The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1903-10-08
h., miserable by not living wiz. hiD
That's good fenllnine logic. FCl -

ting into real dill mmas CONNECT.
to woman. The graceful thing fer
him to do would be TO die. Ii would
at least save you the awkward bust
ness Of explaining away your promise
to him. | don't envy you your inter
view with Linn II lie lives. I'd sooner
go and live in Hope House all my life"
Don't" cried Luella. She walked
up and down the room like n man,
Mrs. Penrose watching her curiously.
"Of course you never really loved
John Gordon. IL you had, no question
OF Hope House would ever have risen.
Seeing you have never yet loved any
one, maybe you will allow me TO pre-
sent the name of n suitor.'
Luclia stopped in her walk and faced
Mrs Penrose angrily. Mrs. Penrose
continued in the sweetest manner:
Archie claims your attention. He
has wcaried me with his persistent
appeals for my pleading in his behalf.
And this seems as good 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, 1T
least in his own estimation. He has
money, he is no worse than Il good
| many other Young men like him. ana
he viii not ask YOU o live in Hope
House. What more could you ask. l.u-
ella: And what more could | say: 1t
is Lot every day that one has an offer
of marriage from such young man as
Archie The occasion will never come
again"
Mrs Prnruse spoke with smile that
could Joe interpreted rs meaning any
one of half dozen things.
stop" cried Luclla. "Ncvcr men
ton Archie rcurosc's name to me again.
II he were the only man in the uni
verse, | would never marry him"
And yet" continued Mrs. rcnrOsc
slowly, YOU throw away, like an Old
shoe, the true love of good man sim
ply because You are not willing to give
UP few of the licshpots of civiliza-
tiun. Vanity of vanitics, saith the
preacher Yet we prize these vani'ics
beyond the best thing in the world,
which no doubt is love-
"Oh, do not talk to me any more
cried Luclla. She resumed her walk,
and Mrs. rcnrose placidly resumed her
talk.
Nov that | 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. I.u-
ella, do you realize what you are going
to fling out of your life if you 80 to
John Gordon and tell him in cold blood
that you lied to him when you prom
iscd to be his wife? He is young
man Of splendid ability and spotless
character. He has chosen n career that
is unselfish, noble and full of possibili-
ties AS his wife you could share in his
struggles, but no less also in his
1riumphs. 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 hearing from the world. You
are missing the rarest opportunity II
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 n little softer
and few that civilized power can get
along without and in the most eases
be the better for not having. For these
baublCS You are going To commit an act
Of deliberate murder OF the best feeling
woman ever had, murder Of love for
Il true man. He is perfectly right To
demand that YOU live with him in
Hope House. You would have every
reason to dcSpise him if he did not ask
that Of you. \ man who has Il great
life work like that of John Gordon
could not ask any woman TO share il
with him who did not gladly accept AL
that went with it. Remember, Iuclla,
my married life Mrs. PcnroSc WAS
speaking with deep carncstncsS: she
had been leaning forward, all her usual
careless, reckless manner gone com
plctely. Il married for money. l was
poor. lonGcd for the physical softncss
of things. need not tell you, Luella.
that my marriage was II failure so far
as love is concerned. got the money;
l 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. |! | never had n
home. had an establishment. ! am
/ Il homeless woman. l shall grow old
! and die without ever having known the
4, earthly JOY Of II home Luella, do you
/ choose TO be one of the army of home
! less women in the cities? The poo.
envy our fine houses, our swell turn
outs, our luNuricS, our leisure, our din
ncrs, our dresses, our money. They
envy hell, for that is what it all means
when love is absent. John Gordon of
fers you heaven. Luclla. You choose
the other place if you refuse him. You
are mad to refuse him, Luella. You