The Morning examiner. [volume] (Ogden, Utah) 1904-1910, 1909-01-03

mean our show-a little late; Say you have your'n
quarter past seven, well have ourn at quarter
to nine. And wen do more than that, he added
hastily lest should decide before | had heard all
that he had to offer. Wen all TO your sho-
services mean-if you come to ours, and weI give
you part of the proceeds tonight TO help the church,.
What did you do, bishop l asked.
well" answered the old man. Il promptly accepted
two propositions and rejected the third
Il said that | wouldn't take any of their money.
From the looks Of things they needed it all, and my
friends in Ara2ahoc generous that the church
in that particular section lacked nothing The church
in Arapahoc has always been less unique
you sec l think that one reason ! decided ,; 50
glance. peousy appealing glance, might say, from
Miss Sylvester when she heard the proposition She
10 after the two managers had retired to
discuss their arrangements and clasped my hand i'm
pulsTely; NSE ,,a ,.;d r a,,a ,ou -. ao;nn 60
have church | haven't been TO church for years. it
to me. and you have been kind to US and
have treated much like re-respectable people,
that | wanted to go to your services so much
night
the opportunity
About this time the train pulled into the station,
and the townspeoplc, informed of the change the
hour of services and delighted the prospect OF
double treat they phrased it, two shows in
cyenin' Immediately busted themselves IN spreading
the news throughout the settlement. The place
smaller in those days than 1t is now, and 1t not
difficult to advise everyone.
Il had of course lot Of sermons with nc IN
my head, that IS; you know the first thing you learn
in the West TO shoot without rest, they say,
which is their cuphemsm for preaching without
and had previously selected theme for the evening,
but something, | did not know what, unless it were
Providence, turned my thoughts another direction
and l chose that text of Scripture. Neither do
condemn thee: go, and sin no more And | deter
mined to preach upon forgiveness as exemplihed in
that exquisite incident cited by St. John, the very
first lesson in Christian practise
You see, the first thing expects is forgive
although it is usually the last thing he wishes
to bestow There has been much discussion about
that chapter, said the bishop "and it believed. you
know. 10 be Interpolation, but whether 1t not,
l. for one convinced that it represents a true
incident and bless the intcrpoator whoever he may
have been.
There was something in the girl, Miss Sylvester.
TO call her by her stage name which kept recurring
to me when l thought over the points of the
Not that she looked bad, only troubled Beneath her
indifferent hardness, or her forced pleasantly, there
was undcrcurrent of agony, such as only comes
from great SORROW and too often in woman's case.
the sorrow is based upon-well, at any rate thought
hard over the sermon. and when the services came
off think | never preached better i'll my life.
The thoughts were very old, as the story itself
is old, but pointed out a way which was told me
atterward was very convincing the duty of forgive
ness and how Jesus Himself in touch with the gross
est sort of alteration forgavc it
The theatrical people were all there, although to
keep his promise the manager had been compelled to
go without his supper, ne had been SO busy arrang
ing for the performance. The interested listener
in the congregation crowded into the saloon-church
was the young woman. On the other side of the
from her Mr. Montague followed the with
preaching, something's without volition you direct your
arguments to two III the congregation and my
appeals and ehortaons seemed to be aimed straight
at those two young persons
well, after the services l to the play as
/ had promised, and the whole congregation did like
wise, for the had kept his promise faithfully
AS l remember 1t was rather a poor play, but very
resslP2eSe:tabIe| slP2S:
suppose, ordinarily she would be considered an in
different actress yet when she confessed the past
which she had been more snncd against than SHINING
and the hero of the play depicted by Mr. Montague
gave her up her acting was marvellous surprise
So real and natural did it that almost felt that
they were not playing parts but speaking the truth
1hcre that stage. There such agony, such
hcartrendng appeal to her lover for mercy, i'll the
woman's voice that it did not possible that he
could reject her the stage The Opera House
rang with applause. and there tears In many
rough cowboys eyes when the girl died, still begging
for forgiveness,
Il was thinking sadly over the whole situation, and
The face and voice of the girl fairly haunted me. My
Tevere was broken by tap the door When |
opened it Mr., Montague in. He was very much
pcrturbed and without any prelminarics burst
that he had come to see very important matter
He told Inc IN the most direct fashion that he
wildly loved Miss Sylvester, that he had her
play in the little town in which he lived few months
before; that he had been so infatuated with her that
he had given up his business-hc awycr-had
followed her and had finally been engaged i'll the
pany.
aeter. He wanted to marry her and take her away
from the life she leading. He had some little
property OF his own, was college man, learned in
the law, and had fear but that he could support
her comfortably Lattcrly he had heard rumors He
had received anonymous letter, and though he be-
leved her as sweet and pure woman as ever lived
yet stories of circumstantial character had been
brought 10 him, with little corroborative evidences.
that he did not know what to do. He was in state
Of perfect despair.
:" Have you spoken to her of these stories.'
asked
NO he replied.
cor shown her the letters"
"'No / couldn't They'd insult any honest woman.
Now, bishop he continued I've come to you for
advice. | never heard sermon like that you preached
this evening. 1t was in my mind all through the
play. Did you notice the earnesness with which
Miss Sylvester played her part? We have acted in
that piece number of times and never before has
she impressed me she did then. 1t was almost as
If she were really pleading for forgiveness. l love
her more than life itself, and yet there are some
thngs-suppose its truc1 Can l forgive her? What
shall | do?
I'VE were interrupted Just here by the sound of
footsteps in the hall. Outside the door heard the