Show I TWT1O REPENTED Schultz parish ntiest lather Martin the foot of the sat at of rrunenn the brow of the 1st bS tree ou boech great looked with weary frin berg and spread before fair prospect eves on the Ed quickly down to Jim humped The him with cornfields plain rolling a fertile the westering sun in f sbining golden there litJe Village a church Here Bld and few trees broke the yellow a tower in the middle distance dome expanse mound with a ruined castle its sbaned still showing sharp angles k ep donjon Irom the plain Beyond in rose west sheer the hills lay blue one behind the other till they merged into the sky the to the east glimmered a far away and silver ribbon the fullflowing Rhine 1 telf indeed with fruitful promise Fair Martin paid the scene but Father was heed to though he had climbed to no his favorite restingplace for com tbi and refreshment of mind fort His head rested against the bole of behind him which served great tree bankground to his refined relieving a as well cut features It was a very attractive fined facea broad clear forehead nose a straight wellopened gray eyes and well0pe1i a delicate mouth j but it had Its chin was tites for the default < lees qllulittS in strength and tne mouth wanting was far too sensi with all its delicacy bye Father Martin bad had a trying day at clerical meeting Summoned to a five miles distance he had in default some trudged both of conveyance faulteI1lny under the hot August sun od his ways discussions tired out with unprofitable return he had been called at once to cussions the deatnbed of a favorite parishioner house the Forater whose the wife of with us closed blinds lay behind him in a clearing of the beech woods He arrived only just in time to administer laid the last rites the dead baby was its dead mothers breast and in on frozen griet the husband looked at both hand The priest placed a sympathetic words his arm and with soothing upon chamber of strove to lead him from the death But the man turned fiercely him andin fow bitter tones bade fun upon begone What can you a priest know of what a husband and lather feels at such a time Leave me with my dead And Father Martin had left him and now sat in the evening cool and thoucht of many tnings of his boy hood when the entrance to the priesthood was held up to his youthful mind as the summit Uf ambition thenof his novtate in the Jesuit seminary where as another in like position once said his battle was with nocturnal fear and the noondav devil he wrestled with the angeL he wot through the fires until in de span at his own wavering faith he rushed on to the fatal step of becoming a monk trusting that the sacrifice would bring its own peace Then in the quiet life of the cloister his doubts returned with threefold force and m the hope tnat active work among his lellowmen might crush the tormenting demon out of him he begged for his secularization and had now been for Qne sears parish priest ot Gruneuau But scholar and student as he was the narrow round among a sparsely scattered rural population fretted him inconceivably Daily the thought ret re-t rredh to him u of how many thiS3 the i urch enjoined on him m which he had no faith and with which try us he I mh be could not putbimself in syni j I itti3 i To him in this state of loneliness and I doubt had COllie an unexpected pleasure pleas-ure Roger Dower head of a large aud fuicessiul boys acnool near London bad settled down in Grunenau to spend nt uoituer holiday in fishing and bot aairns and he and Martin Schultz had become fast friends tveu now as Father Martin sat there weary and dispirited Roger Bowyer ws luakui tils Way Up the Wluuiiig path between the beeches to where he opea to find hunG hun-G oJ evening my fried he cried ahe emerged On thu mossy summit the Katnnenberg and threw himself Uown besiJe the priest Where have 5u been all this broiling day E Martin Schultz turned his haggard are toward him and told him of his last rraiid fwudou You see it is just as you tell me we try to be superhuman and so those or whom we would give our harts blood k look upon us astnAuwan What would l not give to be 01 this as you are free mg torturing thought that is wear am KOBtmy soulthat in all mr life I I wrong and can do I naught but Wrong UK for I am to be a false upholding what I feel I dbe System full of I an error rottenness Bowyer looked at him I I in They hafi often surprise lions tother discussedy1g10Uq ques I er but the yet 5pOke i0 priest had never I g dhadus oecl S allIY though his He Baitt to him slowly att facttol > I d ls deliberate j that opinion r Jour I TO Mr cnrm s and yo Can vuu little l U tell IS Said Sc ultz the 10 feel ones selfhemmed misery it ilt by restrictions In on all sIdes that iasult one knows to ones to be au lDanhood Jeuit in this WIJy I as a nineteenth boasted civilization century of a book