The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-03-24
EVEN IN flER How OF
PUBLlc HUMILIATION Her
pRJDE WAS APPARENT

physician. and had attached himself espe-
cally to the Rev Arthur Dimmesdale.
The minister was suffering both physi-
cally and mentally, and while minister
ing to his physical Ills the old man sought
to delve into his mental being as a miner
digs for gold, or rather like sexton
delVing into a grave. To keep the young
man alive by the exercise OF ms skill, to
wrest from him by the exercise of a
malign ingenuity the hidden secrets OF
his soul-this was the task to which
Roger Chillngworth addressed himself.
He was constantly with him, even taking
lodgings In the same house under the
pretext of caring for his physical all
/ ments.
There was one popularity of the cler-
gyman which Chilllngworth could not
fully understand Very frequently the
young man would place his hand over his
heart with sudden gesture. That he
had some cardiac trouble, from which.
indeed. he was likely to die at any time,
the ole man knew But Dimmesdale
would place his hand to his heart when
he was suffering no physical spasm, but
when a sudden mental perturbation
seemed to sweep over him.
one dav. in the presence Of the physi-
clan. Dimmesdale, who slept but little.
and that lightly, fell into a deep slumber
in his chair. 4 potion administered by
the doctor had caused this. Old Roger
stole over TO him, opend his shirt front
| and barred the flesh above the young
mans heart.
What he saw there caused him to
spring back and throw his hands above
his head with the looks and gestures OF
| n devil What he had only suspected be-
fore he now knew to certainty
From that hour, Chllingworth became
not ONLY a spectator, but an actor in his
victims interior world. He had him for
ever o, the rack arousing him to throbs
of terror, remorse, agony. The minister
tasted and kept vigils. He made himself
a little whip and scourged himself al
night
Steadily. remorselessly, Roger Chilling
worth was guiding his victim along the
path which led to insanity This he did
with a fiendlsh skill. playing upon every
nerve of the young mans mind, upor
| every throb of his sickly body.
ONE dark night the minister, unable tc
| hear the terror Of his thoughts, stole
! forth from his house and going to tbs
market place assembled The scaffold where
! seven wears before, Hester Prynne had
| stood with her ba III her arms and tbs
Scarlet Letter glowing on her bosom
There he raised his hands to heaven and
, in agony shrieked aloud. But the towf
| seemed all asleep Only old Mistress Hib.
| bins annarently heard and. thrustlna
! forth her head from her lattice, looked
! anxiouslv upward. He saw a Lantern
coming down the street. It as borne By
F, old rather Wilson returning from the
| deathbed Of Governor Winthrop. But Tho
old man saw not the figure on the scat
| fold and passed by.
, The whole town would come forth II
! the morning, thought the minister, ant
| fin, Kim there. Carried away by tho
| grotesnl,e horror of the picture that h,
i coniured up of the aspect OF the variou:
neople who would see him he laughed
alo,,d The laugh was answered by the
/ laugh of child out of the darkness. II
| was tho laugh of little Pearl. Hester
| Prynnes child. Hester had called hel
] Pearl, having in mind the saying: "A
pearl of great price and heavy indeed
al tho price been which was paid fol