of unusual power of execution. He dealt in
hundreds of millions as easily as most of us deal in dollars, and his
rugged honesty has never been brought into question. His greatest
achievement bulks big in the material structure of one of our great
eastern cities.

But his gigantic tasks ran his strength to ebb tide, and then it was
seen that the tide was running out. As he lay in the sick chamber a
minister called, whose ministry had touched large numbers of the men in
the railroad of which the sick man was head, and in the course of
conversation tactfully asked:

"Are you a Christian, Mr. Blank?"

"Yes," was the quiet, prompt reply that rather surprised the minister.

"How long have you been a Christian, Mr. Blank?"

"Two days," came the answer as promptly and quietly.

Feeling that there was an interesting story under these answers, the
minister gently pressed the question. Then the story came out.

"You know William, who handles freight out here at ----?" the sick man
asked.

"Yes."

"He showed me the way."

"William" had been a worthless, drunken man of the "down and out" sort.
He had been converted at some mission and been radically changed. He had
gotten employment at one of the freight-handling stations of this
railroad system. It was rough, hard work, but he had gone at it
earnestly in his purpose to live an honest life. And in his quiet,
earnest way he was always seeking a chance to speak to men of Christ as
a personal Saviour, until he became known throughout that part of the
system for his simple, earnest piety.

As the sick man realized the seriousness of things for him he had sent
for this William. The president of the road whose capitalization ran
into hundreds of millions sent for the rough-handed freight handler. And
William in his simple, earnest way had pointed the sick man to Christ.
And the man of millions had made a new sort of transaction. Christ and
he had an understanding.

And as the sick man told the minister the story he paused, and then
added, "_I have given my strength to the secondary things._"

This was the judgment of this shrewd man of big affairs as the new light
had come into his life at its close. Happily he had gotten the
readjustment of values in time for readjustment of personal
relationships. But his life's strength was gone.

If we might get the readjustment that would put secondary things in
second place, and put wrong and useless things clear out, _in time to b