The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1874-04-09
ao TIPToN. IOWA APRIL O. 1874.

with guilty bushes. All, weak b,
ure. He was not blushing for h
sins, but for his repentance!
i Patty, seeing his confusion, deter
mined to make him feel how full {
forgiveness love was. She saw nc
oleness in his very shame, and sh
i generously resolved that she woul
not ask, that she would not allow,
confession. She extended her ham
cordially and beamed upon him, an
told HIM how glad she was that h
lad come back, and--and and
we'll; she couldn't find anything els
te say, but she urged him to sit dow
and handed him a splint-botton
hair, and tried for the life of her /,
think Of something to say--the 81
lence was so embarrassing. Blu
talking for talks sake is always hard
One talks MS one brcathes-bes
when solition has nothing to do witt
t.
The silence was embarrassing t.
Norton, but not half SO much as Pat.
tvs talk. For he had not expectct
this sort Of an Opening. II she hat
accused him ofgambling, if she hat
| spurned him, the road would havs
been plain. But now that she lovet
him and forgave him of her owf
sweet generosity, how should ht
smite her pride in the face by telling
! her that he had joined himself to the
illiterate, vulgar, fanaticsl sect o
| ranting Methndists, whom she utter.
" des, ised. Truly the enemy had
set an unexpected snare for his un.
| wary feet. He had resolved to con
f.ss his religious devotion with he
roic courage, bu; he had not expect
ed to be disarmed In this fashion
He talked about everything else, he
temporized, he allowed her to turn
fhe conversation rs she would, hop
ing vainly that she would alludc to
his gambling But she did not
Could it be that she had not heard Of
it: Must he then reveal that to her
also;
While he was debating the ques-
,ion in his mind, Patty, imagining
that he was reproaching himself for
the sin and folly Of gambling, began
to talk of what had happened in the
neighborhood--how Jake Singer
-'fell with the power" on Sunday and
got drunk on Tuesday: s.that's all
this Methodist fuss amounts to, you
know" she said. Morton thought i,
ungracious to blurt out at this mo-
ment that he was a Methodist: there
would be an air Of contradiction in
the avowal; SO he sat still while
Patty turned all the sobbing and
signing, and shouting and loud pray
ing Of the meetings into ridicule.
And Morton became conscious that
it was getting every minute more
and more difficult for him 10 confess
his conversion. He thought II better
TO return to his gambling for a. start
ing point.
y y
been. Pa,ty?"
"Oh! yes. I'm sorry you got into
such bad sorape; but don't say any
more about it, Morton. You're toe
good for me with all your faults, and
you won't do it any more
"But | want to tell you all about
| it, and what happened while | was
gone. I'm afraid you'll think too
hard of me-
"But | don't think bard of you at
all, and | don't want 10 hear about il
because il isn't pleasant. It'll all
come out right at last; I'd great
deal rather have you little wild ut
first than hard Methodist, like Kikc,
for instance"
stBut-s
Il tell you, Morton, | won't hear .
word Not one word. ! want you
to feel thai, whatever anybody else
NAV saw, I know you're all right
Y.a think Morton very weak.
But, do you know how exceedingly
sweet is confidence from one you
love, when there is only censure, and
suspicion, and dark predictions of
evil from everybody else: Poor
Morton could not refuse to bask in
the sunshine for moment after SO
much Of storm. 1t is not the north
wind but the southern breezes that
are fatal to the ice berg's voyage in
to sunny climes.
4, last he rose to 60. He felt
himself Peter. He had denied the
Master!
s.Pa,ty," he said, with resolution,
81 have not been honest with you. !
meant to tell you something when
first came, and ] didn't. II is hard
TO have TO give up your love. But
I'm afraid you won't care for me
when l tell YOU
The severity Of Morton's penitence
only touched Patty tho more deeply.
"Morton," she said, interruptipg,
'sif you've done anything naughty, |
forgive you without knowing it. But
l don't want to hear any more about
it, | tell YOU" And with that the
blushing Patty held her cheek up for
her betrothed to kiss. and when
Morton, trembling with conflicting
emotions, had kissed her for the first
time, she slipped away quickly to
prevent his making any painful con-
fessions.
For moment Morton stood
charmed with her goodness. When
he believed himself to have con-
quered, he found himself yanquished
In dazed sort OF way he walked
the greater part Of the distance home.
He might write to her about it. He
might let her hear it from others.
But he rejected both as unworthy Of
q man. The memory Of the kiss
thrilled him, and he was tempted to
throw away his Methodism and re-
joice in the love Of Patty, now SO
assured. But suddenly he seemed TO
himself to be another Judas. He
had not denied the Lord-he had be-
trayed him; and with kiss.
Horrifed by this thought, Morton
fastened back toward Captain Lurns-
den's. He entered the loom-room,
but it was vacant. He went into the
49, L. u..~, 80.