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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6833f05 --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,3 @@ +* text=auto +*.txt text +*.md text diff --git a/5961-0.txt b/5961-0.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..f46a060 --- /dev/null +++ b/5961-0.txt @@ -0,0 +1,9168 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of Samuel the Seeker, by Upton Sinclair + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Samuel the Seeker + +Author: Upton Sinclair + + +Release Date: June, 2004 [EBook #5961] +This file was first posted on October 1, 2002 +Last Updated: March 10, 2018 + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: UTF-8 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SAMUEL THE SEEKER *** + + + + +Produced by Charles Franks, Charles Aldarondo, and the +Online Distributed Proofreading Team + + + + + + + +SAMUEL THE SEEKER + +By Upton Sinclair + + + + +CHAPTER I + + +“Samuel,” said old Ephraim, “Seek, and ye shall find.” + +He had written these words upon the little picture of Samuel's mother, +which hung in that corner of the old attic which served as the boy's +bedroom; and so Samuel grew up with the knowledge that he, too, was one +of the Seekers. Just what he was to seek, and just how he was to seek +it, were matters of uncertainty--they were part of the search. Old +Ephraim could not tell him very much about it, for the Seekers had moved +away to the West before he had come to the farm; and Samuel's mother had +died very young, before her husband had a chance to learn more than the +rudiments of her faith. So all that Samuel knew was that the Seekers +were men and women of fervor, who had broken with the churches because +they would not believe what was taught--holding that it was every man's +duty to read the Word of God for himself and to follow where it led him. + +Thus the boy learned to think of life, not as something settled, but as +a place for adventure. One must seek and seek; and in the end the way of +truth would be revealed to him. He could see this zeal in his mother's +face, beautiful and delicate, even in the crude picture; and Samuel +did not know that the picture was crude, and wove his dreams about it. +Sometimes at twilight old Ephraim would talk about her, and the tears +would steal down his cheeks. The one year that he had known her had +sufficed to change the course of his life; and he had been a man past +middle life, too, a widower with two children. He had come into the +country as the foreman of a lumber camp back on the mountain. + +Samuel had always thought of his father as an old man; Ephraim had been +hurt by a vicious horse, and had aged rapidly after that. He had given +up lumbering; it had not taken long to clear out that part of the +mountains. Now the hills were swept bare, and the population had found a +new way of living. + +Samuel's childhood life had been grim and stern. The winter fell early +upon the mountain wilderness; the lake would freeze over, and the roads +block up with snow, and after that they would live upon what they +had raised in the summer, with what Dan and Adam--Samuel's +half-brothers--might bring in from the chase. But now all this was +changed and forgotten; for there was a hotel at the end of the lake, and +money was free in the country. It was no longer worth while to reap the +hay from the mountain meadows; it was better to move the family into the +attic, and “take boarders.” Some of the neighbors even turned their old +corncribs into sleeping shacks, and advertised in the city papers, and +were soon blossoming forth in white paint and new buildings, and were on +the way to having “hotels” of their own. + +Old Ephraim lacked the cunning for that kind of success. He was lame +and slow, tending toward stoutness, and having a film over one eye; and +Samuel knew that the boarders made fun of him, even while they devoured +his food and took advantage of him. This was the first bitterness of +Samuel's life; for he knew that within old Ephraim's bosom was the heart +of a king. Once the boy had heard him in the room beneath his attic, +talking with one of the boarders, a widow with a little daughter of whom +the old man was fond. “I've had a feeling, ma'am,” he was saying, “that +somehow you might be in trouble. And I wanted to say that if you can't +spare this money, I would rather you kept it; for I don't need it now, +and you can send it to me when things are better with you.” That was +Ephraim Prescott's way with his boarders; and so he did not grow in +riches as fast as he grew in soul. + +Ephraim's wife had taught him to read the Bible. He read it every night, +and on Sundays also; and if what he was reading was sublime poetry, and +a part of the world's best literature, the old man did not know it. He +took it all as having actual relationship to such matters as trading +horses and feeding boarders. And he taught Samuel to take it that way +also; and as the boy grew up there took root within him a great dismay +and perplexity, that these moral truths which he read in the Book seemed +to count for so little in the world about him. + +Besides the Bible and his mother, Ephraim taught his son one other great +thing; that was America. America was Samuel's country, the land where +his fathers had died. It was a land set apart from all others, for the +working out of a high and wonderful destiny. It was the land of Liberty. +For this whole armies of heroic men had poured out their heart's blood; +and their dream was embodied in institutions which were almost as sacred +as the Book itself. Samuel learned hymns which dealt with these things, +and he heard great speeches about them; every Fourth of July that he +could remember he had driven out to the courthouse to hear one, and he +was never in the least ashamed when the tears came into his eyes. + +He had seen tears even in the summer boarders' eyes; once or twice +when on a quiet evening it chanced that the old man unlocked the secret +chambers of his soul. For Ephraim Prescott had been through the War. +He had marched with the Seventeenth Pennsylvania from Bull Run to Cold +Harbor, where he had been three times wounded; and his memory was a +storehouse of mighty deeds and thrilling images. Heroic figures strode +through it; there were marches and weary sieges, prison and sickness and +despair; there were moments of horror and of glory, visions of blood +and anguish, of flame and cannon smoke; there were battle flags, torn +by shot and shell, and names of precious memory, which stirred the deep +places of the soul. These men had given their lives for Freedom; they +had lain down to make a pathway before her--they had filled up a bloody +chasm so that she might pass upon her way. And that was the heritage +they handed to their children, to guard and cherish. That was what it +meant to be an American; that one must hold himself in readiness to go +forth as they had done, and dare and suffer whatever the fates might +send. + +Such were the things out of which Samuel's life was made; besides these +he had only the farm, with its daily tasks, and the pageant of Nature +in the wilderness--of day and night, and of winter and summer upon the +mountains. The books were few. There was one ragged volume which Samuel +knew nearly by heart, which told the adventures of a castaway upon a +desert island, and how, step by step, he solved his problem; Samuel +learned from that to think of life as made by honest labor, and to find +a thrill of romance in the making of useful things. And then there +was the story of Christian, and of his pilgrimage; the very book for +a Seeker--with visions of glory not too definite, leaving danger of +premature success. + +And then, much later, some one left at the place a volume of the “Farm +Rhymes” of James Whitcomb Riley; and before Samuel's eyes there opened a +new vision of life. He had been happy; but now suddenly he realized +it. He had loved the blue sky above him, and the deep woods and the +sparkling lake; but now he had words to tell about them--and the common +tasks of his life were transfigured with the glory of song. So one might +milk the cow with stirrings of wonder, and mow in the meadows to the +rhythm of “Knee-deep in June.” + +From which you may divine that Samuel was what is called an Enthusiast. +He was disposed to take rosy views of things, and to believe what he +was told--especially if it was something beautiful and appealing. He was +given to having ideals and to accepting theories. He would be stirred +by some broad new principle; and he would set to work to apply it with +fervor. But you are not to conclude from this that Samuel was a fool. +On the contrary, when things went wrong he knew it; and according to his +religion, he sought the reason, and he sought persistently, and with all +his might. If all men would do as much, the world might soon be quite a +different place. + + + + +CHAPTER II + + +Such was Samuel's life until he was seventeen, and then a sad experience +came to the family. + +It was because of the city people. They brought prosperity to the +country, everyone said, but old Ephraim regretted their coming, none the +less. They broke down the old standards, and put an end to the old ways +of life. What was the use of grubbing up stumps in a pasture lot, +when one could sell minnows for a penny apiece? So all the men became +“guides” and camp servants, and the girls became waitresses. They wore +more stylish clothes and were livelier of speech; but they were also +more greedy and less independent. They had learned to take tips, for +instance; and more than one of the girls went away to the city to +nameless and terrible destinies. + +These summer boarders all had money. Young and old, it flowed from them +in a continuous stream. They did not have to plow and reap--they bought +what they wanted; and they spent their time at play--with sailboats and +fishing tackle, bicycles and automobiles, and what not. How all this +money came to be was a thing difficult to imagine; but it came from the +city--from the great Metropolis, to which one's thoughts turned with +ever livelier interest. + +Then, one August, came a man who opened the gates of knowledge a little. +Manning was his name--Percival Manning, junior partner in the firm +of Manning & Isaacson, Bankers and Brokers--with an address which had +caused the Prescott family to start and stare with awe. It was Wall +Street! + +Mr. Percival Manning was round and stout, and wore striped shirts, +and trousers which were like a knife blade in front; also, he fairly +radiated prosperity. His talk was all of financial wizardry by which +fortunes were made overnight. The firm of Manning & Isaacson was one of +the oldest and most prosperous in the street, so he said; and its junior +partner was in the confidence of some of the greatest powers in the +financial affairs of the country. And, alas! for the Prescott family, +which did not read the magazines and had never even heard of a +“bucket-shop”! + +Adam, the oldest brother, took Mr. Manning back to Indian Pond on a +fishing trip; and Samuel went along to help with the carries. And all +the way the talk was of the wonders of city life. Samuel learned that +his home was a God-forsaken place in winter--something which had never +been hinted at in any theological book which he had read. Manning +wondered that Adam didn't get out to some place where a man had a +chance. Then he threw away a half-smoked cigar and talked about the +theaters and the music halls; and after that he came back to the +inexhaustible topic of Wall Street. + +He had had interesting news from the office that day; there was a big +deal about to be consummated--the Glass Bottle Trust was ready for +launching. For nearly a year old Harry Lockman--“You've heard of him, no +doubt--he built up the great glass works at Lockmanville?” said Manning. +No, Adam confessed that he had never heard of Lockman, that shrewd +and crafty old multi-millionaire who had gone on a still hunt for +glass-bottle factories, and now had the country in the grip of the +fourteen-million-dollar “Glass Bottle Securities Company.” No one knew +it, as yet; but soon the enterprise would be under full sail--“And won't +the old cormorant take in the shekels, though!” chuckled Manning. + +“That might be a good sort of thing for a man to invest in,” said Adam +cautiously. + +“Well, I just guess!” laughed the other. “If he's quick about it.” + +“Do you suppose you could find out how to get some of that stock?” was +the next question. + +“Sure,” said Manning--“that's what we're in business for.” + +And then, as luck would have it, a city man bought the old Wyckman farm, +and the trustees of the estate came to visit Ephraim in solemn state +and paid down three crisp one-thousand-dollar bills and carried off the +canceled mortgage. And the old man sat a-tremble holding in his hands +the savings of his whole lifetime, and facing the eager onslaught of his +two eldest sons. + +“But, Adam!” he protested. “It's gambling!” + +“It's nothing of the kind,” cried the other. “It's no more gambling than +if I was to buy a horse because I knowed that horses would be scarce +next spring. It's just business.” + +“But those factories make beer bottles and whisky bottles!” exclaimed +the old man. “Does it seem right to you to get our money that way?” + +“They make all kinds of bottles,” said Adam; “how can they help what +they're used for?” + +“And besides,” put in Dan, with a master-stroke of diplomacy, “it will +raise the prices on 'em, and make 'em harder to git.” + +“There's been fortunes lost in Wall Street,” said the father. “How can +we tell?” + +“We've got a chance to get in on the inside,” said Adam. “Such chances +don't happen twice in a lifetime.” + +“Just read this here circular!” added Dan. “If we let a chance like this +go we'll deserve to break our backs hoeing corn the rest of our days.” + +That was the argument. Old Ephraim had never thought of a broken back in +connection with the hoeing of corn. There were four acres in the field, +and every spring he had plowed and harrowed it and planted it and +replanted what the crows had pulled up; and all summer long he had +hoed and tended it, and in the fall he had cut it, stalk by stalk, +and stacked it; and then through October, sitting on the bare bleak +hillside, he had husked it, ear by ear, and gathered it in baskets--if +the season was good, perhaps a hundred dollars' worth of grain. That +was the way one worked to create a hundred dollars' worth of Value; and +Manning had paid as much for the fancy-mounted shotgun which stood in +the corner of his room! And here was the great fourteen-million-dollar +Glass Bottle Trust, with properties said to be worth twenty-five +million, and the control of one of the great industries of the +country--and stock which might easily go to a hundred and fifty in a +single week! + +“Boys,” said the old man, sadly, “it won't be me that will spend this +money. And I don't want to stand in your way. If you're bent on doing +it--” + +“We are!” cried Adam. + +“What do you say, Samuel?” asked the father. + +“I don't know what to say,” said Samuel. “It seems to me that three +thousand dollars is a lot of money. And I don't see why we need any +more.” + +“Do you want to stand in the way?” demanded Adam. + +“No, I don't want to stand in the way,” said Samuel. + +And so the decision was made. When they came to give the order they +found themselves confronted with a strange proposition; they did not +have to buy the whole stock, it seemed--they might buy only the increase +in its value. And the effect of this marvelous device would be that they +would make ten times as much as they had expected to make! So, needless +to say, they bought that way. + +And they took a daily paper and watched breathlessly, while “Glass +Bottle Securities” crept up from sixty-three and an eighth to sixty-four +and a quarter. And then, late one evening, old Hiram Johns, the +storekeeper, drove up with a telegram from Manning and Isaacson, telling +them that they must put up more “margin”--“Glass Bottle Securities” was +at fifty-six and five eighths. They sat up all night debating what this +could mean and trying to lay the specters of horror. The next day Adam +set out to go to the city and see about it; but he met the mail on the +way and came home again with a letter from the brokers, regretfully +informing them that it had been necessary to sell the stock, which +was now below fifty. In the news columns of the paper they found the +explanation of the calamity--old Henry Lockman had dropped dead of +apoplexy at the climax of his career, and the bears had played havoc +with “Glass Bottle Securities.” + +Their three thousand dollars was gone. It took them three days to +realize it--it was so utterly beyond belief, that they had to write to +the brokers and receive another letter in which it was stated in black +and white and beyond all misunderstanding that there was not a dollar +of their money left. Adam raged and swore like a madman, and Dan vowed +savagely that he would go down to the city and kill Manning. As for the +father, he wrote a letter of agonized reproach, to which Mr. Manning +replied with patient courtesy, explaining that he had had nothing to +do with the matter; that he was a broker and had bought as ordered, and +that he had been powerless to foresee the death of Lockman. “You will +remember,” he said, “that I warned you of the uncertainties of the +market, and of the chances that you took.” Ephraim did not remember +anything of the sort, but he realized that there was nothing to be +gained by saying so. + +Samuel did not care much about the loss of his share of the money; but +he did care about the grief of his father, which was terrible to see. +The blow really killed him; he looked ten years older after that week +and he failed all through the winter. And then late in the spring he +caught a cold, and took to his bed; and it turned to pneumonia, and +almost before anyone had had time to realize it, he was gone. + +He went to join Samuel's mother. He had whispered this as he clutched +the boy's hand; and Samuel knew that it was true, and that therefore +there was no occasion for grief. So he was ashamed for the awful waves +of loneliness and terror which swept over him; and he gulped back +his feelings and forced himself to wear a cheerful demeanor--much too +cheerful for the taste of Adam and Dan, who were more concerned with +what their neighbors would think than they were with the subtleties of +Samuel's faith. + +The boy had been doing a great deal of thinking that winter; and after +the funeral he called a council of the family. + +“Brothers,” he said, “this farm is too small for three men. Dan wants +to marry already; and we can't live here always. It's just as Manning +said--” + +“I don't want to hear what that skunk said!” growled Adam. + +“Well, he was right that time. People stay on the land and they divide +it up and get poorer and poorer. So I've made up my mind to break away. +I'm going to the city and get a start.” + +“What can you do in the city?” asked Dan. + +“I don't know,” said Samuel. “I'll do my best. I don't expect to go to +Wall Street and make my fortune.” + +“You needn't be smart!” growled Dan. + +But the other was quite innocent of sarcasm. “What I mean is that I'll +have to work,” said he. “I'm young and strong, and I'm not afraid to +try. I'll find somebody to give me a chance; and then I'll work hard and +learn and I'll get promoted. I've read of boys that have done that.” + +“It's not a bad idea,” commented Adam. + +“Go ahead,” said Dan. + +“The only thing is,” began Samuel, hesitatingly, “I shall have to have a +little money for a start.” + +“Humph!” said Adam. “Money's a scarce thing here.” + +“How much'll ye want?” asked the other. + +“Well,” said the boy, “I want enough to feel safe. For if I go, I +promise you I shall stay till I succeed. I shan't play the baby.” + +“How do you expect to raise it?” was the next question. + +“I thought,” replied Samuel, “that we might make some kind of a +deal--let me sell out my share in the farm.” + +“You can't sell your share,” said Adam, sharply. “You ain't of age.” + +“Maybe I'm not,” was the answer; “but all the same you know me. And if I +was to make a bargain I'd keep it. You may be sure I'll never come back +and bother you.” + +“Yes, I suppose not,” said Adam, doubtfully. “But you can't tell--” + +“How much do you expect to git?” asked Dan warily. + +“Well, I thought maybe I could get a hundred dollars,” said the other +and then he stopped, hesitating. + +Adam and Dan exchanged a quick glance. + +“Money's mighty scarce hereabouts,” said Adam. + +“Still,” said Dan, “I don't know, I'll go to the village tomorrow and +see what I can do.” + +So Dan drove away and came back in the evening and there was another +council; he produced eight new ten-dollar bills. + +“It was the best I could do,” he said. “I'm sorry if it ain't +enough”--and then he stopped. + +“I'll make that do,” said Samuel. + +And so his brother produced a long and imposing-looking document; Samuel +was too polite to read it but signed at once, and so the bargain was +closed. And that night Samuel packed his few belongings in a neat +newspaper bundle and before sunrise the next morning he set out upon his +search. + + + + +CHAPTER III + + +He had his bundle slung over his back and his eighty dollars pinned +tightly in an inside pocket. Underneath it his heart beat fast and high; +he was young and he was free--the open road stretched out before him, +and perpetual adventure beckoned to him. Every pilgrimage that he had +ever read of helped to make up the thrill that stirred him, as he stood +on the ridge and gazed at the old farmhouse, and waved his hand, and +turned and began his journey. + +The horse was needed for the plowing, and so Samuel walked the six +miles to the village, and from there the mail stage took him out to +the solitary railroad station. He had three hours to wait here for the +train, and so he decided that he would save fifteen cents by walking on +to the next station. Distance was nothing to Samuel just then. + +Halfway to his destination there was a fire in a little clearing by the +track, and a young man sat toasting some bread on a stick. + +“Hello!” he said. “You're hittin' her lively.” + +“Yes,” said Samuel. The stranger was not much older than he, but his +clothing was dirty and he had a dissipated, leering face. + +“You're new at this game, aren't you?” said he. + +“What game?” asked Samuel. + +The other laughed. “Where ye goin'?” + +“To New York.” + +“Goin' to hoof it all the way?” + +“No!” gasped the boy. “I'm just walking to the next station.” + +“Oh, I see! What's the fare?” + +“Six thirty-seven, I think.” + +“Humph! Got the price, hey!” + +“Yes--I've got the price.” Samuel said this without