He Isn't Knocking Tonight!
by Colonel
Edward H. Joy
This is a selection from the unpublished manuscript, 'Our Fathers Have Told Us', some early-day stories from The
Salvation Army
I was a young Lieutenant at the time, and full of youthful
zeal in the cause, - not more so than now, I hope, - and the
sight of Jack Earnshaw in his accustomed back seat under the
gallery filled me with something akin to awe.
The night was terrifically hot, and the Hall was crowded far
beyond its usual capacity for the Harvest Festival.
The meeting had been full of thrills and of the Holy
Spirit’s influence.
I recall how moved I had been in my singing of the then
quite new soli, ‘Hark, hear the Saviour knocking!’.
I remember the volume of sound filling the old theatre
as the congregation sang, “Will you let Him in tonight?”
I had hoped so much that he would yield; it was high time that
he should do so; high time he should seek the Lord.
If ever a mortal man had had warnings, he had had them
by the hundred; all his recent days had been full of
indication of approaching death; nothing could stay the coming
end. Stricken
with a fatal (in those days) disease born of his employment,
he knew had not much longer to live.
And I knew it too.
It was this which moved me to speak to him once more –
the thought of his danger filled me with dread, almost as if
it had been myself, - and so, leaving my place on the
platform, I pushed my way through the departing crowd, and
halted him.
“Jack,” I said, “He’s been knocking at your heart tonight.
Won’t you let Him in?
You may not have many more chances.”
“No, Leff,” said he.
“Not tonight.
I Must get off home now, but I promise you I’ll come
tomorrow night, I really will.”
“There won’t be much of a chance then,” I said, somewhat
sorrowfully, remembering that it would be the Harvest Sale,
and not much of what we call a ‘Salvation Meeting’.
“Oh,” said Earnshaw, “The Captain’ll be sure to give me a
chance to get saved if he sees me; don’t worry, lad.
I’ll be here.”
With that I had to be content, and he left the Hall.
The next night, Monday, I looked around the Hall, but Jack’s
usually place was empty.
I guessed he had had one of his recurring bad attacks,
and put that down as the reason for his absence.
There was a lot of pleasantry about the meeting, but I
was not very much ‘in it’; I was thinking about Earnshaw’s
broken promise.
Some of my old lady friends tried to rally my poor spirits;
but I couldn’t get over my feeling of disquiet.
We closed the meeting and the subsequent tidying up at a very
late hour, and it was quite late when we gave each other
good-night and went to our rooms.
I was the last to take the stairs, and just as I was
halfway up, there was a knock at the door.
Opening the front door I saw a little girl whom I at once
recognized as Jack Earnshaw’s child- he had a family of seven,
including baby twins; the messenger was the eldest.
“Father’s ill again,” she said, “and the Captain’s to come
quick. He’s ever
so bad, and Mum is crying, and grand-dad is drunk.”
Giving up all thought of bed, the Captain and I made ready to
answer this insistent call.
We went up the High Street the Town Hall Clock struck
the hour of 1am like a death-knell.
The Earnshaw Cottage was one of a row of small dwellings at
the rear of the Town Hall, and here, in the tiny house-place,
- a heated atmosphere and squalor, indeed, - and here we found
a company of excited, gossipy neighbours; a horde of crowded
children, the nagging of a distressed wife, and the snores of
a drunken old man lying on the settle, and the curses of Jack
Earnshaw. And
nigh enough reason for his curses.
Dear fellow! What
language he was using, and how he was abusing his wife!
Poor soul, she had little idea of family management at
the best of times, and less still at such a time.
Thinking to bring peace out of the riot, the neighbours
were told to withdraw – which they very unwillingly did – and
the children and the old man were, somehow or other, reduced
to a temporary silence.
Then the Captain said, “Go on, Lieutenant, you pray!”
The surroundings were certainly not such as I would have
chosen for a prayer-place, and in my youthful nervousness it
was with some reluctance I began to pray.
Very stumbling sentences they were.
Jack sat in his arm-chair by the fireside – he was
unable to lie down – his wife was at the other side, with the
twins on her lap.
“Oh, Jack,” she sobbed, “don’t go on so; the lad’s going to
pray!”
Suddenly my prayer broke off short, for with a cry that was
almost a scream, Earnshaw clutched at his heart, and fell from
his chair prostrate in front of the fire, just missing me as
he dropped.
My prayer sopped, and stooping over him, I helped the Captain
to turn him over on his back, and held his head in my hands
while the Captain sought to place a pillow under him.
Then Jack opened his eyes.
(the memory of that moment almost stays my fingers as I write.
I feel once more the cold chill down my spine which
even the heated room could not check.
I could scarce keep my hold on his head, my fingers
trembled so much.
I saw a change coming over his face, which even my ignorance
could not fail to recognize as death.
The hoarseness of his voice filled my dreams for many a
night)
“Leff! Leff!
Is that you?
And a pause.
“Leff! Leff!” and
his voice fell to a gasping whisper.
“Leff!
He was knocking at my heart last night, and I wouldn’t
let Him in, and He isn’t knocking tonight!”
Then, with a groan which rattled ahead of the hours, his head
sank back on the pillow, and he entered into Eternity!
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