Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-09-22
"Thnt is nnpencrons Of Won. "

to mo?'
"That is ungencrous of you"
"Ah, forgive me-, he cried quickly.
81 am ungenCrous indeed But your
visit is such Il surprising one; you como
like light iato this drcary place.
"Surcly it should not be drcary, lIr.
Fclgatc. Where one docs the work one
lovcs'-
work have long ceased to romcm-
bcr the better meaning of The word.
'But that should not be-" she raid
earnestly. "Indced, l have heard so
much about you that r. Sho stopped,
confused
and having heard so much about
me- you como horc?" he asked gravoly.
eyes Lccauso / want to help you,
Mr.. Fclgatc."
"To help me? You've set yourself q
task, fear, Miss Roughton."
"Ah. please don't laugh at me- "
"Laugh at you, child! l an nearer to
tears than laughter, think. | did not
know that there were such women as
you left in the world. 1t has not been
my fate to find them. Comc-tcll me;
how will you help me-"
He was so gcntlc and so much moved
and there was such grave consideration
in his eyes that she began to lose her first
fears of the monster. "If it be i'll the
power of any womaI-and | have heard
it said that woman has such power
III try to draw You back to better
things You.must not mind if | speak
plainly. I'll try to be your friend. if
you will let me; I'll make you take M
your work again. for tho works sake. -
She stamped her foot and set her small
white teeth hard, "CUmc-is it Il bar
gain:" She held out her hand to him.
''In the name Of all sweet and holy
things" he answered her solcmnly,
yves" He put the hand to his lips.
That was the beginning of the strange
, business. the end was to como in anoth-
err fashion. She began to discover soon
the magnitude of the task she had set
herself, to see that this was not Il thing
to be lightly taken mp aud as lightly
dropped. small and frail woman as she
WAS, whose life had hitherto been al
most purposclcss, she grow to understand
that she held this man S soul in the grasp
of her two hands, that he chung to her
with tho desperate energy of one sud-
denly awakened to his peril, pleaded to
/ her with those weary eyes Of his 10
/ watch and have faith in him.
More than all, it required constant
+ tact and care, this delicate business.
Even her power sometimes went for
nothing, and the whole gamut of after
repentance and renewed promises and
prayers had to be gene through Times
there We're, too, when serious measures
were vain, when jcsting served better
than prayers when it was possible 90
laugh him out of some new rccklcsSness
or folly.
Then came a new development.
Tongues began to wag. In her innocence
in the kecnncss of her desire to help
this man-shc had not thought of that
possibility; her clear young soul rofus.
ed to take in the strangenoss Of her Wis
its TO man against whom 50 many
doors were closed. That she believed in
him-bclicved in the swector, better IA
turc of him-had been sufficient to her.
Tho friCiid-a diScrccr married Wum-
an, worldly wisc-who had first mcn-
toned Richard Felgate's name was the
first to voice the whispcrings. she tool;
the girl aside and sharply questioned
her.
MIR. Felgate is my friend, " replied
Dora Roughton, her face little trou-
blcd.
Friend! Stuff and nonsense, We're
/ i,.t, IN, Il w -,
i'll London, i'll the nineteenth century,
and that man has about the worst rcpu-
tatiOn of any in our small world. | told
you SO when his name was first men
toned You must surely remember
that"
eyes, | remember. think that first
made me 80 to him. l wanted to help
him..
THAT sort of missionary effort is
generally only effected in one fashion,
when u woman undertakes the pious
Office" laughed her friend, land that
fashion is by touching the mans heart,
Friendship won do it, preaching won
do it, .ove may.
"Loye' cried Dora, startled. You
L
Thought has ever entered my mind-o!
his. We are just good friends, Canno
you understand that? II believe il
him, and--aud ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS [ be
licyo IN him-wcll-hc worlis-aEC
talks to me about his work, and Oh
your mind runs i'll very narrow
groove"
"a groove that has been proved again
and again to be only well worn road
my dear, with experience for tingc
post"
II was on tho occasion Of her mex
visit to Richard Felgato's studio tina
the lesson WAS driven homo. She h"'
been admiring picture of his whicl
was nearing completion, picture whicl
was TO show 10 the world that the ole
promise Of great things was not dead
that the man they had given over to oh
livion and failure had something of tn
quality of more abiding things still il
him. She had spurod him on to tn
work; had gloricd in the thought tina
but for her it would never have beer
done, She sighed happily as she turne'
away from it and faced the painter.
1T is very good " she said softly. I"
knew that you could takc up the ole
thread again.
1.-THE old thread would mover hay
been taken mp but for you, " he replied
"And yet, sometimes | ask myself
even now-what it is all for, All, no