Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-03-05

on his really fine qualities-his ambi-
ton, energy, intensity of will and pur-
pose. his lack of false pride, his real, if
clrcumscribed, kindness of heart and
his liberality. She could ticket them all
off on her fingers and give to each good
trait Its NEED of admiration, when their
owner was at a distance; but when he
was beside her they faded into the back
ground, leaving prominent the conscious
ness that he rubbed her the wrong
way" also.
1t was pity; for he really was far
from beinga bad, or stupid, or a brutally
offensive man. His genius consisted.
not in saying and doing wrong things,
but in leaving unsaid and undone right
ones. Mary was self convicted of lack
of generosity in liking him with reserva-
tons, and yet deprived, by the very
feeling the absence of which she de-
plored, of the comfort and certainty of
her aunt's position. ''He is truly insup-
portable, which is his only defect" that
lady announced, with decision, and
after that never wayered
why do you cumber yourself with
those old niggers:' he questioned, sud
denly, after he had told Mary all about
the materials which had come for his
new house and the plans he had made.
There was an architect, friend of his,
coming from New York to undertake
the work for him, and no time or
trouble or expense was to be spared i'll
making the building perfect.
! Mrs Beverley looked across at him,
but made no answer. They were alone
i'll the parlor, as Miss Cornelia seldom
/ troubled herself to appear. He doesn't
ZONE tosee me- she said, land he doesn't
want to see me. | wish he didn't come
b see you so often" And Mary was be-
ginning to wish so herself.
! You'll have to support 'em, you
know" he proceeded. They are too
q old to work, and they haven't anything
I to live on, and of course they're going to
| live on you. You might have known
that when the old rascal persuaded you
! to let him move over here"
81 did know it" Mary replied quietly.
/ 81 had then moved over for that pur-
pose. They are old family servants, and
we have supported them always. Their
children arc dts,I: and they have no one
! else to lock 10 for assistance, aud no.
where else to GO
Anthony whlstled. That's all done
away with" he said, land mighty
good thing fol the land owners too.
Every tub stands on its own bottom
now. They are as free as anybody, and
ought to look ont for themselves. You
amt bound to support them any longer.
/ As to place to go, there's the poor
| house, if they can't do any better. We
all pay taxes to support that, and it
would be unreasonable to expect US to
support the paupers of the community
outside too"
| Mary knew that the feudal feeling
the sense of mutual dependence, which
| had been so strong a tie between her
own class and their humble retainers, in
| the nature of things was nonexistent in
his class, and possibly beyond his com
prehension. She cast about in her mind
how to make him understand without
reminding him ungenerously of their
difference of caste.
''These old people are singularly des-
titute of friends among their own race
on whom they have claim for support, -
she explained. LAS 1 told you just a
moment ago, their children are dead
and their grandchildren have shaken
them off and moved away. They are
very old and much attached to their
home. They wouldn't be comfortable
at the poorhouse.
"Oh, yes, they would" he contradict
ed, understanding her to mean in the
material sense. You're nightly mis-
taken about that. The paupers are well
treated by the county; they have good
accommodations and clothing and fire.
wood provided, and hardly any work to
do. rode over there myself the other
day to tell the overseer to send a wagon
for old Patrick and to make arrange
ments about them. | don't like niggers;
| never did. But I'm not brute either;
and if l hadn't seen with my own eyes
that the darkies were comfortable and
cared for, wouldn't have moved them"
1T isn't that, said Mary impatiently;
Its the feeling they have about it.
They would die if they We're sent to the
poorhouse. 1t is their pride, the degrade
ton of being considered paupers, the
! lgnominy of being on the county. Can't
you understand? It's the feeling that
made Dickens old woman run away
from everybody and die on the roadside
rather than be taken to the worlhouse' -
But Anthony had never read a line of
Dickens in his life, and the parallel
which Mrs. Beverley had cleverly drawn
from his own class was utterly thrown
away upon him. What struck him was
the absurdity of supposing negroes capa-
bic of feelings and aspirations other than
those relating to physical comfort, of
imagining that they cared for anything
outside of being warmed and housed and
fed without undue exertion. This idea
of hers appeared to him so humorous
that he throw back his head and laughed
uproariously.
Mary felt as though she could have
| struck him.
"Well, WE'LL he said. as soon as he