Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1901-01-15

the Church of England circle is not
large. Two such earnest disciples would
have met shortly, anyhow. She found
him reasonably learned in church his
tory. with a leaning toward ritualism.
He was native of Vermont but had
longings toward England lanes, grave
yards and cathedrals. He was not strong
on visiting the poor. but paid his calls
as matter of duty and salary He
liked croquet, tennis being too violent
Also he was fond of tea, and he lifted
his cup to his undecided lips with the
most perfectly shaped hand in the
world. Miss Wharton thought that what
the church most needed in America was
earnest. forceful men, who would de-
vote their lives to the cause and, if
need be, hammer truths into the I'M
receptive brains of the masses. The
Rev. James Montgomery thought so
too. and would take another cup. Miss
Wharton believed that of all English
poets the poet was Robert Browning
and in America, was Walt Whitman.
The Rev. James Montgomery had be-
lieved those things firmly for many
years: in fact. he might go so far as
to say that he dotted upon Browning
and Whitman. Miss Wharton de-
cleared that the time was at hand when
woman would take her proper place
not only in the trades and professions,
but at the ballot box. The Rev. James
Montgomery had no doubt of it; he
wished that the time We're here. And
so it went We all know the story of
Beauty and the Other Party" From
love at a distance, Edith Wharton ad-
vanced to love close at hand; from love
in the abstract to love in the concrete:
from love loving and industrious to hero
worship and the feeling that life with
out the enthralling object would be a
blank. Three extracts from the wind
blown diary may serve to show how
matters progressed:
June 18th-I have met Mr.. Mont
gomery. He has a powerful mind. He
will prove force in the church. His
judgment of literature is flawless. His
understanding of the Great Issue of
the times is profound. He is man
among men.
July 27th-J. NJ. preached today.
Text: What shall it profit a man if
he gain the whole world and lose his
soul?" Such originality! Such thought!
Such eloquence! Such delivery! Such
is superb!
lawn party. He is adorable! Yet what
shall I do: 1 love him-I write it
without shame; l am proud of it. He
loves me. But he has the fault of all
truly great, truly strong men--he is
modest. He does not know his worth.
I believe that he really fears ME--me
who loves him so. He will never speak.
l am sure of it. The happiness of two
lives is at stake. yet convention holds
me fast. What shall I do?''
BY the middle of September Miss
Wharton had ascertained what she
was to do, and she did it. The occa-
sion was a return from visiting poor
people in the factory part of the town:
| the scene was a long lane with rags AMI
empty cans and bits of broken glass
thick in the unsprnkled dust; the time
was $3.50 p. IN. The Rev. James Mont
| gomery was both pale and tired. He
| was carried along by his stronger COM
panion. but he could not grow enthusi-
astic over settlement work. He did the
next best thing; he Obeyed. A great re-
solve shone in her eyes as she marched
by him, swinging her parasol:
| You look tired, James,
| II am tired. Edith They had adj
vanced to the use of Christian names
| it will be seen.
| Would you not like an assistant
| to take this work off your hands?"
| Surely, but two curates are unhearl
| of in rural America. / could not pay
| his salary, and even ministers must
| live"
What if the assistant would work
| without salary?"
That is absurd" petulantly. There
Is no such helper"
There is"
"Where?" He looked at her eagerly
He saw dimly some promise that he
would have less to do. more time for tea