may not without even read the sJpel1ors Blind perIUis ion of my on men whom Good Obedience is imposed ro to choose the lade with seeing evil each One for bUnself gOOd and reject the man I 1 am a am not WetcLed a 1oger Bowter tool 5tuuefl Look here was thoroughly tln si id throw unDere he L ai why E up and b3j Vih Your Nid C0me over toE L yu would soon talents and learn J be able Itfncy to If OU earn a Or are really it dissallfaction earnest I r lC leave it atd with OUr pres Au do begin what I can a new career ill a niater leaves to help YOll My tt k > place Sue next term 0ven on50 look If only for a time about 4 1tn niciiie yout imn 1 110 moUth quivered with Ii 01 for not know IhiS how tlJ proof bit how of your date fnend ye 1 > we were In the accept itt Uh WitS daYSoOwben Imnted OUt mans it might to him in know visions lr the that ngbt not t1 being gerni1 tbe klnsightvt5 Us now htvs l lkWbat laid Bow p IIUoatlentIr terv lUan to It be In Man try to do is Ulan the beat and 1 master of f rose oktd to up return at him to his inn the J Ire w ta with feelings Hip S th and decisi tigure marked every with to wOuid 3s of lead him nthe to strengthS his a ftlJeshon Weigh well and OplLlon having 1 to t j t re andfearles ly In the walk by it rtre him l way that Sthu1t tigbed and said You do not wish for an immediate answer to your proposition How can I tell that any looping to be free is not a simple selfseeking No do not hurry said Bowyer Think it all over then writeo me for I all sorry to say my holiday here is over I am called back to London and must leave early tomorrow Here was another cause of trouble for the poor priest He had hoped to talk it all over with Bowyer to look impartially this thug which now that it was put beiore him baldly and diatiictly seemed very terrible and with his friends help to arrive at some decision and the assistance must now be withdrawn Something of his trouble showed itself in his face for Bowyer turned to him with the feeling ot pity which had moved him first to make his acquaintance acquaint-ance and said very gently You know it must be you and not I who shall decide When I am zone perhaps it will be easier for you to know your real mind on the subject But 1 do not think any man can either be happy or truly good who is daily testifying testi-fying to things which he but half believes be-lieves Goodby to you now and God bewith you whatever your decision Bowyer held out his hand which the other wrung in silence and then sat down again listening to the receding footsteps of his friend as he went quickly down the precipitous path Long sat Martin Schultz hesitating and wavering now leaning to one side now to the other this way and that dividing divid-ing the switt mindn now appalled at the thought of the sudden upheaval of all his life now attracted by the vision of freedom Thus he lingered until the shadows of the hills began to creep further fur-ther and further across the fertile plain arId a line of pallid mist outlined the rivers course Then in the valley behind be-hind him he heard the monotonous note of the bell of his little church ringing ring-ing for vespers and rising up he stood for a moment with eyes fixed on the spreading landscape and as he gazd familiar words sprang to his lips The devil taketh Him up into an exceedinu high mountain and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world und the glory of them Then in tones of agony as if the evil one were there in actual presence tempting him he cried Get thee behind me Satan and with bowed head passed on to his evening prayer PABT II Nevertheless about a month later Mr Bowyer received the following letter let-ter GRUKENAU September 18 Dear and Honored Friend In prayer and anguish of spirit I have considered what you so kindly put before me one month ago and have determined to accept ac-cept your offer I have one thing to pray of youthat you will let my history his-tory remain a secret between you and me Unused as I am to the world and its ways I could not bear the thought that I was being pointed out as the renegade priest I am breaking with this old life completely Henceforth Martin Schultz is dead and I shall bear my mothers name She and my father are long departed and to my Maker alone whom I still hope to serve am I responsible for this my deed But to you who gave me hope < and courage I sign myself for the last I time yours gratefullyMARTIN I I MARTIN SCHULTZ 1 Time went on and Martin Stein as he now called himself still remained as Mr Bowyers German master His admirable ad-mirable scholarship made him a most efficient teacher and his gentleness endeared en-deared him to all his pupi s although he had scarcely the s rung hand lieces sarv to control the unruly spirits of heaIthy English boys On the whole the change had been a successful one for him The loo of anxious unrest