The Cairo bulletin., 1906-06-03


Il cannot ask you TO believe me-" hi
said-the words were heavy, indistinct
but truth spoke In them; Il have lost
all claim upon your confidence; but
love you-you only have been mad
-besotted--but--I love you, now.
ought to be sorry for you, but an,
thinking of myself. shall never look
upon your face again. Oh! my God!''
He had awakened from his dream OF
sinful pleasure. The boy had grown
to be man In that hour, and knew
that in all the world there was no one
so good, so beautiful, so altogether to
be desired, as the wife he had despised,
"Good-by," he said, with despair in
his voice, and would have passed out,
but she stayed him with a gesture
"Wait!" she breathed, difficulty
God give me light" And crossing to
her room she shut the door. Like a
criminal who knows the verdict, and
yet, perforce. awaits the sentence of
the Judge, the man sank into chair.
The little children cried in vain for
mother that night. The eldest, a girl
with her mothers dreamy eyes, gave
them bread and milk, and hushed
them TO sleep.
Down on her knees, the stricken
woman crouched, not praying, but
waiting for light-longing, hoping, but
resigned to Gods will, whatever II
might be. Must she condemn him
now, when he loved her? The broken
marriage law witnessed against him.
He had despised and rejected her-a
wife of youth-but oh, she loved him.
Must she send him away, homeless,
without a wife or children-where
there would be none to watch for his
comfort-none to be glad of it just for
loves sake? Could the good God re-
quire OF her this merciless justice?
When she sent him away she took
from him his last hope of a renewed
life, and doomed him to sink lower
Oh. if she might but keep him, guard
him, love him, forget the broken law!
Women never forgave this sin-women
who loved righteousness and hated |
sin. She would obey God, though she |
perished-though he persisted, which |
was infinitely more terrible to contem-
plate But. oh, If she might forgive I
him!
There was the written Word-with
sudden, trembling hope she rose from
her knees and got her Bible from the
table. She opened 1t and laid her fin
ger, at random, on a passage. At first
she dared not look. When she did. her
face, red with weeping, blanched white.
God had indeed spoken-her finger
pointed to q section of the old law,
Lev. xx:l0
There was no appeal from that--the
words seemed spoken in her ear--he
must die. 1t was the law The strug-
gle was ended-she could not fight
against God.
Once again she read the dread sem
ence, lingering each word as child !
might, and this time reference, in
liner type, caught her eye. 1t was John |
'iii:3. With trembling, uncertain I'm
;ers, she found the reference and, awed
lad humbled. read again that wonder
ul story of divine forgiveness. She
'ead 1t through. to the great absolu-
ion. Neither do | condemn thee; 90
md sin no more" He. the pure God,
he anointed Christ, could forgive, for
His great love. Surely. then, she
night, nay. she must. Sobbing with
iwAd joy she fell upon her knees and
)roke into thanksgiving.
Day was breaking when she stepped
nEo the outer room. Her husband sat
luddled up in great armchair, be-
ore the fireless CRATE. He had fallen
nto an uneasy doze. Love, love I'M
Itterable was in her eyes as they rest
ID on him and noted the marks of suf-
ering on his face. Noiselessly she
lindled the FIRE, and when the light
nd the returning warmth awoke MIN
o a sense of renewed comfort she was
tanding before him, her loving arms
Neither do I condemn thee my
arlIng. my darling!" she cried. and
alling on her knees, she hid her face
pom his breast.
What OF the years before them? Will
e. as the memory of that bloody
gony grows dim. take that divine for
iyeness as a light thing. or will he
indeed, sin no more?'
win Tho rtynrTa coatta ,-ofd - |
wering-now that she faces it with
Weakened eyes? VIII she look back
'ard, longinsly. TO the Land OF
'reams. and forget to march breast
,rward" with those who fall to riser"
Who dare say? Yet. marvellous as
Re or death. is the mystery Of for
as eternity-fath-