The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1909-06-25
TIE DAY OF
RECKONING
BY AGNES L. PRATT
Copyright, by shortstory Pub. Coz

with unrelenting persistence at his
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 mad happened when he was a boy
and so swiftly had a sharp line been
drawn between the brightness of child
hood and 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 mis- 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 uncomplainingly 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 retribution 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
shuddering:
Yes, know, CliIaon. they ought to
hang me, but they wouldn t-said |
was too young-that l 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 I'll
do! III let you live my life, if yon
want to- ] ought to died. @r killing
you. An'-an'-" hesitating1y, as the
munificence of the gift to his depart
ed friend became more real to him
If you want to, you can live instead
of me. I'll do always just as | think
you'd want me to, An III make You
a good life, tool" 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 pf his
friend The slayer of his cQmrade
from that hour had no existence. TO
the boyish mind he was annihilated,
as he ought to be, for the enormity
of his crime. Henceforth, he was
Clinton Steele. He began new life
of gsntleness 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-first birthday, it was under the
name of the boy he had slain, and
only @ne message went back to the
old home where, only a brother and
sister remained, who could scarcely
remember him:
Forget me. l shall never return.
From this days under new, and to
me holy name, l am to make new
life-for him whom j 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
Arm 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 l 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-
ri0ringly-"you will understand
After that came the browning 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, ne 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,eHer 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 |