The Princeton union., 1900-08-09

ne nad DegLn to recover from the first
effect Of th2 blow, he had no thought
or any other course but to pay dollar
lor dollar of his honest Indebtedness.
10 Go 1t meant the loss of his beautiful
home III Hermon. Dorothy felt as he
dld about it. He had no fears on her
score. The integrity and trmness of
such moral course were never in
question with either of them So he
had come back from where he had
Deen staying with his sister, and the
night Kirk called he was busy in his
uDrary arranging the business Of the
Hermon property, going over all the
details Of his recent loss and making
what provision he could for the frl-
ture. He was nearly 55, still, as he
supposed, in the prime Of life, and he
manfully determined to begin all over
again. He could leave Dorothy with
her aunt, who was alone much Of the
time and needed her at present, and
himself struggle into place again with
honor untarnished and the good name
or the firm free from commercial stain.
so the honest, sturdy publisher
thought as he sat at his desk with his
papers before him. Then suddenly.
JUST little after Dorothy had ceased
TO play, he felt new and awful pain
seize him, he reeled in his chair, vain
~ tried to call out for help and sank
unconscious to the floor.
The next few days We're days Of
great anxiety to Malcolm Kirk. He
could see the doctors carriage before
the Gilbert house every morning. One
morning he saw the doctor go up the
steps with another man who entered
with him. The doctors carriage re-
NAMED in front Of the house that dav
until noon. In the afternoon Kirk call
ed to inquire, and the servant came out
at the back porch and told him Mr.. Gil
bert had been sinking rapidly. A cele-
brated physician from Boston had been
IN consultation, and he said there was
little hope.
Kirk passed an almost sleepless
night, and next morning as he looked
across the campus he knew that the
woman be loved best was alone with
her grief. He could see the wreath of
flowers on the door, and it told him at
once that John Gilbert had passed on,
never more to be vexed with the strug-
gle Of the life that now is on the
earth
The week following was one of the
most trying that NIalcom Kirk ever
knew. The funeral Of John Gilbert
was held in the seminary chapel and
attended by the professors and towns
people generally. Dorothy's aunt was
with her. Kirk had no opportunity to
see Dorothy and be to her the comfort
he longed to be. 1t was agony to him
after the funeral was over to think
that there across the campus in the
great house was the woman he loved
passing through a great sorrow, and he
had no right to go to her and share
that sorrow with her. He felt as if he
could not break in on her grief to speak
even of his love. So the days passed
restlessly for him, and he tried to work
on his report, but made very little real
progress. He laid the miniature on
his table and tried to write with the
face looking up at him, but he made
no progress at all then, and the close
OF the week found him walking his
room in great uncertainty of heart and |
mind.
On Monday the week following he
was obliged to go down to Boston to
some authorities in Settlement
work, and when he came back the
next day the Gilbert house was closed,
and Dorothy and her aunt had gone to
Beverly.
1t was the very next day that Kirk
saw in Boston paper the name of
francis Raleigh, arrived a few days
before from Liverpool on the Cepha-
onla Looking over the columns a
little farther down, he saw in the To-
:al news from Beverly this statement:
'Alr. Francis Raleigh, the Hermon
artist, recently arrived from a years
study abroad, is the guest of Mrs. Ar
:hur Penrose, sister of the late John
Gilbert"
That was all, but it reused Malcom
Kirk to instant action. He knew with
IAA 1hc vigil anu IulCuSlly OIL lis O0eD, |
lonest nature that his love for Dorothy
hilbert was now the largest part of his
lie. He had consecrated his time and
strength to the ministry. He did not
lecelVe himself. He knew what such
conservation meant. He faced, open
yed, the entire meaning of a minis
ers career in home missionary
hurch ''out west''
But looking at it all through dis.
'assionate eyes he said as he walked
is study: "She must choose between
i'm and me. l cannot go to my work
Without speaking to her. Ny love for
er is honest and true, and if God
rant that she can love me and share
~ life with me-
He left the rest unspoken, and, 60
ng back to his desk, he sat down,
rembling little as he put his face in
is hands and prayed that the hunger
t his heart might be satisfied. He
ad made up his mind to act and act
uickly, and once he had decided on
is course he was free from all doubt
s to it's wisdom.
He took the afternoon train for Bey-
rly and reached the place before dusk.