Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1895-06-13

thick paper, with big red seal or
it.
He stopped and took it up, anG
carelessly unfolded it. Within, al
the top of the page, in huge black
letters, and in General Ludlow
handwriting, he saw these words:
MY Last Will and Testament.
Father Carmel read on. The in.
strument was dated only two weeks
before the generals death, and az
the priest grasped the meaning oi
its few and terrible sentences, they
seemed 70 ring in bis hsad liz
thunder.
The will was later than the other,
and annulled it absolutely; every
dollar of the generals vast wealth
he left away from his daughter, and
solely to her cousin, Oscar Ludlow,
and his heirs for ever. 1t was sign.
ed and duly witnessed by Matthew
Price and his wife, formerly SER
wants at Crossword, now supposed
to be living in Leonardtown.
IL an earthquake had shaken the
world around him, Father Carmel
could not have shown more conster-
nation. With the dreadful docu-
ment he had found clutched in his
hands, and his fingers interlaced
and uplifted, he stood there, in q
panic, with wild prayer upon his
lips.
But, alas! it was one of those
awful realities which are not to be
put aside. The will was genuine
and the last, and Rachel was a beg
gar.
The wild thought shot through
his brain: NO one in the wo--ia
knows of this papers existence ex-
cept myself and the two ignorant
and stupid old people who signed
it. What easier than to destroy it
at the lamp
How could he give it up: His
little Radie-his pet-his bird-his
flower! Should his be the hand TO
snatch from her her inheritance
.--. .-a-- 49, ~ >.TV Vau I1vuI ITvI
MONTH His hand poured the water
of baptism on her head; into his
ear she had prattled her first child
ish confession.
With streaming eyes, this sanity
old man struggled with the first
temptation of his long aud sublime
life. For the first time he realized
his great age-more than seventy
years-fifty spent in the service of
Almighty God-his soul still as in
nocent and spotless as when it was
given him.
For half century he had toiled
and practiced every kind of self
denial, and had won many a convert
to his faith. Would not merciful
God let these things plead: Only
one sin-a trifle-to burn a bit Of
paper; and yet for this he was will
ing to undergo every kind of NOR
tilication and penance for the years
that remained to him. He would
live on bread and water, eating but
once in three days, and would spend
only an hour of each twenty-four
IN sleep; his religious zeal should
be hundred-fold greater than il
had ever been. All this for triflt
"a nothing.
On the other hand-what : What
was he about to do o?-he, the false
priest, the Simon Magus, for whom
was prepared the unquenchable fire
He was not about to destroy sim
pie piece of paper, but to steal .
vast inheritance after that, TO liv,
life Of lies, pursued everywher,
with the memory Of his sPectra
crime and at last, when he wa
called to go to his judgment an,
hear the thunder of his condemna
tioE to the lake of darkness. Wha
were his seventy years of innocence
He had not sinned, because by
special grace he had never beel
. tempted here he was, ready to fal
at the first whispering of evil-h
: who had so often counseled resis
; tance in others, and had told tn
sublime stories of the martyrs
trembling with the secret hope ths
he might be tried some day as the
l were.
Again he glanced at the unluck
paper and thought Of Rachel Lut
= low-of his promise to her dyin
s mother to watch over Rachel viii
: he lived. How could he make h,
, a beggar and still be true to thi
trust !? How could he take tn
/, great wealth from daughter of Il