Charlevoix county herald., 1917-09-28


honesty more than anything else In
the world. He had taught his little
con upon his knee that honesty was
the best policy. He had instructed his
little daughter In the ways of truth
and trankness. He prided himself
that he had model family.
His wife was a Puritan In ideas and
practice. She had reared their children
In the straight and narrow way. His
son was a model of clean and whole
some manhood. without bad habit In
the world that his father knew OF.
He had gone through high school
with honors. and so far his college re-
ports had been good. Just little er-
Il avagant. perhaps. and penurious In
his tastes, but Richard Kiefer had
never stinted his children In money
matters.
He wanted them to have the best.
He trusted their judgment to save
them from any sort of recklessness.
His daughter was sweet, quiet girl.
Just such a girl as he would have
chosen his daughter to be. perhaps
little too quiet and communicative
to be interesting to many. but he
thought that virtue in woman.
Surely a man who had peopled the
earth with such offspring could not
be wholly amiss.
He was proud of his family. and
what was more satisfaction to him
was the fact that their faith In him
was implicit. The word father" en-
bodied all the virtues. They would
have sworn by his honor. by his in
tegrity, by his purity. The. outside
world had not been more successfully
deceived as to his real character than
were the members of his own Preside.
Still he had kept account OF every
thing. He always meant to make good
some day. He meant to go back and
rectify every mistake and begin again
from the beginning-that is. he had
meant to do this, but as he grew older
he began to realize the futility OF such
thing.
One thing had led to another; there
were wheels within wheels. Even to
stop being dishonest now lie knew
would be to arouse the suspicious OF
the world; his own family would doubt
ahd discredit him. The very founda-
ton Of his life had a flaw in 1t. -
He had carried dishonesty into his
business, into his home, into his
church-everywhere To dig into It
now would be to tear down the whole
structure. to ruin not only himself but
his family.
what the world doesn't know
won't hurt It," had been his motto SO
far. After all. maybe 1t was good
enc.
II was the happiest day of Richard
K,efer's life when his son Dick came
home from college and took a place
beside him at the desk. He did not
hesitate to consign to him a position
CT trust at once.
I'm so proud of you. son." he said,
laying hand on the young shoulder;
you have been q dutiful child. You
have been faithful, persevering. and
honest; all have wanted my own life
to be. yours is. You are equipped In
the matter of an education: you are
mentally and morally sound; you can
achieve great future. You must live
my life for me, Richard-be all that ]
wanted to be-"
His iron-gray head was bowed. II
was the nearest he had ever come to a
confession. The boy stirred uneasily.
II will never make the success you
have, father" he said .humbly. 1T
isn't In me. Why! you began at the
bottom and see what you have accom-
plished! / will never make the strong
man you have, father. IL am weak. "
For a moment the boy. too, seemed
prompted to confession, but the ia
theirs abstraction disconnected him.
The old mans head had dropped still
lawer. He was about to say:
my son, l am coward--a poor
craven wretch. For Gods sake. do not
base your life on NINE"
Had he done so, no doubt, the cur
rent Of two lives would have been
changed.
1t was surprising with what rapid.
'ty Dick picked up his fathers bus
mess. He was shrewd. intuitive. and
caring. He promised to become even
q better business man than his father
II seemed to the elder Kiefer that
his son did the work In just half the
time that 1t would have taken him.
Ptrhapsif he had scrutinizsd the work
closely he would have noticed just q
little laxness and disregard for de.
tails. Small matters were not apt to
receive much consideration: but youth
Is apt to despise the importance OF
trifies-that is. the wisdom of years.
He went at the work with a will
seemingly putting his whole heart into
Ii. Most boys would have fretted al
The confinement, and have chosen q
conflicting course.
1t was not long till he was going to
work with as much enthusiasm a.
though the business had been his own
In six months time he had introduced
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