Wichita eagle., 1889-09-15
he aha aaiy gaeIe: snndag goruiug sepnber IS 1888

prison of common felons."
81 would. if she had fitted herself for their
society by sharing their crime. Indeed,
should Judge such case far more severely,
for there is no shadow of excuse for IL
poor girl, ignorant and starving, would have
far moro leniency at my hands than lazy
who could so lower herself"
looked at Agnes She was pale as death,
and in her eyes was steady, mourn1ul LOOK
had never before seen there.
ssCarroll,n she said, "f you had a dear
friend who was afflicted with kleptomanla,
how would you advise her to overcome the
temptationi"
Something in the voice of his betrothed
moved Carroll deeply. for he replied, with
strange solemnity:
"As all other temptations must be over
come, by constant struggle and fervent
prayer"
| thought the time had come for these two
to fully understand the painful position, and
made some excuse to leave the room.
Not until heard Carroll go upstairs to his
own apartment would / re-enter the drawing
room. Agnes was there, deathly pale, but
with a certain womanly expression new to
her sweet face.
81 have told him." she said; and her voice
sounded hollow and forced. HE Will not
give me up, but have resolved to leave you
all for long, long time. l will try to over
come the affection of my life by struggle and
PRAYER, as Carroll advises. If l conquer
viii return; if not, CAROLS wife shall never
be thief"
She rose as she spoke, and, kissing me fond
", went to her room. | thought to have
long talk with her, to offer sympathy and
counsel, but in the morning we found her
room vacant, the bed undisturbed. She
wrote to me soon, telling me she had walked
to N and caught the midnight express
81 leave home today" she wrote, land I'M
less | can come back cured l will come back
no more"
In her room found all the little trinkets I
had supposed were in Hannah's hands. Car
roll and | talked often and gravely Of the
child he loved, sometimes hopefully, but
often, as time wore away, sadly. For my
grandson had repented often of his harsh,
stern Judgment, and was willing to think
there was really disease in fault.
"And yet" he would say, with mournful
ewes, ''if it was kleptomania that made Ag-
nes take your trinlhets, why should we have
sent to Sing Sing the burglar who was
caught stealing the plate few years agol
That poor wretch was driven TO crime by
starvation, but there was no sentimentality
in his lawyers plea He was merely a thief
and received the punishment of a thief"
"And you would send Agnes to Sing
SingT'
Heaven forbidl 1 cannot cease to love
her, and pray that she may como back to us
as she promised"
So two years wore away and we thought
Agnes was lost to US. Carroll came every
week as usual to spend Sunday with me, and
we talked of his betrothed as we talk of the
dearly loved dead.
On Saturday afternoon l was in my own
room sewing, when knock upon my door
was followed by the entrance of lady,
little lady, who stood hesitating about enter
ing till l said:
Agnes, dear child, welcomed"
Then she nestled in my arms in the old low
ing way. But in her face read the truth l
longed to see, that she had overcome her
temptation.
The baby look was gone, and the violet
eyes, retaining all their sweetness, were fri
of gentle dignity. The baby manner, too,
had vanished in quiet, lady like department.,
very graceful and winsome.
''AIy dear, dear child" said, taking off
her hat and sacque, you are more than well
come"
you will believe me, then" she said earn
estly, when tell You that have conquered
my fault, my criminal inclination | look
back with wonder on my own weak yielding
TO a temptation that leads strong men to
prison cells, and which only morbid sentiment
would ever excuse as an irresistible disease"
| assured her most warmly of my sincere
belief in her statement, my deep joy in her
triumph. She told me of her struggles and
the gradual wearing off of the desire to APP
prOpriate the property OF Others.
For year." she SAID, Il have purposely
watched opportunities for theft, for you are
the only one that ever detected me, except
ing Carroll, who knows of my old infrmity.
could have stolen largely from friends l
visited, for even my own parents knew moth
ing Of my old temptation. But the desire has
left me, and feel only loathing and contempt
for the shallow excuse with which | once
quoted my conscience. Carroll may trust
mel"
And Carroll did trust her, and has never
regretted his confidence. He comes, with
his wife and children, to pass the summer
months at Locust Grove, and he is not more
stern and strict in his teaching to the little
ones of the value of honesty than is Agnes,
his wife, who once believed herself an in
durable case of kleptomania. - Anna II.
Shields in New York Ledger