The Washington critic., 1889-02-08
A GUILTY LOVE.

Every one in town thought that
Chrissy Muller ought TO have more
pride than to mourn for lover who
had been compelled to leave town for
embezzlement.
The mills where the crime was com.
mitted had refused to prosecute, but
he had made full confession and left
town without seeing even the girl he
loved, who even now mourned for him
in tears.
Her father called her shameless
girl for being fond of criminal, but,
when Squire johnson came to woo
her, she firmly gave him mo" in the
most emphatic way.
"Why, you don't mean to say that
you're frettin' after that Martin chapf"
he asked, his beady eyes swelling
with wonder.
II was engaged to Harry Martin"
said Christine, with some spirit, and
propose to keep my promise until he
absolves me-.
"But, gal, he's criminal" said the
squire, in his thick, husky voice, that
sounded as II it was hidden between
two feather beds. Hes in furrep
parts. He don't dare to come back to
this country"
"That makes no difference" said
Christine, calmly. II love him.
shall never marry any other man.
In vain were the 'ssulres clumsy
pleadings, Mr.. Muller's threats and
commands Christine remained firm;
and the upshot of all was that she was
turned out of doors!
mot that | mind on my own ac-
count" she said, bravely. / can al
ways earn my living by teaching
school. But it's hard on mother"
And she undertook, accordingly, the
charge of the nearest district school,
and hired her board at little red
| brick house on the outskirts of the
village. where she could sometimes
catch q surreptitious glance at her
mother.
Old Mr.. Martin was sadly purturbed
at this. He went about muttering to
himself and declaring that all the
world was wrong. But he always
smiled in the same old strain:
Harry was always a good boy
always"
Until one dreary December day,
when all the air was filled with
flying snow and the sky family dis.
cerned through the white wilderness
was of dull lcaden color, a messen.
ger came up to the steam mills-Mr.
Martin was dying, and desired to see
Mr.. Purple, the proprietor.
''Its very inconvenient--very, said
Mr.. Purple. Our foreign correspond
ence day and"
But dying man, Ralph" mildly
spoke up Mr.. Theodore Purple, the
younger partner. "And such faith
full clerk as old Martin has been to US
all these years y
So Mr.. Purple put on his seal over
coat, pulled his cap we'll over his eye
and started out in the driving storm.
Old Martin, with his pale wife at hi
bedside, was watching for him, with
face whittier than the snow, eyes NOR,
leaden dull than the brooding sky.
"I've something must tell you, sir
before l CO." said he. "You know tina
check that was forged upon your firm
ten years agoT
"That your son forged p
''That / forged, sir said old Mar
, tin. ~ was the criminal l had tn,
money and spent it. ] was buying
lottery tickets--and, heaven help me
never got a prize. And when it wa
J missed was going to shoot myself
, but Harry came between me and fate
4 am Young and strong, father h,
said, III take the blame. And m.
mothers heart won't be broken.
For he loved her dearly, sir, for al
she was only his step-mother. Sh
had been good and kind to him. :
D owe her lifelong debt, father, h
says. 'Pll take the blame And, Mr.
Purple, you know the rest, Harr'
q was a good boy-always good boy
but I've sometimes doubted whether
did right in letting him go out into tn
wilderness like the Scriptures scape
goat And Pm only Il feeble old man
and I'm glad that the end has come a
last !"
So he turned over and died.
II was many year before they wer
able to communicate with Harry MAI
tin, who was in Omaha. When h
d came home it seemed as if he had age
80 years instead of 10.
, "Martin, you are hero" said tn
Q proprietor of the steam mill. IF yo
will accept your old position IN on
=, counting rooms, you are welcome
, IT. We have unwillingly done you
great wrong and we apologize to yo
., for it,"
Harry thanked him in a subdue
way.
: 'But / have cattle farm /
Omaha, he said. 81 am doing bette
a there than should here. You wei
d kind TO me in refusing to prosecute til
man whom you thought forger, b
r., cause he was my fathers son. And
}, thank you for ii, sir"
lie married Christine Muller, now
!. faded woman Of SO, with settled loo
! of sadness in her face, and they wei
i away, taking the poor widow wit
, them.
,. "And you believed in me all the'
l. years, even though you never got tn
> letter." he said to his middle age
= bride.
n, II knew you could not but be inn,
@, cent, she answered simply.
And they were happy In aquiet, su
Q, dued sort of way, this strangely Ct
L. cumstanced couple-as people alwa
a, are happy when they have been pun
70 fled through fire.
And yet 1t is an ordeal which q
\ world does not care to undergo,