The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-01-09

looked sneeplSn, as tDe clergy uiLn
meant he should, and turned the con-
versation by remarking that he would
"be lookin' after the rectory special
when Mr.. West was away on his we'd
din tower"
Thank you, Reilly!" the other an
swered, heartily.
The policeman's steps went echoing
off into the'night; a street lamp flick
cred, and puff of soft wind wandered
into the window.
Deceiving her; taking her love under
false pretences!
Was he anything but the man Amy
supposed him TO be? Very humbly,
very truly, he said to himself that, by
the grace of God, he was an honest, pure,
God-fearing man. That sin of twenty
three years ago was not his sin. He,
William West, forty-two years old,
whose honorable record in the COM
munity was spread through all these
years Of service, was not that base,
mean, wicked boy. The sin was not
his. 1t was a sin of youth; a sin al
most of childhood. 1t Itmeant nothing to
him now.
'It Is nothing now" he insisted, pas
sionately. Accustomed TO weigh other
peoples actions and motives, he knew
that he was discriminating with al
most judicial impartiality when he thus
looked himself in the face. "A re-
pentant man has no more to do with his
sin, for which he has made reparation.
l. t,.l 10 4 10. Il IL,
ease of which he has been cured" lie
remembered that he had used this IL
lustration once TO some one else; he
must apply it now TO himself. No; he
was not deceiving Amy. He was only
sparing her; sparing her, 10 be sure,
from pain she might wish to bear,
but that Lad nothing to do with the
fer; not from n fact, but from an illu-
sion; for he would be confessing sin
which was not his sin. Honor? The
word seemed artificial as he thus put
the situation before him.
No; it would be cowardly to tell her,
and it would be untrue. There was
nothing for him to do, but face the fact
that, to spare her, he must bear, for the
rest of his life, the wretched burden OF
realizing that he had n secret from her.
Sanely, truly, this good man believed
that his impulse TO tell the woman he
loved was selfish and coMardly; il was
an impulse TO make her share burden
which he deserved to bear alone. Fur
thermore, IL was the effect. not of rea-
son, not of religion. not of love; II was
the effect, first. OF the selfish impulse
10 seek relief by sharing a cruel knowl-
edge; secondly, of n traditional senti-
mentality, the weak and dwelling out
come of that sense of justice which is
expressed in the willingness to bear
consequences.
Well, the boy who had sinned, had
borne the consequences; he had suf-
fcrcd.
For the man TO suffer, now. twenty
three years after, was unreasonable,
bnt inevitable.
For woman, who had no part or lot
in that young past. to suffer, now, twen-
ty-three years afterwards, was foolish
and useless.
If the man permitted it, he was cow
ard and fool.
This, at least, was what William West
told himself.
The conclusion to which the Rev. Mr..
West came was that, If his love for Amy
was deep enough and unselfish enough.
he would hold his tongue. He believed
that confession, apart from reparation,
was the refuge of the weak mind.
Having thus decided to bear alone the
burden of his secret, he went, early in
the morning, and told the woman he
loved.
OF course. there is no explanation OF
this vacillation and indifference TO his
own judgment, except the mere state
ment that he was in love.
Amy is trying on her Dress" Mrs.
Paul said, when he was ushered into the
library, $50, il you want 90 see her, you
can go home at once. But perhaps you
may condcscend to talk TO me little
while?"
IL must see Amy, please" he said. He
had a way Of putting people aside so
gently and peremptorily, that Mrs.
Paul. who was not n yielding person,
never dreamed Of protesting.
"1'll tell her. But she really can't
come down for ten minutes. Do you
mind waiting?"
Very mucb," he said, smiling. "Tell
her 10 come down just as she is, and let
me see her frock."
Indeed, she shan't do anything OF
the Sort" said Mrs. Paul. with indigna.
tion; but relentcd TO the extent of let
ting him have the library 20 himself,
and going upstairs TO send the girl 10
him.
Amy came floating in with n snowy
CLEAN and rustic, and stood before him,
Bidding him not 60 dare to touch her;
though. indeed. being mere man, he
was far too uncomfortably awed 90
think OF taking this glorious white crea-
ture into his poor human arms.
"lou are magnificent. but you are not
Amy" he said: "do get on some COM
mon clothes. I'm afraid Of YOU"