THE JDTOO.TJD.
"I'm anxious to find him for old
friendships sake. If I get track of him
I'll let you know. "
"Thank vnu. lie sure to do so. Mrs
Delorme closed the door again and her
xrioitnr started awav.
John returned to his dingy boarding
hrmso room. Its cheaD furniture, its
carpetless iloor, its little wavy mirror
that gave back as unstaDie a renecuon
as a nnnl latelv disturbed bv a pebble.
its "figgered wall paper torn off in
spots revealing plastering so thin that
the lath showed through like a starved
horse's ribs; above all, the little, glim
merino kerosene lamr with its half
inch wick, its bulged out chimney and
its globe about the size of a tea cup
a class stem about three
inches high, contrasted greatly with
the luxurious appointments ana dhi
Hant. illumination of the room he had
quitted but a half hour ago;'' He went
to sleep wondering wnat airs, ueiorme
knew of Marsh Mason, but he could
make no conjecture that would Dear ex
amination.
CHAPTER XVIII.
DAUOI1TEKS OF JOANNA.
"Joanna, the wife of Chuza Herod's steward."
We have faith In the future that's near;
We have faith In the Age's long dream ;
Through the storms of to-day we see clear
The bright gates of the new Eden gleam.
Uidkon Laine.
Lena Graham, Mrs. Delorme's neice,
was a young woman of some 19 years.
Tn anvone at all schooled in reading
character from the physiognomy, a
single glance at .Lena's iace, ana es
pecially at her eyes, sufliced to indi
cate three strongly-marked character
istics broad intelligence, strong sym
pathies equally broad, and, above all
and leading all, absolute and unshrink
ing eandnr and sinceritv which could
permit no dissimulation nor shadow of
turning. Looting at mat iace one
would say: "If that young woman
snva a thine she means it: and if her
feelings should be aroused, she would
give them frank utterance despite all
the pleadings of cold prudence and let
conventional society taxe wnatnarsn
measures it might to protect its bar
riers of caste."
Nevertheless, Lena Graham was no
Kniemn-visaffed croDhetess. far from
it. She liked to laugh, especially when
her laughter disconcertea me -auaes
she despised; and as there were in her
set no specimens of man but "dudes,"
she laughed a great deal. At Sunday
school she was wont to put troublesome
questions and then "poke fun" at the
embarrassed teacher's somewhat awkwardly-constructed
answers. Of a
young preacher calling at her father's
house with malice aforethought matri
monial intentions she had asked:
"Why don't you preachers try to
look more like healthy men ? I like to
see a great big, hearty-looking man,
like some of the workingmen 1 some
times see on the street cars. If heaven
is going to be such a wonderfully happy
place as you preachers say it is, why
don't you get used to looking as if you
were satisfied with it, instead of wait
ing for Gabriel, alter he gathers up
your ashes, to shake out your faces till
they get up a smile?"
And the young preacher never called
again; and by him and his class Lena
was considered a frivolous girl and
virtually past praying for. But this
frivolous girl had been known to pick
up a lost child on the street, send word
to the police station where to find the
wanderer if inquired for, and than take
the little tot home with her and stay
with it and take care of it and amuse it
for hours, while replacing its shabby
garments with such substitutes as she
could hurriedly throw together from
bits of her own wardrobe, trusting that
the little one's mother would make
over the improvised garments with
more skill after awhile. She had been
known to leave a young man looking
silly on a public corner while she
stepped aside to give a kind word and
some money to a beggar over whose
appearance her discomfited escort had
made merry. On one occasion of late,
two blocks from the main street, she
had met an honest-looking working
man who was in a state of partial in
toxication, and with her honest, sympa
thetic look and kindly voice had actu
ally persuaded him to go home and
keep out of the clutches of the law. He
was a total stranger, but the frivolous
girl felt sorry for the family that, per
haps, needed the man's earnings worse
than did the city, which, by the way
of a tine, would rob the drunkard's
family of bread in the name of Christian
philanthropy.
On the afternoon of the Tuesday
when John Cotterell was to lecture,
Lena came unheralded to visit her aunt
for a few days, and her advent just at
that time caused Mrs. Delorme some
embarassment; for the club which was
to meet that night consisted exclusively
of married women, and its meetings
were as secret as were those of the
early Christians in the Catacombs. In
her recent conversation with John, Mrs.
Delorme, after stating that the club
met afternoons, thus explained the
secret character and the nature of the
meetings themselves:
"The Major never gets home before
eleven at night, and on theseoccasions
the lady at whose house the meeting is
to be held always lets her help, unless
she happens to have a girl we can trust,
have an afternoon out. Some of oui
domestics meet with us, and they are
intelligent, too, and very much inter
ested in our work. That is one of the
pleasures of our meetings. We all
treat each other, like tne first-century
Christians, as equalsas sisters, and
we all feel so much comfort in it."
