Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1903-02-18

place and work have killed him" ex-
claimed Luella. Her face had paled at
sight of Miss Andrews. 1t blanched
now, and her exclamation contained a
certain tone of reproach as If the wo-
man in front Of her were to blame.
"And, If they have, is it not better for
him to die there after having fought
q good fight for humanity than to live
elsewhere and carry no burdens that
kill"
It was a question provoked by the
entire social cruelty of that world rep
resented by such women as Luella and
Mrs. Penrose. The gentle. patient sac
rificing spirit of the blue eyed woman
who had given her whole life to lift
the human burden burst out Of it's ha-
bitual repression of feeling and swept
ND and over Luella as If she were the
incarnation of social selishness which
in all great cities of the world seeks
ease and pleasure and luxury and de-
MES all claims of brotherhood, refuses
to share its strength with the weak
and never dreams Of such a thing as
personal responsibility for childhood's
ways Of mankind's suffering.
1t seemed a long time that Luella
was silent After awhile she raised her
eyes to Miss Andrews.
~ am all that you think am. And
yet"-
"And yet, Miss Marsh, John Gordon
loves you. He wants to see you before
he"-
"Did he send you here"
mo. But l know he longs to see
you. Will you Gomez"
EYES," Luella trembled. But I am
sure he does not love me! Oh. Miss An.
drews! Have pity on me! Ii l loved
him truly, would I refuse to accept his
test for me? Why do shrink from
that"
do you expect me to answer all the
contradictions of your heart? You have
been born into social life that reck-
ons up its 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 q 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
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 60 with 1t yourself to
q real human sufferer, or If you do it
It is in q spasmodic effort to relieve
dull day or a compound with a con-
science that will not always leave you
alone in your selfshness. The broad
basic element Of genuine love Of hu-
manity 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 Of 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 its life
long repression in the presence Of
woman who had refused the great love
of q 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 q 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 in
her eyes:
"All this may be true. but you say
he is dying. Is it the time to say all this
to me now? love him! do love him!
You do not, or you would not be saying
these things to me now-while he is
. dying"