pasted from his face and left him calmer and brighter His friend nip with Bowver was drawn still closer although according to Martins earnest request the subject of his former for-mer life was never mooted between them He was certainly happier than informer days and Bowyer congratulated congratu-lated himself on laving been the instrument in-strument of this improvement Herr Stein who at tirst had preferred to live almost without outside acquaintance acquaint-ance began at length to lose his shyness shy-ness and gradually became intimate in the family of a German merchant a Mr Tienemann Mr Tmemann had a Daughter Mina a bright pleasant girl of 20 and as was natural Martin Stein himself only 32 brought for the first time into close contact con-tact with an attractive girl fell in love with her blamed himself for so doing he the priest the rowed celibatethen argued that he had canceled these vows hesitated wavered succumbed to an impulse during an unexpected teteatefe proposed and was accepted and went home in the new flush oC ma joy to tell Bowyir what had happened Then for the first time Bowyer reverted re-verted to his friends past life and said Of course you will tell the young lady and her parents the story of your life Martin Stein turned pale he had not bargained for this No he said impetuouslr I can not do it That chapter is closed andover and-over and I will not reopen it She loves me for myself aud what is it to her that for the past years of my life I was a slave and prisoner I will not tell her But said Bowyer she is a Protestant Protes-tant born She will not look upon it in the same light as you do Old friend I think it is due to her to lethor know No T can not replied ha Seethe See-the very thought of those years is like a nightmare and seems to chill my blood And in truth he was shivering shiver-ing all the bright joyousness gone from the face just now so eager Perhaps when we have been married a little time when she has proved what true and loving husband I will be to her prhaps then I mar find it in my hear to tell herbut not now Bowyer saw it was useless to urge him further and feilinc that after his promise given he could not himelf mention the matter to either the parents or the fiance herself this sub 1 ject was dropped Things took their I course Mina Iienemann becams Mina I Stein and although she soon Sound that hers was the stronger spirit of thf I two the pair were very happy Miua had been much in the habit of managing J manag-ing herod father and mother and naturally nat-urally enough fell into the way of guiding guid-ing her husband Martin had made some littie money by the proreeds of a j philological work on which he had been busy ever since his arrival in England This money and the brides own for tune were settled absolutely on her I So the little household progressed very comfortably two children a boy and I a girl were born to them and all seemed well PABT III One summer when the Steins had been married some eight years his wife complained of not feeling well and in deedlooked a good deal out of health The midsummer holidays were just approaching ap-proaching and Mina had in her little head a complete plan of what she intended in-tended should be done therein Martin she said one night I feel tbpt I ought to see a physician Martin who had noticed her loss of color at once responded By all means dearest Let us go to London as soon as tee term is over and you shall see any one you think best That is very kind said Mina but 1 I have a better plan than that We will leave the children with grand mamma and go to Bonn where I will put myself in the hands of my old friend Dr Hahn who knew me when I was at school there and see what he will prescribe Mrs Mina if the truth must be told was hoping to be sent to some Badekur Martin hesitated a moment This was the first time that a return to Germany Ger-many had been suggested to him ana terror overcame him at the idea of being recognized by any of his old acquaintances ac-quaintances But a little thought reassured re-assured him Martin Schultz the tonsured ton-sured priest with shaven face was dead in his place stood Martin Stein the married man with thick curls and dark beard and mustache Still that momentary hesitation had shown him how much he dreaded any recognition and more still that his wile < bould know this past chapter of lila life Aany a time he had said to himdf Now I will tell her but the time had passed away and still she was in icnoraioe Accustomed to give way to his wifes wishes in most matters Martin Stein followed them on this occasion and after having been duly under the inspection in-spection of Dr HabnMina was ordered to try what Bad Bertrich would do for her This was a shock to Martin Within twenty miles of his old parish Bad Bertrich is for some occult reason rea-son a place greatly