The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-11-19


taking from iJ a sOilcd scrap of uewspa-
Per, handed IL 20 me. ! read hastily the
account az murder. written in usual
Z newspaper English. and saw that 10 tai
f. lied With what my visitor had said
Now. sir he continued. Il don't want
I TO be tedious and won't go over q whole
lot that / might tell YOU I have suffered
thousand deaths for thlt crime But
before God, ] have been straight ever
since then, Just as / always had been
straight before then I must have had a
good mother. I don't believe it was nor
fault that l never knew her. Since that
terrible day / have never touched a drop
"t liquor. although. as you may suppose.
have had plenty OF chances
81 have been in this town going on
three years. got Job in a paper mill
about month after / came here. and have
been working there ever. since. / began
as a common labOrer. but have worked
my way up, and for the last year have
been getting So a day as foreman
hparded around at different places at first.
but finally l struck the Widow FmmOrs,
house, and have been there for about two
years. She lives in the north edge Of
town. DO YOU know herr NO2 Well she
20 a good woman. She has been kind TO
me-"
He paused for a while seeming under
great embarrassment and fumbied with
the lapel Of his Oyercoat.
Il may as well confess. sir TO Won ~
you are Gods man. that love her Do7,t
tell it He looked guilty around as
though he suspected someone might have
overheard him 1t is not for me. a Grim
nal, 10 love her, who is as good as an
angel.
shes got two children aud a little home.
She keeps boarders- 1 hadn't been there
long til I learned the struggle that little
" ID u Iii
theFe IS mortgage on her property. She
told me about it. Not that I ever con-
FerSed with her. as you may say. as friend
ana equal; but after my days work I
would drop into the kitchen as she was
getting supper to dry my boots. or some
such thing and she got into a way of
taking 70 me about her affairs. Ire in
tcresJ on the mortgage is something suor-
nous, and, what with keeping her chill
dren IN school and making ends meet. She
Kept running behind She might have got
along better II she had set q poorer table.
nut she said she never could stand TO
see workingmen have poor food.
IS ] say, I often dropped into the
ktcnen and sat around Them children
Hnd o took 20 me. Phil he'd climb into
my lap and make me tell him stories tin
ne d 20 10 sleep. almost every evening
tell you, Phil is the most beautiful
child 1 ever saw"
The man rubbed a tear from his check
and continued He is the most confdiur
niue ielfoW You ever saw. Why. when I
would look al that little head laying on
my arm, and an them cUrIs falling over
my coat sleeve, why IL just" He
drew out his handkerchief and mgmbIeI
into IT,
Laurie, the little girl" he went on i'm
a minute. " is a likely one. 100. I toll
YOU smart, Why, there amt nothing
J1at That young one don't know. When
ever she gets into a new regder she lust
up and learns D. by heart What do you
think q that2
Well when I found out The circum-
stances I sent the biggest part Of my
month s. pay regularly through the post
once 20 her. marking 30. From a friend
! remember the first time she EO- anv
money 1 sent her She told me All about
H. and wondered who in the world IN
could be- She was mighty pleased I tell
YOU Her lace flushed up and her ewes
Frightened. Why. sir. the saints o. hea-
sen couldn't be prettier chan tat woman
was then
But in spite Of all. the uortgaze
couldn't be paid. II is due in three
months 10 IS killing that woman If she
loses her home. what viii become of her
ana little Phil. She's rassled too hard
with that debt TO have iJ down her now
Now. sir, I'll tell you what I thought Of
The other night I was awake just a
thlukIug- suddenly a thought HIT ne
like 10 was a brick TO knocked me clear
out or bed I got up and stood like a fool
for few minutes. Then I put on my
clothes and walked ont where
could get some fresh air. for my
head was bursting Mr. Mercer. there is
just a thousand dollars needed to make
that woman happy. Mr. Mercer. that's
the price that l viii bring ia a court Of
Justice"
RatcIine paused. I suppose ne expected
me 70 say something. but l couldn't
think Of a word. and sat idgeting in my
chair. At last he went on
But / could never see them again
Think OF Phil. and the pleasure OF sitting
by and seeing her work, When these
things came to me I thought / couldn't
stand to do IT, Then I said 20 myself.
Who are yCu2 You are a criminal. a
murderer. You need never hope for aay
happiness in this world To would Pc be.-
ter for her that you 90 away Why not
make your going away worth sometime
TO herr She don't think any more of
you than Just as common bOarGcr You
must be miserable all your life She can
be happy. And then / kind o. thought.
too. that I'd find q sort Of conteutment in
being hung OF going TO the pCuitCntiarv.
because I'd know that my secret was QUE.
ana me load would be OF Of my heart
So I made up my mind TO do it,
So that's why / come 10 you. ] want
you 10 take me TO the authorities and
give me up. but make sure that you get
my reward Thompson'5 my name here.
Ay real name IS James Radcliffe She'll
never know. I'd a little rather she
wouldn't Take the money and pay tho
mortgage. D0n't deny me. sir. for il Won
90 j must get some one else TO DO If.
Iney may cheat her and keep the money
1 thought YOU. being a minister. would
be sure to give 1t 10 her"
lie had risen 90 his feet and come close
80 me in the carucstness Of his eutreaty.
! arose also We looked iusO each
other eyes an silence. II seemed to me
that he was the greatest nan ever knew.
Won't you DO itg' he asked DIeadingIy.
Let me think" ] said
/ am slow at conclusions turned
away from him and walked 20 the window
As ! looked out into the darkness I tried
TO grasp the situation The decision 1
came 90 was this.
Here is man who has uCrveI himself
TO do heroic action DO may hang him
or lmprison him for life. bur he will De
glad over d. throughout eternity. ami
wien he meets me in heaven De viii
thank me. II ] had not believed I'D
heaven J would not have done so. [ turn
ed 10 him and said James Radcliffe. I'll
do it,"
He grasDed my hand with grip that
made % ache for two DAYS. and said.
Cod bless you-' Then De sat down i'm
his chair and weut like little child
The next day went TO the county seat
and consulted the officials. Commuuica-
hi