The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-02-11
Gnslair

ions, and the most elegant society,
flashing jewels and costly gowns
five thousand dollars per female
person would have been a modest
estimate for evenings in the dining
saloon. And very soon the tongues
of gossip began to buzz-"His
fathers the California oil man,
they say he owns whole fields out
there, but one of them is burning
up, according to the papers. The
Ross that was in the scandal, you
remember, he's hiding abroad, been
there nearly year, but the son
can come back, of course. They
say he was one Of the lovers of
Viola Tracy, but she chucked him
and married the Roumanian prince.
Catch him on the rebound, my
dearp
So everybody was lovely to Bun
ny; so many charming young things
to dance with, until any hour of
the morning; or to stroll on deck
and be lost in the darkness with,
if one preferred. All day they
fitted about him, casting coy and
seductive glances; they were inter-
ested in everything he was inter-
ested in, even the book he was read
ing-provided he would talk about it
instead Of read it. There were some
who would say that they were in
terested in Socialism, they didn't
know much about it, but were eager
to learn. Until the second
morning out, when the young
socialist received a wireless which
entirely removed him from fash
ionable society:
"Your father very i'll with double
pneumonia have obtained best med
zeal attention will keep you inform
ed deepest sympathy and affection
Alyse."
So then Bunny walked the deck
alone, and suffered exactly those
torments of remorse which Vernon
Roscoe had predicted for him. Oh,
surely he could have been kinder,
more patient with that good old
man! Surely he could have tried
harder to understand and to help!
Now fate was taking him away,
five or six hundred miles every day
and at any moment might snatch
him to a distance beyond calcu-
lation. His father himself had felt
bunny went over what he had
said, and realized that Dad had
faced the thought of death, and had
been giving his son such last advice
as he could.
At first nothing but remorse.
But then little by little the debate
the old, old, dispute that had torn
Bunny's mind in half. Was it pos
sible for men to go on doing what
Dad had been doing in the conduct
of his business? Could any civili-
cation endure on the basis of such
purchase Of government? No,
Bunny told himself; but then-he
should have tried harder, more low
ingly, and persuaded his father to
stop it! But at what stage? Dad
had been purchasing government
ever since Bunny could remember,
as little boy. All the oil men
purchased government, all big bus
mess men did it, either before or
after election. And at what stage
of life shall boy say to his father,
your way of life is wrong, and YOU
must let me take charge of it?
There was no new thought that
Bunny could think about all this;
any more than in the case of Wee
Tracy. Just the grief, and the
ache of lonelinessl Old things go
ing; they kept going-and where
did they go? 1t was a mystery
that made you dizzy, at moments
like this; you stood on the brink Of
a precipice and looked down into a
gulf The most incredible idea,
that his father, who was so real,
and had been for so long a part of
his being-should suddenly disap-
pear and cease to be! For the first
time Bunny began to wonder, could
Alyse be right about the spirits?
Another message in the evening.
Condition unchanged will keep you
advised sympathy and affection"
These last words never failed in
the messages; the next day, when
Dads condition was the same and
the crisis expected tomorrow; and
then tomorrow, when Dad was
sinking; and then, the morning af-
ter, when Alyse wired, "Your faith
er's spirit has passed from this
world to the next but he will never
cease to be with you he spoke of
you at the last and promises that
II you will communicate with a
good medium in Angel City he will
guide your life with love and az
lection as ever Alyse." And then
message from BERTHE: IL was
with Dad at the end and he forgave
me will you forgive me also" When
Bunny read that, he had TO hurry
TO his stateroom, and lie there and
cry like little child. Yes. he
would forgive her, so he wired in
l..