The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-05-21
From ne French Of Treneots ooppss.

| Nlbuhlu, Out III tu0 JILL heAV VA WIG AeAAAk
In the chapel the abbe saw the white blouse
and heavy shoes Of q day workman. Doubt.
less peasant who had kept his good faltt
amid the faithlessness Of the city.
The priest entered the confessional. anc
presently, without the slightest motion
drew aside tho curtain OF green serge
The confession he was about to hear was
without doubt. as oolorless as that Of the
market women who made up his usual
congregation.
M. PAbbe,' began the man slo WHY. In
hoarse voice which he tried to render
low, excuse me II / do not know how to
speak properly / have not been to con.
fession for twenty years; no, not since
left the country.
you know how 1t Is, monsieur. q man
in Paris And then am not any worse
than another, and thought to myself: The
good God knows what we are.
But to-day what have on my conscience
is too heavy for me to carry alone, and you
must listen to me. NJ. 10 Cure. have killed
a man.
The able started on his bench. A muir
dererl This wa, no old woman with a
petty tale Of neighbors' chickering's and dis
putes to be heard with halfhearted interest
and absolved with confidence!
In his trouble, in which there was no
little terror. the good priest repeated
mechanically:
Confess, my son Tho mercy of God is
infinite"
ALet me begin at the beginning, then.
said the man in voice Of patient sorrow.
Il am a bricklayer, and l came to Paris
3 than " uyti, foil u,
+ countryman. an old school chum.
I'VE had robbed birds nests together
and learned to read at the same school.
Almost brothers. helm?
His name was Philip-and my name is
Jacques. He was big, fine looking fellow.
l have always been ugly and poorly built.
There was no finer workman than he, while
I was only a slow sort OF thing
And good and honest he was then, with
hand IN his pocket for every one. was
proud to he his friend. proud to walk beside
him and have him thump me on the back
and call me Stupid pig l loved him
because | admired him-that was the truth
Of it.
'Onoe arrived in Paris, we were engaged
by the same master. Great good luck. we
thought it was, but pretty soon Philip
began to leave me alone in the evenings
while he went of to amuse himslf with the
~ was ohiy AZ Ills aye.
he loved pleasure and gay faces, he was
free, he had no responsibility like me, who
had Ian old mother in the country.
No. i was content to spend my evenings
ano take my meals with fruitseller in the
house where ! lived and who kept her soup
kettle hot for the bricklayers Philip
would not go there and, to be honest the
soup was not very good; but the woman
was widow, and could see that my COM
ing helped her: and then, for must lie
hon ri Coll t,N1 1.
ter. Poor Catherine! You will soon hear
what came of it, Monsieur lie Cure.
1T was three years before told her that
loved her. You see. was only medium
worker and the little that / earned was
hardly enough for the mother and myself,
without thinking of any one else. But at
last the good mother died and went to Para
disc and was able to lay aside little, and
when thought had enough for a home OF
my own l spoke to Catherine.
AT first she would say neither yes nor
no. But she talked with her mother. who
respected me for steady worker and
temperate man, and the marriage was
agreed upon.
An: l have had some happy weeks in
my life. | knew that Catherine did no
more than accept me. but felt sure that
could make her love me some dav
"Of course had told Philip everything,
ana when Catherine was promised to me
wanted him to .now her. Probably you
nave guessed the rest, onsieur lie cure.
Philip was handsome fellow, gay and
fuii OF fun, everything that | was not and
without meaning to, he and Catherine fell
IN love with each other. Al, but hers was
an honest nature, and rs soon az she knew
what she felt she told me.
Il shall never forget that moment. 1t
was her birthday, and for greeting had
bought her golden chain and arranged
it carefully in box with soft cotton. We
We're alone in the back shop and took the
hox from my pocket and gave it to her.
Then she burst into tears.
Forgive me- jacques she said, and
Keep that for the woman you marry. l
/ cannot be your wife. | love another
man love Philip
n, surely l knew what grief meant then:
il. But what could do, since loved them
both | wanted them to be happy. and |
so, because Philip had always spent his |
money and had none laid by, / gave him |
my earnings to furnish his house with.
We'll, then they we're married and for a
while everything went finely. They had
a little boy and | was his godfather and
named him Camille, in memory of my
mother.
1t was just after he was born that Philip
take 40 far as he was concerned he was
not made for marriage, he loved pleasure
and the wineshops too well. You live
near poor people. Monsieur lie Cure, you
KNOW WIldL IL means Wnen tn6 husband
begins to drink and to be idle,
and comes home cross and exhausted from
, spree. only to quarrel with his wife and
oeat her
an less than two years, Philip had be-
ZONE such man as this. In the begin
hing ! tried to talk to him bit, and for q
While he listened and even seemed to be
but soon he grew angry at what
said. and when went % the house and saw
heir poor rooms all bare Of the furniture
hat had gone piece by piece to the pawn
hop, and Catherine sitting there 40 pale
md thin, he became furious with me.
Il bore 1t patiently enough until the day
le accused Catherine, who is as pure as
he Blessed Virgin. Of loving me rather
han her husband. All! / very nearly
TILED him then. But 1t taught me what !
must do. and after that l never went to
ee Catherine again, nor my godchild. and
Philip only met by chance when we
we're working on the same job 4
Il did not lose them entirely. No. ]
owed them too dearly for that. and on
nights, when knew that Philip
vas away, used to walk about the square
where they lived and talk to the little
'amille, and II things were going too badly
t the house. he did not go back empty
anded, as you NAV guess. think Philip
new what was doing, but he found it con-
enient, so he never said anything.