Salvation Army holding a public service on a street
corner. Their leader was loudly extorting and pleading with the crowd
listening to his service, for penitents to come forward and permit the
band to pray for their salvation. He was a good orator, and to hear him
the better, Joe pushed his way through the crowd until he stood at the
curb.

Just at the moment when some of his audience commenced to titter at the
poor success the appeal seemed to have, forcing his way through the
crowd came a half drunken, shaggy bearded and poorly dressed man, who,
when he reached the open center of the meeting, pleaded with the
Salvation Army's leader to pray for him. Undaunted by the fellow's rough
appearance and the very evident marks of his craving for strong drink,
the leader shook his hand and after he bade him welcome asked him as a
primary step towards complete salvation to make a public confession of
his sins.

Sobered by the solemnity of the moment the penitent wretch straightened
and then gave a brief review of his life. It was the oft-repeated story
of a runaway boy, hailing from a good family, drifting into
hobo-companionship with all the rum, filth and crime that such
association implies, and ended by telling that on this day, after having
so wantonly wasted the best years of his life, he had made up his mind
to end it all by placing his head upon the rails. On his way to the
railway yards he had stopped to listen to the service of the Salvation
Army, and when he heard their leader plead for lost souls, especially
those who had been rejected by every other denomination, he felt it to
be an act of God that had caused him to stop, and he came forward to try
and make a second and better start in life.

When he finished his pitiful story of a blasted life, there was hardly a
dry eye amongst the listeners, and taking advantage of the good
impression the confession had made, the Salvation Army leader asked all
those who were believers in Christ to offer up a silent prayer for the
penitent sinner.

Joe joined the many others who complied with this request, and holding
his cap before him, he bent his head in prayer. Then a strange incident
occurred, for just as he replaced his cap the same repentant wretch for
whose regeneration he had just prayed, came towards him and while tears
rolled down his seamed face he stretched forth his hands and pleaded,
"James McDonald, unfathomable are the ways of the merciful God, for here
at t