Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1907-06-14

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stailcN, but cternur aJod1iess ana an
honest life for her sake.
He could see the steady gray eyes
filled with tears that never fell and
shining into his with the love that
knew no shame. He must never look
In them again nor ever more defile
with his the brave lips that had trem-
bled, truly, but vet spoken comfortable
words UP to the end.
And here Tom lay in culpabe pow
erty and dishonor1lble rags, fallen al
ready to an ultimate deep. So now,
too late, as through the gates of hell,
must come this message Of angelic
love!
He read 1t again, tore off the clean
half sheet and, sitting cross legged,
wrote as follows in pencil upon his
knee:
1t means that am a BLACKBOARD and
no longer worthy to be even your friend
The Jumna was ten days behind her
advertised time Of sailing. and | was
miserable. You might have pitied me
then; neither ask nor deserve any pity
now. l had vile thoughts. Even If /
made my fortune. your father would hate
my fathers son forever-and I hil,,-so
It could never be. You would marry in
due course. How could you help your
self? Those were.A,ny thoughts, And
then met friend!
He showed me the town. He helped
me to forget. lie won most of my money
and took the rest by fraud. never even
booked my passage And now only live
to spill the fellows blood.
But that's all he did He didn't dis
cp1sON ,,,nF It 1t.
all my promise3 to the noble girl of whom
never was worthy and must therefore
see her no more. 1t would be no good,
Why should ! insult you too? have
Zone so enough In coming to this. Simply
forget me. for am not worth your scorn.
| Forget me utterly I am too ashamed to
sign my name.
This he folded up, addressed with
his pencil and sealed lin fashion,
with the waters which had been used
already Her lips had touched them
before his. Then he sat where he was
md noted the other moral corpses
stretched upon that daily battlefield
and wondered If any of them had
wrecked their lives as wlllfully as he
his And then he thought of his ia
Tiers white hairs and thanked God
they had won to the grave without this
to bring them there.
l. Then he lay down again and wres.
tied with hunger and anguish alter
nately and both together. 1t was even
ing when he left the park heavily
laden with a fact remembered on the
way. He hacked the price Of n tive
penny stamp. Not farthing had he
left nor thing to pawn save his long
silk purse SO ignobly emptied, and thai
had been his fathers before him. L,
should not go even for this, yet the
| letter must. Then how?
! lie sat down again on bench, FOL
| he was weak for want of food, and IL
| his weakness came Il temptation tina
was indeed more like an Inspiration, 81
| luminous was its flash. He might tax,
| his letter and leave it himself. In tht
keyholc of the garden gate Why not
Then she would get it at oncc-tha
! evening
Why not? lie had already given tn,
reasons in the letter itself. And ses
| her he wOuld-he must-if once he GO
as far as Tint garden gate. SO the rca
sons In the letter held very good IN
deed. And how weak to be himself t!ls
first to fly In their face. But, then
weakness WAS his present portion
whereas the temptation grew stronge,
and stronger-onl to see her face one,