The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-05-19
HIS ROMANCE.
It Is That Of an Old Head But q
Young Heart.

This is the romance Of 4 Tniddie-aged
man-the romance of an old head and
young heart. am gray-haired and
forty, and yet as | sit at my desk in the
gloomy little Office of HarUan's mill, a
face comes between my eyes and the
columns of figures in the dusty ledgers
"a young face with clear, bright eyes
and I fall into day-dream and for
get that I am ole and poor and COM
monplacc.
She is the only child of Je re Hartman,
the millionaire mill-owner, and as gen.
tie and good as she is beautiful
l have watched her grow into WON
anhood. l have watched her character
deepening and widening and develop
ing toward the ideal of my dreams.
And all these years l have been learn
ing to love her.
Surely love is not wholly wasted
though it is hopeless. l am better
man that have loved Nellie Hartman.
No. I build no air-castles.
l am forty and she eighteen.
l am only her fathers bookkeeper
and she is the heiress of millions.
There was time when little Nellie
Hartman rode on my shoulder, hunted
nay pockets for goodies, and escaped her
nurses charge several times day to
toddle down to the mill in search OF
cher Jack Spencer Daily she brought
her school tasks, the incorrigible Latin
verbs and the Unconquerable examples
in fractions, to the same old friend,
who was never too busy to be bothered
by little Nellie Harman.
She is as unaffected and cordial in
her friendlineSs as ever, and sometimes
when she lays her hand or my arm and
looks up into my face and asks why
come SO seldom to the hall, and have
grown tired of old friends, Of her
then find it hard to answer lightly, to
smile calmly, and | go away with a
heartGche.
The girl does not lack for friends.
Grim, stern old Jerc HarmGn's little
bright-faced child. notherless since her
babyhood, long ago found tender spot
in the hearts of the village folk. In the
cottages her face is as welcome as sun
shine. The children hang on her Cow n,
the women sing her praises, and the
toughest mill how'd has always civil
word for her, and lift of the cap as
she passes.
She has her young friends, too,
among the country gentlefolk. Young
Harry Desmond is often at the hall. 1t
is rumored that he is the fortunate
sutton of Jere Harman's heircss. He IS
a fresh-faced, good-hearted hd. Love
is for youth, and they are young to-
gether.
Gray-haired Jack Spencer, what have
you to 90 with loves young dream?'
The strike.
The mill is shut down and the strik-
ers gather in knots along the village
street and discuss the situation. The
cut-rates have caused the trouble. Jere
Hartman is a hard man and hard mas
ter. He holds the fate OF these people
in his hands. A few cents less to them.
a few dollars more to him. This seemed
to him to settle the question. The
times were duIl-he would reduce
wages. The Hartman mill operatives
went out IN Il body.
The first day of the strike Big John.
the weaver, who headed the strikers,
came to Jere Hartman with a delegation
to arbitrate the matter.
To them Hartman said: Return to
work at my terms or stay out and
starve- Monday l hire new hands if
you are not back in your places. AS
long as 1 own this mill shall be mas
ter here.
This was his final answer. and no
words of mine, no warnings of the muir
murs and threats that grow and deepen
among the men, will shake his viii.
There is talk of firing the mill among
the mad-brained ones, but Big John
shakes his head
That We're chopping the nose of to
spite the face. men If the mill were
burnt how would that help Us to work
and wages? Nay; it must be other
means"
Aye. we must live: but II we do not
Get our rights by fair means we viii
have them b. foul, cried another.
They mean mischief have warned
Jere Harman, but he viii not heed