The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1895-06-09

I woman to steal SO much-S12, 600. II
would take long time. But could
wait. stole, stole, where ] could, It
was such q comfort to me. Every trife
I'll fan, q brucclet-brought mo o step
further OH the way that my son went.
When first thought of this plan was
so happy that l laughed aloud. MY
good Deiphine feared that was going
mad. For my son had not been dead
two years and l was laughing.
81 have never permitted anyone to
enter his room. have busted il every
dny myself. 1t is precisely as no left
1t. Everything which I stole I carried
there. And l know that Edwin has
seen how hard have tried to come to
him. 1t has been like digging 4 tunnel
down, down, down-with my teeth
and mills. have kept the account of
oil that stole. 1t is in u ledger there,
debit and credit, l have paid my pas
sage to hell, Names of shops, prices of
articles, date of theft, NIL are written in
that boolS-s1o goo with that final ss5.
registered the lace last night. And
arranged the articles according as they
belong to different shops. Will you take
them back for me to those shops-aftcr-
wardP And pay whatever is right for
Keeping the goods out SO long2 They
will call me kleptomaniac, you know.
They will pity me, perhaps. But shall
not need pity-for shall Lo So fc in hell
with my SON"
Then she turned sharply toward Sis
ter Perpetua, who was running her
beads through her fingers in what you
might cull confusion of prayer and
scare. don't suppose that the good
nun had ever heard anybody talk like
that in all her life. And the sisters Of
charity see pretty much every sort, too
They wouldn't care for n maoadamizcd
golden street-they deserve soft place
IN tho best kind of another world, for
they practice good will and mercy in
this one. AS l was saying, Mrs Willett
turned sharp on Sister perpctua and
| used plain language to her.
you say that ought to wish to 90
to Heaven. You do not understand. l
tell you that the name is nothing
heaven or hell. For me the good place
Is where my boy Isl Stop praying if
You believe that your prayers will keep
| mo away from him. Have l worked
hard Mt sin for eight long years to have
! you secure my pardon at lastp Stop
| praying! Do you want to send me
where Caleb Willett claws his golden
harp with fingers that clutch us if he
were counting money, with a golden
crown ON his doddering head? Do YOU
| suppose that should care to meet him
| again? And the relatives who gloatcd
over my poor boy and blamed him in
his coffin? For all these years I have
been doing evil IN order to go to find
my son. I would not have done SO
much to meet his father again. And
| yet that would have been almost worth
it! / was alono in mourning for nv
child. Now ne will DO all mincl All
| mine, my dear little Edwin"
Then Mrs. Willett's voice was so
cholscd that wo could hardly catch her
words. They were dreadful:
"Firo, fro, and the worm that dieth
not. His father said that. NV poor
boy, do not be afraid. Mother Is com.
ing"
The pupils OF her eyes grew larger,
rs if the light were falling before them.
Thcn-and am glad 70 remember it
tho trouble md strain passed. away
from her taoe. She lifted herself o
little, put out her arms toward some
thing that the sister ard I could not
see, and then fell back dead.
While Sister perpetua was doing the
last offices for tho poor lady, went
into the sons chamber, 1t was tho
room of rather frislsy follow, for
fact. On the walls there were photo.
graphs of actresses and race horses,
lying about were cigarette cases, scarf
pins, thcater programmes, light gloves,
o high-heclcd rcd satin slipper, O per
tuned noto or two-all that sort Of rub
bish. a boy that thought he was see.
ing life; but don't think that he WIS
n bad sort on tho whole. / am bound
to believe so. for his mother svvoro 1t
to me. And she was woman of honor.
All tho stolen goods were there, &C.
cording to schedule, md arranged as
she had said. went over her accounts.
and they were correct. She had stolen
TO the amount of an oven twelve thou,
sand dollors.
After tho funeral got Sister Per
potua to help me to pack up Che f1nery.
| 1t needed womon,a hnoa kt,n,,--,