Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1893-05-07

righteous wrath. The daughter or old
Maloney was keeping on the pubic
house, and, not content with running
the bodies and souls Of his flock by her
vile traffic, was capable OF stretching
ing forth unholy hands to ROD MS
most precious and peculiar fold.
Every one has heard OF, or has met,
at some time or other, a wonderful
genius who ought to have been a and
seer, a Tennyson, an Irving, ora Mario,
but who, through misfortune or
frailty. poses before the world to
TO the end, as a melancholy might
have-been." The vicar OF st. Mat
thias-in.the-Fields had been fortunate
enough to discover a tenor singer whose
voice was uneuualed in tone and sweet
ness-a tenor afflicted unhappily with a
Panurgic thirst. However, the vicar
had secured him for his choir, and had
expended unheard-of energy and watch
fulness In coaching and preaching Tom
Grindley into a sufficient degree OF So
briefly to wear the white surpllce on
Sundays without scandal. The ne"
tenor had brought extra fame TO the
services at st. Matthias's andthe vicar
was proud of his protege.
And now, two days before Christmas
the awful news had reached the wears
ears that Tom had been decoyed by
Miss Maloney into singing every even
at her notorious public house. The
Rev. Algernon felt that such sacrllege
could not be tolerated. AS he sped
along the street his soul was hot
within him. Though Appollyon him
self withstood him, he felt strong 10
fight to rescue this brand, and when
he reached ''Maloney's" it was as
though the spirit of a Hebrew prophet
had decended upon him, and he was
ready to scorch, with his burning
words, the painted Jezabel who had
dared to tamper with his precious
possession, 1t never occurred TO him
for an instant that Miss Maloney could
have any reasonable excuse to offer
nor that Tom Grindley was free to
make any use he chose Of his gift.
When the vicar pnshed open the
| swing door, the outer bar Of the public
house was empty, but for the barman
busy behind the counter, and two or
three ragged children waiting for a dish
for some broken meat. They shrank
away from the vicar-for even a ain
looks ugly with the corners OF his mouth
drawn down and his eyes fierce, and Mr..
Lamote pushed past them and entered
the parlor. An old man, who many
times had taken shelter there from a
freless home, crouched in a warm cor
ner and muttered something about "a
id parson," as he caught sight OF the
~ Hill. E-,.1 Nav NTH thu food
for the children in her hands, nearly ran
against the vicar, and started and
blushed ''guiltily"-as he noticed, when
he began, miss Maloney! have come
to speak very seriously to you"
His voice was hard and rasping. As
a rule chivalrous to a fault in his con-
duct toward women, he was just now
too fercely indignant with Miss Malo-
new to hide his scorn and anger. he
| did not remove his hat as be spoke.
! He looked her full in the face and made
a mental note of the painted cheeksan
fri7zled hair and bold eyes, which were
what he had expected to find. Poor
Mary blushed painfully, partly because
it was the first time "a gentleman" had
spoken to her since she began this new
life, and she was conscious all at once
that she was no more TO be treated as
"a lady" Her hair was always wavy,
and of the color Rossetti loved to paint,
and her clear, gray eyes had never
learned to droop or finch for shame or
fear. So she faced the clergyman, and
he, for the first and last time in his life,
so far forgot himself in his wrath as 10
be rude TO u defenseless woman.
"Miss Maloney! are you not ashamed
Of yourself TO enter upon this vile trade,
at your time of life, and to make a liv-
ing for yourself by being a curse to your
fellow creatures? Do you ever think
what this drink traffic means? Do you
know that every penny you take from
these ignorant wretches who crowd
your doors is the price Of their misery?
Is it not possible to waken you to the
fact that, by making this Infamous
place attractive, you are Turing men
and women to their ruin, that your very
existence here is a perpetual blight upon
their ~existences. that your profit is their
eternal loSs?"
For an instant he paused, and Mary
tried to speak, but he would not listen
to Que syllable.
Look at these e%maciated, stunted
children. You do not even spare their
innocence. You sell them drink. You
are responsible that they grow up de-
praved and lost" Here the children
| turned aud fled.
''You have no reverence for old age"
and his eyes fell upon the old man.
who felt very uneasy and relieved him
self by curses not loud but deep-''all
decent habits, all self-respect, all re-
ligion will be destroyed by you, and
| such as you, II these things go on I'M
%reproved. But l, for one, will reprove,
and will tell you face TO face Of your
| sins and hateful life as long as l
breathe. Woman, have you no feeling
Of right and wrong left? Even
when the prodigal, who has
wasted his substance for years,
creeps back to the fold, comes
penitently to his mother Church, and
takes refuge in her arms" (the vicar
did not mean to misrepresent facts,
but eloquence often carries IN beyond
the bare truth 'you tempt him away
by your vile arts and the gift OF song,
which he had consecrated TO the SER
vice OF heaven, is made by you the
means of dragging souls to hell. Send
Thomas Grindley back to me, to his one
true friend. Give him up; let me save
his immortal soul while there is a
chance, or otherwise. l warn you, his
ruin will be laid to your charge on the
day OF judgment"
"Sir," Mary %began-but the Rev. AL
gernon, having delivered his message,
shook the dust Of the place from off his
feet (metaphorically ~speaking) and de-
nartad &c suddenly "a he had entered.