Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1899-04-29


one of them all the morning; the street
bell had rung many times, but no
caller had been admitted, nor had he
even turned to notice the cards and
letters which the sexton had passed
under the locked door.
He had been struggling with him
SELF this young man, or rather the
heart and the soul within him had
been struggling together, contending
for mastery. and just now it seemed as
though the heart would be victorious.
A woman was spiritually present here
with him, was terribly present in every
thought that came to his heated brain
and she was til, cause of this inward
conflict. A wo mans photograph, in n
tiny gold frame, rested on the desk be.
fore him; but il was his wifc's picture,
and lie had scarcely noticed that it
WAS there, for .f her he only thought
when he remembered now the wicked.
ness of his affection for the other
woman.
He had been married to this wife of
his for twelve years. Although he
tried never to think so, deep down in
his mind lie knew he had been rash
and foolish, that he had committed his
life's great mistake when he irrevoca-
bly, joined himself, long before the
completion of his theological course,
to this plain, small minded girl. How
he hal ever come to imagine that he
loved her he could scarcely rememb Ell
now, it was so long ago. But since
then he had tried to love her, had tried
many times, until he came to see the
futility of such effort. After that he
became stranger to love; almost be-
lieved that there was no such thing.
He and his wife had got on pretty
we'll together. They both had con-
siderable capacity for adapting them
selves to the inevitable. At first he
had tried to lift her up, to cultivate
her mind, to make her have nobler
ideals and broader thoughts, to in
terest her in his work, but this, too,
he had long ago given up as useless
effort.
Thrown back upon himself he had
studied and worked with uncommon
zeal, and his ten years pastoratc in a
small city of Western Pennsylvania
had been remarkably successful. That
success had been rewarded, seven
months ago, by call to this North
Broad Street Church, the most de.
sirable position in the city that his
denomination ha to Offer When he
first came to Phi adelphia some of his
friends had thought that his wife
would be drawback and hindrance
but she had kept in the background,
and everything went well. Young,
handsome, brilliant, popular, and
with such church-.surely the lines
of the ministry had fallen unto him in
exceedingly pleasant places! So il
seemed to Richard Heatherton him
self for the first month or two. Blu
then he had met Caroline Mason, ant
this love for her, which was the
breaking forth of pent.up heart
this consuming, irresistible, hopeless
unlawful love, had come into hi.
life.
The other woman was everything
that his wife was not; especially wa
she very beautiful, and Richar'
Heatherton worshiped feminine
beauty. She was the niece ant
adopted daughter of his richest ant
most prominent member. Her activit.
in every branch Of the church's worl
had thrown them. from the beginning
very much and intimately together
And he had learned for the first tim
what love is, and its pangs.
SO the inward conflict ragged. TIL
noon hour passed, but he remaine
here in the stiffness of the church an
his study. Sometimes lie would wal
rapidly back and forth, then lie woul'
sit at the desk with his face buried il
his hands. Something must be done
This hopeless love was running hi
life; it was making him unfit for wor
of any sort; his sermons OF late ha
been miserable failures; lie was nee
lectiug all his pastoral duties. Some
thing must be done, but oh, God
what? He had many friends. but I'LL
der no circumstances would he as
their counsel. nut hereby reveal thi