Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-08-19
DAILY SHORT STORY
CHILDREN, AFTER ALL.
IOriginal.l

been necessary to me, l have worked.
From the first l wanted a career. l
chose literature for a profession, and
living a literary life made me d reader
of many books. Great social questions
interested me especially, and / studied
the different methods that from the
earliest ages have pertained to the Re
la tions of the sexes. / came out of these
studies impressed with the belief that
marriage is a civil, not necessarily
moral, law.
l had reached this conclusion some
time before l met Arthur Tracy. He
was the manager of a magazine to
which / sold articles and by admiring
them first won my grateful attention,
afteTward my love. He was mated
with a woman who had no sympathy
whatever with his fine, appreciative
and discriminating mind. He found in
me one who could sympathiZe with
him on every point, and it was not long
| before he told me that l could turn
his minated life into one of inexpress-
ible happiness.
Unfortunately for us both, there was
vorce Mrs. Tracy was Il good wife
and mother, the only reason why she
could not make her husband happy
being her intellectual inferiOrity. But
why was a divorce necessary: Had
| not reached Il conclusion that mar
riage was not necessary to morality?
Had not one of the greatest of English
women novelists lived with i man
who could not get Il divorce from his
wife: Why should l, holding these
views, stOOp to encourage the man /
loved to secure his liberty 10y fraudu-
lent means: Would it not be Il far
better part to make him happy in de
fiance of a world that had received its
opinions from antiquity? l made UP
| my mind to rise above an antiquated
custom. My love and l would pledge
ourselves to each other for life.
had never seen Mrs. Tracy, nor did
| l wish to see her There was no blame
attached to her that she was not sufii-
GENTLY intellectual to be a fit COmpan-
| ion for a very superior man. l would
| not permit myself to consider that she
was standing in the way of two pco-
pie whom God had especially intended
for each other. l was not SO human
as that. One day L went to the Office
of the magazine to consult about the
method of printing an article of mine,
and from the suit of editorial rooms
a little girl about three years old came
| racing along, Il straw hat hung TO her
back and rinElets flying. She was such
merry madcap that l took her into
my heart at once and, stopping, literal
| l..
gled To be free, laughing the while, and
when l set her down jumped again
into my arms.
| You little humbug" | exclaimed.
You're like most of your seX-when
you can have what you want you don't
want it, What's your name:"
| Helen Tracy"
| l looked into her heaven blue eyes.
and for the first time since l had met
her father the still small voice of con
science spoke to me. | was about to
bring sorrow into the life of this limo
cent child.
Come and see mamma she said,
grasping one of my fingers. She's in
papas Office waiting till he comes in"
She dragged me TO the office door.
l had no intention Of going in, but
suddenly it opened and some one came
out leaving 1t open. Within sat
woman with a face as sweet and limo
cent as the child's. My confusion en-
abled the little one to drag me to the
| threshold.
Come in" said the lady, rising. II
wish to speak to you"
She shut the door behind me and
stood facing me. All my philosophy
could not save me from feeling that /
was in the presence Of an accusing
angel.
4 know you from the picture Ar
thur has. He has told me much about
you and your ideas-ideas that l have
neither the learning nor the mind to
appreciate. 1t has come to memo
matter how-that his heart has fol-
| lowed his intellect. l do not blame
| either of you. / am deficient in what
| be requires; you possess it. love him
! % well either to stand in the way of
his happiness or 10 give him reason TO
act unworthily. Whatever steps he
| may see fit TO take TO break the bonds
| binding him to me and the children L
shall accede TO. They of course must
remain with me-"
| puI ing MY IIliOSOJDlcdl STUDIES a
| favorite expression with me was the
cobwebs Of the past" While / was
| listening to these words. involving q
| far greater wisdom, far higher con-
cepdon than had ever dreamed of. il
| seemed that with feather the speak
/ or was brushing away the cobwebs
of the present. She had shown me the
| yawning gulf on which stood. In a
| twinkling she had dissolved the air
| castle 1 had built up about her hus-
/ band. for it had flashed upon me that
| he was greatly her inferior. Before
I could reply the door was opened and
he walked into the room While he
! stood the picture OF abashed astonish-
ment, / answered her through him.