pride. + +“Well, you won't have it long if you live at that rate,” commented the +stranger. “Why don't you beat your way?” + +“How do you mean?” asked Samuel. + +“Nobody but a duffer pays fare,” said the other. “There'll be a freight +along pretty soon, and she stops at the water tank just below here. Why +don't you jump her?” + +Samuel hesitated. “I wouldn't like to do that,” he said. + +“Come,” said the other, “sit down.” + +And he held out a piece of his toast, which Samuel accepted for +politeness' sake. This young fellow had run away from school at the age +of thirteen; and he had traveled all over the United States, following +the seasons, and living off the country. He was on his way now from a +winter's holiday in Mexico. And as Samuel listened to the tale of his +adventures, he could not keep the thought from troubling him, how large +a part of eighty dollars was six thirty-seven. And all in a single day. + +“Come,” said the young fellow; and they started down the track. The +freight was whistling for brakes, far up the grade. And Samuel's heart +thumped with excitement. + +They crouched in the bushes, not far beyond the tank. But the train did +not stop for water; it only slowed down for a curve, and it thundered by +at what seemed to Samuel an appalling rate of speed. “Jump!” shouted the +other, and started to run by the track. He made a leap, and caught, and +was whirled on, half visible in a cloud of dust. + +Samuel's nerve failed him. He waited, while car after car went by. But +then he caught hold of himself. If anyone could do it, so could he. For +shame. + +He started to run. There came a box-car, empty, with the door open, and +he leaped and clutched the edge of the door. He was whirled from his +feet, his arms were nearly jerked out of him. He was half blinded by the +dust, but he hung on desperately, and pulled himself up. A minute more +and he lay gasping and trembling upon the floor of the car. He was on +his way to the city. + +After a while, Samuel began to think; and then scruples troubled him. +He was riding free; but was he not really stealing? And would his father +have approved of his doing it? He had begun his career by yielding to +temptation! And this at the suggestion of a young fellow who boasted of +drinking and thieving! Simply to start such questions was enough, with +Samuel; and he made up his mind that when he reached the city the first +thing he would do would be to visit the office of the railroad, and +explain what he had done, and pay his fare. + +Perhaps an hour later the train came to a stop, and he heard some one +walking by the track. He hid in a corner, ashamed of being there. Some +one stopped before the car, and the door was rolled shut. Then the +footsteps went on. There came clankings and jarrings, as of cars being +shifted, and then these ceased and silence fell. + +Samuel waited for perhaps an hour. Then, becoming restless, he got up +and tried the door. It was fast. + +The boy was startled and rather dazed. He sat down to think it out. “I +suppose I'm locked in till we reach New York,” he reflected. But then, +why didn't they go? + +“Perhaps we're on a siding, waiting for the passenger train to pass,” + was his next thought; and he realized regretfully that he would have +been on that train. But then, as hour after hour passed, and they +did not go on, a terrible possibility dawned upon him. He was left +behind--on a siding. + +Two or three trains went by, and each time he waited anxiously. But they +did not stop. Silence came again, and he sat in the darkness and waited +and wondered and feared. + +He had no means of telling the time; and doubtless an hour seemed an age +in such a plight. He would get up and pace back and forth, like a caged +animal; and then he would lie down by the door, straining his ears for +a sound--thinking that some one might pass, unnoticed through the thick +wall of the car. + +By and by he became hungry and he ate the scanty meal he had in his +bundle. Then he became thirsty--and he had no water. + +The realization of this made his heart thump. It was no joking matter +to be shut in, at one could not tell what lonely place, to suffer from +thirst. He sprang up and began to pound and kick upon the door in a +frenzy. + +But he soon tired of that and crouched on the floor again listening and +shivering, half with fear and half with cold. It was becoming chillier, +so he judged it must be night; up here in the mountains there was still +frost at night. + +There came another train, a freight, he knew by the heavy pounding and +the time it took to pass. He kicked on the door and shouted, but he soon +realized that it was of no use to shout in that uproar. + +The craving for water was becoming an obsession. He tried not to think +about it, but that only made him think about it the more; he would think +about not thinking about it and about not thinking about that--and all +the time he was growing thirstier. He wondered how long one could live +without water; and as the torment grew worse he began to wonder if he +was dying. He was hungry, too, and he wondered which was worse, of which +one would die the sooner. He had heard that dying men remembered +all their past, and so he began to remember his--with extraordinary +vividness, and with bursts of strange and entirely new emotions. He +remembered particularly all the evil things that he had ever done; +including the theft of a ride, for which he was paying the penalty. And +meantime, with another part of his mind, he was plotting and seeking. He +must not die here like a rat in a hole. There must be some way. + +He tried every inch of the car--of the floor and ceiling and walls. +But there was not a loose plank nor a crack--the car was new. And that +suggested another idea--that he might suffocate before he starved. He +was beginning to feel weak and dizzy. + +If only he had a knife. He could have cut a hole for air and then +perhaps enlarged it and broken out a board. He found a spike on the +floor and began tapping round the walls for a place that sounded thin; +but they all sounded thick--how thick he had no idea. He began picking +splinters away at the juncture of two planks. + +Meantime hunger and thirst continued to gnaw at him. At long intervals +he would pause while a train roared by, or because he fancied he had +heard a sound. Then he would pound and call until he was hoarse, and +then go on picking at the splinters. + +And so on, for an unknown number of hours, but certainly for days and +nights. And Samuel was famished and wild and weak and gasping; when at +last it dawned upon his senses that a passing train had begun to +make less noise--that the thumping was growing slower. The train was +stopping. + +He leaped up and began to pound. Then he realized that he must control +himself--he must save his strength until the train had stopped. But +suppose it went on without delay? He began to pound again and to shout +like a madman. + +The train stopped and there was silence; then came sounds of cars being +coupled--and meantime Samuel was kicking and beating upon the wall. He +was almost exhausted and in despair--when suddenly from outside came a +muffled call--“Hello!” + +For a moment he could not speak. Then “Help! Help!” he shrieked. + +“What's the matter?” asked the voice. + +“I'm locked in,” he called. . + +“How'd you get in?” + +“They locked me in by accident. I'm nearly dead.” + +“Who are you?” + +“I was riding in the car.” + +“A tramp, hey? Serves ye right! Better stay there!” + +“No! No!” screamed the boy, in terror. “I'm starving--I've been here for +days. For heaven's sake let me out--I'll never do it again.” + +“If I let you out,” said the voice, “it's my business to arrest you.” + +“All right,” cried Samuel. “Anything--but don't leave me here.” + +There was a moment's silence. “Have you got any money?” asked the voice. + +“Yes. Yes--I've got money.” + +“Don't yell so loud. How much?” + +“Why--what?” + +“How much?” + +“I've got eighty dollars.” + +“All right. Give it to me and I'll let you out.” + +Frantic as he was, this staggered Samuel. “I can't give you all my +money,” he cried. + +“All right then,” said the other. “Stay there.” + +“No, no!” he protested. “Wait! Leave me just a little.” + +“I'll leave you five dollars,” said the voice. “Speak up! Quick!” + +“All right,” said Samuel faintly. “I'll give it to you.” + +“Mind! No nonsense now!” + +“No. Let me out!” + +“I'll bat you over the head if you try it,” growled the voice; and +the boy stood trembling while the hasp was unfastened and the door was +pushed back a little. The light of a lantern flashed in through the +crack, blinding him. + +“Now hand out the money,” said the stranger, standing at one side for +safety. + +“Yes,” said Samuel, fumbling with the pin in his waistcoat. “But I can't +see to count it.” + +“Be quick! I'll count it!” + +And so he shoved out the wad. Fingers seized it; and then the light +vanished, and he heard the sound of footsteps running. + +For a moment he did not understand. Then, “Give me my five dollars!” he +yelled, and rolled back the door and leaped out. He was just in time to +see the figure with the lantern vanish among the cars up the track. + +He started to run up the track and tripped over a tie and fell headlong +into a ditch. When he scrambled to his feet again the long train was +beginning to move, and the light of the lantern was nowhere to be seen. + + + + +CHAPTER IV + + +Samuel's money was gone, but he was suffering too keenly from hunger and +thirst to worry about it for more than a minute. Then the thought came +to him--he was here in a lonely place at night, and the train was going! +If he were left he might still starve. + +He ran over and caught the iron ladder of one of the freight cars and +drew himself up and clung there. Later on he climbed on top of the car; +but the wind was too cold--he could not stand it, and had to climb +down again. And then he realized that he had left the bundle of his +belongings in the empty car. + +Fortunately for him the train began to slow up at the end of an hour or +so, and peering out Samuel saw lights ahead. Also there were lights here +and there in the landscape, and he realized that he had come to a large +town. The east was just beginning to turn gray, and faint shadows of +buildings were visible. + +Samuel got off and walked up the track very carefully, for he was stiff +as well as weak. There was a light in one of the offices at the depot, +and he looked in at the window and saw a man seated at a desk writing +busily. He knocked at the door. + +“Come in,” said a voice, and he entered. + +“Please, may I have a drink of water?” he asked. + +“Over there in the corner,” said the man, scarcely looking up from his +papers. + +There was a bucket and dipper, and Samuel drank. The taste of the water +was a kind of ecstasy to him--he drank until he could drink no more. + +Then he stood waiting. “I beg pardon, sir,” he began timidly. + +“Hey?” said the man. + +“I'm nearly starved, sir. I've had nothing to eat for I don't know how +long.” + +“Oh!” exclaimed the other. “So that's it. Get out!” + +“You don't understand,” began Samuel, perplexed. + +“Get out!” cried the man. “That don't go in here. No beggars allowed!” + +Beggars! The word struck Samuel like a whip-lash. + +“I'm no beggar!” he cried wildly. “I--” And then he stopped. He had been +going to say, “I will pay for it.” + +He went out burning with shame, and on the spot he took his +resolution--come what might, he would never beg. He would not put a +morsel of food into his mouth until he had earned it. + +Across from the depot was a public square, and a broad street with +trolley tracks. Samuel walked down the street; and then, feeling weak +and seeing a dark doorway, he went in and crouched in a corner. For a +while he dozed; and then it was daylight. People were passing. + +He got more water at a fountain and felt better. He went down one of +the poorer streets where a man was opening a shop. There was food in the +window--fruit and bread--and the sight made him ravenous. But he asked +for work and the man shook his head. + +Samuel went on. Shops were opened here and there; and everywhere he +asked for a job--for any little thing to do--and always it was No. Now +and then he caught a whiff of some one's breakfast--bacon frying, and +coffee or hot bread in a bake shop. But each time he gripped his hands +together and set his teeth. He would not beg. He would find work. + +And so on through the morning. He went into stores, big and little. +Sometimes they answered politely--sometimes gruffly; but no one +hesitated a moment. He went past warehouses, where men were loading +wagons--surely there would be work here. + +He spoke to a busy foreman in his shirt sleeves. + +“How often must I tell you no?” cried the man. + +“But you never told me before,” protested Samuel with great earnestness. + +“Get out!” said the man. “There are so many of you--how the devil can I +tell?” + +There were so many! And suddenly Samuel realized that he had passed a +good many poor-looking men upon the streets. And were they all hunting +jobs and not finding them? Perhaps some were even begging and getting +nothing by that. + +He went on with a blank terror in his soul. He gazed at the people he +passed on the street; some of them had kindly faces--surely they would +have helped him had they known. But there was no way for him to let them +know--no way but to be a beggar! + +He came to the suburbs and asked at the houses. But no one wanted +anything done. It was noon and people were at luncheon--he caught odors +as doors were opened. He went back into the city, because he could not +stand it. He was feeling weaker, and he was afraid with a ghastly fear. +Pretty soon he might not be able to work! + +It was a new idea to Samuel, that a man might starve in the midst of +civilization. He could hardly believe it, and grew half-delirious as he +thought about it. What would happen at the end? Would they let him lie +down and die in the street? Or was there some place where starving men +went to die? + +So the day passed, and he found nothing. Several people advised him +to get out of town--this was no place to look for work, they said. +Apparently something was the matter with the place, but they did not +stop to tell him what. + +This was the first large town Samuel had ever seen, and under other +circumstances he would have gazed at it with wonder. He passed great +buildings of brick and stone, and trolley cars, and a fire-engine house, +and many other strange sights. He came to a great high fence, inclosing +many acres of buildings, dingy and black with smoke; there were tall +chimneys, and rows of sheds, and railroad tracks running in. He passed +other factories, huge brick buildings with innumerable windows; and many +blocks of working-men's houses, small and dirty frame structures, with +pale-faced children in the doorways. The roads and sidewalks here were +all of black cinders, and it was hot even in May. + +And then he came to a steel bridge and crossed a river and the road +broadened out, and he climbed a hill and found himself walking upon +a macadamized avenue lined with trees, and with beautiful residences +overlooking the ridge. Rich people lived here, evidently; and Samuel +stared, marveling at the splendor. He came to a great estate with a +stone gateway and iron railings ten feet high, and an avenue of stately +elm trees; there were bright green lawns with peacocks and lyre birds +strutting about, and a great colonial mansion with white pillars in the +distance. “Fairview,” read the name upon the gates. + +And then again Samuel remembered his appetite. Surely amid all this +luxury there would be some chance for him! He started up the path! + +He had got about halfway to the house when a man who was tending the +flowers caught sight of him and came toward him. “What are you doing +here?” he called, before he had come halfway. + +“I'm looking for some work,” began Samuel. + +“Do you want to get your head punched?” shouted the man. “What do you +mean by coming in here?” + +“Why, what's the matter?” asked the boy perplexed. + +“Get out, you loafer!” cried the other. + +And Samuel turned and went quickly. A loafer! + +So for the first time it occurred to him to look at his clothes, which +were muddy from his tumble in the ditch. And no doubt his face and hands +were dirty also, and his hair unkempt, and his aspect unprepossessing +enough for an applicant for labor. At any rate it was clear that this +was not the part of the town to seek it in; so he went back across the +bridge. + +Twilight had fallen and the stores were shutting up. Soon everything +would be closed; and that night he felt that he would perish. And so at +last desperation seized him. + +He bolted into the first lighted place he saw. + +It was a saloon--empty, save for a man in white behind the bar. + +“I'm no beggar!” shouted Samuel. + +“Hey?” said the man. + +“I say I'm no beggar! I'll come back and pay you. I'm starving. I must +have something to eat.” + +“Gee whiz!” said the man. + +“I was never in a saloon in my life before,” added Samuel, as he +realized the character of the place. “But please--please give me +something to eat.” + +“Hully gee, young feller!” exclaimed the bar-keeper. “You do it great. +You ought to be an actor. Step up and feed your face.” + +“What?” stammered Samuel, perplexed. + +“EAT!” said the other, and pointed. “Maybe you understand that.” + +And Samuel turned and saw a lot of food set out upon a counter. He +rushed to it and began. At the first taste a kind of madness seized him, +and he ate like a wild beast, gulping things. + +For several minutes he did this, while the other watched curiously. Then +he remarked, “Say, you'd better quit.” + +“What?” asked Samuel, seizing more food. + +“I say quit,” said the man. “Just for your own good. I see your story's +true, an' a little rest won't hurt you.” + +Samuel gazed longingly at the food, desiring more handfuls. “Come over +here,” said the man. “What happened to you?” + +“I was locked in an empty freight car.” + +“Humph! That's a new one! How long?” + +“What day is this?” + +“Friday.” + +“I was locked in Wednesday morning. It seemed longer.” + +“It's long enough,” commented the barkeeper. + +“I was robbed,” Samuel went on. “A man took all my money.” And then the +old shame started up in him. “Don't think I'm a beggar. I'll work and +pay for this.” + +“That's all right,” said the barkeeper. “Be easy.” + +“Haven't you anything I can do? Some wood to split?” + +“We don't burn wood.” + +“Or some cleaning up?” Samuel looked round. The place did not seem very +neat to him. “I'll scrub the floors for you,” he said. + +“We have 'em scrubbed in the early morning,” replied the man. + +“Well, let me come and do it,” said Samuel. + +“Go on!” said the other. “You'll be ready for more feed then.” + +“I'll come, just the same, sir.” + +“If you take my advice,” the bartender observed, “you'll get out of this +town. Lockmanville's a poor place to hunt jobs in.” + +Samuel started. “Lockmanville!” he gasped. + +“Yes,” said the other. “Don't you know where you are?” + +“I didn't know,” said the boy. “Lockmanville! The one where the big +glass works are?” + +“That's the one.” + +“And where old Henry Lockman lived!” + +“What about it?” asked the other. + +“Nothing,” said Samuel, “only my father invested all his money in +Lockman's company, and lost it.” + +“Gee!” said the bartender. + +“Maybe if I told them,” said the boy, “they'd give me some work here.” + +“Maybe,” said the other--“only the works is shut down.” + +“Shut down!” cried Samuel; and then added, “On account of his death?” + +“No--they always close in summer. But this year they closed in March. +Times is bad.” + +“Oh,” said Samuel. + +“So there's plenty of men looking for jobs in Lockmanville,”. the other +continued, “an' some of the other factories is closed, too--the cotton +mill is only runnin' half time.” + +“I see.” + +“Old Lockman used to say there was too many glass works,” the barkeeper +added. “An' the fellers he bought out went an' built more. So there you +are.” + +There was a pause. “I'm coming back in the morning,” said Samuel +doggedly. + +“All right,” said the other, with a smile--“if you don't forget it.” + Then a couple of customers entered. “Run along now,” said he. + +And Samuel went--the more readily because he realized that he had been +all this time in a saloon, a place of mystery and wickedness to him. + +He started down the street again. A fine cold rain had begun to fall. +What was he to do? + +He felt warm, having feasted. But there was no use in getting wet. He +glanced into the doorways as he passed, and seeing a dark and empty one, +crouched inside. + +Lockmanville! What a curious coincidence! And there were hundreds in the +town out of work. It seemed a strange and terrible thing. Could it be +that they let people starve as he was starving--people they knew? Could +it be that they went on about their business and paid no attention to +such a thing? + +He must get out, they told him. But how? Would the railroad take him, if +he explained? Or would the people on the way give him work? He had got +some food at last, but only by begging. And was he expected to beg? + +There came footsteps outside. A man strode into the doorway and took +hold of the door and tried it. Then he turned to go out. Samuel moved +his foot out of the way. + +“Hello!” said the man. “Who's that?” + +“Only me,” said Samuel. + +“Get up there,” commanded the other. + +He got up and a hand seized him by the collar. “Who are you?” + +He was jerked into the light before he had a chance to reply. “More +bums!” growled the voice; and Samuel, terrified, saw that he was in the +grasp of a policeman. + +“Please, sir, I'm not doing any harm,” he began. + +“Come,” said the policeman. + +“Where to?” he cried. + +But the other merely jerked him along. A sudden wild horror seized +Samuel. “You're not going to arrest me!” he exclaimed. + +“Sure,” said the other. “Why not?” + +“But,” he exclaimed, “I've not done anything. I can't help it. I--” + +He started to drag back, and the man twisted a huge hand, in his collar, +choking him. “Do you want to be hit?” he growled. + +So Samuel went on. But sobs shook him, convulsive sobs of terror and +despair, and tears of shame rolled down his cheeks. He was going to +jail! + +“What's the matter with you?” said the policeman after a bit. “Why don't +you be quiet?” + +“You've no business to arrest me,” wailed the boy. “I haven't done +anything, and I couldn't help it. I've no place to go and no money. And +it's not my fault.” + +“You can tell that to the judge,” replied the other. + +“But--but what have I done? Why--” + +“Shut up!” said the officer, and gave another twist at his throat. And +after that Samuel was quiet. + + + + +CHAPTER V + + +In the station-house a fat sergeant sat dozing upon his throne. “Another +vagrant,” said the policeman, as if to say there was no special need to +rouse himself. + +“What was he doing?” the sergeant asked. + +“Sleeping in a doorway,” was the reply. + +By this time Samuel had come to realize the futility of protest. +He accepted his fate with dumb despair. He gave the information the +sergeant asked for--Samuel Prescott, aged seventeen, native born, from +Euba Corners, occupation farmer, never arrested before. + +“All right,” said the man, and went back to his nap; and Samuel was led +away, and after a pretense at a search was shoved into a cell and heard +the iron door clang upon him. + +He was alone now, and free to sob out his grief. It was the culmination +of all the shame and horror that he could ever have imagined; first, to +have to beg, and then to be locked up in jail. He knew now what they did +with men who were out of work and starving. + +He lay there weeping, and then suddenly he sat up transfixed. From the +cell next to him had come a cry, a horrible blood-curdling screech, more +like the scream of a wild cat than any human sound. Samuel listened, his +heart pounding. + +There came the voice of a man from across the corridor--“Shut up, you +hag!” And after that bedlam broke loose. The woman--Samuel realized at +last that the scream had come from a woman--broke forth into a +torrent of yells and curses. Such hideous obscenities, such revolting +blasphemies he had never heard in his life before--he had never dreamed +that life contained within it the possibility of such depravity. It was +like an explosion from some loathsome sewer; and its source was the lips +of a woman. + +For ten minutes or so the tirade continued until it seemed to the boy +that every beautiful and sacred thing he had ever heard of in his life +had been defiled forever. Then a jailer strolled down the corridor, and +with a few vigorous and judicious oaths contrived to quell the uproar. + +Samuel lay down again; and now he had a chance to make another +discovery. He had felt sharp stinging sensations which caused him to +scratch himself frantically. Then suddenly he realized that he was lying +upon a mattress infested with vermin. + +The discovery sent him bounding to the middle of the floor. It set +him wild with rage. Such a thing had never happened to him in his life +before, for his home was a decent and clean one. This was the crowning +infamy--that they should have taken him, helpless as he was, and shut +him up in a filthy hole to be devoured by bedbugs and lice. + +In the morning they brought him bread and coffee; and after a couple of +hours' more waiting he was taken to court. + +It was a big bare room with whitewashed walls. There were a few +scattered spectators, a couple of policemen and several men writing at +tables. Seated within an inclosure were a number of prisoners, dull +and listless looking. One by one they stepped up before the railing and +faced the judge; there would be a few muttered words and they would move +on. Everything went as a matter of routine, which had been going that +way for ages. The judge, who was elderly and gray haired, looked like a +prosperous business man in a masquerade costume. + +Samuel's turn came and he stood before the bar. His name was read, and +the charge--vagrancy. + +“Well?” said the judge mechanically. “What have you to say for +yourself?” + +Samuel caught his breath. “It's not my fault, sir,” he began. + +“Your honor,” prompted the policeman who stood at his elbow. + +“Your honor,” said Samuel, “I lost all my money. And I've been trying to +find work, your honor.” + +“Have you any friends in town?” + +“No, your honor.” + +“How long have you been here?” + +“Only since yesterday, your honor.” + +“How did you get here?” + +“I came in on a freight train, your honor.” + +“I see,” said the judge. “Well, you came to the wrong place. We're going +to put an end to vagrancy in Lockmanville. Thirty days. Next case.” + +Samuel caught his breath. “Your honor,” he gasped. + +“Next case,” repeated the judge. + +The policeman started to lead Samuel away. “Your honor,” he cried +frantically. “Don't send me to jail.” And fighting against the +policeman's grip, he rushed on, “It's not my fault--I'm an honest boy +and I tried to find work. I haven't done anything. And you'll kill me if +you send me to jail. Have mercy! Have mercy!” + +The policeman shook him roughly. But there was something so genuine in +Samuel's wail that the judge said, “Wait.” + +“How could I help it if I was robbed?” the boy rushed on, taking +advantage of his chance. “And what could I do but ask for work? I was +brought up honest, your honor. It would have killed my father if he'd +thought I'd be sent to jail. He brought me up to earn my living.” + +“Who was your father?” asked the judge. + +“His name was Ephraim Prescott, and he was a farmer. You can ask anyone +at Euba Corners what sort of a man he was. He'd fought all through the +war--he was wounded four times. And if he could be here he'd tell you +that I don't deserve to go to jail.” + +There was a moment's pause. “What regiment was your father in?” asked +the magistrate. + +“He was in the Seventeenth Pennsylvania, your honor.” + +“Be careful, boy,” said the other sternly. “Don't try to deceive me.” + +“I don't want to deceive you, your honor,” protested Samuel. + +“What brigade was the Seventeenth Pennsylvania in?” + +“In the Third Brigade, your honor.” + +“And who commanded it?” + +“General Anderson--that is, until he was killed at the battle of +Chancellorsville. My father was there.” + +“I was there, too,” said the judge. + +“My father used to tell me about it,” exclaimed Samuel with sudden +eagerness. “His brigade was in the right wing and they had a double line +of trenches. And the rebels charged the line with cavalry. They charged +a dozen times during the day, and there were big trees cut down by the +bullets. My father said the rebels never fought harder than they did +right there.” + +“Yes,” said his honor, “I know. I was one of them.” + +Everyone within hearing laughed; and Samuel turned crimson. + +“I beg pardon, your honor,” he said. + +“That's all right,” said the judge. And then he added gravely, “Very +well, Samuel, we'll give you another chance for your father's sake. But +don't let me see you here again.” + +“No, your honor,” said Samuel. Then he added quickly. “But what can I +do?” + +“Get out of Lockmanville,” said the other. + +“But how? When I've no money. If your honor could only help me to some +work.” + +“No,” said the judge. “I'm sorry, but I've found jobs for three men this +week, and I don't know any more.” + +“But then--” began Samuel. + +“I'll give you a dollar out of my own pocket,” the other added. + +“Your honor,” cried Samuel startled, “I don't want to take money!” + +“You can send it back to me when you get a job,” said the judge, holding +out a bill. “Take it. Prisoner discharged. Next case.” + +Samuel took the money and was turning away, when a man who had been +sitting in a chair near the magistrate suddenly leaned forward. + +“Judge,” he said, “if I may interrupt--” + +“Why, surely, professor,” said the other pleasantly. + +“I may possibly be able to find something for the boy to do.” + +“Ah, that will be fine!” + +“He seems to be a capable young fellow and might be worth helping.” + +“The very thing, professor. Samuel, this is Professor Stewart, of +Lockman College.” + +Samuel was very glad to meet the professor. He was a trim little +gentleman, with a carefully cut black beard and gold-rimmed eyeglasses. + +“Here is my card,” he said; “and if you'll come to see me to-morrow +morning at my house, we'll see what we can do.” + +“Thank you very much,” said the boy, and put the card in his pocket. +Then, realizing suddenly that the policeman had let go of his arm, and +that he was free, he turned and made his way through the gate. + +“A diverting episode,” said the professor. + +“Yes,” said the judge, with a smile. “We have them now and then, you +see.” + +Samuel went out with a glow in his heart. At last he had got a start. +He had got underneath the world's tough hide and found kindness and +humanity after all. It had been a harrowing experience, but it would not +happen again. + +He had now one definite purpose in mind. He walked straight out of town +and down the river road until he came to a sufficiently solitary place. +Then he took off his clothes and sat down on the bank and performed a +most elaborate toilet. For half an hour at least he scrubbed his head +with sand and water, and combed his hair out with his fingers. And then +he went over his clothing inch by inch. At least he would be through +with one hideous reminder of his imprisonment. + +After which he dressed again and went back to town and found the saloon +where he had eaten. + +“Hello!” said his friend Finnegan, the bar-keeper. “Back again!” + +“I came to explain about this morning,” said Samuel. “I couldn't come +because they put me in jail.” + +“Gee!” said the other; but then he added, with a laugh, “Well, it was a +wet night.” + +Samuel did not reply. “I'll come to-morrow morning,” he said. + +“You'd better get out of town, sonny,” advised the other. + +“I'm all right. The judge gave me a dollar.” + +“Humph! A dollar won't last forever.” + +“No. But I've got the promise of a job. There was a gentleman +there--Professor Stewart, from the college.” + +“Hully gee!” said Finnegan. “I know that guy. A little runt with a black +beard?” + +“I guess so,” said Samuel dubiously. + +“I seen his pitcher in the paper,” said the other. “He's one of them +reformers--always messin' into things.” + +“Maybe that's why he was at the court,” observed Samuel. + +“Sure thing! He's a professor of sociology an' such things, an' he +thinks he knows all about politics. But we handed him a few last +election--just you bet!” + +“Who's 'we'?” asked Samuel. + +“The organization,” said Finnegan; “the Democrats, o' course. Them +reformers is always Republicans--the 'better element,' an' all that. +That means the rich guys--that have their own little grafts to work. +This perfessor was a great friend of old Henry Lockman--an' the old man +used to run this town with his little finger. But they had a big strike +here three years ago, and too many men got hit over the head. So it'll +be a long day before there's any more 'reform' in Lockmanville.” + +“I see,” said Samuel. + +“They make a great howl about the saloons an' all the rest,” added the +barkeeper. “But when the Republicans ran things, my boss paid his little +rake-off just the same, you can bet. But you needn't tell that to the +perfessor.” + +“I won't,” said the boy. + +“What you goin' to do now?” asked the other. + +“I don't know. I guess I'll have to get something to eat first.” + +“You'll find the cheapest way is to buy a glass of beer and then feed +over there.” + +“No,” said Samuel, startled. “I--I think I'd rather not do that.” + +“Well, so long,” said Finriegan, with a laugh. + +“You'll see me to-morrow morning,” said Samuel, as he went out. + + + + +CHAPTER VI + + +Samuel went to a bake shop and bought a loaf of bread and sat on the +bench of the public square and devoured it bit by bit. It was the +cheapest thing he could think of, and quantity was what counted just +then. + +Next he had to find a room to spend the night. He knew nothing about +hotels and lodging-houses--he walked through the workingmen's quarter of +the town, scanning the cottages hesitatingly. At last in the doorway of +one he noticed a woman standing, an elderly woman, very thin and weary +looking, but clean, and with a kindly face. So he stopped. + +“Please,” said he, “could you tell me any place where I could hire a +room?” + +The woman looked at him. “For how long?” she asked. + +“I'm not quite sure,” he said. “I want it for one night, and then if I +get a job, I may want it longer.” + +“A job in Lockmanville?” said the woman. + +“Well, I've the promise of one,” he replied. + +“There can't be very many,” said she. “I've two rooms I've always +rented,” she added, “but when the glass works shut down the men went +away. One of them owed me three dollars, too.” + +“I--I'm not able to pay very much,” said Samuel. + +“Come in,” responded the woman; and he sat down and told her his story. +And she told him hers. + +Mrs. Stedman was her name, and her husband had been a glass blower. He +earned good wages--five dollars a day in the busy season. But he worked +in front of a huge tank of white-hot glass and that was hard on a man. +And once on a hot day he had gone suddenly dizzy, and fallen upon a mass +of hot slag, and been frightfully burned in the face. They had carried +him to the hospital and taken out one eye. And then, because of his +family and the end of the season being near, he had gone to work +too soon, and his wound had gone bad, and in the end he had died of +blood-poisoning. + +“That was two years ago,” said Mrs. Stedman. “And I got no damages. +We've barely got along--this year's been worse than ever. It's the +panic, they say. It seemed as if everything was shutting down.” + +“It must be very hard on people here,” said Samuel. + +“I've got three children--all girls,” said Mrs. Stedman, “and only one +old enough to work. That's Sophie--she's in the cotton mill, and that +only started again last month. And they say it may run on half time +all the year. I do sewing and whatever I can to help, but there's never +enough.” + +Samuel forgot his own troubles in talking with this woman. His family +had been poor on the farm, but they had never known such poverty as +this. And here were whole streets full of people living the same sort of +life; hanging over the abyss of destruction, and with no prospect save +to struggle forever. Mrs. Stedman talked casually about her friends and +neighbors, and new glimpses came to make the boy catch his breath. Next +door was Mrs. Prosser, whose husband was dying of cancer; he had been +two years dying, and they had five small children. And on the other +side were the Rapinskys, a Polish family; they had been strong in the +possession of three grown sons, and had even bought a phonograph. And +now not one of them had done a stroke of work for three months. + +To have been robbed and put in jail seemed a mere incident in comparison +with such bitter and I lifelong suffering; and Samuel was ashamed of +having made so much fuss. He had stated, with some trepidation, that he +was just out of jail; but Mrs. Stedman had not seemed to mind that. +Her husband had been in jail once, during the big glass strike, and for +nothing more than begging another man not to take his job. + +It was arranged that Samuel was to pay her thirty-five cents for his +supper and bed and breakfast, and if he wished to stay longer she would +board him for four dollars a week, or he might have the room alone for a +dollar. + +The two young children came in from school; they were frail and +undersized little girls, with clothing that was neatly but pitifully +patched. And shortly after them came Sophie. + +Samuel gave a start of dismay when he saw her. He had been told that she +worked in the cotton mill and was the mainstay of the family; and he +had pictured a sturdy young woman, such as he had seen at home. Instead, +here was a frail slip of a child scarcely larger than the others. Sophie +was thirteen, as he learned afterwards; but she did not look to be ten +by his standards. She was grave and deliberate in her movements, and she +gazed at the stranger with a pair of very big brown eyes. + +“This is Samuel Prescott,” said her mother. “He is going to spend the +night, and maybe board with us.” + +“How do you do?” said Sophie, and took off the shawl from her head and +sat down in a corner. The boy thought that this was shyness upon her +part, but later on he realized that it was lassitude. The child rested +her head upon her hand every chance that she got, and she never did +anything that she did not have to. + +The next morning, bright and early, Samuel was on hand at the saloon, +greatly to the amusement of his friend Finnegan. He got down on his +hands and knees and gave the place such a scrubbing as it had never had +before since it was built. And in return Finnegan invited him to some +breakfast, which Samuel finally accepted, because it would enable him to +take less from the Stedmans. + +Professor Stewart had not specified any hour in his invitation. He lived +in the aristocratic district across the bridge and Samuel presented +himself at his door a little before eight. + +“Professor Stewart told me to come and see him,” he said to the maid. + +“Professor Stewart is out of town,” said she. + +“Out of town!” he echoed. + +“He's gone to New York,” said she. “He was called away unexpectedly last +night.” + +“When will he be back?” + +“He said he'd try to be back the day after tomorrow; but he wasn't +sure.” + +Samuel stared at her in consternation. + +“What did you want?” she asked. + +“He promised me a job.” + +“Oh!” said she. “Well, can't you come back later on?” And then, seeing +that Samuel had nothing better to do than to stare at her dumbly, she +closed the door and went about her business. + +Samuel walked back in a daze. It gave him a new sense of the world's +lack of interest in him. Probably the great man had forgotten him +altogether. + +There was nothing to do but to wait; and meantime he had only sixty +cents. He could not stay with Mrs. Stedman, that was certain. But when +he came to tell her, she recurred to a suggestion he had made. There +were a few square yards of ground behind her house, given up mostly to +tomato cans. If he would plant some garden seed for her she would board +him meanwhile. And so Samuel went to work vigorously with a borrowed +spade. + +Two days passed, and another day, and still the professor had not +returned. It was Saturday evening and Samuel was seated upon the steps +of the house, resting after a hard day's work. Sophie was seated near +him, leaning back against the house with her eyes closed. The evening +was warm and beautiful, and gradually the peace of it stole over her. +And so at last she revealed herself to Samuel. + +“Do you like music?” she asked. + +“Very much indeed,” said he. + +“Not everybody does,” she remarked--“I mean real music, such as +Friedrich plays.” + +“I don't know,” said Samuel. “Who is Friedrich?” + +“He's a friend of mine,” Sophie answered. “He's a German boy. His +father's the designer at the carpet works. And he plays the violin.” + +“I should like to hear him,” said he. + +“I'll take you,” she volunteered. “I generally go to see them on Sunday +afternoons. It's the only time I have.” + +So the next day Samuel met the Bremers. Their cottage was a little way +out in the country, and they had a few trees about it and a flower bed. +But the house was not large, and it was well filled with a family of +nine children. Johann, the father, was big and florid, with bristling +hair. He was marked in the town because he called himself a “Socialist,” + but Samuel did not know that. His wife was a little mite of a woman, +completely swamped by child-bearing. Most interesting to Samuel was +Friedrich, who played the violin; a pale ascetic-looking boy of fifteen, +with wavy hair and beautiful eyes. + +Music was a serious rite with the Bremers. The father played the piano, +and the next oldest son to Friedrich was struggling with a 'cello; and +when they played, the whole family sat in the parlor, even the tiny +tots, round-eyed and silent. + +Samuel knew some “patriotic songs,” and a great number of hymns, and a +few tunes that one heard at country dances. But such music as this was a +new revelation of the possibilities of life. He listened in a transport +of wonder and awe. Such wailing grief, such tumultuous longing, such +ravishing and soul-tormenting beauty! Friedrich had only such technique +as his father had been able to give him, together with what he had +invented for himself; his bowings were not always correct, and he was +weak on the high notes; but Samuel knew nothing of this--he was thinking +of the music. And he needed no one to tell him about it--he needed +no criticisms and no commentaries. Across the centuries the souls +of Schubert and Beethoven spoke to him, telling their visions of the +wonderful world of the spirit, toward which humanity is painfully +groping. + +It was impossible for him to keep from voicing his excitement, and this +greatly delighted the Bremers, who craved for comprehension in a lonely +place. His sympathy gave wings to their fervor, and they played the +whole afternoon through, and then Johann invited them to stay to supper, +so that they might play some more in the evening. + +“You should haf been a musician,” he said to Samuel. “You vas made for +it.” + +They had a supper such as the boy had missed for some time; a great +platter of cold boiled meat, and a bowl of hot gravy, and another bowl +of mashed potatoes, with no end of bread and butter. Also there was some +kind of a German pudding, and to the stranger's dismay, a pitcher of +beer in front of Johann. After offering some to his guests, he drank it +all, and also he ate a vast supper. Afterwards he dozed, while Friedrich +played yet more wonderful music, and this gave Samuel a new insight +into the life of the family, and into the wild and terrible longing that +poured itself out in Friedrich's tones. The father was good-natured and +sentimental, but sunk in grossness; and the mother was worn out with the +care of her brood, and beneath all this burden the soul of the boy was +crying frantically for life. + +The exigencies of trade demanded endless variety of designs in carpets +and rugs, and so all day Johann Bremer stood in front of a great sheet +of cardboard, marked off in tiny numbered squares, on which he painted +with many colors. For this he received thirty dollars a week, and his +son received twelve dollars as his assistant--painting in the same +colors upon all the squares of certain numbers, and so completing a +symmetrical design. It was a very good job, and Johann prodded his son +to devote his energies to the evolving of new designs. But the boy hated +it all--thinking only of his music. And his music meant to him, not +sentimental dreaming, but a passionate clutch into the infinite, a +battle for deliverance from the bondage of the world. So Johann himself +had been in his youth, when he had become a revolutionist, and before +beer and gravy and domesticity had tamed him. + +No one said a word about these things. It was all in the playing. And +now and then Samuel stole a glance about the room and discovered yet +another soul's tragedy. Sophie, too, was drinking in the music, and life +had crept into her face, and her breath came quick and fast, and now and +then she furtively brushed away a tear. + +Afterwards, as they walked home, she said to Samuel, “I don't know if +it's good for me to listen to music like that.” + +“Why not?” he