The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1900-03-24
A Practical and Effective
Way of Living Down
The CONSCIOUSNESS Of Crime.

talking was walking briskly up the main
street Of his village speaking gravely to
all whom he knew. He passed the bank
where he had once been trusted officer
and where he had betrayed the trust re.
posed in him, and be had looked up at its
ungracious facade with unusual interest.
Hes got nerve all right enough"
agreed his t0wnspeople, unable to decide
whether to condemn or to admire this
hardihood Of demeanor. III | had been
he, you would never have caught me back
in this town again"
Some who had known him in the old
days tried shyly to make overtures.
"Glad to welcome you back. Nc.
Knight" said they. III we can be Of
any service. call on u.s."
The thanks were made with q strange
quietness which Disconnected those who
received them. They felt that In some
way which they could not understand the
soul Of this man dwelt apart. 1t had
known peculiar and perhaps terrible ex-
periences. 1t was brooding In some
solemn place Of its own and for the time
being 1t was unapproachable.
Mary Lester, the schoolteacher, had a
theory about 1t. 1T is not so easy to
liberate the soul as 1t is the body" she
said. Il suppose his soul has not yet
got out Of its prison stripes"
'There doesn't seem to be anything
hangdog about the man," observed the
one who was talking to her.
"Why should there be2" she inquired,
with some spirit. "He made what resti.
tuition he could for his crime before he
went to the penitentiary at all. He has
been punished as he deserved. l sup.
pose he reasons that that helps to wipe
out the score. After a child In my
school has been punished according 10
his deserts l restore him to his rights
and privileges. A moral coward would
never have come back to this town again.
But Lucius Mcknight has come back
here where the worst Is known Of him.
think he has excellent courage. l wish
he would call on me. I'd make him vel.
come"
But he called on no one. He Joined
no one on the street. This evidence Of
sensitiveness and suffering was the only
one he gave.
The second morning after his return
to Red Willow Lucius Mcknight rented
little. old, one story structure on Main
street, which had been left over from
the early days. and proceeded to scrub it
out and to paper and paint it with his
own hands.
The people who had thought Of him
only as a luxurious and dishonest popin-
Jay, a driver OF fast horses and a giver
Of big dinners looked aghast. There ap.
pcarcd to be no self consciousness about
the man. There was nothing approach
Ing bravado in his manner Of working.
He gravely did what he pleased, asking
odds Of none.
There was still more occasion for sur
prise when he hung q sign artistcally
lettered by himself before his door:
Cane Bottomed Chairs Reseated
Here"
my SOUL" gasped the citizens. that's
nerve for you"
what else could he do?" said Mary
Lester in almost fearful defense. (which
one of you would have offered him job?
He had no profession save banking, and
that is closed to him forever. He had no
trade except the one he has recently
learned. think the man has more sense
than anybody ever knew"
And the next morning she sent a man
down to Meningitis shop with three
chairs to be recaned. She mailed little |
check in payment, and around the check |
was folded slip Of paper on which was
written in the distinct hand which the |
school children knew well: /
hold 1t truth. with him who sings,
To one clear harp in divers tones,
That men may rise on stepping stones
OF their dead selves to higher things
The mayors wife was the next to offer
work to this strange artisan. That set
the fashion. The men laughed, but the
women kept him Gaming chairs.
One day it was observed that he had
fixed lathe at the back of bis shop and
that he was experimenting with it, A
little later completed chair stood In his
window. 1t was not an ordinary chair.
That love Of beauty which had formerly
betrayed Its possessor into extravaganza
and crime demonstrated itself now in an
exquisite piece Of handicraft. In ts pro-
portions, its materials. its manufacture
and its finishing it stood an honest aud
beautiful example of workmanship.
Miss Phoebe Dillingham;, who had teak.
wood and rosewood and japanese inlay.
luS iu utW uUubS Auu Nuu knew |
work Of art when she saw it, came to
purchase.
"This particular chair is intended rs a
gift" said the town reprobate pleasantly,
''but l shall be happy to make another
one for you, Miss Dillingham;, either
from plan Of my own or after any de-
sign you may care to submit"
you remember those illustrations Of
antique furniture have had so long, Mr.. !
Mcknight Don't you think we might
ind something good there7 Won't you
'all this evening and look them over with
neW
Mcknight called quite as matter Of
curse and was as self possessed as II an
event had not broken off those
lists for several long yenrs. But It was
|ecided that the chair was to be made
rom an original design after all.
As for the first work Of Meningitis
athe. that was seen by the whole village
n the dainty sitting room Of Miss Mary
ester.
People got into the way Of asking Nc
might out. and, to their surprise. he 40
epted. He wore his cheap and uncon-
entional garments with as much grace