh, how he deserves 
 it!"
 
 226 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 Madeline looked up quickly. 
 
 " Catherine, tell me. Do you love him ? " 
 
 Catherine looked straight into the other woman's 
 eyes as she answered : "I do but I know that he 
 is far beyond me and above me, and that I could never 
 possess his love. But you can. I beg of you to give 
 up this idea that you will not go to him that you have 
 work to do here. Go to him and tell him that you have 
 come to follow him to the end of the trail." 
 
 " Oh, I want to, Catherine, but I am not fitted for 
 such a life. Think of the dangers he faces, and of how 
 well he could help those people from here. I am so 
 glad that you told me; I am glad for everything you 
 did, and I love you for it, but, most of all, Catherine, 
 I am glad for you. Now that you have told me this, 
 won't you remain here as my companion won't you 
 take my name and be my sister ? " 
 
 " I cannot answer you now, Madeline. I want to 
 but would it be right? Wouldn't it embarrass you 
 some time or other? No, I cannot give you my an- 
 swer now." 
 
 Upon reaching New York, Frances Stewart tried 
 immediately to locate Catherine Williams, and when 
 Dr. Blackburn told her that she was with Madeline 
 Leonard, her emotions were of a varied order. She 
 wondered what this could mean, for she had not heard 
 of Madeline's illness and she could not believe that the 
 latter had sought out Catherine. But an early visit 
 from Madeline soon explained the whole affair. 
 
 " Frances," she said, " I am here to ask you a great 
 many things. You have just returned from China,
 
 STRANGE MEETINGS 227 
 
 and I want you to tell me just how you feel about this 
 whole matter. I resented some of the things you said 
 in the past, but I now want to know everything." 
 
 " But why this change, Madeline ? " asked Frances. 
 "Are you still questioning Paul's action?" 
 
 Madeline looked at her a moment before answering. 
 
 " Haven't you heard? " she asked. 
 
 " I have just heard that Catherine Williams is living 
 with you," Frances made reply, " and I am wondering 
 if you know who she is." 
 
 " Yes, I know who she is, and I know the whole 
 story, for there is nothing Catherine has kept from me. 
 In fact, I believe she has told me more about her life 
 than she has ever told anyone. I consider her a won- 
 derful woman, and I never in all of my life respected 
 anyone so much. I am now thoroughly ashamed that 
 I did not tell Paul in Yokohama that I trusted him 
 implicitly, for then he would have told me the whole 
 story, and I should have understood. Isn't it strange 
 that this woman, who, by an unconscious act separated 
 us, should have been instrumental in saving both our 
 lives? Dr. Blackburn tells me that I might have be- 
 come insane had it not been for her, and you know 
 what she did for Paul. But that is not what I came 
 here for. I came to ask you what it is I should do. 
 Paul is so proud, and so difficult, that I wonder how 
 I am going to make him feel that I now understand 
 him. How, think you, does he feel after all this? 
 I confess, Frances, that I feel that most men would 
 despise me. And I believe that even if he should I 
 shall go down to my grave, not hating him, but loving
 
 228 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 him more. But even now, loving him as I do, and 
 wanting him as I do, I have not come to the place 
 where I can decide to go to him." 
 
 Frances looked at her appalled. " Madeline," she 
 said sternly, " do you mean to tell me that after all 
 that has happened you are not willing to follow Paul 
 anywhere ? " 
 
 " I am willing to marry him if he will give up his 
 work in China," answered Madeline doggedly, " but 
 I can't do it if he continues to stay there. Why, 
 Frances, the very stories that you yourself have told 
 me of famine, and typhus fever and the revolution " 
 here Madeline shuddered " make it impossible for me 
 to think of going out to Paul. I could not do it." 
 
 " But, Madeline, when you think of what he is doing 
 and how these people love him, it seems to me that 
 you ought to be able to go anywhere and do anything 
 in the world that he wants you to do." 
 
 Madeline shook her head. 
 
 " I know how you talked when you came home be- 
 fore, Frances, I know how you felt about it when he 
 was ill, but in spite of all I cannot go except just for 
 a little while. I will persuade him to come back. 
 Frances, now and then there are women who leave the 
 ease of modern society, but not many. I am a type 
 of that society you are an exception. You could 
 go anywhere and do anything for the man you love, 
 but it is not so with the average woman. The man 
 who loves her must do her bidding. I am not de- 
 fending the position, I am simply stating facts as they 
 exist, and not as they ought to be. Be patient, Frances,
 
 STRANGE MEETINGS 229 
 
 with a product of this society, of which you yourself 
 are a part. I am sorry this is so; but it is, and I 
 know it will be impossible for me to yield." 
 
 Away in far-off China, Paul Redmond was ponder- 
 ing over the last words of Chu. He was facing himself 
 and the long future which he must live alone, now that 
 his friend was gone, and he wondered why this com- 
 panion who meant so much in his life should have been 
 taken from him. Why not seek one of the companions 
 whom Chu had named? He recalled that Frances 
 Stewart had said that she must always come as a tran- 
 sient visitor. Madeline would come in that way, too. 
 But what about that other woman the Magdalen, as 
 he called her the woman who came so silently to help 
 him, whose smile had charmed the Chinese, and to 
 whom he owed his very life? "Why should I not 
 marry Catherine ? " he said to himself. " I believe she 
 could love me. I could cherish her and " he was 
 about to say respect her. But could he? Could he 
 ever forget her past?
 
 XXXIII 
 THE NEW IN ACTION 
 
 THE Manchu general had not anticipated the 
 indignation that would result from Chu's exe- 
 cution, nor had he realized how thoroughly this 
 quiet young Chinaman had gripped the hearts of the 
 people of the city of Fou Cheo. They had found him 
 absolutely honorable in the midst of big enterprises, 
 and they believed him unselfish. " Why was he 
 killed ? " they questioned. 
 
 " Because he was a revolutionist," came the reply. 
 
 " Is a revolutionist a man opposed to graft? " they 
 asked again, " a man who serves us when the famine 
 is upon us, a man who risks his life for others? Is 
 that a revolutionist? We have been taught to believe 
 that they are men to be feared, but if Chu's doctrine 
 teaches such loyalty to China and the Chinese, then 
 we will have nothing to do with these men who ordered 
 his death." 
 
 The Manchu leaders were planning to oppose the 
 army that was marching towards Fou Cheo, but they 
 were unprepared for an uprising of the whole city. 
 The garrison of soldiers, a much larger force than was 
 usually stationed there, was utterly unable to cope with 
 what occurred during the night following Chu's execu- 
 tion. The rich man of the district and the leaders of 
 the city threw themselves on the side of the rebellion.
 
 THE NEW IN ACTION 231 
 
 " In the face of such deep injustice," they said, " the 
 Manchu general and his host must go." 
 
 Paul was kept in ignorance of what was about to 
 happen. The people knew he was grieving over the 
 death of his friend, and, as with bowed head, 
 he passed through the street, they literally wept for 
 him. Forgetting their Oriental stoicism, their hearts 
 went out in deepest sympathy to this man whose com- 
 panion had died, not because of a crime he had com- 
 mitted, but because he had loved his country well. 
 
 The Manchus had taken extraordinary precaution in 
 guarding the city after Chu's execution, and a heavy 
 guard had been formed both inside and outside the 
 city. With the coming of darkness, silence reigned. 
 Lamps had gone out and the city seemed to be asleep. 
 
 " Ah," said the guards among themselves, " they 
 know better than to strike when an army like ours 
 occupies the city." 
 
 Carelessly the guards left their posts, and talked with 
 each other, or joined the little circles of gamblers. 
 The city watchman went through the streets calling 
 the second watch. He had just passed down the prin- 
 cipal street when suddenly, as if a single arm had 
 swung aside the narrow panels of the doors, out of 
 every house came armed men. A shot rang out. The 
 soldiers outside the walls heard it and decided that it 
 was accidental. With the guards overpowered and 
 their arms secured, the mob moved on towards the 
 Yamen and the camp of the general. The uncom- 
 manded mob of the morning had become an army 
 an army of men fighting for a cause, who believed that
 
 232 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 the time had come to take revenge for the death of 
 their friend. Now and then someone cried out ex- 
 citedly: "We'll kill him We'll kill him," but for the 
 greater part they were calm and controlled. Like the 
 mob of the morning, this army was composed of men 
 from every class. Their faces showed both determina- 
 tion and hate. 
 
 When they saw the size of the approaching army 
 the soldiers at the Yamen fled, and the magistrate came 
 out half dressed, begging for mercy. Taking the offi- 
 cial by the arm the crowd pushed him in front of them, 
 hooting and jeering, and approached the camp of the 
 general. Swiftly out of the night came a figure which 
 all of them instantly recognized. They saw the white, 
 drawn face of Paul Redmond. 
 
 " We'll have revenge for your friend and ours," they 
 cried out to him. 
 
 Paul spoke authoritatively. 
 
 " It is all right to capture these men, but I insist 
 that no violence shall be done them until they shall 
 have had a trial," said Paul authoritatively. " One 
 man was executed today without a trial; let us not 
 allow this to happen again." 
 
 With a few shots they scattered the soldiers on 
 guard at the headquarters of the general, and went 
 in to find him trembling and on his knees, begging for 
 mercy. When he saw Paul, he said : " Ah, you have 
 done this, have you ? " 
 
 " I am here not to see you killed," Paul answered, 
 " but to see that justice is shown you." 
 
 The magistrate and the general were taken to the
 
 THE NEW IN ACTION 233 
 
 court where Chu had been shot that morning, and the 
 leader of the mob was appointed judge. The general 
 was placed in front of him and then the leaders turned 
 to Paul. 
 
 " Sir," they said, " he killed your friend and ours, 
 and now we propose to kill him." 
 
 Paul realized the great responsibility of the moment, 
 for he knew that his word would determine the fate of 
 this man. In his bitterness of the night he had de- 
 clared that the general must be punished, and now 
 these men were calling upon him to judge this man who 
 deserved death. He knew that great caution was 
 necessary, if he was to teach the doctrine of real 
 charity to this group of men, who, up to this time, had 
 never exercised power. Yet he felt that he must teach 
 it and with the very greatest care if the country was 
 to be saved. 
 
 " My friends," he said, " I am sure you know that 
 I believe this man deserves death, but you must realize 
 that there is a new responsibility upon you. This is 
 the time when you must practice justice. I know, of 
 course, that you must not be weak, but you must carry 
 out the principles and ideals for which you are fight- 
 ing. Even war, terrible as it is, can express humanity 
 and justice. You have conquered these men and they 
 are in your hands, and you can now show to 
 China and to the world that though you have great 
 cause for punishing this man at once no group of 
 people ever had a greater you will forbear until you 
 can refer his case to a higher tribunal. Your govern- 
 ment is only temporary. You have so recently come
 
 234 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 into power, and you are only a part of a larger rebel- 
 lion. When your government shall have been estab- 
 lished in Nanking, you can take your case to the 
 officials there for decision." 
 
 The leaders instantly recognized the strength of 
 Paul's argument, and prepared to follow his advice. 
 But the crowd murmured and cried out, not only 
 against the leaders, but against Paul himself, for they 
 thirsted for revenge. 
 
 Runners were sent out from the city to inform the 
 advancing rebel army that Fou Cheo had already been 
 taken. At its head was a young man, trained in a 
 mission school, who was placed in command of the 
 city. Paul marveled at his simplicity, for there was 
 no show of pomp and glory in which the old officialdom 
 had delighted. The young man walked the streets in 
 democratic simplicity. He demonstrated that the old 
 autocratic government was soon to pass, and that in its 
 place there was to be a real democracy. He conferred 
 with Paul continually and a great intimacy sprang up 
 between them, for they soon found that they had 
 common ideals and purposes. The young leader was 
 furious when he heard of the death of Chu, and was 
 anxious that the Manchu general should be executed, 
 but Paul counseled moderation. 
 
 " It is the history of past rebellions," he said, " that 
 they have been drenched in blood, and I have hoped 
 that this movement, as far as the revolutionary leaders 
 are concerned, might accomplish its end with a mini- 
 mum amount of slaughter. You have a rare opportu- 
 nity to demonstrate the real principles of Christianity
 
 THE NEW IN ACTION 
 
 and to show the world that tyrannical governments 
 can be overthrown without carnage." 
 
 The young leader acquiesced in this plan, and ar- 
 ranged to send the Manchu general to the officials of 
 the new government at Nanking. Meanwhile he laid 
 broad plans for reform in the district. His intense 
 hatred of the graft of the old officialdom surprised 
 Paul. It was a new experience for a Chinese to feel 
 about it as did this young leader. He insisted that 
 the men under him should observe the strictest rules 
 of honesty. At first the people could not understand 
 him, for it was an altogether unheard-of thing for an 
 official to refuse to take advantage of opportunities 
 afforded for personal benefit.
 
 XXXIV 
 A NEW NATION'S NEED 
 
 THE greatest delight that Paul had in the new 
 official was the fact that he was so thoroughly 
 modern in his attitude toward the city and its 
 life, and was continually surprised by the reforms that 
 he had in mind. He planned to improve the filthy 
 cobble-stone streets and, where the width of the street 
 permitted, to construct carriage roads. He installed 
 telephones and electric lights. None of these things 
 had been thought of before. In addition to this, he 
 was interested in the whole question of sewerage as 
 the most important part of his campaign against dirt 
 and filth. Paul had given much thought to all these 
 improvements, but under the regime of the old magis- 
 trate he had despaired of ever seeing them accom- 
 plished; but here was a young man who dared to do 
 the most progressive things and to institute lasting 
 reforms. To him, the cutting off of the queue and 
 such outward signs were incidental. He really wanted 
 to make of China a great and powerful nation. 
 
 With this new attitude prevailing toward modern 
 education and thought, Paul felt that something could 
 now be done along the line of public preaching. He 
 had heard that in other parts of China great taber- 
 nacles had been erected and large concourses of people 
 assembled for the services. At the public lectures he 
 
 236
 
 A NEW NATION'S NEED 237 
 
 had given on hygiene and other subjects, the small 
 rooms had been crowded. He hoped that China would 
 now adopt something more than the mere outward 
 expressions of modern civilization, for he wanted truth 
 to reform and convert China and have a lasting effect 
 upon it. He went to the young official. 
 
 " I want something for Fou Cheo that is unusual, 
 and that may seem impracticable," he said. " I am 
 willing to finance it, but I want your help and coopera- 
 tion. It is my desire to build here a great tabernacle 
 that will seat at least a thousand people, and attempt, 
 if possible, to get them to attend the preaching services 
 which we want to hold." 
 
 " Excellent," said the official, " but I do not want 
 you to build it I will do it; and instead of having it 
 seat a thousand, we must have it hold many more." 
 
 Paul marveled at his ready cooperation. He was 
 thinking of the little preaching hall that held only one 
 hundred and fifty people, and which had seldom been 
 filled at the regular services. 
 
 The young official was enthusiastic over the plan. 
 
 " I know," he said, striking himself on the chest, 
 " how the young men are questioning. Christianity 
 has never been presented in an adequate way. I know 
 that this has been because of lack of funds. Your 
 churches have been on side streets, and they have not 
 been pretentious buildings, and for that reason the 
 better class of Chinese have thought that your religion 
 is not important. The people of this district are com- 
 mencing to trust me, and we are going to do this thing 
 in a big way."
 
 238 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 One of the best lots in the city was chosen for the 
 tabernacle and it was built in a substantial way. Paul 
 was astonished when he found that it was seated to 
 hold three thousand people. He said to the old evange- 
 list : " Perhaps in ten or fifteen years a place like 
 this could be filled, but I am afraid we are going to be 
 the laughing stock of the people." 
 
 The old evangelist, the group of doctors, and many 
 others, assured him that if Christianity could be rep- 
 resented in an adequate way it would have a great hear- 
 ing, so he set himself to the task of inviting the people 
 to attend the services. He sent out five thousand tickets 
 to merchants and scholars for the first meeting, with 
 the information that those who wanted to attend the 
 series of meetings, which would extend over two weeks, 
 should apply for season tickets at the mission house. 
 
 Early next morning he was called out into the coun- 
 try. Upon returning at noon he was surprised to see 
 a great crowd of people about the mission premises. 
 At first he thought it to be a mob, but upon mingling 
 with the crowd, found it friendly. He asked what it 
 all meant, and they replied that they desired the tickets 
 that would entitle them to attend all the meetings at 
 the tabernacle. Four thousand tickets were issued that 
 day, and now the question arose " What are we going 
 to do with all these people ? " 
 
 The old evangelist's eyes twinkled. 
 
 "What people?" he asked. "I thought you said 
 the tabernacle was too large ? " 
 
 Paul laid his hand on his arm and said : 
 
 " Ah, my friend, I suppose I have not been able to
 
 A NEW NATION'S NEED 289 
 
 conceive of this new day. I know that others have 
 worked longer than I with little success, and now that 
 China is so open to the teachings of Christianity, 
 I cannot realize that the hour for which we have long 
 prayed is actually here." 
 
 " Yes," said the old evangelist, " it has taken a cen- 
 tmy for this hour to arrive. During the next ten days 
 things are going to happen in this city of which none 
 of us has ever dreamed, and not only now in this city 
 but soon throughout China." 
 
