Evening journal., 1899-06-13
CENTURIES TO COME.


Anne tenternsl Good EVENING"
May-O. how kind OF you'll / can't shake
hands, as you see. They kiss) I've been
working in the garden since morning., else
] should have walked over to see you.
Anno-You should have found me busy
too. Finished making my preserves. Rich
ard was out this evening, SO ] walked over
for company.
Mary-Then you will stay and sup with
me?
Anne-Plcase. II don't hinder you.
Mary-No, indeed. | have done with
work for to-day. | must tell Joan Calls
within): Joanl Joanl Annie Snowdon
will stay and sup with us. Put an extra
portion Of bread and SOUP dear, and will
cut more lettuoes. Go Anne) And now
come down the garden with me. | must
tell you of a curious find that l made this
morning My mind is full Of il.
Anne-A find? What? Don't keep me
In suspense.
MAXWELL, / am going to show you. /
was wedding in these beds before break
fast, and wanted another tool from that
old Toulouse yonder. l went in and be-
gan searching for il, when my foot struck
sharply against something projecting little
/
so much that locked to see what il could
be It seemed to be a piece Of some metal
or other, and the knock from my sandal
had made 1t shine. found the tool had
come for, and made a few dents in the
ground round about the mysterious object
/ More metal, Of a circular shape, came TO
view. became intensely mystified and ex-
cited, and dug away with all my strength.
1 Oh q - friN
MAXWELL, an hour later, l had laid
bare the greater part of-what do you
thinky
Anne-O, what?
Mary-Of an old wheel, rusted and broken
and bent, but undoubtedly the wheel Of
a real old bicycle, perhaps the very one
used by my own great-great great-grand-
mother in the machinery age.
Anne-How wonderful Let me see it,
quick
(They 60 into the shed. Explanations,
Examinations. Raptures)
Mary las they emerge agafn)-Nhat shall
/ do with it?
Anne-It must 60 to the British museum,
! Of course.
Mary had thought of that Do you
: know that there are only two others in
! Anne--I have never seen one.
Mary (pausng TO cut the lettuces)-Tv
Z been reading about them in my old history
: book-the one mother taught me FROM II
I saws there. too, that in that nineteenth
century Ito which bicycles belonged, yol
Il, know) nearly every woman possessed one
} and used it constantly.
/ Anne-Good heavens! Show me that
+, / ....-... .Ff.~ ~. lor-o ctfrt.od lltff don
5 tempt me to stay too late. l must get bacl
1 before dark or l shall lose my way an'
, Richard his wits.
l. Mary-rhat reminds me Of another thin
e that l read about in the same book Thes
8 roads. it seems, were once lighted up b
some wonderful means, and the whole coun
/. try-side was thickly covered with houses
4 They formed what was called town" o
: "city," and the people all lived herded te
g gether like sheep in a pen.
8 Anne CHASTITY But so wonderful. Te
? me more. (She sits on the grass unde
G an apple tree.) And may l work!
a Mary rely; and will fetch my sew
! ing to bear you company, and will was
' this soil from my hands at the same time
(Anne begins on her work. Mary goe
v into the house, which contains only th
+ neeessaries Of daily life fashioned wit
I beauty and solidly, and whence she pre-
4 entity emerges carrying her needlework an
a small box.)
q Anne--All that needlowork?
o Mary-No. Not in this box. As we an
! on the subject of curiosites, thought yo
m would like to see these-some very, vel
= old and valuable photographs.
e Anne-Where did you get them from?
Alary-Ihcy have been in the family fc
centuries-kept in an old chest. My fath'
a left shem to me. Look at thisl
n Anne -Mary What on earth isitf
- Mary-A woman dressed for a party,
or Social gathering" as it was called.
.el AnRe-But she's only half dressed An
y the chiidl Poor, little, distorted monkey
Mary--Yes. And here's a princc-tl
son Of a king There used to be many, o
very much like that, believe.
Anne-What a costumel And such
curious facet What shall l call ity-so
Y 50 impertinent.
II Maya prince was thought to be a so
Of deity, and worshiped accordingly. Here
another woman.
d Anne How she looks, poor thingl
is suppose she had sinned in some way?
"a, Mary-Why!
4 Anne-To have her waist strapped in III
Al that 0 dearl How sad
BIZ Mary-No. They all wore that hand
Ar those days. 1t was thought to look well.
"a Anne-Mercyl
es Mary (replaeing them)-Do you know
is sometimes try TO imagine what we shou
Is all have come to by now if the Great X
Sc action Of the twentieth century had new
a. come about-if simplicity had really
be come a lost art, as was once supposed, al
a. the terrible stress of the nineteenth ce
te tury had not ended by meeting its oy
eXtremef
re Anne-Pm afraid I've never thong
G. about it.
H. Mary suppose we should have degC
IN Grated more and more hopelessly until
on had got past saving, and were only it
ne be extinguished We should have te
st graphed, and railwayed, and bicycled, a
b. generally exhausted ourselves into insani
on in some form or other.
he Anne-What a picturel
Mary-Some historians hold that We Ina
ng1 to thank what was termed the Gov
classes" for our salvation. They say Il
Is if the incompetency Of the serfs-l me
d. servants-hadn not driven the upper class'
n. into doing their own work, we might ST