The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1917-05-10

day the young man was arrested, tax.
en- to western state, tried for murder
and hanged. Do you see the point:
In three days more the girl who had
sold herself into slavery for the saliva
ton of those she loved would have
been released from her bondage only
to marry murderer
Forsythe scratched match and re
Hghted his cigar.
II never thought Of such things ir
just that light" he said.
Listen to the wind" said the little
priest. "Hear the pine trees shrek
out there! 1t recalls to me a night OF
years and years ago-a night like this
when the storm moaned and twisted
about my little cabin and when the su.
rremc arbiter sent me my first peni
tent, Gentlemen, 1t is something
which will bring you nearer to an un
derstanding of the voice and the hand
of God 1t is a sermon on the mighty
significance Of little things. this story
Of my first penitent II You wish !
will tell it to YOU"
"Go on" said Forsythe.
The travelling men drew near.
'It was q night like this" repeated
Father Charles, land it was In great
wilderness like this, only miles and
miles away. / had been sent to estab+
lish q mission, and In my cabin that
wild night, alone and with the storm
shrieking about me, was busy at
work sketching out my plans. After
q time I grew nervous. did not
smoke then, and so had nothing tc
comfort me but my thoughts, and in
spite Of my efforts to make them 9th
erwise they were cherries enough.
The forest grew to my door. In the
fiercer blasts / could hear the lashing
of the pine tops over my head. and
now and then an arm Of one Of the
moaning trees would reach down and
sweep across my cabin roof with o
sound that made me shudder and fear
I have heard the pine trees shrek like
dying women. have heard them vail
ing like lost children, have heard
them sobbing and moaning like hu
man souls writhing in agony
Father Charles paused to peel
through the window out into the black
night where the pine trees were sob
bing and moaning now.
"And when they cry like that" went
on Father Charles. "a living voice
would be lost among them as ths
splash Of pebble Is lost in roaring
sea.
'As sat shuddering before my fire
there came thought to me of story
which had long ago read about tht
sea-a story of impossible achieve
ment and of impossible heroism. Al
wildly as If had read it only the da.
before. l recalled the description Of I
wild and stormy night when the hero
inc placed lighted lamp in the win
| dow OF her sea bound cottage to guild,
| her lover home In safety. Gentlemen
| the reading Of that book in my boy
hood days was but trivial thing.
had read a thousand others, and o
/ them all 1t was possibly the least sig
nificant. but the supreme arbiter ha,
not forgotten.
'The memory Of that book brough
me to my feet, and placed hghte'
! lamp close up against my cabin win
dow. Fifteen minutes later l heard
strange sound at the door. and whcl
opened it there fell in upon the foo
at my feet a young and beautiful VIC
man. And after her. dragging hinlsel
over the threshold OH his hands an
knees. there came man.
81 closed the door after the man ha
crawled in and fallen face downwar
upon the floor and turned my attentio
first to the woman. She was covcre
with snow. Her long, beautiful hai
was loose and disheveled and ha
blown about her like veil. Her big
dark eyes looked at ME pleadingly, an
In them there was terror such as
had never beheld In human eyes bt
fore. bent over her. intending to cal
ry her to my cot. but in another INT
ment she had thrown herself upon th
PROSTATE form of the man, with he
arms about his head. and there burs
from her lips the first sounds that sh
had uttered. They were not muc
more Ineligible than the wailing grie
of the pine trees out in the night, bu
they told me plainly enough that th
man on the floor was dearer to be
than life.
81 knelt beside him and found tina
he was breathing in quick. pantin
sort of way and that his wide opc
Z eyes were looking at the woman The
noticed for the first time that h
face was cut and bruised and bis liz
were swollen. His coat was loose ;
tue throat, and could see livid mari
on his neck.
I'm all right he whispered. stru;
Cling for breath and turning his eyes
me. We should have diel-in q fe
minutes more-if it hadn't been for Il
light in your window
, '.The young woman bent down ar
kissed him. and then she allowed me
help her to my cot When | had a
; tended to the young man and he ha
regained strength enough to stand upt
, his feet she was asleep. The man wei
to her and dropped upon his knees b
side the cot, Tenderly he drew bat
the heavy masses OF hair from abo'
: her face and shoulders, For sever
. minutes he remained with his fa
pressed close against hers; then he 70
9 and faced me- The woman-his wife
: knew nothing Of what passed betwe'
{ US during the next half hour. Duril
h Aa ,,a 4.4aa.,>a. .oxoir,