News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1903-05-27

shoe, the true love of good man sim
ply because you are not willing to give
up few of the feshpots of civiliza-
ton Vanity of vanities, saith the
preacher. Yet we prize these vanities
beyond the best thing in the world,
which no doubt is love-"
ooh, do not talk to me any more!
cried Luella. She resumed her walk,
and Mrs. Penrose placidly resumed her
talk.
"Now that I have done my duty by
my nephew at his request l am going
to plead the cause of John Gordon,
though he has not asked me to. Lu-
ella, do you realize what you are going
to fling out of your life if you go to
that you lied to him when you prom
Used to be his wife? He is a young
man of splendid ability and spotless
character He has chosen a career that
is unselfish, noble and full of possibili-
ties. AS his wife you could share in his
struggles, but no less also in his
triumphs. The whole social question
is at the front in our republic. Men
who, like John Gordon, stand up for the
rights of humanity, especially the
rights of childhood, are bound to COM
mand a hearing from the world. You
are missing the rarest opportunity
woman ever had to ally herself with
man who has something in his plan of
life worthy of effort What will you
have to give up? A few baubles that
make the physical life a little softer
and a few that civilized power can get
along without and in the most cases
be the better for not having. For these
baubles you are going to commit an act
of deliberate murder of the best feeling
q woman ever had, murder of love for
a true man. He is perfectly right to
demand that you live with him in
Hope House. You would have every
reason to despise him if he did not ask
that of you. A man who has a great
life work like that of John Gordon
could not ask any woman to share it
with him who did not gladly accept all
that went with it. Remember, Luella,
my married life" Mrs. Penrose was
speaking with deep earnestness; she
had been leaning forward, all her usual
careless, reckless manner gone com
pletely. II married for money. | was
poor. | longed for the physical softness
of things. | need not tell you, Luella,
that my marriage was failure so far
as love is concerned | got the money;
/ missed the love- What has it been
worth? The poorest mother in the city,
struggling with saddest poverty, but
sure of the love of her husband and
children, has been heavenly happy COM
pared with me. l? | never had a
home. | had an establishment. | am
a homeless woman. | shall grow old
and die without ever having known the
earthly joy of home. Luella, do you
choose to be one of the army Of home
less women in the cities? The poor
envy our fine houses, our swell turn
outs, our luXuries, our leisure, our din
ners, our dresses, our money. They
envy hell for that is what it all means
when love is absent. John Gordon Of
fers you heaven, LuellQ. You choose
the other place if you refuse him. You
are mad to refuse him, Luela. You
will live to regret it in time and eter-
nifty"
ooh, do not talk to me any more
am miserable over til! Luella nearly
lost all control. She threw herself
down on a couch and buried her head
in the cushions.
Mrs--Penrose got up and looked at
her sternly.
81 almost wish John Gordon may not
live, for your sake as well as his" she
laid. Luella shuddered, and Mrs. Pen
rose after a pause went out of the
room.
The crisis for John Gordon came Oh
the night Of the election day. To Ford
and the others who watched by him
that night it seemed as If the struggle
being fought out in the city was typi-
fed by the struggle going on in John
Gordon room. RUmors Of the political
battle drifted into Hope House all day.
Both sides We're confident. Both sides
claimed a victory, 1t was righteousness
against all forms Of evil that had
grown secure and insolent, but was
now alarmed and fighting fer future
existence. Tommy Randall typifed the
entire city administration. He had
used enormous sums of money. The
tenement district almost solidly voted
for him against the friends who, like
Miss Andrews, lived to better their
condition. The whole thing Illustrated
magnifcently the regular social degra-
datton of American civic life.
AS night deepened and returns began
to come in slowly there seemed to be
no decisive indications for either side.
Ford, who had been with Gordon from
the beginning, refused to leave, al
though he was thoroughly exhausted.
Gordon sank lower and lower. Twice
they thought he had passed on. Each
time he rallied. At 2 O'Clock he was
nearer death than he had ever been.
From that time on the struggle of life
for the spirit grew stronger When
dawn came the doctor lifted his hand
and a grim smile expressed his salts
faction The crisis was passed, and
John Gordon, by the grace of God. was
to live and struggle on for q few years
more before his spirit should 60 to God,
who gave it.
-. I'll nd