The Washington times., 1925-08-05

Ties, D0il6VS i S1OuIO nav A0AAS
developed the inherent traits OF
honesty and honor that know
are mine, but which I have never
fully understood or used.
At the time of which now
write / was a prison made weak
ling, making a blind fight to over
come the inertia and irresponsi-
bility that society had unintention-
ally but none the less fatally
drilled into me.
1 promised Osborne that after
noon to do better. and for a few
days worked hard and faithfully.
But in the rush of things l soon
forgot the incident and lapsed into
my old shortcomings. Jenkins
visited the prison two or three
times. and then, while he was
there one day, Osborne sought me
out and said:
what does Jenkins do for
living?"
was obliged to confess !
didn't know.
A rather lengthy conversation
followed. did my level best not
to say anything detrimental to
Jenkins.
Next day Jenkins came into the
warden's office while was there
alone and accused me Of having
Knocked" him to Osborne. l re-
scented that charge and we had
some words. While we were In
the heat of our argument Osborne
came into the room and couldn't
help hearing enough to grasp
what it was all about.
you're wrong. Tom, " he said.
Donald has always spoken very
highly Of you. He has not knocked
you to me In any way"
Jenkins said something about
sticking up for each other" and
stalked from the room in high
dudgeon. have not seen him
since. That was in 1915.
/ do not recall inst when It
was, but one morning ! received
a letter from Millicent-4she who
had been with me. when went
through delirium tremens at Aqua
Caliente- stating that she was
married. and asking me to return
a large, almost Iife-size, framed
photograph Of her which she had
given me.
The letter was a distinct shock
and a blow to my pride. We had
been corresponding since i left
San Francisco. and I had been
fondly hoping that the day might
come when 1 should gain the
mastery Of myself and feel fit to
ask her to marry me. There had
been nothing in her letters to in
dictate a waning OF regard. I had
her photograph hanging over my
dresser, and often talked to It in
my better moments. She was the
best woman had known. and,
subconsciously perhaps, / chung
to that goodness hopefully.
At first I felt incensed, but az
I thought the matter over I be-
gan to see that she was right
that the woman who marries .
man in the hope Of reforming him
usually makes a terrible sacrifice
Of her life and happiness.
Promises Meant Nothing.
My promises to stop drinking
meant nothing. and my outlook
on life was not normal. had as
pired to a noble woman. but had
shown no nobility Of character
myself. Dismissal was my just
dessert. 1t also served to show
me that so long as / continued to
manifest weakness, as 1 had done
and was doing, it would be selfish
and criminal for me to bring suf-
fering and sorrow to wife, and
the more I thought about 1t and
fought down my keen sense of
Humiliation and failure, the more
realized 1t was for the best.
I took down her photograph,
packed 1t up, and shipped 1t as.
directed. I also wrote TO her,
but forgot just what I said. /
also felt freer to shake off what
little self-restraint I had prac.
ticed. That was ten years ago.
I have since had many letters
from Miliicent-strong, encourag-
ing letters. She followed my
career and repeatedly tried to
make me see the error of my
way.
And only the other day l had
a letter from her, in which she
says: Just why one without
evil should be placed where you
are, I know not. There is no
evil in you. When you try to
do wrong you make mess of It."
OF course, that is comforting
and gratifying. What she means
by evil is deliberate evil. In
a way she is right. My inten-
ton, all through the years, has
been to do good. Bat prisons
are paved with good intentions.
N. m