Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1899-11-02
LOVE AND SOCIALISM.
Duchess OF Sutherland Gets Out a
Striking Novel

London, Nov, 1.-The duchess of
Sutherland's novel, One Hour and the
Next, an anti-socialist story, treating
rather extensively Of the melancholy
side of working-class like, but interest
ing and certain To create discussion
has just been brought out,
Robert Lester, the hero, restless
man of wealth and culture and the hus-
band of an anvalid wife, becomes an nc.
tive socialistic worker, and succeeds IN
making needless trouble between en-
ployers and employees In tho manu-
featuring town he selects as tae field
for putting his theories into practice
He engaged In this work primarily to
of his wife.
TO assist him In the task he has as
sumcd he employs as his secretary
Agnes Stanler handsome, Innocent
girl the daughter of schoolmastcr
She falls In love with him. She docs
not know that he Is married. lie never
encourages her, but observing his in
lluenCe uses II to urge the girl to great
cr cndcaNurs in the work he has under
taken TO her he is something of an
enigma, She tries to fathom his in
tluence over her.
How he dominated her, this man, in
his originality and restlcssness; how
she longed to probe the mystery of his
career
Lester sends Agnes on n mission to II
drunken socialist agitator, The task
Is disngreeahlo but she goes The agi-
tator greets her with;
Are you Testers lass? The lucky
dog You are --- finer girl than we
get down here Does he keep YOU for
the party or for your pretty eyes,"
OPPORTUNITY rescued from this stu
alton her ardor for Lester's cause
cools, but falling again under his In
iluence. she promises him to speak at
a meeting of strikers, Upon gaining
her consent Lester ia delighted
Their hands met. Lester looked at
her in appreciation How pretty she
was with her curls tumbling about her
radiant face and sparkling eyes! Her
lips, in her breathlessness parted lit
tie. showing the small white teeth, the
color coming and going in her clear
complexion.
She fingered Intentionally In her at
tltude. Her breath famed his cheek
and thus It was without generalization
without intention and under the pass
| Ing impulse born of her childlike
beauty and of the playful words, he
kissed her.
"ro her II seemed but the fulhllmcnt
of all her hopes; the climax OF all her
unspokcn thoughts Lester was not
| like other men who might have flrted
with empty words, who might have fed
her vanity with fattery.
"The very distance OF his manner
she remembered only as dignity, his
Formally as respect. He loved her.
Most surely he loved her. A kiss must
mean so much to such Il man. What
need now of further control, of contin.
ued struggle, of self-tormenting analy.
sis?
I'm utter self-surrender she clung to
him. She whispered: All, ! know
now have wanted to know 80 long
how dearly love you
Almost before the words were ut.
tered he had thrust her 80 brusqnely
from him that, had she not caught the
corner Of table, she would have fal.
len"
Agnes father had witnessed the
scene and interycnes. Testers social
istlc endeavors collapse and eventual
~ he disappears. Agnes learns that he
is married and, overcoming In time the
agonies Of the revelation, returns TO
her ordinary life
The serious mission OF the duchess's
novel is to show that the working
classes cannot be benefited by sudden
change, bnt only by gradual develop
ment. Considerable knowledge Of the
actualitIes Of the worklngman's lot Is
shown by the titled authoress.
A