resorted to by priests and if Martin could have found some valid excuse for disobeying the doctors prescription he would have done so Indeed he brought forward one or two suggestions of other places but Minas reply My dear surely you want me to get well as soon as possible coupled with a look of rather hurt surprise silenced him But the pleasure was gone from his holiday Even Minas delight at the scenery as the carriage rode from AUto AU-to Bertrich opened out the constantly changing views of the lovely narrow valleynot even this could rouse in him any response to her constant appeals ap-peals for sympathy in her enjoyment Like a wise woman she concluded he was tired and let him alone As they reached the doorof the Drel lleichskronen Martin Stein felt as if he were in a dream On the terrace sat chatting and smoking their after dinner cigars three or four blackrobed priests while one very old and delicate looking and apparently a dignitary the church crept slowly up and down leaning on the arm of a young chaplain Martin gazed hastily around him ThanJc heaven there were no faces that he knew So for some days he lived in a fools paradise and more visitors arrived taking the place of departing ones and still they were all strangers Surely he said to himself the bitterness of death is past But one day the heat in the narrow nar-row valley was so great that Mina tired after her morning bath said she did not feel eqal to the table d hotel dinner din-ner and Martin went down alone He was somewhat late and the long narrow table was already full of tourists tour-ists priests and invalids all Germans for Bertrich is a place little frequented by the English and all laughing and talking loud as only Germans can Martins place was at the end nearest the entrance and as he advanced to it the glass door leading on to the terrace opened and a tall tuin whitehaired priest came in and took the only other vicant place the one just opposite to Martin The old priest stood with bowed head and folded hands and as he murmered in familiar tones the well known words ol the grace In the name of God the Father God the Son and God the Holy Ghost Amen years seemed to rollaway roll-away and once more Martin Schultz was standing with his blackrobed fellows fel-lows at the seminary table and mechanically mechan-ically he lifted his hand and crossed himself on brow and houlders and breast Then his op ou > michbor raised his head anti looked at him with eyes whose keenness age had not dimmed dim-med a flash of recognition sprang into them Martin Schultz he said I God be thanked I have found the sheep which was lost Martin never know how that dinner hour passed Before him sat Father Joseph the head of the Jesuit seminary and yet with that instinct of selfde tense common to us all he sat and made believe to go through the usual routine even exchanging a word or two with lady beside him but his head seemed dazed and before the long drawn meal had come to a cose he rose and made his way to the door But as he reached it he found Father Joseph at his side In silence they went out together and when the door had closed behind them Father Joseph turned and looked at Martin sadly and affectionately affection-ately and then My son said hetelt me all For a moment the thought crossed Martins mind to deny all knowledge of his questioner but the old habit was too strong and moreover he had loved this man with a filial affection as indeed in-deed had every novice who had come under bts firm Lut gentle rule And now what could he say to him Concealment Con-cealment was impossible even if he had cared to try it His wfe might at any moment join him arid then he would be face to face not only with one judge but with two This thought prompted his reply Father he said let us go where we shall not interrupted by this noisy crowd and I will tell you what you wi < = h Silently they walied down the road ito i-to where the river bending round tne garden made a little solitude Father Joseph sat down on a bench shaded by hanging arches and mO med to Martin to take his Hat by his side Then at first in hesitating sentences but soon witi eager flow of words Martin poured form the history of his doubts hi troubles his anguish of soul and lastly of his flight from Grunenau All this shall be as naught said Fatner Joseph Come back to the Mpther Church who opens her arms to receive you and these your sins shall bs forgiven Then Martin gathered himself together to-gether with a vLible effort and said with eyes with fixed on the dark water ut their feet Even if I wished itwhich I do not return is impossible I am married 1 have two children Father Joseph covered his face with his hands and groaned But in his soul the purpose took root to bring back to repentance and a new life this his pro digal son And then with all the force of a loving