 Paul looked away for a moment, and then he turned 
 a sad face to the old evangelist. 
 
 ** If only Chu were here to see it," he said. 
 
 " He will know, my friend, and because of what he 
 and others like him have done for China, this hour has 
 been made possible. It is the way of life. Someone 
 must pay the price."
 
 XXXV 
 
 THE FRUITAGE OF FORMER WORK 
 
 PAUL soon realized that the whole city was in- 
 terested in the meetings and that his organiza- 
 tion was utterly inadequate. He had invited Dr. 
 Means, because of his marked ability for such work, 
 and in addition secured some of the best Chinese speak- 
 ers he could find, although he, himself, was now able 
 to speak Chinese fluently. He wanted to strike a blow 
 for Christianity such as had never been struck perhaps 
 in any city in the province, and he not only planned 
 for the ten days of the meeting, but gave much thought 
 to the period of instruction which would necessarily 
 follow it. He realized that men like the old evangelist 
 had served their day and generation. They had ac- 
 complished a great work with a certain type of people, 
 but now he must use not only the young physicians 
 and teachers who were helping him in the district, but 
 he must have well-trained men to lead in the preach- 
 ing and teaching. While most of his time was occu- 
 pied in carrying out the details of the meeting, he also 
 prepared himself for the opportunity that was before 
 him. 
 
 " The work I have done has only been preparatory," 
 he said to himself. " Men who have lived lives fet- 
 tered by prejudices and superstitions are now opening 
 
 240
 
 THE FRUITAGE OF FORMER WORK 241 
 
 their hearts since they see I am working in their 
 behalf." 
 
 A day or two before the meeting Paul called together 
 a number of his friends who had worked with him 
 in the famine relief, also the young official. 
 
 " Friends," he said, " together we have helped the 
 city in many ways, and now I want your help in a new 
 enterprise. You know of the great tabernacle that has 
 been erected and the series of meetings that has been 
 planned. The little church here is small, and it will be 
 utterly impossible for me to do this work alone. Help 
 me at this time when I need you so much." 
 
 He was amazed at their response. They all ex- 
 pressed a willingness to assist him in every possible 
 way, and asked him to command them. The organiza- 
 tion which he perfected was masterful. Follow-up 
 work was carefully considered and planned. The first 
 meeting was held at three o'clock in the afternoon. 
 Dr. Means, jovial and smiling, rubbed his hands to- 
 gether, saying : " This is the stuff. When you begin 
 to work in this way, it means that something will be 
 done." 
 
 When he reached the tabernacle, two hours before 
 the meeting, Paul was amazed to find it almost filled. 
 People were traveling toward it in great streams. 
 After a consultation with the leaders, he had large 
 posters put on the outer door telling them that follow- 
 ing the first meeting a second and, if needed, a third 
 would be held to accommodate the people. He asked 
 them to come back at five o'clock or at seven and 
 promised that all would be admitted. Men went
 
 242 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 through the crowds announcing this and word was 
 sent to the leaders that if they could come immediately 
 to the tabernacle, the meeting would open as soon as 
 they arrived. 
 
 Many of the leading men of the city were in the audi- 
 ence, which was composed largely of men. Here were 
 people who were anxious to listen to the presentation 
 of the claims of Christianity, not out of mere curiosity, 
 but because they knew the worth of the work that the 
 Christian leaders had accomplished. Paul thought of 
 his father and Madeline and wished that they might 
 have witnessed this vast assembly, for he felt that it 
 would change their whole attitude towards him and 
 his work. He thought of the Stewarts, too, and he 
 knew they would be glad when they heard of it. Last 
 of all, he thought of Catherine Williams. He knew 
 that her work had helped to make all this possible, and 
 that she would delight in the fact that it had actually 
 come to pass. As he looked over the platform and 
 saw the rich man of the district, the scholars, bankers 
 and merchants, and the young official who was pre- 
 siding with face aglow, he said to himself : " Truly, 
 the hour for which we have hoped and prayed has 
 come." 
 
 One of the young Chinese was a splendid singer, 
 but it was amusing, and yet pathetic, to hear the at- 
 tempt he made to lead that great assembly of men, 
 untrained in Christian hymnology. Yet in a faithful 
 attempt they sang, with only a slight resemblance to 
 the tune, the simple air, " Jesus Loves Me," in a lusty 
 manner.
 
 THE FRUITAGE OF FORMER WORK 243 
 
 In the midst of it all Paul seemed to see the face of 
 his dead friend. The vision had been with him con- 
 stantly during the past few days. " What real joy 
 this would have brought to the heart of Chu," he said 
 to himself. 
 
 The speeches of the young official and others were 
 complimentary. Then followed two or three Chinese 
 who emphasized, though rather hesitatingly, some of 
 the doctrines of Christianity. Last of all came Dr. 
 Means. The doctor was very felicitous in what he had 
 to say. He dealt with the principles of government 
 and of individual living, from the standpoint of Chris- 
 tianity. Men who had listened politely before, now 
 leaned forward in their seats as this veteran of a quar- 
 ter of a century poured out his heart to them. The 
 doctor talked for nearly an hour and a half, during 
 which time the audience listened with strained interest. 
 He outlined the work that the great teachers of China 
 had attempted to do, and showed them that devil- 
 worship was out of harmony with the teaching of men 
 like Confucius and Mencius. He explained to them 
 what the Sermon on the Mount would do for China 
 in an hour like the one at hand, and held the audience 
 breathless when he coupled Christ and Confucius to- 
 gether. They beheld visions such as they had never 
 dreamed. 
 
 Paul did not speak at the first meeting. The taber- 
 nacle was refilled at five o'clock and again at seven. 
 Many stayed on for the three services, and the crowds 
 that came that first day were not exceptional. The 
 meetings continued, and the talks grew more and more
 
 244 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 intimate in dealing with the problems of Christianity. 
 Yet this great concourse of people were not present 
 because they wanted to become Christians. They were 
 beginning to realize that a change had come over China 
 and that the time had arrived when they would be 
 forced to change their attitude toward religion and 
 life. 
 
 Among those who were laboring for this cause was 
 the hilltop priest. Some of the leaders doubted the 
 wisdom of letting him testify, but when he stood up 
 in a garb other than the gray habit of his priesthood, 
 and told the people why he had turned from Buddhism 
 to Christianity, they listened attentively. It was not 
 easy for him to do this, for secret attempts had been 
 made on his life. The revolution had not banished 
 the enemies among the opium dealers and priests, and 
 even during the meetings there were constant signs 
 of sinister influences at work. 
 
 Paul wondered what would be the result of these 
 meetings. He felt it would be unwise to call for 
 adherents to Christianity, as many might then be 
 received into the church who might not understand the 
 full meaning of their action. He also wanted to avoid 
 receiving those who might come through insincere 
 motives. 
 
 The last night of the meeting arrived. Several 
 hundred young men, most of them from government 
 schools, had signed cards designating their desire to 
 study Christianity. Dr. Means had returned to his 
 home and Paul was conducting the meetings. The 
 young official, who had presided at every meeting, even
 
 THE FRUITAGE OF FORMER WORK 245 
 
 when they were holding three a day, was also present. 
 Paul turned to him and said in English, which he un- 
 derstood : 
 
 " My friend, there are those present that are perhaps 
 not ready to accept Jesus Christ, but why will you not 
 acknowledge Him ? " 
 
 The young official hesitated a moment and then 
 replied in the words of Agrippa, " Almost thou per- 
 suadest me." 
 
 Paul smiled. 
 
 " I wish I might entirely." 
 
 " You have, and I will accept Him." 
 
 " Do you mean that you will do it now before all 
 of these people?" 
 
 " I do." 
 
 Paul called the audience to silence. 
 
 " Friends," he said, " we have invited a great many 
 of you to study Christianity, but we have not asked 
 you to accept it because we feel you do not know it 
 sufficiently. But here is a man who has studied Chris- 
 tianity thoroughly, and I have asked him to speak to 
 you." 
 
 When he turned to the young official, a ripple of ap- 
 plause, unusual among the Chinese, came from the 
 great audience. 
 
 "Friends," he said, "I am going to follow Christ 
 and obey His commands." 
 
 The men on the platform urged him to repeat his 
 statement. 
 
 " I am a Christian," he repeated, " I have accepted 
 Christianity."
 
 246 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 The audience burst into cheers, but Paul sought to 
 quiet them. 
 
 " This is not the time for noisy demonstration," he 
 said. " It is the time for deep thanksgiving to God, 
 and a recognition of our own responsibility." 
 
 The young official continued speaking, particularly 
 to the young men. He reviewed their hopes and am- 
 bitions for China, and showed them how useless all 
 that had occurred would be if they lived a thoughtless 
 and insincere life. If the revolution was to succeed, 
 he said, there should be an adequate ethical basis, and 
 that basis was to be found only in Christ and in His 
 teaching. 
 
 The meetings made a profound impression upon the 
 whole city and district. As nearly a thousand cards 
 had been signed, Paul was anxious to see how many 
 of those who promised to study the Bible would put 
 in an appearance. He felt that many of these cards 
 had been signed hastily and without mature thought. 
 So he decided not to hold the first meeting in the 
 tabernacle, but the official wisely persuaded him other- 
 wise, urging that a great many of the inquirers would 
 bring other young men, who, while they had not 
 signed cards, would be willing to enter the class. And 
 this turned out to be the case. 
 
 Paul outlined a course of twenty studies, dealing 
 with the fundamentals of religion and morality, and 
 told them what he wanted to do and how he was plan- 
 ning to do it, and was amazed at the response. He 
 made it clear to them that none of them were going 
 to be unduly persuaded to adopt Christianity; that
 
 THE FRUITAGE OF FORMER WORK 
 
 first of all they were to be given ample opportunity to 
 study its teachings. 
 
 " You know, men," he said, " we have been doing 
 things for the uplift of the city. This we shall con- 
 tinue to do. Along with our study of the Bible we 
 must seek to make the city cleaner and better." 
 
 This statement appealed to the best instincts of his 
 hearers. Yet he felt sure nevertheless that the show- 
 ing of this new spirit would lead the traffickers in 
 opium, who had been ruined as a result of the anti- 
 opium propaganda, and the Buddhist priests, who were 
 rendered more bitter than ever, to work with renewed 
 energy to destroy the result of his endeavors. He real- 
 ized that the war had not been won that only a battle 
 had turned in favor of the cause which he represented, 
 and that this success had stirred up opposition which, 
 at the first opportunity, would vent itself with in- 
 creased venom.
 
 XXXVI 
 THE FORELOPER'S OPPORTUNITY 
 
 EVERY great movement has its problems, and 
 Paul found himself facing some of a tremen- 
 dous order. Many of those who came into the 
 church came from selfish motives. This state of af- 
 fairs was gradually overcome by the remonstrance of 
 Paul and the Chinese leaders, so that it soon came to 
 be generally known that the church did not approve, 
 but rather condemned, the acceptance of Christianity 
 from any but the most sincere motive. 
 
 The young magistrate proved to be of great help, 
 and became one of the leading factors in a period of 
 reconstruction such as Paul had not thought possible. 
 One night the official sent for Paul, who, on reaching 
 his headquarters, was surprised to find there a number 
 of visitors men who were strangers to him, although 
 he knew them by reputation. 
 
 " Mr. Redmond," said the official, " we are very 
 anxious to have you go to Nanking to help our govern- 
 ment. Dr. Means is just now helping the new Presi- 
 dent, who has come out from England, and we are 
 selecting a few friends of China from various parts of 
 the country, who can assist us with our problems." 
 
 Paul urged that he was not well enough versed in 
 the principles of government to undertake this mis- 
 sion, but his diffidence was finally overcome, and he 
 
 248
 
 THE FORELOPER'S OPPORTUNITY 249 
 
 consented to go. He went to Nanking, and for sev- 
 eral weeks was in daily consultation with the leaders, 
 weighing the most vital governmental issues. His 
 ability in organizing proved of great assistance during 
 this most trying time of the new regime. He daily 
 preached the doctrine of unselfishness, and impressed 
 upon the leaders that if ever there was a time when 
 they must stand for China rather than for themselves, 
 it was the present. 
 
 He recognized the opportunity to impress on the 
 younger generation that the hope of any country 
 is her young men and the policies they adopt. 
 Men who had but recently graduated from college, 
 without any thought of ever holding high official posi- 
 tion, were given undreamed-of opportunities of power 
 and influence. He minced no words with them, but 
 made a strong appeal in telling them that in the future 
 the nation would call them blessed if they practised 
 unselfishness at this critical time. Many of the men 
 in high positions cared only for what their families 
 might benefit from their power, but China with its new 
 ideals repudiated them. 
 
 There were influences in the new administration 
 which Paul recognized as sources of great danger. 
 The hands of foreign governments were always in 
 evidence. He had sensed this in the past, and the truth 
 of his conviction was now being forced upon him. Paul 
 had tried to believe in these nations, but as he studied 
 carefully the whole history of their dealing with China 
 and the far East, he became convinced that here was 
 a place where the aims and ideals of the new govern-
 
 250 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 ment might meet defeat, and that the greatest caution 
 must be observed. Others well versed in affairs of 
 state joined Paul in denouncing such measures. He 
 urged the new republic not to show preference to any 
 nation, and made it clear to them that it would be dis- 
 astrous to do so. He taught the leaders the doctrine 
 of peace, and urged that China establish herself as a 
 nation of peace. The rebellion had succeeded with a 
 minimum amount of bloodshed. Never before, in the 
 history of the world, had a change of this nature, affect- 
 ing so many people, been accomplished with so small 
 an amount of slaughter. In most instances the leaders 
 had been extremely humane, and Paul hoped they 
 would demonstrate to the world that a large arma- 
 ment was unnecessary. 
 
 " But," he said, " if you begin now to show prefer- 
 ence, or to give concessions, to any nation, serious 
 trouble will result, which might end in the overthrow 
 of your government and even bring about a world 
 war." 
 
 He counseled extreme moderation in the form that 
 the government should take, for he realized that if the 
 change from the old system was too radical the pendu- 
 lum would sometime swing back, and he was anxious 
 that this should be avoided. A few of the leaders, 
 however, had seen the vision of liberty and had heard 
 the voice of the people, and this led them to a position 
 which was eventually to become untenable. 
 
 His was not the only word of warning. He was 
 supported by all of the missionaries, and the Chinese 
 of the most advanced thought. One of the foreign
 
 THE FORELOPER'S OPPORTUNITY 251 
 
 officials, who knew of his attitude, tried to convince 
 him that their position was applying the principle of 
 the Monroe doctrine. 
 
 " The Monroe doctrine is protective and unselfish," 
 returned Paul, " if it be carried out consistently." 
 
 He regretted that he was compelled to be away so 
 long from Fou Cheo, but felt that in doing this larger 
 service for China he was also serving his city. 
 
 He made a very decided impression upon all of the 
 officials with whom he came in contact. He insisted 
 that they should be paid salaries, and that the regime 
 of graft which pertained to the old officialdom should 
 be entirely wiped out; that there should be a new 
 attitude toward the whole question of money. He was 
 emphatically opposed to the so-called " squeeze " which 
 the old officials had worked so effectively, and every 
 friend of China agreed with him. He planned with 
 them to inaugurate a just system of taxation, and be- 
 lieved that when this should be once thoroughly incor- 
 porated, many of the previously existing evils would be 
 eliminated. 
 
 He constantly urged the establishment of an ade- 
 quate educational system, and pointed out to the 
 officials that while it was true that the Manchus had 
 done away with the old form of education, a new one 
 must be inaugurated. He did not hesitate to show 
 the weaknesses of the past, and told them that if the 
 old evils were to continue it would have been better 
 to have had no change. 
 
 The officials were profuse in their promises and 
 declared that the revolution stood for new and definite
 
 252 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 principles and ideals which stood for equity and right- 
 eous government. Their personal attitude to himself, 
 too, was gratifying in the extreme. It betokened their 
 possession of a spirit of openmindedness and tolera- 
 tion together with a certain cessation of that deeply- 
 rooted suspicion with which the Chinese are wont to 
 regard workers and reformers from other lands. 
 
 Thus this young man found the hearts of men open- 
 ing to him, and as he entered therein, found possibili- 
 ties of which he had never dreamed.
 
 XXXVII 
 
 THE LAST VOYAGE 
 
 THE river swirled and eddied about the hulk as 
 the old captain's steamer was being made fast 
 at Nanking. It was a difficult landing, but un- 
 der the old man's curt orders it was at last accom- 
 plished, and Paul went aboard to greet his friend. 
 Captain Jenkins was delighted to see him. He had 
 heard of the part Paul had played in the revolution, 
 and he was happy that his young friend had proved 
 his leadership, and was justifying all that he had 
 claimed for him. 
 
 Paul, on the other hand, looked at his friend with 
 real concern, for the old man had aged a great deal 
 since the time of the attempted destruction of the dike. 
 The strain of the years was telling on him. Just be- 
 fore Paul came aboard, the steward had taken his 
 luggage to one of the steamer's cabins, and the old 
 man was raging reading the titles of all the poor 
 fellow's ancestry way back beyond the Ming dynasty, 
 simply because he did not know that this young man 
 was always to be his personal guest. 
 
