The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-09-19
The Mercy Of U7omen
BY Frederick Unite

space the cruel workday in dreams Of the
alluring might have been"
Ihey were not exactly soul satisfying,
these dreams, but in the weaving Of them
the girl found her only comfort
1t was not good for her mental or bodily
health to have this one subject constantly
before her day and night. She grew ner-
yous and languid, dreading her work and
contact with her associates
The inevitable break came at last. about
month after shortys fight.
For week or more the girls at the fac
tory, having tired Of the sport had ceased
to trouble her to any great extent, but to-
day an opportunity had arisen too good
to be missed.
A morning paper contained an account
of the robbfng Of lonely farmhouse In
Connecticut and the brutal beating Of an
aged woman WHO lived there alone and
unprotected r.
Maggie found the paper on her table
when she reached the factory. On the
upper margin some one had printed In red
Ink, Another job of Shorty McGovern's"
The glaring headlines burned into her
brain. For moment she did not distin-
guish the real from the false. Then. az
the wicked hoax dawned upon her. anger.
relief and shame swept her soul in surgins
waves of resistless emotion
Weak and trembling, she sank into a
chair. burying her face in her hands
The success of their achievement ex-
ceeded the fondest hopes Of the gigglins
flarpies. They pressed home the attack
! with shafts Of vulgar wit and rude sar-
casm.
One. a girl who had known suffering
herself. attempted to end the scene with
a few sharp words Of exposttlation and re-
proof and, crossing the room, knelt by
Maggie's side.
She placed her arm protectingly about
the trembling shoulders with whispered
words Of consolation. But sympathy and
consolation had come too late. Maggie
or, could 1t be Maggie, always SO gentle
and thoughtful for others-sprang to her
feet with eyes wild and unnatural, her
face hard as stone.
She turned to the scoffing crowd Her
words, fearless and feelingless smote upon
the awed and listening ears like thrusts
OF a cruel knife. 1t was not Maggie, but
soul driven to desperation, merciless
instrument directed against those who had
shown no mercy. She spoke Of them col
lectively with whitening scorn-the many
who had so bravely dared against the
one!
She did not seem to be defending her
self. She was coldly impersona1 so far as
she was concerned. The plying soul was
simply reacting against her abused and
wounded self.
It was awesome, this slight girl speak
ing words Of naked truth with a power not
her own, but the worst was yet to come.
One by one she picked them out by name,
laying bare, before their associates, the
faults, the follies. the very hidden secrets
of their hearts, with the deadly intuition
| Of one blind to everything save that which
would inflict a hurt. 49,. - .
It was the wisdom Of madness, as the
frightened crowd covering before the cruel
words realized when it was too late. Fear
| I,o1 hat 81 hot
they had done, fear Of what Maggie might
do or say. The girl sobbed aloud.
! "You," said Maggie in a cold, monoton
Gus voice, you cry. That Is good. It ID
always good to cry, and you have so much
| to cry for. Your mother would be glad II
she could see you now: She has prayed
| that your heart might soften SO that you
could cry. Then you would go back to
her before-before it is too late. But there
is Jim. Jim would laugh and say you had
lost your nerve. So you laugh and for
get. tits so easy to forget-some things.
II have forgotten"-it was the first time
she aforementioned herself-'I have for
had risen from the dead level and was
more like Maggies mo; can't forget;
won't forget Help me, help me to re-
member"
There was world Of despair IN the cry
She knew nothing Of what she had BALD
since she rose from the CIlaT. Sfao Only
remembered that she had forgotten
what? -..,,-
There was no lack of willing hands &c
care for the stricken girl. The soul o,
Maggie seeing truth through the mazes
Of the disordered brain, had spoken. and
the hearers shocked into feeling what
they had done, were ready to make any
possible atonement.
Maggie was tenderly cared for and Their
taken home by the girl who had spoken
for her and the other who had cried.
Through the long illness which fol'
lowed-brain fever the doctor safd-one
of them sat by her bedside part OF every
night, giving overworked Mrs. Dolan ar
opportunity for few hours Of needed
sleep. '.. .>..
Il One day, after many anxious weeks
Maggie smiled at her mother and-renem-
bered. Then with her heart at peace, tot
she had found that for which she had
been vainly searching, she fell into rest
; full sleep. ~ : .... ,-.--,:... -,
And the girl who had cried when she
heard the good news that evening walked
straight to a tenement on the other side Of
\ the town and, knocking at the door, asked
as Maggie had asked. Mother. may
come homer" w. -, .