The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-01-20
SIXTHCOMMANDMENT

childrens All, God never created any crea-
ture more cruel than beautiful coquette
without hearth Do not deny it, You have
used every charm you possess to make me
love you and have succeeded. You shall
listen to me now. I love you! love youi
love you'll Nay, do not speak. will not
take your final answer today. Tomorrow
will come for it. All, if it is Yes,
swear that you shall never regret it'll If it
Is No. then you will have sent one more
man to hellr' And without another word
Jack Armstrong turned on his heel and
left abruptly Hilda Phare looked after
bis retreating figure with vague sense Of
shame. She had won the love Of the
woman hater, - but the victory was leav-
ing sting in even her hardened coquett6
conscience though she tried to feel herself
aggrieved at his outburst.
LAS If / can help men falling in love
with me. I cannot marry them all
certainly do like Captain Armstrong, but
don't like lnatrimony. want to keep
my freedom q little longer first -
my dear Hilda, have you heard the
dreadful news?'' The girl looked up from
the comfortable wicker chair where she
was reclining lazily under the shade Of the
old oak on the lawn.
'No, what news?' she asked indiher-
emily, for her portly aunt's face looked
more important than Mortified as she stood
by her niece's side holding a large white
and green lined sunshade over her bare
head.
Mrs Chester shot her husband and
that pretty Miss Dene yesterday afternoon
and then killed herself
ooh, how dreadful What made her do
it?'' exclaimed Hilda, thoroughly reused
now as she sat bolt upright in her chair.
''Well, it appears that she caught him
kissing this Miss Dene, to whom he had
l.
for her money. Fancy shooting both Of
them like thatl''
''What a wicked, cruel woman Mrs.
Chester must have beenI 1t was only yes
terday morning I rode over to Hill Hall
to see her new Paris dress. It is quite hor-
rible to think that 1 have touched the
hand of a murderess." And the girl gavea
shudder.
Eyes, IL is indie ID. I am so sorry for
their poor little daughter, but of courss
I can never allow Jessie and Pussie to
play with her again. must go now, for
want to write and tell your Aunt Mary
alI about it. She will be so interested
shocked, mean. - And she returned to the
house with that feeling of pleasurable i'm
portance we all experience when we are
the first to tell the news Of some calamity
that has befaIlen our friends.
Left to herself, Hnda sank back in the
wicker chair and tried by reading to dis
tract her thoughts once more, but this
time from thinking of the tragedy at Hill
Hall. The heat, however, made her
drowsy, and the paper soon dropped on
the grass from the neFveless fingers, and
the lids soon dropped over the beautiful
eyes.
Suddenly a choking sensation caught
the sleeper's throat. She tried to move,
but could not Was she dying-dying out
there alone on the lawn? She felt her
breath coming quicker and quicker, her
strength ebbing faster and faster Then
she seemed to lose oil consciousness.
"Where was she now? Who were those?''
she asked ono standing beside her.
''They are the souls of the dead waiting
till the day dawns and the golden gates
are opened.
'Then 1 must be dead, and those must
be the gates Of heaven, that beautiful place
used to like reading about when child.
1 will join the throng and go in with
them
And when the day dawned she also
pressed forward toward those golden gates,
guarded by angels. But though many
passed through, more were turned away.
At last only HiIda and another wero left
That other was a broken hearted woman
and the girl shrunk back with loathing
when she saw 1t was Mrs. Chester. As
she recoiled an angel beckOned to the
weeping woman, and she beheid her 10
more. But now the gates were closing
Hi1da sprang forward and stretched out
her hands to those white robed guardians.
''You have forgotten me-"
''There is no forgetting here" came the
answer
''Then why do you not let me through
"Your sins expel you"
my sins! My sinsl What sins have
committed? What commandment have
broken?" questioned the girl, with the
surprise of self convinced innocence.
1.-THE sixth commandment, Thou shalt
do no murder. ="
Hilda shrank back in horror, amaze
ment, anger.
81 commit murder-I, who could never
bear to see even bird shotl'
Yes, you are a nurderess, " answered
the angel steFnly. You, who reooIled
from that woman, are much more guilty.
She. in great temptation, in great provo
cation, killed but mortal bodies; you, in
mere vanity, in mere idleness, have killed
immortal souls! Thinkest thou there is
no margin to a commandment? Know
you not that, though the text be brief, yet
does it overflow beyond the limits of words
on to the broad margin Of meaning label
ing unwritten sins, and you have broken
a marginal commandment, Thou shalt do
no murder? -
bat have committed no murder, &" re-
iterated the treTn bling girl.
Behold and seeP' and the angel passed
his hand over the eyes of the belle of the
London season.
Yes, she knows that young face again
he had been one of her boyish suitors,
whom she had firted with and then laugh
ed at. He is holding dice box now in his
shaking hand, and on that dice box is writ
ten one word-'Hilda. An, who is that
drunken man glaring at her with blood
shot eyes? He lifts glass Of spirits, and
on that glass is engraved one wOrd-'Hil-
da -
All, poor, poor wife of a 1oveless mar
Eiage, made by the husband in a moment
Of piquel Her tears, as they fall, form