Since the brown bottle that had caused them so much grief on their journey was empty, things went on very smoothly in camp. The girls did very well with the cooking, with Austin’s ever-ready help when they were in perplexity. Everything took on a more hopeful air.
“I am not going to work today, Father,” said Austin quietly the first Sunday morning.
“Not going to work! Are you sick? What is the matter with you?” gruffly answered his father.
“This is Sunday, the day set for worship, and I wish to have it for study and prayer even if I can not go to church.”
“We have no time for sentiment here. This work must be done in the quickest time possible. We are all going to work today the same as any other day,” said Mr. Hill decidedly.
“Do not count me in for today. I shall not work,” said his son just as decidedly.
Henry Hill looked at his son in a puzzled manner. He wanted to force him to do as he had bidden him, but he remembered another time when Austin had said just as decidedly that he would not do as he had been told, and the consequence of trying to use force. So without a word he turned about and went on to his work.
Austin thought a principle was at stake in this. His father had no sympathy with his desire to serve God and would have been glad to hinder him from careful obedience. If he gave in to ignore what he thought to be the teaching of the Word and to ignore the dictates of his own conscience in working on Sunday while he was here in the hay-field, he could not hope to have freedom in service to God in other things. He remembered how his first pastor had warned him to be bold and fearless in his home in serving God and he would keep the victory. When Mr. Hill had gone out, Austin helped the girls get their morning work done and dinner planned, then with his Bible in hand he strolled off to the shade of a hay-stack and spent a profitable season in study and prayer. The days had been so full that he had had little opportunity for communion with God during the week, and this was very refreshing to his soul.
“I see where you have the best of us,” said Ned at the dinner-hour, “for you get a day’s rest, and we do not.”
“My team and I can work all the better tomorrow for our rest today,” said Austin with conviction. “My father will lose nothing by my keeping Sunday. Man and beast need one day of rest out of the seven on a job like this.”