Connecticut western news., 1920-01-08

'T didn't take Conward's word That's why I didn't kill him at once. It wasn't his word, it was the insult that cut. But she tried to save him. She threw herself upon me. She would have taken the bullet herself rather than let 1t find him. That was what that was what"
 'I know, Dave" She had to hold herself in check lest the tenderness that welled within her, and would shape words of endearing sympathy in her mind, should find utterance in speech. q know, Dave" she said. "The next thing then, is to make sure in your own mind whether you ever really loved Irene Hardy. Be cause if you loved Irene a week ago you love her tonight"
 Edith" he said, ''there is no way of explaining this. You can't under stand. I know you have given your self up to a life of service, and honor you very much, and all that, but there ere some things you won't be able 10 understand. You can't under stand just how much. loved Irene. Have you never known of love being turned to hate?"
 "No. Other impulses may be, but not love. Love can no more turn to ness. Believe me, Dave, if you hate Irene now you never loved her. Lis ten: Love beareth all things, believ- eth all things, hopeth all things, en- dureth all things" ...
 Not all things, Edith; not all things" .
 "It says all things"
 Dave was silent for some time. When he spoke again she caught diff ferent sound in his voice-a tone as though his soul in those few moments had gone through a lifetime of expe- rience.
 Edith" he said, "when you repeat ed those words knew you had some thing that I have not. knew it, not by words but by the way you said them. You made me know that in your own life, if you loved, you would be ready to endure all things. Tell me, Edith, how may this thing be done?" .....
 She trembled with delight at the new tone Tn his voice, for she knew that for him life would never again be the empty fiippant, selfish, ire sponsible thing which in the past he had called life.
 'In your case," she said, "the course Is simple. It is just a case of for giving" em
 He gazed for time into the street, while thoughts of bitterness and re. venge fought for domination of his mind. Edith" he said, at length, must I-forgive?"
 q do not say you must" she an swered. II merely say if you are wise you will. Nothing, it seems to me, is so much misunderstood as forgiveness. The one who is forgiven may merely escape punishment, but the one who forgives experiences a positive spir- itual expansion"
 "Is that Christianity" he ventured
 'Tt is one side of Christianity. The other side is service. If you are will | ing to forgive and ready to serve l don't think you need worry much over the details of your creed. Creeds, after all, are not expressed in words but in lives. When you know how a man lives you know what he believes always" ...
 Suppose I forgive-what then?"
 Service. You are needed right now, Dave-forgive my frankness- your country needs you right now. You must dismiss this grievance from your mind, at least dismiss your resent ment over 1t, and then place yourself at the disposal of your country"
 "That is what I had been thinking of," he said. At least that part about serving my country, although I don't think my motives were as high as you would make them. But the war can't last. It is unbelievable"
 "Im not so sure" she answered 1 gravely. "Of course I know nothing about Germany. But do know some ! thing about our own people. I know l how selfish and individualistic and sordid and money-grabbing we have been; how slothful and incompetent and self-satisfied we have been; and ! fear it will take long war and sac rifices and tragedies altogether be- yond our present imagination to make us unselfish and public-spirited and 1, clean and generous. I am not wor- rying about the defeat of Germany. | If our civilization is better than that l of Germany we shall win, ultimately, | and if our civilization is worse than that of Germany we shall be defeated | we shall deserve to be defeated.
 ''But I rather think that neither of 1 the alternatives willlbe the result. rather think that the test of war will | show that there are elements in Ger man civilization which are better than ours, and elements in our civilization | which are better than theirs, and that 1 the good elements will survive and l form the basis of a new civilization |