Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-03-16

luu cuItH"t respect tue lcomHn you ask
 10 J"iIs Cith Y"u fH q COtrUrily act" posed tu love ur at least respect the woman they desire to marry. Of love you have not even made d pretense, and you surely cannot respect the woman you ask to join with you in mean and cowardly act.
 He stood in silence gazing at her as If utterly confounded. Those who had known Ralph Monckton best would hardly have recognized him at that mo- mcnt. The careless languor of manner winch had grown a second nature, the cold indifference of expression, the easy self assurance which seemed but thinly to hide cynical contempt of all things all these were gone. A deep flush over spread his face: his lip trembled as does that of a woman who is about to weep. Shame, anger and wonder seemed strug- gling together within him. The girl was astonished and perhaps a little alarmed at the effect of heI words, but she would not retraCt them.
 When at length he spoke. it was not in the slow, affected voice habitual to him. It was unsteady and full of feel ing.
 Il will not pretend to misunderstood you,' he said, at least so far as your opinion of me is concerned. I did not suppose still had the power to feel wound to my pride as deeply as do at this moment. If 1 have insulted you, as you say. you are amply rcvengcd.
 There was no such thought in my mind. she answered in softened tone. "PerhapS my words were harsher than intended.
 Do not defend yourself" he said, raising his hand. with smile, half sad, half bitter, for whether you have done me full justice or not you have taught me salUtary 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. She had spoken in indignation and had struck deeper than she had thought This man was revealing an entirely new and unsus- pected side to his character. She hrd meant merely to sting his vanity i through the thick shell of selfish apathy, and she had drawn blood.
 Listen to me, Ralph" she said ear nestly, using the familiar name as she had been wont when they were boy and girl together. You must listen to me, for if have been unkind I wish to be just. From my standpoint what you proposed was mean and Cowardly. l cant withdraw that. Your father left you master of these mines, with the hundreds who toll in them. When you took possession of your inheritance, you assumed q responsibility which you have no right to evade or lay upon oth- CTS. When you first came here, your men were prepared to give you hearty welcome. You could have soon won their love and confidence. 4 few kind words, the smallest evidence that you had their welfare at heart, 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 no- toriously unsafe. That part called the Ten Foot Drive is liable to be flooded at any moment, to the certain destruc- ton 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 trifling. 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 pertaining of hunger the wives and little ones of your men,"
 The tearg were running down bar