The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1900-08-30
CHAPTER III.-fCoxTrNuEp.l

~ idSL, that Il dIu lH uA6ChCicuS As~sAA
e. I have never grIdged you money
within reason, for any allowable pur-
pose; you had just to come to me and
speak. And now / find that you have
forgotten all decency and all natural
feeling, and actually pawned-pawned
your mothers watch. You must have
had some temptation; / will do you
! the justice to suppose it was strong
one, What did you do with this
money!"
81 would rather not tell you, sir"
said John. 1T will only make you
angry"
81 will not be fenced with" cried his
father. There must be an end Of dis
ingenious answers. What did you
want with this money!"
ITO lend 1t to Houston, sir" says
John.
81 thought I had forbidden you to
speak to that young man." asked the
father.
eyes, sir" said John: but only met
him"
"Where?" came the deadly question.
And I'm a billiard room was the
damning answer.
Thus had Johns single departure
from the truth brought instant pun
ishment. For no other purpose but to
see Alan would he have entered bill
Hard room; but he had desired to pal
Iiate the fact of his disobedience, and
now 1t appeared that he frequented
these disreputable haunts upon his own
account.
Once more Mr.. Nicholson digested the
vile tidings in silence; and when John
stole glance at his fathers counter
ance he was abashed to see the marks
OF suffering.
WELL" said the old gentleman at
last, II can not pretend to be simply
bowed down. I rose this morning
what the world calls happy man
happy, at least, In son Of whom I
thought could be reasonably proud"
But 1t was beyond human nature to
endure this longer; and John interrupt
ed him almost with scream. ooh,
wheest!' he cried, that's not all, that's
not the worst of tits nothing! How
could tell you were proud of-me? oh!
i wish, / wish that l had known; but
you always said was such disgrace!
And the dreadful thing is this: We
were all taken UP last night, and we
have to pay Colette's fine among the
six, or We'll be had up for evidence
shebeening it is. They made me swear
to tell you; but for my part" he cried,
bursting into tears, II just wish that
was deadr And he fell on his knees
before chair and hid his face.
Whether his father spoke, and wheth-
er he remained long in the room or
at once departed, are points lost to his
tory. A horrid turmoil of mind and
body: bursting sobs; broken, vanish
ing thoughts, now of indignation, now
OF remorse; broken elementary whiffs
OF consciousness, of the smell OF the
hOrsehair on the chair bottom, of the
Jangling of church bells that now be-
gan to make day horrible throughout
the confines of the city of the hard
floor that bruised his knees, of the
taste of tears that found their way into
his mouth; for a period of time, the
duration of which / can not guess,
while refuse to dwell longer ON its
agony, these were the whole of Gods
world for John Nicholson.
When at last, as by the touching OF
q spring, he returned again to clear
ness of consciousness and even meas
ure of composure, the bells had just
done ringing, and the Sabbath silence
was still married by the patter OF be-
lated feet. BY the clock above the fire,
as well as by these more speaking signs
the service had not long begun; and the
unhappy sinner, If his father had really
gone to church, might count on near
piness. With his father the superla-
tive degree returned infallibly. He
knew 1t by every shrinking fiber in his
body, he knew it by the sudden dizzy
whirling Of his brain, at the mere
thought of that calamity. An hour and
a half, perhaps an hour and three-quar-
tiers. IL the doctor was long winded, and
then would begin that active agony
from which, even in the dull ache OF
the present, he shrunk as from the bite
OF fire. He saw, in vision, the FAM
lily pew, the somnolent cushions, the
Bibles, the psalm books. Maria with her
smelling salts, his father sitting spec
tacled and critical: and at once he was
struck with indignation, not unjustly.
1t was inhuman to go Off to church. and
leave a sinner in suspense, unpublished.
unforgiven. And at the very touch OF
criticism the paternal sanctity was les
sened: yet the paternal terror only
grew; and the two strands OF feeling
pushed him in the same direction.
And suddenly there came upon him
. mad fear lest his father should have
locked him in. The notion had no