The Washington times., 1914-01-14
sHEHOUR OF CONFLICT
By A. HamiOnGibbS s&gz=gez ~ By gsn = Mg2ssZ G!
AUTHORS Of &

, the Path. glancing right and left at his
flowers Therese came to the door.
All there you arei" she cried. What
have You been doing now? And your
dinner. eh? You will believe me when 1
sa,- it is not fit to eat. Bathing? Mon
Dieu. no, You set out to bathe hours
ago. You have been doing some kind
ness to some OF your worthless people. l
know you. Why. If you go on doing this
much longer they won't any of them BE-
able to eat unless you hold the spoon.
They trade on you, they take advantage
of yGuT soft heart. Mon Dieu! why
shUu,G you not be allowed to eat de-
cent dinner-aud, OF course. it is use
less for ME TO point out that 1 have
CColIeG il in vain. that all my thought
and I&bor go for nothing. Come quickly,
quickly, before IL is absolutely ruined. l
beg OF you. NJ. TAbbe. Heavens! II you
would only think a little less Of others
and q little more of yourself
Her eyes were AN OF reproach, bit
her hands were undoubtedly. the most
essential part Of her outburst as he
stood on the step-QUitC obliviouS of the
fact that she was thus blocking the
way OF delaying still more the long-de-
LAY ed meal But when she ended and
the priest begged her pardon and began
TO excuse himself, she turned into the
hall ana rum0ied OF into the kitchen.
TIE aEbe contTitely hung up his hat,
snIffed at the ;Ioneysuckle which tuIn-
Gied in great riot over the porch, and
tuea Obediently followed the kindly old
hoIsekeeper into the barely furnished
room where he kept his books, ate his
E,eais, received visitors, smoked his
pipe. and conducted most of the work
Of the parish. r- 80
It was almost in fact, a club room.
Nearly every night two or three men
dropped in to ask his advice on ques-
tions OF ssthics or finance, 10 enjoy a lit
tie conversation, or to have Il game OF
domlnoes or CheSs-at which. indeed, the
able was WITHOUT rival in the whole OF
An5leteuse.
He was not merely the village priest.
He was the personal friend of every
villager. They told him I'll their plans,
ideas ana jokes. He knew all there was
to be known about every one of them,
and was not only ready 10 do anything
for them that lay in his power, but
went cut OF his way to do before they
came and asked him.
The proprietor of the cafe did not
complain that the abbe's evening club
took away his custom He himself was
a frequent visitor. AMI the able and he
hsd many a bloodthirsty battle on the
chess board. When any dispute or un-
pleasantnesS arose in the village, who
else could decide the matter but NJ.
rAbbe?
The influence of this big, quiet priest
was quite extraordinary. Man, woman.
and child turned to him for sympathy
and help. as they would have turned to
4 big brother. II they were i'll the sight
CT his smile. the grip of his hand, the
sound of his CHEEKY voice were better
than all the medicine in all the drug
gists' shops in the world.
And as day succeeded day in the un-
ending routine Of this small community,
the able had no time to think how
much greater things he might have
zone out in the world. He was too
busy. His life was too full in doing
his work in his own little corner Of It.
lie remembered with smile how that
Young .Englishman, who had been play
ing golf there few months previously,
had compared him to a useless cabbage
growing in an out-of-the-Way corner.
Well, he was a cabbagNhe thanked
God for it!-but not a useless one. He
WAS not only content, but grateful at
being stuffed away out of the rush and
excitement and feverish emotions OF the
big world. He did not desire feyerish
emotions. They made one lose sight of
God and ones duty. .- q. %.
But even such peaceful corners of the
earth as Ambleteuse may be swept by
tornadces, and at that moment Provi-
dence was preparing 10 pit the abbe,
sanctity against his humanity, to test
him in the fire Of passion.