Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1893-10-20

young man in a filthy lodging house
where | slept last night and, knowing
his history, thought would try to do
him good turn"
"What has become of his father p
"All | know about him is that no dis
sipated his small fortune and disgracei
himself by stealing money long ago"
"Where is he now2'
"ln endless torment, suppose, il
your views are correct You can't do
anything for him; but it is just posi-
Bile that you may be able to save his
son, at least from temporal torment"
The Rev. Clement five minutes later
was conducted to the miserable tene-
ment where his roprobate nephew lay
tossing in the first stages Of typhoid
fever While he was satisfying himself
that he had not been the victim Of
hoax, the man in the battered hat dis
appeared
II was not until nearly six weeks
later that Clement Warren was 10 a
condition to relate his story to his be-
nevolont relative. Sitting up in tho
convalcscont ward of fever hospital
he made full confession, It was true
enough that he had been great black
guard; he did not attempt to make OK.
cuscs for himself; yet he could not
help pleading that he had not BALI
chance Both his parents had been
given to drinking; his mother had died
before his eyes in the agonies of de-
llrium tromons; his father had treated
him with certain cynical indulgence,
but had never taught him to discrimi-
nate between honesty and fraud, nor
over expressed the slightest wish that
he should curb his natural passions.
When, in order to pay gambling debt,
he had helped himself to a large sum Of
money which he knew to be upon the
premises, he had been quite unaware Of
the magnitude of the catastrophe which
he was thereby bringing about.
"But the consequence was that father
went bankrupt; 80 no cursed me and
kicked me out of doors. Then went to
sea, and for the last two years I've had
a roughish time of it, IL you want mo
to say I'm sorry, I'll say 50 10 please
You. | am sorry and I'd say as much
to father, too, if | knew where TO find
him."
"Your father is dead" Mr.. Wright
answered with sigh. "No doubt he
was to blame, but then he was punished
AS for you, you must make your home
with me until we can see our way lit
tie more clearly. After time, an open.
ing will doubtless be found for you No;
don't thank mo- lam childless widower,
and, although | am not rich man, my
means arc ample for my wants. BY tho
way, | wonder who brought me to you.
He also was evidently an educated mon,
though he described himself as drunken
scamp"
But Clement Warren could throw no
light upon the strangers identity.
Only after the lapse Of month, dur
ing which time his cousin had become
domicicd in his houschould, did the eye
Of the Rev. Clement light upon news
paper paragraph which recorded the dis
covery of body in tho river That the
corpse was that Of suicide was placed
beyond doubt by the following written
paper found upon il:
"Afrcd Warren, having had enough
Of this life, and being short of money to
spend on drink, proposes TO ascertain
whether there is future for him else
where or not. lie feels pretty sure that
there is not, but remains open to con-
viction
Poor Mr.. Wright hurried to tho
tavern where the inquest was being
held, and arrived in time TO identify tho
man 10 the battered hat When ortho-
dox consultations fail one must needs
clutch at the best that come to hand.
Anyhow, his conduct proved that ho
forgave his son before be died, and that
is something" was all the comfort that
the theologian could lay to his soul.
But the coronor's jury took an oven
more optimistic view, and found that tho
deceased had destroyed himself while
suffering from mental arrangement. - W.
n. Norris, IN ,Storiettes
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