asked--“if it makes you happy.” + +“But it makes me unhappy afterwards. It makes me want things. And I get +restless--and when I go back to the factory it's so much harder.” + +“What do you do in the factory?” asked Samuel. + +“I'm what they call a bobbin-girl--I tie the threads on the bobbins when +they are empty.” + +“Is it very hard work?” + +“No, you mightn't think so. But you have to stand up all day; and it's +doing the same thing all the time--the same thing the whole day long. +You get dull--you never think about anything. And then the air is full +of dust and the machinery roars. You get used to it, but I'm sure its +bad for you.” + +They walked for a while in silence. “Do you like to imagine things?” + asked Sophie suddenly. + +“Yes,” said he. + +“I used to,” said she--“when I was younger.” It was so strange to Samuel +to notice that this slip of a child always spoke of herself as old. + +“Why don't you do it now?” he asked. + +“I'm too tired, I think. But I've a lot of pictures up in my room--that +I cut out of magazines that people gave me. Pictures of beautiful +things--birds and flowers, and old castles, and fine ladies and +gentlemen. And I used to make up stories about them, and imagine that I +was there, and that all sorts of nice things were happening to me. Would +you like to see my pictures?” + +“Very much,” said Samuel. + +“I think of things like that when I listen to Friedrich. I've a picture +of Sir Galahad--he's very beautiful, and he stands at his horse's head +with a sword in his hand. I used to dream that somebody like that might +come and carry me off to a place where there aren't any mills. But I +guess it's no use any more.” + +“Why not?” asked the other. + +“It's too late. There is something the matter with me. I never say +anything, because it would make mother unhappy; but I'm always tired +now, and every day I have a headache. And I'm so very sleepy, and yet +when I lie down I can't sleep--I keep hearing the mill.” “Oh!” cried +Samuel involuntarily. + +“I don't mind it so much,” said the child. “There's no help, so what's +the use. It's only when I hear Friedrich play--then I get all stirred +up.” + +They walked on for a while again. + +“He's very unhappy,” she said finally. + +“I suppose so,” replied Samuel. “Tell me,” he asked suddenly. “Isn't +there some other work that you could do?” + +“What? I'm not strong enough for hard work. And where could I make three +dollars a week?” + +“Is that what they pay you?” + +“Yes--that is--when we are on full time.” + +“Does it make all the girls sick?” he inquired. “There's that girl who +came in this afternoon--she seems well and strong.” + +“Bessie, you mean? But it's just play for her, you see. She lives with +her parents and stops whenever she feels like it. She just wants to buy +dresses and go to the theater.” + +“But that girl we passed on the street to-day!” + +“Helen Davis. Ah, yes--but she's different again. She's bad.” + +“Bad?” echoed Samuel perplexed. + +There was a brief pause. It was not easy for him to adjust himself to +a world in which the good were of necessity frail and ill, and the bad +were rosy-cheeked and merry. “How do you mean?” he asked at last. + +And Sophie answered quite simply, “She lives with a fellow.” + +The blood leaped into Samuel's face. Such a blunder for him to have +made. + +But then the flush passed, giving place to a feeling of horrified +wonder. For Sophie was not in the least embarrassed--she spoke in the +most matter-of-fact tone. And this from a child of thirteen, who did not +look to be ten. + +“I see,” said he in a faint voice. + +“A good many of the girls do it,” she added. “You see, they move about +so much--the mills close, and so a girl has no hope of marrying. But +mothers says it's wrong, just the same.” + +And Samuel walked home the rest of the way in silence, and thinking no +more about the joys of music. + + + + +CHAPTER VII + + +On Monday morning Samuel found that Professor Stewart had returned, and +he sat in the great man's study and waited until he had finished his +breakfast. + +It was a big room, completely walled with crowded bookshelves; in the +center was a big work-table covered with books and papers. Samuel had +never dreamed that there were so many books in the world, and he +gazed about him with awe, feeling that he had come to the sources of +knowledge. + +That was Samuel's way. Both by nature and training, he had a profound +respect for all authority. He believed in the majesty of the law--that +was why it had shocked him so to be arrested. He thought of the church +as a divine institution, whose ministers were appointed as shepherds of +the people. And up here on the heights was this great College, a temple +of learning; and this professor was one who had been selected by those +in the seats of authority, and set apart as one of its priests. So +Samuel was profoundly grateful for the attention which was given to him, +and was prepared to pick up whatever crumbs of counsel might be dropped. + +“Ah, yes,” the professor said, wiping his glasses with a silk +handkerchief. “Samuel--let me see--Samuel--” + +“Prescott, sir.” + +“Yes--Samuel Prescott. And how have you been?” + +“I've been very well, sir.” + +“I meant to leave a message for you, but I overlooked it. I had so many +things to attend to in the rush of departure. I--er--I hope you didn't +wait for me.” + +“I had nothing else to do, sir,” said Samuel. + +“The truth is,” continued the other, “I'm afraid I shan't be able to do +for you what I thought I could.” + +Samuel's heart went down into his boots. + +“You see,” said the professor a trifle embarrassed, “my sister wanted +a man to look after her place, but I found she had already engaged some +one.” + +There was a pause. Samuel simply stared. + +“Of course, as the man is giving satisfaction--you see--it wouldn't do +for her to send him away.” + +And Samuel continued to stare, dumb with terror and dismay. + +“I'm very sorry,” said the other--“no need to tell you that. But I don't +know of any other place.” + +“But what am I to do?” burst out Samuel. + +“It's really too bad,” remarked the other. + +And again there was a silence. + +“Professor Stewart,” said Samuel in a low voice, “what is a man to do +who is out of work and starving?” + +“God knows,” said the professor. + +And yet again there was silence. Samuel could have said that himself--he +had the utmost faith in God. + +And after a while the professor himself seemed to realize that the reply +was inadequate. “You see,” he went on, “there is a peculiar condition +here in Lockmanville. There was an attempt to corner the glass industry, +and that caused the building of too many factories, and so there is +overproduction. And then, besides that, they've just invented a machine +that blows as many bottles as a dozen men.” + +“But then what are the men to do?” asked Samuel. + +“The condition readjusts itself,” said the other. “The men have to go +into some other trade.” + +“But then--the cotton mills are on half time, too!” + +“Yes, there are too many cotton mills.” + +“But then--in the end there will be too many everything.” + +“That is the tendency,” said the professor. + +“There are foreign markets, of course. But the difficulty really goes +deeper than that.” + +Professor Stewart paused and looked at Samuel wondering, perhaps, if +he were not throwing away his instruction. But the boy looked very much +interested, even excited. + +“Most of our economists are disposed to blink the truth,” said he. “But +the fact is, there are too many men.” + +Samuel started. It was precisely that terrible suspicion which had been +shaping itself in his own mind. + +“There is a law,” went on the other, “which was clearly set forth by +Malthus, that population tends continually to outrun the food supply. +And then the surplus people have to be removed.” + +“I see,” said Samuel, awestricken. “But isn't it rather hard?” + +“It seems so--to the individual. To the race it is really of the very +greatest benefit. It is the process of life.” + +“Please tell me,” Samuel's look seemed to say. + +“If you will consider Nature,” Professor Stewart continued, “you will +observe that she always produces many times more individuals than can +possibly reach maturity. The salmon lays millions of eggs, and thousands +of young trees spring up in every thicket. And these individuals +struggle for a chance to live, and those survive which are strongest and +best fitted to meet the conditions. And precisely the same thing is true +among men--there is no other way by which the race could be improved, or +even kept at its present standard. Those who perish are sacrificed for +the benefit of the race.” + +Now, strange as it may seem, Samuel had never before heard the phrase, +“the survival of the fittest.” And so now he was living over the +experience of the thinking world of fifty or sixty years ago. What a +marvelous generalization it was! What a range of life it covered! And +how obvious it seemed--one could think of a hundred things, perfectly +well known, which fitted into it. And yet he had never thought of it +himself! The struggle for existence! The survival of the fittest! + +A few days ago Samuel had discovered music. And now he was discovering +science. What an extraordinary thing was the intellect of man, which +could take all the infinitely varied facts of life and interpret them in +the terms of one vast law. + +Samuel was all aglow with excitement at the revelation. “I see,” he +said, again and again--“I see!” + +“It is the law of life,” said the professor. “No one can escape from +it.” + +“And then,” said Samuel, “when we try to change things--when we give out +charity, for instance--we are working against Nature, and we really make +things worse.” + +“That is it,” replied the other. + +And Samuel gave a great sigh. How very simple was the problem, when +one had seen it in the light of science. Here he had been worrying and +tormenting his brain about the matter; and all the time he was in the +hands of Nature--and all he had to do was to lie back and let Nature +solve it. “Nature never makes mistakes,” said Professor Stewart. + +Of course, in this new light Samuel's own case became plain. “Those who +are out of work are those who have failed in the struggle,” he said. + +“Precisely,” said the professor. + +“And that is because they are unfit.” + +“Precisely,” said the professor again. “As Herbert Spencer has phrased +it, 'Inability to catch prey must be regarded as a falling short of +conduct from its ideal.' And, of course, in an industrial community, the +'prey' is a job.” + +“Who is Herbert Spencer?” asked Samuel. + +“He is recognized as the authority in such matters,” said the other. + +“And then,” pondered Samuel, “those who have jobs must be the fit. And +the very rich people--the ones who make the millions and millions--they +are the fittest of all.” + +“Er--yes,” said the professor. + +“And, of course, that makes my problem clear--I'm out of a job, and so I +must die.” + +The professor gazed at Samuel sharply. But it was impossible to mistake +the boy's open-eyed sincerity. He had no thought about himself--he was +discovering the laws of life. + +“I'm so glad you explained it to me,” he went on. “But all these +thousands of men who are starving to death--they ought to be told it, +too.” + +“What good would it do?” asked the other. + +“Why, they ought to understand. They suffer, and it seems to them +purposeless and stupid. But if you were to explain to them that they +are being sacrificed for the benefit of the race--don't you see what a +difference it would make?” + +“I don't believe they would take the suggestion kindly,” said the +professor with a faint attempt to smile. + +“But why not?” asked Samuel. + +“Wouldn't it sound rather hypocritical, so to speak--coming from a man +who had succeeded?” + +“Not at all! You have a right to your success, haven't you?” + +“I hope so.” + +“You have a job”--began Samuel and then hesitated. “I don't know how a +professor comes to get his job,” he said. “But I suppose that the +men who make the great fortunes--the ones who are wisest and best of +all--they give the money for the colleges, don't they?” + +“Yes,” said Professor Stewart. + +“And then,” said Samuel, “I suppose it is they who have chosen you?” + +Again the professor darted a suspicious glance at his questioner. +“Er--one might put it that way,” he said. + +“Well, then, that is your right to teach; and you could explain it. +Then you could say to these men: 'There are too many of you; you aren't +needed; and you must be removed.'” + +But the professor only shook his head. “It wouldn't do,” he said. And +Samuel, pondering and seeking as ever, came to a sudden comprehension. + +“I see,” he exclaimed. “What is needed is action!” + +“Action?” + +“Yes--it's for us who are beaten to teach it; and to teach it in our +lives. It's a sort of revival that is needed, you see.” + +“But I don't see the need,” laughed the other, interested in spite of +himself. + +“That's because you aren't one of us!” cried Samuel vehemently. “Nobody +else can understand--nobody! It's easy to be one of the successes of +life. You have a comfortable home and plenty to eat and all. But when +you've failed--when you're down and out--then you have to bear hunger +and cold and sickness. And there is grief and fear and despair--you can +have no idea of it! Why, I've met a little girl in this town. She works +in the cotton mill, and it's just killed her by inches, body and soul. +And even so, she can only get half a day's work; and the mother is +trying to support the little children by sewing--and they're all just +dying of slow starvation. This very morning they asked me to stay to +breakfast, and I refused, because I knew they had only some bread and +a few potatoes, and it wasn't enough for one person. You see, it's so +slow--it's such a terribly long process--this starving people off +by inches. And keeping them always tormented by hope. Don't you see, +Professor Stewart? And just because you don't come out honestly and +teach them the truth. Because you won't say to them: 'The world is too +full; and you've got to get out of the way, so as to give us a chance.' +Why, look, sir--you defeat your own purposes! These people stay, and +they keep on having more children, and everything gets worse instead +of better; and they have diseases and vices--they ruin the whole +world. What's the use of having a world if it's got to be like this +town--crowded with hovels full of dirty people, and sick people, and +starving and miserable people? I can't see how you who live up here on +the heights can enjoy yourselves while such things continue.” + +“Um--no,” said Professor Stewart; and he gazed at Samuel with knitted +brows--unable, for the life of him, to feel certain whether he ought to +feel amused, or to feel touched, or to feel outraged. + +As for Samuel, he realized that he was through with the professor. The +professor had taught him all that he had to teach. He did not really +understand this matter at all--that was because he belonged to the +other world, the world of successful and fit people. They had their own +problems to solve, no doubt! + +This non-comprehension was made quite clear by the professor's next +remark. “I'm sorry to have disappointed you,” he said. “If a little +money will help you--” + +“No,” said the other quickly. “You mustn't offer me money. How can that +be right? That would be charity.” + +“Ahem!” said the professor. “Yes. But then--you mentioned that you +hadn't had any breakfast. Hadn't you better go into the kitchen and let +them give you something?” + +“But what is the use of putting things off?” cried Samuel wildly. “If +I'm going to preach this new idea, I've got to begin.” + +“But you can't preach very long on an empty stomach,” objected the +other. + +To which Samuel answered, “The preaching has to be by deeds.” + +And so he took his departure; and Professor Stewart turned back to his +work-table, upon which lay the bulky manuscript of his monumental work, +which was entitled: “Methods of Relief; A Theory and a Programme.” + Some pages lay before him; the top one was headed: “Chapter +LXIII--Unemployment and Social Responsibility.” And Professor Stewart +sat before this title, and stared, and stared. + + + + +CHAPTER VIII + + +Samuel meantime was walking down the broad macadam avenue debating +his problem. The first glow of excitement was over, and he was finding +difficulties. The theory still held; but in the carrying out of it there +were complications. + +For one thing, it would be so hard to spread this doctrine. For if one +tried to teach it by words, he seemed a hypocrite, as the professor had +said; and on the other hand, if one simply practiced it, who would ever +know? Suppose, for instance, that he starved to death during the next +few days? That would be only one person removed, and apparently there +were millions of the superfluous. + +The truth was that Samuel, in discussing the theory, had applied it only +to himself. But now he pictured himself going home to tell Mrs. Stedman +that she must give up her futile effort, and take herself and her three +children out of the way of the progress of the race. And he realized +that he could never do it--he was not equal to the task. Doubtless, it +was because he was one of the unfit. It would need some one who did +not know them, some one who could approach the matter from the purely +scientific standpoint. + +Then there was another difficulty graver yet. Did not this doctrine +really point to suicide? Would it not be the simplest solution of his +problem if he were to climb down to the river, and tie a stone about +his neck, and jump in? Samuel wished that he had thought to ask the +professor about this. For the idea frightened him; he had a distinct +impression of having been taught that it was a dreadful sin to take +one's own life. + +The trouble seemed to lie in the dull and unromantic nature of the life +about him. If only there had been some way to die nobly and heroically +for the good of others. If only there was a war, for instance, and a +call for men to perish on the ramparts! Or a terrible pestilence, so +that one could be a nurse! But there was nothing at all but this low +starving to death--and while other people lived in plenty. Samuel +thought of the chance of finding some work which involved grave peril +to life or limb; but apparently even the danger posts were filled. The +world did not need him, either in life or death! + +So there was nothing for it but the starving. Having eaten nothing that +day, Samuel was ready to begin at once; he tightened his belt and set +his teeth for the grapple with the gaunt wolf of hunger. + +And so he strode on down the road, pining for a chance to sacrifice +himself--and at the very hour that the greatest peril of his life was +bearing down upon him. + +He had passed “Fairview,” the great mansion with the stately gates and +the white pillars. He had passed beyond its vast grounds, and had got +out into the open country. He was walking blindly--it made no great +difference where he went. And then suddenly behind him there was a +clatter of hoofs; and he turned, and up the road he saw a cloud of dust, +and in the midst of it a horse galloping furiously. Samuel stared; there +was some kind of a vehicle behind it, and there was a person in the +vehicle. A single glance was enough for him to realize--it was a +runaway! + +To Samuel the thing came as a miracle--it was an answer to his prayer. +And it found him ready. The chance was offered him, and he would not +fail--not he! He did not falter for a second. He knew just what he had +to do, and he was ready--resolute, and alert, and tense. + +He moved into the center of the road. The horse came on, galloping at +top speed; it was a blooded horse, swift and frantic with fear, and +terrible to see. Samuel spread out his arms; and then in a flash the +creature was upon him. + +It swerved to pass him; and the boy wheeled, leaped swiftly, and flung +himself at the bridle. + +He caught it; his arms were wrenched, but he hung on, and jerked himself +up. The horse flung him to one side; but with a swift clutch, Samuel +caught him by the nostrils with one hand, and gripped fast. Then he +drew himself up close and hung grimly, his eyes shut, with a grasp like +death. + +And he was still hanging there when the run-away stopped, and the +occupant leaped from the vehicle and rushed to help him. “My God!” he +cried, “but that was nerve!” + +He was a young fellow, white as a sheet and trembling in every muscle. +“How did you do it?” he panted. + +“I just held on,” said Samuel. + +“God, but I'm thankful to you!” exclaimed the other. “You've saved my +life!” + +Samuel still clung to the horse, which was quivering with nervousness. + +“He'd never have got away from me, but one rein broke. See here!”