Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1886-08-20


ticed in him before, and puzzled by the dis
c0ycry. She walked back, cowed and silent
To the door lie followed her and spoke TO
Mrs. Presty. Take your grandchild into
the garden; we Will join you there in little
while. GOOd-by for the present Kitty"
Kitty said goOd-by mechanically-lik dull
cntld repeating lesson. Her grandmother
led her away in silence.
Bennydeck closed the door and seated him
self by Catherine. II thank you for your let
ter" he said. IF such thing is possible, 1t
has given me a higher opinion OF you than
any opinion that have held yet"
She looked at him With feeling OF sur
prise so sudden and so overwhelming that she
was at u loss how To reply. The last words
which she expected to hear from him when
he alluded TO her confession We're the words
that had ,Jst passed his lips.
You have owned to faults that you have
committed and deceptions that you have
sanctioned" he went On-"wIth nothing to
gam and everything 10 lose by telling the
truth. VINO but good woman would have
done that?'
There was deeper feeling in him that he
had yeutured to express. 1t betrayed itself
by Il momcntary trembling in his voice.
Catherine drew a little closer to him.
how YOU relieve me" she said, warmIy-and
pressed his hand. In the eagerness Of her
gratitude, In the gladness that had revived
her sinking heart, she failed TO feel that the
pressure was not returned.
what have / said to surprise your hs
asked What anxiety have | relieved,
without knowing IT,"
II was afraid you would despise me"
"Why should dcspisc your
"llaye not gained your good opinion I'M
der false prctcnscs? Have not allowed you
to admire me and love me without telling
you that there was anything In my past life
which Ind reason % regret Even now
can hardly realize that yOa excuse and for
give me; you who have read the confession
and my worst faults you who know the
shocking Inconsistencies of my character"
Say ut once" he answered that know
you to be n mortal creature. Is there any
human character, even the noblcst, that II
always consistently gOod?'
"One reads of them sometimes" she sug.
gcsted, I'm books"
Yes" no said. In tho worst books you
could possibly read the only really immoral
books written In our time"
why are they immoral?'
FOR this plain reason, that they deiber.
hEll Dt'lNtlI luN uHlll. 'ldItltl, you Ill
noccnt creature to catch foolish readers
When do these consistently good people APP
pear IN the Ito around us, the life that wa
all see? Never! Are the best mortaS that
ever lived above the reach OF temptation to
do Ill, aud are they always too good to yield
to it" How does the Lords prayer instruct
humanity 1t commands us all, without eI-
ception, to pray that we may not Ire led into
temptation. You have been led into temp
tatou. In other words YOU arc human
hetug. All that "A human being could do
you have done-yOu have rcpentcd and con
teSscd Don't know how you have suffer
cd, aud how you have bcn tried! Why,
what mean pharsco should be if | pre-
summed to dcspon Your
She looked at him proudly and gratefully
she ltt:cd her arm as If to thank him by al
embrace and suddenly let it drop again al
her side
Am tomcuting myself without cause%
Abe said. "Or Is there something that looks
like sorrow showing itself to me in yuul
face
''Inu STE the bittcrest SORROW" he an
swrred, that have felt in all my sad life
is It sorrow for mo2" she went on, trying
to speak calmly.
No. sorrow for myself"
Has 1t come to you through me? Is it III,
lauit3'
1T is more your misfortune than your
fault"
Then you can feel for me:r'
u can and do"
lie has not Yet Sot her at ease
Il am afraid your sympathy stops some
where she said. Where docs it stop"
For the first time he shrank from directly
answering her. II begin To wish had fol
lowed your example" he owned. at might
AYE been better for both OF us il | had an.
swerrd your letter In writing"
Tell me plainly" SHE cried, losing all
fear at him iu her anxiety 10 know what
was in his mind tell me plainly, is there
something You can't torgivc"'
There Is something I can't forget"
What is II" oh, what is it'll When my
mother told poor little Kitty that her father
was dead are yon even more sorry than | am
that | allowed it? Are YOU even more
ashamed Of me than am of myself%'
No. regret that YOU allowed It; but |
understand how you were led into that err
ror Your husbands inhdcity had shaken
his hold ON Your respect FOR him and your
sympathy with him, and had ST lett YOU
without NOur natural safeguard against Mrs.
hgcsty's suphiStical reasoning aud bad exam,
PIE. But for that wrong doing there is a
remedy lett Eulightcu Your child rs YOU
have ruliIhtcnrd me; and theu-l have no
personal motive for pleading Mr.. Herbert
liulcy' cause, after what have seen of
him aud then, acknowledge tho fathers
claim on the child"
DO you mean his claim Ia so herr"
What else can mean. Yes let him see
her. DO Good help me, now when it's too
lated do what You ought to have done on
that accurscd day which will be the blacklist
day III my calendar, to the end of my life"
What day do You mcan?'
The day that YOU remembered the law Of
man ami forgot the law Of God; the day
when YOU broke the marriage tie. the sacred
marriage tie. by \ divorced
She liStcned-not conscious now of Sus-
pcaSc or fear; she listened, with her whole
heart in revolt against him.
You are too cruclr' She declared You
ram feel for me, you can understand me- YOU
can pardon me in everything else that have
done. But YOU judge without mercy of the
one hlamclcSs act OF my life. since my hus-
band left me-the act that protected \
mother IN the exercise of her rights oh,
can II be you? Can it be yous"
IT can be, - he said, signing bitterly; and
IL is
What horrible deluSion possesses your
she broke out why do you curse the happ,
day, the blessed day, which saw mo safe in
the possession of my child?''
For the worst and meanest of reasons, -
he answcred-"a selfish reason. Don't sup
pose that have spoken OF divorce rs one
who has had occasion 10 think OF IT | have
had no occasion 10 think of IL don't think
of il even now. | ahhor il, because il stands
between you and me loathe il, | curse il
because ii separates us for lite"
Separates us for life! How"
Can You ask me?'
Yes, do ask your
He looked around the room. A society of
religious persons had visited the hotel when
II was first opened. and had obtained per-
mission to place n copy of the bible in every
room. One Of those copies lay on the Chin
ney-pieco in GATHERINGS room. Bennydeck
brought II 10 her, and placed it open on the
table near where she was sitting lie turned
10 the new testament and opened IL IT the
gospel of St Matthew. With his hand on
the page, he said:
Il have done my best rightly to under
stand the duties OF a Christian. One of
those duties, as interpret them, is to let
what believe show itself in what do You
have seen enough of me, / hope, 10 know
Though | have not been forward in speak
H. Hat