Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-11-27
THE LAST CONFESSION.
BY HALL GAME,
Author Scapegoat" The Bondman," The Deemster,

(All Rights Keserved.)


nerves of organic life seemed to col
lapse in an instant.
! ssI'm dizzy; lead me to my room," /
said.
My wife Drought me brandy, but my
hand could not lift the tumbler to my
mouth, and when my dear girls arms
had raised my own the glass ratified
against my teeth. They put me to bed;
was done-done.
Father, that was a month ago, and I
am lying here STILL 1t is not nurasthe-
MIA of the body that is killing me, but
nurasthenia Of the soul. No doctors
drug will ever purge me of that. 1t is
here like fire in my brain, and here like
ice in myheart. Was my awful act
justifable before God? Was it right
in the eyes of Him who has written in
the tables of His law, Thou shalt do no
MURDER? Was it murder? Was 1t
crime? If I outraged the letter OF the
holy edict, did also wrong it's spirit?
Speak, speak, for PHYS sake, speak.
Have mercy upon me, as you fEpe for
mercy Think where was and what
fate was before me. Would | do it
again in spite of all? Yes, yes, thou
sand thousand times yes. l will go to
God with that word on my lips, and He
shell judge me.
And yet I suffer these agonies OF
doubt. Life was always a sacred thing
to me. God gave it, and only God
should take it away. He Who split the
blood of his fellow-man took the gov
eminent of the world out of Gods
hands. And then-and then-Father,
have l .ot told you all?
=
On the day when I arrived at Tangier
from Fee | had some two hours to
wait for the French steamer from NAL
aga that was to take me to CadlZ. In
order to beguile my mind OF It's lmpa-
thence I walked through the town as
far as the outer Sok-the Sok de Barra.
1t was market day, Thursday, and the
place was the same animated ana va
ried scene as had looked upon before.
Crushing my way through the throng
| came upon the Saints House near the
middle of the market. The sight OF the
little white structure with its white
flag brought the tragedy | saw enacted
there, and the thought OF that horror
was now made hellish to my conscience
by the memory of another tragedy at
another Saints House.
[ turned quickly aside and stepping
I'D to the elevated causeway that runs IN
front of the tents Of the Drass workers,
| stood awhile and watched the Jewish
workmen hammering the designs on
their trays Presently l became con-
scious of little girl who was sitting on
a bundle of rushes and plating them
into a chain. She was tiny thing, six
years of age at the utmost, but with the
sober look of little matron. Her
sweet face was of the color Of copper,
and her eyes were deep blue. A yellow
gown of some light fabric covered her
body, but her feet were bare. She
worked at her plating with a steady in
dustry, and as often as she stopped to
draw rush from the bundle beneath
her, she lifted her eyes and looked with
a wistful gaze over the feeding ground
of the camels, and down the lane to the
bridge, and up by the big house on the
hillside to where the sandy road goes
off to Fee.
The little demure figure, amid so
many romping children, interested and
touched me. This was noticed by a
Jewish brasgworker before whose open
booth stood, and he smiled and nod
ded his head in the direction of the lit
tie woman.
Dear little sober-sides," said,
does she never play with the other
children?"
NO." said the Jew, "she sits here
every day and all day long-that is,
when her father is away"
Whose child is she?" asked. An
awful thought had struck me.
"A great rascal" the Jew answered
though the little one is such an angel
he keeps a spice shop over yonder. but,
he is a guide as well as a merchant. and
when he is out on a journey the child
SITS here and watches for his coming
nome again. She can catch the first
slght OF travellers from this place. and
she knows her father at any distance.
See-do you know where she is looking
now? Over the road by Ell Minzah-
that's the way from Fee. Her father
has gone there with a Christian
ne sweat was bursting from nv fore
head.
What's his name?' 1 asked.
The Moors call him Larby," said
the jew, land the Christians nick
name him Ananias But he's every
thlng to the little one, bless her limo
cent face. Look, do you see the tinv
brown dish at her side? That's for
her drinking water. She brings it full
every day, and also a little cake of
bread for her dinner.
Shes never tired of waiting, and if
Larby does not come home to-nigbt
she'll be here in the morning. | do
believe that if anything happened to
LARRY she would wait until dooms-
day."
My throat was choking me. and 7
could not speak. The Jew saw nv
emotion, but he showed no surprise.
L stepped UP to the little one and
stroked her glossy black hair.
'Hoolia?" I said.
She smiled back into nv face and
answered "Iyyeh"-yes.
could say no more; l dare not look
into her trustful eyes and think that
he whom she waited for should never
come again. l stopped and kissed the
child, and then fed away.
y
Listen, do you hear him? That's the
1ootstep of my boy overhead. NV
darling! He is we'll again now. Nv
little sunny laddie! He came into my
bed room this morning with a hon,
SKIP and Jump-a CLEAN of sunshine.