The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1903-05-08
ANKATO FREE PRESS.

mat.
do you expect me to answer all the
contradictions of your heart? You have
been born into social life that reck-
ons up it's wealth in physical things. 1t
is also true-pardon me for saying it
but it is true that you women OF wealth
and social activities are as a class des,
titute of any real love for humanity.
You can feel remorSe or mOmentary
pity. You will weep at the representa-
ton of wrongs upon the stage in a
we'll lighted, warmed and upholstered
theater from a comfortable seat for
which you have paid an exorbitant
price, but you will not take the price of
that seat and go with it yourself to
a real human sufferer. or if you do it
it is in a spasmodic effort to relieve a
dull day or a compound with a con-
science that will not always leave you
alone in your selfishness. The broad
basic element of genuine love of hui
mainly is not known by you or women
like you. The richest, most cultured,
most favored women in this city are as
q rule destitute of real human love for
the masses. They are born without it,
they live without it, and, may God have
mercy on them, they will die without it
and receive the final condemnation
spoken to those who, like the rich man
in Jesus story, have their good things
In this world, but will be shut out by
an impossible chasm from the joys Of
Lazarus in the bosom of Abraham"
Again the spirit or this woman, who
had for all those dreary years of lone
some burden bearing felt the crushing
weight of a proud city's wealth and
fashion which lifted no finger to help
in proportion to its enormous RESPONSE
bility, rose up and flowed over it's life
long repression in the presence of a
woman who had refused the great love
Of great man because she did not
want to miss the things that Lazarus
had to do without.
And again Luella was painfully still.
She uttered no denial; she apparently
did not resent syllable. She simply
looked down, folding her hands in her
lap, and Miss Andrews, gazing at her,
could see no sign Of anger or pride.
But suddenly Luella rose, and.
stretching out her hands toward her
visitor, she said, while tears were il
her eyes:
he is dying. Is it the time to say all this
to me now? l love him! l do love him.
You do not, or you would not be saying
these things to me now-while he is
dying"
She came up close to Miss Andrews
cIinched and her whole attitude ex.
pressiye of the deepest feeling. ut is
no wonder John Gordon loved her."
Grace Andrews said to herself with
pang at the thought Of a beauty that
had been dulled by years of contact
with trouble, for Luella was magnifi-
cent in her strong young womanhood.
and it needed only that one human love
for the multitude to make her a crea-
ture of boundless affections worthy of
the bravest, best man that ever lived.
81 did not say he was dying He is
very ill. The issue is doubtful. But he
is perfectly conscious, and it may be-
it may be-that your presence will help
him.
"COme, then, let us CO." said Luella.
On the way to Hope House Luella
asked again if John Gordon had sent
for her.
= "He has spoken your name" Miss
sI1,,+ no hoc
asked to see you"
''Then l am going to see him on your
invitation"
yes" she replied simply.
''He will not care to see me-" Luella
spoke as if to herself, and Miss An
drews did not reply to her.
When they reached the house, Luella
was so agitated that she asked to be
left alone in the library little while.
When she came to Miss Andrews and
told her she was ready, Miss Andrews
could not avoid almost feeling of pity
for her.
''Is he very ill.," Luella asked.
''You must be prepared for a great
change in him." Miss Andrews said.
When she reached Gordons room
Ford came to the door. He had been
nursing Gordon. When Luella entered
Ford and Miss Andrews went out and
knew that as they left the rooE Luella
had kneeled at the side of the bed and
put her lips on John Gordon's hand.
She was not prepared for the sight Of
such a change in so short q time. But
Gordon had thrown himself into the
problem Of Hope House from the first
day of his residence with whole
souled abandon that had told tremen-
dously on his vitality. The daily strain
en- his sympathies, the apparent hope
lessness Of the effort to remove causes,
the unceasing call on heart and mind
had burned like fever in his life, and
when the city campaign came on he
was not at all prepared for it's inces-
SAINT demand on physical and mental
resources. Nevertheless he had flung
all caution aside night after night, even
when he felt growing on him the wea-
riness that, like leaden weight, hung
on heart and brain. The collapse came
inevitably, and his condition was crit
ical. 1t was the old story of driving
the machine beyond its powers and
without sufficient care for the delicate
mechanism Of nerves and heart and
tissues
Ito BE C0ntinued.)
Bring your WOOL to the Mankato
Knitting Mills. We pay highest mar.