The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1914-04-09

Now he spoke definitely and crisply
No one listening to him could imagine
that he did not mean exactly what he
said; that he had not carefully consid.
cred every meaning of each syllable
that he was uttering.
ooh, don't be afraid" he assured
her. II meant exactly what said to
Higgins"
She sighed with real relief.
Il don't mind telling you, Miss Rich
ards, that when came here yesterday
my intention was to sell this business
and get it off my hands at any price
or sacrifice"
past and gone intention was shock
to her. He noted, and not without
emotion-mind that: Broadway unmis-
takably was touched-that her face
blanched at the thought of that which
he had definitely decided not to do.
The young man was beginning to
think; he was forming some faint
realization of the fact that his own
troubles were but somewhat unimpor-
tant bubbles in a sea made up of
everybody's troubles. The thought
was forming in his mind that, while
he had been severely worried about
ways and means for getting Injuries,
these people, here in Jonesville, who
had lived and probably would die with
out ever having heard the names of
many of the things his sybaritic soul
had learned to crave, had felt them
selves confronted by the possibility of
loss of the necessities.
Indefinitely, but for the first time in
his life at all, he saw how grim the
struggle for bare existence is with
the majority: how, although they
strain and strive to their limit of a5il-
ity, they never feel quite safe in their
possession of the means for getting it.
He acknowledged to himself a feeling
of embarrassment as he considered the
undeniable selfishness of his previous
existence.
But he frightened visibly, as he
went on. He had learned his lesson
and had learned it thoroughly.
Carnegie couldn't buy the plant this
morning" he said simply, III he Of
fered every dollar he has in the world.
Mr.. Wallace and sat up talking 1t
over until two o'clock this morning. l
told him everything you said, and went
over the whole situation with him.
promised to take his advice, and he's
convinced me that the right thing to
do is to stick right here and put up q
fight for these people, the same as my
uncle did,
Her reserve quite vanished; as is
the way of women, she took credit for
,ner had not indicated. Where she had
been suspicious of reason for sus.
+ picion, she became enthusiastic over
reason for enthusiasm.
Il knew you would" she cried. Il
knew knew you would"
She had not known he would; she
had feared, had half believed that he
would not; but that now made not the
slightest difference with her firm be-
lief that she had known he would. Nor
had the fact that Broadway, short
minute before, had suspected, with
good reason, that she seriously doubt.
ed him, any influence whatever on his
deep pleasure when he discovered that
she did not-did not because she could
not, not because she would not.
Men do not think clear to the bottom
of these things. They take what won.
en- give them, when they give them
anything, and are humbly grateful and
surprised because they get smile
when they deserve one. rather than .
brick when they do not deserve one.
Nothing which the world has ever Of
fered to the gaze Of the philosopher
has been one-half so pitiful az the as
tonished gratitude of the right-minded
male when he finds that the one fe.
male for whom he has begun, con.
sciously or without his knowledge, to
1 live his life and do his deeds, does not
utterly condemn him when he has
done his level best and that best has
been worthy. Men are the worlds nat,
tural "come-ons," women the worlds
natural vendors Of psychological. sen.
O1u0HSdA auU VAIVA VOAy law 6VAO
bricks.
So when Josie soulfully declared
that she had known he would. Broad.
way did not let it pass with an ,unap-
preciative, "Of course you did," but
looked at her with gratitude alight in
his pleased face and humbly queried,
did you?"
For q moment the fact that she de-.
clared that she had known he would be
decent and not villainously selfish so
completely overwhelmed him (and
please do not forget that she, within .
minute, had admitted that she thought
him capable Of basest selfishness) that
he could not find words with which to
proceed conversationally. All men are
that way.
But presently he recovered selfpos- /
session and continued:
Nov, I don't know anything about
olnsas and l don't know anything
~. 4 nevee di1A dayse WORK
Il