The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1911-03-03

thing soothing about it. | was ex-
hausted. Everything that any human
girl can feel seemed to have been
crowded. for me, into the last forty
eight hours; and / had not slept all
night. without knowing it, | closed
my eyes, and fell asleep in the cor
ner of seat, my head resting upon
my arm.
when awoke Father Conroy
was standing by me- He smiled as |
looked blankly at him j am very
glad to see you,' he said kindly. Are
YOU rested?
Il sat up and rubbed my eyes He
and l Were alone in the little place,
and the daylight was filtering through
small east window which had been
invisible when L dropped asleep.
over me rushed the full tide OF
my hopeless misery. 1t was as if
somebody had unwrapped a bandage,
and showed me my hideous, gaping
wound. l stood up shakily, and star.
ing upon him, l said clearly
This God that you worship is 4
cruel devil and ! will never serve
Him. | will not submit and crawl
to His feet, for Him to dole out
little bit of kindness or mercy! |
don't ask mercy-only justice-that
would be better than the horrors
that your God allows.
He did not seem either shocked or
surprised, but he looked profoundly
interested. He sat down in the seat
before me, leaning over the back of
it, and said quietly, Won't you tell
me what makes you say that? What
has happened to you?'
"Fiercely, wildly, told him |
told him how God had treated Cecil;
how first he had sent madness to
his wife, and now, wst as he was
to have been happy, cancer to him
self. l blasphemed and raved, and he
listened with his own characteristic
patience.
Il expected him to order me out of
the church; but he just sat looking
at me, with such fine pity in his
eyes-not a contemptuous pity. but
something one could accept, without
shame. Poor child. what suffering.
he said; and then he went on-'When !
your friend felt pain, what did he do !
for it? consulted medical expert,
did he not? And when you feel this
acute spiritual pain, is it well to
consult spiritual expert-one who
deals with cases like your own con.
tinually? / may not be able to cure,
but at least | have remedies to palli-
ate spiritual agony
That was the beginning of it. The
idea that l could, by any new set
of considerations, get rid of the men
tai pain | suffered, was quite a new
one. / went to him later in the day.
by appointment, and he was won
derfully wise and tender with me. He
found out exactly all about my cir
cumstances and training, and only by
degrees, very gradually, began to open
for me the door that leads to the
comprehension of the unseen.
Il said nothing. either to Cecil or
anybody else, of my visits to him
| told myself that it was a sort of
substitute for dram drinking. And in
deed, in my then mood, if a Bud |
dhist, or a Christian Scientist, or
anybody else holding out any hope .
of succor had got hold of me,
should have run to test their powers.
But Father Conroy, having found me,
held me; for before long | knew
there was a Power behind him-a
Power that reached out and touah1d
me, and began a new life in me-.
But ! was far too shy and uncer-
tain 20 dare to suggest to Cecil any
thlng OF my new source of strength.
He had collapsed in a most eytraor-
dinary way. Physically. he had gone
down with run. By a great effort
Of his will he had never given way
at all, except that dreadful first
afternoon with me. But his control
reacted bodily. and his great strength
began to fail.
Then l told Father Conroy wnat |
desired; | wished to have Cecil with
ne in the same house, and help 10
nurse him until the end. l said did
lot care pin for what people might
'ay. The tongue that would have
'courged me, had | been married
n him unda,- false nratansas wnuld