The Washington times., 1914-01-17
THEHOUR OF CONFLICT
By A. HamiIton-Gibbs Mss.., c.,
uthor . CheH & Son"

\ have found that out since. win mt
ask Your forgiveness, because there is
NJ forgiveness possible. There IS ONLY
death. I have had my Punishment i
have been through hell ever s15ce, ni,ztf
ana day. without ceasing. i tried 10
: shoot myself in London. Something
: stopped me. There has been somethine
pen ppenlna me an the time Something that
PAS brought me back 20 Wimereux TO
grown myself where she threw herself
in.s You will get this afterwa1d.
ENERARD LEYDEN.
The bolt had fallen. For mInutes the
| abbe stcOC holding on 10 tn. nanteI-
piece staring bIankIy al the letter which
,ras,h1,s wS meant for his SrJiher, his hand
I've OF the sentences rang Il rough his
brain Ike horrible, dIss1rtiant BELLS
climbed into her De IroOm"-'1 was
/ Carried aTav-
The abbe spoke them aloud There
was no feeling In the way be said them.
| II was as though he were repeating
something that had no meaning, Ike
enild VINO has heard a grewn-up use
II over and over as ne plays with his
toys.
TINS frank. honest hoy haG climbed
| Into rOInette's bedroomI
/ = terrible slckening feeling OF griefs
and pain went through hIm. This Httle
gIri, 50 sweeI-natured, 50 good, so hap
/ py. so full OF life. SnO brOueht hsppi-
| ness and goodness Wherever sne Went
l this God-sent child had known contain
/ nation.
Tne abbe raised his head from his
arms. why? Why2 Why? God Al
mighty, was it possible
9ne soiled paper si pped from betweeI
inc priests fingers and noated down to-
| ward the bed wherson lay the one VINO
had thrown the stone into the placid
| wen, and the abbe fell on his knees
at the prie Dieux before the big ivory
crucIfix-. His shoulders heayed and IL
coherent cries OF God came between his
sobs-
mat this little fair Aing, whose baby,
hands had crept around his heart, whom
he had taught to spell, whose tiny I'm
gers he had guided when they first held
| a pen, whom he had watched grow up
so graceful and 50 beautiful-that snc
should have been violated, made more
agonizing wound than death Itself.
Death was, after all, but the voice o.
God This was ten times worse tnan
/ death.
hIs whole nature, his whole life rose
| Up within him and cried out against Il.
\ 1t was too terrible. God could not al
low such things. IL was impossible. He
was mad, dreaming. He had read the
letter wrong. He had not understood
/ its meaning. There was some mistake.
Yes, that was It. he would read the
| letter again Where was II? Whercg
On, yes, IL was on the door BY the bed.
he rose, went across and picked il up,
took il back to the candle light and has
4 lips moved as he half articulated each
terrible sentence.
| Then it was trueI
Very quietly he folded the letter and
placed it under the candlestock. Il was
true Little roinette. The tears ran
down his cheeks as re stood with bowed
head, his hands on the mantelpieee.
Il climbed into her room"
The able turned and looked at Ever
/ ard and realized for the first tine that
the letter had been written by that
man-Iittle more ihan boy-on the
bed. He had forgotten all about hlIo.
He had been SO overcome BY the terrible
tate which had oyersaken Toiaette that
II never occurred to him 70 inquire as
10 the cause Of II all The mist OF
tears cleared from his eyes. and nc
unconscious Everard as he lay all hud-
4 died on the disordcred bed.
The big priest drew himself up and
J took a deep 5feath- So this was the
man who had eaten his salt and who
was worse than murderer. This was
! the thief in the night who climbed into
] bedrooms and stole soul away. This
: was the betrayer. the Judas. the Sc
| boy whom he-he had saved from
kdrowning
/ A bitter laugh came from him at the
/ hideous paradox He had saved Toi-S
1 nette's seducer. had given him his own
\ bed. was sacrificing his own nights rest
! to nurse him-to nurse back to health
! this vile wretch, this lustful, disgusting
/ creature who could not control his ami
NAL passions. this coward who had soil
| ed one Of the purest Of Gods children.
/ And then this priest. this man OF God.
! who had dedicated his life to being
! Gods apostle. one OF Gods representa-
tiyes on earth, whose genJlepess ana
goodness and Unsel1shness had won him
child in the whole OF Ambleteuse-this
priest forgot that he was a priest, for
got that he was a man. and descended
10 the level OF the wretch on the bed.
for whom he could find no epithet bad
enough.
Rage took possession of him. black
terrible rage that shook his whole body.
and with outstretched hands and mUr-
der in his heart he moved toward tbs
bed to wrench the life out OF the sick
Able Jean Paul Guerchard ceased to
exist II was Jean Paul GuercharG.
murderer. in the black clothes OF =
priest. VINO stood above the unconscious
patient with every muscle taut and
quivering.
With sort of savage regret ne real
ICED that this helpless creatur would
be able to make 10 resistance. The
abOe would have liked violent strGs
gle. 50 that ne could bruise, batter and
crush. He could infiict no pain grea-
enough to comDensate for the betrayal
Of his little flower. He told himself that
killing this creature with his hands
would be like stamping out the life os
some venonous insect.
Had aDy OF rhe villagers looked into
that room AT that moment no one ~
them would have believed that the tau
man whose hands We're cienchef and
whose eyes Were bioodshot as he mo-eC
step by step to the he'd was the gentle.
kind priest to whom the children ran
wher they saw him coming down the
street. and climbed about him fearless
" while he laughed and foked and gave
then, SOUS Why. even the dogs wSsEsd
fbeir tails and cats arched their backs
aud rurred and waite1 20 be ucAed un-
der the chin.
A Continuation of This Story VIII
Re Found In Tomorrow
H..... a Tha Tlraen