Waterbury Democrat., 1901-02-15
:, s 5s sA ss a s ':sss & s5 Ii
 His BtctIlefs Keeper ]; ' < Y ss lss Or. z9S3 Christian Stewardship.
BY CHARLES M. SHELDON,
lOi;ss-e0-s-40Os-s-00.ss::00-s-s100ss-s:
Author of In His Steps," "The Cruel. hxion of Philip Strong.' Robert Hardy's Seven Days." Mall
 com Kirk, ,. Etc.
COPYRIGHT, 1896, BY CONGREGATIONAL
 AND sUNpAY SCHOOL PUBLISHING SOCIETY.

AoIucAe was lAC AlASt IO SpCdN. AAS knew from experience that Eric would never say the first word.
 q have just been reading your letter. There is some mistake about your be- ing refused admission to the house. Father would never do such a thing, Eric"
 ''Im not so sure of that. But don't feel hurt on that account even if he would. Is he better?"
 "Yes." Stuart paused. He did not seem to know what to say. It was harder to break over the gap of a years growth in manhood than he had thought. Then he burst out with a short laugh:
 "Oh, say, Eric, what nonsense for us to be sitting here like fools on this rock as if we were afraid of each oth- CT! In memory of the old days, will you put your hand on my shoulder and look me in the face?
 ''It is not the same, Eric" said Stu art, with sigh at last. letting his hand slip from the others shoulder.
 "A better one, I hope. The times have made me sober and gray"
 How is>it, Erie? Is there any diff y
 ''No." Eric was pushing the gravel with his foot and looking out over the valley. Then he looked Stuart frankly in the face and repeated his "No. But you are the one to change"
 q! What change has there been in me?' Stuart put the question almost indignantly.
 You have seen the world. What can I be to you now? More and more as the time goes on the difference must widen. You are a gentleman of wealth and leisure, and I am a workingman."
 "You don't need to be, Eric. You could get ahead. You could command any place in time with your intelligence and-and"-
 Stuart hesitated for just the word, but Eric said quietly:
 'I have chosen my place. A work ingman I am, and a workingman I shall be as long as there are wrongs to right and rights to maintain"
 But what has all this to do wit8 us, Eric? We have been over all this ground before. Do you not love meT large dark eyes affectionately toward his friend.
 And do I not love you?
 "Yes," replied Eric simply. "But our lives are of necessity widening out far ther apart. What can prevent that? In the very nature of the situation it could not be otherwise. Here am ad- vising thousands of men to a course which is directly opposed by your fa ther and would be by you if you were in his place. The time is coming when the clash between your interests and mine will be so fierce that
 Stuart jumped to his feet. "Do you mean to say. Eric, that friendship true and loving cannot exist between you and me simply because of the accident of birth or the circumstance of wealth or difference in surroundings? Have we not already proved that it can ex- ist 7"
 "Yes," replied Eric slowly. 'It can exist, but it is in one sense an unnatu- ral existence. You represent capital; I labor. Take the present sit uation of the strike. I believe as much as I believe anything that it is right and even religious that we do as we do. Deep in your heart you condemn us for the movement. If you were in your fa- ther's place, you would feel exactly as he does about it. How, then, can we expect the old relation between us to be continued"
 Stuart sat silent, looking out over the beautiful valley. The town looked very pretty in its setting of hills and pines. His fathers house was the most con- spicuous residence to be seen. Prom where the two men sat it looked pala- tial. Down at the other end of the town among the miners houses Stuart could distinguish Fries home, a little two story cottage, not different from hundred others. He did good deal of hard thinking in a few minutes; then he said: r4..
 Erie, you began the talk about the difference between us. Do you want to break off anything? Is that your in- tentionY'
 Eric for the first time grew flushed beneath his dark bronzed face. "No," he said. q simply wished to state the conditions under which we now live. There is no change in my feelings to- ward you and cannot be-"
 Neither is there in mine toward you, Eric. Why do you place the responsi- bility so wholly on me, as if. I would be the one to change or as if it rested with me to say that our friendship was pos sible or not ?''
 Because it does rest with you. Are you not representative of riches, pow CT, intelligence, all the great machinery which sets things in motion, society, that world by itself, leisure, culture, advantages? And is it not for you as representative of all these things to bear the responsibility which must all ways rest on the strong and the educat- ed and the wealthy?" Eric paused on the crest of 3 wave of speech that seemed about to break over all his self colttrol
 Stuart after awhile said doggedly: "It comes back to the question, Is our friendship to continue on the old ba- sis? I can be no othef than I am.c If I have been born to. wealth and leisure and education and society and travel and all that, am powerless to change