The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1908-09-17
THE DAY OF
RECKONING
BY AGNES L. PRATT
Copyright, by Shortstory Pub. Co

inner self
Murderer" he would groan guilt
lily, in the silence of his soul. and then
shudder lest the thought make itself
audible to his business friends and as
sociates.
1t had happened when he was q boy
and so swiftly had sharp line been
drawn between the brightness of child
hood and a darkened future that even
now, at times, it seemed that what he
knew to be fact must have been but
a frightful nightmare. By day the
story disturbed the routine of his bust
ness life, and at night he re-enacted
its scenes in his feverish dreams
1t happened when he was a boy of
eight while playing at war that he had
shot and killed his playmate.
To his boyish sense of justice his
sentence to confinement in a reforma-
tory until he should reach his majority
though at eight that meant endless
ages-was less than he merited Faith
fully and uncomplaininsly had he
served, but from the moment the
doors had shut upon him the boy who
fired the fatal shot had ceased to live
1t was his retributio1. Somewhere in
his omnivorous reading he had learned
that death was the just penalty for
willful murder, and when the dead face
of his companion accused him in the
darkness, he had whispered, though
shudderng:
Yes, | know, Clinton, they ought to
hang me, but they wouldn't-said
was too young-that didn't under
stand But | did did And say"
with that impulsive generosity that
had always been, so many said, his
saving grace-"I'll tell you what III
do! I'll let you live my life, if you
want to. | ought to died, for killing
you An'-an'-" hesitatingly, as the
munificenco of the gift TO his depart
ed friend became more real to him
If you want 10, you can live instead
of me. I'll do always just as | think
you'd want me to. An I'll make you
a good life, too" he finished, conf
IDENTIFY, as he dedicated himself to the
sacrifice
The bargain made in the darkness
of midnight was faithfully kept His
own identity was sunk in that OF his
friend The slayer of his comrade
from that hour had no existence. To
the boyish mind he was annihilated
as he ought to be, for the enormty
of his crime. Henceforth. he was
Clinton Steele He began a new life
Of gentleness and conscientious be
havior that surprised the officials of
the school where he passed the slow
moving years of his minority.
When he went forth on his TWEEN
ty-hrst birthday, it was under the
name of the boy he had slain, and
| only one message went back to the
old home where only a brother and
sister remained, who could scarcely
remember him:
Forget me. / shall never return,
| From this day, under new, and to
me holy name, ! am to make new
| life-for him whom | robbed of his
And, hundreds of miles away, with
| the success that Is born of determi.
| nation. Clinton Steele rapidly rose in
| the ranks of his chosen occupation.
| He studied and worked, early and
| late. and in time became one of the
firm by whom he had been employed.
And then a little joy found vent in
| the words he murmured in the dark
ness; See, old fellow, see what |
| have already done with the life !
robbed you of. And | will do more
yet. You shall be prosperous and re.
spected-as you deserve to be"
1t seemed to him that close to his
| ear his comrades voice whispered
| questioningly: And happy"
His heart throbbed painfully-he
ceased to eXult. Il can't promise that
that's the hardest of all, But'-im-
ploringly-"you will understand"
After that came the GROWING sue
cess of his business life. AS the trust
ed representative Of vast interests he
went abroad, and everywhere his I'M
failing good nature and resources pro
cured him recognition.
In Italy, on the little holiday he al.
lowed himself he met HER. She
was with relatives, travelling from
place to place He got his first
glimpse of her-and an introduction
In Paris, where they met again, quite
by accident Her personality seemed
more familiar as he was privileged
to stroll by her side for two or three
mornings on shopping tour and
there he learned, word by word, pang
for pang, the old, old lesson 1t was
when he had taken passage on the
same ocean liner, blowing its west
ward way, that the full truth re.
vealed itself
On moonlight nights they strolled
the deck, talking in low tones of the
past, present and future OF Her
East, his present, and their future
OF his past they never spoke-becuase
he had none Sometimes she won
dered that this was so, and with her
gentlest manner tried to draw from
him the story Of his boyhood There
is nothing to tell" he would assure
her.
For the overwhelming possibilities
Of this happiness he had not reckoned
upon when ne had given up his life
What could a boy OF eight know OF
this? "No-no, | cannot do that
were the words his moving lips would
form. Il have given you all--al my
life, its achievements, its Successes