The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1903-03-20

Luella stopped in her walk and faced
Mrs Penrose angrily. Mrs PeDrose
continued in the sweetest manner:
"Archie claims your attention He
has wearied me with his persistent
appeals for my pleading in his behalf.
And this seems as good a time as any
to bring his claims forward You are
not going to marry John Gordon; there
fore marry somebody. And 1t cannot
be denied that Archie is somebody at
least in his own estimation He has
money, he is no worse than good
many other young men like him. and
he will not ask you TO live In Hope
House. What more could you ask, Lu-
ella? And what more could | say! 1t
5 not every day that one has an offer
# marriage from such young man as
Archie The occasion will never come
ISain."
Mrs. Penrose spoke with smile that
could be interpreted as meaning any
one of half Il dozen things
Stop cried Luella. Never men-
ton Archie Penrose's name to me again
If he were the only man in the uni
verse. l would never marry himr'
And yet" continued Mrs. PenrOse
slowly. you throw away. like an old
shoe, the true love of good man sim
ply because you are not willing to give
up a few of the heshpOts of civiliza-
ton Vanity of vaniIies. saith the
preacher. Yet we prize these vanities
beyond the best thing in the world,
which no doubt is love"
"Oh, do not talk to me any more"
cried Luella- She resumed her walk,
and Mrs. Penrose placidly resumed her
| talk
Now that 1 have done my duty by
my nephew at his request / am going
| to plead the cause of John Gordon,
though he has not asked me to. Luz
ella, do you realize what you are going
to fling out Of your life if you go to
John Gordon and tell him in cold blood
| that you lied to him when you prom
| ised to be his wife? He is a young
man of splendid ability and spotless
character. He has chosen a career that
is unseIfish, 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 a
woman ever had to ally herself with a
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 IL 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 il. Remember, Luella,
my married lifer' Mrs Penrose was
speaking with deep earnestness; she
had been leaning forward. all her usual
careless, reckless manner gone COM
lpletely. Il married for money. / was
lpoor. longed for the physical softness
of things. / need not tell you, Luella,
that my marriage was a failure so far
as love is concerned. 1 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? l never had q
home. 1 had an establishment / an
a homeless woman / shall grow old
and die without ever having known the
earthly joy of a home. Luella, do you
choose to be one of the army Of home
less women in the cities? The pool
envy our fine houses, our swell turn
outs, our luxuries. our leisure, our din
ners, our dresses, our n'"1ey. The!
envy hell, for that is VIII all mean:
when love is absent. John Gordon of
fers you heaven, Luella. You choos,
the other place if you refuse him. YoI
/ are Hldu 10 refuse llDl. Luelld- 1Ol
will live to regret il in time and eter
nifty"
"Oh, do not talk to me any more.
nm miserable over itr' LueIla nearl,
lost all control. She threw hersel
down on a couch and buried her hea,
In the cushions
Mrs. Penrose got up and looked a
n her sternly.
Il almost wish John Gordon may no
live, for your sake as well as his" sh
I said. Luella shuddered. and Mrs. Pen
rose after a pause went out OF tn
Iroom-
The crisis for John Gordon came o
the night of the election day. To For
and the others who watched by hill
that night it seemed as if the struggl
II being fought out in the city was typ
! fled by the struggle going on in job
GOrdon's room RumOrs OF the politics
battle drifted into Hope House all da,
Both sides We're confident Both side
claimed a victory. II was Righteousness
q against all forms OF evil that ha
" grown secure and insolent, but wa
r now alarmed and fighting for futur