I am afraid I said words
that should not be said--a thing I never do, except when suddenly and
utterly upset.
'I am getting selfish and weak,' he said; 'I must get to work. I am glad
to get to work. There is much to do, and it is worth while, if only to
keep one from getting useless and lazy.'
'Useless and lazy!' I said to myself, thinking of my life beside his,
and trying to get command of my voice, so as not to make quite a fool
of myself. And for many a day those words goaded me to work and to the
exercise of some mild self-denial. But more than all else, after Craig
had gone back to the mountains, Graeme's letters from the railway
construction camp stirred one to do unpleasant duty long postponed, and
rendered uncomfortable my hours of most luxurious ease. Many of the old
gang were with him, both of lumbermen and miners, and Craig was their
minister. And the letters told of how he laboured by day and by night
along the line of construction, carrying his tent and kit with him,
preaching straight sermons, watching by sick men, writing their letters,
and winning their hearts; making strong their lives, and helping them
to die well when their hour came.
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