Middletown transcript., 1907-09-14

young TO wear Llem. Ana GHej
have been in such happy place.
since, for my mothers short lift
never knew a cloud of sorrow
She wore them at her first ball
and at her wedding and so | fel
more sorry at their loss than
should have felt for anything
else. But I was more sorry still
that my little maid whom trust
ed so, and for whom I had sucf
an affection, should have taker
them.
Miss Carmichael, he remem
bered now, had told him all this
before. Perhaps she had for
gotten that.
She must have known, he was
replying, that she could not dis.
pose of pearls of that size and
beauty without detection.
I could never have worn them
again if she had not wept and
implored that should tonight
She is not under arrest, then ;
Arrest? opening wide those
gray wells of luster. Oh, no,
indeed I could not disgrace hel
so
You de not feel that she has
disgraced herself ?
Yes. But she shall have 8
chance to efface it. I could moi
send her among criminals, hope
less, to fall lower yet.
Oh, no +; if she failed in hel
duty, I must not fail in mine
She was not inherently dishonest
She was greatly tempted. The
money she hoped to get for them
was terribly and suddenly needed
at home. And she saw an oppor'
tunity to help her family
And I suppose you have given
her that money now
Why, yes. Why not ? Itisn't
you know, that do not condemn
what she did
No. I can hardly think of you
as sympathizing with thief.
Christ forgave one on the
cross. And I was, I am, very
fond of little Ann.
You can love a thief, then?
It appears SO. Yes.
Mary Carmichael waited on by
a thief ! Loving thief! Loved
by another thief! surrounded by
thieves The thought revolts
him. Would you forgive such
wrong-doing in any Que else? In
your father, for instance he
asks.
In my father! A flush of proud
indignation makes the beauty
that of a startled goddess.
Pardon :! Pardon In me, theni
Icannot even imagine tin you
Oh, I make no pretenses.
am no stricter than the gener'
ality.
I think you are !
Do you really suppose, he asks
that in the face of a tremendous
temptation I should stand incor'
ruptible ?
You cannot ask me such q
question seriously.
But if the rejection of the temp
tation left me poor man, left
me destitute !?
I believe-I believe it would
make no more difference to you
than the blowing of the wind !
He pauses, lowering his proud
head. / do not know, he replies,
in a voice that sounds strange to
his own ears. I am not so sure
of myself, In fact-I fear If
I yielded, would you forgive mef
You see, it comes back to that.
1t would not be mine to forgive,
she says, rising and leaning her
beautiful arm on the mantel, he1
naughty height little dropping,
the perfume of the great red
roses in the tall vase behind he1
making, as it were, a separating
atmosphere about her as she con
fronts him. / do not now that
I could forgive it, if it were. For
you would have destroyed my
ideal. You would have robbed
me of the man I love! And the
lips tremble, the eyes are suffus
ed to the softness of a cloud. She
looks at him, smiling through the
tears, and holds out her hands ttt
MIN with an appealing movement
She has never told him that she
loved before he has never asked
her. He bends low over those
hands, pressing them to his lips
tenderly, repeatedly.
Before God, he exclaims, yor
shall never have it to forgive!
And then a brand of the fire
falIc with q little crash ard he