grieving herrt filled with full conviction of the truths he uttered he put before Martin the picture of his life as it seemed in his eyes He spoke of broken vows of sacrilegious escape from his iathers house to feast with harlots and to eat husks with the swine and ended in fervent tones imploring I him to arise and return and be forgiven Martin Schultz sat silent and troubled He had gone through this all before but only with himself and when the selfsame reproaches were uttered by a voice which he had of old loved and revered they struck him with tenfold force Again he said Return is impossible impos-sible ITiave to think not only of ray self but of my wife and children Nay said Father Joseph hear what the Church says He who does not hate father and mother and more even his own soul can not be my disciple dis-ciple My ion my dear son think of my words and give me in mv old age the inestimable joy of knowing you brought home to the flock He rose and blessed him where he sat and turned away the tall bent figure passing slowly on under the shadowy trees while Martin remained behind torn by a thousand conflicting emotions Had it come to this that he was so weak that the first authoritative authorita-tive words should make him doubt should upset in one moment the peace and happiness of these past ten years But had it been peace His conscience rose up against him and accused him of stifled misgivings of deliberate putting away of thought upon the matter and then his heart bled within him as the picture came belore him of what it would mean if he should indeed be brought to feel that he was as Father Joseph said living in deadly sin The husbands and the fathers love revolted re-volted at the thought He had vowed to love and cherish aye but other vows had first been uttered Chaos seemed to have opened before him and no voice said Let there be light So the days came and went and Mina Stein went on with her Kur and chatted and compared symptoms with the other ladies and occasionally joked her husband about his sudden fancy for Father J Joseph little dreaming ot the misery which was rapidly making his life a burden to him For alas for him he could not bring himself him-self to confide his trouble to hiswife who with many whime was after all a sensible little woman and who would at once have appealed to Mr Bowyer to come and draw him out of this morbid state Daily Father Joseph with loving prayers and every argument and assurance assur-ance urged him to east aside his sin and daily the battle raged more fiercely in his soul The very knowledge th ton t-on the one side stood happiness and the other a lifelong penance told against him Like many another poor perplexed mortal it seemed to him that the hard way must be the right one and so from day to day he grew less I able to stand against the priests per suatious and at last the end came Mina Stein lay in bed but half awake listening to the Kursaal band which was enlivening with somewhat discordant discord-ant sounds the early morning walk of the patients undergoing their daily portion of water The musicians were playing a selection of German Volk sliederand in her halfdrowsy state Mina had been following them in her mind through the words of many a well known song when she was roused from her slumbers by her husband coming to her bedside Do not wait breakfast for me dearest dear-est he said I shall not be in And then he saw she w 3 equipped for waking wak-ing mgWhere are you off to so early she asked him smiling up at him as he stood looking gravely down upon her Over the hills he said Over the hills and lar away He sighed and answered with an effort at cheerfulness Very far away Goodby Mina mine God bless thee my hearts tHe t-He kissed her once and again and was gone the sound of his footsteps mingling with the notes of the band which as she listened broke into the wellknown refrain War du bei mir war Ich be der we feb bald wollte iein Ich sass nicht hler du sass nlcht dort so Mutterseelen allein Mina Stein never saw her husband again When the dav went by and he still had not returned she began to get anxious and when night fell she was almost frantic in her helplessness She pictured him lying on one of those lonely hills perhaps with t broken limb waiting for help and wrung her hands in agony Next morning searchers search-ers went out far and wide and sought for him in vain No trace of Martin Stein was ever found Roger Bowyer on hearing the news came at once to the help of the poor yourg widow and when at last she was convinced that her married life was ended he took her home to her orphaned or-phaned children PAST IV The healing hand of time had been laid for some years on Mina Steins wound her children were owing up to be a comfort to her and wrapped up in them and their welfare she had regained her natural cheerfulness Bowyer who