Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1920-02-20
CONFESSIONS
~ OF A
B R [ D E
1t is Impossible 10 Imagine Chrys
Eating Coarse Mexican Food.

Chrys began her story with her disap-
pearance from the secret chamber.
81 never knew who carried me on,
she said. "I was watching Spence and
Archer as they pounded down the panel
in the wall. Suddenly a shawl was
flung over my head and fingers frightened
on my throat and kept me from call
inc ont. was dragged up a flight OF
stairs was dragged roughly and l
was very much afraid. For the first
time in my life, l was afraid, Jane.
That was because l could not see.
think l was choked into insensibility.
When 1 could move freely-and open my
eyes, I found myself in a hovel. 1
think it was the meanest hut In the vii
lage."
"Impossibler / exclaimed. You
Chrystobel Lorimer-shut up In a dirty
shanty!"
For days and days. my dear" Chrys
replied.
AND eating coarse common Mexican
food7"
surely. And very glad to get ii, after
a few days"
Horrible! Now understand why you
were all in when we found you on the
beach-and so helpless in the storm. How
terriblei'
mot at all, Jane. Not at all 7 had all
the comforts the poor natives had. If
il was not an impossible habitation for
other human beings, why should it prove
impossible for mef"
1 looked, at the girl in establishment.
Plainly, the tender soul which had been
missing from that beautiful body had
FOUND its way back at last.
NOBODY ought to exist under the con-
dstions 1 saw In that place. And yet
thousands do-the poverty stricken in
every corner OF the globe. Since the war,
more thousands than ever in the history
OF the world, / suppose. Nobody can
learn how hateful poverty is Just By
reading about it. Nobody can know
what starvation means unless he is de-
prived of food You've got to live It.
Jane Well, I've lived 1t all. Don't feel
sorry because I suffered, my dear.
do not regret anything that happened.
I'm really glad, Jane"
''Chrys. you talk as if you'd gone back
to your job of reforming the universe"
I said.
Maybe have" she said softly. "But
not in the old way. I'd begin reform
now with the individual. And first.
I'd set everybody to work Many people
are lazy. People do not realize that
human comforts only come from human
effort This old world isn't suffering
from any too much honest effort, just
sow.
"Jane. I learned the worst there Is to
1now about life during those awful days
in the hovel. Noise, smells, dirt,
wretched food, quarreling and brutality,
greed selfishness, crime and sim met
them all face to face. And 1 discovered
how blind 1 had always been to them
a. actual facts In this big world. I !
discovered how wdlfully 1 had ignored
them just because they were 50 hideous |
that the thought OF them hurt me. I |
saw for the first time that they I'LL the
years for millions of human beings. And |
i counted my nice friends and my nice |
aTelatives. cultured and well-t do per |
.Rns. who positively refuse to behold any /
I'm of human wretchedness. just as /
~ re always done. Jane, we felt the rule
81 war; And we hated it-and stamped
81 out Now we are ruled by greed
e - we haven't any machinery ready to
s. 4Rp that out. Jane. I believe that
zFn greed makes poverty and I vowed
81 II evar got out OF mat hole