--And +he held up the end. + +“What started him?” asked Samuel. + +“Nothing,” said the other--“a piece of paper, likely. He's a +fool--always was.” And he shook his fist in the horse's face, +exclaiming, “By God, I'll tame you before I finish with you!” + +“Look out!” said Samuel. “You'll start him again!” And again he clutched +the horse, which started to plunge. + +“I've got him now,” said the other. “He'll quiet down.” + +“Hold fast,” Samuel continued; and then he put his hand to his forehead, +and swayed slightly. “I--I'll have to sit down a moment, I'm afraid. I +feel sort of dizzy.” + +“Are you hurt?” cried the stranger anxiously. + +“No,” he said--“no, but I haven't had anything to eat to-day, and I'm a +little weak.” + +“Nothing to eat!” cried the other. “What's the matter?” + +“Why, I've been out of a job.” + +“Out of a job? Good heavens, man, have you been starving?” + +“Well,” said Samuel with a wan smile, “I had begun to.” + +He sat down by the roadside, and the other stared at him. “Do you live +in Lockmanville?” he asked. + +“No, I just came here. I left my home in the country to go to New York, +and I was robbed and lost all my money. And I haven't been able to find +anything to do, and I'd just about given up and got ready to die.” + +“My God!” cried the other in dismay. + +“Oh, it's all right,” said Samuel. “I didn't mind.” + +The stranger gazed at him in perplexity. And Samuel returned the gaze, +being curious to see who it was he had rescued. It was a youth not more +than a year or two older than himself. The color had now come back into +his face, and Samuel thought that he was the most beautiful human being +he had ever seen. He had a frank, open face, and laughing eyes, and +golden hair like a girl's. He wore outing costume, a silk shirt and +light flannels--things which Samuel had learned to associate with the +possession of wealth and ease. Also, his horse was a thoroughbred; +and with a rubber-tired runabout and a silver-mounted harness, the +expensiveness of the rig was evident. Samuel was glad of this, because +it meant that he had rescued some one of consequence--some one of the +successful and fit people. + +“Just as soon as you're able, come hold the horse,” said the stranger, +“and then I'll fix this rein, and take you back and get you something to +eat.” + +“Oh, no!” said Samuel. “Don't bother. That's all right.” + +“Hell, man!” cried the other. “Don't you suppose I'm going to do +anything for you?” + +“Well, I hadn't thought--” began Samuel. + +“Cut it out!” exclaimed the other. “I'll set you up, and find you a job, +and you can have a decent start.” + +Find him a job! Samuel's heart gave a great throb. For a moment he +hardly knew how to take this--how it would fit into his new philosophy. +But surely it was all right for him to take a job. Yes, he had earned +it. Even if some one else had to be turned out--even so, he had proven +his fitness. He had won in the struggle. He had a place among the +successful, and he could help Sophie and her mother. + +He got up with eagerness, and held the horse. “Do you think you can +manage him?” he asked. + +“Oh, yes,” said the other. “I'll chance it, anyhow.” + +And he leaped into the runabout and took the reins. “Now,” he said; and +Samuel got in, and they sped away, back toward town. + +“Don't say anything about this accident, please,” said the young man +suddenly. + +“I won't,” said Samuel. + +“My friends are always teasing me because I drive horses,” he explained. + +“Why not?” asked the other. + +“Well, everybody drives motors nowadays. But my father stood by horses, +and I learned to be fond of them.” + +“We never had but one horse on the farm,” observed Samuel. “But I was +fond of him.” + +“What is your name?” inquired the stranger; and Samuel told him. Also +he told him where he had come from and what had happened to him. He +took particular pains to tell about the jail, because he did not want +to deceive anyone. But his companion merely called it “an infernal +outrage.” + +“Where were you going now?” he asked. + +“I'd just left Professor Stewart's,” replied Samuel. + +“What! Old Stew? How do you come to know him?” + +“He was at the court. And he said he'd get me a job, and then he found +he couldn't. Do you know him?” + +“Oh, yes, I had him at college, you know.” + +“Oh, do you go to the college?” + +“I used to--till my father died. Then I quit. I hate study.” + +Samuel was startled. “I suppose you don't need to,” he said after a +pause. + +“No,” said the other. “My father thought the world of Old Stew,” he +added; “but he used to bore the life out of me. How'd you find him?” + +“Well,” answered Samuel, “you see, I haven't had any of your advantages. +I found what he told me very wonderful.” + +“What did he tell you?” + +“Well, he explained to me how it was I was out of a job. There are too +many people in the world, it seems, and I was one of the unfit. I had +failed in the struggle for existence, and so I had to be exterminated, +he said.” + +“The devil he did!” exclaimed the stranger. + +Samuel wished that the young man would not use so many improper words; +but he presumed that was one of the privileges of the successful. “I +was very grateful to him,” he went on, “because, you see, I hadn't +understood what it meant. But when I realized it was for the good of the +race, then I didn't mind any more.” + +His companion stole a glance at him out of the corner of his eye. “Gee!” + he said. + +“I had quite an argument with him. I wanted him to see that he ought +to teach the people. There are thousands of people starving here in +Lockmanville; and would you want to starve without knowing the reason?” + +“No,” said the other, “I don't think I should.” And again he looked at +his companion. + +But the conversation was interrupted there. For some time they had been +passing the place with the ten-foot iron railing; and now they came to +the great stone entrance with the name “Fairview” carved upon it. To +Samuel's surprise they turned in. + +“Where are you going?” he asked. + +“Home,” said the other. + +And Samuel started. “Do you live here?” he gasped. + +“Yes,” was the reply. + +Samuel stared at the familiar driveway with the stately elms, and the +lawns with the peacocks and lyre birds. “This is one of the places where +I asked for work,” he said. “They ordered me out.” + +“The deuce they did!” exclaimed the other. “Well, they won't order you +out now.” + +There was a pause. “You haven't told me your name,” put in Samuel +suddenly. + +“I thought you'd guess,” said the other with a laugh. + +“How could I?” + +“Why--don't you know what place this is?” + +“No,” said Samuel. “What?” + +And his companion replied, “It's the Lockman place.” + +Samuel caught his breath and clutched at the seat. + +“The Lockman place!” he panted; and then again, “The Lockman place!” + +He stared ahead at the great building, with the broad porticos and the +snow-white columns. He could hardly credit his ears. + +“I'm the old man's son,” added the stranger genially. “Albert's my name. +They call me Bertie.” + + + + +CHAPTER IX + + +Properly to understand the thrill which this revelation brought to +Samuel, one would have to consider the state of his mind. With all the +power of his being Samuel was seeking for excellence; and a great and +wise man had explained to him what were the signs by which this quality +was known. And in the “struggle for existence” old Henry Lockman had +succeeded more than any other man of whom Samuel had ever heard in his +life. He owned these huge glass works, and many others all over the +country. He owned the trolley roads, and the gas works, and the water +works; the place had been named after him, and the great college also. +For many years he had even run the government of the town, so Finnegan +had stated. And here was this huge estate, his home--a palace fit for +a king. How great must have been the excellence of such a man! And what +benefits he must have conferred upon the world, to have been rewarded +with all this power and glory! + +And here was his son--a youth in aspect fitting perfectly to +Samuel's vision; a very prince of the blood, yet genial and +free-hearted--noblesse oblige! To him had descended these virtues and +excellences--and all the estates and powers as the sign and symbol +thereof. And now had come a poor ignorant country boy, and it had fallen +to his fortune to save the life of this extraordinary being. And he was +to have a chance to be near him, and to serve him--to see how he lived, +and to find out the secret of his superior excellence. There was no +snobbery in Samuel's attitude; he felt precisely as another and far +greater Samuel had felt when his sovereign had condescended to praise +his dictionary, and the tears of gratitude had started into his eyes. + +They drove up before the palace, and a groom came hurrying up. +“Phillips,” said young Lockman, “look at that rein!” + +The groom stared aghast. + +“Take it and show it to Sanderson,” the other continued. “Ask him if I +don't pay enough for my harness that he gets me stuff like that.” + +“Yes, sir,” said the groom. + +They alighted and crossed the broad piazza, which was covered with easy +chairs and tables and rugs. In the entrance hall stood a man in livery. + +“Peters,” said the young man, “this is Samuel Prescott. I had some +trouble with my horse and he helped me. He hasn't had anything to eat +today, and I want him to have a good meal.” + +“Yes, sir,” said the man. “Where shall I serve it, sir?” + +“In the morning room. We'll wait there. And mind you, bring him a +plenty.” + +“Yes, sir,” said Peters, and went off. + +Meantime Samuel had time for a glance about him. Never had he heard or +dreamed of such magnificence. It was appalling, beyond belief! The great +entrance hall went up to the roof; and there was a broad staircase of +white marble, with galleries of marble, and below a marble fireplace, +big enough to hold a section of a tree. Beyond this was a court with +fountains splashing, and visions of palms and gorgeous flowers; and +on each side were vistas of rooms with pictures and tapestries and +furniture which Samuel thought must be of solid gold. + +“Come,” said his companion, and they ascended the staircase. + +Halfway up, however, Samuel stopped and caught his breath. Before him +there was a painting. There is no need to describe it in detail--suffice +it to say that it was a life-size painting of a woman, entirely naked; +and that Samuel had never seen such a thing in his life before. He +dropped his eyes as he came near to it. + +They went along the gallery and entered a room, dazzlingly beautiful and +bright. It was all done in white satin, the front being of glass, and +opening upon a wide balcony. There were flowers and singing birds, +and in the panels most beautiful paintings, representing wood nymphs +dancing. These airy creatures, also, were innocent of anything save +filmy veils; but they were all about the room, and so poor Samuel had no +way to escape them. He sought for light within his mind; and suddenly he +recollected the illustrated Bible at home. Perhaps the peerless beings +who lived in such palaces had returned to a state of guiltlessness, such +as had existed before the serpent came. + +Young Lockman flung himself into an easy chair and proceeded to +cross-question his companion. He wanted to know all about the interview +with “Old Stew”; and afterwards, having managed to divine Samuel's +attitude to himself, he led him to talk about that, which Samuel +did with the utmost frankness. “Gee, but you're a queer duffer!” was +Lockman's comment; but Samuel didn't mind that. + +The butler came with the meal--carrying it on a big tray, and with +another man to carry a folding table, and yet another to help. Such a +display of silver and cut glass! Such snowy linen, and such unimaginable +viands! There were piles of sandwiches, each one half a bite for a +fairly hungry man. There was jellied game, and caviar, and a pate +of something strange and spicy. Nothing was what one would have +expected--there were eggs inside of baked potatoes, and ice cream in +some sort of crispy cake. The crackers looked like cakes, and the cakes +like crackers, and the cheese was green and discouraging. But a bowl of +strawberries and cream held out a rich promise at the end, and Samuel +took heart. + +“Fall to,” said the host; and then divining the other's state of mind, +he remarked, “You needn't serve, Peters,” and the men went away, to +Samuel's vast relief. + +“Don't mind me,” added Lockman laughing. “And if there's any question +you want to ask, all right.” + +So Samuel tasted the food of the gods; a kind of food which human skill +and ingenuity had labored for centuries to invent, and for days and even +weeks to prepare. Samuel wondered vaguely where all these foods had come +from, and how many people had had a hand in their preparation; also +he wondered if all those who ate them would become as beautiful and as +dazzling as his young friend. + +The friend meanwhile was vastly diverted, and was bent upon making the +most of his find. “I suppose you'd like to see the place?” he said. + +“I should, indeed,” said Samuel. + +“Come and I'll show it to you--that is, If you're able to walk after the +meal.” + +The meal did not trouble Samuel, and they went out and took a stroll. +And so the boy met with yet another revelation of the possibilities of +existence. + +If there was anything in the world he would have supposed he understood, +it was farming; but here at “Fairview” was farming as it was done by the +methods of Science. At home they had had some lilac bushes and a row of +peonies; here were acres of greeneries, filled with flowers of gorgeous +and unimaginable splendor, and rare plants from every part of the world. +At home it had been Samuel's lot to milk the cow, and he had found it a +trying job on cold and dark winter mornings; and here was a model dairy, +with steam heat and electric light, and tiled walls and nickel plumbing, +and cows with pedigrees in frames, and attendants with white uniforms +and rubber gloves. Then there was a row of henhouses, each for a fancy +breed of fowl--some of them red and lean as herons, and others white +as snow and as fat and ungainly as hogs. And then out in front, at one +corner of the lawn, was the aviary, with houses for the peacocks and +lyre birds, and for parrots and magpies and innumerable strange birds +from the tropics. Also there were dog kennels with many dozens of +strange breeds. + +“Father got those for me,” said young Lockman. “He thought I'd be +interested in agriculture.” + +“Well, aren't you?” asked Samuel. + +“Not very much,” said the other carelessly. “Here's Punch--what do you +think of him?” + +The occasion for this was a dog, the most hideously ugly object that +Samuel had ever seen in his life. “I--I don't think I'd care for him,” + he said hesitatingly. + +“He's a Japanese bulldog,” observed the other. “He cost three thousand +dollars.” + +“Three thousand dollars!” gasped the boy in horror. “Why should anyone +pay so much for a dog?” + +“That's what he's worth,” said the other with a laugh. + +They went to see the horses, which were housed in a palace of their own. +There were innumerable rows of stalls, and a running track and endless +acres of inclosures. “Why do you have so many horses?” asked Samuel. + +“Father ran a stock farm,” said the other. “I don't have much time to +give to it myself.” + +“But who rides the horses?” asked Samuel. + +“Well, I go in for sport,” replied Lockman. “I'm supposed to be quite a +dab at polo.” + +“I see,” said the boy--though to tell the truth he did not see at all, +not having the least idea what polo was. + +“If you're interested in horses, I'll have them find you something to do +here,” Lockman went on. + +“Oh, thank you,” said the boy with a thrill. “That will be fine!” + +He could have spent all day in gazing at the marvels of this place, but +his host was tired now and started back to the house. “It's lunch time,” + he said. “Perhaps you are hungry again!” + +They came out upon the piazza and sat down. And then suddenly they heard +a clatter of hoofs and looked up. “Hello!” exclaimed the host. “Here's +Glad!” + +A horse was coming up the road at a lively pace. The rider was seated +a-straddle, and so Samuel was slow to realize that it was a woman. It +was only when he saw her wave her hand and call to them that he was +sure. + +She reined up her horse, and a groom who followed her took the rein, and +she stepped off upon the piazza and stood looking at them. She was young +and of extraordinary beauty. She was breathing fast, and her hair was +blown about her forehead, and the glow of health was in her cheeks; and +Samuel thought that she was the most beautiful object that he had ever +beheld in all his life. He stared transfixed; he had never dreamed that +anything so wonderful could exist in the world. He realized in a sudden +glow of excitement what it was that confronted him. She was the female +of this higher species; she was the superior and triumphant woman. + +“Hello, Bertie!” she said. + +“Hello!” the other replied, and then added. “This is my cousin, Miss +Wygant. Glad, this is Samuel Prescott.” + +The girl made a slight acknowledgment, and stared at Samuel with a look +in which curiosity and hauteur were equally mingled. She was a brunette +with dark hair, and an almost Oriental richness of coloring. She was +lithe and gracefully built, and quick in her motions. There was eager +alertness in her whole aspect; her glance was swift and her voice +imperious. One could read her at a glance for a person accustomed to +command--impatient and adventurous, passionate and proud. + +“I've had an adventure,” said her cousin by way of explanation. “Samuel, +here, saved my life.” + +And Samuel thrilled to see the sudden look of interest which came into +the girl's face. + +“What!” she cried. + +“Yes,” said the other. “Spitfire ran away with me.” + +“You don't mean it, Bertie!” + +“Yes. The rein broke. He started near the gate here and ran three or +four miles with me.” + +“Bertie!” cried the girl. “And what happened?” + +“Samuel stopped him.” + +“How?” + +“It was splendid, Glad--the nerviest thing I ever saw. He just flung +himself at the rein and caught it and hung on. He saved my life, beyond +question.” + +And now Samuel, burning up with embarrassment, faced the full blaze +of the girl's impetuous interest. “How perfectly fine!” she exclaimed; +then, “Where do you come from?” she asked. + +“He's just off a farm,” said Lockman. “He was on his way to New York to +make his fortune. And think of it, Glad, he'd been robbed, and he'd been +wandering about town begging for work, and he was nearly starving.” + +“You don't say so!” gasped the girl. + +She took a chair and indicated to Samuel to sit in front of her. “Tell +me all about yourself,” she said; and proceeded to cross-question him +about his life and his adventures. + +Poor Samuel was like a witness in the hands of a prosecutor--he became +hopelessly confused and frightened. But that made no difference to the +girl, who poured a ceaseless fire of questions upon him, until she had +laid his whole life bare. She even made him tell about Manning, the +stockbroker, and how the family had lost its money in the collapse of +Glass Bottle Securities. And then her cousin put in a word about his +adventure with “Old Stew,” and Samuel had to tell that all over again, +and to set forth his sociological convictions--Miss Wygant and her +cousin meantime exchanging glances of wonder and amusement. + +At last, however, they tired of him and fell to talking of a dance they +were to attend and a tennis tournament in which they were to play. And +so Samuel had a chance to gaze at Miss Wygant and to feast his eyes upon +her beauty. He could have dreamed of no greater joy in all this world +than to watch her for hours--to study every detail of her features and +her costume, and to see the play of laughter about her mouth and eyes. + +But then came the butler announcing luncheon; and Samuel rose in a +panic. He had a sudden vision of himself being asked to the table, to +sit under Miss Wygant's merciless survey. “I think I'd better go now,” + he said. + +“All right,” said young Lockman. “Will you come to-morrow morning, and +we'll fix things up?” + +“I'll come,” said Samuel. + +“What are you going to do with him?” asked the girl. + +“He likes to take care of horses,” said Lockman. + +“No,” exclaimed the other promptly, “that won't do.” + +“Why not?” asked he. + +“Because, Bertie, you don't want to make a stable boy out of him. He has +too many possibilities. For one thing, he's good looking.” + +Samuel flushed scarlet and dropped his eyes. He felt again that +penetrating gaze. + +“All right,” said Lockman. “What can you suggest?” + +“I don't know, I'm sure. But something decent.” + +“He doesn't know enough to be a house servant, Glad--” + +“No--but something outside. Couldn't he learn gardening? Are you fond of +flowers, Samuel?” + +“Yes, ma'am,” said Samuel quickly. + +“Well, then, make a gardener out of him,” said Miss Wygant; and that +settled Samuel's destiny. + +The boy took his departure and went home, almost running in his +excitement. He was transported into a distant heaven of bliss; he had +been seated among the gods--he was to dwell there forever after! + +His new patron had given him a five-dollar bill; and before he reached +the Stedman home he stopped in a grocery store and loaded up his arms +with bundles. And then, seized by a sudden thought, he went into a +notion store and set down his bundles and purchased a clean, white linen +collar, and a necktie of royal purple and brilliant green--already tied, +so that it would always be perfect in shape. + +Then he went into the Stedmans, and the widow and the youngest children +sat round and listened open-eyed to his tale. And then came Sophie, and +he had to tell it all over again. + +The girl's eyes opened wide with excitement when he came to the end of +his recital. “Miss Wygant!” she exclaimed. “Miss Gladys Wygant?” + +“Yes,” said Samuel. “You've heard of her?” + +“I've seen her!” exclaimed Sophie eagerly. “Twice!” + +“You don't mean it,” he said. + +“Yes. Once she came to our church festival at Christmas.” + +“Does she belong to your church?” + +“It's the mission. Great folks like her wouldn't want us in the church +with them. She goes to St. Matthew's, you know--up there on the hill. +But she came to the festival at the mission and helped to give out the +presents. And she was dressed all in red--something filmy and soft, like +you'd see in a dream. And, oh, Samuel--she was so beautiful! She had a +rose in her hair--and such a sweet perfume--you could hardly bear it! +And she stood there and smiled at all the children and gave them the +presents. She gave me mine, and it was like seeing a princess. I wanted +to fall down and kiss her feet.” + +“Yes,” said Samuel understandingly. + +“And to think that you've met her!” cried Sophie in ecstasy. “And talked +with her! Oh, how could you do it?” + +“I--I don't think I did it very well,” said Samuel. + +“What did you say to her?” + +“I don't remember much of it.” + +“I never heard her voice,” said Sophie. “She was talking, the other time +I saw her, but the machinery drowned it out. That was in the mill--she +came there with some other people and walked about, looking at +everything. We were all so excited. You know, her father owns the mill.” + +“No, I didn't know it,” replied Samuel. + +“He owns all sorts of things in Lockmanville. They're very, very rich. +And she's his only daughter, and so beautiful--everybody worships her. +I've got two pictures of her that were in the newspapers once. Come--you +must see them.” + +And so the two rushed upstairs; and over the bed were two faded +newspaper clippings, one showing Miss Gladys in an evening gown, and the +other in dimity en princesse, with a bunch of roses in her arms. + +“Did you ever see anything so lovely?” asked the girl. “I made her my +fairy godmother. And she used to say such lovely things to me. She must +be very kind, you know--no one could be so beautiful who wasn't very, +very good and kind.” + +“No,” said Samuel. “She must be, I'm sure.” + +And then a sudden idea came to him. “Sophie!” he exclaimed--“she said I +was good looking! I wonder if I am.” + +And Sophie shot a quick glance at him. “Why, of course you are!” she +cried. “You stupid boy!” + +Samuel went to the cracked mirror which hung upon the wall and looked at +himself with new and wandering interest. + +“Don't you see how fine and strong you are?” said Sophie. “And what a +bright color you've got?” + +“I never thought of it,” said he, and recollected the green and purple +necktie. + +“And to think that you've talked with her!” exclaimed Sophie, turning +back to the pictures; and she added in a sudden burst of generosity, “I +tell you what I'll do, Samuel--I'll give you these, and