The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1903-03-05

TIE looked for the most part
IL straight in front of him as they
walked across the field side by side.
His forehead was puckered, his mouth
set, his peculiarly youthful face paler
than its won't Life" he said, sis
such huge responsibility" Uncon-
sciously his voice took the dogmatic
tone which so often characterized it
in the performance of his clerical
duties. Life is such serious mat
ter; do not think we half realize it's
tremendous seriousness"
"Talking-of - err tigers?" said
she.
His voice dropped to one of sur
prise, almost of irritation. What
do you mean?" he asked
Il haven't grasped the connection"
she said. 1T is only when 1 am in
pain that l feel like that"
Plainly he was seriously affected.i
Tor he even ignored her frivolous
aside. 1.-The longer L live" he went
on, "the more l am impressed by
what l feel convinced is the crying
evil of the day, this growing tend
ency to treat everything lightly, to
turn our most sacred aspirations in
to mere matter to joke about. This
world is not a Playground; this life
is not a schoolboy's holiday; and this
modern craze for hiding the insight
ly under a veil Of laughter is an ut
terly false Interpretation of our
duty, both to ourselves and to others.
Who are we, always to enjoy our
selves? What have we done to earn
the primrose paths, the easy passage?
There is beauty in remuneration" he
paused a moment, and his voice had
grown soft and little husky.
'Oh, what is it?" she asked. There
must be something!" she continued.
''Has the vicar" here she smiled,
although unwillingly- has his rever,
ence been insisting on the IS minutes
limit for your sermons again?"
NO" he said shortly, and fiercely
conquered the temptation to join her
in smiles.
ut must be something" she in
sisted. "It is not, it cannot be, dis
missal?' she inquired. Wont you
tell me?" she pleaded, and now her
smiles were all banished, her sweet
eyes turned on him in sympathetic
alarm. you can trust me-" she add
ed; land it might be a relief"
So he told her. 1t was in his ma
ture to wrap his meaning in MANY
words, to erect side affairs of sacrifice
in unexpected places. But the girl
he addressed did not miss the sense
of what he said, because of the di-
gressions. She tripped away the
hangings and saw his simple plan of
life laid bare. This was the trouble.
that he was vowing himself to cell
bacy without a special call in that
direction; rather from what she
gladly gathered, with a strong, tur,
bulent leaning toward the married
state as a preference. And the high
aims formed a cloak of righteous
ness to cover the wound from his own
eyes, but lack of means formed the
real reason. With a widowed mother
to support, and very little beyond his
curate's stipend to depend upon, what
room was there in his narrow life for
the contracting of new ties? She
had given him an expensive education
and had lately lost almost her en-
tire income. So had she not claim
on him impossible to set aside?
The girl at his side, her smiles for
gotten, was forced reluctantly to
agree with him in every particular,
except-she being of a practical ma
ture-with regard to the cloak of
righteousness. And even that device
she considered charming-in him.
"You couldn't neglect your mother
for anyone" she said, bravely.
NO" he admitted, "no; that's
true"
$50 you are forced to make a duty
OF necessity" she said.
lie waited moment, repeating her