The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1915-12-04


never know what that is, Paul 1t is
stronger than love. u faith, or honor
God knows | never thought myself
weak; at school | was the least IN
petuJus OF the two Everything went.
and they cheated me from the start
Roulette ana faro Then put my hand
IN the safe. TO this day | cannot tell
Why owed nothing to those desplca
BILE thieves. Craig least of all
Craig. met him over there. PUN,
melcd him"
Il didn't act like a man Some day
a comfortable fortune would fall to the
lot OF each Of US But | took eight
thousand, lost it. and came whining 10
you You don't belc~g TO this petty
age. Paul You ought to have been
fellow Of the round table" Arthur
smiled wanIy ITO throw your life
away like that for brother who
wasn't fit 20 lace your shoes! If you
had written you would have learned
that everything was smoothed over
The Andes people dropped the matter
entirely. You loved the mother far
better than l."
And she must never know" quietly.
DO you mean that?"
Il always mean everything say.
Arty Can't you see the uselessness of
telling her now? She has gone all
these years with the belief that | am
thief thief. Arty. |, who never stole
anything save a farmers apples. They
would have called you a defauter:
that's because you had access TO the
safe, whereas had none" Arthur
WINGED Il don't propose to disilluson
the mother. am strong enough to go
away without seeing her; and God
knows how my Leart .yearns. and my
ears and eyes and arms"
Warrington reached mechanically
for the portrait in the silver frame.
but Arthur stayed his hand.
mo, Paul. that is mine"
Warrington dropped his hand. puz-
zled Il was not going to destroy it,"
ironically.
NO; but in a sense you have de-
stroyed me. Compensation What
trfling thought most of US give that
word, The law of compensation For
ten years Elsa has been the flower o
the corn for me. She almost loved me.
And one day she sees you; and in that
one day all that had gained was lost.
and all that you had lost was gained
The law of compensation. Sometimes
, we escape retribution. but never the
law of pensation Some months
ago she wrote me a letter. She was
always direct 1t was a just letter"
A pause. Arthur gazed steadily at
the portrait, while Warrington twist
ed his yellow beard
The ways Of mothers are mysteri-
GUS" said the latter, finally. He won
dered If Arthur would confess to the
backer deed, or have it forced from
him He would wait and see. The
father and the mother weren't happy.
Money. There's the wedge. It's in
every life somewhere. A marriage OF
convenience is an unwise thing When
We Nele DCi II tuC tul hCO ~
Up to the time we were six or seven
there was no distinction in her love for
US But on the day the father set his
choice upon me. she set hers upon you.
You'll never know how suffered as a
boy, when | saw the distance growing
wider and wider with the years Per
haps the father understood, for he was
always kind and gentle to me. ex-
pect to return to China shortly. The
Andes has taken me back. Sounds
like a fairy tale; Ell? shall never re-
turn here. But did you know who Elsa
Chetwood was?"
Not until that letter came"
Neither Of them heard the faint
gasp which came from behind the
portieres dividing the study and the
living room The gasp had followed
the invisible knife-thrusts of these con
fidences. The woman behind those
portieres swayed and caught bindly
at the lamb With cruel vividness she
which she had never given more than
a passing thought NO reproaches:
only simple declaration of what had
burned in this boys heart And she
had almost forgotten this son A
species Of paralysis laid hold OF her.
leaving her for the time incapable Of
movement.
She heard the deep voice of this
other son say: Lots OF kinks in life
There is only one law that | shall lay
down for you. Arty. You must give
up all idea OF marrying Elsa Chef.
wood
1T will be easy to obey that Are
you playing with me, Paul."
"Playing?" echoed Warrington
Yes. Do you mean to sit there and
tell me that YOU don't know why |