The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-07-28
Divine forgiveness
ny wINHrRED BLACK.

| The mans wife had deceived him
She contesses it and says she Is sorry
and swsars she will never deceive
him again. Shall he take her back
and try to believe her again
! She has always been q good woman
| before this She In the most loving,
comforting little wife In the world.
She makes a real home for the man.
and there 10 little boy. "a little laugh
| ing, roguish. clear-eyed boy who
loves his mother and thinks che Is
the most perfect being on earth. What
shall the man do? he wants to know,
That's the worst part OF 1.-The
wants to know,
Ii he only knew himself now, there
| wouldn't be any doubt Of what TO do.
II he could not forgive her. then tho
thing would be settled right then
and there; If he could forgive her.
and feel all right about It, who Is
| there to interfere by one single syl-
table, But he doesn't know, he
can't decide.
Il love her" says the man in hls
letter II love her and / believe che
really loves me. She lis a helpless lit
tie thing. and I don't see what she
can do without me. and l believe II
would kill the boy TO part him from
his mother. What is the right thing
for me to do? ! want TO do the right
thing, just the right thing that's
F., all"
| Bless your heart, man alive | won
der what you are! So big that you are
because you love her and are sorry
are beneath contempt?
| Do you want to forgive the woman
because you love her an dare sorry
for her and anxious TO do the right
thing for the boy7
II that's your idea--why, then, hats
| off to man. every inch OF him.
| You are doing the noblest, kindest.
brsvest truest thing a man can do,
| or do you want to take her back
because you cant be comfortable with
| cut her DO you care so little for her
that you dint care what she has done.
so long as you can have her again?
| That's different. quite different
| Do You know where you stand your
self?
The path of a man who takes a
woman back because he doesn't quite
know where he could get as good
lhousekeeper la never strewn with
roses. or even peoples, and 1t should
not be.
| I've known such men; one ! think
| OF in particular. His wife ran away
from him with his dearest friend. and
he followed the pair and begged the
| woman to so home with him: and the
woman went. and that man never let
her have one moments peace again.
| He twitted her. tormented her. sus-
| pected her, until she ran away again,
and this time she stayed away. and
all. the mans world despised him and
avoided him as they would avoid a
creature with leprosy, and I always
thought he did have--noral leprosy
] knew another man who did the
| same thing, but for quite a different
reason.
He went away on a long journey.
and while he was gone man he knew
made q fool OF the mans wife. and
she threw her good name to the winds
and followed the false friend. who
brought her poor silly feet to tho
Road of Agony, And when her hua-
band knew he went after his wife,
and he took her home and comforted
her. and stood her friend, and no one
ever dared hint TO the man that any
one but he himself and the wife ana
the other man knew ef the wfete4r-,i
heart breaking story.
And all who knew the real truth
Of the AFFAIR admired and respected
the man, for they knew that he did
what he did because he realized that
hts wife was foolish, iightheaded
SHtp anu thdt tfe HtbbhHu Snonf0 NOT
have left her alone so long. And they
knew that he took her back, not to
crafty a within Of his own not to
minister to his comfort. not to have
her and keep her no matter what she
was. Just because she could make him
comfortable. but because he loved her
in the higher sense He loved her
enough to protect her from her own
folly and his own careleseness And
IN all his little world no man walked
more in the light OF esteem and
friendship than that man.
Another / knew once. long ago, in
the far West
A girl came from an orphan asy
hum TO q great city. She was In love