The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1903-09-30
INTERNATIONAL Pness ASSOCIATION
CHAPTER HI-CoNrrSurp.l

CHAPTER I-tCoNrrSuEpb
81 do not think" said Mr. Nicholson
at last, that am an ungenerous faith
er. have never grudged you money
within reason. for any allowable pur-
pose: you had just to come to me and
speak. And now find that you have
forgotten all decency and all natural
ceiling, and actually pawned-pawned
your mothers watch. You must have
had some temptation; will do you
the justice to suppose 1t was a strong
one. What did you do with this
money!"
IL would rather not tell you, sir"
said John. 1T will only make you
angry"
IL will not be fenced with" cried his
father. There must be an end Of dis
ingenious answers. What did you
want with this money!"
ITO lend 1t to Houston, sir" says
John.
81 thought had forbidden you to
speak to that young man." asked the
father.
Eyes, sir" said John; "but only met
him"
"Where?" came the deadly question.
And "In a billiard room" was the
'damning answer.
Thus had Johns single departure
from the truth brought instant pun
ishment For no other purpose but 20
see Alan would he have entered bill
lizard room; but he had desired to pal
takA tvxn co. nj NJ n
now 1t appeared that he frequented
these disreputable haunts upon his own
account.
Once more Mr.. Nicholson digested the
vile tidings in silence; and when John
stole a glance at his fathers counten-
ance he was abashed to see the marks
of suffering.
"Well," said the old gentleman at
last, II can not pretend to be simply
bowed down. / rose this morning
what the world calls a happy man
happy, at least, in son of whom I
thought could be reasonably proud"
But It was beyond human nature to
endure this longer; and John interrupt
ed him almost with scream. ooh,
wheest" he cried, that's not all, that's
not the worst of tits nothing! How
could / tell you were proud Of me? Oh!
! wish, wish that had known: but
you always said was such disgrace!
And the dreadful thing Is this: We
were all taken up last night, and we
have to pay Colette's fine among the
six, or we'll be had up for evidence
shebeening 1t is. They made me swear
In 20 hut fNr ho to1
bursting into tears 81 Just wish that
was dead" And he fell on his knees
before a chair and hid his face.
Whether his father spoke, and wheth-
er he remained long in the room or
at once departed, are points lost to his
tory. A horrid turmoil of mind and
body; bursting sobs broken, vanish
ing thoughts, now of Indignation, now
of remOrse; broken elementary whiffs
of consciousness, of the smell of the
horsehair on the chair bottom, of the
jangling Of church bells that now be-
gan to make day horrible throughout
the confines Of the city, Of the hard
floor that bruised his knees, of the
taste Of tears that found their way into
bis mouth; for period of time, the
duration of which I can not guess,
while refuse to dwell longer on it's
agony. these were the whole of Gods
world for John Nicholson,
When at last, as by the touching of
spring, he returned again to clear
ness Of consciousness and even a meas
ure Of composure. the bells had just
done ringing, and the Sabbath silence
aff kxvk l,n
lated feet. BY the clock above the fire,
as well as by these more speaking signs
the service had not long begun; and the
unhappy sinner, II his father had really
gone to church, might count on near
two hours OF only comparative unhap-
piness. With his father the superla-
tive degree returned infallibly. He
knew 1t by every shrinking fiber in his
body. he knew 1t by the sudden dizzy
whirling of his brain, at the mere
thought of that calamity An hour and
half, perhaps an hour and thres-quar-
ters. IL the doctor was long winded, and
then would begin that active agony
from which, even in the dull ache of
the present, he shrunk as from the bite
OF fire. He saw, in a vision, the fam
Fly pew, the somnolent cushions, the
Bibles. the psalm books, Maria with her
smelling salts, his father sitting spec
tacled and critical; and at once he was
struck with Indignation not unjustly.
II was inhuman to go off to church, and
leave sinner in suspense, unpublished.
unforgiven. And at the very touch of
criticism the paternal sanctity was les
sened; yet the paternal terror only
grew; and the two strands of feeling
pushed him In the same direction.
And suddenly there came upon him
a mad fear lest his father should have
locked him In. The notion had no
ground In sense; 1t was probably no
more than Renaissance of similar
OalamitieS In childhood for his faith