The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1914-07-24

In his voice, and would have passed
out, but she stayed him with a ges-
ture.
Watt" she breathed with difficulty.
God give me light" And crossing to
her room she shut the door Like a
criminal who knows the verdict, and
yet, perforce, awaits the sentence of
the Judge, the man sank into a chair.
The little children cried in vain for
mother that night. The eldest. a girl
with her mothers dreamy eyes, gave
them bread and milk, and hushed
them to sleep.
Down on her knees, the stricken
woman crouched, not praying, but
waiting for light-longing, hoping, but
resigned to Gods will, whatever 1t
might be. Must she condemn him
now, when he loved her? The broken
marriage law witnessed against him.
He had despised and rejected her-a
wife Of youthful oh, she loved him!
&hah' chN Stlid INN away iOlhCiNSHt
without a wife or children-where
there would be none to watch for his
comfort-none to be glad of 1t just for
loves sake? Could the good God re-
| quire Of her that merciless justice?
When she sent him away she took
from him his last hope of renewed
life, and doomed him to sink lower
Oh If she might but keep him. guard
him, love him, forget the broken law!
Women never forgave this sin-wom-
en- who loved righteousness and hated
sin. She would obey God though she
perished--though he persisted, which
was infinitely more terrible to con-
template. But, oh. II she might for
give him!
There was the written word-with
sudden, trembling hope she rose from
her knees and got her Bible from the
table. She opened 1t and laid her fin
ger at random on a passage. At first
she dared not look. When she did, her
face, red with weeping, bleached
white God had indeed spoken-her
finger pointed to a section Of the old
law, Lev. 2O:10.
There was no appeal from that-the
words seemed spoken in her ear-he
must die 1t was the law. The strug-
gle was ended she would not fight
against God,
Once again she read the dread SEN
tence, lingering each word as a child
might, and this time reference, In
finer type, caught her eye. 1t was John
S:3. With trembling, uncertain I'm
gers, she found the reference, and
awed and humbled, read again that
wonderful story of divine forgive
ness She read it through, to the
great absolution, Neither do con
denim thee; go and sin no more" He
the pure God, the anointed Christ
could forgive, for his great love. Sure
ly, then, she might, nay, must. Sob
bling with awed JOY she fell upon hel
knees and broke into thanksgiving.
Day was breaking when she stepped
into the outer room Her husband sal
huddled up In great armchair, be
fore the fireless CRATE He had faller
into an uneasy do2e Love, love un
utteraDle was in her eyes as they rest
Cd on him and noted the marks OF SUI
fering on his face. Noiselessly she
. kindled the FIRE, and when the high
and the returning warmth awoke hin
to sense OF renewed comfort she wa,
, standing before him, her loving arm
Outstrctched
| Neither do | condemn thee m,
darling, my darling!" she cried, an
falling on her k&eca, rho hid her fac
upon his breast
What OF tlo yeaSs before them
VIII he, as the memory Of that blood
agony grows dim, ta,' hat divine fol
3 siWncss as a light thing, or will hi
indeed, "sin no more?"
5 VIII the world seem void-unar
j. swering now that she faces It wit
r awakened eyes? VIII she look bacl
: ward, longingly, to the Land {
. Dreams, and forget to march breas
q forward" with those 'ho fall
4 rise?"
/ Who dare say Yet marvellous q
8 life or death, Is the mystery Of 70
. giveness- limitless as eternity-fatl
j. omless as the heart is the miracle {
: love.
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