Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1900-01-24
MADGE PAXTON, PRIEST

Criticism Ls prone to begin at the
wrong end. 1t was so in the case of
Mike Riley.
The town looking down on him meas
ured the immense distance between his
daily life and righteousness. but neglect
ed to set any thought on the path he
had travelled True, one might hear that
his father and grandfather before him
had been lonfcrs and drunkards and his
brother II thief, that his mother had died
in his infancy and that his wife was of
type not mentioned In public society,
but these facts were told not pitifully,
with an eye to their weight upon amy
chnnce aspirations OF Mikes. but care
lessly, In justification of the placard that
the critics wisdom hung upon such Il
vngabond's soul. Nothing expected
here"
The town was Of the dainty. aristo-
cratic order, and he was n vexing ex-
crescencc 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, or minis
ters limited to him n final judgment, or
some saint from outside tucked n tract
under his door. To all such mcddling
Mike grinned good naturedly, and upon
pressure confessed his indifference to and
ignorance of all creeds. past. present or
to come.
"'rhe creature is n blot upon the land
scape," said the town artist. Mr.. Pax
ton. and the town with u 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.
tcring along the shore enjoying cigar
and the exquisite light and shadows that
kissed the sea. came round II bend upon
n ripple of childish laughter and found
his little daughter Madge perchcd 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
reproach in her pretty French accent
"very difficult in this matter"
"Do you mean" gGspcl Mr.. Paxton.
"that she Is in the habit of speaking to
that benst?"
oh. but yes Often she had escaped TO
Monsieur the Beast, Bonbons and flow
ers had been transported. For this mon
sleur she had made n piece now in her
prayers, and with eyes of horror and still
reproachful the little ones petition was
quoted: please to help hungry things
and Mike" "C'est 10 nom," kindly ex-
plnnntory. "of Monsieur the Beast"
For some time thereafter little Mndge
was under strict watch, but the nurse
was n pretty, gay creature and possessed
lover or two. Quite naturally day
came when her attention was OF duty.
Mike was on the shore, idle, as usual.
The wee guest inquired abruptly and
grnvely as to the truth of his being n bad
man.
He admitted that he might not be a
fashionable good man. He had made n
try, he said, time and again, but got
pulled back. The child explained in her
sweet lispng that 1t 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 md 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 collar"
"No thanks TO YEP growled Mike sui
lenly.
The few who CHANGED to notice his
pathetic reach toward respectability spec
ulated ms to his staying qualities and
anew prophcsiod the placard with n bit
OF Scripture addendum that seemed Pc
culiarly appropriate, '"rhe last state OF
that man shall be worse than the first"
Indeed. the seven devils seemed to ar.
rive promptly and In business mood
There was season OF madness: then a
silence fell
His wretchod wife one day came upon
him lying beside his boat on the waters
edge. The look Of him whitened her
bloated face beneath It's cheap paint.
"Will fetch ye the prest?" she ask
ed. with an awestricken sob.
"Fetch the little MISS" fnltercd Mike.