you can put them +in your room!” + +“You mustn't do that!” he protested. + +But the girl insisted. “No, no! I know them by heart, so it won't make +any difference. And they'll mean so much more to you, because you've +really met her!” + + + + +CHAPTER X + + +Samuel presented himself the next morning and was turned over to the +head gardener and duly installed as an assistant. “Let me know how +you're getting along,” was young Lockman's last word to him. “And if +there's anything else I can do for you come and tell me.” + +“Thank you very much, sir,” said the boy gratefully; but without +realizing how these magic words, pronounced in the gardener's hearing, +would make him a privileged character about the place--an object of +mingled deference and envy to the other servants. + +It was a little world all in itself, the “Fairview” menage. Without +counting the stable hands, and the employees of the different farms, it +took no less than twenty-three people to minister to the personal wants +of Bertie Lockman. And they were divided into ranks and classes, with +a rigid code of etiquette, upon which they insisted with vehemence. A +housekeeper's assistant looked with infinite scorn upon a kitchen maid, +and there had to be no less than four dining rooms for the various +classes of servants who would not eat at the same table. All this was +very puzzling to the stranger; but after a while he came to see how the +system had grown up. It was just like a court; and the privileged beings +who waited upon the sovereign necessarily were esteemed according to the +importance of the service they performed for him and the access which +they attained to his person. + +A good many of these servants were foreigners, and Samuel was pained +to discover that they were for the most part without any ennobling +conception of their calling. They were much given to gluttony and +drinking; and there was an unthinkable amount of scandal and backbiting +and jealousy. But it was only by degrees that he realized this, for he +had one great motive in common with them--they were all possessed with a +sense of the greatness of the Lockmans, and none of them wanted anything +better than to talk for hours about the family and its wealth and power, +and the habits and tastes of its members and their friends. + +It was Katie Reilly, a bright little Irish damsel, the housekeeper's +sewing girl, who first captured Samuel with her smile; she carried him +off for a walk, in spite of the efforts of the second parlor maid, and +Samuel drank up eagerly the stream of gossip which poured from her lips. +Master Albert--that was what they all called him--was said to have an +income of over seven hundred thousand dollars a year. What he did with +such a sum no one could imagine; he had lived quite alone since his +father's death. The house had always been run by Miss Aurelia, old Mr. +Lockman's sister, a lady with the lumbago and a terrible temper; but she +had died a couple of years ago. Mr. Lockman had taken great interest +in his stock farm, but very little in his house; and Master Albert +took even less, spending most of his time in New York. Consequently +everything was at sixes and sevens, and he was being robbed most +terribly. But in spite of all his relatives' suggestions, he would not +have anyone to come and live with him. + +Master Albert was still a minor, and his affairs were managed by Mr. +Hickman, the family lawyer, and also by his uncle, Mr. Wygant. The +latter was a manufacturer and capitalist--also a great scholar, so Katie +said. It was he Samuel had seen that afternoon in the automobile, a tall +and very proud-looking man with an iron-gray mustache. He lived in the +big white house just after you climbed the ridge; and Miss Gladys was +his only daughter. She had been old Mr. Lockman's favorite niece, and he +had left her a great deal of money. People were always planning a match +between her and Master Albert, but that always made Miss Gladys very +angry. They both declared they were not in love with each other, and +Katie was inclined to think this was true. Miss Gladys had been away to +a rich boarding school, and she wanted to visit some friends at +Newport; but her father wanted her to stay with him, and that made her +discontented. She was very beautiful, and everybody was her slave. “But +oh, I tell you, when she's angry!” said Katie with a shake of her head. + +This little Irish girl was a rare find for Samuel, because her brother +was the “fellow” to Miss Gladys's maid, and so there was nothing she +could not tell Samuel about his divinity. He learned about Miss Gladys's +beautiful party dresses, and about her wonderful riding horse, and about +her skill at tennis, and even her fondness for chocolate fudge. Miss +Gladys had been to Paris the summer before; and her family had a camp in +the Adirondacks, and they went there every August in an automobile +and flew about on a mountain lake in a motor-boat the shape of a knife +blade. Katie wanted to talk about Samuel a part of the time, and even, +perhaps, about herself; but Samuel plied her with questions about Miss +Wygant. + +He had her two pictures folded away in his vest pocket; and all the +time that he trimmed the hedges he listened for the sound of her horse's +hoofs or for the chug of her motor. And then, one blissful morning, when +he was carrying in an armful of roses for the housekeeper, he ran full +upon her in the hall. + +His heart leaped so that it hurt him; and instead of passing straight +on, as he should have done, he stood stock still, and almost spilled his +roses on the floor. + +Miss Gladys's face lighted with pleasure. + +“Why, it's Samuel!” she exclaimed. + +“Yes, Miss Gladys,” said he. + +“And how do you like your position?” + +“Very well, Miss Gladys,” he replied; and then, feeling the inadequacy +of this, he added with fervor, “I'm so happy I can't tell you.” + +“I'm very glad to hear it,” she said. “And I'm sure you fill it very +well.” + +“I've done the best I can, Miss Gladys,” said he. + +There was a moment's pause. “You find there is a good deal to learn?” + she inquired. + +“Yes,” he answered. “But you see, it's about flowers, and I was always +interested in flowers.” + +And again there was a pause; and then suddenly Miss Wygant flung a +question at him--“Samuel, why do you look at me like that?” + +Samuel was almost knocked over. + +“Why--why--” he gasped. “Miss Gladys! I don't--!” + +“Ah!” she said, “but you do.” + +Poor Samuel was in an agony of horror. “I--I--really--” he stammered. “I +didn't mean it--I wouldn't for the world---” + +He stopped, utterly at a loss; and Miss Wygant kept her merciless gaze +upon him. “Am I so very beautiful?” she asked. + +This startled Samuel into lifting his eyes. He stared at her, +transfixed; and at last he whispered, faintly, “Yes.” + +“Tell me about it,” she said, and her look shook him to the depths of +his soul. + +He stood there, trembling; he could feel the blood pouring in a warm +flood about his throat and neck. “Tell me,” she said again. + +“You--you are more beautiful than anyone I have ever seen,” he panted. + +“You are not used to women, Samuel!” + +“No,” said he. “I'm just a country boy.” + +She stood waiting for him to continue. “The girls there”--he +whispered--“they are pretty--but you--you---” + +And then suddenly the words came to him. “You are like a princess!” he +cried. + +“Ah, if you ever find your tongue!” she said with a smile; and then +after a pause she added, “You don't know how different you are, Samuel.” + +“Different?” he echoed. + +“Yes. You are so fresh--so young. You would do anything for me, wouldn't +you?” + +“Yes,” he said. + +“You'd risk your life for me, as you did for Bertie?” + +And Samuel answered her with fervor that left no room for doubt. + +“I wish there was a chance,” she laughed. “But there's only this dull +every-day round!” + +There was a pause; the boy dropped his eyes and stood trembling. + +“Where are you going with the roses?” she asked. + +“I'm to take them to the housekeeper.” + +“Let me have one.” + +She took one from the bunch, and he stood watching while she pinned it +to her dress. “You may bring me some, now and then,” she said with one +of her marvelous smiles. “Don't forget.” And then, as she went on, she +touched him upon the hand. + +At the touch of her warm, living fingers such a thrill passed through +the boy as made him reel. It was something blind and elemental, outside +of anything that he had dreamed of in his life. She went on down the +hall and left him there, and he had to lean against a table for support. + +And all that day he was in a daze--with bursts of rapture sweeping over +him. She was interested in him! She had smiled upon him! She had touched +his hand! + +He went home that evening on purpose to tell Sophie; and the two of them +talked about it for hours. He told the story over and over again. And +Sophie listened, with her eyes shining and her hands clasped in an +ecstasy of delight. + +“Oh, Samuel!” she whispered. “I knew it--I knew she'd appreciate you! +She was so beautiful--I knew she must be kind and good!” + + + + +CHAPTER XI + + +A week passed, and Samuel did not see his divinity again. He lived upon +the memory of their brief interview, and while he trimmed the hedges +he was dreaming the most extravagant dreams of rescues and perilous +escapes. For the first time he began to find that his work was tedious; +it offered so few possibilities of romance! If only he had been her +chauffeur, now! Or the guide who escorted her in her tramps about the +wilderness! Or the man who ran the wonderful motor-boat that was shaped +like a knife blade! + +Samuel continued to ponder, and was greatly worried lest the commonplace +should ingulf him. So little he dreamed how near was a change! + +Bertie Lockman had been away for a few days, visiting some friends, and +he came back unexpectedly one afternoon. Samuel knew that he had not +been expected, for always there were great bunches of flowers to be +placed in his room. The gardener happened to be away at the time the +motor arrived, and so Samuel upon his own responsibility cut the flowers +and took them into the house. He left them in the housekeeper's workroom +and then set out to find that functionary, and tell her what he had +done. So, in the entrance to the dining room, he stumbled upon his young +master, giving some orders to Peters, the butler. + +As an humble gardener's boy, Samuel should have stepped back and +vanished. Instead he came forward, and Bertie smiled pleasantly and +said, “Hello, Samuel.” + +“Good afternoon, Master Albert,” said Samuel. + +“And how do you like your work?” the other asked. + +“I like it very well, sir,” he replied; and then added apologetically, +“I was bringing some flowers.” + +The master turned to speak to Peters again; and Samuel turned to retire. +But at that instant there came the sound of a motor in front of the +house. + +“Hello,” said Bertie. “Who's that?” and turned to look through the +entrance hall. Peters went forward to the door; and so Samuel was left +standing and watching. + +A big red touring car had drawn up in front of the piazza. It was +filled with young people, waving their hands and shouting, “Bertie! Oh, +Bertie!” + +The other appeared to be startled. “Well, I'll be damned!” he muttered +as he went to meet them. + +Of course Samuel had no business whatever to stand there. He should have +fled in trepidation. But he, as a privileged person, had not yet been +drilled into a realization of his “place.” And they were such marvelous +creatures--these people of the upper world--and he was so devoured with +the desire to know about them. + +There were two young men in the motor, of about his master's age, and +nearly as goodly to look at. And there were four young women, of a +quite extraordinary sort. They were beautiful, all of them--nearly +as beautiful as Miss Gladys; and perhaps it was only the automobile +costumes, but they struck one as even more alarmingly complex. + +They were airy, ethereal creatures, with delicate peach blow +complexions, and very small hands and feet. They seemed to favor all +kinds of fluffy and flimsy things; they were explosions of all the +colors of the springtime. There were leaves and flowers and fruits and +birds in their hats; and there were elaborate filmy veils to hold the +hats on. They descended from the motor, and Samuel had glimpses of +ribbons and ruffles, of shapely ankles and daintily slippered feet. They +came in the midst of a breeze of merriment, with laughter and bantering +and little cries of all sorts. + +“You don't seem very glad to see us, Bertie!” one said. + +“Cheer up, old chap--nobody'll tell on us!” cried one of the young men. + +“And we'll be good and go home early!” added another of the girls. + +One of the party Samuel noticed particularly, because she looked more +serious, and hung back a little. She was smaller than the others, +a study in pink and white; her dress and hat were trimmed with pink +ribbons, and she had the most marvelously pink cheeks and lips, and the +most exquisite features Samuel had ever seen in his life. + +Now suddenly she ran to young Lockman and flung her arms about his neck. + +“Bertie,” she exclaimed, “it's my fault. I made them come! I wanted to +see you so badly! You aren't mad with us, are you?” + +“No,” said Bertie, “I'm not mad.” + +“Well, then, be glad!” cried the girl, and kissed him again. “Be a good +boy--do!” + +“All right,” said Bertie feebly. “I'll be good, Belle.” + +“We wanted to surprise you,” added one of the young fellows. + +“You surprised me all right,” said Bertie--a reply which all of them +seemed to find highly amusing, for they laughed uproariously. + +“He doesn't ask us in,” said one of the girls. “Come on, Dolly--let's +see this house of his.” + +And so the party poured in. Samuel waited just long enough to catch the +rustle of innumerable garments, and a medley of perfumes which might +have been blown from all the gardens of the East. Then he turned and +fled to the regions below. + +One of the young men, he learned from the talk in the servants' hall, +was Jack Holliday, the youngest son of the railroad magnate; it was his +sister who was engaged to marry the English duke. The other boy was the +heir of a great lumber king from the West, and though he was only twenty +he had got himself involved in a divorce scandal with some actor +people. Who the young ladies were no one seemed to know, but there were +half-whispered remarks about them, the significance of which was quite +lost upon Samuel. + +Presently the word came that the party was to stay to dinner. And +then instantly the whole household sprang into activity. Above stairs +everything would move with the smoothness of clockwork; but downstairs +in the servants' quarters it was a serious matter that an elaborate +banquet for seven people had to be got ready in a couple of hours. Even +Samuel was pressed into service at odd jobs--something for which he was +very glad, as it gave him a chance to remain in the midst of events. + +So it happened that he saw Peters emerging from the wine cellar, +followed by a man with a huge basket full of bottles. And this set +Samuel to pondering hard, the while he scraped away at a bowl of +potatoes. It was the one thing which had disconcerted him in the life +of this upper world--the obvious part that drinking played in it. There +were always decanters of liquor upon the buffet in the dining room; and +liquor was served to guests upon any--and every pretext. And the women +drank as freely as the men--even Miss Gladys drank, a thing which was +simply appalling to Samuel. + +Of course, these were privileged people, and they knew what they wanted +to do. But could it be right for anyone to drink? As in the case of +suicide, Samuel found his moral convictions beginning to waver. Perhaps +it was that drink did not affect these higher beings as it did ordinary +people! Or perhaps what they drank was something that cheered without +inebriating! Certain it was that the servants got drunk; and Samuel had +seen that they took the stuff from the decanters used by the guests. + +It was something over which he labored with great pain of soul. But, of +course, all his hesitations and sophistries were for the benefit of his +master--that it could be right for Samuel himself to touch liquor was +something that could not by any chance enter his mind. + +The dinner had begun; and Samuel went on several errands to the room +below the butler's pantry, and so from the dumb-waiter shafts he could +hear the sounds of laughter and conversation. And more wine went up--it +was evidently a very merry party. The meal was protracted for two or +three hours, and the noise grew louder and louder. They were shouting +so that one could hear them all over the house. They were singing +songs--wild rollicking choruses which were very wonderful to listen +to, and yet terribly disturbing to Samuel. These fortunate successful +ones--he would grant them the right to any happiness--it was to be +expected that they should dwell in perpetual merriment and delight. But +he could hear the champagne corks popping every few minutes. And COULD +it be right for them to drink! + +It grew late, and still the revelry went on. A thunderstorm had come up +and was raging outside. The servants who were not at work, had gone to +bed, but there was no sleep for Samuel; he continued to prowl about, +restless and tormented. The whole house was now deserted, save for +the party in the dining room; and so he crept up, by one of the rear +stairways, and crouched in a doorway, where he could listen to the wild +uproar. + +He had been there perhaps ten minutes. He could hear the singing and +yelling, though he could not make out the words because of the noise +of the elements. But then suddenly, above all the confusion, he heard a +woman's shrieks piercing and shrill; and he started up and sprang into +the hall. Whether they were cries of anger, or of fear, or of pain, +Samuel could not be certain; but he knew that they were not cries of +enjoyment. + +He stood trembling. There rose a babel of shouts, and then again came +the woman's voice--“No, no--you shan't, I say!” + +“Sit down, you fool!” Samuel heard Bertie Lockman shout. + +And then came another woman's voice--“Shut up and mind your business!” + +“I'll tear your eyes out, you devil!” shrilled the first voice, and +there followed a string of furious curses. The other woman replied in +kind and Samuel made out that there was some kind of a quarrel, and that +some of the party wanted to interfere, and that others wanted it to +go on. All were whooping and shrieking uproariously, and the two women +yelled like hyenas. + +It was like the nightmare sounds he had heard from his cell in the +police station, and Samuel listened appalled. There came a crash of +breaking glass; and then suddenly, in the midst of the confusion, he +heard his young master cry, “Get out of here!”--and the dining room door +was flung open, and the uproar burst full upon him. + +A terrible sight met his eyes. It was the beautiful and radiant creature +who had kissed Bertie Lockman; her face was now flushed with drink and +distorted with rage--her hair disheveled and her aspect wild; and she +was screaming in the voice which had first startled Samuel. Bertie had +grappled with her and was trying to push her out of the room, while she +fought frantically, and screamed: “Let me go! Let me go!” + +“Get out of here, I say!” cried Bertie, “I mean it now.” + +“I won't! Let me be!” exclaimed the girl. + +“Hurrah!” shouted the others, crowding behind them. Young Holliday +was dancing about, waving a bottle and yelling like a maniac, “Go it, +Bertie! Give it to him, Belle!” + +“This is the end of it!” cried Bertie. “I'm through with you. And you +get out of here!” + +“I won't! I won't!” screamed the girl again and again. “Help!” And she +flung one arm about his neck and caught at the doorway. + +But he tore her loose and dragged her bodily across the entrance hall. +“Out with you!” he exclaimed. “And don't ever let me see your face +again!” + +“Bertie! Bertie!” she protested. + +“I mean it!” he said. “Here Jack! Open the door for me.” + +“Bertie! No!” shrieked the girl; but then with a sudden effort he half +threw her out into the darkness. There was a brief altercation outside, +and then he sprang back, and flung to the heavy door, and bolted it +fast. + +“Now, by God!” he said, “you'll stay out.” + +The girl beat and kicked frantically upon the door. But Bertie turned +his back and staggered away, reeling slightly. “That'll settle it, I +guess,” he said, with a wild laugh. + +And amidst a din of laughter and cheers from the others, he went back +to the dining room. One of the other women flung her arms about him +hilariously, and Jack Holliday raised a bottle of wine on high, and +shouted: “Off with the old love--on with the new!” + +And so Bertie shut the door again, and the scene was hid from Samuel's +eyes. + + + + +CHAPTER XII + + +For a long while, Samuel stood motionless, hearing the swish of the rain +and the crashing of the thunder as an echo of the storm in his own soul. +It was as if a chasm had yawned beneath his feet, and all the castles +of his dreams had come down in ruins. He stood there, stunned and +horrified, staring at the wreckage of everything he had believed. + +Then suddenly he crossed the drawing-room and opened one of the French +windows which led to the piazza. The rain was driving underneath the +shelter of the roof; but he faced it, and ran toward the door. + +The girl was lying in front of it, and above the noise of the wind and +rain he heard her sobbing wildly. He stood for a minute, hesitating; +then he bent down and touched her. + +“Lady,” he said. + +She started. “Who are you?” she cried. + +“I'm just one of the servants, ma'am.” + +She caught her breath. “Did he send you?” she demanded. + +“No,” said he, “I came to help you.” + +“I don't need any help. Let me be.” + +“But you can't stay here in the rain,” he protested. “You'll catch your +death.” + +“I want to die!” she answered. “What have I to live for?” + +Samuel stood for a moment, perplexed. Then, as he touched her wet +clothing again, common sense asserted itself. “You mustn't stay here,” + he said. “You mustn't.” + +But she only went on weeping. “He's cast me off!” she exclaimed. “My +God, what shall I do?” + +Samuel turned and ran into the house again and got an umbrella in the +hall. Then he took the girl by the arm and half lifted her. “Come,” he +said. “Please.” + +“But where shall I go?” she asked. + +“I know some one in the town who'll help you,” he said. “You can't stay +here--you'll catch cold.” + +“What's there left for me?” she moaned. “What am I good for? He's thrown +me over--and I can't live without him!” + +Samuel got the umbrella up and held it with one hand; then with his +other