Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1881-08-04

had become pale, ~you ought to remem-
Der the circumstance for it occurred
just at the time Of the great failure in
Philadelphia, 10y which you were so
heavy loser"
"Yes, recollect the affair."" replied
Mr.. ThOne who appeared to be suffer-
ing
II never heard" continued the doc
tor, "what became of that poor devil !;
and yet I should like tc know"
SHOULD y0uY' said /, laughing, then
let me satisfy your curiosity. /, Ar
thur Wallace. am that poor devil, doc
tor. saved from ruin and despair by my
benefactOr here" And then related
all the events of the last fifteen years.
The doctor sprang TO his feet and
grasped his old friends hand.
"Well and generously doneT' said he I;
but Mr.. Thorne interrupted him. II
am not WELL" he said family. 81 suf-
fer greatly-let me go to my room"
The next day he sent for me to come
to his private Office. found him look
ing pale and haggard.
''Sit down, my dear Arthur" said he,
in low voice, ''and listen to me. For
a long time have had confession to
make to you, one that weighs on me so
heavily that must ease my conscience
Of its lead. can better bear to do so
now, that have in n measure made
some amends for the trouble once
caused you"
"The trOubleyOu caused me-" cried i.
"YOu have been the most generous of
men to me. 1t is through your kind
ness l occupy my present position; it
is to you L owe my happiness, and more
than all. my honor"
Mr.. Thorne opened his desk and took
from it pocket-book.
"Do you remember this?" said he,
rs he placed it in my hand.
Yes" replied i, ''it is the one / lost
but how"
could not finish my question. The
truth stared me in the face. 1 sprang
to my feet in dismay.
"Great heavensr' 1 Icried; "you found
the moneys"
AYE, and kept it." he groaned, with
anguish i'm his voice. "But oh! do not
condemn without hearing me. Yester-
day you heard DIR. Ponard allude to
the great losses had sustained by the
failure i'm Philadelphia. did not
dare to make my embarrassment
known, rs that would have fastened
my ruin-my ruin. God knows
it was not for myself that
cared. but for Alice, my darling child.
1t was on the 14th of December that
you lost the money. Oh, / shall never
forget the date. 1t was on that day
that meditated suicide, Twas short
$4,000 to meet my liabilities, maturing
on the 18th. l was overwhelmed with
despair; the air of the Office seemed to
stiile me, and rushed into the street.
| had hardly gone ten yards when my
foot struck something. 1t was your
pocket book. opened it and the sight
turned me giddy and faint. Then COM
menced within my breast one of those
moral struggles which, even to the
c0nqueror, is fearful but in which,
alas 1 was miserably vanquished. The
next day satisfied all claims against
me. To the world was Ge0rgS / horne.
an honest, upright man; to myself
was nothing better than a malefactOr.
You know the rest. Through my guilt
you passed two weeks of indescribable
anguish. 1 have since endeavored to
make restitution for the misery caused.
but l also suffered. Moral atOnements
are the most cruel, because they are
eternal. have known and yet feel the
bitterness of expiation. Say, my son,
can you forgive my crimeP"
Could / forgive? / looked at the
pallid face, anguished eyes. What
were my sufferings Of those two terri
BILE weeks compared with the secret
pain and shame this man had borne for
years ?-this man, the victim of one
solitary deviation from rectitude, so
upright in all else. and whose life since
had been one atonement L grasped
his hand, tears filed my eyes.
"Father," cried. "Alice's father and
mine. all is forgiven. forgotten. Do
not owe all the happiness of my life to
that same lost pocket-book."