Putnam patriot., 1908-08-14
TIE PUTNAM PATRIOT Angus, II l9oS

osls-
 Was he not fool fe hesitatep Had he not salNei his conScieHee sufficient. ly by vetaing the Borough frauchiSr | hins Had be the right to bring thIs
 new shame upon hts mothers gray
 headf Where lay hts highest dutys The soft slstsing of silk and a hand l laid In iiSat earess upon hiS bead ! aroused the miserable man from hss reflections
 ! Bennett looked up 10 see bis mother
 standing hs0<e him She had thrown
 on wrapper and in sllppered feet had
 stolen noiselessly into she study 'T was awakened by voices she ex- I plained. T thought heard some one | talking exelteias in here Is anything | the mattersr
 I Nothing. nothing dear" he answer ei gently. drawing the little old lady
 affectionstely down to seat on hts
 knee and smiling manfuliy into he,
 sleep flushed face; nothing is the mat I ter. Only a business call" "A business call at o'clock In the | morning.- she exclaimed Dear boy. you are working too hard Your father l never brought his business worries and work home He always left them at l the office. Can't you do the same ! l You'il wear yourself out" My father began Bennett. but I the name choked him. You are growing 10 be SO much like l him." went on Mrs. Bennett fondly. And 1t makes me so happy that you are. Your splendid fight against that | infamous Borough bill. for instance How proud he would have been of that. It is just the sort of thing he
 himself would have done in your place He was surrounded with wicked and dishonest men just as you are. But
 through it all he remained true. hon
 erahle. ineorruptible. What a grand heritage for my son, He-- Alwynr'
 she broke on. alarmed. 'why do you look at me that wayg I never saw such look in your eyes before. Are
 you III? Has something happened that
 you are keeping from meY'
 No. mo-" eyaded Bennett T eniy"- You had caller here before I
 came in." pursued the mother. refusing to abandon the cIew to which her we. manly intuition had led her He brought you bad news? Tell me. dear, I'm your mother. and love you"
 "You are making my course more difficult for me by asking such eues. lions. mother" he answered wretehed- ly and F.
 q only want to help you. Aiwyn. l rant bear to see you miserable. \ womans wit and mothers love are often . combination that can solve problems beyond even the wisest mans powers of logic. Let me help you"
 ''I was trying to make up my mind vaguely replie Bennett. sorels dis tressed by her pleading. whether Il man ought to follow his conscience. even if 1t leads to heartbreak for those he loves. or whether he ought 10 let conscience go by the board for once and protect the happiness of his loved ones"
 sAlwyni How can you hesitate q second over such question. One must
  | auenees
 T don't know about that he said l moodily.
 You know t perfectly well. IL Is | what your fathcr would have advised
 and But. AIwFn. you surely are not
 making yourself unhappy over mere eupnosititious casey Well" he continued let us take a mere supposititious case If you like. | Suppose. for instance. that man hold Ing position of trust had had ia l ther whose memory he honored and | reyered as do my own father's"- | "Yes?" prompted Mrs Bennett as he
 paused
 Suppose some one tempts him to he
 tray his position of trust. even as | have lately been tempted. and threat. l ems in case of his refusal to make public certain facts which would prove | his dead father to have been n scoun' l drel. Now, what should the man dol ! Should he let his fathers sacred mem | ory be trampled in the mud, let his | duty go by default and save"-
 Tt would be an awful responsibility | to decide such question, said Mrs
 Bennett. with q little shudder. but
 there could be only one reply" l And that isF'
 "He must ,a his duty, be the results
 what they may
 "You really think sof'
 eThere can be no doubt. Right is
 right and
 "It shall be as you say" groaned | Alwyn
 l "whatf" queried Mrs Bennett. star l tied at the despair in his voice. ''Ds
 you mean IL is an actual easel Some friend of yours. perhapsy' 1 Bennett nodded
 "oh. the poor. poor fellowF she sym l pathized. What q terrible position for himl II was he. perhaps. that
 heard talking 10 you in here just now | No wonder he seemed excited, The
 sins of the fathers snail be visited upon
 the children even unto the'-
 sIt Is something less hard on the | children than on the wiyes." unused
 Bennett. half to himself.
 "The wivesf Your friend has q
 mother Iivingf That makes if doubiy
 hard Oh. my son. every day l thant
 God in all humility that my husband
 lived so biameEess life and left st
 honored name, How grateful yor 1 and both ought to be for
 .'It Is easy enough 10 decide for some
 one yon have never seen" retortet
 Bennett almost rudely, but suppose
 the dishonest man fin my story had
 been father and"-
 .I refuse to suppose anything of thu