 June was at hand and there was already an indica- 
 tion of approaching heat. Paul was enjoying free- 
 dom and rest after the strenuous work he had gone 
 through and at the first meal he ate rather heartily. 
 
 " Boy," cautioned Captain Jenkins, " be careful. 
 253
 
 254 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 One of the down steamers yesterday carried a case of 
 cholera. Somehow or other it is creeping in here. We 
 can't control it. I hear that farther up the river a 
 great many Chinese have already died, so you must 
 be careful. I wouldn't want anything to happen to 
 you while you are on this old tub." 
 
 " But, captain, you eat everything, don't you ? " 
 
 " Oh, well, it's different with me. And yet even I 
 am careful. I don't fool with these things. I know 
 when there's danger. Cholera is no respecter of per- 
 sons. It reaches out and digs its fangs into the one 
 least expectin' it. The good men who have gone across 
 the river on that cholera boat are almost innumerable. 
 For fifty years I have seen them, white and yellow, 
 pass away in the summer, and no one seems to know 
 just the reason of their going, nor the manner of it." 
 
 At the captain's request, Paul related all the details 
 of his part in the rebellion. As he paced up and down 
 in front of him on the deck that night, the old man 
 rubbed his hands together and chuckled with great 
 delight. 
 
 " Ah, son, that old daddy of yours never did a bigger 
 piece of work than this. When he hears how you are 
 dippin' into the affairs of that province up there and 
 changing' the whole order of things, I feel pretty sure 
 he will want to have a big part in all that you are 
 doin'. It's great to know that you are showin' your 
 blood and that the good God is usin' you in the way He 
 is. You notice what I say, boy. Ah, there's no one who 
 knows the hand of Providence better than an old fellow 
 who has knocked about the seas of the world most
 
 THE LAST VOYAGE 255 
 
 of his life. You're not the only one cloin' a great 
 work in these days. I carry men up and down here, 
 young and old. They're puttin' their stamp on China 
 for always." Then after a short pause he went on: 
 " Lad, I don't know why, but I'm goin' to tell you 
 somethin'. I feel about you as I'd feel about a son of 
 my own. Of course you know that I can't do any 
 of this adoptin' business, except as I do it in my own 
 heart. It may surprise you to learn that I'm a senti- 
 mental old cuss." 
 
 Paul smiled. 
 
 " Captain," he said, " you have a great deal of senti- 
 ment about you. I have never known a man to have 
 more. I appreciate the feeling you have in your heart 
 for me, and I am mighty glad you have it." 
 
 " Well, here's what I'm goin' to tell you : I haven't 
 saved much money, but I've saved a little. I don't 
 know what to do with it. I've got a few relatives 
 who don't care a continental damn for me, and never 
 have. Well, I've left them a few hundred dollars 
 apiece, and every greasy dollar of the rest I want you 
 to have. I want you to build a house up there fit for 
 a white man to live in, but I don't want you to build 
 anything that has my name on it. After I'm gone, 
 when you go in and out of that house after long, hard 
 days, I want you to remember that somewhere there 
 is an old man whose life you blessed at the last, and 
 who is glad that the tides swept you across his bow 
 before he died." 
 
 As the old man finished there were tears in his 
 eyes. He hurriedly wiped them away, saying : " I
 
 256 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 don't know where in hell I got this cold. Makes my 
 eyes water." 
 
 Paul was greatly affected, and protested against 
 taking anything from him. 
 
 "By gad, what do you want me to do with it?" 
 old Jenkins raved. " Do you want me to marry some 
 of these hussies that are after me ? No, son, it's yours, 
 and as much as music can ever strike the strings of 
 an old dried-up heart like mine, it's been doin' it ever 
 since the day I decided to do this thing for you." 
 
 They were like father and son during the remainder 
 of the journey. Paul had often longed for the love 
 of such a man as he, especially since his separation 
 from his father. 
 
 While the boat was anchored at Hankow, they 
 strolled about the city. It had become intensely hot 
 and suffocating in the humid and steaming atmosphere 
 that came from river and valley. When they left 
 Hankow that night the captain's orders were sharper 
 than ever. He was still stamping and storming about 
 when they passed Kiukiang, damning everybody and 
 everything in general. For the first time he displayed 
 his irritation in talking to Paul, who paid no attention 
 to it, believing that the old man was not well, as a 
 result of the intense heat. He retired early, leaving 
 Paul on the deck watching the play of the swift- 
 flowing waters in the moonlight. Paul retired soon 
 after, but was suddenly awakened by the chief officer 
 calling him to the captain, who was ill. He found the 
 old man very ill. He saw the whiteness of his cheek, 
 and a great dread came over him. When the officer,
 
 THE LAST VOYAGE 257 
 
 who came at his call, looked upon the captain, his face 
 blanched. 
 
 " My God, how could this have happened ? " was all 
 he said. 
 
 " It must be an attack of indigestion," suggested 
 Paul. 
 
 The officer motioned him to the door, and when they 
 were out of hearing distance, he said : " It's far 
 worse than indigestion, sir. It's cholera." 
 
 They gave the captain such remedies as they had 
 at their command, but age and a debilitated condition 
 were against him. After a brief conference, they de- 
 cided to go on to the nearest hospital. The ship was 
 put full steam ahead as they went forward in the 
 night. Meanwhile they did everything in their power 
 to relieve the old man, but he grew steadily worse. 
 He looked into Paul's face and said : " Don't worry, 
 lad, you haven't told me what I've got, but I know. 
 I had it once before, when I was a young man. My 
 constitution was like iron then. I'm afraid I can't 
 fight it now, but don't you worry. I've only one 
 request to make, and that is that you'll not leave me 
 while this thing is on. Stay with me, boy, for if the 
 great Captain should order me to take the long voyage, 
 I want you by to wave the last farewell." 
 
 Paul tried to assure him that this need not be the 
 end ; that even though he had cholera he was sure they 
 could save him. Before daybreak they came to the 
 hospital. The whistles were blown to awaken the 
 doctor and almost instantly lights appeared in his 
 house. He knew that only the unusual could bring the
 
 258 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 steamer to anchor directly in front of the hospital. 
 Boats were put off and Paul carried the captain in 
 his strong arms down the plank, resting his head on 
 his shoulder. It was a battle indeed. The doctor used 
 every modern method for the treatment of the disease, 
 but there was little response. The captain was uncon- 
 scious during the greater part of the day, but finally 
 the signs of the disease seemed to disappear and he 
 became semi-conscious. 
 
 Paul saw his lips moving and as he bent over him, 
 he heard him say : " Yes, little girl, I must follow the 
 star out yonder. The whisper and the song of the 
 ocean are in my heart. You'll come, won't you? 
 You'll follow the star with me? Ah, I knew you'd 
 come ! " 
 
 Then his eyes wandered to Paul's face. 
 
 " Boy," he whispered, " did you hear the news ? 
 The little girl has heard the call of the ocean, too, and 
 she's comin' with me. I've waited a long time, but I 
 knew she'd come." 
 
 Then he was silent for a moment, lying with closed 
 eyes. 
 
 " Aye, aye, sir," he broke out again, " I've got the 
 orders, I'm ready to sail. Aye, aye, sir, let go the 
 cables, she's slippin' now she's clear. Full steam 
 ahead." 
 
 His eyes opened, and he smiled up into Paul's face. 
 
 " Well, son," he said faintly. " Come to see me 
 off? That's good of you, boy." 
 
 A great silence followed. Old Captain Jenkins had 
 fared forth on his long, last voyage.
 
 XXXVIII 
 DECISIONS RECONSIDERED 
 
 WHILE eternal tides were carrying the old 
 captain out of Paul's life, they were also 
 bearing into his life one who had drifted 
 away. 
 
 After Madeline's talk with Catherine and Frances 
 she was torn by conflicting emotions. She felt 
 that she had forfeited Paul's love, and was afraid she 
 would be called upon to endure the penalty. She had 
 been very frank with the two girls, and her manner 
 had lost much of the intolerance that had characterized 
 it during the first years of her estrangement from Paul. 
 In one of their talks Catherine told her that she had 
 kissed Paul while he was delirious, and she had lis- 
 tened with practically no emotion, and had thanked 
 her when she learned that Paul had been quieted by 
 her kiss. 
 
 All this only made Madeline's problem more diffi- 
 cult. How could she tell Paul that she knew all that 
 had happened? Besides she did not want to involve 
 Catherine, yet she wanted to tell him and felt that she 
 must do so. 
 
 Madeline had rather avoided Mr. Redmond, but she 
 decided to go to him now. Paul's father smiled when 
 
 she entered his office. 
 
 269
 
 260 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 " Well, Madeline," he said, " I suppose you have 
 come to tell me that you have learned the truth." 
 
 The girl looked up quickly into her questioner's 
 face. 
 
 " Have you learned it, too ? " she asked. 
 
 " Yes, I have known it for months," he answered. 
 
 " Then why haven't you told me, and why haven't 
 we forgiven him ? " 
 
 " There was nothing for me to forgive I never 
 believed the story," said Mr. Redmond. " I knew all 
 the time that the boy had done nothing wrong, that 
 this rumor was doing him a serious injustice. Made- 
 line, I have but one object now, and that is to make 
 Paul yield, and as long as you are in this country, and 
 as long as he is unmarried, my chances are greatly 
 increased." 
 
 Madeline was indignant. She felt that Mr. Red- 
 mond had not been fair with her. 
 
 " I came to tell you," she said, " that I am going to 
 write him today that I will go out to him." 
 
 " Have you ever thought, Madeline," Redmond re- 
 turned, " of how grievously you have wounded him, 
 that perhaps he will not marry you now? He is 
 proud. He comes from a race of proud men, and you 
 have done him a tremendous injustice. You may be 
 humiliating yourself in writing him. How would you 
 feel if he should tell you not to come after you have 
 yielded?" 
 
 Redmond commenced by appealing to her pride; 
 now he was appealing to her prejudices. 
 
 " I have decided that I can never leave my wealth
 
 DECISIONS RECONSIDERED 261 
 
 to Paul as long as he continues to live in China," he 
 continued decisively. " If you should yield, I know 
 he will never return; and think of what he could really 
 do for China if he would come home and apply him- 
 self to my business and send other men out there! He 
 looks at this whole thing in the wrong way. He has 
 a foolish notion that he must give himself. Would 
 it not be a great deal better for you to help me in my 
 plan to get him to return home, than for you to go to 
 him and thus rob him of his fortune ? 
 
 " Madeline," he went on with apparent earnestness, 
 " I have never pleaded for myself. But an old man, 
 at the end of his life, has but two things left his 
 family, and the future of his work. I have only Paul, 
 and I want him. I know I allowed my business to 
 interfere with our companionship, but he was a lad, 
 then. Now he is a man a far better man than I, 
 because he has the blood and the heart of the woman 
 who bore him. Can't you understand how I need him ? 
 Then there is my business, and he alone can carry out 
 the purposes I have for it. It is with great sorrow 
 that I contemplate someone, other than one of my own 
 race, directing it." 
 
 Redmond could not have been more subtle in his 
 method. He also suggested to Madeline that which 
 a woman resents that she had been the cause of Paul's 
 making an unusual sacrifice. Then, too, the plea for 
 himself had touched her. She impetuously reached 
 out her hands. 
 
 " Oh, I know how you must need him," she said, 
 " and desiring him in that way, can't you see how /
 
 262 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 want him? But I am more fortunate than you," she 
 added with a smile, " for I can go to him and be 
 with him always." 
 
 The girl made no promise to Paul's father and he 
 exacted none. He knew it would be unwise to try to 
 force her to a decision, for a woman in Madeline's 
 frame of mind might go to any length for the man she 
 loved. 
 
 When she returned home she went at once to Cath- 
 erine and told her what Mr. Redmond had said. Cath- 
 erine showed an unexpected bitterness. 
 
 " Madeline," she said, " most parents, even though 
 habitually kind and tolerant, are at times very unjust. 
 You must live your own life, as must Paul, and you 
 must not let his father influence you. I have kept you 
 from writing to Paul because I have been a little afraid 
 of what he might think of my telling you all I have 
 told, but now let me urge you to write to him. I 
 want you to go to him, for I know he still 
 wants you. You have asked me whether I 
 thought there was any bitterness in his heart towards 
 you. I do not know. Paul Redmond is the kind of 
 a man who would not talk to one woman about another. 
 But this I know, unless you write him and make it 
 plain to him how you now feel, your paths will never 
 cross again." 
 
 Madeline wrote many letters which were never 
 posted. Each time she tried to express her feeling, 
 she failed. At last she wrote a letter which she read 
 to Catherine, who listened in silence. Madeline could 
 see that she did not like it.
 
 DECISIONS RECONSIDERED 268 
 
 " It doesn't please you, does it, Catherine? " she 
 asked. 
 
 " I think I ought to tell you, Madeline," answered 
 the other, " that I believe that after what has hap- 
 pened that letter will never win Paul. You seek to 
 justify yourself. Yet, honestly, do you really think 
 there is any justification for your attitude, when you 
 consider how long you have known him ? " 
 
 After Catherine had shown her how utterly wrong 
 she had been, she wrote a letter in which she asked 
 forgiveness, and in which she told Paul that she 
 trusted him absolutely. She did not say what her 
 intentions were, or whether she was willing to marry 
 him, nor did she intimate her future course. She only 
 begged forgiveness. She praised Catherine and made 
 him understand how helpful she had been. 
 
 When Paul received this letter he had already heard 
 of Madeline's illness. He did not know that Catherine 
 had nursed her, nor did he know that these two girls 
 who had such an important part in his life had become 
 friends. He was back in Fou Cheo when the letter 
 reached him, and he thought of it constantly. He 
 knew that Madeline would not have written had she 
 not meant to convey to him that her coming would be 
 on the old basis, that he must eventually return with 
 her to the States. He had come to the conclusion that 
 perhaps after all it was well that they had not married, 
 if this difference were still between them. He did not 
 answer her letter without deliberate thought. He pon- 
 dered over every word and every line of it, seeking to 
 understand her real meaning and searching for an
 
 964. THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 expression indicating her willingness to go to him 
 and follow him to the trail's end. There was not a 
 word which might be understood to indicate this. 
 Her letter rekindled his love for her, and he stood 
 before her picture and recalled her as he had seen 
 her so many times. He had idolized her, and his 
 love had increased rather than decreased with the 
 lonely years. As he faced the whole future with the 
 letter before him, there was one conviction that was 
 not to be ignored. Madeline had not asked for for- 
 giveness and had not expressed a single feeling of trust 
 until she had heard the story from Catherine. That 
 which had been between them had not been removed. 
 His father had been correct in his intimation to Made- 
 line that perhaps Paul, while granting her forgive- 
 ness, would not find it easy to forget. 
 
 " I have forgiven her, but she did not forgive me 
 until she knew all of the facts," he said to himself 
 again and again. " The basis of trust which is so es- 
 sential to a happy marriage does not exist between us." 
 
 He came to the conclusion that it was his lot to go 
 to the end of the trail alone. After reaching this 
 decision he canvassed the work that he had to do. He 
 considered carefully his relation to the revolution and 
 studied the demands that would be made upon him. 
 
 Paul was a man of action, and often expressed 
 himself bluntly and directly. He tried to soften the 
 letter that he wrote to Madeline, for he did not want 
 to hurt her. He wanted, if possible, to show her the 
 love that he felt for her, but he also wanted her to 
 understand how impossible it was for him to consider
 
 DECISIONS RECONSIDERED 65 
 
 giving up his work and going back to her. It was a 
 long letter and portrayed the mind and heart of a 
 strong man. 
 
 He wrote, in part : 
 
 " Your letter brought to my heart the quiet and 
 peace that it has been seeking for years. You cannot 
 know how I have yearned for the knowledge that you 
 now understand. I have wanted to feel that even 
 though our lives should not be joined, we should al- 
 ways be friends and lovers. As it was before, we 
 could not even have been friends, but now that you 
 write in the way you do, everything is changed. For- 
 give you? Yes, Madeline, a thousand times, but oh 
 that you had written me before you knew all. 
 
 " I have tried to understand your letter, but I have 
 not been able to find your real meaning; nor can I 
 believe that you are going to come to me and remain 
 here loving me and my work. I wish that somehow, 
 tonight, you could see into the innermost recesses of 
 my heart. I wish you might know the yearning I have 
 for you. But, Madeline, I cannot love you aside from 
 my work. No man's love can be utterly personal. I 
 hope you will forgive me, dear, when I say that a 
 woman's love is always a little selfish and a little per- 
 sonal. When a man loves a woman he cannot give 
 up his life's work for her, for his love for her includes 
 her relation to his work and his life. Oh, I wish you 
 could know how I have dreamed of you as a part of 
 my life here. You are staying at home because you 
 think the work is bigger there, and I am not arguing
 
 266 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 this now. I only know that somehow this has gripped 
 my imagination and my life, and I feel that if you 
 come it must be for all time, for there is not the re- 
 motest chance in the world that I shall ever do other 
 than follow to the trail's end. Neither of us must 
 ever give in until our ideals are the same. A man 
 and woman who look upon life differently may love 
 but should never marry. 
 