had marriea shortly after hi friend was still at the head of his school and still yearly with his wife took his summer holidays abroad Once it so chanced that they turned their steps to Brittany and wandering front one old town to another found themselves at SolignylaTrappe a lit te village which has nothing to attract the traveler beyond its neighborhood to the Trappist monastery which Bowyer Bow-yer had lone desired to see Mr Bowyer i found that she would not be admitted to the monastery but decided to drive there with her husband and wait in j the carriage while he was shown the place Their way took them through a > hilly thickly wooded country until by a sudden turn in the road they came onton the spur of a jutting hill Below them lay a narrow valley the sides dark with trees In the centre stood the gray buildings of the abbey almost surrounded bv a chain of tnple laKes which reflected the towers in their still waters A winding road which now revealed nowliid the monastery led them down into the valley the actual entrance into the precincts pre-cincts of La Trappe being marked by a wooden cross with this inscription Cest ici quala mort et que veritc Elcent lcum flambeaux terribles Cest de cette demeure au monde inaccessible inacces-sible Que lon passe 1cternite When the carriage stopped at the I monastery gates and the sound of its wheels could no longer be heard the I silence was extraordinary Only the murmur of a little spring close by and themeasured fall of a hatchet far away in the forest broke the complete stillness still-ness No human voice reminded of the fact that within those gray walls a multitude of men had electe h to pass the remainder of their days loosing on the world in their great reformers own words As if it had already gone through the great conflagration which shall destroy it in the end of time and as if naught but its ashes remained It seemed as if the silence all around had laid its hand even upon these casual visitors to its abode for they spoke in subdued tones and started when the driver rang the bell at the central gate and shocked the air with its harsh clang The door with its warning to strangers strang-ers On gardcra dans le cloiire un prr peturl silence opened to admit Mr Bowyer the sifent porter in his long whitewoolengown with leathern l girdle his face almost hidden by the great black hood kneeling for a moment in token of welcome before his guest and then mutely led him down the narrow walk between gooseberry bushes and white thorns to the door of the ship like church Here and there a brother was at work in the gardennis hood thrown off the long gown tucked with the black scapulary into the girdle his shaven crown bare to the atternoon sun None paused or looked up for a moment at the btranger whose eyes passed from them to the motto on the cloister door Sedebit solitarius ct tacelit ere he entered into the gloom of the church itself It was very plain totally lacking in those adornments usual in Roman Catholic places of worship A simple wooden altar above it a great crucifix and right and left a double candlestickthIs was allno silk or embroidered hangingsonly the symbol sym-bol of the faith in stern severity Mr Bowyr stood there and gazed while he pondered sadly enough on the living death of those monks who may neither speak to each other nor communicate com-municate by wriing with the outer world a clock outside struck the hour for service and through a side door filed in silently the company of brothers each one kissing the ground before the altar as he moved solemnly to his place where through the service he stood with closed or downcast eyes singing the responses in which alone his voice should evermore be heard on earth And as Roger Bower looked in sadness sad-ness on that mournful band he started with dismay Close to him where his hand could almost touch him stood thin and aged and haggard but unmistakable un-mistakable with face shaven as when first he knew him Martin Schultz whilom priest of Grunenau the long mourned husband of Mina Stein Bowyer with difficulty restrained himself till the short service was at an end and then he leaned towards him and whispered his name The downcast eyelids 9uivered the sensitive mouth drawn with pain and yearlong anguish of soul trembled but no other sign of recognition came and before Bowyej could speak again the hood was drawn closer over the lined brow and Martin Schultz the Trappist monk had passed out of his sicht for evermore Bowyer had heart for no more sightseeing sight-seeing that day he joined his wife but so pale and shocked that she exclaimed at his appearance But neither then nor at any other time did he give her any explanation beyond the one which as she said was none I have seen a ghost and mortal flesh can not overcome its horror of the dead returned to liIeTeiaple Bar |