The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1920-05-28
The Black Sheep.

You are woman. you can get mat
ried, and get your living for nothing,
Frank said, needless of the tone OF
her former speech "You are nervous
tonight Ollie,'' he said as he slipped
fis arm around her as they passed
in the shadow of a tall building.
His affection was evidently not
welcome, for she disengaged herself
quickly and told him to behave him
self Her action hurt his feelings,
he i d to tray the
performance with little more force
than before, with the result, that she
slapped him in the face for his pains.
"I'm in no mood to fool with YOU
tonight Frank" she said, with no
little dignity, "be a man and behave
yourself.'
"What IS the matter Ollie? Don't
you like ME any moreo What is the use
acting like that" and there was that
in his voice that showed real concern.
Atho it must be said the concern
was only for himself.
lyon never heard me talk at all. I
have never dared to talk for fear of
telling the truth, and finding myself
alone in the world. 'sen
~ don't get it," he said querulous-
ly.
"Nobody gets it., in this town 1t
seems that nobody understands any
one but themselves, and they under
stand themselves very imperfectly. It
is sure that they do not understand
me.n
"I understand you," her friend
protested.
"No you don't. Nobody does for
the simple reason that I do not think
as they think. have only met one
person who thinks as / think on many
OF the problems of life, and he in
few words said many of the things
] have always wanted to say but did
not know how to say them He under
stood me without knowing me, and I
understood him, in the same way"
she said sOlemnly.
"Who is hes" asked her friend,
and there was touch of bitterness in
his voice.
oh, do not mind telling you. lie
was the boy they had in Jail last fall. F"
Inis little speech awakened forest
memories in her companion. The
screaming simian, and the growl of the
cave man, were in his mind. 1t was
good that he lacked the physical cour-
eompromise with himself weakners must
compromise or die. So he asked, "Bav.
en't you forgotten that hobo YETI"
No have not, "Olive said duiet.
". How could II He showed me the
greatness of life's problems, the real
meaning of that awful thing called
society. He showed me the blood on
my fingers, on my food, on my clothes
on the car in which I ride, on all the
things l. have, and on all the things
you have. He showed me how unclean
we are"
1, Frank ignored her philosophy, lie
was now not in philosophizing mood,
Ieven if he had been capable of philoso,
lphizing., She. had told him the -trstb
ne could not, and would not under
stand. II thot you had better sense
than to fall in love with n hobo! he
attempted to sneer but it counded more
Hike wall.
;, She stopped and faced him in the
mi-darkness. A ray of light from
distant street lamp fell on her face.
10 might have revealed to him the
glowing beauty of mind on fire with
an ideal. But the bourgeois mind is
Dllnd to both beauty and ideals. Still
ne was NOT unaware of the beauty and
power of her expression. It made him
painfully aware of his own inferiority
s Te belonged to the great average
She did not
+ FRANK, said she firmly but NOT
unkindiy, "you arc asleep to every.
tWalhg, nut your own will and desire
you seem to think that the world was
made for yen. feel that I sbould be
tor the world. You think ONLY of
your pleasure. I must think of tbc
pleasure OF Others as well. You cannot
understand my problems, therefore
cannot help me to solve them. Now I
want you to 60 Frank and leave me
oiohe' l must think" She started mn
the path and he followed for fcw
, steps eco I say" Olive reneated
with a tone of finality which left
him no alternative.
" Well I'll be darnedl" he mu,toroa
bum." Va h"'ieiess
olive heard what he said but mad,
| no no reply His attitude was an nspcct NJ
' cue s type struggle. He reacted in mar.
4 n ee' harmony with his environment
one did not. Between him and .Jast of
course was the antagonism of tho class
struggle. The natural antinatbv of ''nss az
Want. VI" mouse OF
ehe went straight to her room md
4 ;nere ;n with her thoughts for comnan.
iom, o"s, sne went over all her homes and
'vng,nss, aspirations and fears. .JacL -
q "orus from behind the iail bars baS
put purpose in her life. and ,ha. %
purpose had become an insn;rat;an '"a. y.
/. Thought sug She had decided to tear Loose nss
;,e rom ner world with its hypocr;c;es
as &c receptions, its lies masaueraS;rg .
D as ,neeeney' She had started on tbe
.L ua,' OF truth and he who starts 'oe nu
'"S, ss 'Fail is following a ghost y"
She carefully counted her occoun,;.,
b, lmsrvo,oe s, sne could play tho piano. Not
Q n,av ,'V,oasIy, in fact she never woulJ
r piff s%s'vcionsly. sos She had no special
esnus ,or music, She could plav wo,i
D osW eharm a lover but tbon tho.a
0 sufes nio'fes are easily chsrmcd 10 tSo
D payer Is pretty and tho f.,h.- 'ue
Q an,' ,,n' . ene could not charm an audie,oo
t a. any more than could tom cat ,oncs sbo ho !,
Iipply ,hau, ma'aematics but could she
spprrcg,,. sprg 'nem TO any practical purpose