The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-02-03

: MRS. HOLZAPPLE 'S CONVICTIONS ;


! She went to him suddenly and clasped
her arms about his neck
"Goodby, DAM she sobbed. IT'S the
last time [ dare touch you or speak to
| you-except when l got to-till you've
gave yourself up again already!'
Dan laughed as he took her chin in his
hand and turned her face up to his.
II amt leav'in' you act like that to me,
! Lizziel If you'd been set back instead
| of me I'd of left meetin', you know L
would. And when I'm set back 1 expect
you to come out from among 'em and
| stand by your husband"
Il must obey to the rules, Dan," Lizzie
You must obey to me, Lizzie Take
off your bonnet"
Dan, 1 must choose Christ before
you"
| Its my opinion woman amt choos-
In Christ when she's goin' back on her
man. Christ wouldn't want you to choose
| Him that there way, 1 don't believe"
| DAM Lizzie said,~with solemn 'resolu-
| ton, I'm not gfYin, way. I'm stiekin'
clos't to Christ. I'm not givin' way fur
no earthly ties
/ ~ tell you,' Dan sharply returned, II
amt leavin you go to Meetin' this MORN
in nor never no moreip
II can't help fur that 1 got to go,
Dan"
Something utterly unwouted in her
/
conviction that he had stumbled upon
a hitch in his wifes character, the ex-
istence of which he had never known.
| He gazed at her for a moment with
steely eyes. Love struggled in his breast
| with a cold-blooded impulse to crush,
at any cost this hitherto pliabbe will. A
fierce jealousy of the religion to which
| she adhered rather than to her husband,
| burned in his heart.
! ''You-ain't-goin' :" he slowly and with
7 grim determination repeated.
He moved suddenly across the room
| to the door, went out and locked her in.
Two hours later, in time to cook the
| noon meal, Lizzie was released from her
F, prison. She manifested no resentment for
| her mornings ignominous Incarceration.
| Her long solitude in her room had only
! strengthened her resolution to hold out"
! TO adhere through every trial to the rules
| of discipline of the meeting, to be faith
full to Christ" though her heart broke
| In the struggle.
| When dinner was ready she put the
| baby up to the table in her high chair.
then gently spoke to Dan and told him
! to come eat"
In pale, stern silence he came and took
his place. Lizzie did not sit down. He
| looked up at her as she stood beside Bet
tvs chair, ready to wait upon him and
| the baby.
"Set down, Lizzie"
| She shook her head. 1t was forbidden
| that she should sit at table with her rc-
| creant husband or speak to him any un-
| necessary words.
set down." he again commanded, IN a
] hard cold voice.
| She looked at him piteousy, her lips
| quiverng, and again shook her head.
You set down and eat along, or I
don't eat one bitter
| Lizzles face grew little whittier and
| her eyes more distressed. But she re-
! NAMED mute and resolute.
IAN right If you want to make US
both sick yet that's your affairsl''
| Pushing back his chair he strobe to tho
! door. At the threshold he turned and
! spoke.
TITS easy seen you amt got no love to
me or you couldn't act like what you're
actin!"
This was hard to hear In silence when
1t was out of love for him and concern
for his souls salvation that she put herr
self to this torture.
Dan went out and did not come home
again until o'clock that night.
1t was the first Sunday in their married
I life that they had not spent together.
| He did not find his wife in their bed
| room when he came In. Through the open
door he saw that she was lying on the
settee in the sitting room. She was
"hoding out" in way that even In his
him marvel at her strength and courage
And now began period in their lives
| In after wears they did not like to re-
member. Through three long weary
months the sun in the heavens was for
| them blotted out. In all that time, though
living under one roof they were as
strangers to one another, or worse. I'M
/ plicitly as of old, Lizzie obeyed her hus-
bands least wish-saye only when 1t con-
filcted with her church's discipline But
in her loyalty to her religious faith, she
| remained immovable. Occasionally Dan
would give vent to his feelings in an
outbreak of bitter harshness toward her.
! But invariably he would repent him OF
this, for he could not be adamant to the
| powerful appeal of her evident anguish.
So the weeks moved on. filled with KEEN
est suffering to both. and with no sign
of yielding in either.
Dams bitterness grew upon him as
week after week she continued to hold
out" At last one day, when she was
taking her solitary meal in the kitchen,
he came to her with a question
Lizzie" he said, speaking more gently
than he had done for n long time how
long will it go till you give in to me?
l amt standin this here thing much
longer, Lizzie''
So unswervingly had she hitherto ad-
hered to her resolve TO hold no unnec-
essary yerbale communication with him
that he scarcely hoped for an answer to
his inquiry. But this time she raised her
sad eyes to his face and gaZed at him
steadfastly. as she replied, It'll you give
yourself up again. Dan. I entertain a
hope fur you. The Brothers and Sisters
entertains hope, too
| Dan saw with elear-eyed vision, as he
met her transparent gaze, that never.
never would she yield in this matter If
their old relation was to be restored, it
would be he-great. strong, masterful
Pennsylvania Dutchrlan that he was
who would have to give in.
And that was what he knew he would
never do. Rather would he pack up, bag
and baggage. and leave her to her Men
MONTE brethren and her rules-since she
preferred them before him. He would
not, he could not, give in to her.
But as he looked at her, suddenly for
/ the first time he became conscious OF the
i great change that had been wrought in
| her In the past months, a change that
i somehow made her appear remote and
| unfamiliar to his eyes. Her daily spr-
itual struggle had given to her coun-
| tenance a look of other worldliness, an
/ exalted expression that seemed to
! beyond the things of earth.
And there was borne in upon Dams
| consciousness. as he continued to look
upon this new and unfamiliar face of his
! wife, the realization of another change.
| His heart contracted with sharp agony
as he saw this alarming fact. How could
he have been so blind, he wondered in
| all these weeks not to have seen 1t COM