News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1903-04-08

business. If | can get her consent,
am going to marry her"
SIT is kind of you to get her consent,
Archie" his aunt said, with quiet
irony.
"You have no right to interfere" he
said sullenly. 81 don't mind saying /
love her, and l am going to have her
for my wife if it is possible"
"She will never have you. She loves
a far better man than you ever can be,
Archie Penrose."
"Who? John Gordon? He's crank.
Luella has broken with him."
yes, her eyes looked it the other
night. Did you see how her eyes fol
lowed Gordon all the evening"
Penrose was in torture of jealousy.
He almost cried:
mo, she didn't! l tell you she's
broken with him"
IF she has, she will never marry
you. Luella Marsh has too much sense
to put her life into the hands of man
who never lifted his finger to help
make better world"
"You have set me the example by
your own conduct" the young man
sneered feebly. He walked back into
the bow window and sullenly turnad
his back ON his aunt
You're right, Archie" she replied
calmly. ITS practically a case of pot
and kettle. One is as black as the
other The guilt of nearly all unjust and
wretched conditions in this city can
without doubt be laid at the door of us
rich people, who have the power that
wealth can use, and use it for our am
bitions 1t is probably true that the
judgment day will rightly condemn us
as the cause of most of the misery
Grace Andrews and John Gordon are
living to relieve. We have it absolute
ly in our power to change political and
social conditions that create nearly all
the human wrongs that exist in soci-
ETY.. and instead of exercising that
great privilege we go our ways with
colossal egotsm and monstrous selfish
ness. shirking all duties and burdens
of citizenship and finging our money
into riotous and demoralizing luxury
of life that inflames the passions of the
poor and keeps constantly in sight the
vast inequality of human existence.
at Is fact. Archie, that we rich
people. with a few noble exceptions so
rare as to excite constant newspaper
comment. are as a class the cause of
practically all the misery of the city.
We have no place for service In our
programme of life. We neither know
nor care for the brotherhood. We exist
for our own pleasure. And | suppose 1t
will be no more than fair that in the
other world we shall long for drop Of
water to cool our tongues while the
Lazarus we despised here shall reclne
In Abraham's bosom. Do you ever think.
Archie, Of the time coming when things
are going to be evened up, when the
first shall be last and the last frsti
or course God will never permit all
this human injustice to continue for
ever, and he will see to 1t that our
earthly selflshness shall some time or
other face some kind Of judgment"
Archie turned around and laughed. 1t
was laugh that made his aunt shud-
der. 1t was the laugh Of society at its
worst, the pagan indifference that for
all the centuries has faced humanlty's
woes with dance and jest, and flung to
the beggar the crumbs Of the feast.
"Well, aunt, you're good one! Miss
Andrews couldn't do better. Why don't
you offer her your services as lecturer?
II you got off all that stuff In the draw
ing rooms, it would create sensation,
and Of course 1t would fill the contribu- |
ton boxes when they were passed for
the cause"
Mrs. Penrose did not answer. she
lay back in her chair, her eyes closed,
and to Archie's great surprise when |
she opened her eyes tears were on the |
lashes. To his added surprise his aunt |
arose and went out Of the room. she !
was gone several minutes. When she |
came back, she spoke as IL nothing had |
been said Of an unusual nature.
Miss Marsh and are going down to |
Hope House tomorrow afternoon to see |
Miss Andrews and the place. VIII you
go with us2"
ITO Hope Housew