Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1896-06-11

heard the old woman call the man 10
the milking; | heard the daughter run
upstairs, weeping and crying oh, |
heard it all, anG then when he went
into the shanty | slipped up ont Of the
floor and there was the az | did not
mean to kill him, but meant to give
him fearful thNshing and then leave
the country forever but there was the
Az il was the only thing handy.
struck him like flash terore had
time to think it woul& kill him All /
wanted was ono good stroke II him 10
satisfy myself lie fell and | ran GU !,
don't remember how | thought PEI
haps he'd get NJ and so about again
but | heard everybody next day talk
Ing about i. @nl tneu | kept out al the
way and Sol Gown 10 Montreal, doing
little journeys day after day and get.
ting a bill q viClralS here and there till
Al last, after some weeks, got on here
as a stoker and that did Tor me He
paused. faint With the rapid outflow o.
his words and again the doctor he'll
the draught to his lips lie drank 1t
greedily ard revived again The cap
tain entered and ! few words from the
doctor explained the situation
BETTER take everything down Look
here, my man, il this the truth YOU
have been telling them here
"tne truth the Gods truth God
have mercy on my soul
Amen to that Are YOU willing to
sign your name to this as the TRUTH"
said the captain, pointing to the sheet
which Alec was rapidly filing up with
the mans Just uttered words. Re
member, this is a very serious charge
YOU are making against yourself
Yes, YES, but | m better already Tor
having told wouldn't do ii again,
not for all the gold in the world. but
that man ruined me, hodf and soul If
God has forgiven him He will surely
forgive me"
Alec proceedcI TO read aloud the
confession which he had written down
word for word and added; Now Will
YOU try to sign this
HC 'pNlpl anu Ndptdlll uHSlSt'N NV
man up and in weak, scrawling hand,
he signed his name. The doctor and
captain appended their names Is Wit
nesses lastly, Alec added his own
The captain went out as three bells
sounded, and Alec, bending over the
haggard, death stamped face was
seized With a ritlfUl impulse TO say
something to comfort this lonely out
cast soul, whose history he so well
knew. \ passage from his mothers
prayer book occurred to his mind and he
bent ever the man and said, in low
voice, which was full of feeling;
If we confess our sins. God is faith
rul and just TO forgive us our sins and
cleanse lis from all iniquity,'
THAT sounds good" said the man,
opening his eyes and smiling family,
say that again.
isn't it queer? | don't hate him
any more no, nol though he KILLED my
wife. must Lave been mad NTH
trouble. Oh, Goa, forgive my poor dis,
tracted soul, But couldn't pay mp
no. | couldn't fCl was out of work
and the Children's collins were to pay
for and we were out of everything and
old man Hin laughed at me when said
times were so hare
Again the loor wandering soul
drifted away into the dark delirium o!
past miseries The doctor said hr
would probably pass in the night and
as they came out the fireman went in
and shut the door behind him Alec
and the doctor agreed to keep the con
tession a secret between themselves,
the captain and Mr. Marin.
The latter, when he came down %
his stato-room, found his son busily en-
gagged in writing Already he had sew
oral copies OF that confession written
out and so busy was he that he merely
pointed with his Pen to the manu-.
scripts
Mr. NairA took one up and began 10
read finishing Il before making any
remark
"Ihc ways OF God are past finding
OUT, he said Al last laying down the
paper with an expression of awe
What did tell YOU" said Alec,
pausuna in his writing and all tn"
limo snc knew it was this man and yet
couldn't tell on him no, not to saw
herself My darling
Totally overcome for the moment ey
the tension Of his feelings, so over
strained by different emotions during
the last hour, he dropped his head on
his arm and a dry tonvuISiye sob es
capped him.
What are YOU writing now" asked
his father, when Alec, after . pause, re.
sumed his writing
Copies of this confession for The
newspapers. These are for the Globe.
Mail, World, News and Times the
Toronto Gailies Those are for her.
he ran off a string Of names, until his
father wondered how he knew them all.
These he added, q take back wi
me when ! 90, for OF course ! return
with this same ship and as soon as /
arrive all Canada shall ring with the
discovery Of the real nnurdprer