Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1912-03-01
The Rev.
MIR. Muldoon
THE END.
By F. A. MICHEL

"Jack," said Deacon Henderson to
his daughter, Jacquelins, "a new min
lister is coming to occupy the pulpit
made vacant by Jornegan. whom you
drove out Of It"
"Papav'
''You know very well that you hirted
with him, then refused him."
'But I didn't drive him away"
when he handed me his resignation
he told me that 1t would be impossi-
bic for him to 1--we near you and for
get you"
JacQueline hung her head.
This young man who Is coming In
his place has been accepted at my in
stigation because he is painfully home
ly. He has fiery red hair and freckles;
he is long boned and disjointed."
''What has that got to do with itT
"A great deal. 1t Is impossible for
you to let a handsome. attractive man
alone. I expect Mr.. Muldoon to repel
you by his ugliness. We are getting
tired of hunting up ministers for you
to make fools of and drive away. We
are going to try one Of 4 different
kind"
"Why not get an old married manT'
"You know very well what the sal
ary is. II we should do az You sug-
gest we would have family to sup
port besides the minister. and we are
too poor for that"
"WeIl, papa. If Mr.. Muldoon Is as
hideous as you say don't think you
will be put to the trouble Of getting
another man on my account"
The first Sunday the new clergy
man preached JacQueline was indis-
posed and should not have gone to
church. but she was 20 curious to know
how homcly he really was that she
went to hear and see him. He was
homelier than he had been painted.
Besides his natural blemishes there
was an artificial one. When boy he
had fallen against a buzzsaw, which
had left q frightful scar on bis left
cheek. Then when preaching. having
made a point that especially pleased
him, he would smile. and the contor-
ton his face took on was expressive
Of a pain in his stomach.
At first it did not seem to JacQueline
that she could endure to look at him.
But he had q remarkable intellect and
the gift Of expressing his ideas in
words. For awhile she listened to him
with her eyes turned away. BY de-
grees she was enabled to endure the
sight Of him for a few minutes at q
time, and before the end of his ser.
mon she had quite forgotten his ugli-
ness.
The next Sunday she was obliged to
begin all over again. but the process
Of getting used to looking upon him.
his fiery red hair. his SCARED cheek
and worst of all that dreadful smile
at clinching an argument, required less
time than the Sunday before. More
over. his Intellectual part began to In
fuenceher. What comprehensive ideas!
What heart! What a different way Of
looking at things from the cut and
dried theology that had come down
through the centuries! How her heart
bled for those whom he pictured driv-
en- by their surrounding circumstances
into crime. 1.-THE children of the poor"
he said, ''are sent to Jail. the children
Of the rich to dancing school"
And 80 he accounted for that grow
ing criminality among the children and
youth Of the land, filing more and
more the columns Of the newspapers,
illustrating their Inevitable course by
such graphic words as those quoted.
Jacqueline went home from church
and all the rest Of the day was think
ing on that fearful procession Of little
children with but one path before
them. and that leading to crime. And
mingled with this picture was the face
of the minister, but one engaging fea-
ture in it-sympathy lighted by pro-
test against this human injustice.
For a time Jacqueline tried to stop
her ears against thds childish wall.
Any effort to relieve It seemed hope
less. But she was at last won over by
the minister's exhortation to work un-
der the inspiration Of faith and leave
the rest to Providence. And go under
his direction she became the leader Of
an association OF women workers In
the field of charity. While the hand
some. gent1emanlike pastors Of her
church had discoursed to her from
the pulpit upon theological princi-
pies that had been wnngled over for
ages and at other times had poured
soft nothngs into her willing ear this
fright" by a sympathy for his fellow
beings had unconsciouaH walked by a
straight path to her heart The hais
was still fiery red: the scar, the ex.
circulating smile, were as tideous az be-
fore, but not to her. for she did not see
them. They had been obscured by q