The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-04-18

When Asa Cutler stood in the hall
way of the ho1Se which sheltered the
dead body OF his son there was no sign
of fathers grief upon his face. He
stood aW6WardEy with his black felt
hat in his hand. awaiting the summons
which would lead him into the presence
of the dead, and he looked with disap-
prevail at the cheapiy furnished hall
and long fight Of shabby carpeted
steps, as if resentful at having been
forced to find himself il such q place.
The house was not less Ciingy than
the street outside. and through its aged
walls there penetrated various noises
never heard in better neighOorhOOds-
calls OF children at play. of vendors Of
fruits and the disheartened anglin6 Of
a bell Asa Cutler had come from the
country within the hour and the city
noises and Odsrs smote upon his senses
With the full force Of unaGCsJOmed-
ness. The journey had been trying to
the old man, bUa not for a moment did
he waver in the intention which
brought him to the city.
He was always quick in reaching 4
decision. and It was seldom that he re-
Ve-sed one. When news came or the
death Of Ralph he knew aC once what
he should do. and ne lost no time IN
uselessIy discussing details; he would
20 to New York and rescue the child,
rescue and carry it home with him.
away from the contamination OF the
evil surroundings in which it had lived
since its biT1h. For the child was his.
an that was left of his flesh and blood;
no part OF Asa Cutler should remain IN
company Of the ungodsy so long as he
had strength and authority 70 remove
it. The woman. the childs mother
might protest probably would do so:
but the old. man had vet to meet d
woman who. could defeat his viii.
Ralphis death seemed 10 Asa Cutler
rather a cause for congrfgtulation than
for grief When his younger son. Jo-
seph. died. he honestly Inourned him;
Joseph had been a child after his own
heart. the one with mind and character
like his own; 10 Joseph his fathers
business the management or the farm,
the looking after the many mortgages
the old man held, tlE- affairs OF the
church in which Asa Cutler had been
deacon for rpany years the moral and
m9teriaI circumstances o. the neigh
bors. all were of Importance: 10 Ralph
none of these things had mattered. HIS
fathers keen 3vaTice was as Tepulsive
20 him as his hard morality and I'M
compromising bigotry. At first Asa
Cutler had beer proud of Ralph's men
tai ability. and had given him such
schooling a the ueighborhOOd afforded
and a promise of more; later. when
Ralph seemed TO be outsrowing ms aU-
tbority. he took the most cruel means
of enforcing il. Insisting that the boy
should stay at hOuse and farm. doing
the work that had been good enough
FOR his father and that should, there
fore be good enough for him. Ralph
responded with lIis first exhibition OF
reckiessness. and Deacon Cutler before
long had to bear the ignominy Of his
sons being known in the ueighboThoOd
as wild. fast. and finally as a drunk
ard
To the standards OF the countryside
Ralph's escapadeS doomed as horrors
no Hmelight is R searching as the
peeping gaze through village windows
and everything poor Ralph did became
magnified the more through each pair
Of sDecta cles that bRheld il, by eacn
nndding head and waSGing tongue that
discussed it. When tIr boy begsed his
father to give him m,0uey to so away
and study. the father denied him and
bitterly declared that q le-er-do-weel
could never learn: as for painting. which
he had set his heart upon, IL was well
known that the ways OF artists were
the ways Of the devil. and to no son OF
his should hard earned money be given
with which to seek the devil i'm his own
abode. He prOfessed to see the hand %