The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-01-18
The Penalty /" Progress
eassesGE

Boston Globe.
had not seen my old friend Thorn
ton for some months, when he dropped
into the club one Saturday evening.
and as l turned to greet him l was
come over him.
He looked both pale and worn. and
1 could see that he had lost many
pounds, for his clothes wrinkled visibly
upon him, while twas evident that all
the old-time elasticity had departed
from his STEP
Even the broad and genial smile
which heretofore had always lighted
up his pleasant countenance now sadly
lowered around the dropping corners
of his mouth, the mere ghost of it's
former self
Thornton, what ails your" 1 anx-
iously inquired, drawing him aside,
while | began to speculate upon the
likely cause of this strange alteration
In his bearing. / knew that 1 had
heard no rumor regarding any bust
ness troubles, and had but recently
been told, on the contrary, fortune had
lately smiled upon him; nor had 1
learned that death had carried off any
Of his family, so 1 concluded that he
himself had fallen victim to some fell
disease.
Come, old man, I want good long
chat with you,'' I said, making my way
toward a secluded nook where we
might talk without fear of INTERRUPT
ton.
He followed listlessly, like one who
felt but little interest in the world
| about him. 1 watched him stealthily
meanwhile revolving in my mind
whether to recommend a trip down
| South or to suggest a dose of mental
healing
thornton, tell me all about it."
urged IN tones of sympathy, but he
merely sighed and shook his head.
This evident depression seemed to
me to point toward the advisability of
mental healing" so I said decidedly:
you must brace up; nothing is worse
than giving way to melancholy men
tai pictures. The more I follow the
advanced thought Of the day and pene-
trate into the scientific revelations the
more 1 realize
AL thlS ne interrupted me with great
excitement, and L marked with much
surprise that his impressiveness had
VahlShed His breath came, RAPIDLY
MS eyes were fierce and bright. his
| Wnole frame shook with violent emo
| ton.
Don't speak to me- he cried, "of
the advanced thought of the day: it's
the destruction of all happiness and
peace, the curse of tranquil homes !!
"A plague ON scientific revelations!
LOOK at me and witness the result of
their most baneful influencev
| L eyed him helplessly; poor Thorn
ton, his mind has surely given way. I
| sorroWfully concluded to myself.
Not many months ago. he went
| on, brokenly, I'VE were as happy and
| contented household as could be
found in all New England, blessed
| with health and spirits and endowed
with enough worldly goods to satisfy
| all reasonable demands. 1 sometimes
| used to tease Hortense (rny wife) by
| telling her that we were altogether too
happy-go-lucky and regarded the re-
| sponsibility of living far too lightly.
L often asked her why she didn't
! worry more about the bringing up of
| the three children, when she knew
| what a scientific problem the process
was in these days. but I secretly ex-
ulted in our ability to hold aloof from
| what termed the modern supersti-
| tions.
+ Il loved to shock our overprudent
| 11ClSIlOO1S WILL IdlSS OI
| shoes of m1nce pie consumed, without
| injurious effect, by my rising progeny,
| and l delighted to foster the impression
| that fatal combinations, such as
| oranges and milk, were our habituai
| diet"
Here Thornton paused and heaved a
| long drawn sigh.
| Alas he said, that words spoken
| in jest should rise in after times to
| mock our misery, and, what is worse.
| that we ourselves should prove blind
| instruments Of fate to chisel out our
! own misfortunes.
LAS we glanced through the morn
! ing's mail one sunny, careless day,
| Hortense tossed a note to me across
| the breakfast table.
Your old friend, Prof West, is
most anxious to have me join one of
his classes on "Hygiene,' she re-
marked, but I don't really think 1 care
my regrets
81 glanced over the note. Why don't
! you go. Hortense, the professor is very
! interesting, I can answer for that
Yes, I've heard that he was she
! responded thoughtfully, "but you
! know there are so many ways for
"'My dear I interrupted, say no
more but Join the professors class,
and drawing some bills from my pocket
| tossed them across the table to her..
Here Thornton paused and dropped
his head despairingly upon his hands.
! After several minutes of unbroken sill
| ence he continued
| 1--WE no one but myself to thank for
| the consequences Of this act Of folly.
| HOrtense joined the class, and from
that luckless hour I date the misery
of the dreadful months through which
have just passed.
at was after the first lecture that
Hortense put down her glass Of water
| untasted and begged the children to
/ sip but sparingly Of theirs, while she
| looked appealingly at me when order
| ed my glass refilled.
For the first time she had come to
/ realize what an element of danger lay
| in the apparently harmless liquid which
we were wont to swallow 50 thought
lessly She shuddered at the memory
of her reckless past and could bit Won
! der at the widespread Ignorance ofathe
contents of almost any inn6ceht -1o9lSing
glass of water, which no doubt CON
tanned germs of disc ase, poisonous Vege-
| table matter and animafS-oh, such
frightful-looking things! a9
| But, my DEAR I ventured, you
know our filter is the latest and most
highly recommended kind
''She shook her head. Utterly worth
less she replied In fact it is propos-
| ed that instead Of freeing the water
from these germs and growths it mere
ly stores them up, fosters their harmful
properties and sends them forth doubly
/ Injurious
Well then, let's have it boiled
said impatiently.
J" Even that Hortense returned, is
! but a. partial benefit: there are proper