River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1895-10-03
By equal division of all the property

Every likely not! But If all the
property in the United States should
be equ ally divided among all the peo-
pie in it. there would be about one
thousand dollars apiece. The average
family contains FIVE mem bers, so you
see when voIr mother wears those
twenty-thousand dollar diamonds. she
will be wearing the capital of twenty
people, OF of four families.
What do you mean ~ that. papa7
Do you mean that if mamma has twenty
thousand dollars worth Of diamonds,
twenty other people will have TO go
without anything at ALP
That Is about the size OF il, my
dear. II there are twenty people and
twenty pea ches TO be divided among
them, and one man takes half of the
peaches. there viii not be bat ten left
for the other nineteen people, will
there?"
Il should not like that IL I was one of
the other people-but do want mann
ma to have her diamonds, Mrs. Van
Smith has beautiful diamonds and
they are not half so rich as you are,
papa"
i fear you do not realize the value
Of money"
Perhaps not! I hope ! never VIII.
should hate to be poor. By-byl
Edith is on her steps and we 20 To-
gether."
lie watched her, lovingly, as she ran
down the stone steps and Joined her
friend. who was that hurrying past
the window to the side door? Was it
hobbes?'
A moment later the butler appeared
barring letter on silver tray.
He brings my death warrant was
the thought that passed through Mr..
Strong's mind. Hobbies did not come
he has written. The deal has fail. !.
II Is my death warrant"
lie waited until the butler had left
the room and then opened the letter
with trembling fingers II was as he
feared. The deal had failed! lie sank
into chair and covered his face with
MS hands, caring nothing about partic
ulars- IL was enough to know that he
was lost. All the world must know his
financial distress tomorrow. Ruined.
Ruined. Couid he face the world and
begin again: Could he face his own
family? The words of his daughter:
Il should hate to be poor rang in his
ears In his mental distress, those
carelessly-spoken words. uttered with
out thought. weighed more than they
should. IL seemed 10 him that they
expressed the sentiments of the whole
family. How could he tell them that
his wealth had vanished even quicker
than it had come He started mp and
paced the floor. his thoughts acting
like whips to scourge him on"
In this. his hour of despair, his whole
life passed in review before him. He
thought of the high hopes of his
bered among those who fought for
Justice and truth and the rights of the
people. In the mad scramble for wealth
he had ceased to be just, he had dishon-
ored truth, he had trampled upon the
rights of OF hers! He had sold the best
part of him self for wealth. and now
even that. the price Of his infamy, was
gone, His life had been a failure
from first TO last-a miserable failurel
Measured by the highest standard it
had always been failure-even
though his check had been good for a
million! Measured by the lower
standard 0tworldIy success. to-mo cow
men would write upon his brow-fail-
ure. IL was unerdurable! Why
should he continue to live when life
had lost its value? With sudden re-
solve, born of self-contempt and de-
spair, he stepped into another room
and came back with a revolver
And yet-he could not go out of life
without one last word to Mary. Poor
Mary. She might take it hard! lie
would assure her that it was not
through lack of love for her that he
ended his existence. but-wha reason
could he give for deserving his post at
her side? He sat down to his writing
desk and took out some paper.
Dear Mary" he wrote. and then
words failed him. How could he tell
her? lie stared blankly at the paper.
After all. would it not DE the act of a
coward to leave has family alone to
fight poverty? Had he a right to do it?
Suddenly = soft white hand glided
past his. seized the revolver and re-
moved IT,
Robert! Roberti What is the mat
ter? What are You about to do?" cried
his wife in distress. John told me
that he brought you letter. and then
you began to walk up and down the
room. crazy-like. with a revolver in
your hand, Why iidn't you come and
tell me about 80 You have no right
to try to bear trouble alone. What is
it, Robert, dear?'
Her arms wee around his neck. and
she was covering his face with kisses.
1t means. Mary. that we are poor!
This house will have To he sold; you
will have no carriage, no diamonds, no
trips To- Europe ] shall not save
enough out of the general wreck to
pay the running expenses of this house
for another SIX months. We are poor,
Mary; poor. Our wealth has taken
wings to itself and flown away. There's
nothing left. but the little house your
father gave You. and perhaps two or
three thousand To start me in business
in a humble way"
"But Robert. You have no reason to
utNldiE. We nave ntdA@As sAfcIR TIL
the children and each other. The best
gifts of life are still ours! DO You
know, Robert, | have thought some
times that it would be better for the
children. if we were not quite so rich?
The possession of great wealth tends
70 make us forgetful of our common
humanity. We will move back INTO
the little house in which we were so
happy. and let the social bubble float
without us We will live for ourselves
and our children. While you are with
us, dear, we Will be happy whether we
are rich or not"
Love conquered.
The crisis was past Robert Strong
decided To live. and to so order his flu
ture that self-condemnation should not
be his portiOu.-Banner of Gold.
STORY OF ROB ROY.