Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1895-02-07

IeailzatiOn that Mrs. Day was suggest
ing course of concealment-the min
listers wife was suggesting course
OF concealment-to her that. to her
| rigid sense, appeared to be almost I'M
righteous.
! Not Cell his father? Why. Mrs.
DAY, what can you mean? O: course /
must tell his father"
| Il don't see that" responded Mrs.
| Day. But / do see that just now
you have got to be very careful. to act
very wisely. or you will lose your son.
You mustn't let him be harshly treated.
He must not lose his self-respect. He"
LAS though boy who has done
what he has had any self-respect,"
mOaned Mrs. Hanna.
| Mrs. Day went right on:
| ''He must not be made to feel that he
is cast OFF. You say that your telling
between him and Jack. Remember
that if Jack leaves your house you
| have lost your last hold on him. your
last shadow of influence. AS it stands,
you may think you have little enough,
| though feel sure 1T is not SO, but then
you would have none. Jack is of a
sensitive nature. He is easily led. It
| is unfortunate that he happened to fall
| among thieves, but it is not necess arily
fatal. What you must do is to put
| nothing in the way of his reclamation.
II he wishes to reform he must not be
held back by the consciousness of open
disgrace. Let US give him every chance.
Let us tell no one of what has hap
pened. Let US act as though it had
never been"
Mrs. Hanna's tears had dried on her
| cheeks. She had forgotten to wipe
them away in her bewilderment at
what she heard. That anyone--that
| the minister's wife above all-should
| be suggesting to her what appeared to
be a compromise between right and
| wrong. To her, who had never yet
| recognized shades-to her to whom the
truth was 1.-The truth, the whole truth
and nothing but the TRUTH" and what
| was other than this in any particular
must of necessity be false. If some
thing in her bosom tugged at her heart
strings and pleaded for her son, that
| was a sinful instinct that must be
| crushed because it was contemplate,
because it meant the countenancing of
evil, and what was evil she must re-
pudiated even if it be in her own son.
How could she shield Jack without
sacrificing her own integrity? If she
refrained from telling his father she
would not be telling the whole truth.
In other words. according to her rea-
son, she would be lying.
No" said Mrs. Day to this, mot at
all. Don't you think it's better to
Ioll ho 70 lx-C
sure my husband would approve me
here. We've both found that the most
rigid means are not always the most
effectual nor these only possible in
rectitude. One can't always be down
right. One must have tact. Some
times think that tact (the right kind
of tact ought to have a place in the
list of the virtues. One can gain so
much good by it. We human beings
are so different. We need such differ
ent treatment. We can't all be led by
the same string, and 1 don't believe
God ever meant we should be. Now,
I'm pretty sure from what 1 know of
Jack that he is not boy one can drive.
L"
But here Mrs. Hanna interrupted
her with an eager exclamation.
Goodness gracious, Mrs. Day!
drive. Well, 1 guess if had to drive
him to goodness He ought to be
anxious for it on its own account, and
it almost seems to me that if he can't
see it in that light he might as well be
let stay bad"
''Bad!" echoed Mrs. Day in her turn.
Jack isn't bad. He's only foolish.
And so far as ones not being led to
goodness is concerned, why, Mrs.
Hanna, if it weren't for that very ne
cessity we'd all be saints. Every day
we live we're being urged and coaxed
and led toward goodness and away
from temptation by the most patient
and tender means. Don't you see it in
your own experience? Do you think
we have enough virtue in us to go of
our own accord? Oh, dear, no! Now
what / want to prove to you is that it
is not only not wrong, but that it is
positively right, for us to try to win
Jack over by what my husband would
call "a holy stratagem.' At any rate.
will you let me try? promise to take
all the blame on my shoulders"
Mrs. Hanna wavered. She ardently
desired the end, but she distrusted the
means. - II
1T doesn't seem to me right" she
protested. ut doesn't seem to me a
/ III the sort of goodness one would gain
in such roundabout ways would be
worth much. But you can try. Only
feel so fearfully responsible in not
telling his father"
A couple of nights later Jack Hanna
let himself into the house, as was
usual, very gently, but. as was not
usual, long before midnight. He trod
very softly, but his mother heard him
enter and stood ready to meet him at
the head of the stairs, clad in her dress
ing gown and knitted slippers.
''Oh. hello. NUM-" whispered the
young fellow. You up again? BY
the way, Mrs. Day sends her love to
YOU" t..f..
Mrs. Day?"
Eyes. She says don't forget to send
around for those INTERPRETATIONS
she promised you. Hoopskirt patterns
or something. But, anyway"
Where did you see Mrs. Day?' in
terrupted Mrs. Hanna, taking her hand
from the baluster rail and moving a
step nearer her son.
..Oh, didn't I tell you? She wanted
me to take her to the Carriers. They
had a whist party and she wanted to
go, and Mr.. Day couldn't. or wouldn't
or something. Anyway, l took her, and
we had a daisy time