Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1903-05-07
The Young Curate.


70E looked for the most part
JT7I straight in front of him as they
~S walked across the field side by
side. His forehead was puckered, his
paler than its won't Life" he said,
lis 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 Il serious matter; do not
think we half realize its tremendous
seriousness"
"Talking-of-er- said she.
His voice dropped to one of surprise,
almost of irritation. What do you
mean?" he asked.
Il haven't grasped the connection"
she said ut is only when am in pain
that l feel like that"
Plainly he was seriously affected, for
he even ignored her frivolous aside.
The longer | live" he went on. 1.-The
more l am impressed by what l feel
convinced is the crying evil Of the day,
this growing tendency to treat every
thing lightly, to turn our most sacred
aspirations into a mere matter to joke
about. This world is not playground;
this life Is not schOOlboy's holiday;
and this modern craze for hiding the
unsightly under veil of laughter is an
utterly false Interpretation of our
duty, both to ourselves and to others.
who are we, always to en- 10Y ourselves?
What have we done to earn the prim-
rose paths, the easy passage? There is
a beauty in renunclaton;" he paused
moment. and his voice had grown soft
and little husky.
"Oh, what is it?" she asked There
must be something's she continued.
HAS the vicar"-here she smiled. al
though Neutrality-suspicious. his reverence
been insisting on the fifteen minutes
limit for your sermons again?"
NO." he said shortly, and f1ercely
conquered the temptation to join her
In smiles.
ut must be something" she insisted.
1T Is not, 1t cannot be, dismissal?"
she inquired. won't 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 added; land 1t might be a re-
lief"
So he told her. 1t was in his nature
to wrap his meaning in many words,
to erect side affairs of sacrifice in unex-
pected places. But the girl he ad-
dressed did not miss the sense Of what
he said. because Of the digressions. She
stripped away the hangings and saw
his simple plan Of life laid bare. This
was the trouble, that he was vowing
himself to celbacy without a special
call in that direction: rather from what
she gladly gathered, with strong tur-
bulent leaning toward the married
state as preference. And the high
aims formed a cloak Of righteousness
to cover the wound from his own eyes,
but lack of means formed the real
reason. With 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 entire in
come. 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 practical nature-with
regard to the cloak of Righteousness.
And even that device she considered
charming-in him.
You couldn't neglect your mother
for any one" she said, bravely.
NO. he admitted; mo. that's true"
$50 you are forced to make duty
of necessity" she said.
He waited moment. repeating her
words over to himself as though he
had not reached their meaning.
1T is the mother of invention" she
put in quickly. And like YOU" she
went on. with change Of tone, 80
much better for your devotion to duty.
Yes. | do
Her last words banished his perplex-
lty. They also awOke to cutlery the
mans heart, beating wildly beneath
the correct clerical coat.
But it is so hard" he said between
his clenched teeth-'sometimes, my
darling. almost more than l can bear"
Her eyes looked no reproach at him
for the words he should not have
spoken