At last he decided to remain away until he should again,
as twice before, be called home.
Now was the time for his youth to assert itself, for if he could not keep
the children, why should he not prepare himself for the place in life he
most wanted to fill? He wanted to be of service in the Master's vineyard.
There was never a youth with a call to the sea or the plains who longed to
follow the bent of his own heart more than did Austin. So we find him a few
weeks later safely enrolled in a small school where he might prepare
himself for the work of his choice. He knew how bitter his father would be
about this, but he did not care. He was now in entirely new environments.
Instead of opposition and contradiction, he found himself surrounded with
people who were eager to help him on in his service to God. He was under
the care of a man who recognized both the ability and the faithfulness of
the boy and never lost an opportunity to encourage him. But in spite of all
this the billows of trouble rolled high above him. In the midst of the
kindness shown him he seemed to see the faces of his little brothers and
sisters in their unfavorable surroundings. He felt like a renegade from
duty, and something very like remorse beat hard against his heart.
Unable to endure the agony of spirit, he obtained permission to visit his
home and find out how everything was. He found the children already partly
dispersed and the father seeking places for the others.
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