The Press., 1894-05-10
B3 Fremont Street,

taught me Salutafy lesson. You have shown me how others regard me-" He paused and walked across the room with bowed head. "Mean and cowardly," he repeated, as if to himself. Am in deed that?''
 There was pain in the girls face now as she watched him in his humiliation, for by nature she was gentle and full of sweet sympathy. Sho had spoken in indignation and had struck deeper than she lad thought. This man was revealing an entirely new and unsus- pected side to his character. She hG d meant merely to sting his vanity through the thick ah, II ot selfish apathy, and she had drawn blood.
 "Lsten to me, Ralph" she said ear- nestly, using the familiar name as sho had been won't when they were Loy and girl together. "You must listen to me. for if have been nlzind wish to be just. From my tnldpoiut what you proposed was mean nd cowardly. l can t withdraw that. Your father left you master of these mines. with the hundreds who toll in them. When you 
 assumed a responsibility which you have no right to cvade or lay upon eth CTS. When you first camo here, your men were prepared to give you hearty welcome. You could have soon won their love and confidence. A few kind words, the smallest evidence that you had their welfare at heSrt, would have done it, instead of which you have utterly ignored them. You have shown that you despised them, and even these rude, ignorant people have pride which may be outraged. You deputed your own proper duty to a hard, narrow souled tyrant, whose brutality and in- justice have driven those who might have been made humble and devoted friends into revolt The Monckton mines have an evil reputation through out the whole region for poor pay, hard work and danger. The mines are mo- toriously unsafe. That part called the Ten Foot Drive is liable to be flooded at any moment, to the certain destruc- tion of everything living within it, Your overseer was notified of the fact and requested to take precautions. Act ing in your name, he refused, though the expense would have been trifiing, Acting in your name again, he has cut down wages, so that many families in the village were in want, even before the strike began. At this hour, as we sit here, there are helpless women and children slowly perishing of hunger the wives and little ones of your men"
 The tears were running down her cheeks now as she spoke, and the beautiful face turned toward him was full of angelic pity and sorrow that moved the mans soul as it had never before been moved in his whole life.
 ''Are you speaking from hearsay2" he asked in a low voice. Do you know these things to be truer'
 II have gone into their poor homes," she replied, "and I have seen sights to make the heart bleed. You were not ignorant that great wrong was being done, Ralph. I told you myself, but you would not heed me. The subject bored you, and you waved it aside with a jest. But you could not put aside your responsibility. For every child cry ing for bread in yonder village, for ev- cry broken hearted woman's tears, for every act of madness and despair which those men may do, yours is the blame, Ralph, yours alone."
 He opened his lips as if to speak, but his head dropped upon his chest again, and he remained silent.
 "When those patient creatures could bear no more and declared strike against you, she went on, though with evidently increasing effort, for his atti- tude of complete nonresistance discom- fited her, you manifested the most perfect indifference. You took no in- terest in the struggle, either on your own behalf, as owner of the mines, or as a redresser of crying injustice wrought by your hireling, Joyce. But and am ashamed to say it, Ralph one day, when your own proper person seemed to be threatened, you suddenly awoke, not to sense of neglected duty, but to the possibility of physical in- jury. Then your resolution was prompt ly taken-not to fulfill long neglected duty, but to slip away and so evade both danger and responsibility. You have become accustomed to my society," "a red spot came into her cheek, and she raised her head haughtily-"and you offer me the bribe of your name and fortune to accompany you in your flight. You have no love to offer, and you cannot respect me, or you would never have proposed such a marriage to me-"
 She stopped, and with her hands clasped before her gazed earnestly at the bowed figure of the man. For many minutes he neither moved nor spoke, appearing to be buried in a profound and gloomy revery.
 Continued next week.l
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