The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1884-02-15
A Death.bed Confession.

A gentleman. who had led an exem-
plary life, and against whose moral OF
religious character there had never
been SO much as o breath of suspicion.
was taken very sick, and in presence oil
death, certain acts hitherto unconsid.
cred came to his mind with agoniz-
ing force, resulting in the following
confession of crimes, which he hoped.
albeit with slender faith, might be for.
given him:
have on two or three occasions Dor
rowed postage stamps and failed to re-
pay them.
have neglected to strew ashes on
my icy sidewalk, notwithstanding thai
l knew my neighbor was old and
equity.
l have sat in the horse-car and looked
out of tine front window until some 9TH
er gentleman has given his seat to the
feeble old lady who had entered the
rear door.
have talked in loud voice at the
theater, and even gone SO far as to
anticipate the action of the drama by
keeping all within hearing posted in
what was going to be done next.
l have looked over the shoulder oil
another who was writing something thai
was no business of mine. /,
have whistled and played the DEVILS
tattoo in the presence of writer in the
throes of composition.
have talked about my own affairs
for hours with q man who l was well
aware was dying to tell me about his.
have permitted lady, clad in heavy
furs, to keep the car window open, in
my cowardice preferring to suffer from
catarrh for weeks afterwards rather thar
insist upon the window being instantly
closed.
have allowed myself to be bored
for hours by a man, when my judgment
should have told me to instruc. nv
servant that l was always out when.
ever this gentleman presented himself.
After working long and arduously
upon an article for the press. never
failed to mention to the editor that this
was something had just dashed off
l have several times thought my wife
the most fortunate of women because
she had me for q husband, and / have
reflected long and earnestly upon the
unhappy lot of women in general be.
cause there was not enough of me to GO
round.
l have persisted in reading some OF
my own compositions to people who ]
knew were suffering terribly under the
infliction.
l have told a friend that l have read
his book with absorbing interest. and
been weak enough to return it to him
without having cut open the pages.
1 have tipped waiter, in the hope
that he would attend to my wants be-
fore waiting upon the gentleman at the
next table, who could not afford to re-
lieve the hotel-keeper from the hard
ship Of paying his servants wages.
have sat in the car with my ticket
hidden under my thumb, that haply
the conductor might pass me by un.
noticed.
l have kept a man standing bare
headed at his open door on a cold day,
when I might just rs wellh gone in.
side and sampled his cigars.
While playing cards have caught a
glimpse of my opponent hand, and
still have failed to win; and having been
given a card too many, l have foolishly
cried "mis-dear' before ascertaining
my hand was good enough to
warrant me in dropping the extra card
upon the floor.
have put whole dime into the con-
;ribution box, when the one with hole
n it, that the shOp-keeper refused to
AXE, would have answered every pur-
pose.
have caused the shop-keeper to fall
nto mendacity by asking him if his ber-
lies were as good at the bottom as at the
op.
have rejoiced when my friends told
ne that my children were the perfect
mage of me, Notwithstanding my mir
:or ought to have reminded me that !
should be sad rather than joyful, if my
friends told the truth.
l have committed many other griev-
)us offenses which time fails me to
My last and wickedest
crime has been to make this confession. |
when l might have carried my secret to
The grave, and left the world to be-
ieve that l was indeed the perfect man
had always tried to make everybody |
link was.-Boston Transcript