 " And so, dear heart, longing for you, suffering be- 
 cause you are not here, I must put the dream of my 
 youth from me and continue along this path." 
 
 There were many other things that Paul wrote her. 
 He tried to soften his message, but truth may be 
 couched in the politest language and covered with the 
 softest mantle of love, yet it must of necessity carry 
 its message of sorrow. Paul sent this letter with no 
 hope in his heart, believing that it would end their 
 relationship. With a heavy heart he handed it to the 
 Chinese postman, and as he turned back into his room 
 said : " This is the end. The trails lie far apart they 
 will never meet again."
 
 XXXIX 
 FACING THE END 
 
 BEFORE Paul's letter reached Madeline, Dr. 
 Blackburn had called her over the telephone. 
 
 " I want to ask two favors," he said. " I 
 want Catherine Williams and I want you. Mr. Red- 
 mond is ill. I do not want you to nurse him, but I 
 want you to look after his barn of a house. When 
 I go there I feel as though I am in a business office. 
 That house hasn't felt the touch of a woman for 
 years. I want Catherine to nurse him." 
 
 Madeline said at once that she would do as Dr. 
 Blackburn asked, " but I cannot answer for Cather- 
 ine," she added, " I am afraid she will refuse to go. 
 He is the only person I have ever heard her condemn, 
 and she is very bitter towards him because of his 
 treatment of Paul. Of course, she has never seen 
 him, but I will let her answer for herself." 
 
 " Call her to the 'phone," said Blackburn brusquely. 
 
 Madeline called Catherine, who took the receiver 
 with a pleasant " good morning." For some time she 
 was silent and Madeline knew that the doctor was not 
 talking, but that the girl was thinking deeply. She 
 saw a hard line creep about Catherine's mouth and 
 heard her say in a strained voice : " Dr. Blackburn, 
 I will go to Mr. Redmond for one reason only be- 
 cause I believe that if his son were here, he would 
 
 267
 
 268 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 want me to go. But I will not do so, until you tell me 
 that you have told him who I am. I have been put 
 into an awkward position for the last time. If, after 
 Mr. Redmond knows who I am, he wants me, I will 
 
 go." 
 
 Dr. Blackburn went to Paul's father at once. 
 
 " Redmond," he said, " you are a sick man. I am 
 going to make the biggest fight that was ever made, 
 but in a case like yours the care you receive is of 
 greatest importance. You must have a good nurse." 
 
 " Get her, no matter what the cost," growled Mr. 
 Redmond. 
 
 " I have her, but it isn't a matter of money. The 
 woman who made the trouble between Madeline and 
 your son, and who afterwards nursed your son, is in 
 New York. She is the best person I know to nurse 
 you in the way I want it done. I believe she can help 
 pull you through, but when I called her this morning 
 she refused to come until she was assured that you 
 knew who she was." 
 
 " You are the doctor. I'm under orders," returned 
 Redmond. " When I submitted myself to you I was 
 willing to take your medicine, and do what you ad- 
 vised. I wouldn't call her, but if you want her that 
 settles it." 
 
 Dr. Blackburn called up Catherine. 
 
 " Mr. Redmond understands," he said briefly. 
 
 " Very well. I will come, and do my best," she 
 answered. 
 
 Madeline went to Mr. Redmond at once. 
 
 " I have come to take charge of this terrible house,"
 
 FACING THE END 269 
 
 she said, " and I am going to stay here until you are 
 well." 
 
 "I don't want you around," he answered testily. 
 " Why should you stay here ? " 
 
 Madeline smiled. 
 
 " If all of this is to be mine some day," she said, 
 " I want to get used to it." 
 
 Redmond smiled grimly. 
 
 " Well, you might wait at least until I am dead," 
 he answered, " but if you think you will enjoy messing 
 around here go ahead. There's a nurse coming here 
 whom you might not like to meet." 
 
 Madeline laughed. 
 
 " Don't you know that she is my companion? " she 
 asked. " She has been more than a sister to me, so 
 I am not afraid to meet her." 
 
 Madeline had never seen Catherine so tense as when 
 she entered Mr. Redmond's room. She was interested 
 in what he would say to her and was amazed at what 
 occurred. When Catherine approached the bed and 
 Redmond saw the beautiful girl before him, a smile 
 broke over his face and he reached out his hand to 
 her. 
 
 " I have always wanted to thank you for what you 
 did for my boy," he said heartily. " I understand you 
 went to him when he had a very dangerous fever, and 
 that you risked your own life to save him." 
 
 Catherine showed her surprise at this unexpected 
 reception, but answered quietly : " Whatever I did for 
 Mr. Redmond was a pleasure, and I hope that I can 
 now do something for you."
 
 270 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 " Well, Blackburn says you can take care of me, and 
 I am in your hands," said the sick man. 
 
 As often happens in the lives of men of large 
 affairs, this man had taken no account of his strength 
 and had driven himself to the limit of his endurance. 
 He had gone on through sheer force of will, but now 
 he was an old man and realized that he had come to 
 the end of his life. He asked that his lawyer be called. 
 
 " Not until Dr. Blackburn says so, Mr. Redmond," 
 Catherine said gently though firmly. 
 
 The man's anger flashed for a moment, and he 
 reached for the telephone beside his bed. 
 
 " I'll call him then." 
 
 " You may call him," she insisted, " but he cannot 
 come into this room until Dr. Blackburn gives him 
 permission." 
 
 As he looked up into her determined face he real- 
 ized that in a sense he was a prisoner under her firm 
 rule, and he understood why Dr. Blackburn trusted 
 her. 
 
 One morning when Madeline was in the room, he 
 asked Catherine if she would not leave them alone. 
 
 " Madeline," he said, " I have a feeling that I am 
 not going to get well. I must place my affairs in order, 
 and attend to the things immediately before me." 
 
 Madeline realized that Mr. Redmond was very ill, 
 and she did not want to antagonize him, but she felt 
 that now was the time to plead for Paul. She meant 
 to be very tactful in the way she did it, and tried to 
 show him that a man of such resources and force of 
 will as he possessed ought to be glad that Paul had
 
 FACING THE END 271 
 
 shown such determination and strength of character 
 in directing his own life. She told him of the many 
 things that Catherine and others had told her and 
 related how Paul had called out for him in his de- 
 lirium. 
 
 When she reached this point in her narration, Red- 
 mond told her to send for Catherine. 
 
 " Catherine, please tell Mr. Redmond how Paul 
 called for him when he was ill," Madeline asked her 
 when she came into the room. 
 
 It was a simple story, but it was a convincing one 
 the story of his son's fight for life when stricken with 
 typhus fever, and of his call to his father across the 
 distances. 
 
 Madeline was uncertain what her plea had accom- 
 plished for Paul. Her strongest argument was that 
 Mr. Redmond's money had come to him from his 
 father with no limitations and that it should go to 
 Paul in the same way. 
 
 Mr. Redmond continually talked of Paul to Made- 
 line. His standpoint was different from that which 
 he had taken before. He confided in her now as if 
 she were his daughter, and did not hesitate to reveal 
 his deep longing for his son. He told her, too, that 
 if he should disinherit Paul, it would not be because 
 he cared for his money, but because he felt that Paul 
 was utterly wasting his life. 
 
 He sent for his lawyer and Madeline wished that 
 she might know just the terms of the will, but these 
 she was not to know until after Redmond's death. 
 
 The friendship which had sprung up between Cath-
 
 272 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 erine and Paul's father caused wonder both to the 
 doctor and Madeline. The latter thought it strange 
 that Catherine had allowed herself to become such a 
 friend to the man she had so freely condemned. Be- 
 cause of the feeling she first had when she went into 
 his home, Catherine had never served anyone so faith- 
 fully or so efficiently. Then again she could hear Paul 
 calling for his father and now she could see how Mr. 
 Redmond longed for his son, and the tragedy of it 
 touched her woman's heart. He demanded her every 
 attention. 
 
 One day Mr. Redmond called Catherine to him. 
 
 " I have made my will," he said, " but here is some- 
 thing that I haven't put into it. I understand that you 
 have had some trouble. I know what you did for 
 Paul and I know what you are doing for me in these 
 last days of my life for these are the last days 
 even Blackburn has come to the point where he doesn't 
 lie any more. He knows I am going down to the 
 river and that I must soon cross it. 
 
 " Here is some stock," he explained, pointing to 
 some papers on the table. "If you will take it down 
 to my office they will put it on the books in the proper 
 way. I want you to take it there before I die. Every 
 month an income will come to you from this. I like 
 this way of living together that you and Madeline 
 have adopted, but I want you to be independent, and 
 for this reason I am giving you this." 
 
 Catherine stood silent for a moment. At first she 
 was unwilling to take anything from him. 
 
 " Mr. Redmond," she said, " I can't take it until I
 
 FACING THE END 273 
 
 tell you something. I have condemned you more than 
 any man I have ever known, for I felt that you had 
 been unjust to your son. I believe that he is right in 
 doing what he is doing, and I could not possibly take 
 this from you without your knowing how I feel 
 about it." 
 
 The old man lay with closed eyes for a moment. 
 Then reached out and took her hand. 
 
 " Catherine," he said, " a woman doesn't always un- 
 derstand, and the fact that you have blamed me and will 
 continue to blame me for my treatment of Paul does 
 not keep me from doing this for you. You and Made- 
 line have brought the only touch of womanhood into 
 my life that has been there for a good many years, and 
 now that I am going I want you to know my feeling 
 toward you, and I would like to feel that you are pro- 
 vided for. So I ask you to take this gift from me. 
 What you have said matters nothing to me now." 
 
 Catherine faced the future with a light heart, for 
 Mr. Redmond's gift had solved many problems for 
 her. When she told Madeline about it, she said : " He 
 has been so generous with me that I feel he must have 
 been generous with Paul in his will." 
 
 Redmond lingered for several days. In the begin- 
 ning they had discussed whether they should not send 
 for Paul, but Dr. Blackburn felt it would be impossi- 
 ble for him to reach New York in time to see his father 
 alive. Finally Madeline decided to cable him, which 
 she did. She told him that his father would probably 
 die very soon, and that it would be impossible for him 
 to reach home in time. Paul responded that he would
 
 274 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 come if they thought he could reach him before the 
 end, but that if that were impossible he would not 
 come, as there were matters of great importance re- 
 quiring his attention. They advised with Dr. Black- 
 burn and the lawyer, and decided that under the cir- 
 cumstances it were better for him not to come. 
 
 When Mr. Redmond realized that he was nearing 
 death, the end came quickly. He retained his faculties 
 to the last, and Paul's name was often on his lips. He 
 told the doctor and those who came to him that he 
 loved his son even though he had disobeyed him. 
 
 While Paul was breaking the trail which he had 
 chosen in far-away China, his father, a warrior of the 
 modern school, passed out alone into the Great Beyond, 
 but with the hope that he would meet the companion 
 who had inspired and cheered his earlier days.
 
 XL 
 WEALTH'S TEMPTATION 
 
 THE day after Mr. Redmond's death, his attor- 
 ney called upon Madeline. 
 
 " Miss Leonard," he said, " you ought to 
 know the terms of this will. I feel it should be read 
 to you, even though the son is not present, in order 
 that we may decide as to what is best to do under the 
 circumstances." 
 
 Madeline was surprised at the brevity of the will, 
 for she had expected Mr. Redmond to leave a great 
 deal of his money to the various enterprises in which 
 he was supposed to be interested. But there was 
 nothing of this nature. There were only two clauses, 
 which the lawyer proceeded to read : 
 
 " First : I give, devise and bequeath all of my prop- 
 erty, both real and personal, to my son Paul, upon the 
 condition that within one year from the date of my 
 decease he shall relinquish his missionary service in 
 China and shall give such portion of his time to the 
 direction of the business which I now control as he 
 may decide upon. 
 
 " Second. Should my son, Paul, not fulfil the con- 
 dition of the first item of this, my last will and testa- 
 ment, then I give, devise and bequeath all my prop- 
 erty, both real and personal, to Madeline Leonard, 
 
 275
 
 276 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 upon condition, however, that she shall not give or 
 bequeath any of said property to my son, except as she 
 shall approve heartily and wholly of the nature of his 
 undertaking." 
 
 Mr. Redmond left a personal letter for Madeline, in 
 which he asked her to go to China with his lawyer 
 and try to persuade Paul to yield, in case he did 
 not yield after a reasonable attempt had been made to 
 get him to accept the terms of the will. 
 
 Madeline realized that many complications were be- 
 fore her, for she knew that the will would be pub- 
 lished in the newspapers and that her relations with 
 Paul would be made public and discussed. She dreaded 
 this far more than she had thought she would, and 
 she hoped that the story could be withheld; but this 
 now seemed impossible. Through the influence of 
 friends, it was not featured in the newspapers; only 
 the terms of the will were published without further 
 comment. 
 
 Mr. Redmond's lawyer wrote to Paul and stated the 
 matter very plainly to him. Dr. Blackburn also wrote 
 Paul and even the Stewarts joined in the attempt to 
 convince him that he should accept the fortune and 
 return home. Just at this time Madeline received 
 Paul's letter, and she knew that it was utterly hopeless 
 to try to persuade him, for he would repudiate the 
 terms of the will, and that the money which was right- 
 fully his would go to her. 
 
 "How can I use it?" she asked herself. "What 
 can I do with it? To be sure I can give it away, to
 
 WEALTH'S TEMPTATION 277 
 
 anyone but Paul, and I can give it to any work but 
 his work." 
 
 She was too honorable to dispute the technicalities 
 of the will, or to do anything that would defeat its 
 intended purpose. 
 
 " Will he yield? " she asked herself. " Will he not 
 see that he can do a greater work with all this money 
 than he can by giving only his personal efforts ? " 
 
 When she considered it from this point of view she 
 felt that there was a possibility of his yielding, if the 
 proper pressure could be brought to bear upon him. 
 
 Catherine smiled when this was spoken of to her. 
 
 " It seems strange to me," she said, " that you who 
 think you know Paul so well, could believe for a mo- 
 ment that he will yield. If every cent of his money 
 were taken from him, I believe he would live as a 
 beggar in one of those dirty streets in Fou Cheo rather 
 than be untrue to the cause to which he has committed 
 himself. Perhaps, Madeline, I ought not to say what 
 I am going to say, but to one who has not always 
 been true to herself, it means much to me to see a man 
 remain true to his ideals. You would not take them 
 from him, would you ? I, an outcast, know the mean- 
 ing of that loss." 
 
 Madeline remonstrated, and tried to show the other 
 that this was not true. 
 
 " Oh, I know you have done everything for me," 
 Catherine responded, " and you have borne criticism 
 that I have not wanted you to bear, but the fact re- 
 mains that at least in my mind I shall always be an 
 outcast. Yet how many people who have been hon-
 
 ored by society have remained true to their visions? 
 The man who dares follow that vision is the prince 
 of our modern life. I am not sorry that you are 
 testing Paul, for I have no fear of his answer and 
 no doubt he will be kind in his reply, but he will also 
 be firm." 
 
 Madeline waited for the coming of Paul's letter 
 with impatience. Two other letters from him reached 
 New York with the one which she opened so eagerly. 
 One was addressed to Mr. Redmond's lawyers, and the 
 other to Frances Stewart. Her own letter was the 
 longest and the most explicit. " Madeline, I under- 
 stand father's will better than any of you, for I under- 
 stand him better. I knew he would not yield, and in 
 what he has done I know he felt he was doing the 
 most fatherly thing in the world for me " was what 
 it said in the beginning. 
 
 As Madeline read on, her heart sank within her. 
 Paul went on to say that there was no need of her 
 trying to persuade him, for he would never return 
 except for a visit. He said that he had wished at 
 times that his father would leave his great fortune to 
 him, for there were many urgent needs in the hospital 
 and other work in which he was engaged. 
 
 " Now that he has not done this," he said, " but has 
 left this money to you, I hope you will do a great deal 
 of good with it. I have wished, of course, that you 
 might come to China and travel the trail with me, 
 but, as I wrote you in my last letter, I know that this is 
 not now to be. I have put the thought out of my mind, 
 and I am preparing to travel the trail alone, perhaps
 
 WEALTH'S TEMPTATION 279 
 
 to the end. ... I am coming home for a visit next 
 year," he continued, " and when I come, you need 
 not fear that I am going to seek to persuade you, but 
 I shall be so glad of your friendship." 
 
 At the close of the letter, he spoke with the greatest 
 tenderness of what his father had done for Catherine. 
 In all of his life, he said, nothing had ever pleased 
 him so much, because the Redmonds owed a debt of 
 gratitude to Catherine which they could never ade- 
 quately pay. His warm reference to Catherine raised 
 many questions in Madeline's mind and she wondered 
 just what his feeling for the girl was. She wondered 
 if this beautiful creature had a hold upon the heart 
 of this one-time lover of hers. 
 
 Madeline decided to fulfil Mr. Redmond's request 
 and go to Paul and ask him to accept this money of his 
 father's, which would necessarily mean that he must 
 return to America. She told her decision to Catherine. 
 
