The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1896-11-05

However, on the following Sunday
morning | soon discovered that my ia
vorites were there. But, alas, how
altered from the blithe and light
hearted young couple whom | can even
yet recall! Clothed in black and with
heavy, downcast eyes, their lined and
harrassed faces bore evidence to some
bitter anguish within.
/ at once cOnjectured that their son
must be dead. But, no, l was mis-
taken. From some scraps of talk let
fall by the sexton in the vestry l gath
cred that he had been found guilty of
q crime, and had been condemned to
penal servitude for several years. That
innocent babe, whom l saw baptized
at the sacred font, had attempted to
commit q m~urder-had tried to kill a
man!
l was not astonished now at the
striking change produced in his par
ents; nor that after this they seemed
to wax older and feebler every Sunday,
their hair turning whittier and their
frames more shaky They were among
the saddest sights that it has ever
been my lot to witness.
AT length there came a Sunday
when the old man appeared alone, and
from his deep mourning and woebe-
| gone aspect l knew that his wife must
be dead
Her funeral took place the next day,
and the old man was there. But, as L
had anticipated, judging from my WI
parents case, he was not long in fol-
lowing her to the grave.
Three Sundays later his place was
also vacant, and the pew stood desc
late and empty. The three red has
socks and the three hymn books still
remained, as you see them at present;
for l believe that the old couple had
always cherished a hope that their boy
might some day be restored to them and
once more occupy his old seat in the
old pew.
They were buried side by side. l
can point out the graves to you in the
church yard, for 1 attended the old
mans funeral. A pretty time l had of
it, too, for when it was over, and l was
returning home, fitting noiselessly as
usual, and blinking in the strong SUM-
light, 1 was attacked by a whole army
of birds, among whom, of course, the
blue tit and chaftirch proved more ag-
gressive than any. Glad enough l was
to reach the church in safety, and l
don't think / have ever been out in the
daytime since.
The old couple died about a year
after the conviction of their son, and
it was some years later that | wit
messed the end of my story, which l
will now relate.
1t was New Years eve, and there
had been evensong-at the usual hour,
for u good old rector vas getting too
infirm to undertake a midnight service.
How well l remember the sermon that
evening! 1t was n of the most elo-
quent that he ever preached.
The ground was white with snow,
which was lying deep, and was still
falling, oh, so fast. The church door
was standing partly open, the sexton
being busted in the vestry.
The lights were burning low, and all
was very calm and still, when 1 saw
and heard a man creep softly through
the door and into the church Bowed,
attenuated, and ragged, with hair
cropped quite close, some instinct told
me that this could only be one man
and he once the little boy with the
curly head and bright blue eyes, so
like what his mothers had been when
she was still pretty Rose.
l watched him intently as he stole up
the aisle cautiously and slowly, until
he reached the we'll known pew. Then,
when he had stood there some minutes,
l observed by the shaking of his
shoulders-for his face was turned
away from me-that the man was
weeping. He did not venture to seat
himself therein, but hesitatingly, and
with feeble gait, he again moved up
the aisle and toward the altar, just be-
meath the beam upon which l was
perched.
l saw that he was gazing up at the
painted window, where the CrucifiXion
is depicted. In the dim light of the
church the surrounding figures were
wildly dark against the white land
scape beyond. Then the man crouched
lower and lower, until he reached the
ground, and lay there PROSTATE on the
chancel steps, close to the altar.
Suddenly the lights were turned out.
I heard the sexton 60 away, locking
the door behind him, and it became
certain that the man was shut in for
the night.
From the side windows everything
was white, but the snow had ceased to
fall, and the stars were shining
brightly.
1t seemed to me that hours must
have elapsed before the man slowly
ldlStu LIS uedu anu SldTeu Dldnkly
around him, as if he had forgotten
how he had got there. Then his eyes
were attracted by and rested on the
black cross, thrown into relief by the
background of pure white snow.
But to his confused sight the colors
evidently appeared adversely. l flew
down to a small projection in the wall,
for l felt curious to hear of what his
mutterings consisted.
"Al bloodw he gasped, b~reathlessly.
BLOOD, blood-everywhere blood!'
He threw back his head with a fren-
zied action, and l could imagine that
his cOuntenance must be fearful in it's
terror. Still apparently under this aw-
full hallucination, he writhed into q
kneeling posture. Involuntarily his
hands were extended upward to the
cross, with a gesture of frantic plead
ing.
Then a great sob echoed through the
church.
Though your sins be as red as scar.
let, they shall be as white as snow"
Was it a voice or a whisper? Or was
1t a wave of soft, angelic music that
came floating round the altar, as if a
part of heaven itself? 1 know not to
this day.
But surely the nal also heard it, for
his attitude had changed. The
strained muscles relaxed in their rigid
ity, the whole figure collapsed.
A low, long sigh again broke the still
ness-a sigh of glad release, a sigh of
Infinite peace.
The man lay stretched upon the
DInInds md fho,I~1 tI,a I0lJ1 49, ~.4 |