The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-02-27
A PRACTICAL TEST.

marked, Drawing 161 l1Obl0 WOODEN wrap
somewhat closer round her ears-they were
ON board an ocean liner nearing the
t'banks''--''I say woman's first duty is
to her husband. ~
"And for my part, - Arthur answered,
leaning across toward his wife, 81 say
wonan's first duty is to her children.
Chow do you make that out, Whit
moreS,' the major inquired lazily. The
major had a pretty knack of his own in
casuistry.
why, it runs through ali nature" Ar
thur Whitmore replied. "It belongs to
the very essence of the feelings engendered
in us by natural selection. The male
fights always for the female and the
young; tho female fights for the young
only or turns tail to protect them, leaving
the male to defend himself
ST remember the major unused, Il
was out tiger hunting once in nullah In
India, and came across a tiger, with the
tigress and cubs lying hid in the jungle
fred at the brute, and he leapeq straight
up at me, but the tigress and the cubs
skunk away through the long, tall reeds OF
the canebrake. Well. I killed that tiger,
and went after the tigress, but when got
her at bay she fought like a regular devil
for her cubs, can tell you. SO there
your case. Whitmore. -
Eyes. 1t must always be So, Arthu r
Whitmore continued. 1.-The male, as the
more active and stronger of the two, must
fight for the female and the young togeth-
er; the female, as the weaker, yet the pro-
tector of the young, must leave the male
to look after himself, and at all risks to
him must take care of the little ones.
They are the hope of the race, the future
of the species. The sire has had his day.
If he sacrifices his life for his young, no
great harm can come of it. But the little
ones have all the world before them. For
their sake tho mother must run no needless
81 a. a, T.
borne them and sucked them. To sacri
fee them to the father would be unnatu-
raj and harmful and in the widest sense
unfeminine.''
''That's all very we'll for the beasts, -
Mamie answered petulantly, "but we are
not beasts, and 1 say, with us a wonan's
first duty is always to her husband. Fold
up my chair before you come below, Ar
thur. III run down and see how Charlie
and the baby are getting on in the state
roona.''
''It opens up an interesting moral ques-
tion,'' said the chaplain as Mamie disap-
peared, with a nod, down the companion
| ladder. cit seems to me you make things
rather rough for the husband, don't you"'
| ''WeIl, no. Arthur answered. Il look
| at it like this: Parents bestow much love
| on their children, and the love they re-
ceive in return very rarely requites them.
| 1t is repaid by the children to the next
| SOnOrdb1O1, shS 1db110r hAO AAOoIC1
! selves repay tho debt they incurred to
their own parents. It's the same with the
| father. The love he lavishes on the WON
an of his choice is repaid by her in part to
! himself, in part as care on her side for the
children, who are, after all, his children.
1 don't see how race could well be kept
! UP otherwise. The man must love, first,
! his wife, then his children; the woman
| must love her children best of all and re-
| pay the surplus of her love to her hus-
band.''
Lets have eigar,'' the major said.
with yawn. "We're growing quite SEN
| timental.''
They smoked and went below. In hale
| an hour all was still, save on the bridge.
where the officer of the watch paced up
and down and peered before him into the
dark, for fog was forming
Fog on the "banks' at night is terri
ble thing to the experienced seaman.
About 2 in the morning every soul on
board was awaked at once by terrific
crash that Jared horribly through the ship
as she came to sudden standstill. Her
iron plates olanked; her timber creaked
and shivered. The bows were stove in.
She had run into iceberg
In a second the electric light had gone
out, and all was darkness. Too terrified for
screams, men, women and children CROPPED
| their way through the long corridors and
up the companion ladder. On deck few
dim lights made the gloom just visible.
| The was rushing into the forward
| compartments; leaks had sprung in the
after ones; the fires were out; tons of ice
cum bered the quarter deck; the forecastle
had disappeared with the violence of the
| collision.
Still all on board was order. The cap
tain, wounded by the falling ice, gave the
| word of command clear and steady as
ever. Sailors were lowering the boats; the
second officer, revolver in hand, was hold
| ing at bay the half naked stokers, who
| had surged up from their noisome hole at
! the earliest alarm and were trying to seize
| the first boat for themselves, regardless of
the claims of the women and children.
One boat was ready Arth ar Whitmore
stood on the deck, holding his wife g hand
| tenderly Mamie pressed the two children
| tight against her bosom.
women and children forwardi" the
captain called out in his clear, calm voice.
With a wild sob and fierce embrace
Mamie chung to her husband. Arthur,
| Arthur" she cried, trembling, ''won' t
| they let you go with usf''
NO darling,'' Arthur answered, kiss
ing wife and little ones. ftThis boat is for
| women and children only"
''Then l muss go with the children, -
| Mamie sobbed, breaking forward.
They took their seats on the thwarts and
were pushed off into the dark deep. After
| three days at sea in the open boat they
reached Cape Race. But Arthur went
down on the sinking steamer.
He was justified, after all. Instinct had
solved the problem Alright for Ma3mie.-
Grant Allen in Sketch.