Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1902-06-12
Continued.


GALLEY. of flower and tree; but in vain
MY heart is dead" she said to me
one morning. had taken her to
Esthwaite Water, and we were sitting
on a grassy bank you see the beauty
of the sunlight and the flowers; | do
not. Everything is alike to me-a dull
hopeless blank"
DO you not think you ought to try
to rouse yourself?" l asked. Il know
there are incurabIe sorrows, but yours
can hardly be one"
She looked at me with faint CLEAN
of hope ia her eyes.
What do you call an incurable sor-
row, Kate?" she asked-we were SO
much together, and she had grown so
my Christian name.
"An incurable sorrow means, l
suppose, a sorrow which there seems
no hope of assuaging," | replied.
and what should you think would
cause such a sorrow as that?' she
asked.
l thought deeply for few minutes;
then I replied
There are very few reasons for an
incurab1e sorrow. Death would not be
one, for there is the hope of meeting
again in heaven; sickness that has no
remedy would not be one, for, patiently
borne, it brings a blessing of it's own;
loss of money is not one, for life holds
plenty of happiness without wealth
and hard work hurts no one. | am
puzzled to imagine what can cause an
incurable sorrow. The only thing [
can think of is the doing of an evil
deed for which there is no remedy"
You admit that that is a ground
for sorrow that can never be cured?"
Looking at the beauty of earth and
sky, of the cleaning waters kissing
the green banks, of the myriads of
wild flowers and ferns growing around
us, | was puzzled again. All this was
the work of the great Creator. Would
He who clothed the lilies, who fed the
sparrows, give to one of His creatures
pain that could not be cured?
Il am beginning to think that there
is no such thing as an incurable sor-
row." | said slowly. 1--WE agree that
evil deeds, sin, crime, are the greatest
sources of sorrow. There is no sin, no
crime, so great but that heaven will
pardon it,
DO you think so, Kate?" And the
mournful blue eyes sought mine with
the first CLEAN of hope that I had ever
seen in them.
Il am sure of it." I replied. There
is no sin SO great, no crime so horrible.
but that heaven will pardon, if pardon
be asked"
But man. she said-"why does not
man forgiven"
Man acts with human power, heaven
with power divine, Men in this world
Judge, reward, and punish according
to human laws
Then it happens sometimes" she
said sadly, that, while heaven par
oops, men punish?"
1T must be So" I said. Take a
thief TO- instance. He may repent of
his sin, and may ask pardon for it
with pray ers and tears; all the same.
men must punish him. He must be
imprisoned. and made, if possible, to
give back his illgotten goods. So with
all other sins. | am quite sure of one
thing-that, no matter what men may
do, heaven always pardons a humble
and contrite heart"
Yet" she said despairingly, my
husband will never forgive me. WHY
should he be less pitiful, less mercyfui
than heaven? If I knelt and praved
TO him from sunrise to sunset. he would
wave me away with the same cold
gesture. Oh. Kate, Kate. do not he
shocked, but | think nay,-I am sure
that | would sooner have had my hus-
bands forgiveness than the pardon of
heaven" And her eyes sought mine
with a usefulness that made my very
heart ache.
No, you do not mean that, Lady
Culmore, for in that case you must
have loved your husband with a
greater love than you have given to the
creator"
| ala, she gaSped-"hence my sin.
my terrible sin! I will be wiser, Kate.
VIII weary heaven with my prayers
for pardon; and, when it is granted I
will not cease to seek nv husbands
forgiveness. Oh, my sin, nv SIM IT
was all for love Of him. I would have
gone through fire and water for him :.
and now
| looked at her in wonder and
amazement. What had she donaq
What was the sin of which she smoke
There were traces of great sorrow on
her beautiful face, but no traces of
SIN A few questions from me fben
when her heart was svftened wouId
nave drawn her secret from her. but
! would not ask them. After we had
talked Tor some time, she Eat in silence
watching the golden light that PLAYED
amongst the trees and shone upon the
waters. Then she spoke again
Kate" she said. IF YOU loved anv
one very much-so much that Won FOR
got everything else in the world CT
; much that you forgot all about rigbt
and wrong-and you committed q oroot
sin for the sake of the man Won 1oved
should you not think he would fr.7 =
easy to forgiven
L should think forgiveness vor1f
depend entirely on what the sin was
Lady Culmore.''
me words seemed to strike her Xix,
blow She wept silently, bitterly.
Whatever wrong you did. Lad,
Culmore, | said gently, you hav
suffered enouch