The Penn's Grove record., 1894-08-31
I'm afraid" he began to protest,
chat I can't stop this evening. j

I'm afraid" he began to protest,
that l can't stop this evening. ]
have"
"Just aminute," Miss Sturgis plead.
ed. "You must let me thank you fol
your trouble; and then, 1 want to con
: graduate you, too"
Karl followed her into the dining.
room, where the table was spread fol-
dinner.
est down." she said, and she drew
. chair out for him and another fol
herself. 'Now, Mr.. Engfer, she went
on, 81 am awfully obliged to you fol-
having brought me my habit"
AS the young man looked at her in
the soft Light cast by the pink shades
that adorned the candles in the can.
delabra he thought he had never before
realized how beautiful she was. She
was SO bright this evening, too-so
cheering-and, what was dearer to him
than all else, she was really almos,
familiar. The chasm which had once
seemed SO wide between them was grow.
ing narrower and narrower. There
was no doubt of that. Once he was or.
dained the breach might easily be
closed entirely.
"And now" she went on, 81 want to
offer you my congratulations upon the
good news I heard to-day; that you
are coming to the mission to take Nj.
David's place"
Karl could hardly believe that he
heard Alright. Could it be that she
wal actually pleased that Mr.. David
was going away? At one time during
the latter part of his attendance at the
mission Sunday-school he had thought
that she cared something for the young
divine, and he had really been a little
Jealous of him.
"You r very kind, Miss Sturgis,"
he said, Every kind. Do you take as
much interest in the mission as
formerly?"
"Oh, dear, yes. More than everl"
"Then I suppose I shall see a good
deal of you, there?"
"Of me?" she asked, surprisedly.
ooh, you don't know, theni Why ]
thought every one knew. Haven't you
heard whom Mir. David is going to
marry?"
A sharp pain as from a knife thrust,
shot through Karl's heart. He seemed
suddenly unable to breathe. There
was a rumbling, rushing sound in his
head and q swaying, darkening cloud
before his eyes. He was conscious OF
y tingling chilliness, and then of o
numbness in his hands, his feet, and
his legs from the knees down. he
made an effort to pull himself to-
gether-to hide his feelings-but he
failed. He felt that he was sitting;
that he must get into the fresh air, at
any cost; and he heard himself
mumbling something, he scarcely knew
what, his voice seemed so strange and
unnatural.
The next moment he was stumbling
mp the area steps on to the sidewalk;
and an instant later he had come into
collision with some one who was about
to mount the stoop.
The shock steadied him. He started
to apologize, but the words died on
bis tongue. The light of a street lamp
across the way had revealed to him the
face which he had suddenly come to
hbhor-the face of the n man in all
the world whom he hated; the face OF
the thief who had robbed him of a
hope that for seven years had been to
him more than life itself, and of an
inhibition that had raised him from the
level of his own people to q place OF
which he might well have been proud.
: Instinctivelv he clinched his fists.
md o fire came into his eyes. Then,
mddenly, he grew dizzy again. Iron
fingers seemed to be pressing upon hia
temples with the terrible clutch OF
ieath, and he staggered away like q
drunken man.
He wandered the streets for hours;
y whirl of memories in his brain, o
eaden weight upon his heart-up one
Ihoroughfare and down another,
through by-ways, in and out of blind
llleys, seeing no thing, caring for moth
ing but to escape from himself and the
torture that was within him.
Presently he became conscious OF
The sound of tapping waves-the muir
mur of waters-and o chill in the all
that pierced him to the marrow. Re-
called thus to q realization of his phys
ical being, he glanced down, to see
that he was standing on the extreme
end of a long pier, with the dark river
flowing below. A keen wind was
blowing in his face; a thousand lights
glittered on the opposite shore.
"Another step,"h he murmured, "and
I should have been out of it all. Why
did I not take that one as I took the
others? And, oh, I must have taker
80 many tonight. How tired I am |"
He stood for q moment in hesitation.
Something was whispering to him to
take that n step more. 1t was fol
her, it told him, that he had adopted
the church as his calling. OF what
use was all his learning-his Greek and
Latin and Hebrew, his knowledge Of
the Bible, his knowledge of theology
What good would he do?
Then another voice, lower, sweeter,
more tender in its pleading, spoke tt
him. 1t seemed borne on the wind,
which had suddenly died to a zepher.
1t answered the questions, n and
all. 1t breathed encouragement. III
babe him look up.
He raised his eyes heavenward.
Across the river, above the roofs and
chimneys and spires of the sleeping
city was a faint but ever-increasina
band of light. A new day was dawn
'ng.-Frank Leslie's Weekly.
urnan nronnc 7