The Somerset reporter., 1905-04-06
Miss Sinclair's
Sociology
BY K effb Gordon
Copyright, 1904. by Frances Wilson

Sociology was at the bottom OF IT,
but what WAS responsible for the so
GEOLOGY Is beyond the writer's knowl
edge
Ahen the corners of woman's
mouth turn upward and the tips of her
fingers curl ever so slightly backward
1t is safe 10 assume that size was in
tended for the decorative rather than
the useful purposes of life Dame VA.
ture arranges these little matters to
suit herself.
Fate, by way Of showing herself in
accord with natures intentions in re-
gard to Miss Sinclair provided that
young lady with bank account of
rather astounding size. This POSSIBLY
had something to do with the depres-
sion of mind that drove her into the
serious field Of sociology, the very
rich and the very poor being in prac.
tically the same predicament To have
every wish gratfied is In effect az
crushing as to have no wish Rratlhed
This is as plain as pikestaff, and it
doubtless had something to do with
Marcia Sinclair's unnatural thirst for
knowledge.
In consequence she might have been
seen almost any day that winter wend-
Ing her way up to Columbia, clad In
austere tailor reade gowns and carry
ing a book or two, as the outward
visible sign" OF her inward intensity.
Sociology, she decided at the start.
should begin at home, and thereupon
she abandoned her carriage and took
to street cars, thereby seeing more OF
real life than she ever had seen before.
In this wise the winter days marched
by, keeping step 1t seemed TO her, with
a grim stupefying monotony. Whether
she looked backward into the past or
forward into the future, the view was
the samoa blur of gray days huddled
together by the perspective
She was listlessly thinking some such
thoughts as these on her way to lee
ture one day when a man in overalls
and blouse boarded the car. Something
In the way he carried himself attracted
her attention
Might be the Emperor William tray
cling incog." she unused as her aroused
glance took i'll the square set shoulders
clear cut face and crisp hair A few
months earlier it would not have oe-
CURED to her to notice a man in over
alls and blouse at all. Seen from her
carriage they had been mere shadows,
by no means human beings Now all
WAS different. Though she began to
suspect that the pursuit of knowledge
was only another of the endless make
shifts by which we strive TO forget the
ennui of life, she had learned one cardl-
mai fact-namely. that the humblest
worker shares all the most important
things of life with the greatest poten-
tate
The young workman meantime had
dropped into II corner seat. thrown one
leg over the other aud, with an arm ex-
tended along the back of the seat. turn
ed a preoccupied glance ont of the
window. thereby presenting to his Wis
avis a profile that, TO say the least,
H'Rl''h' hbeOlNlAt pug HlN al iiit'E IT,
His hands. she noticed with growing
wonder, though large and powerful,
were of the sort most frequently seen
protruding from the sleeves Of modish
tweedS or knowing tuXedos Emerg-
ing from the sleeves of blouse they
were nothing short of startling, and
Miss Sinclair was stirred by an inter
est that degcnerated into curiosity.
What manner of workman could he be
who wore all the habilments of toll
with the air of one descended from
throne for an hours incorporating?
With an abrupt turn of the head, I'M
Cannily suggestive of his having heard
her mute query. lie turned and received
her puzzled glance full in the face
For Il moment they stared ut each 9th
er with the undisturbed frankneSS Of Il
pair of children; then Miss Sinclair.
with an acute recollection of the new
ly acquired fact that the humblest of
toi,crs is Il person and not thing,
withdrew her eyes, while the man in
overallS took his turn at inspecting
1t WAS for this reason that she did
not see the slight witch of the lips
that had followed the open amazement
Of her glance.
When, later in the day, she recalled
the little scene that followed she could
find but one excuse. 1t WIS an up.
flare of that madness which certain
philosopher had long since discovered
rs lull.iDU in p9pb unb pvppv human