The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-12-29

1t may have been my involuntary
movement of recoil-I don't yknow-but
the fellow dropped my coat and sat
straight up on the bench.
II am Captain dYniol," he said for
the third time, charged with treason
and under sentence of death"
And Innocent" / muttered, before
was even conscious of having spoken.
What was it that wrung those invol-
untary words from my lips, 1 shall
never know, perhaps-but Ii was l. not
he, who trembled, seized with a
strange agitation, and 1t was 1. not
he, whose hand was stretched forth i'm
pulsively, touching his.
Without a tremor he took my hand,
pressed it almost imperceptibly. and
dropped it. Then l held both letters
toward him, and, as he neither looked
at them nor at me, l placed them in
his hand. Then he started.
Read Them" I said, they are for
you"
"Lettersl" he gasped in a voice that
sounded like nothing human.
Yes, they are for you'll know it
now"
"Letters-letters directed to me?"
Can you not sec - l cried.
Then he raised one frail hand and
drew the goggles from his eyes, and, as
1 looked, l saw two tiny white specks
exactly in the center of both pupils.
Blind" I faltered.
II have been unable to read for two
years." he said.
After a moment he placed the tip of
one finger on the letters.
They are wet" said: "shall-would
you like to have me read them? For
long time he sat silently in the sun
shine, fumbling with his cane, and 1
watched him without speaking At last
he said, Read, Monsieur" and I took
the letters and broke the seals.
The first letters contained a sheet of
paper, damp with discolor; on which a
few lines were written.
My darling, 1 knew you were inno-
cent" Here the writing ended, but,
in the blur beneath, 1 read: Paris
shall know-France shall know, for at
last 1 have the proofs and 1 am coming
to find you, my soldier, and to place
them in your own dear brave hands.
They know, now, at the war ministry
they have a copy of the traitors con-
fession-but they dare not make it pub
lic-they dare not withstand the popu-
lar establishment and rage. Therefore
sail on Monday for Cherbourg by the
Green Cross Line, to bring you back
TO your own again, where you will stand
before all the world, without fear with
out reproach.
"ALINE."
'This-this is terrible!" l stammered:
'can God live and see such things
DONE"
But with his thin hand he gripped
my arm again, bidding me read the
other letter; and l shuddered at the
menace in his voice.
Then, with his sightless eyes on me.
1 drew the other letter from the wet.
stained envelope. And before [ was
aware-before understood the purport
of what I saw, l had read aloud these
half effased lines:
The Lorient is sinking-an iceberg
mid-ocean-good-by e-you are innocent
i love-
The Lorient!" 1 cried; ''it was the
French steamer that was never heard
from-the Lorient of the Green Cross
Line! / had forgotten-I-"
The loud crash of a revolver stunned
me; my ears rang and ached with it
as l shrank back from a ragged duty
figure that collapsed on the bench be-
side me, shuddered q moment, and turn-
bled TO the asphalt at my feet.
The trampling of the eager hard.
eyed crowd. the dust and faint of DOW
der in the hot air, the harsh alarm Of
the ambulance Gathering up Mail street
these I remember. as 1 knelt there,
helplessly holding the dead hands
hands in mine.
"Soger Charlie" they repeated, "a
French dago what shot his-self;" and
the words echoed in my ears long after
the ambulance ratified away, and the
increasing throng dispersed, sullenly, as
a couple of policemen cleared a space
around the pool of thick blood on the
asphalt.
They wanted me as a witness, and l
gave my card to one of the policemen
who knew me. The rabble transferred
its fascinated stare to me, and l turned
away and pushed a path between
frightened shop girls and ilI-smelling
loafers. until 1 lost myself in the hU-
man torrent of Broadway.
The torrent took me with it where
il flowed East? West?-I did not no.
tice nor care. but 1 passed on through
the throng, listless, deadly weary of
to solve Gods Justice
striving to understand His purpose
His laws-His judgments which are
true and righteous altogether"
"
More to be desired are they than
gold, yea, than much fine gold. Sweeter
also than honey and the hOney-comb!'
I turned sharply toward the speaker
who shambled at my elbow. His sunken
eyes were dull and lustreless, his blood |
less face cleaned pallid as a death |
mask above the blood-red jersey-the |
emblem of the soldiers of Christ.
I don't know why I stopped. linger- |
ing, but, as he passed, said, Brother. |
l also was meditating upon Gods wis |
dom and His testimonies
The pale fanatic shot a glance at me. |
hesitated, and fell into my own pace. /
by my side Under the peak
Of his Salvation Army cap his eyes
shone in the shadow with a strange /
light.
''Tell me more" I said, sinking nv
voice below the roar of traffic. the
clang! clang! of the cable cars, and the
noise of feet on the worn pavements-
tell me of His testimonies"
Moreover by them is Thy servant
warned and in keeping of them there
s great reward. Who can understand
His errors? Cleanse Thou me from
secret faults. Keep back Thy servant
,lso from presumptuous sins. Let them
lot have dominion over me. Then shall !,
be upright and / shall be innocent /
rom the great transgression. Let the
words of my mouth and the meditation
If my heart be acceptable in Thy sight
% Lord! My strength and my Re
ieemer!"
ut is Holy Scripture that you quote"
said. ct also ran read that uubau I