The Lamar register., 1903-12-23
The Old and New
BY PAUL P. HARRIS

| ly-lighted street on New Years eve.
Many smiled in a cynical way as they
stepped aside to avoid his reeling form:
others looked the disgust they felt, and
few. indeed. were they who by word or
look evidenced spirit of charity.
The young man needed not; he could
summon to his whirling brain but ono
picture. He saw the ghastly face of the
corpse he had left, but few mo-Rnts
before, at the morgue. The bod WAS
that of a companion in the days de-
bauch, stranger in the city. one of the
thousands of unknown. He had lost his
life in an alteration over cards, says the
Radford Review.
He drove his way through the thick
est OF the crowd as though the exercise
relieved him. and occasionally he
pressed his palms to his thobbing tenn
pies or brushed the damp hair from his
hot forehead. He strobe on across the
bridge and far into q residence portion
of the city beyond. Twice he stumbled
and fell. but was quickly up and on again.
He turned into side street and ap-
preached well-lighted church. The
services were about to begin and the
young man concealed himself in an oh
scure niche and waited. He was breath.
ing heavily. The organ prelude cam6
tremblingly to his ear. He knew who's
fingers touched the responsive keys ant
he groaned aloud: THE barriers! Oh
were 1t not for the barriers!" The musi
rose to ecstatic bursts, then softene
again in plaintive diminuendo. l
reached his heart and a flood of teai
at last moistened his fevered cheeks an
assuased his agony. His head was bowe
down as he listened to that prayer
song.
Later, he staggered on to n businei
thoroughfare and into private room
a favorite haunt. There, throwing hiI
| self into chair, he buried his face inf
hands. His thoughts reverted to I
CLASSY eyes, and wishing to dispel
image, he ordered a whisky straight.
filling the glass TO the brim. was abo
to turn the contents down hiAEarch
throat when the spirit of the song pray
came back to him. He placed the whis
glass upon the table and drained
seltzer glass instead. He heard 4 nu
ber of his maudlin comrades enter
bar and he arose and bolted the door
his private room.
When his friends were gone,
thought again of the organist and
last words she had spoken to h
When you have satisfied yourself
+ true happiness lies only in the path
Righteousness and are prepared to
for absolution from guilt and sin,
and then only, may you come to me
shall be waiting, Fred" and he reca
to mind now the calm, deep Lowell
that shone through the mist Of tear
the blue eyes had reminded him of
lures he had seen of the Madonna,
he recalled how often since he
nerved himself to do better things,
then he thought of the barriers.
He thought of her as he had
known her, a girl of ten, and ho-
used to sit in the family pew in th
church down near the river and ga
her wealth of dark brown hair and
to twine his fingers in IL.
Toying with the whisky glass, he
''In this is the power to carry me
the loss of self-respect, loss of mar
and loss of everything that life
dear and, perhaps. ultimately TO
morgue, where my CLASSY eyes IN
seen in their cold death stare, whi
soul starts on its endless journey
bottomless pits of the inferko; an
hesitate, while still am invited,
lovelight that shines in pair OF
emily blue eyes, to the life that vii
me into green pastures and besid
waters and give me strength II
Yea, though I walk through tn
ley of the shadow of death. wi
no evil;' do l hesitate while the
of my angel mother beckons me
He arose, and dashing the whi
the floor, threw open the door.
Pedro, here, Fritz, how do look
gin to feel myself a man. Are
still bleared? Come, quick, a cor
a glass, soap and water Brush
we'll; l have a mission to perfo
dollar apiece, and put it to good
lows. for it's the last you get"
After he had gone, Pedro said It
another touch of the 'Willies.'
have never seen him that bad
tapped his head significantly a
swered: mo, it's the south-sid'
ing"
A few moments later the you
was rushing wildly up the windir
of the church on the side stree
room above the belfry. where
little band was wont to gather
Years eve to watch and pray, a.
wear passed out. the new year
fell beside one of the kneelers al
Margaret, / have satisfied my
,-uo bopnipesS lies only in u