McCook weekly tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 188?-1886, 1883-09-27
Down went his head upon his hands

that day on no nobler lhead-and from
his lips came those words of which frail
humanity has deepest need, "Lead us
not into temptation" t
| He thought it all out. Bertram
Kingsley owned the finest place in all
Marsham, or had until the deed was
made which conveyed it to George
Fenby. Estella Kingsley, the daughter
of Bertram, was beauty and some
thing of a flirt.
More than one lady at Marsham had
quarreled with her lover on Estella
Kingsley's account. And last night
there had been little gathering of
young people in the church, and cir
cumstances had apparently done their
worst. In the first place, first place,
George Fenby came with Estella Kings
ley; the meeting was not of character
to make it unkind for him to leave his
promised wife to come home with her
father, as she had, but his coming with
Miss Kingsley had been noticed by
several. With the deed before him,
Ralph Warden had no difficulty in de-
Gliding why George had been at Mr..
Kingsley's, and consequently why he
naQ come as ne naQ.
Ralph was well acquainted with "a
young rian living where the Kingsley's
had formerly resided, and through him
he knew of the engagement of Miss
Kingsley to gentleman living there.
He had known this for a long time, and
knowing it had thought little of events
which might otherwise have deeply
affected him.
Last night, for instance, laughing
group of gentlemen had spoken of Miss
Kingsley One had said: 'sShe is a
beauty and an heiress. Whoever wins
her will have a beautiful home. The
Kingsley estate is the finest one in
Marsham.''
Now, every gentleman in the group
knew that the Kingsley estate was for
sale, and every one had counted at its
true value the answer which George
Fenby had made. Indeed his devotion
to Alice Arnden was so absolute and
complete that no one, save her modest
self, would have doubted it for single
moment.
''It's my highest ambition to be mas
tea, of the estate" laughed George
''and l made an offer tonight which 1
think will be accepted. L am to have
an -answeI tonight. If l succeed, l
shall be supremely happy. If not
why, will do as other men have done
failing of what [ want, l will take
what l can get"
Ralph could not remember where
Alice Arnden had been when these in
nocent4words had been spoken. That
she had been near enough to hear them |
was evidenced by her letter, which was
before him. tE{2
He could only dimly imagine how she
must have suffered in trying to evolve
the truth Gas she believed the truth to
beg from what she had heard. When a |
human idol falls from the place it has
held in the heart, not the least of the |
pain comes from what we see, or be- |
lieve we see, of its unworthiness. To |
find our gold but gilded clay is sor-
rowful thing. So he sat there, and pit
led Alice Arnden for the faith in the |
man which. she had lost, as we'll as the
man himself who had been put from
her. With what pain beyond that
which would come to her from belief |
that her lover would think and do what
his words seemed to imply, must she
face the added shame of his STOPPING to
tell it; nay, more, to boast of it.
Ralph raised his head. The time had
not been long since he sat down to
think. But he knew it all. Two proud
and obstinate young creatures had been
parted by fate. And he muttered with
with white, compressed lips: 81 alone
it all. I alone, of all the
world, can set it right. What temp
tationr'
We will not seek to follow his
thoughts. What man does should be
the basis of our judgment, and what we
would do. If he thought of the cura-
tive effects of time on suffering hearts
we can forgive him; if a possible fu-
ture, in which a happy home of his own
was the central figure, rose up to meet
him, we can dc no less than pity him.
If she only had the slightest reason for
what she had done-but she has none.
Ii George Fenby was really a scoundrel
but he is truly noble man.
The band 'of sunshine rested on his
head like golden crown. His face
was almost glorified as he raised it to
the light again. And surely the angels
made a record of second gift that day
coming to the lot of those whose lives
fall for little time within the lines of
our story, when he said aloud: 81 will
DO right! Alice Arnden shall have her
over back again.
Evening service at the little church
was over. Ralph Warden stood on the
steps as the congregation came out. He
ooked happy.
If it be true that ''coming events cast
heir shadows BEFORE" and that ssvirtue