The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1907-05-23
Under the Cross
IOrigiral.l

to house selling any little article he
could get a 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 handsome
residence he tried the knob, opened
the door and walked in. Hearing no
sound, he reconnoitered as far as the
second story, from back window of
which he saw woman in the yard
hanging up clothes. The premises had
evidently been left in her care. Pull
ing open a bureau drawer, he saw a
box and, opening the box, a small for
tnue in jewels.
The human mind is capable of great
elaboration in very small space OF
time. Eli Platt's certainly was. He
had never stolen or robbed. Indeed.
he had calculated the chances Of such
methods and knew they were decided
" against dishonesty. The goods were
usually recovered, and the thief went
to state prison. Platt concluded to
take the jewels, hide them, suffer the
consequences of the theft and when a
free man again recover the treasure
and take a good long comfortable rest.
He decided and acted deliberately, not
on the usual impulse Of thief.
That night he took the jewels to
block on which the only building was
a brick junkshop. Somebody had once
taught him to find the north star by
-, 4I~s
steps from the northwest corner of the
1unkshOp toward the north star, STOP
ped and, with rusty shovel he found
outside the iunkshop, dug a 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 Platt. Just dis
charged, sauntered by the block where
he had buried the jewels. A number
of buildings had been erected; but, for
tunately for Eli, he recognized the junk
shop, though it was now used for
feed store He looked toward the
spot where he had buried his treasure
and saw that it was covered by the
rear end of a chapel. The roof of this
end was rounded up to point, on
which was a cross.
If his mind was capable of delibera-
fion, it was also capable of calling up
pictures. AS he looked at the cross
he saw an old woman kneeling at
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
a sacred temple guarded by the holy
emblem 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. A passage
from one spiritual hemisphere to an
other may be accomplished in a frac-
ton of a second. AZ Eli looked up at
what as a child he had been taught
to reverence it occurred to him that
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 a twinkling he was changed. In
a twinkling that which in prison he
had looked forward to longingly, count
ing the days between him and it's pos
session, had become only a 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 a house OF
worship when no services were being
held Several people were kneeling be-
fore the altar. He went forward and
dropped on his knees.
Long he stayed immovable, his head
bowed upon his breast. He was think
ing of the old woman who took him to
church when he was a little boy-how.
doubtless. he had waited while he
was in prison for this moment, how
she had interceded for him and how in
the inscrutable ways Of the heavenly
hosts all this had been brought about.
Beside the altar was a booth shielded
by curtain in which a priest was
hearing confession. When the con-
fessor came out Eli Platt entered and
told the priest the story Of his theft.
his e2t-nra-ce fo- it's final possession
and vbera be had buried his treasure
The next day the priest conducted
tho chief of police and party Of work
men to the cellar of the chapel. TAX
Ing up the cement floor. they dug in
the earth. and a few feet under the
surface directly beneath the cross they
fo,..,+1l box of jewels. They were sent
to their rightful o73-lers.
A few days after their return the
priest sent for Eli Plat and told him
that lady who had been the possessor
of what he had stolen had been so
pleased at getting her property again
that she had sent him present of
$500 Eli declined to touch a cent Of it.
TT all belongs to me. not as thing to
be converted into money, but as a key
by which my better nature has been
Nv