 " Catherine," she said, " I want you to go to China 
 with me. I have decided to go to Paul and persuade 
 him to return." 
 
 " Persuade him ? " replied Catherine. " Do you 
 mean that you want to persuade him to marry you? " 
 
 Madeline was angry for a moment. 
 
 " No, I am going to attempt to persuade him to 
 accept this money, and I want you to go with me." 
 
 " Madeline, I don't believe there is anything in the 
 world that I wouldn't do for you with this excep- 
 tion. It isn't because I do not want to meet Paul 
 Redmond, for I should like to meet him and tell him 
 that I think he has been a little hard upon you, but
 
 280 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 I can never go to China. I have turned my face away 
 from that land forever, and I cannot go back." 
 
 " You would not go there even if the man you loved 
 asked you to go?" asked Madeline. 
 
 " It matters not whom I may love, I will never go 
 to China with him, nor do I think I can ever go any- 
 where with him. But that isn't the question. The 
 question is not what I might do, but whether or not 
 I will make this journey. I am sorry, but I cannot go." 
 
 Madeline's second trip to China, with Mr. Red- 
 mond's lawyer and his wife, was a far different experi- 
 ence from the first one. She did not know just what 
 she was going to do, or what she was going to say, 
 and she wondered constantly if it were unwomanly 
 to go out to Paul. She dreaded his criticism and she 
 dreaded to meet him, for she knew that he could 
 be hard and arrogant when he felt that he was justified 
 in his position, but she considered that she was going 
 to him in a sense as a business woman and as his 
 father's messenger. What would she do if he should 
 refuse, and in turn plead with her to give up everything 
 and marry him? She dreaded such a plea. 
 
 When she reached China she went at once to the 
 Astor House in Shanghai, and then wrote to Paul. 
 
 " I can go to Fou Cheo," she wrote, " but if you can 
 spare the time I wish you would come to Shanghai." 
 
 Paul was amazed when he received this letter, and 
 could not understand why Madeline had come out to 
 China. Did it mean that at last she was willing to 
 marry him and remain with him ? He had often hoped 
 for this hour; many times he had dreamed of it; but
 
 WEALTH'S TEMPTATION 281 
 
 now he would not allow himself to believe it could be 
 true. He decided to go to Shanghai, and so telegraphed 
 her. He did not indicate just when he would arrive, 
 and it was rather late in the night, when his card was 
 brought to her room. She went to him at once. 
 
 Paul's greeting removed at once any doubt as to 
 what the relation between them was to be, for they 
 were evidently to be friends and comrades. 
 
 " Madeline," he said, " this is mighty fine of you 
 to come to see me in this way, and I am awfully glad 
 you are here. There are many things I want to say 
 to you about the will, and now I can do so without so 
 much unsatisfactory correspondence. Then I had 
 come to the point where I wanted to talk with you 
 face to face." 
 
 From the first, Paul made it very clear that the old 
 basis had changed that now they were comrades and 
 friends. Neither one referred to the fact that there 
 had been any misunderstanding between them. Made- 
 line did not ask a great deal about his work, except 
 as he referred to the conferences that he was to attend 
 while in Shanghai. The second rebellion was sweep- 
 ing over China and there were many problems before 
 him, so a great deal of his time, while there, was to bt 
 occupied with these conferences. Madeline was inter' 
 ested in the sights of the city, but Paul saw that she 
 was studiously avoiding a real study of mission work. 
 
 " Madeline," he said, after he had spent a few days 
 with her, " you have come to China to talk about the 
 will that father left, and I am wondering if we had 
 not better discuss it. What do you think about it?
 
 282 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 I have talked to the lawyer and made clear my attitude 
 to him, but I want you to have every opportunity to 
 say what you may have in mind." 
 
 " Yes, I do think so, Paul, for I can't stay much 
 longer, but somehow I have just been glad to see you, 
 and it has seemed good to become acquainted again."
 
 XLI 
 COMPANIONSHIPS RENEWED 
 
 WHEN Paul went to Madeline the next morn- 
 ing', he thought her more beautiful than 
 ever before. She was dressed more simply 
 than usual and reminded him of the days when they 
 were children. 
 
 " Paul," she said, " I am ready to say the things 
 that I have come all this distance to say. I have been 
 waiting for you to begin, but you have not done so, 
 and I do want so very much to talk frankly with you; 
 but when a woman talks to a man he should always 
 make it easy for her to say the things that are in 
 her heart. You have always made it difficult to dis- 
 cuss this question of your work in China. You have 
 always seemed so determined and positive that you 
 have left very little for me to say. I have a message 
 to you from your father, which I want to give you, 
 but I can't if you continue to be so difficult." 
 
 They were standing, and Paul took both of her 
 hands in. his. 
 
 " Madeline," he said, " you seem today more like 
 the little girl who came to me the day your mother 
 died, confident and trusting. The years have separated 
 the courses of our lives, and if I have grown hard in 
 these years, and, as you say, difficult to approach, it 
 has not been from choice. But I want you to know
 
 284 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 that I appreciate your coming to China. It has not 
 been easy to be with you during these days, Madeline, 
 and not tell you some of the things I have felt. I 
 have strangled hopes that have entered my heart, and 
 I have come to you this morning in the spirit which 
 you desire. I promise you to be gentle and patient, 
 and to listen to all that you have to say, and I want 
 you to tell me your inmost thoughts." 
 
 They sat down together. 
 
 " Paul," said the girl, " I think I ought to tell you 
 that when I heard that the woman 'who kissed you 
 on the steamer had gone to nurse you, I was very bitter 
 against you. I felt then, and only then, that all was 
 over between us. I had hoped and prayed for an 
 explanation, and that you would yield to my woman's 
 fancy, for I always believed that you had an explana- 
 tion. I believed it that day in Yokohama but when 
 I heard that Catherine was nursing you I confess I 
 was furious and that I let go of every confidence in 
 you that I had. I sent for George Curtis and told him 
 that at last all was over between you and me. He 
 told me that he loved me, and I told him how I felt 
 towards you, and that I would always love the man 
 that I thought you were and " she smiled into his 
 face with crimson cheek as she went on " that you 
 are. Well, we became engaged, but the thought of 
 marrying someone else made me very ill. Then Cath- 
 erine came. She knew that something was on my 
 mind. She didn't know who I was until one day she 
 saw your picture in my study, then she knew that I 
 was the Madeline you talked to constantly in your
 
 COMPANIONSHIPS RENEWED 285 
 
 delirium and who had refused to marry you because 
 she had kissed you." 
 
 "You know that?" Paul asked. 
 
 " Yes, I know. I know everything that Catherine 
 has done for you, for she has told me everything. 
 But before I heard this, I had told her that I loved 
 you and that I felt that I could never marry anyone 
 else. She urged me not to marry George Curtis and 
 I sent for him and told him of the terrible mistake 
 that I had made. It was then that Catherine explained 
 everything to me. I went to your father and found 
 out that he had known about Catherine, and then I 
 wrote and asked for your forgiveness. Then came 
 your father's illness, and, Paul, I should like you to 
 know that I pleaded with your father for you. I 
 tried to make him see things differently and I thought 
 that I had succeeded, and so did Catherine, but you 
 know the result. Paul, I am not here to plead for 
 myself for I came but for one reason, and that is to 
 persuade you to meet the terms of your father's will. 
 You know he was a good man, but I did not realize 
 how colorless his life had been and how much of it 
 had been given to his business, and, dear, I did not 
 realize how lonely your own boyhood must have been 
 until I went into that awful house to live there during 
 the weeks your father was ill. I have been alone, but 
 I am a woman. It is terrible to think of a man 
 living under conditions like that. I want you to go 
 back to America, Paul, and to take the fortune that 
 your father left. I want you to take it for the good 
 that you can do for the world, not only in China but in
 
 286 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 all the world. If you go back and conduct the busi- 
 ness your father left, you will be able to give as few 
 men have given and it will be possible for you to help 
 others in a way that has never been done before, so I 
 beg of you to go back to New York." 
 
 She told him how his father had loved him, and, 
 with a woman's tactfulness and art, presented to him 
 the possibilities that this wealth held for him. As his 
 father had done, she placed the power of money su- 
 preme over the power of life. 
 
 She had thought out every possible argument and 
 Paul, for the first time in years, tried to see her view- 
 point. He kept faith with her and so considered her 
 every argument that she almost resented his tender- 
 ness once or twice. 
 
 " Paul," she said, " don't be fatherly towards me. 
 Just now you are like your father when he talked to 
 me." 
 
 " Madeline," he said, " I would like to think it over, 
 but the difficulty is that with your present attitude 
 toward China you do not understand my viewpoint. 
 You have met a few of these leaders who have come 
 to the hotel, you have talked a little with them, but you 
 have not seen enough to know the real work that I 
 have been doing. I have tried hard to be convinced." 
 
 " I believe you have, Paul, but I feel I have not con- 
 vinced you." 
 
 " We will not talk about that now," answered Paul. 
 " There is one thing I want you to do. I want you to 
 go to Fou Cheo with me and see some friends of mine 
 and I want you to go over the district, and see the
 
 COMPANIONSHIPS RENEWED 287 
 
 work that has been done, and then, Madeline, I will 
 give you my answer. This will not take long, and 
 after that I will tell you what I will do." 
 
 Madeline was glad to have the opportunity for fur- 
 ther companionship, and was glad to go with him to 
 Fou Cheo. They went in company with Dr. Means 
 and his wife, for Paul had taken the doctor into his 
 confidence and told him the whole story. The doctor 
 had been enthusiastic over the trip. 
 
 " Paul," he said, as he patted him on the shoulder, 
 " I know you do not care about the fortune, but we'll 
 win her, for we'll make her see this thing and we'll 
 make her feel it. Leave it to me; even if I'm an old 
 codger, I am strong with the women." 
 
 Paul laughed. 
 
 " Well, doctor," he replied, " we will let time decide, 
 but the time comes in a man's life when he has hoped 
 and can hope no more, so I am not hoping now." 
 
 The doctor looked at him keenly. 
 
 " Don't you want her any more? " he queried. 
 
 Paul quoted a Chinese proverb in answer. " Does 
 the tongue ever grow so old that it cannot taste the 
 sweet? " he asked. 
 
 When Madeline went through the narrow streets of 
 the city she wondered if it was for this that Paul had 
 given up both luxury and wealth? The doctor had 
 taken complete charge of her, for Paul's time was 
 largely occupied with the Chinese who met with him 
 each day. The doctor pointed out the dike Paul had 
 built and the farms that were now on the land where 
 the lake had been. He showed her the tablet that had
 
 288 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 been put up in Paul's honor, and when he was not 
 about, he talked of him constantly. He. was extrava- 
 gant sometimes in the language he used, but Madeline 
 listened intently and with pride, and once she turned 
 and smiled into the doctor's face. 
 
 " Doctor," she said, " it is well that you are not a 
 woman, or I would be keenly jealous of the way you 
 talk of Paul." 
 
 The doctor turned to her almost rudely. 
 
 " Why should you be jealous of anyone? " he hurled 
 at her. 
 
 Madeline flushed under his directness. She looked 
 at him intently for a moment, and then turned away, 
 making no reply, for she knew that his accusation was 
 a just one. 
 
 The young official's wife had been trained in a 
 Christian school, and spoke English fluently. Paul 
 explained to the official very frankly who Madeline 
 was and what her relation to his fortune was, 
 and asked that his wife should entertain her, which 
 she did. Madeline was feasted daily by the best 
 women of the city, which enabled her to see a side of 
 Chinese life of which she had never dreamed. She 
 had never asked Paul what she could do if she came 
 to China, nor was she asking herself the question now. 
 Her only purpose in coming was to convince Paul of 
 his mistake. She was amazed at his marvelous activi- 
 ties and saw much less of him than she desired, for 
 there were constant demands for him. She awakened 
 quite early one morning, before six o'clock, and was 
 amazed to hear Paul's voice and the voice of other
 
 289 
 
 men talking in his study. She went quietly to the 
 adjoining room and she could tell from their tones 
 that the conference was on important matters. 
 
 At breakfast she said to Paul : " You were called 
 early this morning." 
 
 " The day in China must begin early," he said with 
 a smile, " and the duties are so numerous in this work 
 of reform, and of establishing schools, and in planning 
 for the larger work of the hospitals, that if I did not 
 work long hours, it would be impossible for me to do 
 all that is required of me." 
 
 At the end of the week the Doctor and Mrs. Means 
 announced that they were obliged to return, and they 
 asked Madeline to go with them, that she might see 
 the work of the other centers. Paul only went with 
 them as far as Wuhu. 
 
 " Before the boat leaves I want you to go to just 
 one place with me," he said to Madeline. 
 
 He took her to the cemetery on the hill where they 
 stood over the grave of the old captain, and Paul told 
 her of his love for the old man and of the old man's 
 love for him. 
 
 " Madeline," he said, " he was one of the greatest 
 men I have ever known. He was a man worth while 
 in every way." 
 
 He had told her of his other friend as they had stood 
 beside his grave in Fou Cheo. She was almost jealous 
 of these two men, and she wondered how a man of 
 Paul's training and culture could make friends of 
 people who seemed so queer to her. She was glad, 
 however, that he had found some companions in a
 
 290 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 land so strange and immense, and at the same time so 
 terrible to her. 
 
 Paul promised that after her visit with Dr. and 
 Mrs. Means, he would come to Shanghai to see her. 
 
 " Paul, have you your answer for me? " she asked, 
 as they stood in the little cemetery. 
 
 " Yes, Madeline, I have. But I would rather you 
 would go with Dr. and Mrs. Means and see what they 
 have to show you, and then I will come to you and give 
 you my answer." 
 
 Paul met her in Shanghai some days later. Made- 
 line saw the old determined look upon his face. He 
 was trying to be tender, she knew, but she also knew 
 that she had made her long journey for nothing. Her 
 heart was sore. 
 
 " Madeline," he said, " when I saw you I had a big 
 hope that at last you had come to stay in China, but I 
 know now that you have not. You are going away 
 unconvinced by the work that I am doing, so I must 
 let you go. These days of companionship have not 
 been easy. I have gone to my room every night to 
 fight with myself, and I want you more than I have 
 ever wanted you before. But it would be folly for me 
 to say one word of love to you so long as your ideas 
 are unchanged. Now that you have seen, and go 
 away unconvinced, hope is dead in my heart forever." 
 
 " Paul, you can always hope for me," the girl re- 
 plied. " I raised the question once as to whether I 
 should wait for you, but I shall always be waiting, no 
 matter if it be for a century." 
 
 " Oh, I love you, Madeline," Paul replied, " as I love
 
 COMPANIONSHIPS RENEWED 291 
 
 no one else in the world, as I do not believe I shall 
 ever love anyone else. But I think I ought to tell 
 you that perhaps I shall not wait for I doubt if I can 
 stand the loneliness. Once I told you I would be wait- 
 ing for a comrade on the trail, and that until you came, 
 I should travel it alone; but the way is hard and diffi- 
 cult. And now that two of my friends, who helped 
 to broaden and make the trail easier, have gone to the 
 trail's end, I cannot promise to wait. I can only say 
 that time must solve our problems."
 
 XLII 
 
 MANY TRAILS 
 
 WHEN Madeline left China, every hope of a 
 fruition of his love died in Paul's heart. 
 He returned to his labors. The amount of 
 work he could accomplish had always astonished the 
 people of Fou Cheo, but now he threw himself with 
 renewed energy into every detail of the tasks before 
 him. He studied the whole future of China as few 
 men were studying it at that time. Three problems 
 confronted him China's political, social, and religious 
 .future. It was natural, since the old government had 
 been overthrown, that the new republic should have 
 many difficult questions to face. Already there were 
 mutterings of another revolution, and the seriousness 
 of the whole situation was impressed upon him. Some 
 of the young leaders were anxious to do away with the 
 old customs, and institute Western practices in their 
 stead. He tried to impress upon them that the essen- 
 tial reforms were those which would bring better health 
 conditions and adequate education for the people. He 
 believed that the " East is East," and that the changes 
 should not be too radical nor too rapid. 
 
 But his greatest concern was for the religious life 
 of China. The officials were clearing the temples 
 and converting them into schools, and the lower classes 
 of the Buddhist priests were in ill-repute and the whole
 
 MANY TRAILS 293 
 
 tendency was toward radical changes. This trend of 
 affairs was distinctly dangerous, for if the religions 
 of the nation were to be entirely overthrown, the 
 people might turn to materialism and agnosticism, 
 which would be far worse than their original condi- 
 tion. 
 
 Paul had long talks with the former hilltop priest, 
 who took the same attitude as himself towards this 
 new condition of things. 
 
 " Sir," he said, " if, in the next few years, a great 
 fundamental basis for the acceptance of Christianity 
 is not laid in China, then the opportunity will have 
 passed for another century. There has been a cen- 
 tury of work, of planning and gradual change and now 
 is the time to rout the enemy if we will." 
 
 Paul had realized, in the brief time he had had to 
 visit other sections of China, that all the foreign 
 leaders were being overwhelmed with demands upon 
 their time, whether they were consuls, missionaries, 
 or whatever their positions. He was also impressed 
 with the willingness of these men from nearly every 
 nation to take an unselfish stand in this hour of China's 
 change, for they labored earnestly and untiringly for 
 her. 
 
