El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-03-08
MADGE PAXTON, PRIEST

Mike Riley.
The town looking down on him meas
ured the immense distance between his
daily life and righteousness, but neglect
ed 10 set any thought OH the path he
had Travelled. True, one might hear that
his father and grandfather before him
had been loafers and drunkards and his
brother a thief, that his mother had died
in his infancy and that his wife was of
a type not mentioned in public society.
but these facts were tod not pitifuliy,
with an eye to their weight upon any
chance aspirations of Mixes, but care
lessly, in justification of the placard that
the critics wisdom hung upon such a
vaga bonds soul, Nothing expected
here
The town was of the dainty, aristo-
cratic order. and he was a vexing ex-
crescence upon its culture. Notwith-
standing the placard, there had been
mild attempts at reconstruction.
Good ladies, meeting him upon the
street, tried to probe his depravity with
bits of the shorter catechism, minis
tiers limited to him a final judgment, or
some saint from outside tucked n tract
under his door. To all such meddling
Mike grinned good naturally, and upon
pressure confessed his Indifference to and
ignorance of all creeds, past, present or
to come.
''The creature is a blot upon the land
scape," said the town artist, Mr.. Pax
ton. and the town with a smile caught at
the fitness of the word until Mike be-
came not Mike. but the Blot.
He was destined later to have another
name bestowed. That same artist. saun-
tering along the shore enjoying Il cigar
and the exquisite light and shadows that
kissed the sea, came round bend upon
Of obi isl, fOnnd
his little daughter Madge perched upon
the crouching shoulders of the Blot.
The child was hastily escorted to her
nurse and some severe remarks made to
that young woman. 'Mademoiselle was
difficult she said, with tears and much
reproach in her pretty French accent
every difficult in this matter"
do you mean," gasped Mr.. Paxton,
''that she is in the habit of speaking to
that beast?"
Oh, but yes. Often she had escaped to
Monsieur the Beast. BOnbons and flow
ers had been transported. For this mon
sieur she had made a piece new in her
prayers. and with eyes of horror and still
reproachful the little ones petition was
quoted: please TO help hungry things
and Nike ''C'est lie nom.' kindly ex-
planatory, ''of Monsieur the Beast"
For some time thereafter little Madge
was under strict watch, but the nurse
was q pretty gay creature and possessed
lover or two. Quite naturally a day
came when her attention was off duty.
Mike was on the shore. idle, as usual.
The wee guest inquired abruptly and
graveIy as to the truth of his being a bad
man.
He admitted that he might not be
fashionable good man. He had made
try. he said, time and again, but got
pulled back The child explained in her
sweet lisping that it was satan who did
this pulling. He gave her also trouble
that way, she said. The only help IN
such times was to say prayer very
quick "for Jesus sake"
Mike regretted that he didn't know
any prayers, so she promised to make
him one. and they parted in cordial SYM
pathy of good fellowship.
1t was some days later that two young
townsmen, meeting the Blot upon the
street, stared at him and broke into sud
den laughter.
"Why, he's sober
"He has on a collar"
''No thanks to ye.' growled Mike sui
lenly
The few who Glanced to notice his
pathetic reach toward responsibility spec
ulated as to his staying qualities and
anew prophesied the placard with a bit
of Scripture addendum that seemed pc
that man shall be worse than the first"
Indeed. the seven devils seemed to ar
rive promptly and in a business mood,
There was n season of madness; then
silence fell
His wretched wife one day came upon
him lying beside his boat ON the waters
edge The look of him whitened her
bloated face beneath its cheap paint.
will l fetch We the priest?" she ask
cd with an oUaStricEpn sob
Fetch the little miss" faltered Mike.
The woman 'gasped over the hopeless
look of this demand, but she went obedi-
emily toward the Paxton gates and found
MadGe alone singing to her birds in the
garden.
''Hist!' whispered the woman. mikes
hurried. Will We come"'
t'Ess," said MadCe promptly, and so
through the full sunlight those two went
down to the shore.
''Hurted?'' murmurcd Madge, putting
tender hands about the neck of Monsieur
the Beast.
Bad" said the Beast. did We make
the prayerT'
CESS"
She knelt in the crutch of his stiffening
arm and carefully put together his hands.
Bird songs came down to them, and the
sea murmured and licked the feet of the
woman who stood a bit apart with hid
den face.
as sorry 1 isn't dood," went the pray
er, but Jesus knows. Amen"
But JESUS knows. Amen" repeated
Mike, and in the chilling of his face a
smile came, as if the soul escaping had
left some word of compassion and for
giveness for its SCARED, unhappy prison
house.
GOOD heavensr' cried Mr.. Paxton,
upon them. Then suddenly he
raised his hat, for the look of death is
awful even if it strikes only a Blot