The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1915-12-01
By ANN Isle.

by AVN @S0GG.
She knew that health and youth and
even a sense Of moral values could be
lost in a life of drudgery given to days
of work and nights of exhaustion that
might all too easily be tempted to
turn to any fevered pleasure.
Hildegarde knew this. She had seen
young women grow bent of back and
twisted Of mind over heavy looms
She had seen young men grow hollow
chested and feverishly flushed of face
when lint or the poisons of the air
In which they lived denied their lungs
a chance at health.
Darkness, foul air, the ceaseless
round of work, insufficient means,
and the better knowledge that the
man above is growing rich on his mis-
cry make too often slave or beast
of the factory worker. Hildegarde
knew, and If her knowledge would
help she meant to give it to the world.
Hubert Knolys represented her first
chance to make powerful convert.
1.-The whole system is wrong; the
State must remedy, it." said Hide
garde in the quiet tone of an apostle
Of right.
will you come into my study and
give me a few facts?" asked knolys.
Caroline smiled ironically as she
watched the Difference with which her
husband followed the wearer Of the
shabby black suit from the room.
Isn't she Splendid, Lawrence was
murmuring, as he gazed with devotion
after his wife.
Caroline smiled with soft irony and
beckoned the boy to- her side. You
treat us all alike. don't you?" she
murmured with j.. a provocation that
would not have been wasted on an old
er, man. n; ~, - t,.>
But Lawrence asked tHow?" with
young: Innocence thatr'afmost irritated
'hfs rirce. ''''''
with a rather mastery stroke the
woman of forty managed to sweep the
woman of thirty into her own gener-
alton. ''She, too, is older than you,
isn't she?"
81 Lawrence dismissed it with uncon-
scious chivalry., "Oh, year or two.
That doesn't matter.
Caroline had the dangerous gift of
insinuating her thoughts to men al
most as if it was their own thoughts
she expressed. And suddenly Lawrence
found himself wondering whether peo-
pie OF the moneyed classes would sup
port him If Hildegarde attacked the
very sources from which came the
money to pay.
When she had mana ged to make
him nervous and sincerely distressed
over the idea that his social mentor
and his wife were not very certain to
like each other, Caroline shifted her
point Of attack.
Tell me, is your wife really as
frank as she seems"
''Why, yes. What makes you ask
that?"
Il was a little startled when learn
ed you had written her SO definitely
about our tour In Italy"
But, why-we did nothing wrong
or that we should be ashamed Of
But the world might talk" said
Caroline. putting into her eyes a world
of meaning which could hardly have
been misinterpreted.
And is ones wife the proper one to
confide in-especially as we were
alone part Of the time" Caroline man.
aged to sink her rather high artificial
society voice to a deeper tone sug-
costing infinite tenderness.
Lawrence missed it: No man can be
conscious of the lure of siren if he
keeps beyond the fringe OF vision and
fixes his eyes tenderly on the woman
he loves Now, he answered in relief
that must stir Caroline to further ef-
fort.
But we mustn't give everybody
credit for so much sympathetic I'M
derstanding" said Mrs. Knolys. in a
tone of worldly wisdom that forced
Lawrence to perception.
You mean your husband" he ex-
claimed.
Don't speak so loudly. They're just
in the next room. l haven't told you
everything about my life. l thought
you guessed"
Again the deeper tone in Caroline's
voice. The role of misunderstood wom-
an is particularly popular one with