Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1901-12-19
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Retire atlantis
Story /
Copyright, 1901, by Authors syndicate)


of unwonted silence had done its worf
well for the retreatants. Worldly faces
were quiet and less anxious, tired ones
had lost something of their WEAKNESS, !
sweet young girl-devotees had ac'
quired look of sanity calm, Only the
conductor of the retreat, Father John
Burton, S. j., seemed weary. 1t is not
easy to pour out spiritual inspiration
and encouragement four times daily,
to say nothing of three services and
innumerable private interviews. Fa-
Their John Burton, resting his head on
his hand in an unexpectedly idle mo-
ment, tried not to feel jaded. But he
aroused himself with an effort when
the brief interval of quiet was broken
by tap at the door.
He swung it open cordially and Sis
ter Alice Ambrose, the sister i'm charge
of the retreat, entered, leading a
young girl whom the priest remem-
bered to, have seen before him con-
tinually during the past th1 lee days
He had noticed her particularly be-
cause-for reasons most human but
quite unbecoming "vowed 1 ligious"
she had awakened poignant memo
ries of the earlier days passeH IN the
world" and of some one fof love or
whom he had been led to ff low the
priesthood. This girl-but shook
the wrong thoughts from him oughly'
ST shall be very clad to hear you,
he said, in response to the Sd t muir
muir wherewith Sister Alice A nbrose
conveyed to him that the girl n as sore
troubled over some bygone +, expert
ence, "Will you not sit dow F md let
me see if I can help you?"
A moment later, when t door
had closed softly behind Sis - Alice
Ambrose, his quiet eyes an( ympa-
thetic manner drew out tho begin
ming of the story. The sma hands
of the speaker clasped and u| asped
nervously as she told it.
"a long time agO-when vas a
child ruined my sisters and
happiness. I didn't quite knOwNyAat
I was doing, but--but was Jealous,
and I knew l was doing wrong. My
sister, who is nine years older than
myself, had always been devoted to
me. After she was engaged to be mar
ried I was less With her. So l hated
her lover bitte9ly, although he was
very kind to NJ he, and think no one
never suspected my feeling, and l
longed, in CHI Ssh fashion, TO part
them. One Ms, when they were to
have been married shortly. I"
"Yes?" said the priest, encouraging
ly, seeing that she found it difficult to
continue. Zone day you"
"NGy sister had promised to take me
out that afternoon" came the recital
told to }the accompaniment OF those
restless, haunting, nervous movements
of ths( fingers, "but when John-her
lover Ssent message asking her to
accom- pany him somewhere, she put
me q with promises of some future
pleas lure. I was mad with anger and
jealousy, and when she sent me down
TO tine parlor, that afternoon, to en-
tert4,in him while she finished dress
ing. Ill told him that she had gone
out Nth a cousin known to admire
heMlnd I destroyed the hastily writ
n ote he asked me to hand her as
as she came in. The note told
7 Yeef that ne m4St1ea the city, that
evening, for an absence '~~et~ ssyeFaa1
months; it asked her, since tn g. hat
missed each other at that ii IL
meet him at the depot. toldlJuh'
that he had left the house In smpa
tent anger, refusing to wait lcngel
for her, and when I heard that thu
engagement had been broken, som'
weeks later, because of Johns mex
!. plicable conduct and persistent silence
J I rejoiced.
"My sister was Ill for months an
= I feared to tell her. Then I was sen
e to boarding school while our mothe
accompanied Julie to the mountains
and I only returned home in time TO
her wedding to Charlie, the cousin VIII
- had loved her so long. I felt then, be
ing a little older. that must hold m
peace for ever, and, gradually, for
got all about my wrongdOing, say
for occasional reoollections now an
then. But new-I am to be marrie
! myself, shortly, and last week my sis
} ter, In urging me to be sure that
really loved my lover, let me know
something of what she herself ha
missed and suffered through my de{e
ton"
D "Her marriage, then, has -nOS b
a happy one?" asked the priest,
face pale, his manner strangely qlI
: eyes and no." was the troubled
swer. "Her husband Is good n
and he loves her, but she can onl
= spect and admire him. She man
|, him out of pique, and for lonel
!, and heartache. She told me last
that the only man she should
- love in this world was the man f
whom-from whom I parted her
!. should have told her all then,
she added that only the knowledge
his unworthipess helped her to
without him. Had she been sepa
j. ed from him for any other reason,
T felt she should have gone mad.
"Since then have been tortured
an agony of remorse and uncertain
. Last night I resolved to confide in yS
and abide by your decision. Shall
\ tell my sister the whole story, or sha
= I hold my peace?"
There was a long silence. The prieI
was oonsidering-struggling with b
human pature-the girl sobbing sot
". From the adjacent chapel can
the soft, toneless music of the sister
:. "Out of the deep have I called UNI
Tlsee, o Lord. If Thou, Id
(, wilt be extreme to mark what is id
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