Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1903-01-24
ocial standing. Love must be reason

Mary Gordon stared at her brother.
"Of course anything is possible. But
She smiled to herself and then stared
at her brother, and then carelessly
turned about and began to sing:
"Oh, the sadness that grows with the
years.
John Gordon turned toward the other
room, but before he had gone out Mary
rose and came quickly up to him.
This is not goodby, John?''
YES" He turned and looked at her
earnestly.
"Of course" - she hesitated - "of
course the reason l don't show more
feeling is because cannot believe you
are really going to leave US for good.
You WI try the reforming business a
little while, and after you have learned
that you cannot do anything you will
come back and let father work out his
plan for you, which, must say, is far
more sensible than what you propose.
So don't intend to say goodby, John,
and l hope Luella will be as good to
you as I ann
She instantly went back to the piano,
| sat down and began to sing and play
gayly. John Gordon looked at her for
| a moment, then went into the other
| room and found his father still writing
| there. He went up to the desk and
| waited until his father laid down his
| pen.
"Well:" he said as he lifted his head
| cd or Il Iox
something more to say?'
There was not hint in the tone or
manner to suggest to John Gordon any
affection or feeling He was not sur
prised. He had not expected anything
But he put out his hand toward his
father almost like one who is sinking
and sees some floating object swept out
| of reach on a receding wave.
you understand, father, that do
not ask anything of you. Grand
mothers share of the Waller estate is
due me next year. l will take care of
myself until them
Rufus Gordon did not speak, and
John Gordon continued:
"All this-my action is and always
will be strange to you, father. The re-
igious experience through which I
passed while abroad makes any other
course impossible for me. As said to
| you before. the life we have been liv-
ing in this city seems now to be
monstrous life for civilized people to
| live. The term Christian has no mean
ing at all unless it means service, sac
rifice, sharing in some real sense with
the worlds needs The civilization
which means simply getting all it can
out of the world instead Of putting all
it can into it is civilization that can
not be called Christian. My soul is I'M
able to rest, my life cannot go on with
such contradictions torturing it. That
is the reason, father, that our ways di-
vide. Would to God that we could see
and walk togetherr'
The cry was wrung from him by a
sharp and sudden pain that took ac-
count Of the fact of blood kinship. 1t
was the cry Of human fellowship, the
exclamation Of personality that had
always placed great stress on the value
Of companionship. But there was no
cry from the man who sat coldly look
ing at him. Rufus Gordon was father,
but he was also that personifcation
of the net product of our un-Christian
methods-he was crystalliZed selfish
ness-none the less selfish because civ
iliZed, all the more selfish because it
was more effective in civilized form.
Ignorant self is not so destructive as
educated SELF
rs there anything more?" Rufus
Gordon asked the question as bust
ness proposition to close an interview
that was taking valuable time needed
for more important transactions.
Nothing more except that l hope
you will-you will not bear any hard
feelings toward me. Oh, fatherr' John
| Gordon suddenly exclaimed, taking a
step toward the impassive figure. You
said you loved me. Cannot you believe
IN me and the life have chosen?'
! For a moment over the hard face
there swept a tremor. 1t was gone in
a moment and Rufus Gordon answered
slowly:
! you have chosen. When you change
! your mind. you may come and see me
I about it,
Il shall never change my mind" =
! THAT is all, then?''
Eyes. except that my love for you
and Mary is still the same. Some
time, when you have felt what have,
| you will believe as do
Rufus Gordon made no answer, and
| John Gordon slowly turned to leave
| the room.
Il will arrange to have my things
taken over to Barton's. I am going to
stay with him until I arrange for my
| permanent quarters"
He left the room and went upstairs,
where he busted himself with packing
the few possessions he had brought
home with him from abroad. During
it all his highly imaginative and even
poetical nature took account Of the
prosaic and matter Of fact way in
which he was taking leave Of the
house where he was born and of the
home In which he had been reared.
There had hoon M mo1odram afic dis