The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1903-04-22

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his soul was shaken with me -passloa
Of his long repressed feelings, Is %
my mind the most gifted, most useful
most Christian woman In this whole
city. She is today suffering more, CIV
ing more and doing more to right the
wrongs Of our boasted civilization than
any other woman Of my acquaintance.
The man who says she Is dangerous to
society does not know what he Is say
ing. Miss Andrews is the superior OF
every person here at this table IN al
the gifts and graces Of the highest de-
veloped womanhood"
He need not have said that last sem
tence. It was not at all necessary. But
his spirit was at high tension. The
contrast between the selfish, heafuess,
luxurious, even vicious social lie rep
resented by some Of the persons at that
table in addition to Archie Penrose
and the patient, loving sacrificing life
Of the head Of Hope House voiced his
indignant assertion. Luella did not
look up. She sat IS cold and still as
statue
Mrs. Penrose, with q tact that did
her great credit, broke the Silence by
asking just the right question Just
what it was Gordon himself did not re.
member when he went all over the
scene afterward; but, whatever It was
it led the way naturally to descrp-
ton Of Hope Eouse settlement, and
John Gordon found himself doing what
he had declared to Mrs. Penrose he
would not do-he was soon pouring out
the story Of Bowen street and Tommy
Randall and Mrs. Caylor and Louie
and all the heartbreaking conditions
Of the pale dwellers in the tenements.
Had ever man such an audience? It
is not often the reformer can reach the
men and women Of society. he talks
to the crowd, vaguely conscious all the
time that the rich, culGred, leisure
classes either do not care or do not
know or do not understand and never
~ W uCc1 04A4s
But for over, half an hour Gordon
said his say. He spared not one syila.
BILE Of horrors. The guests paled at hs
description Of the fire and shuddered'
at the picture Of the child's arm thrust
up out Of the ruins and c.rcling Bar
toms neck in convulsive death agony.
LuelIa looked up once. Her eyes
glowed with a feeling that John Cor
don interpreted into deep compassion,
and his heart bounded For moment
he lost control Of himself. Then he
went on steadily.
When he was through, Mrs. Penrose
quietly signaled for the company to
rise. In the other rooms, as the guests
seated themselves at card tables for
the rest Of the evening, different ones
took up the topic and certain unusual
hush pervaded the perfumed atmos-
phere that was q stranger to the gos-
siping company.
Mrs. Penrose passed out by Gordon.
'You made a deep impression" she
said half admiringly, half seriously.
II had no idea you could talk so vel"
81 did not intend"-
aOf course not. All the better. Ar
chic got his answer. So did we" She
laughed a little cynica1ly. TT Will do
Us good Did not tell you we need
reforming than the slu
To Gordon's great relief Mary came
up and said she felt uneasy for her
father, and begged Mrs. Penrose to e2-
cuse her.
"You will 60 home with me, John,
won't you2 I came with the Cranstons.
Father needs me. he did not hook well
when he came home this evening.
'.It must be serious If Mary Is ready
to leave this early" he thought. But
he was glad to escape the Formally OF
the rest Of the evening. AS he went
out with his sister he had view Of
Luella seated nstlessly at the table
where young Penrose was
On the way home Mary seemed ur,-
easy. She was suffering also from 6
headache and sharply accused her
brother Of Juggling his reform business
into the company's talk John Gordon
was silent. Afterward he learned that
young Penrose's attention to Luela
was the real source Of Mary's bad
feelings.
AS they mounted the familiar steps
be felt strangely oppressed, as It some
new or unexpected trouble was about
to come into his life. The excitement
incident to his defense Of Miss An
drews had given way to a dull depres-
sion that weighed him down and gave
him a foreboding.
One Of the servants was in the ball
He said that AIr. Gordon had gone
into the library early In the evening
and had given orders not to De dis
turbed.
John and Mary went into the reception
room. The library was next They en-
tered it side by side.
What was that form lying half on the
floor, half on one Of the leather cusa-
toned chairs?
Gordon sprang forward as Mary cried
out. They lifted him and laid him on
the couch. A frightened servant ap-
peared at the door. But John Gordon
knew as he looked into the stern old
face that the soul Of Rufus Gordon
had gone to God, who gave It, to give
account Of the deeds done In the body,
whether they were good or whether
they were bad.
[To BE Continued
The Western Reserve.