The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-10-08
Relations,

vital development while you coerce
them severely in other respects. l DO
not ask that they receive sectarian in
strpc5 dnne cqulan aid give it to them
nostic, as you profess to be- The
last phrase caught Ferdinand atten-
tion and he listened unwillingly as she
went on. seIn reality you are not an
agnostic. You e''-she waited mo-
ment, and then said slowly, as though
the words hurt her-..'a materialist.
You mind is on material pleasures, ma
what @ aoey c an1G buy You don ask ask
what is true, first Of all, Ferdinand.
You only talk about facts. You inter
pref the deepest and most spiritual re-
1ations of life by the hard and narrow
philosophy based on the few facts that
you will see. How superficial and false
could tell you.' Nt .
Ferdinand was further angered by
this nice distinction of terms and he
interrupted her cynically. s'I always
have supposed that the agnostic dealt
with facts as opposed to windy theories,
but perhaps | am wrong there as we'll
as in my other views.'
Agnes made supplicatinC gesture.
'Ferdlnand, don't break my heart.
and our children are something more
than mouths to feed, bodies to clothe.
We. want room to grow in, we want
husband and father to whom we can
go with those longings that are farthest
out OF sight in our souls because they
n7oblest and best. I married you be-
heving that the outer union was but
the step to that. Did you never feel
the longing to get away from buying
and selling, and ve''-she made a
hesitating step or two nearer to him
with me and our children in love
and perfect comprehension Doesn It it
yourself to me as you never have, to
give up to something stronger than de-
sire7 We all have something back Of
passion in us. We have deeper in
stinct to give instead of get, to get
away from ourselves to something be-
yeond us. Shall we never love each
other 50, away from ourselves9'
Ferdinand looked at her as she spoke,
heard the voice rise and fall, felt the
old subtle glow and exaltation stealing
over him. A faint wish to yield to the
unknown power she described passed
across his mind. Then he scorned his
weakness. He picked up his evening
coat and hat and moved toward the
door leading, into the adjoining room.
when he reached it.
"Will you say nothing more than
that to me, Fer inand9' Agnes said in
a trembling voice.
Without speaking her husband en-
tered the. second room, leaving the door
open. The room was dark and Agnes
lost sight Of him as soon as he passed
the threshold -
She remained where she was, erect
and motionless Then she shivered
reached for her cape, drew it around
her shoulders. sank into the straight
wooden chair by the table, and clasped
her hands tightly over her eyes. She
lost.
Presently Ferdinand appeared AGAR
in the doorway. AS she heard his ste1
she was instantly on her feet, holdin9
the throat. Her head was poised will
that upward lift and statuesque still
ness hunters are familiar with in wilc
creatures surprised by the chase. He
hair was pushed back from her face Gkt
boys, and she looked at him will
the b9y's self,u 1s.2 s,9 aa H.
The uncertainty in his tone flashed
last hope into Agnes brain. sh,
caught at it at once. She had failee
: utterly in telling bare facts to him. Sh,
had meant to be tactful Instead O.
, that she had antagonized him--had no
!, appealed as she might have done t.
/ those emotions which she had felt al
the evening were awake in him afte
3 their long separation.
= "You think that I may be going
, Ferdinand. You realize, then, that
might be driven to it.. You can't Sc
> all that hangs on your decision, tonight
. however. If you did, you surely woul
!, answer me differently. We have bee:
, apart for months now. Absence ha
= made this meeting like beginning o
life together. We have made mis-
takes in the past. We both knoy
how and when. We never shall hav
9 this chance to start right again. I
r we 60 wrong now, in the light Of pas
8 experience, it never can be rectifet
e Something, the rarest and noblest in u
both, will perish. Give me freedom t
t live as your best and closest frient
: Give me light and air. God knows 4
r not begging for myself so much as
v am for our children. How can I be
: mother to them if my heart is crushe
t and my hope and faith chained ik