The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1909-11-26

Il
"Ah," exclaimed Philip as they met
$50 you came! You're game, all right
Well, let's eat-in here. Keep your
hat on ~
They entered Bowery restaurant
near Chatham square, battered place
seen through two dusty windows. AT
long tables were silent, shifty eyed
men who seemed to sit as far apart
as possible. And they all kept their
hats on and their coat collars turned
up, while hard faced walters moved
among them bawling out orders.
| "Not bad. that pie" declared Haggle.
ton as they came out. Nov I'm ready
for anything you can show me, the
worst you can show me-"
Philips face was set. This man
wanted to see poverty and misery.
Very well.
81 know an old lady on Roosevelt
street." he said, "who is dying Of con-
sumption. Well go there first
On the way he spoke briefly of the
case. The old lady had no one in the
world to care for her but little grand
daughter eight years old. The child
went to school, so the sick woman was
absolutely alone for hours every day.
And she was so feeble she could
scarcely lift herself from the bed.
Philip turned into a dark hallway
with greasy green walls; they climbed
four flights of stairs to a tiny room
at the back. The floor was bare Of
covering, and the only furniture was
cot bed, two chairs and little stove.
There was one window, and the walls
were painted red.
The dying woman lay propped
against n pillow, and her thin face
frightened as she saw Philip. No,
she wasn't lonely, and, anyway, Ella
mustn't miss her school, Oh, yes, they
were comfortable enough. Ella didn't
mind sleeping on banket-over there
in the corner The rent? Why, 81 a
month. 1t was a nice ROOM only she
wished the sun could shine in. She
loved the sun. There were few
weeks in June when the sun did shine
IN, but June was long way off. She
closed her eyes YEARLY and lay still.
"Well?" asked Philip.
There's nothing to say" replied
Hagglcton. "She's going to die. We're
all going to die"
"But that child-only eight years
old?"
"Its life" said Haggleton.
The next case was farther down the
street-an Irish longshoreman about
thirty-ffve. who also was nearing his
end--consumption and cancer Of the
throat He had been in the hospital,
but had come home for his last days.
He wanted to be near the wife and
the kd-.a little fellow of five, playing
about, barefoot. on the cold floor.
The sick man lay in a foul back
room where there was no window. He
knew that lie was dying, but he was
happy to he home again near the wife
and the kid He was i'm no pain.
Haggleton beckoned the woman into
the front room and questioned her.
1t was exposure to bad weather that
had caused his sickness, not drinking.
Did she work herself? Yes; she did
cleaning.
AS they came away Haggleton dis
cussed this case. What could you ex-
poet? There must have been some
faint in him. A sound man doesn't get
cancer and consumption. He didn't;
Philip didn't. This Irishman was evil
IDENTITY unsound.
Haven't you any pity for an I'M
sound man," protested Philip.
whats the use of pity? An I'M
sound man is unsound. He's sure to
perish; better he should. The way to
improve the race is to prune away the
weak and unworthy That's what pow
erty does"
"And the weak ought to perish-you
really mean that?"
Certainly, whethe, they're weak in
body or mind"
"My Gedv' exclaimed Philip. "That's
the most brutal talk l ever heardw
Brutal, yes, but-think it over.
say the weak and the unworthy ought
to perish It's true when you grow
fruits, when you breed animals, isn't
It? Then why isn't it true If you want
to build up a race of men?"
Because" - Philip hesitated - "be-
cause the greatest authority in the
world is against you"
"What authority is thatT'
"The authority that says, Tnasmuch
as We have done it unto the least of
these my brethren, We have done IL
unto me-"
"H'mv grunted Haggleton and fell
into silence.
They had come to a block of better
looking tenements and made their way
to four room fat with signs Of rel
alive prosperity If not of cleanliness.
This was the home Of strong Italian
woman who supported her family by
taking in washing. The mother ex-
planned that her husband had tempo
rarily abandoned her, so she had taken
two lady boarders.
The two lady boarders presently ape
peared, one showing hand bulkily
bandaged and the other very queer
face. 1t was the girl with the band
aged hand who had stirred Philips