New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1903-01-07
] PROFESSIONAL
! BRETHREN
BY GEORGE e. WALSH (
Copyright, 1909, by r. M. Buckles & Co..
: NeaD York
[coNr1NuED.l
CHAPTER XIII.
BY GEORGE e. WALSl

tlNSY Ma ing events which /
! NVE M have recorded had
s6E\ kept me from any
Ss------> longing to return to
the exciting experiences of my profess
sion. During this time had grown
somewhat stouter, and my counte-
nance had begun to assume kindly,
benevolent, well fed appearance. Nee 4
essarily had grown a trihe laZier.
Several times had almost decided to
return to my old methods Of life, but
a certain inertia, undoubtedly bred and
nourished by my new existence of ease,
always prev nted. would keep de-
ferring the time until a more conven-
lent period. a% ~.
A genuine fear that l would lose my
skill through lack Of practice occasion
ally tormented me, but each time l
put it aside with the thought that my
profession was no longer, an absolute
necessity. 1t did not mean bread and
butter to me as it did at one time.
was a full fedged butler, and | could
secure good recommendation from
my master any time I chose to leave.
Warned by my own experiences, l
never let an opportunity pass to help
a young man just starting on the
downward road to get back to the
main highway. l never entertained
any serious thoughts Of getting back
there myself, but I hate to see others
straying from it. ~
Nevertheless now found myself
slowly drifting back to an honest life.
This had been accomplished through
no choosing of my own. Circumstances
again were responsible for this change.
I did not make any resolves to remain
thus for any length of time-in fact,
rather expected that the time would be
brief.
AS just remarked, never liked to
see another, especially a young man,
taking the downward road, and it was
this strange feeling that gave me a
little worry and anxiety in my idle life
as butler for Mr. Goddard. I realized
that my master was leading double
life; that he was pursuing his burglary
tendencies systematically and that he
was committing crime even while he
was making love to Miss Stetson. This
circumstance at first puzzled me; then
it worried and Initiated and finally dis
gusted me. 1 could not fathom it's
meaning. l saw my own crime, illus
trated in him, in it's true light, and it
positively made me ashamed of my
record. / longed to speak of the mat
ter to him, but our peculiar relation
ship prevented it. as s
While sympathized with him for
the incurable disease which had al
ways cast a blight over his young life
I soon learned to condemn him for his
rash folly. No man Of his position, in.
teliigence and opportunities in the
world had any business to stoop tc
crime. In some cases necessity may
drive man to the commission of a
theft and habit may later deaden his
conscience, but no such excuse could
be held out for my master.
T. He was either bad at heart, Grim
inal by instinct, or he had weak vii
that had been perverted by others
when young and uniformed. In every
thing else he seemed model Of
strength, self command and intelli
gence. Why should he be so helpless
in this respect?
Since that first memorable meeting
at the dead of night in the Stetsor
mansion no word or sign had ever
passed between US which indicated
that we knew anything of the Others
criminal tendencies. Out of sense Of
honor kept my part OF the agreement
and for some reason he remained I'M
commune about the subject. New
ertheless longed to break the ice be
tween us. If / could once more meet
him when robbing a house, would
4. have the liberty to speak. and woul6
not again bind myself to silence.
Admiration for his skill, love fol
him as a man when not engaged in his
professional work and a certain dis
4 gust at his deceptive, double existence
produced strangely conflicting emo
lions in me- At times I felt that his
crime should be atoned for and that il
he should ever attempt to marry Miss
Stetson ] would reveal all I knew t.