Mrs. Delorme having told her in con
fidence of the meeting and the antici
pated lecture that night, and also some
thing about the lecturer, Lena declared
she would join the club and be present
if she had to hunt up some thoughtless
youth and marry him yet that after
noon in order to become eligible, and it
was contrary to the club's strict regu
lations to even permit a stranger to re
main beneath the roof during its meet
ings. But finally, Mrs. Delorme be
thought her that, as Lena had come
unexpectedly, this regulation could
scarcely be insisted upon in this in
stance, and that as she did not live in
Graham and such action could not
under the peculiar circumstances be
urged as a precedent, the club might,
as a matter of prudence, admit her to
membership so as to pledge her to ever
lasting Becrecy. This was agreed to by
the club when it met that night and
Lena was admitted and given the right
hand of fellowship.
"The Daughters of Joanna" had
assembled in Mrs. Delorme's capacious
parlors as early as halt past seven.
Every lady present was tastefully
dressed, but there was a noticeable ab
sence ot expensive fabrics, jewelry and
all ostentation. There were three or
four domestics in the room who were
members, but neither by their dress nor
by any difference of conduct or of treat
ment could a stranger have told which
ladies were the servants. The entire
company were, as Mrs. Delorme had
stated to John Cotterell, simply sisters
an assembly of first century Christians,
where the hard lines ot caste were, tor
the time at least, obliterated, and, not
only disregarded in conduct, but, as
tar as practicable, lorgotten.
"Aunt Hallie,"said Lena to Mrs.
Delorme before the club had onened
its proceedings, "if your wonderful
socialist isn't big and handsome like
you say he is, I'll fall in love with him
tor spite. Don t trine with myanec-
tions, I beg of you. If he's only a
dude only an amateur workingman
-I'll tell all your awful secrets on the
housetops. Honest, now. Aunt Hallie,
is he as"
The bell rang, and Mrs. Delorme went
to answer it. She showed John into a
room across the hall, while Lena, hold
ing the parlor door a half inch ajar,
tried to catch a glimpse of the lec
turer. Mrs. Delorme soon returned to
take the president, Mrs Oflrick, to in
troduce her to John. Mrs. OUrick was
a fat, determined-looking, but good-
natured woman ot sixty on whose
shapely head had plentifully fallen "the
snows that never melt" except under
the inlluence of a hair restorer or a wig.
She greeted John warmly, in her
motherly but dignified way, and after a
brief conversation with him, returned
to call the club to order, leaving Mrs.
Delorme and John alone.
"Have you learned anything yet of
your friend, the strange preacher V"
asked Mrs. Delorme as soon as Mrs.
Ofirick had retired, but in a manner
intended to be merely as a matter of
course as when one speaks of the
weather.
"Not a thing, said John.
After a few common-place remarks,
she escorted the lecturer to the parlors
and he was shown to a seat by the
president's side. It was a trying or
deal to pass before the eyes of so many
laaies, ne Demg me uniy man iu iuu
room, and he was glad when he reached
his seat. Mrs. Oftrick almost immedi
ately arose and introduced him thus:
"Ladies, we have tried to learn from
books. To-night we are to be in
structed by the living voice. We boast
in these days of the power of the press;
but it remains true that the most po
tent instrumentality of human progress
is the speech of inspired men. The
gospel had its first and most remarka
ble promulgation by evangelists. It
was the earnest, palpitating eloquence
of the visible Savonarola which con
quered the frivolous women and more
frivolous men of Florence; and the
platform labors, of Wendell Phillips,
the gifted orator of the anti-slavery
cause, did most to break the fetters of
the blacks of this land.
"I have the pleasure of presenting to
you this evening a genuine working
man, who this very day has performed
his hard day's work as a blacksmith in
the railway shops, and comes to us, no
doubt, weary in body, if vigorous in
mind and soul. He knows knows by
bitter experience the social wrongs
which we are organized to discuss and
combat; and if I am correctly in
formed" bowing to Mrs. Delorme
"he is a living illustration of that
wickedness which dooms the gifted to
drudgery while mediocrity lives in
ease amid the untasted intellectual
pleasures which better men in cramped
environment yearn in vain to enjoy.
The gentleman will, by special request,
discuss the relation of the new party's
doctrines to socialism. Ladies, I have
the pleasure" taking John by the
hand as he rose "ot introducing Mr.
Cotterell, who will now address you."
ino ltxtuiei was gieeicu wmi a
well-bred clapping of hands, Lena, who
sat near the opposite wall, meantime
stretching her neck a trille in order to
get a good view of the orator. It must
be confessed that John did not feel
fully at ease. What man would have
felt at ease in such a presence V I
once dined at a female college, and I
sympathize with John, lie would
have felt more comfortable if his hands
could have been induced to keep out of
his way; but they insisted on being
taken care or whether the speech ever
got started or not. Even experienced
orators never get entirely over this
tribulation, and to address a club of
ladies only in a drawing room will dis
turb any man's nerves at first. But
his awkwardness and painful self-
consciousness wore off as he proceeded
and soon disappeared and were for
gotten. "Ladies and (he had almost said
"gentlemen") he began, bowing stillly,
"I don't think it will be necessary for
me to tell you I'm not much of a
ladies' man."