arm about the girl's waist, he half carried her down the piazza +steps. “That she-devil was after him!” she was saying. “And it was Jack +Holliday set her at it, damn his soul! I'll pay him for it!” + +She poured forth a stream of wild invective. + +“Please stop,” pleaded Samuel. “People will hear you.” + +“What do I care if they do hear me? Let them put me in jail--that's all +I'm fit for. I'm drunk, and I'm good for nothing--and he's tired of me!” + +So she rushed on, all the way toward town. Then, as they came to the +bridge, she stopped and looked about. “Where are you taking me?” she +asked. + +“To a friend's house,” he said, having in mind the Stedmans. + +“No,” she replied. “I don't want to see anyone. Take me to some hotel, +can't you?” + +“There's one down the street here,” he said. “I don't know anything +about it.” + +“I don't care. Any place.” + +The rain had slackened and she stopped and gathered up her wet and +straggled hair. + +There was a bar underneath the hotel, and a flight of stairs led up to +the office. They went up, and a man sitting behind the desk stared at +them. + +“I want to get a room for this lady,” said Samuel. “She's been caught in +the rain.” + +“Is she your wife?” asked the man. + +“Mercy, no,” said he startled. + +“Do you want a room, too?” + +“No, no, I'm going away.” + +“Oh!” said the man, and took down a key. “Register, please.” + +Samuel took the pen, and then turned to the girl. “I beg pardon,” he +said, “but I don't know your name.” + +“Mary Smith,” she answered, and Samuel stared at her in surprise. “Mary +Smith,” she repeated, and he wrote it down obediently. + +The man took them upstairs; and Samuel, after helping the girl to a +chair, shut the door and stood waiting. And she flung herself down upon +the bed and burst into a paroxysm of weeping. Samuel had never even +heard the word hysterics, and it was terrifying to him to see her--he +could not have believed that so frail and slender a human body could +survive so frightful a storm of emotion. + +“Oh, please, please stop!” he cried wildly. + +“I can't live without him!” she wailed again and again. “I can't live +without him! What am I going to do?” + +Samuel's heart was wrung. He went to the girl, and put his hand upon her +arm. “Listen to me,” he said earnestly. “Let me try to help you.” + +“What can you do?” she demanded. + +“I'll go and see him. I'll plead with him--perhaps he'll listen to me.” + +“All right!” she cried. “Anything! Tell him I'll kill myself! I'll kill +him and Dolly both, before I'll ever let her have him! Yes, I mean it! +He swore to me he'd never leave me! And I believed him--I trusted him!” + +And Samuel clenched his hands with sudden resolution. “I'll see him +about it,” he said. “I'll see him to-night.” + +And leaving the other still shaking with sobs, he turned and left the +room. + +He stopped in the office to tell the man that he was going. But there +was nobody there; and after hesitating a moment he went on. + +The storm was over and the moon was out, with scud of clouds flying +past. Samuel strode back to “Fairview,” with his hands gripped tightly, +and a blaze of resolution in his soul. + +He was just in time to see the automobile at the door, and the company +taking their departure. They passed him, singing hilariously; and then +he found himself confronting his young master. + +“Who's that?” exclaimed Bertie, startled. + +“It's me, sir,” said Samuel. + +“Oh! Samuel! What are you doing here?” + +“I've been with the young lady, sir.” + +“Oh! So that's what became of her!” + +“I took her to a hotel, sir.” + +“Humph!” said Bertie. “I'm obliged to you.” + +The piazza lights were turned up, and by them Samuel could see the +other's face, flushed with drink, and his hair and clothing in disarray. +He swayed slightly as he stood there. + +“Master Albert,” said Samuel very gravely, “May I have a few words with +you?” + +“Sure,” said Bertie. He looked about him for a chair and sank into it. +“What is it?” he asked. + +“It's the young lady, Master Albert.” + +“What about her?” + +“She's very much distressed, sir.” + +“I dare say. She'll get over it, Samuel.” + +“Master Albert,” exclaimed the boy, “you've not treated her fairly.” + +The other stared at him. “The devil!” he exclaimed. + +“You must not desert her, sir! It would be a terrible thing to have on +your conscience. You have ruined and betrayed her.” + +“WHAT!” cried the other, and gazed at him in amazement. “Did she give +you that kind of a jolly?” + +“She didn't go into particulars”--said the boy. + +“My dear fellow!” laughed Bertie. “Why, I've been the making of that +girl. She was an eighteen-dollar-a-week chorus girl when I took her up.” + +“That might be, Master Albert. But if she was an honest girl--” + +“Nonsense, Samuel--forget it. She'd had three or four lovers before she +ever laid eyes on me.” + +There was a pause, while the boy strove to get these facts into his +mind. “Even so,” he said, “you can't desert her and let her starve, +Master Albert.” + +“Oh, stuff!” said the other. “What put that into your head? I'll give +her all the money she needs, if that's what's troubling her. Did she say +that?” + +“N--no,” admitted Samuel disconcerted. “But, Master Albert, she loves +you.” + +“Yes, I know,” said Bertie, “and that's where the trouble comes in. She +wants to keep me in a glass case, and I've got tired of it.” + +He paused for a moment; and then a sudden idea flashed over him. +“Samuel!” he exclaimed “Why don't you marry her?” + +Samuel started in amazement. “What!” he gasped. + +“It's the very thing!” cried Bertie. “I'll set you up in a little +business, and you can have an easy time.” + +“Master Albert!” panted the boy shocked to the depths of his soul. + +“She's beautiful, Samuel--you know she is. And she's a fine girl, +too--only a little wild. I believe you'd be just the man to hold her +in.” + +Bertie paused a moment, and then, seeing that the other was unconvinced, +he added with a laugh, “Wait till you've known her a bit. Maybe you'll +fall in love with her.” + +But Samuel only shook his head. “Master Albert,” he said, in a low +voice, “I'm afraid you've not understood the reason I've come to you.” + +“How do you mean?” + +“This--all this business, sir--it's shocked me more than I can tell you. +I came here to serve you, sir. You don't know how I felt about it. I was +ready to do anything--I was so grateful for a chance to be near you! +You were rich and great, and everything about you was so beautiful--I +thought you must be noble and good, to have deserved so much. And now, +instead, I find you are a wicked man!” + +The other sat up. “The dickens!” he exclaimed. + +“And it's a terrible thing to me,” went on Samuel. “I don't know just +what to make of it-- + +“See here, Samuel!” demanded the other angrily. “Who sent you here to +lecture me?” + +“I don't see how it can be!” the boy exclaimed. “You are one of the fit +people, as Professor Stewart explained it to me; and yet I know some who +are better than you, and who have nothing at all.” + +And Bertie Lockman, after another stare into the boy's solemn eyes, +sank back in his chair and burst into laughter. “Look here, Samuel!” he +exclaimed. “You aren't playing the game!” + +“How do you mean, sir?” + +“If I'm one of the fit ones, what right have you got to preach at me?” + +Samuel was startled. “Why sir--” he stammered. + +“Just look!” went on Bertie. “I'm the master, and you're the servant. +I have breeding and culture--everything--and you're just a country +bumpkin. And yet you presume to set your ideas up against mine! You +presume to judge me, and tell me what I ought to do!” + +Samuel was taken aback by this. He could not think what to reply. + +“Don't you see?” went on Bertie, following up his advantage. “If you +really believe what you say, you ought to submit yourself to me. If I +say a thing's right, that makes it right. If I had to come to you +to have you approve it, wouldn't that make you the master and me the +servant?” + +“No, no--Master Albert!” protested Samuel. “I didn't mean quite that!” + +“Why, I might just as well give you my money and be done with it,” + insisted the other. + +“Then you could fix everything up to suit yourself.” + +“That isn't what I mean at all!” cried the boy in great distress. “I +don't know how to answer you, sir--but there's a wrong in it.” + +“But where? How?” + +“Master Albert,” blurted Samuel--“it can't be right for you to get +drunk!” + +Bertie's face clouded. + +“It can't be right, sir!” repeated Samuel. + +And suddenly the other sat forward in his chair. “All right,” he +said--“Maybe it isn't. But what are you going to do about it?” + +There was anger in his voice, and Samuel was frightened into silence. +There was a pause while they stared at each other. + +“I'm on top!” exclaimed Bertie. “I'm on top, and I'm going to stay +on top--don't you see? The game's in my hands; and if I please to get +drunk, I get drunk. And you will take your orders and mind your own +business. And what have you to say to that?” + +“I presume, sir,” said Samuel, his voice almost a whisper, “I can leave +your service.” + +“Yes,” said the other--“and then either you'll starve, or else you'll go +to somebody else who has money, and ask him to give you a job. And then +you'll take your orders from him, and keep your opinions to yourself. +Don't you see?” + +“Yes,” said Samuel, lowering his eyes--“I see.” + +“All right,” said Bertie; and he rose unsteadily to his feet. “Now, if +you please,” said he, “you'll go back to Belle, wherever you've left +her, and take her a message for me.” + +“Yes, sir,” said Samuel. + +“Tell her I'm through with her, and I don't want to see her again. I'll +have a couple of hundred dollars a month sent to her so long as she +lets me alone. If she writes to me or bothers me in any way, she'll get +nothing. And that's all.” + +“Yes, sir,” said Samuel. + +“And as for you, this was all right for a joke, but it wouldn't bear +repeating. From now on, you're the gardener's boy, and you'll not forget +your place again.” + +“Yes, sir,” said Samuel once more, and stood watching while his young +master went into the house. + +Then he turned and went down the road, half dazed. + +Those had been sledge-hammer blows, and they had landed full and hard. +They had left him without a shred of all his illusions. His work, that +he had been so proud of--he hated it, and everything associated with it. +And he was overwhelmed with perplexity and pain--just as before when he +had found himself in jail, and it had dawned upon him that the Law, an +institution which he had revered, might be no such august thing at all, +but an instrument of injustice and oppression. + +In that mood he came to the hotel. Again there was no one in the office, +so he went directly to the room and knocked. There was no answer; he +knocked again, more heavily. + +“I wonder if she's gone,” he thought, and looked again at the number, to +make sure he was at the right room. Then, timidly, he tried the door. + +It opened. “Lady,” he said, and then louder, “Lady.” + +There was no response, and he went in. Could she be asleep? he thought. +No--that was not likely. He listened for her breathing. There was not a +sound. + +And finally he went to the bed, and put his hand upon it. Then he +started back with a cry of terror. He had touched something warm and +moist and sticky. + +He rushed out into the hall, and as he looked at his hand he nearly +fainted. It was a mass of blood! + +“Help! Help!” the boy screamed; and he turned and rushed down the stairs +into the office. + +The proprietor came running in. “Look!” shouted Samuel. “Look what she's +done!” + +“Good God!” cried the man. And he rushed upstairs, the other following. + +With trembling fingers the man lit the gas; and Samuel took one look, +and then turned away and caught at a table, sick with horror. The girl +was lying in the midst of a pool of blood; and across her throat, from +ear to ear, was a great gaping slit. + +“Oh! oh!” gasped Samuel, and then--“I can't stand it!” And holding out +one hand from him, he hid his face with the other. + +Meantime the proprietor was staring at him. “See here, young fellow,” he +said. + +“What is it?” asked Samuel. + +“When did you find out about this?” + +“Why, just now. When I came in.” + +“You've been out?” + +“Why of course. I went out just after we came.” + +“I didn't see you.” + +“No. I stopped in the office, but you weren't there.” + +“Humph!” said the man, “maybe you did and maybe you didn't. You can tell +it to the police.” + +“The police!” echoed Samuel; and then in sudden horror--“Do you think +_I_ did it?” + +“I don't know anything about it,” replied the other. “I only know you +brought her here, and that you'll stay here till the police come.” + +By this time several people had come into the room, awakened by the +noise. Samuel, without a word more, went and sank down into a chair and +waited. And half an hour later he was on his way to the station house +again--this time with a policeman on either side of him, and gripping +him very tightly. And now the charge against him was murder! + + + + +CHAPTER XIII + + +The same corpulent official was seated behind the desk at the police +station; but on this occasion he woke up promptly. “The chief had better +handle this,” he said, and went to the telephone. + +“Where's this chap to go?” asked one of the policemen. + +“We're full up,” said the sergeant. “Put him in with Charlie Swift. The +chief'll be over in a few minutes.” + +So once more Samuel was led into a cell, and heard the door clang upon +him. + +He was really not much alarmed this time, for he knew it was not his +fault, and that he could prove it. But he was sick with horror at the +fate of the unhappy girl. He began pacing back and forth in his cell. + +Then suddenly from one corner growled a voice: “Say, when are you going +to get quiet?” + +“Oh, I beg pardon,” said Samuel. “I didn't know you were here.” + +“What are you in for?” asked the voice. + +“For murder,” said Samuel. + +And he heard the cot give a sudden creak as the man sat up. “What!” he +gasped. + +“I didn't do it,” the boy explained hastily. “She killed herself.” + +“Where was this?” asked the man. + +“At the Continental Hotel.” + +“And what did you have to do with it?” + +“I took her there.” + +“Who was she?” + +“Why--she called herself Mary Smith.” + +“Where did you meet her?” + +“Up at 'Fairview.'” + +“At 'Fairview'!” exclaimed the other. + +“Yes,” said Samuel. “The Lockman place.” + +“ALBERT Lockman's place?” + +“Yes.” + +“How did she come to be there?” + +“Why, she was--a friend of his. She was there to dinner.” + +“What!” gasped the man. “How do you know it?” + +“I work there,” replied Samuel. + +“And how did she come to go to the hotel?” + +“Master Albert turned her out,” said Samuel. “And it was raining, and so +I took her to a hotel.” + +“For the love of God!” exclaimed the other; and then he asked quickly, +“Did you tell the sergeant that?” + +“No,” said the boy. “He didn't ask me anything.” + +The man sprang up and ran to the grated door and shook it. “Hello! Hello +there!” he cried. + +“What's the matter?” growled a policeman down the corridor. + +“Come here! quick!” cried the other; and then through the grating he +whispered, “Say, tell the cap to come here for a moment, will you?” + +“What do you want?” demanded the policeman. + +“Look here, O'Brien,” said the other. “You know Charlie Swift is no +fool. And there's something about this fellow you've put in here that +the cap ought to know about quick.” + +The sergeant came. “Say,” said Charlie. “Did you ask this boy any +questions?” + +“No,” said the sergeant, “I'm waiting for the chief.” + +“Well, did you know that girl came from Albert Lockman's place?” + +“Good God, no!” + +“He says she was there to dinner and Lockman turned her out of the +house. This boy says he works for Lockman.” + +“Well, I'm damned!” exclaimed the sergeant. And so Samuel was led into a +private room. + +A minute or two later “the chief” strode in. McCullagh was his name and +he was huge and burly, with a red face and a protruding jaw. He went at +Samuel as if he meant to strike him. “What's this you're givin' us?” he +cried. + +“Why--why--” stammered Samuel, in alarm. + +“You're tryin' to tell me that girl came from Lockman's?” roared the +chief. + +“Yes, sir!” + +“And you expect me to believe that?” + +“It's true, sir!” + +“What're you tryin' to give me, anyhow?” demanded the man. + +“But it's true, sir!” declared Samuel again. + +“You tell me she was there at dinner?” + +“Yes, sir!” + +“Come! Quit your nonsense, boy!” + +“But she was, sir!” + +“What do you expect to make out of this, young fellow?” + +“But she was, sir!” + +Apparently the chief's method was to doubt every statement that Samuel +made, and repeat his incredulity three times, each time in a louder tone +of voice and with a more ferocious expression of countenance. Then, if +the boy stuck it out, he concluded that he was telling the truth. By +this exhausting method the examination reached its end, and Samuel was +led back to his cell. + +“Did you stick to your story?” asked his cellmate. + +“Of course,” said he. + +“Well, if it is true,” remarked the other, “there'll be something doing +soon.” + +And there was. About an hour later the sergeant came again and entered. +He drew the two men into a corner. + +“See here, young fellow,” he said to Samuel in a low voice. “Have you +got anything against young Lockman?” + +“No,” replied Samuel. “Why?” + +“If we let you go, will you shut up about this?” + +“Why, yes,” said the boy, “if you want me to.” + +“All right,” said the sergeant. “And you, Charlie--we've got you dead, +you know.” + +“Yes,” said the other, “I know.” + +“And there's ten years coming to you, you understand?” + +“Yes, I guess so.” + +“All right. Then will you call it a bargain?” + +“I will,” said Charlie. “You'll skip the town, and hold your mouth?” + +“I will.” + +“Very well. Here's your own kit--and you ought to get through them bars +before daylight. And here's fifty dollars. You take this young fellow to +New York and lose him. Do you see?” + +“I see,” said Charlie. + +“All right,” went on the sergeant. “And mind you don't play any monkey +tricks!” + +“I'm on,” said Charlie with a chuckle. + +And without more ado he selected a saw from his bag and set to work at +the bars of the window. The sergeant retired; and Samuel sat down on the +floor and gasped for breath. + +For about an hour the man worked without a word. Then he braced himself +against the wall and wrenched out one of the bars; then another wrench, +and another bar gave way; after which he packed up his kit and slipped +it into a pocket under his coat. “Now,” he said, “come on.” + +He slipped through the opening and dropped to the ground, and Samuel +followed suit. “This way,” he whispered, and they darted down an alley +and came out upon a dark street. For perhaps a mile they walked on in +silence, then Charlie turned into a doorway and opened the door with a +latch key, and they went up two flights of stairs and into a rear room. +He lit the gas, and took off his coat and flung it on the bed. “Now, +make yourself at home,” he said. + +“Is this your room?” asked Samuel. + +“Yes,” was the reply. “The bulls haven't found it, either!” + +“But I thought we were to go out of town!” exclaimed the other. + +“Humph!” laughed Charlie. “Young fellow, you're easy!” + +“Do you mean you're not going?” cried Samuel. + +“What! When I've got a free license to work the town?” + +Samuel stared at him, amazed. “You mean they wouldn't arrest you?” + +“Not for anything short of murder, I think.” + +“But--but what could you do?” + +“Just suppose I was to tip off some newspaper with that story? Not here +in Lockmanville--but the New York Howler, we'll say?” + +“I see!” gasped Samuel. + +Charlie had tilted back in his chair and was proceeding to fill his +pipe. “Gee, sonny,” he said, “they did me the greatest turn of my life +when they poked you into that cell. I'll get what's coming to me now!” + +“How will you get it?” asked the boy. + +“I'm a gopherman,” said the other. + +“What's that?” asked Samuel. + +“You'll have to learn to sling the lingo,” said Charlie with a laugh. +“It's what you call a burglar.” + +Samuel looked at the man in wonder. He was tall and lean, with a pale +face and restless dark eyes. He had a prominent nose and a long neck, +which gave him a peculiar, alert expression that reminded Samuel of a +startled partridge. + +“Scares you, hey?” he said. “Well, I wasn't always a gopherman.” + +“What were you before that?” + +“I was an inventor.” + +“An inventor!” exclaimed Samuel. + +“Yes. Have you seen the glass-blowing machines here in town?” + +“No, I haven't.” + +“Well, I invented three of them. And old Henry Lockman robbed me of +them.” + +“Robbed you!” gasped the boy amazed. + +“Yes,” said the other. “Didn't he rob everybody he ever came near?” + +“I didn't know it,” replied Samuel. + +“Guess you never came near him,” laughed the man. “Say--where do you +come from, anyhow? Tell me about yourself.” + +So Samuel began at the beginning and told his story. Pretty soon he came +to the episode of “Glass Bottle Securities.” + +“My God!” exclaimed the other. “I thought you said old Lockman had never +robbed you!” + +“I did,” answered Samuel. + +“But don't you see that he robbed you then?” + +“Why, no. It wasn't his fault. The stock went down when he died.” + +“But why should it have gone down when he died, except that he'd +unloaded it on the public for a lot more than it was worth?” + +Samuel's jaw fell. “I never thought of that,” he said. + +“Go on,” said Charlie. + +Then Samuel told how he was starving, and how he had gone to Professor +Stewart, and how the professor had told him he was one of the unfit. His +companion had taken his pipe out of his mouth and was staring at him. + +“And you swallowed all that?” he gasped. + +“Yes,” said Samuel. + +“And you tried to carry it out! You went away to starve!” + +“But what else was there for me to do?” asked the boy. + +“But the Lord!” ejaculated the other. “When it came time for ME to +starve, I can promise you I found something else to do!” + +“Go on,” he said after a pause; and Samuel told how he had saved young +Lockman's life, and what happened afterwards. + +“And so he was your dream!” exclaimed the other. “You were up against a +brace game, Sammy!” + +“But how was I to know?” protested the boy. + +“You should read the papers. That kid's been cutting didoes in the +Tenderloin for a couple of years. He wasn't worth the risking of your +little finger--to say nothing of your life.” + +“It seems terrible,” said Samuel dismayed. + +“The trouble with you, Sammy,” commented the other, “is that you're +too good to live. That's all there is to your unfitness. You take old +Lockman, for instance. What was all his 'fitness'? It was just that he +was an old wolf. I was raised in this