Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1903-07-11
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Phe end Of The Story.
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BY BARRY PAIN.

broken down, and the paper did not
come till the following Monday, and
the eart1l-so far as the old ladies knew
twas upside down. They did not
glance hurriedly through it and then
fling it aside They read every word
and commented sagely and soberly
upon it.
incidentally, it solved a problem for
them. They had never varied from
their strict upbringing, and they were
forbidden by their consciences to read
novels on Sunday But they We're not
forbidden to read the Sunday Miscel-
lany. Was 1t not, as its name implied,
Sunday paper? Was it not edited by
a clergyman? And it possessed
serial story. They followed every in
stalment with the keenest interest.
They were critical, too, but rather Of
the characters in the story than of tie
authors work.
"Where he was wrong" Priscilla
would say, speaking Of the hero of
"Percivaps Atonement," twas in going
to London at all. The good Bishop
had warned him of the temptations
which awaited him there. [ cannot
help feeling sorry for him, but so far as
l can see from the last chapter this
week, that poor boys going to tt T.,
bad ~-''
hope not" said her sister, serious
ly. ut does look like 1t this week, but
l pin my faith in that girl Olive Lor-
raine. l feel convinced that we shall
hear good deal more of her, and
can see already that she is taking an
interest in him. However, we shall see
next week. 1t is unfortunate that every
week the story stops just at some point
where one wants to know more. But
l suppose it is unavoidable"
The editor would have been pleased
If he had heard that. The serial stories
in the Sunday Miscellany were innOc-
uOus and stereotyped. The lurid light
which they cast on the high life Of Lon
don was never too lurld. Virtue was
always triumphant, and the end was
always happy. When in the very first
chapter Percival plunged into the dark
pool to rescue the drowning kitten, and
his father exclaimed: 1T is all over;
we shall never see him alive again. it
never occurred to the old ladies to ask
how on earth the serial story was going
to get on If the hero died in the very
first chapter. Oh the contrary, they
took pessimistic view of the situation.
"Thank heaven, he's alive" exclaimed
Priscilla, as she anXiously attacked the
next weeks instalment.
WAS he injured!' asker her sister
eagerly.
"He speaks of strain on his nervous
system, and says he is still very
feeble"
That Percival was pretty feeble all
the way through the story. But he had
sunny smile and curly hair. Even
his London excuses could not quite de-
strOy the old ladies' affectiOnate adj
miration for him.
"PercivaPs Atonement" was very
long serial The clerical editor, who
paid starvation prices in any case, had
got reduction on taking a quantity.
At the end of six months Percival was
safely engaged to that charming lady
Olive Lorraine; but Sin the dim twi-
light" he had accidentally espied her
kissing another man. He did not ask
for any explanation. He merely be-
came seriously i'll, and mOaned a good
deal. The Percivals of fiction are like
that.
And just at this iuncture Priscilla,
the elder Of the Two sisters, also fell Ill.
1t was sudden illness and ended in
her death. She knew that she was
dying.
One Sunday afternoon she had lain
for a long time without speaking Her
sister had read out to her the chapters
of the current number Of the Sunday
Miscellany, and sat by the fireside,
waiting for chance to do something
else for Priscilla. In the silence the
clock seemed to tick labOriously, as if
the quiet of the room had nearly over
whelmed it.
II cannot believe" said Priscilla, at
last, that Olive Lorraine was guilty.
1t seems so unlike her. In the twilight
a man might very easily make mis-
take-it was probably some other girl"
"Or," said her sister, "the man may
turn out to have been her brother or
her father"
at is, perhaps. pity that Percival
did not think Of these things. should
have liked to have known how the
story ended before l died"
o"Nonsensew said her sister. you're
much better. Anybody can see that"
Priscilla shook her head. That night
she got little sleep; her mind was much
worried about Olive Lorraine and Per-
cival. To the sick woman these alb
surd characters out of stupid story
had become intensely real. She babbled
of them at times when she was light
headed.
And her sister wrote letter to the
author of "Percival's Atonement," and
got reply of favorable character by
return Of post. 1t was quite unus-
ually good-natured author.
The sister went to Priscilla in trl-
umph. II thought, my dear, that your
anxiety about Olive and Percival was
perhaps making your recovery rather
slower than it should be-"