The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1900-03-24

was putting himself away by keeping
others about him. Many n troubled
soul had done the same before, but he
knew nothing OF such sentiments, either
in himself or in others.
AT last the missionary succeeded in
| finding Stanton alone on deck early one
morning. lie made few preliminary
remarks concerning the human duty of
bearing one another's burdens, and
said:
"You have more friends on board
than any of US, yet you Sem TO me 20
be in need of real friend and 10 lack
one. / wish that you could accept my
sacred Office, rather than its unworthy
holder, and give me your confidence"
'Do act like one depressed?" Stan
ton asked, absently.
"You do, sir, and you are" replied
the missionary. "You are the life of the
steamer, but your own heart is not in
1t. Do not be angry, sir. Remember
that my only desire is to serve you.
Let me even say frankly that you have
seemed to me like one struggling with
an unfortunate love-affair. Am / not
correct?"
"You are correct" said Stanton.
II am sorry, very sorry" the mission
airy replied, with look and voice say
| ing plainly that he too had suffered,
long ago. "Was she unworthy?" he
asked. gently.
"She was exceptionally worthy"
| Stanton said.
"That is something TO be thankful
for" the missionary exclaimed, glad to
find something consoling. ut is well
that you do not repent having cast your
pearls TO swine"
81 am thankful" Stanton replied,
with more energy than had been in his
voice for many day. He was looking
backward.
"Docs she love another?" the mission
airy asked.
"No."
"There again you are fortunate.
Surely you must still have hope"
II have"
'Good. Keep H. Hope deferred
makes the heart sick, and your heart is
sick. knew it. But hope is the anchor
TO the soul, after all. Don't let the
anchor go. Was there opposition"
"No."
Sometimes a little opposition is real
ly necessary stimulus. Why did she
refuse you?"
"She did not refuse me-"
"Can it be that you are so sensitive as
to suffer all this simply for some fan
cied lack of reciprocation in her face?"
II never saw her face"
MY friend, you astonish me. I've
heard of matches made by correspon-
dence or by mutual friends, but never
believed much in them. Tell me of this
one. Was IL by writing?"
81 never wrote to her. l never saw
her handwriting but twice"
"Then the mutual friends who have
brought about this suffering must have
, weight of responsibility"
"We have no mutual friends" said
Stanton.
"Sir, you amaze me. Who and what
can this woman be?"
"She is my wife," said Stanton.
"Sir, you are testing"
"Sir, am not testing. You appealed
TO your position for the right to ask me
such questions as you chose. / have
answered each truly, so help me God"
"Sr, you bewilder me. You astound
me-"
"Sir, the same conditions have per-
picked, amazed, bewildered and as
founded me too, quite enough to ac-
count for any slight depression which
may have attracted your attention. II
must be obvious TO you that little bene-
fit can be derived through conversation,
where the immediate effect upon you
is the same as the more deliberate effect
on me. ] trust that you will respect
what to me is very painful subject, and
never refer TO IL again."
Whatever the conclusions at which
the missionary arrived they were sure
ly not unkind, for during the last din
ner on board he rose at the table and
cordially thanked Robert Stanton,
Esquire, on behalf of the passengers,
the officers, and the crew, for his un-
falling chccrfulness and his untiring
good Offices TO all, making the voyage so
much pleasanter and making them all
better for his being among them.
The sentiments were Incompetent
sible and intensely disagreeable to
Stanton, and yet there was something
in them which set him thinking and
gradually opened his eyes.
1T was small thanks 20 me-" he said
to himself, as he thought the matter
over on shore. II never exertcd myself
in tina. way before, simply because I
never had right good selfish incen-
tive. Misery drove me to IL. but II
surely did make others happier. j be
liere il was the first time in my life that
l ever attempted 20 make others happy,
and IL surely made me less miserable,
too. There's an idea there that is good
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