Mercy [pp. 259-274]

Mercy.
ly, as he uttered her name, -" Mercy Morse,
you have been called here more in the effort
on the part of those who look after the spir itual welfare of the members of this house of
Zion to bring you to a proper feeling of con trition for a dastardly sin, not only against
those who have money dealings with you,
but against, as well, yourself, your family,
your church, and your God; you have been
called here, I say, more in the effort to make
you see your fault, confess it, and abandon it
forever, than to bring about any other punish ment for it than such feelings of repentance
and sorrow. But since, alas! this pious inves tigation seems to have no such result, and
your heart seems hard as that of Pharoah
when he hardened himself against the chil dren of God, there appears no other course
than to take extreme measures with a soul so
steeped in petty sin. Hence it becomesmy sad
and solemn duty to inform you that your name
will no more appear upon the roll of mem bers of this church, nor will you be admitted
to the table of our Lord, at the times of our
Holy Communion in remembrance of Him."
Here Levi made another visible effort to rise
but was again kept in his seat by his wretched
wife. "But," continued the minister, his
voice softening in spite of himself, "I must
add a word of pastoral counsel to a sinner
who once seemed one of the shining lights in
the temple of the Lord -once seemed, I say,
before she was led to commit so unspeakably
detestable a sin as that of which we find her
guilty."
"No! No!" shouted a hoarse voice, —
and Levi was at last on his feet, his whole
frame swaying to and fro, as he gripped the
bench before him, while his great blue eyes
gleamed like orbs of liquid fire from out his
ashen, haggard face, "Anything but that!"
"Hush!" interposed Brother Meacham,
"don't interrupt your good pastor, dear
brother. Hear what he has to say to your
erring partner."
Levi had, through these slow, measured
tones, been trying to speak again, and now
burst in, his rugged voice quite drowning the
oily one of the Deacon, "You are all doing
a wicked, heartless thing!" He noticed not
VOL. XI.-I8.
the stir his rude speech had caused, but
went on, almost'shouting in the intensity of
his passion, "a wicked thing, brethren, and
I a more wicked one in permitting the best
wife ever God gave to an undeserving husband
to be abused as you have abused her today.
Coward that I have been, I will be so no
longer!"
"Levi! Levi!" came in broken tones
from the wife, who had hitherto preserved so
remarkable a composure, but was now sob bing uncontrollably, as she stepped from
the bench, and so, kneeling, clutched at
Levi's clothing, trying to drag him into his
seat again. "Levi! Levi! stop before it is
too late," she went on in a struggling whis per, to which, however, the object of her
pleading gave not the slightest heed.
By this time the dignity of the meet ing was quite at an end. One deacon
whispered to another, and all stared at the
strangely excited young man before them,
who continued rapidly, "I am the only one
to blame in this despicable business! My
losses had been considerable, and I knew no
way to make them good. And I did so want
to earn a little for my cherished wife!"
Stifling a deep, choking sob, he went on,
"In a moment of weakness the temptation
came to me to cheat in a way I foolishly
thought would never be discovered - and
this - this — is the result," pointing to the
sorrowing figure at his feet. "Through all
these days of misery since parson's visit to
my poor wife, not a reproach has passed her
lips. And I ask you, elders, deacons, parson, and all, could one of you do what she
has done? Could you like her bear the reproach of uncommitted sin to shield another
who had more friends than she to blush for
his wrong doing?"
He tottered suddenly, his hands relaxed
their grasp on the bench, and before his
agonized wife could reach him he fell back
heavily across the seat behind him. That
face but now working so violently with concentrated emotion at once became rigid and
ghastly, the blue eyes staring unknowingly
upward.
Every one crowded around him at once,
1888.]
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