Evening star., 1905-10-01
A III e ting in Park That
Had Rom @mGie Re suits
By EMMA LEE WALTON

going to begin her studies in sociology,
preparatory to work in the settlements, this
the time, while Harrison sat in the
about, stiff and uncompromising, at the
turn in the road. 1t was a notion of hers
that an hour two in the park every day
helped her to think clearly, and one bench
had long been her favorte seat in all sorts
of weather. She well-known even to
Flanagan the chi1dren's policeman, who
saluted in response to her smile and some
times ventured to pass remark about the
cool summer in deferential tone that
pleasant to hear. Everybody knew her in
her favorite spot, SO it interested her when
this man appeared on the opposite bench
and ignored her.
She watched him at play with the children 4
who swarmed about him, she gazed in II
der at him when the squirrels up to be
fed and she admired in secret the great n
stride with which he took to walking when A
the bench grew hard He was tall and
broad like those who toll with their arms
strength always associated in her mind
with manual 1abor-and his plain blue serge h
wonderfully becoming to his gray eyes ~
and the healthy color of his boyish face M
One of the workers of the world, without @
doubt, a maSter-workman of some kind
entirely different from the men she had
known, worthy of study, and therefore to
be studied.
That afternoon he was sitting on her bench
by some absent-1ninded inadvertence, gazing
hard at the gravel path, with pathetic
droop to his mouth that hurt her unac-
countably-he seemed SO young, SO tired,
sorrowfuli Why should she have so much
and these little? Out of her great understanding
she spoke him. and he raised his hat as he turned
to her with a Difference, she thought, that was
worthy of English peasant.
You are 1onely?" she asked gently "a
stranger. perhaps?"
YES" he replied in a pleasant voice. 81 am
rather alone just now thank you.''
g It's hard citV for bred cIa want
on kindly. People seem to have time to make
friends
Il have been here sometime he said smiling
" am trying to get acquainted with the city before
| settle down for the winter. Just now find N.Y.
self with nothing do but go fishing every morning
and night
Il understand the factory is closed" she said.
" A strike, is there not?'
He looked at her for moment and then glanced
much of himself he could see with short
laugh. why did you put in the factory?"
he asked
All the men of your station who live hereabouts
are there, she said arrogantly. L should like it
very much if you would tell something about
your life and theirs.
The annals of the poor,' he said take little
time in the telling
She turned to look at him rather sharply-a
man of thirty or thereabout, simple, clean and
strong. She felt reassured. You are person
of some education" she ventured ''and probably
have position of trust?'
4 have men under me- he conceded modestlv
"and have been to school,
Tell me about them,' she said. 81 am to work
in your district this winter, and must know some
thing about the people there"
He subjected her to quiet scrutiny for the mo-
ment, apparently finding something amusing in the
picture her words evoked They need to be
worked them" he asked. "Why?"
of coursel" she said impatiently .sThey live
in such terrible dark tenenlents and they are such