The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-10-08


roots of her pretty hair. Don't be fool
ish, Roderick. / came here with pur-
pose: do be serious"
81 am" he assured her, perfectly,
now to the purpose"
"Oh, WE'LL" biting into another sweet
biscuit, "let us discuss things first"
What things?"
"How provoking you are! Why, pro-
gress and poverty If nothing better sug-
gests itself; we'll get the point some-
how"
The first point you spoke Off" ques-
toned Roderick.
yes"
"Wcll, then. fire away"
Thanks: your elegant invitation puts
me quite at my ease. l will fire away
You see, Roderck, poverty is relative.
as most things are, Of course; the abb
scnce Of money means the absence of
SO much more, not only the material
! necessities of existence, but the finer
! fibrcs of the soul and mind, which crave
| not luXury-but careful and judicious
nutriment. Can you follow my flight?"
You soar high; it is hard work"
Keep up as best you can--Pm COM
! ing to-
| Presently: have patience. The hand
| full of very rich do q vast deal for the
! great army of the very poor, although
| they don't get half enough credit for
| It. but that kind of universal beggary
! is not the sort | mean IT is the gem
| teel poverty that is the bitter foe to
progress. Too proud to beg, too honest
| to steal-its VotarieS stand apart in
dumb suffering and fail to grasp the
remedy"
He smiled at her eagerness; it was
a bitter, rather hopeless. smile.
"Arc you the discoverer of the prom
| ised land for such hapless mortals?"
There is no promised land unless we
! so in a body and seek it. If our class
Of poor We're only kinder to one an
other, more confiding and less suspic-
ious in their intercourse, If they would
only stand shoulder to shoulder-why,
what an army of workers we should
| be-"
"Chimerno Miss Polly, we can't set
the world revolving the other way, else
the delinquent clients would step back
ward into my anxious clutches"
Polly opened her eyes.
"Why, ] thought your creed was
optimism!"
"Well, it is, with reservations. I
don't believe in fairy tales, however,
even though told by the most bewitch-
ing fairies"
Frederick, 7 wish You wouldn't talk
that way; it hurts"
II beg your pardon"
And shakes my resolution to say
what have come to say. You wouldn't
have me go away without that, would
you?"
Not for worlds"
But Miss Polly seemed to have sud
denly lost her tongue. She sat staring
at Roderick's masterpieces gorgeous
bit Of turquoise bay dotted with white
winged sailboats.
pride is a very selfish thing" she re-
marked at length, apropos Of nothing.
THAT depends" said Roderick.
ut has done a great deal Of mis-
chief" insisted Polly.
"Only in the sense that one can have
too much of a good thing sometimes"
Yet proud people are not often
!. happy
" He reflected gravely: Il give you the
; inside track of the argument there"
"Roderick, l am afraid you are
, proud"
"Perhaps."
"And unhappy"
Not now"
Miss Polly changed her tack.
Don't you think if people want
something very much they should ash
for tiff it is so within the bounds
| of reserVe?"
Asking and getting are two very
, different things. It's well worth risk
ing, | should say"
: "And-and suppose--for the sake of
IL,
"A man and a woman-of the gentee
, poor class who want something, say,
, | for instance, each other more than
anything else i'm the world" she stop
: ped a little scared look in her wistful
eyes, but he was silent, so she went
, | on:
suppose the mans pride stood up
like a Gaunt, grim ghost and said: No
7 you cannot marry this woman. You
must let your youth drag on in un-
loved loneliness because you are strug-
: Cling and poor. You must have no
one to help you-it would be unman-
| ly.' If this were really so, would /
, be right for the woman to suffer and
be silent?'
He was forced to answer her.
THAT would he her only course" he
said slowly.
"That may be your old woman with
} the meek brow and head bowed tC
! | adversitys blast. We new ones know
better. We are not going to let oul
chances Of happiness slip through oui
fingers for mere form. Roderick, dc
you hear me?" There was low en-
r treaty in her tone.
He had risen and turned away from
her; his broad figure shut out the
, view
. Frederick" she entreated, "won'
: you speak to me?"
+, Still there was no answer
i Frederick" with break in he
voice, don't YOU love me after aIl?'
!. Her face had grown suddenly color
: less; her lips trembled and she wa
n obliged to bite hard on a biscuit [,
: keep back the tears of modification
u The new woman was making a hazard
. ous experiment.
y He wheeled around and looked at he
;, denantly.
j. "Wcll suppose ! do-what then?"
!, But he reckoned without his host
l. Such an admission set Miss Poll
:, on her feet again. She laid down he
, biscuit and, leaning both elbows on tn
Il deslS' nodded across at him with a de
e ternincd air.
II Frederick win you marry me?"
70 mo"
y "Why nOt?"
r. IL have only a womans reason
Is won't. Let us talk about somethin
else"
She rose and came around TO him $
p swiftly that he could not escape hcl