"All the better," interrupted the
president. "We are glad to hear it.
Ladies' men are more than abundant.
It will be a treat to hear words from a
men's man for once."
This was greeted witharmlause. John
smiled slightly and proceeded. He had
been trying to gain courage to pull
from his pocket the elaborate notes he
had caret ully prepared, but the presi
dent's remark gave him a good cue for
an exordium and he soon forgot all
about the notes.
Ladies, the president states it right.
I am a men's man. 1 am a slave."
"Oh, no!" exclaimed Lena.
"Yes. I am a slave. Not a slave of
any one man, but of a class of men
the employing class."
"I assure the gentleman l had no in
tention of wounding his feelings,"
said the president, much worried. "I
did not mean what 1 said in that
sense."
"1 hope you'll not think I took it that
way at all, ' said John turning to the
president. "I knew you didn t mean
it that way. 1 was only saying your
words hit a real truth."
'Pardon my interruption, Mr. Cot
terell. 1 was obtuse not to have dis
cerned your meaning. Please proceed,"
6aid the president.'
"I was saying that, as a working-
man, I am a slave to the employing
class. Let me illustrate. I am work
ing for the railroad company. The
company is bound to support the re
publican party in this state, lust like
they're bound to support the demo
cratic party in the southern "States.
They know th8 democrats have no
show here, and if the republicans don't
win, men who'll legislate against rail
roads will. So, of course, the company
has no use for a man that fights the
railroad party. Now, the other night I
made a socialist speech over here at a
big republican rally, and all of us in
the shops expect 111 get my time for
that; and as General Manager Graham
is in town to-day, I may get my walk
ing papers to-morrow." '
Lena was about to utter an exclama
tion at this, but instead sat as if sud
denly petrified in the act of speaking.
Many eyes forgot their breeding and
looked her way, although, of course,
John did not know why.
"Now, suppose I do," continued
John, "then what? I have no money
but what little wages are coming to me.
and it won't take long to live that up.
My boarding-house keeper will know
I've lost my job and she will get anx
ious. One morning, pretty soon, I
wake up without a cent. Wrhat am I to
do then ? If I try to sleep out of doors
the police will run me in for a vagrant.
If I ask anybody for something to eat
the police will run me in for a beggar.
If 1 steal they will send me over the
road. I can't set up a shop of my
own, for I have no money and no
credit; and if I could, I'd starve to
death before I could get work enough
to pay board. A man that's hungry
to-day can't wait for his first meal till
he can compete with others and work
up a trade for a new shop. So here I
am in this rich city, without property,
without money, without credit. What
am I to do? Why, I've only one thing
left me to do. I must hunt a job.
And what does that mean? I
can't set up an auction block,
and auctioneer myself off before a lot
of bidders white slaves can't get
bidders to come, but I must peddle my
self around begging somebody to buy
mo. Of course 1 don't sell myself for
life to one man, but all my life I must
keep myself sold to some men or I'll
starve. They say we sell our labor, but
I take notice workingmen don't under
stand it that way, nor employers either.
If I hadn't sold myself, not merely my
labor, do you suppose anybody would
think of my being discharged for mak
ing a speech out of working hours?
And, look at it! I sell my labor for as
many hours each day as my body can
stand it to labor, for only enough to
give me strength to work again next
day as long and as hard, and so on all
my life through, and I'm so worn out
when night comes that I'm not fit to
have a mind. Besides, I've got to turn
in right after dark, for I've got to be
up before daylight, and if 1 1 don't
sleep I'm not in shape to work as the
boss thinks I ought to. And, mind.
this is for life. And if it aint myself 1
sell not my labor only I don't see
just where my labor comes in. There's
a lady over there with a bright little
boy in her lap. Now, just suppose
that was a workingman's boy what
would be his condition ? Sentenced to
hard labor for life, just like he had
been born a convict!"
"How dreadful!" came from several
ladies, and the mother referred to in
stinctively clasped 'her little boy to her
bosom as if shielding him from some
demon's clutch. Lena exclaimed, al
most in a whisper, she was so agitated, -"Awful!"
"I'm cretting to be nearly 28. but I've
never dared think of marrying. I
mustn't let myself know I've got a
heart like other folks; for think of a
a man out of work and his wife whom
he loves starving at home if he's got
a home for her to starve in, if she hasn't
been thrown into the street, as I've
seen them in a storm in winter even,
because being out or work he can t pay
the rent in advance. Political econo
mists say poor folks have no business '
to marry. It's taught in your colleges
mat way. Tell me we don't sen any
thing but our labor, when we even sell
our right to fall in love and to marry
sell our hearts, you may say!"
nocKingi" exclaimed Lena, this
time very audibly.
(To M continued.)
The . Wistxiui 'Ibatxj ia rmbliahed
quarterly by the Chicago, Rock blind
fc Pacific railway. It tellj hero
to ei i ram la the west.
and it will be Bant to you gratia for ess
year. Sesd tame asd addres3 to "Edi
tor Western Trail. Chicsso." and receive
It ess year free. Joan Sebastuw,
O.P.A.