Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1901-11-09
A STRANGE COINCIDENCE,

I
! tentative in argument; people SAID he
/ did not dare to change his opinions. He
| WIS tenacious of them at all events.
| They were formulated in his little study
| before an ugly desk wherein lay the
| folioS of past and schedules of future
| sermons; and here, in the odor of re-
! tirement, he composed his schemes of
| life, his near-sighted blue eyes peering
| over his glasses at the green curtains
/ that shut out the street. Fabricated as
were these theories by a visionary in
| the semi-daylight Of a sanctum sancto-
| rum, they had a strange appearance
| when introduced suddenly into the gar
| ish day. They surrounded Paul Sempli-
| Gus like spirits scarcely tangible, ac-
| knowledged even by the worldly to be
| beautiful but invisible to the uninitiated
and quite incapable of mingling with the
rude crowd Of life.
| One of his parishioners said that the
minister's mind was q custom-shop of
ready made garments" People came and
were fitted from the stock on hand. He
never made anything to order. and fire.
quently people not of regular size and
! figure went away with no suit at all.
The parsonage who left the rectOry on
this morning of the 10th of April, 1900,
went away not only with no new out
fit, but with his old one much damaged,
and as angry as a man can grow over
an argument not too personal! AS the
hOusemaid helped him into his oyercoat
and handed him his hat she remarked
that he seemed very angry indeed!' He
quite spluttered, was red in the face,
and shook his head and shoulders down
into his coat collar as a bulldog does his
into his wrinkles and layers of flesh.
Damn him." he muttered-in spite of
the damn him, hanging is
too good for him.
The gentleman snapped out several
| other things about him." and the lit
tie maid, who was a new church mem
Der, felt that she by rights ought to
stop up her ears and run away; she
| yielded, however, to horrible fascination
and wickedly waited until the guest had
| fumed himself out Of the door. She shut
| it on a last furious exclamation, and
| peefed, thrilling, through the glass at
| the disturbed caller doubling his fist as
| he went out of the gate to his own
home, next the parsonage ESQ next that
the houses had a party-waiD. Molly,
much stimulated by the visit, slipping
| from sin to sin, now Rugged the tempta-
ton of curiosity, and boldly knocked at
| the study door, a housekeeping plea on
her lips. Her master, deep in his leather
chair, was calm as Sabbath morn.
| Molly shuddered as she thought of the
! terrors to which he had been con-
demned). But the Rev. Paul, had he
heard, could have better nailed the ex-
| pletives to the one for whom they were
intended. Mr.. Blockington, the neigh
Dor, calling to borrow book, had gone
away with a moral treatise delivered
viye voce by his parson. Disagreeing
with the priest from premise to conclu-
sion, the visitor had waxed angry in
deed, but he wasn't damning the parson.
Bloeklngton was director in a bank in
a neghboring town where several years
before the cashier had been suspected of
dishonesty. Blockington alone knew the
inf antA np he -. =
and on his deputation, accusation and
witness the man would go free or to jail
Ii was a first offense, an insignificant
one, too, If degrees of honesty are posi-
BILE. 1t could be hushed up, and the mat
ter lay in the directors hands The man
had mother and a family, all respect
able people; collectively and separately
they came to Blockington and besought
his silence, The plea was appealing, i'll
luck had pursued the fellow always, this
was his careers turning point, and dis
grace would blight his future and his
children's, etc, etc. Blockingtons duty
was like his epiderms, he never went
without 1t. Il performed my duty to
my colleagues and my town and state
accused Raines, and bore the necessary
witness against him; he has just termi-
mated his seven years in state prison "
Even from jail the man wrote libelous
letters about Blockington. the family had
annoyed the good gentleman excessively,
has patience was at its ebb, and it was
against this thorn in his flesh, as well as
in his spirit, that the directors ire had
flashed forth at the front door
The course Of action Blockington had
pursued was distinctively opposed to Rev.
Paufs ideas. The parson held fohth with
near approach to eloquence for the
space of an hour on the Beauty of For
giveneSS" and the salvation In a Last
Chance" his gentle sentimentality set in
, strong contra-distinction to Blockington' S
practical expediency SemplicuS, though
wavering and pale, was fire; Blockington
was stone.
Against the moving spectacle of the
dishonored family, Blockington opposed
that II was the villains crime, not his
tBl0ckington'sl justice. that was respon-
SihIe. He considered that every honor
able citizen had the countrys welfare in
ms hands at moment of such decision
there was hut one course to pursue; for
ms part. the sureSt way to preserve hon
or IN individual or family was TO keen
ones own unSullied. and to call spade
Il spade, etcetera, etcetera.
Terrible to be an instrument for such
an opEration. muTmured Rev. Paul
Terrible or not, nothing to do with
hesitation" replied Blockngton coarsely.
Cut right through and cure the public
| Va" HVt ptlle.Ne Ill PRISONS or IN CaDl-
tal punishment" affirmed the minister.
Blockington fairly snorted.
Your theories are positively danger
GUS Mr. SemplcuS. Do you propose tc
leave your gates open to the thief. and
reward his sucCeSS?"
w nat | propose is not possible of ex-
panSion in an hour said the young man.
smiling. In brief. | propose instead of
treating the criminal as an animal to
treat him rs human being, and before
Strlnging him up or caging him to strive
to save his SOUL
Possibly the apt and touching Quota
tons from an immortal gospel, together
with genuine conviction and tenderness
of expression: pricked Blockington to dis
comfort at least; possibly the worldly
. man reasoning impressed the visionary
SempHcuS; at all events the director grow
very angry, and repeated several times
that SrmpllcuS was positively danger
GUS Semplicus in turn. looking about
IN vain for new peg ON which to hans
a plea ceased 10 eXtemp0rize Thus
they parted,
That same night Semplicus. living in
ms bed and revolving thoughts whicn If
they should never set the world on FIRE,