The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1902-03-15

in the world, with the exception OF
yourself, Father Billings. IT you don't
help me, Im-I'm afraid I'm lost for
ever!'
What do you want me to do, my
ch1ld?' asked the priest, quietly.
For answer, she sank :on her knees
beside him, catching at his hand with
small, beseeching fingers that burned
like fire.
Tell him that I have been making
charity CALLS" she said, hoarsely. "he
won't believe me, but he'll believe you.
If you tell him. Everybody knows"
without a suspicion of grim humor,
"how invariably truthful you are: p:
But, my child" said the priest,
:gravely, that would he a lie, sim"
II know it would be "a lie," she made
answer, but would Ito be a sin if you
did it to save another?'" And there
are worse sins than lying, Father, and
some OF them are hard to avoid. /
don't know how to tell you, but-I've
no money, Father, I've no friends or
re1ati yes, and II my husband throws
me aside there's only one person to
whom can turn for assistance-and-
and-I do not want to go to-him."
The face OF the priest was pale and
puzzled. AS clergyman he knew w.
Ing to be- sinful. As "a man and a
gentleman he hated lying on general
principles. He was firmly convinced
OF the wickedness of doing evi! that
good may come. And yet
1t was all so clear before him. 1y
this woman did not still love the
the other man-she would not so fear
and dread being thrown aside by her
unloving, unloved husband. And. II 10
thrown aside, to whom else could she
turn? That she was speaking the
truth in regard to her husbands
harshness and her own pennlless con-
dition the clergyman knew we'll. He
knew more about solid, John Brewster
than most people, and for hard man
and exceeding close with his money
all men knew him. That he would re-
fuse to believe the meeting between his
wife and the lover from whom he had
parted her, by unfair means, solitary
and Al innocent as accidental was also
t0lerably certain.
Then, certainly, the problem lay be-
tween this woman's soul and his own
the priestly soul which had never vet
been stained by lying.
Heavy steps sounded along the pass-
ageway leading from the street. The
woman, springing to 4 chair on the
other side OF the table, locked at the
priest beseechingly and bent hurriedly
over some papers. A moment later
and solid John Brewster himself strobe
into the room.
At sight Of his wife the hard face
changed, the expression faitered. The
priest, rising to confront him, cav in
his eyes both doubt and hesitation
Il see my wife is with you," the
man said, sullenly. May I inquire
II she has been with you all day?"
For a moment the priest struggled,
against a most human impulse, the
mad, natural, all but uncontrollable
inclination to knock down this in
timidator of a woman and trampla,
upon him. Then he remembered that
he was q priest, and that there.seemed
but one way Of helping the intimida-
tors victim. He turned his eyes to-
ward her down-bent head, momenta-
rily, and again the Problem: Of the Lie
lifted its double-headed torment and
regarded him. He saw. as If in vision.
the Recording Angel who was so real
personage to him take down, with
sorrowful stsrnness. the white scroll OF
his unstained veracity and degrade it,
degrade IT to the dust. His eyes nlled
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