The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1875-10-10
NUMBER SO.

with gems on hair, and bosom, aud wrists; o
woman with eyes that held wonderful light in
their black depths.
ayes, mother, and-my heart is broken"
The light of the eyes grew misty O momentp
then hard look came to kill the tears.
Constance, do not kneel. Get up and listen
to me. This need not be; you are mistaken,
romantic"
She got up, looked steadfastly into her
al have considered it," she said quietly, but
all the more decisively for that "apl Justice
places it in this light. l was brought up m
was wropGed. You divorced yourself from
him, and married (the word is sacrilege there)
another man in that he e., was wrongeas g HIS lie
was wrouged. His life was made blank, or.
what was not void, filled mp with bitterness;
in that he was most foully wronged: You can
not, il you would, change this woful past foV
him. l can aud will change his future. He
has sent to me, his child, the lonely, outraged
man who battled with this wrong so brayslys
his life He is in the shadow, and will be his
light he is weary with the strife and will be
his rest. So shall tardy justice be done, even
clear voice fell, the girls heart came surging
up through its quivering tones: "Oh mother,
why did you do itf You could not have fore
seen this bitter pass to which you have brought
me but You knew he loved you, and you knew
you broke his heart"
You see, my reader, society was right; there
wds "something wrong" under the postponed
could not be righted now; but society never
suspected that all the wrong was It's own
, doing. That trivial circumstance Of the case
" The Woman AN tSa. scr,rsgts Stood silent. She
was subtle, and unscrupulous, and quick OF
apprehension, but she had no reply ior tnis
brave and innocent plea of Justice for the man
she had 'wronged. Then Constance, soitening'
said: - -. 1t
"You have go much to fill your life, mother,
you will not miss me society, and fame, ana
wealth, can be your world Let me go-ln
peace" She turned away wearily.
Let me speak practically to YOU oolid' ,t 10. IOF
love your father; left him for ono could
that was all"
The girl covered her face in her hands.
"Oh mother you knew you could love an
other while you were still my fathers wife,
O Nonsense! 1t is done every day my
marriage was mistake, and the only remedy
divorce. Half the marriages in existence
are mistakes, only every one has not the
courage to apply the remedy"
auailed before the truth of the others, lifted
mp to them in maiden wonder; courage to
commit sacrilege"
you are only girl. AS for my part towards
You, my dear, do me a little of that Justice OF
, which you are so lavish towards a person to
whom you literally owe nothing. keps yo1
! from him. it is true, but l gavc you careiul
culture, and till now, sheltered you from
shadow Of care sorrow. Your youth has
this nm to ward appearance OF your father, just
! when was about to have my best Wishes LOT
you accomplished, your wom@nhood would
have been the same. This was surely better
than the sort of half existence you would have
led with him-a literary man, not overstocEed
with means to support or educate you. 1ou
see, Your Justice is Tomantici mlne practl-
cal That is all the di Inference"
1T is true, mother, you have been very good
TO me :" out of the utter worldliness of the
speech she gathered this one flower OF truth
and set it in her earnest heart, "bnt to my
mind marriage is a holy thing, and love an
an nistakable presence. 1t is sacrilege TO
desecrate either To TcfHse love, even TO one
who loves truly, is a privilege, the IiGnt Oh
every human heart to make marriage sem
blance Of giving it where II does not exist ls
| crime. Bat she who does that not only gives,
bnt takes and so cannot draw back. You took
INV fathers heart, mother, and even though
! you did not love him, could not. you say you
I | owed him the duty of a wife. The law OF man
. may have made it right to transfer that to an
other, bot no law of God permits it. Divorce Is
simply disgrace in my eyes, and cannot assume
any other form. Truth wears but one Gnlse'
and Justice speaks in unmistakable voice.
81 Ahl you are like your father, Constance.
He would have said that in thai voice and
with those eyes! And after all" ebe sighed.
Coma ance took up the broken thought:
after all, mother, truth crowns life. God
keep me-like my father"
No reprosch she had uttered was so forciSio
. ! as this, NO word struck home so surely TO the
, heart Of the listener, who idolized her-"God
keep me like my father" not like the beautiful,
brilliant being, woTBhipeo OF the wori0I ehrieo
of the obscure, whom she called mother. IhaS
is what it said. She had brought uP this ex-
j quisite creature for herself, for society she
: had placed her there q queen she haa cove.
ted for her, aud seen her win, high positlon ana
abundant wealth, and in spite OF her life's
7 work the wronged fsther's nature asserted It
self, holding truth and justice above the goid-
4 en- yifts at her feet. Thiswas her bitter after
alt aud il stang her heart to the very core.
n she Touli make another effort. This heart, 60
/. noble in its trial, might be touched hy love
. / -.-aj- Il 1nvei ita mother,