Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-12-25


among the solid business men of the
city and was always proud to see his
name used in that connection.
"Lucla has not told you, thcn~
John Gordon asked in low tone.
"rold me whatY'
'Shc refuses to marry me-"
Refuses to marry your Mr.. Marsh
spoke in astonishmcnt.
"Why-why-why how is that, Cor
don? You are old enough to know your
own minds
II thought so sir" John Gordon re-
piled almost bitterly, but Lucia
thinks otherwise She will never be
my wife"
ITS not so serious n break As that?"
The older man spoke with great kind
ness and came nearer. He was really
fond of Gordon, and the unexpected
news affected him deeply.
"Yos, sir. To make long story short,
] asked Lucia to 40 into Hope House
as resident with me- She refused
and
Unto Hope House! And you
pcctcd her to live there with YOU
Il certainly asked her to. Whether
expected her TO or not. | am not quite
so certain
"You asked too much"' The words
came sharp and incisive, and John Cor
don ut first shrank back as if from a
blow. You had no right to expect a
girl brought UP as Luella has been TO
make such a complete change in her
life as such q course would demand. 1t
was unreasonable"
Perhaps it was" replied John Cor
don quietly. Nevertheless l made it,
and -
you have come to ask my inter
ccssion with Lucia? | am sorry, hut
don't think | can ever grant it. As |
say, your demand is unreasonable. |
don't object so much to the reform
business | have heard you discuss, but
there are extremes | cannot sanction.
| would never wish to sec my daughter
living in such surroundings as those of
Hope House.
Il have not come to ask you to make
any intercession for me, Mr.. Marsh.
The matter between Luella and myself
has been settled by her own refusal,
and | am not going to trouble her or
you by any pleading"
"Why-why''- Mr.. Marsh seemed
unable TO frame a sentence thaGtitted
the occasion. and John said calmly:
What | came to see YOU about. Mr..
Marsh is a matter connected with GER
tain tenement property on Bowen street,
in the Waterside district, near Hope
House. | have been making certain in
vcstigations there, and in the course of
them | lind that you own or control
tenements Nos. 81 and 81"
Mr. Marsh struck a bell on his desk,
and when n clerk appeared he asked
him to bring volume from the safe.
When it was brought ana the clerk had
gone out, he turned over the pages I'm.
Ill he came to Il certain number.
"Ninety-onc and 81. That's right.
Fronting Bowen stree; and in the Wa
terside district. Well?'
John Gordon paused a moment. He
had not the rcmotest inkling as to Mr.
Marsh's probable action. His expert
once with his father had given him
reason to believe that what Miss An
drews had said about the Golden Rule
in business was only too true. Resides
if that experience had not come to
him there remained the deadcning fact
Of the tcnemcnts themselves. which
preached powerfully of the landlords
neglect.
These tCncments, Mr.. Marsh. are
simply disgrace to civilization. | do
not like to believe that you know the
real facts about them, and have
come here today to ask you rs a man.
with a mans feelings and with a
the dreadful wrongs that humanity
suffers in those buildings"
Mr.. Marsh did not move a muscle
There was not Il culver or n change
of color on his face to indicate to John
Gordon whether he was angry or indif-
foront or interested, aud the first
question he asked when John Gordon
rauscd did not reveal to Gordon the
mans feelings.
"Why don't you go TO the board of
health and make a complaintW
viii you 90 with me, Mr.. Marsh ?
But 7 don't 30 there first because YOU.
rs the owner Of the property, can if
You will. make most of these wrong
conditions right. Take, for example,
the double decker, the dumbbcl tene-
mont No. o. That is simply an in
stance of the worst form of tenement
building in existence There is moth
Ing TO compare with If. not even in the
cities Of the old world The testimony
Of rs high I'm authority ms Jacob Riis
says The committee after looking in
vain throughout the Slums of the old
world cities for something TO COM
pare the double dcckors with declared
that in their setting the scparatcuess
and Sacredncss Of home life were in
t"rfcrad with and evils bred physical
and moral, that conduco to the corrup-
ton Of the young That this is true
must be evident, Mr.. Marsh, to any
man who knows the construction of
these houses. And as owner Of one of
them you must he more or less ia
miliar with their evils. and | plead
with you to help remove them as far as
possible"
There was n moment OF very embar-
raising silence, which Mr.. Marsh final
ly broke by saying:
ITO be very frank with you, Gordon