Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-01-30
DAILY STORY.
UNDER THE CROSS.

1
TO house selling any little article he
could get Il dealer to trust him with,
and his life was passed principally in
looking in at doors which were slam
med in his face. One day, receiving
| no answer to his ring at Il handsome
residence he tried the knob, opened
the door and walked in. Hearing no
sound, he reconnoitered as far as the
second story, from a back window of
which he saw Il woman in the yard
hanging up clothes. The premises had
evidently been left in her care. Pull
ing open a bureau drawer, he saw Il
box and. opening the box, a small for
tune in jewels.
The human mind is capable of great
deliberation. in Il very small space of
time. Eli Platts certainly was. He
had never stolen or robbed. Indeed.
he had calculated the chances of such
methods and knew they We're decided
ly against dishonesty. The goods were
usually recovered, and the thief went
to state prison. Plat concluded to
take the jewels, hide them. suffer the
consequences of the theft and when Il
free man again recover the treasure
and take Il good long comfortable rest.
He decided and acted deliberately, not
on the usual impulse of Il thief.
That night he took the jewels to 4
block on which the only building was
a brick junkshop. Somebody had once
taught him to find the north star by
the pointer stars. so he took thirty
steps from the northwest corner of the
jnnls Shnn toward tho
ped and. with Il rusty shovel he found
outside the junkshop, dug Il hole and
buried his treasure.
He had been seen coming away with
the jewels and when they were missed
was arrested, identified and sent to the
penitentiary.
Seven years later Eli Plat, j.lSt dis
charged. Sauntered by the block where
he had buried the jewels. y number
of buildings had been erected; but, for
tunately for Eli, he recognized the junk
shop. though it was now used for Il
feed store. He looked toward the
spot where he had buried his treasure
and saw that it was covered by the
rear end of Il chapel. The roof of this
end was rounded up to Il point. on
which was cross.
If his mind was capable of delibera-
ton, it was also capable of calling W
pictures. As he looked at the cross
he saw an old woman kneeling n
an altar. She was his mother Then
he saw himself toddling along by her
side TO church, later his confirmation.
And now the treasure he had taken
from another and had suffered seven
long years to possess was sheltered by
q sacred temple guarded by the holy
of the cross.
Life. like the world. is of two hem
ispheres. To pass from one earthly
hemisphere to another may require
weeks, perhaps months. \ passage
from one spiritual hemisphere to an
other may be accomplished in 4 frac
ton of 4 second. As Eli looked mp at
what as Il child he had been taught |
to reverence it occurred to him that |
it had been placed over his treasure |
that no hand should profane it. For |
what purpose? To save his soul. By |
whom? She who had long passed to |
her heavenly hOme-his mother.
In n twinkling he was changed. In |
Il twinkIing that which in prison he |
llslu iODhet lOENdItl 10 lolSlbSlN. count
ing the days between him and its pos |
session. had become only Il means by |
which he might be rescued from evil.
Going to the front of the chapel. he |
found the doors open and entered. |
There was the stiffness of house of |
when no services were being
held. Several people were kneelng be-
fore the altar. He went forward and
dropped on his knees.
Long lie stayed immOvable, his head |
bowed upon his breast. He was think
nG of the old woman who took him to
church when he was Il little bOy-how.
doubtless. she had waited while he
was in prison for this moment, how
she had intcrccded for him and how in
he inscrutable ways of the heavenly |
hosts all this had been brought about.
Beside the altar was booth shielded
Dy Il curtain in which Il priest was
hearing confession. When the CON
'essor came out Eli Platt entered and
old the priest the story of his theft.
lis endurance for its final possession
md where he had buried his treasure.
The next day the priest conducted
he chief of police and a party of work
men to the cellar of the chapel. TAX
ng up the cement floor. they dug in
he earth, and Il few feet under the
surface directly beneath the cross they
Ound box of jewels. They were sent
o their rightful owners
4 few days after their return the
'riest sent for Eli Platt and told him
hat lady who had been the possessor
# what he had stolen had been so |
'leased at getting her property again
hat she had sent him 4 present of
800. Eli declined to touch Il cent of it.
1t all belongs to me, not as thing to
e converted into money. but as a key
y which my better nature has been
1t was kept for me by my
Id mother in heaven, who put this
hapel and the cross over it that |