The Benton weekly record. [volume] (Benton, Mont.) 1880-1885, 1881-06-02

:you ought TO remember the circurnstan-
ces, for it occurred just at time Of the
great failure in Philadelphia, by which
/ you were SO heavy a loser"
Yes, / recolleet the affair." replied
/ AIr. Ihorne, who appeared to be suffer
i ing.
Il never heard,'' continued the doctor,
"what became Of the poor devil: and yet
| should like to know
''Should you?" said /, laughing; ''tlen
let me crafty your curiosity. /, Authm1
| Wallace, am that poor devil, doctor
saved from ruin and despair by my bene-
factor here And then related all the
events Of the last fifteen years.
The doctor sprung to his feet and grasp
ed his old friends hand.
| "Well and generously done. said he :;
but Mr.. Thorne interrupted him. II am
not WE'LL" he said, faintlY, II suffer
greatly--let me go to my room.
The next day he sent for me TO his pri-
vate office | found him looking pale and
haggard.
'sSsit down, my dear Arthur said he,
in a low voice, ''and listen to me. For q
long time have had 81 confession TO make
/ to you-one that weighs on me so heavily
! that | must ease my conscience of it's load.
can better bear to do SO now, that have
in Il measure made. some amends for the
trouble once caused you
'sIhe trouble you caused me- cried I.
"1ou have been the most generous OF men
to me. 1t is through your kindness oc-
cupy my present position; it is to you
owe my happiness, and, more than all, my
honor"
Mr.. Thorne opened his desk, and took
from it a pocket-book.
s'Do you remember this?" said he, aa
he placed it in my hand.
Eyes" replied I, ''it is the one l lost;
but how ~%
could not finish my question. The
truth stared me in the face. / sprang to
my feet.in disnay. .~-sM~
'sGreat heavens ~ / cried: ''you found
the money!
AYE. and kept it," he groaned, with
anguish in his voice. ''But oh do not
condemn me without hearing NE. Yes
ter,Iay you heard DR.. Ponard allude to
the great losses I had sustained by the
failure in phiadelphia. I did not dare
to make my embarrassment known, AS that
would have fastened my r1lin-sny rain
God knows that it was not for myself that
/ cared, but for Alice, my darling, child
1t was on the l4th of December that you
lost the money. Oh. shall never forge
the date. 1t was on that day that
! neCitated suicide. | was short Of 500,
600 to meet my liabilities, maturing on tit
18th. I was overwhelmed with despair
the air Of the office seemed to stife me
and rushed into the street. | had hard
ilY gone ten yatds.When my foot strl1cl
/ something. Ii Wats yoelr poeket-book.
Hopenedit. aaa5Issasiglf turned me giddJ
and ff:sfsss. hen commenced within my
y lssa.sest one ogtiiose III oral struggles which
esEfrtaf fhtF 11erors ID irai:fizI .3llt Il
Whirh. alas We ttsiserabIss FalaaisItaa
sIEle next 6It1s s5sflsilaa All ctaIn1s sszs@s
mo. 70 the word was George 5fhorHe
an honest, upright man; to myself IVA
nothing better than 4 malefactor. 9ol
know the rest. Through my guilt yo
I passed two weeks of indescribable anguish
have since endeavored to make repafa
ton for the misery / caused; but l ais
suffered. Moral atonements are the mos
cruel, because they are eternal. hav
known and yet feel the bitterness OF ez
piation. Say, my son, can you forgiV
: my crime??''
e Could forgive? looked at the palli
e face, anguished eyes. What were m
t suferings Of those two terrible weeks con
S pared to the secret pain and shame tn
4 man had borne for years ?-this man, tt
Y victim of one solitary deviation from +
ctitude, SO upright in all else, and who's
q life since had been one long atonement.
: grasped his hand, tears filled my eyes.
d ssFather, y cried, "Alice''s father al
S mine, all is forgiven, forgotten. Do [ n
owe all the happiness Of my life to til
I same lost pocket-book 20