 The great Bible classes, which had been instituted 
 after the meetings in Fou Cheo, continued. Some 
 members dropped out, but others joined. Paul had 
 called to his aid two splendidly trained Chinese, one 
 of whom had been educated in America, and these men 
 worked with him constantly, and were of the greatest 
 value to him. He noticed more and more, as the
 
 294 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 weeks went on, that those who were attending the 
 Bible class were not only pursuing the study, but were 
 also investigating thoroughly all the religious problems 
 of the day. The subject of evolution was always 
 interesting to them, but it was not an evolution that 
 admitted Christian interpretation. It was thoroughly 
 agnostic in its whole attitude toward religion. 
 
 Paul soon discovered that the Christian leaders were 
 not the only active forces in the religious field. The 
 Buddhist and Taoist priests were realizing that the 
 old regime of superstition was about to pass, and they 
 were endeavoring to rejuvenate, and, if possible, 
 vitalize their religions. In Fou Cheo some of the 
 young men had talked of a Young Men's Christian 
 Association, and in other centers this particular form 
 of Christian activity was accomplishing great things. 
 He was surprised one morning, when passing a Bud- 
 dhist temple, to see a large sign across its front on 
 which were the letters Y.M.B.A. He.was puzzled for 
 a moment, but upon inquiry found that the young 
 Buddhists of the city, determined in their opposition, 
 had organized a Young Men's Buddhist Association. 
 This was only a minor expression of the attempts 
 that were being made to counteract the influences of 
 Christianity. Paul was never violent in his opposition, 
 except when actual sin was concerned, when he would 
 express himself without hesitancy. One question was 
 giving him a great deal of concern. " What attitude 
 shall I take toward the problems that are before me 
 here in China ? " he asked himself. " What shall my 
 objective be? "
 
 MANY TRAILS 295 
 
 It was just at this time that Dr. Means passed 
 through Fou Cheo. 
 
 " I am on my way to a great Buddhist monastery," 
 he said. " I have been friendly with the old abbot 
 over there for some time. Years ago he had appendi- 
 citis, and when all of his mummery failed him he came 
 to me, and I opened him up and saved his life, with 
 the result that he has felt pretty grateful to me. I am 
 sure you will be interested in going up there. It's 
 called Flower Mountain." 
 
 The journey would necessitate their being away four 
 days. They saddled their horses and packed their bed- 
 ding, and were soon on their way to the monastery, 
 where they were to see eight hundred young men 
 dedicated to the Buddhist priesthood. Paul had never 
 traveled in this direction before. They passed over 
 narrow dikes, on either side of which were great rice 
 fields, and there were many prosperous-looking Chinese 
 homes along the way. At last they came to a series 
 of low-lying hills. Bamboos and cedars were every- 
 where. Holly bushes were growing on the hillsides. 
 In the distance Paul could see a group of tiled roof 
 buildings which stood out in contrast to the many 
 thatched homes which they passed. They came to the 
 foot of a small mountain and followed a stone road. 
 Winding their way up the mountain side, they came 
 at last to an avenue of cedars, separating groves and 
 thickets of bamboo. Paul had seen many beautiful 
 approaches to the temples in China, but as they passed 
 through this long avenue of trees he felt instinctively 
 that they were on their way to a place of worship.
 
 296 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 There were many little temples and shrines along the 
 mile and a half road which wound through the trees 
 and thickets. They came to an open space just be- 
 fore the entrance to the monastery. Looking back 
 over the surrounding country, they could see Fou 
 Cheo and other cities in the far distance, and the 
 yellow river winding like a golden thread through 
 the valleys. Here and there on the narrow canals, 
 they saw the fan-like sails of the junks. Paul sat 
 on his horse studying the scene before him. This 
 was China, the China that seems forever old, but into 
 which was now flowing a new life such as he and 
 others had never dreamed could enter it. He knew 
 that Christianity was in a large part responsible for 
 this change. As he sat viewing the teeming life that 
 lay before them he thought that these people must 
 of necessity often, look up to this beautiful mountain 
 with the monastery nestling at its top and he wondered 
 what their reflections were. They had looked up to 
 it for ten centuries, yet for ten centuries it had been 
 the home of ignorance and superstition. In this hour 
 of China's change, what would be the attitude of the 
 people toward these institutions which represented 
 the religions of the past? A few were repudiating 
 them, but even now he was going to witness a cere- 
 mony which indicated an attempt to rejuvenate and 
 bring new life into the religions which had not minis- 
 tered to the people's needs in the past. 
 
 His reverie was interrupted by the voice of the 
 doctor. 
 
 " Let us go in," he said.
 
 MANY TRAILS 297 
 
 They went through a side entrance into the temple. 
 It was soon noised about that Dr. Means had arrived. 
 Paul knew that the doctor was well-known through- 
 out China, but had not realized the full extent of his 
 renown until now, for all of the priests seemed to 
 know him, and showed him great deference. While 
 he stood talking to them several voices announced: 
 " The Abbot the Abbot." The priests instantly lined 
 up on either side, and the abbot, walking leisurely, 
 came to greet his guests. His welcome was not only 
 polite, but sincere. He laid his hand on the doctor's 
 arm, and, turning to Paul, said : " Young man, I do 
 not know you, but I do know this man, for he saved 
 my body." 
 
 The very best that the temple afforded was given 
 them. The ordination of the priests was to take place 
 the next day. Young men, some of them merely boys, 
 scarcely old enough to realize the step they were tak- 
 ing, thronged the monastery. Parents and visitors were 
 beginning to assemble. The abbot had given the doctor 
 and Paul his own quarters. 
 
 " Here you will be comfortable," he said. 
 
 The great main temple room, with its gorgeous 
 golden Buddha, and the figures of his disciples on 
 either side, interested Paul. The room had been 
 cleaned as perhaps never before. Everywhere were 
 signs of the coming feast. The day was beautiful, and 
 the young candidates for ordination, in their appren- 
 tice robes, were coming into the temple. Their heads 
 were cleanly shaven and on them were securely fas- 
 tened twelve little sticks of incense, in rows of six
 
 on either side of the center of the head. The cere- 
 mony commenced with the chanting and recital of the 
 Buddhist ritual by the long rows of priests. The old 
 abbot stood in the center of the hall before the great 
 Buddha, and everywhere large tapers of incense were 
 burning, and bells sounding. While the whole service 
 was entirely opposed to Paul's idea of worship, he 
 realized that these people were sincere. The young 
 candidates had been taught that the body must be kept 
 in subjection to the will, and the tapers of incense 
 on their heads were now lighted. With the chanting 
 of the priests and the repeating of the formulas the 
 incense burned down to the scalp and if any sign of 
 pain escaped them they could not be ordained. One 
 of the youngest, a mere boy of seventeen or eighteen 
 years, shrieked in agony as he felt the burning coals on 
 his head, and fled from the long line of priests. One or 
 two others soon followed him. Paul marveled at their 
 power to endure this torture, and as he witnessed this 
 demonstration of faith, he prayed that such a willing- 
 ness to suffer might permeate the life of the Chris- 
 tian church. 
 
 The abbot had finished his part of the ceremony 
 and was watching the priests. He came over to talk 
 with Dr. Means. Paul was in no mood for conver- 
 sation. The apparent power of this force which he 
 knew was largely against his work, overwhelmed him, 
 and he went out into the deepening twilight. He moved 
 slowly along the paths where the priests wandered in 
 their daily meditations. 
 
 " I have no doubt," he said to himself, " that among
 
 MANY TRAILS 299 
 
 that group of men some are dishonest but most of 
 them are sincere worshipers and many of them are 
 seeking the truth, and reaching out for the divine." 
 
 As the twilight deepened he seemed to lose himself 
 in meditation. He .saw the world as a great plain, 
 across which were many trails, some of them rough, 
 crude and indistinct. Forms began to take shape upon 
 them. Some, dark in color, came from the girdle of 
 the earth, where the sun bakes and burns; he saw 
 that they were practically naked, although bedaubed 
 and bedecked in the worship of the fetish. They 
 seemed to be staggering unconsciously forward, though 
 with real desire, and their hands were stretched out 
 to the light. Those on another trail leading from 
 the east carried the banner of the 'crescent. From a 
 thousand deserts he heard the cry to Allah. Darkness 
 and gloom hung over this trail and he saw that there 
 was blood on the path, yet they journeyed toward 
 the sunrise. Out from the jungles and from the 
 heated plains of India there was a broader trail, over 
 which the Hindu and Brahman moved slowly, with 
 heads erect and proud carriage, because of their civi- 
 lization. They, too, were traveling toward the grow- 
 ing dawn. In another group he recognized, by their 
 queues and silken robes, the people of this country of 
 his adoption. They often turned to look back, for the 
 past seemed to hold them, but the road they followed 
 also led to the light. From many lands they came, 
 stumbling and faltering, sometimes turning aside to 
 the crude and grotesque on the way, but ever pushing 
 on toward the light.
 
 300 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 There were many travelers on the trail which led 
 from the Americas and Europe, and the road seemed 
 broad and straight. Then out of a land small in its 
 geographical extent, along the broad, clear way, came 
 the Prince of Peace. Toward this trail led all others 
 whose travelers were moving toward the light. Then 
 he heard the voice of Christ saying : " Come unto me 
 all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give 
 you rest " a rest that meant the joy of service a rest 
 that meant the losing of the false a rest that meant 
 a rising to the higher self. As Paul viewed these 
 trails of the world, he wondered if these travelers 
 must repudiate all that they had believed, and then 
 again the voice came, saying : " Ye must worship 
 Him in spirit and in truth." The word " truth " rang 
 through Paul's soul, for he knew that the false must 
 be banished from the final trail; that even on the 
 broader trail, across which had been written the name 
 Christ, division, error and false civilization, were 
 blocking the way. He was certain that only in that 
 perfect being, the Christ, could they all unite. Again 
 came a voice, saying: "And they shall all be as one," 
 and he remembered the dying Catholic priest who had 
 talked of the union of Catholics and Protestants. As 
 he stood on that mountain in the darkness, with the 
 eye of vision, he saw that the truths uttered by the 
 prophets of all religions would one day be united in 
 the one great God, to whom all the races of the earth 
 are as children.
 
 XLIII 
 " NOT YOURS BUT YOU " 
 
 PAUL was liberal in his attitude toward all the 
 religions of China, and toward those persons 
 who differed with him. In doing so he was not 
 accepting error or ignoring it, but he was merely 
 using the principle of love in dealing with those with 
 whom he came in contact. The government had been 
 changed from Nanking to Peking, the second revo- 
 lution had subsided, and conditions, changing with 
 the greatest rapidity, demanded the most delicate 
 handling. Before China could become a constitutional 
 republic it had a long road to travel, and while it was 
 nominally a republic, it was practically a monarchy, 
 as the new president had almost unlimited power. 
 Paul joined with other foreign leaders in China in an 
 attempt to convince the leaders that China's need was 
 not only a political but a social regeneration; that the 
 banishment of the Manchu dynasty and the outward 
 forms of their old life must give way to the things 
 which would save the lives of the people and make 
 China a habitable land. 
 
 At the end of a strenuous period of service his 
 friends advised him to visit his home in the States 
 for a complete rest, but he was not anxious to be 
 away from China for any great length of time, be- 
 cause the leaders of the new republic were depending 
 
 801
 
 302 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 upon him and the various issues which confronted 
 him were of great magnitude, but he realized the 
 wisdom of their advice. He was leaving his work 
 in Fou Cheo in charge of a colleague who had worked 
 under his leadership harmoniously and energetically. 
 
 Paul experienced a feeling of strangeness when he 
 landed on American soil and he could not have be- 
 lieved it possible that conditions at home could seem 
 so strange to him after a few years' absence. He felt 
 himself to be an alien in the land of his birth. News 
 of his work with the revolutionary leaders in China 
 had reached America, and he was interviewed by in- 
 numerable reporters and invited by various city clubs 
 to speak. He had never excelled in oratory, but he 
 had a message and was tremendously in earnest. 
 
 Paul found Madeline and Catherine out of the city 
 when he reached New York. They knew that he was 
 on his way to America, but he had been so long in 
 reaching New York that they were uncertain as to the 
 exact time of his arrival. His father's lawyers called 
 upon him at once, and repeated again in detail their 
 last conversation with his father. They pointed out 
 that several constructions might be placed upon the 
 point as to what constituted giving up his work in 
 China; that if Paul would take a reasonable interest 
 in the business he could claim the vast fortune. On 
 the other hand, they said, if Miss Leonard would give 
 her approval of his course, they could turn the prop- 
 erty over to him. 
 
 " But, gentlemen," Paul said, " all these conditions 
 are impossible. We have gone over this ground be-
 
 " NOT YOURS BUT YOU " 303 
 
 fore, and I have already stated my attitude, which is 
 unalterable. Now it seems to me that all that remains 
 to be done is to have the court formally turn over the 
 estate to Miss Leonard." 
 
 The lawyers, however, were persistent, and Mr. 
 Stewart, and even Frances, joined with them in their 
 request. The attitude of the latter troubled Paul more 
 than anything else, for he knew that the Stewarts 
 believed in his work, but, with the possible exception 
 of Frances, he came to feel somehow that they con- 
 sidered that he would be very unwise to relinquish 
 his fortune and not remain at home. 
 
 Few missionaries have the rare opportunity that 
 was his during his stay in New York. He was widely 
 entertained and invited to speak at many functions, 
 where he presented his work in a convincing way. 
 He came in constant contact with churches of every 
 denomination. He visited the great city churches and 
 the small missions, and he went with friends to 
 churches in country towns. He was fresh from a 
 land where the church had become a vital part of the 
 community's life, where the leaders of the govern- 
 ment itself were depending upon it for guidance and 
 help, and he was impressed anew with the fact that 
 in America, in most instances, it was either a sort of 
 a club or merely an incident in the lives of those who 
 had fellowship in it. When he considered the enor- 
 mous amount of money invested in these churches, 
 when he realized that they ministered only to their 
 members and that they were open only a small part of 
 the time, he saw how inadequate was their service.
 
 304. THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 Paul's former pastor invited him, in a patronizing 
 way, to speak on the following Sunday. 
 
 " I will be very glad to speak," said Paul, " but I 
 want you to know that my story will not be a simple 
 tale of China, for I want to tell these people, plainly 
 and definitely, who knew me as a boy, how inadequate 
 I consider their view of the church's work." 
 
 " Why, Paul, this church believes in missions," said 
 the pastor. " You know we give several thousand 
 dollars a year to benevolent work, and we are con- 
 sidered one of the greatest missionary churches in 
 America." 
 
 Paul laughed. 
 
 " That's all right," he said. " I only want you to 
 know what I am going to talk about." 
 
 The pastor patted him on the back as he had done 
 in his youth. 
 
 " Say what you will, my son, we shall be glad to 
 hear you." 
 
 Madeline and Catherine returned to the city late 
 one Saturday night. They discovered that Paul was 
 in New York, but did not let him know they had re- 
 turned. They were late at church the next morning, 
 and Madeline went quietly to her pew. She looked 
 for Paul first in his father's pew, and then sought 
 him among the friends with whom he had been stay- 
 ing. Failing to find him there, she began to fear that 
 he was not coming, and when he came in with the 
 pastor she felt a clutching at her throat. 
 
 The pastor introduced him cordially and sympa- 
 thetically. Paul's face was grave as he looked over
 
 " NOT YOURS BUT YOU " 305 
 
 the audience. He did not see Madeline. Then he 
 began to speak. He talked with the simple directness 
 of a boy, yet he spoke with the authority of a man 
 of affairs %vho knows his subject, and, as he poured 
 out his soul to that audience, he became unconscious 
 of everything but his theme. 
 
 He quite forgot New York and began to live again 
 in China. He pictured to them its vastness, its re- 
 markable history and its tremendous need. He rep- 
 resented it as a man in whose veins burned a great 
 desire for the fumes and dreams of the opium pipe, 
 but who was earnestly struggling to overcome the 
 habit and striving for better things. He made them 
 see China with its disease and its filth, and its civili- 
 zation that dealt with forms and outward things, and 
 then impressed upon them the fact that a wonderful 
 wealth of character had endured in spite of these 
 things, which were only on the surface of life. He 
 burned the words " need and opportunity " into their 
 minds until it was not to be forgotten. 
 
 Then he followed with a statement of his convic- 
 tion as to the duty of the church to the work at home 
 and abroad and he scorned the idea of the church as 
 a club or a social organization. He strongly empha- 
 sized that its supreme message should be to save the 
 world, and to accomplish that, it had to become a 
 social force. 
 
 At first the old pastor smiled at his enthusiasm, but 
 later bowed his head in shame as he realized how 
 impotent his church, with its tremendous resources, 
 had been.
 
