The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-03-23


your word is enough at present.
replied Rolling dryIy. eff you will
stick TO the letter Of that I am per-
fectly satisfied
After Rollins had left the room Kel-
vim turned inQuiringly to Breed. "Wili
he come imp he asked anXiously
"Wh"n the time is ripe. yes" assert
ed Breed confidently. 'It is in his
blood, and when the time comes he'll
| listen"
That evening Rollins met Elsie
White coming down the kitchen steps
and joined her. She was so frank, so
wholesome, that he always had an in
definable impression Of being the bet
ter for having talked with her, even
though nothing of moment had been
j said.
! "How the country agrees with you"
he observed as he Joined her. you
we're looking rather pale when 1 first
i saw you here. but you have found
some marvellous rouge among these
trees
81 like it very much" she admitted.
turning his compliment with a smile.
81 have already grown to have a GER
! tain amount of supercilious pity for
city dwellers."
"They really need it, he agreed.
with laugh. "and to prove that l am
| sincere in that remark l am going to
stop with you for month or so.'
"Goodr' she exclaimed. More peo-
pie to enjoy Forest Lakes is all that
we need
"Do they never have any visitors"
| Rollins inquired. ''week end parties
| and the like?"
Never" she replied "For festivi-
ties of that sort they go down occa-
f; sionally to Mr.. Breeds ether place in
| Virginia, but Mr.. Breed is very Jealous
| Of having any social life whatever
here
Rollins strolled by her side until
| they reached the cottage. where the
garrulOus Mrs. White met them at the
door.
Mrs. White was delighted to be in.
troduced to Mr.. Rollins.
"Elsie has told me all about what a
) fine man you are. and fine men are
scarce enough any place. Are you go
ing to stay long this time?'
Gle promises us a month at least,
mother"
That's nice" asserted Mrs. White.
"It's fine to have lot Of good look
ing men around. My goodness! l tell
Elsie she never will have a chance to
get married if she stays here.'
Rollins was so thankful to Elsie that
she laughed from sheer amusement
and gave him a chance to join her.
His amusement and also his repressed
embarrassment were heightened when,
| after Elsie had invited him to sit on
the vine clad little front stoop, Mrs.
White suddenly and conspicuously abb
scented herself. The two were silent
for q time, when they heard approach
ing voices.
"You had better come in with u.s.
said the voice Of Blagg from just be-
yond the corner of the house. THE
organizat ton now numbers more than
quarter of million, all of the down.
trodden, sworn to serve the best in
terests of the poor"
But If they are all poor people what
can they do to help themselves" OBJ
jected the voice of Ben White.
Rise up and overwhelm the exist
ing condition of things by the mere
weight of numbers" responded Blagg
quickly and tensely. Moreover, the
organizat ton is not. so poor as you
might think. 1t has quite a snug little
sum in its own treasury. and. besides
that, / know where there is $780,,
100000 in cash that we can seize upon
the moment we rise. Look here, Mr..
White, | want to explain to you the
system of our organiZation"-
By the sound Of the voices they were
slowly walking away. Elsie turned to
Rollins with a troubled frown.
81 don't like this Mr.. B1agg." she de-
cIared 'He talks nearly every even
ing with father about some secret So
ciety he wishes him to join, and am
afraid"
Rollins laughed easily. "These So
cialistic organizations never do any
thing" he tod her.
He thought no more of the matter
Just then. but he did think more and
more frequently of Elsie White as the
days wore on. He knew that he had
lost caste with Mrs. Rensselaer, the first
time she saw him with Lillian's maid.
but he did not care to hold caste with
Mrs. Rensselaer,. The Rollins men
folk had held it as their right to marry
whom they chose, and he began de-
liberate courtship Of Elsie White.
He avoided Lillian Breed from fas-
tidious choice, but he spent much time
in his spare hours with Kelvin and
young Rensselaer,.
One drowsy night he had dropped to
sleep upon bench on the porch in the
shadow Of climbing rosebush. He
was awakened by the scrape of chairs
and became conscious of low and tense
voices quite near him.
you. too, could love as love-" said
the voice of Blagg. trembling with re
pressed intensity. ''could love with
seething brain. with pounding pulses.
with a heart the throbs Of which would
hurt and hurt and hurt!''
You are almost poetical in your
anatomy of the emotions" drawled the
contemptuOus voice of Lillian Breed.
81 had no idea that the love of money
could affect one in that precise way.
You don't mean that slur." he pro
tested angrily. You know that If you
had not q dollar I would still have for