Show Ij n THE ANGELI ANGEL I i WITH THE J SWORD I B By H. H M. M EGBERT Copyright bC oy DY W W. G G. G Chapman ChaDman fI the doctor had told WId toldA i j A IA thom that there was wa was was' 4 nothing I Iii i wore nore he could do Steele and 1 Ii its his wife waited in the sick sick- Ick f t I j. j om m beside their boy lIe He wa was an nil anI f I fly ly child elJ eight ht years cars of oC n age c. c lIe He lIet t F in a n stupor now the lips ps which I d mercifully ceased to mutter reI reu re- re u I Ined half open and and the r J between them l Tor or r several tys ys the crisis had be beca approaching i r hours it had been a losing battle baule Steele the bank clerk cleric remained 1 1 I at ot the bedside lIe He held one I hand in his own and his ps s were upon the I seeing eyes ees of ot the child chUd Steele knelt at the bo boys s I jo ie c her head on her arms She Site h had hadt d t stirred for an hour In h her hr r h heart art g I l been the unspoken prayer al alys al- al II js ys s reiterated to O God Cod If IC Thou art alt merciful spare I ii ii's i j I boy and take from sonic other where there are maD many dini din chill i In Iz I r 1 t had bad almost seemed to her as lis' lis if i intensity of her pra prayer er must find ie e answer Yet Charley Chancy had stead- stead I grown worse and she had not noti i ed d to meet her husbands husband's eyes ces t orn Urn orn out by her herlong long vigil cramped I. I I m the position she had assumed Ilam lam iam Steele slept siept Suddenly it cd to her as If It a cold a-cold cold blast blew opening her eyes she saw sa the ther r T th tb Angel at the bedside te And she sheI I I 1 III out her hand to stay die Uie sweep hat mighty might sword must must he die her heart I ded ded I Ih e. e little UttIe room on the Ule instant faded fade n a her sight and she seemed toI to toL I L 1 In InI inthe I the oll following ln vIng vision an an answer answer- er erI l I tier ler question i d I ie was seated a middle aged wom worn worn- I ji jin In inthe the parlor The door flew open pep L Doy a idad lad of twenty ran into I arms lollier I 1 he cried Just think 1 I It t i got ot that position In the bank II I I well we'll be rich and some someday day I IU 11 U be JC president you ma ina mark k m my I Is IS 1 ie e C pissed l sed him she sIle was very proud jroUd I erson H fl Her r husband came home ain mn the news When Charley y had It from the room om they turned m ari and iJ rd d each eath ach other qUler It seemed I that they had borne this wonder vonder prodigy who had hind cured secured a post postie I t 11 ie e great bank a against fifty com com- I ors f I I h year yr r h had d pas passed e 1 Miriam lri JD c S Steele elle tl th the r boy again agahi He lie ha had come home his fac face was ds unshed flushed and therea theren there a n curious unsteadiness about him i l st stood d swaying and arley r she cried and then the j I l realization came home t to her rose and went toward him He lie Heher Hebel her bel foolishly 1st Is been out opt with th lh boys boy mu- mu he mumbled and collapsed Into Ir where he sat blinking bUnking and md to assure her that he was allI all alli i I agony of tb the night when with nb about ut him she helped him him jie te stairs Time The agony upon Ullon the theS the'S ps s 's face when he he I learned theof thew the the- I W of both bolli when the rumor of ot I elgh came to them lust last Charley Steele was a n notorious gate 0 t e. e Doors were closed to him turned their hea heads s aside when encountered d him him oUmer girls laughingly after him but t were in their t turn rn outcasts outcasts from flom fromm rim m m society of ot the little town n a came the day when wIlen the tile bo boy led home hom discharged b by the time was quite impenitent Im Ini go- go get out of ot here 1 he said o o rusts me and me-and and Im Jn going West Vest a man has a chance Jive Give me medred medred dred father and aud you'll be ba troubled b by me again man Ian This boy I Miriam Millam S Steele eJe mini in lii her motherly arms anus anti and andover over o him In Inthe the cul end the time bank huuk nt tnt agreed to give gl him another tbs Lbs passed Charley Chancy timid had he be- strangely furtive In his man man- Something ailed aUed hini He lie HeV V was VIng lag jing in his attention he heas was vas the first fit to arrive e e at th time the bank Ie e last to leave He lie had thrown cure hints of ot wealth l to tn come scene faded Miriam was conof con con- eon eon- on of ot the tie Awful Q Death ath Angel at ut Its weapon poised parsed its inquiringly I tow Iowa toward rd her saw herself In black kneeling at fit tt the bank presidents president's feet feeL men were there with hard hurd un un- hetle faces Charley was there and wearing 3 a look of bravado lew ew what had happened lIe He Icon een cen cau caught ht a n hundred mil t n a the metropolis after a three chase hase with half hulf the of the P pur- pur IJ J twenty l thousand dollars It 1 him another molher chance she h hn ins had his chance the pre pre- coldly Now he lie m must ft lie He advanced