The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1912-03-16
THE LABOR WORLD

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good little housewife? suppose your
husband-but, by the way. you haven't
yet told me your husbands nameY' -
A vivid crimson surged to Annals
face, her slim neck. her little ears and
open brow. Then she threw back her
pretty, patrician head proudly.
| my husbands name is Robert Gran
ger"
They stared for an instant at each
other, woman <to-woman. Then Mrs.
Mason gasped: III
Robert Granger, the man..
| The young wife looked, at her old
friend almost sternly.
The man who is in prison serving
term that Burton Temple should be
serving: Oh, Mrs. Mason, what have
I done? You must guard my conf
dence sacredly-you must! You will,
won't you-you will?' She was white
Enow and wide eyed with the import
Of it all.
"Why, yes, dear; of course-of
course. But tell me, I don't under
stand. Why are you herer'
/ IL am here, Mrs. Mason, to find
some evidence that will clear my hus-
bands name and that will send the
guilty man to Sing Sing in his place."
The soft insistence. with. which she
pronounced her purpose was more
startling than any violence could have
been. -
""How did you get Mary Graham's
positionT pursued Mrs. Mason.
you see, Mary and I have been
friends, real. friends. for years. We
studied stenography in the same
school ten years ago. We've kept up
with each other ever since. When
when all this trouble came I asked
her to help me, to see If she couldn't
find some clew. something that would
help somehow. It seems like a merc1-
full providence that she had been sent
here. She. tried. but she couldn't.
Finally she suggested that come my
self. She made a plea of i'll health,
and so it was quite simply managed,
Hou see.'
"But the children, Anna?'
"Oh, it nearly broke my heart to
leave them! But I had to, you see
There's no one else to do the fighting
for their fathers honor. If can only
find some evidence"
"You think there is hope Of finding
someT"
"Oh, there is hope. But I've got to
light for it; and, dear God. I'm going
to! I'm going to meet this Burton
Temple. and I'm going to fight him.
I'll be his faithful secretary. but I'll
spy upon him; I'll be his shadow.
There must come some unguarded mo-
ment when his mask will fall. I'll do
his bidding, oh, yes, my hands rifling
his desk. He'll know what it is to
have an outraged mother spying at
his side!'
"S-sh-h, dearie! Some one will hear.
You're overweight
"There is something almost tigerish
In mother love, isn't there, Mrs. Ma
son? That's how l feel sometimes,
quite like tigress. wonder II you
can understand the agony of it when
my boys ask me about their father.
where's father?' Why does he stay
20 long?' 'When's he coming homer
And I have to look into their baby
faces and lie to them. When they give
me their morning kiss lie to them.
When they say their prayers I lie. I
even let the little tots lie to Cod And,
oh, the questions they can ask! OF
course 1 know that God. being God,
will understand-that he alone can
make allowances for mothers love
and lies, but the most miserable part
OF it is that soon these lies will be
no good. Now I can delude them by
some trumped up story of travel and
foreign lands, but soon at school they
will be told. they will be tainted
Oh, the tortured"
Mrs. Mason. wishing to distract her
attention from this tragic note, said:
But their father. tell me a little
about him. I know. however unjustly
he may be suffering at present, that
he is in reality strong. forceful man.
a man who can do big things. al.
ways knew my little Anna would mar
~ man like that
| 1ucie was SllSNC paCneClc uplItlDg
OF the lovely eyebrows, then an indie
scribably delicate smile, with just the
faintest hint of sadness, as Anna Gran.
ger slowly shock her head.
mo, Bobs isn't that kind at ALL"
she said. Hes of the gentle, sweet,
appealing sort, not forceful, and he'll
never do big things. but there are 9TH
er qualities which can make up for
| forcefulness. don't you think? And
he's clever. He was advanced rapidly
In the Gotham Trust company. Only
sometimes when I'm very tired and
spent-I long for the lion strength. It's
dreadful for woman as young as l.
am to feel so utterly weary
She walked unthinkingly over to the
big bay window. There beyond the
blue flowing Hudson the grim prison
J walls smote her vision.
"Oh, what was sayingv' she cried,
with little penitent sob. Il feel like
| traitor to Robert. Poor, dear boy,
~,