Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1902-12-10

there: He went up to the desk and
waited until his father laid down his
pen.
"Well? he said as he lifted his head
and looked up at his son. "You have
something more to say"
There was not hint in the tone or
manner to suggest to John Gordon any
affection or feeling. He was not sur
prised. He had not expected anything.
But he put out his hand toward his
father almost like one who is sinking
and sees some floating object swept out
Of reach OH IL receding wave.
"You und, stand, father, that dc
not ask anything Of you. Grand.
mothers share Of the>Waller estate is
due me next year. will take care OF
myself until then"
Rufus Gordon did not speak, and
John Gordon continued:
"All this-my action Is aud always
will be strange to you, father. The re-
ligious experience through which ]
passed while abroad makes any other
course impossible for me. AS I said to
you before, the life we have been liV-
Ing in this city seems now to be a
monstrous life for civilized people to
live. The term Christian has no mean.
Ing at all unless it means service, sac
rifice, sharing in some real sense with
the worlds needs. The civilization
which means simply getting all 1t can
out Of the world instead Of putting all
it can into 1t is civilization that can.
not be called Christian. My soul Is un.
able to rest. my life cannot go on with
such contradictions torturing 1t. That
Is the reason. father. that our ways d.
vide. Would to God that we could see
and walk together!'
The cry was wrung from him by q
sharp and sudden pain that took ac-
count of the fact Of blood kinship. 1t
was the cry Of human fellowship. the
exclamation of a personality that had
always placed great stress on the value
Of conpanionship. But there was no
cry from the man who sat cOldly look
Ing at him. Rufus Gordon was father
but he was also that personif1cation
Of the net product Of our un-Christian
mcthods-he was crystallized selfish
ness-lfone the less selfish because CIV
llized. .all the more selfish because 1t
was more effective In civilized form.
Ignorant self is not 80 destructive as
educated self.
is there anything more" Rufus
Gordon asked the question as bust.
ness proposition to close IN interview
that was taking valuable time needed
for more important transactions.
Nothing more except that hope
you will-you will not bear any hard
feelings toward me. Oh, father" John
Gordon suddenly exclaimed, taking
step toward the impassive figure. "You
said you loved me. Cannot you believe
in me and the life have chosen|
For moment over the hard face
there swept tremor. 1t was gone In
q moment and Rufus Gordon answered
slowly:
"You have chosen. When you change
your mind. you may come and see me
about IT,"
II shall never change my mind"
"That is all. then?'
Eyes. except that my love for you
and Mary Is still the same. Some
time, when you have felt what have,
you will believe as I do"
Rufus Gordon made no answer, and
John Gordon slowly turned to leave
the room.
II will arrange to have my things
taken over to Barton's. am going to
stay with him until I arrange for my
permanent quarters"
He left the room and went upstairs
where he busted himself with packing
the few possessions he had brought
home with him from abroad. During
1t all his highly imaginative and even
poetical nature took account Of the
prosaic and matter Of fact way IN
which he was taking leave Of the
house where he was born and Of the
home In which he had been reared.
There had been 10 melodramatic dis
inheritance of him by his father. al
though he knew him well enough to
know that; the life he had chosen, d.
rectly contrary to his fathers lifelong
wishes, practically swept him outside
the financial thought. so far as Rufus
Gordon was concerned. The impossible
lty of staying In home. with all Its
acts of disobedience to the greatest rule
of life. was what made the removal
of John Gordon absolutely imperative.
That this removal was taking place
without the outward spoken words OF
tragedy made, the real action no less
real or painful.
When he finally came downstairs, he
found 10 one in the house. At first he
felt strangely oppressed. Afterward he
felt relieved. He had chosen his hfe'
as he had said, and his choice had seri-
ously begun. AS he laid his hand on
the door to open it the consciousness
of his uncertainty regarding Luella
Marsh swept out Of his thought even
the sense that he was actually bidding
goodby to the home he had known for
thirty years. Would this woman he
loved as never In all his life before
would she choose the life he had
chosen? She was rich, or her father
was. She was gifted, an aristocrat by
birth and training, a woman Of strong
and original personality, with many
impulses not yet known even to John
Gordon. He was almost startled at the
sudden realization that he was in igno-
rance concerning her actual character
so far as the present crisis was con-
cerned. Yet he knew that according
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