Evening star., 1908-01-27
CHAPTER xxXIV.

aOOuI Richie.
The doctor looked at him with start
and half-spoken question.
Yes. she told me. But want to ask
you about the man. She didn't say much
about him.
This was Sunday evening: David had
gone to bed. and Danny had climbed up
into DR.. Lavendar's chair, and been gent
ly deposited on the hearthrug. NO,
Daniel: not tonight sir. I've got to have
my chair just this once. William had
come in for his usual smoke. but he had
been more than usually silent. When DIT.
Lavendar gave his calm permission. the
doctors wretched perplexity OF the past
month could hardly find words lie SAID
first OF all:
David? OF course you will take him
away 1t will break her hearth
"A broken heart is not such bad
thing, Willy Our Heavenly Father does
not despise it
"Dr. Lavendar. why can't she keep
him? She'll never see that scoundrel
again..
story is fit to bring up child. William?
The doctor was silent.
"She thinks not. herself" said DR.. Law
endar.
Does she?" William King said. and a
minute afterward fumbled In his coat tails
for his pocket handkerchief What is
she going to do?' he asked. huskily.
She feels that she had better leave
Old Chester
DO you think so. sir?.'
DR.. Lavendar sighed. II would like TO
have her here; would like to take care
of her. for a while. But don't think she
could stand it: on your account.
my account William King pushed
his chair back and got to his feet; Or.
Lavendar IL"
"she would feel the embarrassment Of
your knowledge" said the old man.
DIR. King sat down. Then he said, I
am the last man to judge her"
Beginning at the eldest. even unto
Shame is curious thing William. It's
like some Of your medicines. The right
amount cures. Too much kills. I've seen
that with hard drinkers. Where drunk
ard is a poor. uneducated fellow. shame
gives him a good boost toward decency.
But a man, Of education. william. man
of opportunity-if he wakes UP to what
he has been doing. shame gives him such
| a shove he is apt to go all round the
circle and come up just where he started. !.
get too much Of it. She would get too
much of 1t here. But" he stopped and
smiled. "sin has done its divine work, /
| think
"Sin?"
Yes" said DR.. Lavendar, cheerfully:
| human experience-except. perhaps. the
stagnation of conceit; ! haven't found
anything hopeful In that yet; but maybe
shall some day!-but except for con-
ceit. have never known any human ex-
perience of pain or sin that could not be
the gate of heaven. Mind! / don't say
that It always Is. but it can be. Has
that ever occurred to you?"
'WeH. no. the doctor confessed; Il
can't say that il has"
~ 10
said, encouragingly. MY boy. let me tell
you that there are some good folks who
don't begin to know their Heavenly
Father as the sinner does who climbed
up to Him out of the gutter"
"A dangerous doctrine William rurni-
mated.
"oh. don't preach it, DR.. Lavendar
said. placidly; but don't preach every
thing I know"
william was not following him. He
said. abruptly, What are you going to do
with David?"
David is going to stay with me-
And William said again, 1T will break
her heart!'
Il hope so.' said DR.. Lavendar. solemn
ly. How he watched that poor heart in
the next few days! Every afternoon his
shabby old buggy went tugging up the
hill. Sometimes he found her walking
restle ssly about in the frosted garden:
sometimes standing mutely at the long
sometimes PROSTATE on her bed. When
he took her hand-hstless one day. fierce
ly despairing the neXt-he would S.ance
at her with a swift scrutiny that ques-
toned. and then waited. The pity in his
old eyes never dimmed their relentless
keenness: they seemed to raid her face.
sounding all the shadows in search Of
depths. For with his exultant faith in
human nature. he believed that some
where In the depths he should find God.
to-, ,,@ ftr1
Him in impurity. who can see. behind
the murky veil OF stained flesh. the very
face of Christ declaring the possibilities
Of the fiesh!-but this old man sought.
and knew that he should find Him. He
waited and watched for many days, look
ing for that recognition of wrongdoing
which breaks the heart by Its revelation
of goodness that might have been: for
there is no true knowledge of sin with
cut a divine and redeeming knowledge
looked into the breaking heart. pity for
the sinner who was base deepened into
reverence for the child OF God who might
be noble. 1t Is an easy matter to believe
In the confident soul: but Dr. Lavendar
| believed in soul that did not believe in
| itself,
1t seemed to Helena that she had moth
! ing to live for: that there was nothing to
| do except shiver back out Of sight and
| wait to die. For the time was not yet
when Sle HDOulO KNOW THAT iieT cOilsSiouS-
| ness of Gin might be the chased and
| fretted cup from which she might drink
| the sacrament of life: when she should
| come to understand. with Thanksgiving.
| that unless she had sinned, the holy wine
| might never have touched her lips!
In these almost daily talks with DR..
| Lavendar the question of the future was
| beaten Quit was a bleak enough pros
| pect: 1t didn't matter. she said. where
she went. or what became of her. she had
| spoiled her life. she said. Yes. DR..
| Lavendar agreed: you've spoiled what
| you've had of it. But yonr Heavenly
| Father has the rest. in His hands. and
| He'll give II to YOU clean and sound. All
you've got to do is to keep 1t SO and for
get the spelled part" That was the only
| thing he insisted upon--no dwelling on the
| past.
II wish was one of the people who
want to do things. she told him with a
| sort of wistfui cynicism. But ! don't.
| have no story-book desires. ! don't
want to go and nurse lapers!-but ! will
IL you want me to-" she added, with quick
| and touching simplicity.
| DR.. Lavendar smiled. and said that
| nursing lepers was too easy. He had sug-
gested that she should live in distant
| CITY: he had agreed at once to her as
| sertion that she could not stay in Old
Chester. II know some nice people
| there he said; "ElIen Bailey lives there:
she's Ellen Spangler now. You've heard
| me sneak Of her? Spanglsr is a parscn:
he's a good fellow. but the Lord denied
him brains to any great extent But
| Ellen Is the salt of the earth. And she
can laugh You'll like her.
But what will ! do when I get there?"
II think Ellen may find something to
keep YOU busy he said. cheerfully. land.
| meantime, I'll make suggestion myself