and und put d on Miriam's shoulder Secie See Sec ie stands Impenitent he ho said saW 4 toward the bo boy Only a fi will avail uval lo to sd set him nth Ith men nen Jin In rose ise her tier tac face set et t In I agony n heart yearning toward tl the e bo boy I In spite of or his bravado bra Then slip she was aware that her husband huband st stood od at her er side n lit litIs Is 11 right Jh t he be sold said It w was js our own Indulgence that brought him t to where lie he stands He lie must la his hlf di bt to lo oman man j 4 Tin Till Tins s cene lelle changed ed Miriam Steele was of oC a u long lapse lapse- of or time flume Slip She looked rl up to to see a man of thirty broken prematurely phd old emerge from roam the tue gates of a prison laggard Haggard sneerIng sneer sneer- lag Ing null and hard of h heart hemut this I IWU was WU- her tO boy bay She seemed to watch him during that long railroad journey journe back buck to the time little Jiul town n s She saw him pause before the time A harsh faced woman wom wom- an fiU cuine came but out hut out of her own home home- and aud mocked him Get out you OU Jail bird I Miriam l m heard her hea sn say Im ajic and her own heart swelled with bitterness Then she was WUi aware aware that thac sh she herself at tt chIlle Charley's Charleys Char Chir- le ley's leys s side comforting him him and abd that hint he could neither see h lair her r nor nOl feel fuel h her r presence She Site turned away with time the hO boy walk walk- j ng at his side until the they reached time the tle little cemetery upon the lime hill She Rhe entered with the boy bor and preM they paused before a 1 gri e I with a n anew anew new headstone On it ii she ie d her husbands husband's name i a mame-anU mame and hers hirs j I She gasped and then she was aware that the vision lasted mal and thai lieU the Angel of Death stood l still at al time the beds bed's head Beneath dw the sweep of ofU U the e wide Wings she slie could see her 11 1 husband bus hus band seated still holding Chare Charley's Charleys s hand and the time cl child I lying ing just u as behind he be- had hind mum lain Then came a n final scene She Sue saw tier her ier b boy y lying white haired In a bedIn bed bedin i in a pauper w ward ud of a hospital She seemed now to read his heart She I II I saw the time tar tardy for the time folly the grief the sorrow that the time earthly pilgrimage had brought him An And over the Yi vision lon thundered the voice of the Death Angel v Choose l' l It se seemed n d to lo sa say You ou fe u have prayed ed as as V fe Cc wo wom women i. i have ha prayed as iLS few mothers have prayed and because the l kingdom of ot heaven hen Is taken by vIol nce it Im has b been en lej revealed re me- I j led to LO you ou to I h know ow the thie Inscrutable meaning of Gods God's actions Choose now IJ between t life and death Ste Steele le lc raised I her head he nn and l. l answered I o say a the is tal taken ri by 6 violence she she answered Vell Well I will wil tal take talce It It IL I do clo not flot bei believe ve vC the thee a e pic plc tures I know that n man an is is' d h free t l and that flint no inex inexorable rt ble fate fute c can n lie He jn n 11 wait walt to to trap hp m my boy J Y I I know that if his heart i is right and If It he lie I treated rightly he will grow grew up to b bea ia good man What you oJ JIa e shown me e is a n warning not a prophecy e. e ecy y It its a lesson not not nor noran san NJ an fn Inexorable doom 1 I 1 choose and I choose life and md I will save in my boy a all nil the terrors of life and find all aB the prompt prompt- Ings lags of tIme the Evil Qu One In the the dread silence that followed the tacO face of ot the thc mig angel l seethed seemed to io to assume assume as as- sume sum a a majestic lie He liet t turned lind she sue sg saw sav v a u slow pitying pitying smile cross lOSs his fa face It is possible But it Is hard harf he seemed to say I I What What Is ls a ri moth mother r she cannot can cami- not guard her own 1 answered Miriam Steele I choose life for our child child and I r will make that life lite L what It should be be She s saw the le angel lower his hrs sword A moment and the time grim shadow vanished van van- from the thc room Then out of ot blank unconsciousness consciousness Miriam Steele i awoke to find the doctor bending over o H her ci lIe He h has s come comae through h the time crisis he ime said gravely Miriam Steele rall raised d herself pain painfully painfully fuff fully from from her bent knees Her fler hus husband band hand sat by by the time bed bedside still holding the time hand hun of the bo boy whose e le eyes es were wele open and for tIme the first time flame In In days filled with consciousness cO And outside outside out side the glow of dawn was filtering into l nto time tile room She felt feit her husbands husband's arms about h her er Her tears teals of joy mingled with his and she knew that hint a n mothers mother's love t is stronger than thu nil all all er stronger tI than an death and lInd strong enough for tor l life ife |