 306 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 " My friends," Paul said, in the midst of his plead- 
 ing, " I do not believe that everyone should answer 
 the call to those far fields, but I do believe that if 
 we cannot serve across the world, we ought to serve 
 across the street. The world needs unselfish service 
 today, for Christ served, and He sent his servants 
 out into the world, and today, if we are to bear the 
 name of Christ, we must help in the world's uplift, 
 we must do His bidding and live unselfishly. The 
 command ' Follow Me,' is not to be interpreted ac- 
 cording to the dictates of our own wills, but according 
 to the will of Christ." 
 
 In conclusion he dealt with the relation of a man 
 to his money. A tinge of bitterness seemed to creep 
 in for a moment, but only for a moment, as he showed 
 the returns that were possible returns that might not 
 be counted in dollars, but which would bring results 
 that would leave no doubt as to the wisdom of the 
 investment. He pleaded with the men who had never 
 known want to make some sacrifice and give some- 
 thing for their religion. He threw out a challenge 
 which for a moment held his audience breathless. 
 " What has your religion cost you ? What have you 
 ever paid for it?" he asked. With almost pathetic 
 tenderness he turned at last to the young people with 
 whom he had spent his boyhood. He seemed to pass 
 from them as a man of affairs and to talk to them 
 as their friend. His theme was the investment of their 
 lives, and he pointed out how many of them were 
 only drifting with no real purpose. He begged them 
 to live lives that would really count, and that their
 
 " NOT YOURS BUT YOU " 307 
 
 religion should not be a pastime, but a passion that 
 would give them power. 
 
 One woman in that audience sat wide-eyed, for she 
 realized that she had gone through China unseeingly. 
 Paul had talked to her about these things when she 
 was there, but at that time she felt that she had to 
 defend herself, but now he was talking to hundreds 
 of people and she knew that his words were true. 
 She saw Paul leave the pulpit as soon as the benedic- 
 tion was pronounced, and she knew that he would 
 leave the church at once. She went home with Cath- 
 erine in silence, and as they entered her room Catherine 
 put her arms tenderly around her. 
 
 " Madeline," she said, " how could you listen to that 
 story and picture the scenes that he described, and 
 not respond ? " 
 
 " Catherine," she replied sadly, " his eloquence 
 moved me today, for it was eloquence, even though 
 he told his story very simply. But you must remem- 
 ber that if the needs at home had been stated, perhaps 
 we would have felt differently about it." 
 
 But in her heart Madeline knew that Paul was right, 
 and if he had gone to her that afternoon and laid 
 siege to her heart she might have yielded.
 
 XLIV 
 THE POWER OF ACCOMPLISHMENT 
 
 AFTER leaving the pulpit, Paul returned to the 
 home of his friends, to find a summons to 
 Washington awaiting him, for affairs in the 
 far East were very critical. China's relation with 
 other nations was acute, and it had been suggested 
 to the officials at Washington that they consult with 
 Paul. He was surprised to receive this invitation, 
 but felt that it was necessary to accept it, even though 
 he deemed himself unqualified. He went at once to 
 Washington and when he reached there, he was asked 
 to take a position under the government and for the 
 time being to relinquish his missionary service. 
 
 " Gentlemen," he said, " I am sorry that I have been 
 so misunderstood in this matter. I am wholly com- 
 mitted to one line of service. I believe that representa- 
 tion of foreign governments is necessary in alien lands, 
 but I also believe that more necessary than this is a 
 correct presentation of the moral, righteous and eternal 
 principles of Christianity. It is necessary for the 
 Christian missionary to go out, not separate from his 
 government, but as its forerunner. I appreciate the 
 honor that you have conferred upon me, but I cannot 
 accept it, for my work is of a different nature. I 
 appreciate the delicacy of the situation to which you 
 refer, but I am afraid that you have not appreciated 
 
 308
 
 THE POWER OF ACCOMPLISHMENT 309 
 
 the importance of the work to which I have given my 
 life." 
 
 Paul sprang into greater prominence by the refusal 
 of this offer, and many who before had rather scorned 
 his work, now admitted that he was connected with 
 the far East in an intimate way. He remained in 
 Washington for several days, visiting the State De- 
 partment and other officials. Then he received a note 
 from Madeline in which she censured him for not 
 having called upon her. He wrote her at once saying 
 that he did not know that she was in New York, and 
 that he had supposed that if she had been there, she 
 would have attended the church when he preached. 
 He assured her that he would call immediately upon 
 his arrival in New York. 
 
 Immediately upon returning to New York a few 
 days later, he went unannounced to Madeline's home. 
 He had forgotten for the moment that Catherine was 
 with her until the maid, who answered the bell, asked 
 if he wished to see Miss Leonard or Miss Williams. 
 Paul hesitated but only for a moment. 
 
 " I would like to see them both," he replied. 
 
 "Your name, please?" the maid inquired politely. 
 
 " Just tell them that a gentleman wishes to see 
 them," he said with a smile. 
 
 The girls came down together. Madeline was im- 
 pulsively glad to see him, but Catherine was more re- 
 served, though her eyes revealed her joy in seeing him 
 again. He greeted Madeline in the same spirit of 
 comradeship which he had shown her in China, but 
 when he turned again to Catherine, his eyes dwelt upon
 
 310 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 her for a long time. He saw a new Catherine, one of 
 whom he had never dreamed. The old Catherine had 
 been beautiful in feature, but the face before him was 
 a transfigured one. On it was written a spiritual 
 triumph the victory of a conquered life. Silently 
 he looked at her, as the worshiper of old looked upon 
 the Madonna. Madeline noticed this, and she could 
 see that the beauty which had come to Catherine dur- 
 ing the last few months attracted Paul. He stayed on 
 to dinner and late into the evening. This was the 
 beginning of a delightful comradeship, for whenever 
 he came, he called for both. 
 
 " Madeline," said Catherine, " I feel terribly in the 
 way. I am truly the proverbial ' crowd/ the third 
 party. I ought not to be with you and Paul so much." 
 
 " As long as Paul calls for both of us, Catherine, 
 you must answer," replied Madeline. " If you do 
 not I will refuse to see him, for I am afraid he would 
 consider me responsible for your not meeting him." 
 
 One day Paul called over the telephone, and this 
 time he asked to talk with Catherine. 
 
 " Catherine," he said, " I have been wastefully ex- 
 travagant. I am doing some of the things I used to do 
 in the old life here at home. I have purchased a car. 
 It is only a two-passenger car, almost as small as one 
 of those jinrickshas in the East, and I want you to 
 come with me for a run." 
 
 Catherine instantly realized the delicacy of her posi- 
 tion, and she wanted to say to him that she could 
 not go, but she did not wish to hurt him even in the 
 slightest way.
 
 THE POWER OF ACCOMPLISHMENT 311 
 
 " I shall be glad to go with you, Paul," she an- 
 swered. " I can then talk with you about some things 
 which are on my heart." 
 
 Paul laughed, and his voice assumed again the pater- 
 nal note which he had sometimes used in the past. 
 
 " Child," he said, " I shall be delighted to have you 
 talk with me about anything which is troubling you." 
 
 Catherine started to interrupt him, but he was mak- 
 ing the appointment and telling her when he would call. 
 
 When he came for her he asked if Madeline was 
 there, and upon receiving an affirmative, asked to see 
 her. 
 
 " I hope you don't object to my taking Catherine 
 out unchaperoned," he said to her as she appeared. 
 
 " I am delighted to have her go, Paul," Madeline 
 replied with a smile. 
 
 " I should like to take you both," he said, " but 
 this car does not hold three people. Perhaps tomorrow, 
 if I may, I will be around for you in this new jin- 
 ricksha of mine." Then he laughed. " I am won- 
 dering if I could not take this out to Fou Cheo with 
 me, but I am afraid it would cause a riot if I drove 
 it down those little narrow streets." 
 
 And his eyes seemed to be looking into the far dis- 
 tances. 
 
 " But it will come," he said. " The little narrow 
 road on the dikes will be broadened, and all that is 
 modern and good will soon be found in that land " 
 he turned to Catherine as he continued "which you 
 and I love, Catherine, but which Madeline does not 
 understand."
 
 319 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 They rode almost silently for a while, until they 
 came to less traveled streets. Then Paul turned to 
 Catherine. 
 
 " Now, little woman," he said, " what is troubling 
 that heart of yours ? " 
 
 She looked up into Paul's face. 
 
 " Paul," she replied, " it is awfully hard for me 
 to say what I am going to say, because I am afraid 
 you will think that I am interfering with something 
 which does not concern me. You have been so diffi- 
 cult to talk with since you have been home that I have 
 left many things unsaid." 
 
 " Why, I didn't mean to be offish," he replied. 
 
 " You have been so cordial, so courteous and so 
 good," she continued, " but somehow you have built 
 a sort of a fence around yourself and it has seemed 
 impossible to talk with you in, an intimate way. I 
 would not talk with you now, did I not feel that you 
 know that I am familiar with every detail of the 
 trouble between you and Madeline. I know your atti- 
 tude, and I know hers, and Paul, I do want to see you 
 and Madeline united. I feel that you are not treating 
 her right." She hesitated for a moment. " Oh," she 
 went on, " I wish you knew how hard it was for me 
 to say that to you, who have been literally my saviour, 
 but it is because you are that, that I am talking to you 
 in this way. I know that Madeline's heart was nearly 
 broken when she returned from China, and I don't 
 want you to be so distant with her. I don't mean that 
 you are holding her off, but you are acting just like 
 a big brother towards her, and you know that isn't
 
 THE POWER OF ACCOMPLISHMENT 318 
 
 what she wants. Paul, I have suffered, and in the 
 hour of darkness, when there was no hope, you came, 
 and when there seemed to be nothing but drudgery 
 before me, Madeline came, and then, that I might not 
 be dependent upon her, your father did that splendid 
 thing for me, so now the one desire of my heart is to 
 serve you and Madeline." 
 
 Paul was not looking at her. His eyes were on the 
 road as he drove steadily on. He was silent for a 
 while after Catherine had finished speaking, but 
 finally he turned to her and his face seemed set and 
 hard. 
 
 " Catherine," he said, " if a man has ever given a 
 woman a chance, I have given it to Madeline. You 
 think you understand her, but you don't; but it means 
 much to me that you plead in her behalf, and if I am 
 hurting her by being here, then I will go back to China 
 tomorrow for she is the last woman on earth that I 
 want to hurt." 
 
 " Oh, don't," was the quick exclamation. " Please 
 don't do that, Paul. If you should, I would feel that 
 I was the cause of it, and I would always feel that I 
 had come between you, and I would rather die than do 
 that." 
 
 Paul saw her agitation. 
 
 " Well, let us think it over," he said, " and some- 
 time later we will talk again." 
 
 From that day Paul was seldom with the girls when 
 they were together. He would take one or the other 
 out riding. He was resting as much as it was possible 
 for so active a man as he to rest. He rode often with
 
 314. THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 Frances Stewart in the early morning hours, but not 
 a single word of affection had passed between them, 
 for they were truly friends. He talked with her of 
 his problems, of the equipment he was sending out to 
 China, and of the great institutional church he was 
 planning to build with the fund contributed by friends 
 in New York. He talked of all the work he was plan- 
 ning to do, and she advised him with the greatest 
 frankness. 
 
 This relationship with the three girls had continued 
 for some time, when Paul began to talk of returning 
 to China. He found that he was beginning to ask 
 himself the question which had confronted him be- 
 fore " Why should I go back alone ? The next ten 
 or twenty years of my life are going to be hard with- 
 out a comrade to share the joys, the burdens, and the 
 sorrows." His heart yearned for Madeline, as it 
 always did when he dreamed of a companion on the 
 trail, but he was now sure that she would never go 
 with him. Then he thought of Frances. " Good fel- 
 low," were the words that formed themselves on his 
 lips, but he knew that he could not love Frances, and 
 that she thought of him only as a friend. " Madeline, 
 I love," he said; " Frances, I honor; I believe we could 
 be great comrades, but, after all, would she come, for 
 once, out yonder on the dike, she said that she would 
 always go to China only as a traveler? She wants to 
 help, but only from the distance." Then in thought 
 he turned to Catherine. " How I pity her," he thought, 
 " how deeply I sympathize with her and how deeply 
 I am indebted to her! But it would mean serious
 
 315 
 
 problems to take her with me, even if she would 
 come," he thought. 
 
 He had not expected, when he returned to America, 
 that this question would again present itself, but it 
 was hard to go back alone. He must have a comrade 
 on the trail.
 
 XLV 
 
 THE ENEMIES' REVENGE 
 
 WHEN it became known that Paul would re- 
 turn to China at an early date, the Chinese 
 leaders of the revolutionary work in 
 America gave him a banquet in the Chinese section of 
 New York City. They made it a very brilliant affair, 
 to which both men and women were invited. Paul 
 insisted that both Madeline and Catherine should ac- 
 company him. Chinatown was ablaze in his honor, 
 and the girls were surprised at the magnificence of the 
 affair. The toastmaster, a Chinese, had held official 
 positions in the Chinese consulates in many foreign 
 countries. He outlined Paul's service to China, and 
 while he spoke with the extravagance of the Oriental, 
 Madeline knew that he was telling of the things which 
 Paul had accomplished. She never forgot Paul's 
 speech that night. He spoke in English, for the group 
 represented many different dialects of the Chinese 
 language and it would have been impossible for him 
 to speak to them all in their own tongue. He ad- 
 dressed them, not as a preacher, but as their partner 
 in a great business enterprise, and he told them that 
 he felt that they ought not to thus honor him, for his 
 work had only begun. He explained what he consid- 
 ered a vast partnership on which they had entered, and 
 the need of continuing the work before them. 
 
 316
 
 THE ENEMIES' REVENGE 317 
 
 When the meeting was over his hosts wanted to 
 call an automobile, but he refused, saying that the 
 girls wanted to see Chinatown and that they were 
 going to walk to the subway station, and he insisted 
 that they should not be accompanied farther than the 
 door. 
 
 Out on the street, Catherine was startled when they 
 passed a dark alley, for, hidden in its recesses, she 
 thought she saw a familiar figure. They walked on, 
 laughing and talking of the feast in which they had 
 just participated, when suddenly, in the darkest part 
 of the street, the girls were frightened by a quick step 
 behind them, and, turning, they saw a man strike Paul 
 on the head with a heavy weapon, and saw him fall to 
 the ground. Madeline looked on as if petrified, but 
 Catherine, with the swiftness and sureness of a tigress, 
 leaped upon the man who was turning to escape. In 
 the dim light she saw it was the trafficker who she 
 had been told had escaped from the fight at the dike. 
 The awfulness of her past life passed before her in 
 quick review at the sight of this man who had been 
 a part of that life. Her love for Paul had been crying 
 for some expression, and in the madness of the moment 
 she grasped the man about the neck. All the hate and 
 loathing of the past seemed to vent itself in the almost 
 superhuman strength with which she clenched her 
 hands about the throat of this man who had wrought 
 so much injury upon her and who had tried to take 
 the life of the man she loved. Slowly she pulled him 
 back and farther back, and she felt for the moment a 
 wild desire to take his life. His face was growing
 
 S18 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 black under the terrible grip when a police whistle 
 sounded and an officer came running up and took him 
 away. 
 
 For a moment Catherine was dazed, for the fury 
 of her hate had swept across her soul with tremendous 
 force, leaving her weak and dizzy. But there was 
 another duty to perform, for Madeline was down on 
 her knees beside the unconscious form of Paul, sob- 
 bing out and calling to him. Catherine sent some of 
 those who had gathered for restoratives and in a few 
 minutes Paul was helped into an automobile and taken 
 home. 
 
 The blow had only stunned him, and had little effect 
 upon him. But in the minds of the girls who had wit- 
 nessed the attack, there was a revelation of what this 
 man was willing to endure in order that he might aid 
 in opening the long trail for a nation's life.
 
 XLVI 
 TEMPTATIONS OF LONELINESS 
 
 THE tenderness with which Madeline waited 
 upon him and the concern which she showed 
 over the attempt made on his life brought the 
 thought constantly to Paul's mind " Shall I not try 
 again to win her ? Have I tried enough ? Shall I ask 
 her once more to go with me ? " But he was certain 
 it was hopeless, and even if she yielded to his impor- 
 tunity, she would never be happy in China, that if she 
 should go under such conditions, their marriage would 
 be disastrous. Then came the temptation, " Why not 
 remain at home?" He had found home life sweet. 
 The man who exiles himself for a cause never 
 ceases to hear the far-distant call of home, for the 
 environment in which he was reared, the attachments 
 of the past. All of these spoke to Paul in persuasive 
 voice, but, even as these things besieged and tempted 
 his soul, he was dismayed at the idea of giving up that 
 upon which he had set his heart, and which he knew 
 was the very life of the little city on the other side of 
 the earth. 
 
 " I cannot give it up," he said, " and I must not hurt 
 Madeline again." 
 
