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

bearing In face and attitude the veal
or woe Of republics! 1.-The people"
driven in herds one day, leading the
masses the next, while all problems of
life surged up and down the throng-
ing highways, entanglenents caused
by murderous greed, by inherited Gus
toms, by the physical passions that
know no education of refinement due to
civilization! "The people," born Of the
soil, but nodded by the city, some of
it to starve and riot and drink and
grow Indifferent to the very wrongs
that made it what 1t was, and he, John
Gordon, the son of Rufus Gordon, the
great financier, the man of IDEALS" and
combines" and "operations"-and he,
John Gordon, was going to devote his
young manhood to ''the people," to
the training and directing Of this mis-
directed giant, because Che smiled at
its strange possibility, because he had
grown to love 1t, love taught him by
personal religious experience, 30 real
80 profound, that he knew 1t dug gulf
as deep as space between his father
and his sister and himself. Nothing
but a similar experience on their part
could ever I'LL the gulf, nothing but a
similar miracle of regeneration could
ever make him understood by them.
Mary had gone over to the piano and
was hHmming the tune she had been
singing when she interrupted the talk
between father and brother. After q
moment John Gordon went over and
put his hand on his sisters shoulder.
"All tlirough?" she said, turning
about from the plano.
There were tears in John Gordon's
eyes as he looked down at her. When
he spoke, 1t was very gently.
1T all means, Of course, that l am
going away. Do you understand that,
Mary? This will not be my home any
more. It will not be possible for me
to live here and do
Its all very strange to me, John" !"
said his sister. "You have every
chance in the world and you prefer to
throw It away for-for a lot Of people
who don't care"
"They will care"
what good If they do, John" His
sister suddenly turned toward him very
much as his father had, and laid her
hand on his arm. John, the people
will not care. What can you do?
Surely we are not to blame for all the
wrong in the city. I heard what you
said to father. 1t is simply absurd to
think that we are responsible for the
way things go. And 1t is nonsense to
think you can do anything. Think how
1t will look in print! John Gordon. the
reformer! John Gordon. the social
istv"
Don't. Mary! 1t will be hard enough
without your sneer."
81 did not mean to sneer." She
seemed honestly grleved, and he in
stantly leaned over and kissed her
cheek. But even as he did 30 he knew
she had turned away from him little,
and when he raised his head she did
not look up or return his caress. He
still stood by her silently, realizing
each moment more keenly the chasm
that stretched between them owing to
his religious experience.
"Where are you going to 1--we? You
say you cannot live here with us any
moreT his sister finally asked.
IL don't know"
"Will you live with the people%
ut is possible"
1T Is absurd. don't understand"
"You cannot" He said 1t with a
| sadness that realized the futility OF
explanations. .
"And Of course Luella will go with
you! She is such q lover Of the peo-
plew
"Luellaw
"You have forgotten her"
"No! And yet he had-at least he
had absorbed all his thought for the
time about his home relations and had
not reckoned on facing this question
of the relation which would exist be-
tween himself and the woman who
had promised to be his wife when he
had asked her as John Gordon, son OF
Rufus Gordon. What would she say
now to John Gordon. reformer?
He sat down and put his hands over
his face. while Mary watched him Gu
riously, very much as the father had
done.
"Luella Is very proud. Still. she
might enjoy living in the slums and
studying problems. She ls full of con-
tradictions"
THAT Is true" John Gordon whis-
pered to himself as he lifted up his
face.
"Luella thinks a good deal Of you.
John"
THAT Is true. too" he whispered to
himself again.
"Still. when you think how Luella
has been brought up you can't be sur
prised If she should refuse to do some
things. especially If they mean loss or
social standing. Love must be reason
able"
"And unreasonable" said John Cor.
don, with faint smile. Love bear
eth all things"
Mary Gordon stared ut her brother.
"Of course anything is possible. But
Luella"-
She smiled to herself and then stared
at her brother, and then carelessly
turned about and began to sing:
"Oh. the sadness that grows with the
| years.
John Gordon turned toward the other
room, but before he had gone out Mary
rose and came quickly up to him.
L l.. 1-ondhtr Iohn 0V