The advocate., 1894-01-31
THE DEAD LINE.
Continued from page So

the suburbs, where the labOring people
live. That was pretty bad; but Hattie
became a milliner, and, of course, next
time came home and when / met her
in there, had to cut her. Of course ]
had to recognize her changed situation.
How could l be familiar with COM
mon working girl?'
Kate was silent. The terrible queS-
tion arose in her mind -"What if
Fanny-what if ClGrence-should learn
have worked out?" But would not
Clarence be chivalrous? Would he act
as his sister had acted? Kate would
not believe it possible.
Some days after the occurrence Of
this incident, she and Clarence had
been walking together down town; and
when they had taken car to go home,
Hattie HarbinSOn entered and sat Op-
posite them, but Clarence seemed obi
vious Of her presence. When they had
left the car and were going up to the
house, Kate said:
81 feel so sorry for that young milli-
n9r who sat opposite us in the car
"Hattie HarbinsOn?" said Clarence.
Fanny has told you about her, l sup
poser"
eyes. Do you know herS" asked
Kate with anxiety.
II should say | dO;' answered Clar-
ence. II used to take her around. She
used to be at our house a great deal.
Used to be Fanny'S right bower"
"And you didn't recognize her just
nOWp' said Kate reproachfully.
elbow could recognize a milliner
before car full of peOpleH' said Clar-
ence. ''Do you take me for disciple
Of TOlstOiP'
"Who is TolstoiH" asked Kate, wish
ing to change the subject.
II don't know anything about him,
except that he is an old fool ola Russian
count who got conscientious, and went
to treating the ignorant peasants and
WOrkingmen as brothers, and all that
sort of ridiculous nonsense. They say
he is a nihilist, or anarchist, or some
thing of that kind. He is kind of
Russian Peoples party old IDIOT" said
Clarence.
SIS it really so awful wicked in a girl
to work for liVingt" asked Kate.
'Now, just listenl" said Clarence.
Are yOu going to turn refOrmer, tOOP
Of course it is not wicked to work, but
society can have nothing to do with
such people, you know. | dislike to
seem ungallant, even to a working girl,
but what is fellow to do?"
Kate did not answer. Her adored
idol was made Of clay, and lay shattered
at her feet. She kpe1O now what he
would do if he should discover her sin
full past. She, too, had committed the
objectionable sin of honest work. And
might he not find it out? Must he not
find it out if they should ever become
engaged? But, o, pshaw How silly
to think of such a thingP NeVerthe-
less, she could not avoid thinking of it.
How could she? Let any young woman
ofeighteen who chances at this moment
to have lover, answer whether it was
possible for Kate to avoid thinking of
being engaged.
But Kate's pleasure in her visit was
marred thenceforth by the constant
dread of being found out. This dread
became fever when, few evenings
later, Clarence, without the faintest
suspicion that his gossip could have
any painful interest for her, told her
that the loan and investment COM
pany's agent at Golden had been to see
the senior Diegal that day about lot
of defaulted farm mortgages. The
farmers had, so the agent had stated,
all gone into the calamity" party, and
had been sitting around town on dry
goods boxes talking finance" and, as
natural consequence, had bad crops
and couldn't pay the interest on their
mortgages, nor even their taxes. Clar-
ence said his father was greatly worried
and vexed, and had Instructed the
agent to have all the mortgages fore
closed forthwith. As q Samnle. one