 In his loneliness Paul one day decided to go to Cath- 
 erine, not knowing exactly what his final decision was 
 to be. Catherine had felt that Madeline had not been 
 
 319
 
 320 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 entirely pleased with the way that she had been with 
 Paul, so she had tried to avoid him. Catherine 
 loved both of them and often prayed that she might 
 unite them. Madeline, in a woman's way, when she 
 felt that Paul was not going to yield to her wishes, 
 began to interest herself in other young men, and in 
 a measure renewed her relation with George Curtis, 
 the result of which was grievous misunderstanding. 
 Paul had never been jealous of Madeline, because he 
 had felt that she had always been loyal to him, even 
 thouglr he knew that she had yielded to her prejudices 
 and liad become engaged to George Curtis, and after- 
 wards had broken the engagement, but now condi- 
 tions were becoming complicated again, worse than 
 they had ever been before. In his heart he was just, 
 and he decided that the best way out of the whole 
 affair was to end it, but how, was a problem. In this 
 uncertain frame of mind he called Catherine over the 
 'phone. 
 
 " Catherine," he said, " I want to talk with you. 
 I have felt lately that you have been avoiding me, but 
 I feel that it has not been because you did not want 
 to see me, but because you were afraid that Madeline 
 would misunderstand." 
 
 The girl promised to see him. If she had known 
 the temptation that would face her in the next hour, 
 she would have fled from the city. 
 
 When Paul came to her he thought her more beau- 
 tiful than ever before, and as he looked into her eyes 
 suddenly he felt that he could offer her a home and 
 the loyalty and shelter which she needed and his prob-
 
 TEMPTATIONS OF LONELINESS 321 
 
 lems would be solved. Catherine looked long into his 
 face and then, as his purpose grew more definite, he 
 turned from her gaze that he might be sure before 
 he spoke. When again he turned to her he saw a pale- 
 ness as of death upon her cheek. She was fighting 
 with her emotions, for, knowing men as she did, she 
 had read his purpose. As he started to speak she 
 reached out her hands impulsively. 
 
 " Oh, no, no, Paul. Please don't say it," she cried. 
 " We would both regret it. It means everything that 
 you would think it for even one moment. You don't 
 know how the look on your face tempts me and how 
 I want to yield. But when I speak, please regard it 
 as final. Paul, I love you as I never thought I could 
 love any man, and I could follow you to the ends of 
 the earth, but it is not to be. I shall always be a good 
 woman, and I shall always be loyal to what you want 
 me to be; but I would be utterly disloyal if I allowed 
 you, on the impulse of loneliness, to offer marriage to 
 me. In this hour, when I want you, when everything 
 within me calls out to you, I want to plead again for 
 Madeline. Oh Paul, do not go away and leave her. 
 You have not told me that you love me and in that 
 single look you have just given me, you have not been 
 disloyal to the love which you have for Madeline." 
 
 Paul listened in silence and then he looked into the 
 face before him. 
 
 " Catherine," he said, " you are the most wonderful 
 woman I have ever known. I honor you and respect 
 you as never before." 
 
 They talked on and on. Paul, who had been the
 
 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 stronger in the past, now listened to this woman re- 
 deemed, to this soul, in which sorrow and sin had 
 wrought so great a change a soul renouncing love, 
 because she felt it was best for the man she loved. 
 
 When Paul left the house, Catherine went at once 
 to Madeline's room. She was surprised to find her 
 waiting with a sadness in her eyes which she had never 
 seen there before. She came directly to Catherine, 
 with that calmness which comes only after a victory. 
 
 " Catherine," she said. " You know that I am not 
 an eavesdropper, but I came into the house not knowing 
 that Paul was here, and I heard you talking to him. I 
 knew that by some sign he must have shown some great 
 regard for you. I did not want to hear it, Catherine, 
 but I could not help it. I have considered you a won- 
 derful woman, and I have loved you for your victory 
 over self. You know I have wanted Paul, but I wanted 
 him on my own terms I wanted him to come to me 
 yielding, but he has not come. I have lost him lost 
 him, Catherine, not because of you, but because our 
 ideals are different. Now I love him enough, since I 
 realize I have lost him, to do anything in the world 
 for him, but it is too late. Mr. Redmond told me 
 before I went to China that the Redmonds were a hard 
 race. Paul has less of that hardness than perhaps any 
 of them ever had, but when I heard you talk, I knew 
 that the end had come. But, Catherine, he must not 
 go back to that dreadful land alone. I want you to 
 go with him. Go to him and tell him to speak and you 
 will go. I want you to do this, not only for his sake 
 but for mine. I know that you love him I know that
 
 TEMPTATIONS OF LONELINESS 323 
 
 you worship him, not only out of gratitude, but for 
 what he is and why should both of us be unhappy 
 and suffer? " 
 
 Catherine threw her arms impulsively round Made- 
 line. 
 
 " My dearest," she said, " you are still the same un- 
 selfish woman that I knew you always were, but you 
 have forgotten one thing. Paul does not love me. 
 If he had brought such love to me today, I don't know 
 what my answer would have been, but he did not. 
 Every day, when I looked into his face I would know 
 that he was thinking of you, that he was long- 
 ing for you and it cannot be. I want to serve you 
 and I want to serve Paul, but I cannot serve either 
 of you at such a price, for it is you, Madeline, who 
 must seek him it is you who must yield and it is 
 you who must send for him and who must not let him 
 go back to China alone." 
 
 Madeline's reserve and composure now completely 
 forsook her, and she wept bitterly. Catherine tried 
 to soothe her. 
 
 " Promise me, Madeline," she begged, " to send for 
 him. Promise me that you will tell him now that you 
 will go with him anywhere." 
 
 Madeline lifted her dimmed eyes. 
 
 " My dear, it is too late," she sobbed, " He on his 
 trail and we on ours, we must travel alone, and per- 
 haps sometime somewhere when life is finished 
 we may be worthy to travel and work together."
 
 XLVII 
 THE CALL OF A FRIEND ETERNAL 
 
 PAUL REDMOND realized that the man of con- 
 viction must pay the price, that he must be will- 
 ing to give up the things he most cherishes, in 
 order that his ideals might be attained. It seemed to 
 him that he had fought the battle of whether it should 
 be China or home, a thousand times in the years that 
 had intervened since he had gone to the East. He had 
 been certain it would never come again, but now the 
 word " Alone alone alone " haunted him. He did 
 not want to go out to China alone, but he felt that 
 it was necessary, for he knew that Catherine had been 
 right; that no man should marry unless love is su- 
 preme in his heart. He knew that if he had done so 
 the ideals which he had always held of home life 
 would have been shattered, and he doubted if in the 
 end he would ever have been justified in his action 
 had he married Catherine. The battle he fought in 
 the next few days was long and acute, for Madeline's 
 lawyers, his father's lawyers and Mr. Stewart laid 
 siege upon him. Every possible argument and every 
 pressure was brought to bear and again Frances joined 
 with them, and the appeal of comradeship was again 
 made. Even some of the missionary officials ques- 
 tioned if he could not do greater good by putting his 
 money into the cause, than by giving himself, for the 
 
 324
 
 THE CALL OF A FRIEND ETERNAL 325 
 
 question of whether direct or indirect service is the 
 more valuable, was an important one. He wondered 
 whether this was a leading or only a temptation; 
 whether or not God was not calling him to let this use 
 of his wealth be an example to others, and whether 
 he should not actually give up the trail upon which he 
 had started. 
 
 Just at the time when he decided that he must settle 
 the question then and forever, three calls came to him 
 from China. One was a long letter of praise from 
 the China Relief Committee. Already they were plan- 
 ning the construction of other dikes, the reforesta- 
 tion of other land, the cleansing of the city, and the 
 extension of the work to outlying districts, and re- 
 peatedly, throughout the letter, they urged : " We need 
 you we want you to come back." Paul pondered 
 long over this letter. Then followed another from the 
 young official at Fou Cheo, who pointed out in a con- 
 crete way the opportunities that the literary and official 
 classes in China offered for direct service. " Mission- 
 aries have labored for more than a hundred years," 
 he said. " Occasional ones have entered the official 
 and literary life of China, but all of them have helped 
 to lay a broad basis for the hour of opportunity that 
 is now before us. You have already stayed away 
 longer than we expected, and the demands in this 
 district and the general demands in China are so 
 tremendous that we want you to come back. Now 
 is the time that the young men of China need coun- 
 selors, for now is the time of the great opportunity 
 when men can give themselves, if they will, as they
 
 326 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 have never given before. Will you not come, and 
 come at once?" 
 
 This appeal to a higher and larger service touched 
 a sympathetic chord in Paul's nature, but over the 
 other letter he lingered the longest. It was a letter 
 from the little Chinese church, telling of the falling 
 away of some of its members and of the temptations 
 of others. It emphasized that the Bible Class had not 
 been kept up in his absence, and that they needed him. 
 It told of the crying need of Chinese leaders for a 
 Chinese church. " If the Chinese church is to hold its 
 own," it said, " we must have leaders of our own 
 race, but they must be trained. The colleges and 
 universities cannot train them if the local fields are 
 not back of them. We must build up an institution, 
 but before we build an institution we must have local 
 schools for the training of our young men. Think 
 of the remarkable opportunities you now have to train 
 these young men? Think of the open doors before 
 you! Why do you tarry so long? We need a shep- 
 herd and you have proved your worth, and we are 
 confident that if you will come, all will be well." 
 
 These letters gripped Paul's heart and mind, yet 
 he knew that they were only expressions of one side 
 of the problem he knew they told only one-half of 
 the story. Here was his wealth and here was his 
 love, and would he not have a false idealism, if he 
 followed this call to the end of his life ? Had he been 
 over stubborn? 
 
 One evening, as he sat in his room facing the pic- 
 ture of Chu, the portrait seemed to take on life. Paul
 
 THE CALL OF A FRIEND ETERNAL 327 
 
 pictured himself again sitting in the little room of the 
 Manchu general's quarters. Chu was talking. His 
 voice had lost some of its usual calmness, and he was 
 speaking with clear authority. 
 
 " My friend," he seemed to say, " I am talking to 
 you not only in behalf of China, but in behalf of your 
 soul, for I am calling to you to remember your promise 
 to me. I am still traveling the trail with you, even 
 though I have somewhat preceded you. I have crossed 
 the rapids and now I can see the future of China, for 
 I see the unseen hosts of unbelief and of sin making a 
 last fight to control my country, but I also see the 
 strength of the church opposing them. The church 
 has sometimes sent out a few who were not fitted, but 
 it also sent out brilliant and able men, and they have 
 done a great service for God in China. Many are 
 needed. I see dangers of which no man knows or 
 dreams." 
 
 Again Paul looked into the face of his old friend, 
 and a smile seemed to play over it; that smile which 
 would come over Chu's face whenever he was about 
 to conclusively answer some argument of Paul's. 
 
 " Oh, you are thinking of your wealth and of your 
 love," he said, " will you not remember that rich 
 young man who came to the Master? The Master's 
 one demand of him was that he should sell all he had 
 and give it to the poor. Your influence in China was 
 the result of your daring to give yourself, and because 
 you dared to pay the price. You, yourself, my friend, 
 taught me that ' without the shedding of blood there 
 is no remission,' so now I speak from along the
 
 328 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 trail, calling to you not to be lured by the arguments 
 of those who believe they are your friends. Come. 
 You have promised to come. The very paying of the 
 price will make it possible for you to do for China and 
 for the world what you could not do if you did not 
 give yourself." 
 
 Again across the silence he seemed to hear his friend 
 saying and with his voice was mingled the voice of 
 the apostle who was one of the first to travel the 
 trail to the hearts of men "We seek not yours but 
 you." 
 
 Then the voices ceased, and Paul sat calm and quiet. 
 He stood with bowed head before the picture of his 
 friend, and lifted his face to the Master Himself. 
 
 " Friend and Master," he prayed, " I have seen the 
 kingdoms of the world, but, God helping me, never 
 again shall I be tempted. I shall go to the end of that 
 distant trail realizing that ' without the shedding of 
 blood there is no remission.' "
 
 " CAN'T YOU SEE THAT IT WILL NOT BE ALONE? "
 
 XLVIII 
 TO THE TRAIL'S END 
 
 THE calls that had come to Paul from China 
 made him decide to return quickly. He felt 
 that to remain longer would be wrong. He 
 telephoned Frances that the time of his departure was 
 near, and asked her to ride with him in the park. 
 
 The next morning as they rode together she was 
 silent and he could not interpret her feeling, but when 
 they reached her home, and she realized that they 
 were to say good-by, she reached out her hands to 
 him: 
 
 " Paul, one day, out yonder on the dike, you chal- 
 lenged me to serve in China," she said. " It is not 
 given me to do that, but I want you to know that 
 because you have been at home this time I will ' serve 
 across the street.' I have many plans, but I don't know 
 just what life holds for me," and then what seemed 
 to him the saddest smile he had ever seen crossed her 
 face. 
 
 " It seems that I, like others," she said, " must jour- 
 ney alone; but I want you to know that you have 
 given me new ideals and new joys, and that because 
 of these I will serve." 
 
 Paul looked at her a long time. 
 
 " Frances," he said, " you have been a good com- 
 rade and a good chum, and I hope you will come to 
 
 329
 
 330 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 China often and, when you do come, remember this, 
 that you will cheer me and make the way easier." 
 
 Before he went to Catherine and Madeline he called 
 them over the telephone. Catherine answered. 
 
 "I am coming over to bid you good-by," he said. 
 " I wonder if you can both see me now." 
 
 Catherine gave a little laugh and said : " Paul, don't 
 be silly. You know that we will see you. I shall have 
 to go out soon, but I have been waiting in the hope 
 that you would come." 
 
 Paul found Catherine dressed for the street. 
 
 " I don't mean to hurry you," she said, " but I must 
 go very soon. Paul, I always expect to make my home 
 here, but I cannot be idle any longer. I feel now that 
 I must go to work. You see what your example has 
 done. I telephoned Dr. Blackburn this morning, asking 
 him for an appointment, and he asked me if I felt 
 I could actually nurse any more. I told him I thought 
 I could, and he said he had some work that he wanted 
 me to do this morning. So, you see, Paul, I am taking 
 up my old life again. I know you don't want to be 
 thanked for what you have done, but you cannot know 
 how earnestly I am going to pray for you and how 
 very, very often the hours that we have been together 
 will be lived over and over again." Then she paused. 
 After a while she continued. " There is just one 
 promise that I want you to make me, and that is that 
 if you should ever again be ill, if any of those awful 
 diseases of China ever lay hold upon you, you will 
 cable for me. I think there is only one thing in the 
 world that could make me jealous, and that would
 
 TO THE TRAIL'S END 331 
 
 be if some other nurse should wait upon you in the 
 time of your illness." 
 
 They talked on for a little while, and then Catherine 
 reached out both hands to him. 
 
 " I must go now, Paul," she said. " You know 
 that doctor of ours insists upon punctuality." 
 
 Paul lifted her hands to his lips and kissed them, 
 and Catherine was gone. 
 
 Then Madeline came. The Madeline of old, the 
 Madeline of his youth, the Madeline who had asked no 
 questions, but one into whose life had come new 
 visions and new dreams. As he looked into her face 
 he wondered if he was going to be able to bid her 
 good-by. He realized now the difference between his 
 regard for Catherine and for Madeline. He had re- 
 gretted to say good-by to Frances, his farewell to 
 Catherine had been a little difficult, but this one seemed 
 impossible. Here was the woman whom he had loved 
 from his youth. Here was the dweller beside the trail, 
 for whom he had endured loneliness and for whom he 
 had waited and, as he looked upon her, he realized as 
 never before that he must wait. No word had been 
 spoken since Madeline entered the room. She had 
 not even stretched out a hand to him. She was simply 
 looking up into his face waiting. 
 
 " Madeline, I have come to bid you good-by, to make 
 a confession. Do you remember back yonder, years 
 ago, when I said I would always travel the trail alone, 
 until you came? " 
 
 " Yes, Paul, I remember." 
 
 "Well, I have been tempted; tempted because of
 
 332 THE TRAIL TO THE HEARTS OF MEN 
 
 the loneliness and the struggle. But I am going on 
 alone. I am going to follow the ideals which mean 
 so much to me. I wish that it were not so. I would 
 that I could answer the call of this love for you and 
 remain here, but, as I said in the beginning, if I did, 
 I should not be worthy of you, and so the time for 
 good-by has come. I must go alone." 
 
 Madeline reached out her hands to Paul and lifted 
 her beautiful face to his. Then, with glowing eyes, 
 said : " Alone, Paul, did you say alone ? " 
 
 Paul looked away. 
 
 " Yes, Madeline, alone," he replied tensely. 
 
 "Alone?" she repeated, "to face the dangers and 
 intrigues of those priests, and to build up that little 
 native church which needs you so much ? " 
 
 Then her voice broke, and he felt her hands tighten 
 on his. 
 
 " How are you going to do the work for the women 
 that you say ought to be done? " 
 
 As she looked into his eager face she slipped one of 
 her hands from his and put it against his cheek, as 
 in days gone by. 
 
 " Don't be stubborn, Paul," she said in a voice that 
 conquering love had made the sweetest on earth to 
 him. " Can't you see that it will not be alone ? Can't 
 you see that our ideals are now the same and that 
 together we will travel the trail to the hearts of men? 
 I may not be able to go out into all the things you do, 
 sweetheart, but it will be out there with you that 
 I shall dwell with you beside the trail until the end 
 comes." 
 
 A PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
 
 .^SWTHEHN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY 
 
 A 000 052 073 4