town, and my dad went to school +with him. He began by cheating his sisters out of their inheritance. +Then he foreclosed a mortgage on a glass factory and went into the +business. He was a skinflint, and he made money--they say he burned the +plant down for the insurance, but I don't know. Anyway, he had rivals, +and he made a crooked deal with some of the railroad people--gave them +stock you know--and got rebates. And he had some union leaders on his +pay rolls, and he called strikes on his rivals, and when he'd ruined +them he bought them out for a song. And when he had everything in his +hands, and got tired of paying high wages, he fired some of the union +men and forced a strike. Then he brought in some strike-breakers and +hired some thugs to slug them, and turned the police loose on the +men--and that was the end of the unions. Meanwhile he'd been running the +politics of the town, and he'd given himself all the franchises--there +was nobody could do anything in Lockmanville unless he said so. And +finally, when he'd got the glass trade cornered, he formed the Trust, +and issued stock for about five times what the plants had cost, and +dumped it on the market for suckers like you to buy. And that's the +way he made his millions--that's the meaning of his palace and all the +wonders you saw up there. And now he's dead, and all his fortune belongs +to Master Albert, who never did a stroke of work in his life, and isn't +'fit' enough to be a ten-dollar-a-week clerk. And you come along and +lie down for him to walk on, and the more nails he has in his boots the +better you like it! And there's the whole story for you!” + +Samuel had been listening awe-stricken. The abysmal depths of his +ignorance and folly! + +“Now he's got his money,” said the other--“and he means to keep it. So +there are the bulls, to slam you over the head if you bother him. That's +called the Law! And then he hires some duffer to sit up and hand you +out a lot of dope about your being 'unfit'; and that's called a College! +Don't you see?” + +“Yes,” whispered Samuel. “I see!” + +His companion stabbed at him with his finger. “All that was wrong with +you, Sammy,” he said, “was that you swallowed the dope! That's where +your 'unfitness' came in! Why--take his own argument. Suppose you hadn't +given up. Suppose you'd fought and won out. Then you'd have been as +good as any of them, wouldn't you? Suppose, for instance, you'd hit that +son-of-a-gun over the head with a poker and got away with his watch and +his pocketbook--then you'd have been 'fitter' than he, wouldn't you?” + +Samuel had clutched at the arms of his chair and was staring with +wide-open eyes. + +“You never thought of that, hey, Sammy? But that's what I found myself +facing a few years ago. They'd got every cent I had, and I was ready for +the scrap heap. But I said, 'Nay, nay, Isabel!' I'd played their game +and lost--but I made a new game--and I made my own rules, you can bet!” + +“You mean stealing!” cried the boy. + +“I mean War,” replied the other. “And you see--I've survived! I'm not +pretty to look at and I don't live in a palace, but I'm not starving, +and I've got some provisions salted away.” + +“But they had you in jail!” + +“Of course. I've done my bit--twice. But that didn't kill me; and I can +learn things, even in the pen.” + +There was a pause. Then Charlie Swift stood up and shook the ashes +out of his pipe. “Speaking of provisions,” he said, “these midnight +adventures give you an appetite.” And he got out a box of crackers and +some cheese and a pot of jam. “Move up,” he said, “and dip in. You'll +find that red stuff the real thing. My best girl made it. One of the +things that bothered me in jail was the fear that the bulls might get +it.” + +Samuel was too much excited to eat. But he sat and watched, while his +companion stowed away crackers and cheese. + +“What am I going to do now?” he said half to himself. + +“You come with me,” said Charlie. “I'll teach you a trade where you'll +be your own boss. And I'll give you a quarter of the swag until you've +learned it.” + +“What!” gasped Samuel in horror. “Be a burglar!” + +“Sure,” said the other. “What else can you do?” + +“I don't know,” said the boy. + +“Have you got any money?” + +“Only a few pennies. I hadn't got my wages yet.” + +“I see. And will you go and ask Master Albert for them?” + +“No,” said Samuel quickly. “I'll never do that!” + +“Then you'll go out and hunt for a job again, I suppose? Or will you +start out on that starving scheme again?” + +“Don't!” cried the boy wildly. “Let me think!” + +“Come! Don't be a summer-boarder!” exclaimed the other. “You've got the +professor's own warrant for it, haven't you? And you've got a free field +before you--you can help yourself to anything you want in Lockmanville, +and the bulls won't dare to lift a finger! You'll be a fool if you let +go of such a chance.” + + +“But it's wrong!” protested Samuel. “You know it's wrong!” + +“Humph!” laughed Charlie. And he shut the top of the cracker box with +a bang and rose up. “You sleep over it,” he said. “You'll be hungry +to-morrow morning.” + +“That won't make any difference!” cried the boy. + +“Maybe not,” commented the other; and then he added with a grin: “Don't +you ask me for grub. For that would be charity; and if you're really one +of the unfit, it's not for me to interfere with nature!” + +And so all the next day Samuel sat in Charlie's room and faced the +crackers and cheese and the pot of jam, and wrestled with the problem. +He knew what it would mean to partake of the food, and Charlie knew what +it would mean also; and feeling certain that Samuel would not partake +upon any other terms, he left the covers off the food, so that the odors +might assail the boy's nostrils. + +Of course Samuel might have gone out and bought some food with the +few pennies he had in his pocket. But that would have been merely to +postpone the decision, and what was the use of that? And to make matters +ten times worse, he owed money to the Stedmans--for he had lived upon +the expectation of his salary! + +In the end it was not so much hunger that moved him, as it was pure +reason. For Samuel, as we know, was a person who took an idea seriously; +and there was no answer to be found to Charlie's argument. Doubtless the +reader will find a supply of them, but Samuel racked his wits in vain. +If, as the learned professor had said, life is a struggle for existence, +and those who have put money in their purses are the victors; and if +they have nothing to do for the unemployed save to let them starve or +put them in jail; then on the other hand, it would seem to be up to the +unemployed to take measures for their own survival. And apparently the +only proof of their fitness would be to get some money away from those +who had it. Had not Herbert Spencer, the authority in such matters, +stated that “inability to catch prey shows a falling short of conduct +from its ideal”? And if the good people let themselves be starved to +death by the wicked, would that not mean that only the wicked would be +left alive? It was thoughts like this that were driving Samuel--he had +Bertie Lockman's taunts ringing in his ears, and for the life of him he +could not see why he should vacate the earth in favor of Bertie Lockman! + +So breakfast time passed, and dinner time passed, and supper time came. +And his friend spread out the contents of his larder again, and then +leaned over the table and said, “Come and try it once and see how you +like it!” + +And Samuel clenched his hands suddenly and answered--“All right, I'll +try it!” + +Then he started upon a meal. But in the middle of it he stopped, and set +down an untasted cracker, and gasped within himself--“Merciful Heaven! +I've promised to be a burglar!” + +The other was watching him narrowly. “Ain't going to back out?” he +asked. + +“No,” said Samuel. “I won't back out! But it seems a little queer, +that's all.” + + + + +CHAPTER XIV + + +The meal over, Charlie Swift took out a pencil and paper. “Now,” said +he. “To business!” + +Samuel pulled up his chair and the other drew a square. “This is a house +I've been studying. It's on a corner--these are streets, and here's an +alley. This is the side door that I think I can open. There's a door +here and one in back here. Fix all that in your mind.” + +“I have it,” said the boy. + +“You go in, and here's the entrance hall. The front stairs are here. +What I'm after is the family plate, and it's up on the second floor. +I'll attend to that. The only trouble is that over here beyond the +library there's a door, and, somebody sleeps in that room. I don't know +who it is. But I want you to stay in the hall, and if there's anyone +stirs in that room you're to dart upstairs and give one whistle at the +top. Then I'll come.” + +“And what then?” + +“This is the second floor,” said Charlie, drawing another square. “And +here's the servant's stairway, and we can get down to this entrance in +the rear, that I'll open before I set to work. On the other hand, if you +hear me whistle upstairs, then you're to get out by the way we came. If +there's any alarm given, then it's each for himself.” + +“I see,” said Samuel; and gripped his hands so that his companion might +not see how he was quaking. + +Charlie got out his kit and examined it to make sure that the police +had kept nothing. Then he went to a bureau drawer and got a revolver, +examined it and slipped it into his pocket. “They kept my best one,” he +said. “So I've none to lend you.” + +“I--I wouldn't take it, anyway,” stammered the other in horror. + +“You'll learn,” said the burglar with a smile. + +Then he sat down again and drew a diagram of the streets of +Lockmanville, so that Samuel could find his way back in case of trouble. +“We don't want to take any chances,” said he. “And mind, if I get +caught, I'll not mention you--wild horses couldn't drag it out of me. +And you make the same promise.” + +“I make it,” said Samuel. + +“Man to man,” said Charlie solemnly; and Samuel repeated the words. + +“How did you come to know so much about the house?” he asked after a +while. + +“Oh! I've lived here and I've kept my eyes open. I worked as a plumber's +man for a couple of months and I made diagrams.” + +“But don't the police get to know you?” + +“Yes--they know me. But I skip out when I've done a job. And when I come +back it's in disguise. Once I grew a beard and worked in the glass works +all day and did my jobs at night; and again I lived here as a woman.” + +“A woman!” gasped the boy. + +“You see,” said the other with a laugh, “there's more ways than one +to prove your fitness.” And he went on, narrating some of his +adventures--adventures calculated to throw the glamour of romance about +the trade of burglar. Samuel listened breathless with wonder. + +“We'd better get a bit of sleep now,” said Charlie later on. “We'll +start about one.” And he stretched himself out on the bed, while the +other sat motionless in the chair, pondering hard over his problem. +There was no sleeping for Samuel that night. + +He would carry out his bargain--that was his decision. But he would not +take his share of the plunder, except just enough to pay Mrs. Stedman. +And he would never be a burglar again! + +At one o'clock he awakened his companion, and they set out through the +deserted streets. They crossed the bridge to the residential part of +town; and then, at a corner, Charlie stopped. “There's the place,” he +said, pointing to a large house set back within a garden. + +They gazed about. The coast was clear; and they darted into the door +which had been indicated in the diagram. Samuel crouched in the doorway, +motionless, while the other worked at the lock. Samuel's knees were +trembling so that he could hardly stand up. + +The door was opened without a sound having been made, and they stole +into the entrance. They listened--the house was as still as death. +Then Charlie flashed his lantern, and Samuel had quick glimpses of +a beautiful and luxuriously furnished house. It was nothing like +“Fairview,” of course; but it was finer than Professor Stewart's home. +There was a library, with great leather armchairs; and in the rear +a dining room, where mirrors and cut glass flashed back the far-off +glimmer of the light. + +“There's your door over there,” whispered Charlie. “And you'd better +stay behind those curtains.” + +So Samuel took up his post; the light vanished and his companion started +for the floor above. Several times the boy heard the stairs creaking, +and his heart leaped into his throat; but then the sounds ceased and all +was still. + +The minutes crawled by--each one seemed an age. He stood rooted to the +spot, staring into the darkness--half-hypnotized by the thought of +the door which he could not see, and of the person who might be asleep +behind it. Surely this was a ghastly way for a man to have to gain his +living--it were better to perish than to survive by such an ordeal! +Samuel was appalled by the terrors which took possession of him, and the +tremblings and quiverings which he could not control. Any danger in the +world he would have faced for conscience' sake; but this was wrong--he +knew it was wrong! And so all the glow of conviction was gone from him. + +What could be the matter? Why should Charlie be so long? Surely he had +had time enough to ransack the whole house! Could it be that he had got +out by the other way--that he had planned to skip town, and leave Samuel +there in the lurch? + +And then again came a faint creaking upon the stairs. He was coming +back! Or could it by any chance be another person? He dared not venture +to whisper; he stood, tense with excitement, while the sounds came +nearer--it was as if some monster were creeping upon him in the +darkness, and folding its tentacles about him! + +He heard a sound in the hall beside him. Why didn't Charlie speak? What +was the matter with him? What-- + +And then suddenly came a snapping sound, and a blinding glare of light +flashed up, flooding the hallway and everything about him. Samuel +staggered back appalled. There was some one standing there before him! +He was caught! + +Thus for one moment of dreadful horror. And then he realized that the +person confronting him was a little girl! + +She was staring at him; and he stared at her. She could not have been +more than ten years old, and wore a nightgown trimmed with lace. She had +bright yellow hair, and her finger was upon the button which controlled +the lights. + +For fully a minute neither of them moved. Then Samuel heard a voice +whispering: “Are you a burglar?” + +He could not speak, but he nodded his head. And then again he heard the +child's voice: “Oh, I'm so glad!” + +“I'm so glad!” she repeated again, and her tone was clear and sweet. +“I'd been praying for it! But I'd almost given up hope!” + +Samuel found voice enough to gasp, “Why?” + +“My mamma read me a story,” said the child. “It was about a little girl +who met a burglar. And ever since I've been waiting for one to come.” + +There was a pause. “Are you a really truly burglar?” the child +whispered. + +“I--I think so,” replied Samuel. + +“You look very young,” she said. + +And the other bethought himself. “I'm only a beginner,” he said. “This +is really my first time.” + +“Oh!” said the child with a faint touch of disappointment. “But still +you will do, won't you?” + +“Do for what?” asked the boy in bewilderment. + +“You must let me reform you,” exclaimed the other. “That's what the +little girl did in the story. Will you?” + +“Why--why, yes”--gasped Samuel. “I--I really meant to reform.” + +Then suddenly he thought he heard a sound in the hall above. He glanced +up, and for one instant he had a glimpse of the face of Charlie peering +down at him. + +“What are you looking at?” asked the child. + +“I thought--that is--there's some one with me,” stammered Samuel, +forgetting his solemn vow. + +“Oh! two burglars!” cried the child in delight. “And may I reform him, +too?” + +“I think you'd better begin with me,” said Samuel. + +“Will he go away, do you think?” + +“Yes--I think he's gone now.” + +“But you--you won't go yet, will you?” asked the child anxiously. +“You'll stay and talk to me?” + +“If you wish”--gasped the boy. + +“You aren't afraid of me?” she asked. + +“Not of you,” said he. “But if some one else should waken.” + +“No, you needn't think of that. Mamma and grandma both lock their doors +at night. And papa's away.” + +“Who sleeps there?” asked Samuel, pointing to the door he had been +watching. + +“That's papa's room,” said the child; and the other gave a great gasp of +relief. + +“Come,” said the little girl; and she seated herself in one of the big +leather armchairs. “Now,” she continued, “tell me how you came to be a +burglar.” + +“I had no money,” said Samuel, “and no work.” + +“Oh!” exclaimed the child; and then, “What is your work?” + +“I lived on a farm all my life,” said he. “My father died and then I +wanted to go to the city. I was robbed of all my money, and I was here +without any friends and I couldn't find anything to do at all. I was +nearly starving.” + +“Why, how dreadful!” cried the other. “Why didn't you come to see papa?” + +“Your father?” said he. “I didn't want to beg--” + +“It wouldn't have been begging. He'd have been glad to help you.” + +“I--I didn't know about him,” said Samuel. “Why should he---” + + +“He helps everyone,” said the child. “That's his business.” + +“How do you mean?” + +“Don't you know who my father is?” she asked in surprise. + +“No,” said he, “I don't.” + +“My father is Dr. Vince,” she said; and then she gazed at him with +wide-open eyes. “You've never heard of him!” + +“Never,” said Samuel. + +“He's a clergyman,” said the little girl. + +“A clergyman!” echoed Samuel aghast. Somehow it seemed far worse to have +been robbing a clergyman. + +“And he's so good and kind!” went on the other. “He loves everyone, and +tries to help them. And if you had come to him and told him, he'd have +found some work for you.” + +“There are a great many people in Lockmanville out of work,” said Samuel +gravely. + +“Oh! but they don't come to my papa!” said the child. “You must come and +let him help you. You must promise me that you will.” + +“But how can I? I've tried to rob him!” + +“But that won't make any difference! You don't know my papa. If you +should tell him that you had done wrong and that you were sorry--you are +sorry, aren't you?” + +“Yes, I'm very sorry.” + +“Well, then, if you told him that, he'd forgive you--he'd do anything +for you, I know. If he knew that I'd helped to reform you, he'd be so +glad!--I did help a little, didn't I?” + +“Yes,” said Samuel. “You helped.” + +“You--you weren't very hard to reform, somehow,” said the child +hesitatingly. “The little girl in the story had to talk a good deal +more. Are you sure that you are going to be good now?” + +Samuel could not keep back a smile. “Truly I will,” he said. + +“I guess you were brought up to be good,” reflected the other. “I don't +think you were very bad, anyway. It must be very hard to be starving.” + +“It is indeed,” said the boy with conviction. + +“I never heard of anyone starving before,” went on the other. “If that +happened to people often, there'd be more burglars, I guess.” + +There was a pause. “What is your name?” asked the little girl. “Mine +is Ethel. And now I'll tell you what we'll do. My papa's on his way +home--his train gets here early in the morning. And you come up after +breakfast--I'll make him wait for you. And then you can tell it all to +him, and then you won't have any more troubles. Will you do that?” + +“You think he won't be angry with me?” asked Samuel. + +“No, I'm sure of it.” + +“And he won't want to have me arrested?” + +“Oh, dear me!” exclaimed Ethel with an injured look. “Why, my papa goes +to see people in prison, and tries to help them get out! I'll promise +you, truly.” + +“Very well,” said Samuel, “I'll come.” + +And so they parted. And Samuel found himself out upon the street again, +with the open sky above him, and a great hymn of relief and joy in his +soul. He was no longer a burglar! + + + + +CHAPTER XV + + +Samuel walked the streets all that night. For he fully meant to do what +he had promised the child, and he did not care to go back to Charlie +Swift, and face the latter's protests and ridicule. + +At eight the next morning, tired but happy, he rang the bell of Dr. +Vince's house. Ethel herself opened the door; and at the sight of him +her face lighted up with joy, and she turned, crying out, “Here he is!” + +And she ran halfway down the hall, exclaiming: “He's come! I told you +he'd come! Papa!” + +A man appeared at the dining room door, and stood staring at Samuel. +“There he is, papa!” cried Ethel beside herself with delight. “There's +my burglar!” + +Dr. Vince came down the hall. He was a stockily built gentleman with a +rather florid complexion and bushy beard. “Good morning,” he said. + +“Good morning, sir,” said Samuel. + +“And are you really the young man who was here last night?” + +“Yes, sir,” said Samuel. + +The worthy doctor was obviously disconcerted. “This is quite +extraordinary!” he exclaimed. “Won't you come in?” + +They sat down in the library. “I don't want you to think, sir,” said +Samuel quickly, “that I come to beg. Your little girl asked me---” + +“Don't mention that,” said the other. “If the story you told Ethel is +really true, I should be only too glad to do anything that I could.” + +“Thank you, sir,” said Samuel. + +“And so you really broke into my house last night!” exclaimed the other. +“Well! well! And it is the first time you have ever done anything of the +sort in your life?” + +“The very first,” said the boy. + +“But what could have put it into your head?” + +“There was another person with me,” said Samuel--“you will understand +that I would rather not talk about him.” + +“I see,” said the other. “He led you to it?” + +“Yes, sir.” + +“And you have never done anything dishonest before?” + +“No, sir.” + +“You have never even been a thief?” + +“No!” exclaimed Samuel indignantly. + +The other noticed the tone of his voice. “But why did you begin now?” he +asked. + +“I was persuaded that it was right,” said Samuel. + +“But how could that be? Had you never been taught about stealing?” + +“Yes, sir,” replied the boy--“but it's not as simple as it seems. I had +met Professor Stewart--” + +“Professor Stewart!” echoed the other. + +“Yes, sir--the professor at the college.” + +“But what did he have to do with it?” + +“Why, sir, he told me about the survival of the fittest, and how I had +to starve to death because I was one of the failures. And then you see, +sir, I met Master Albert--” + +“Master Albert?” + +“Albert Lockman, sir. And the professor had said that he was one of the +fit; and I saw that he got drunk, sir, and did other things that were +very wicked, and so it did not seem just right that I should starve. I +can see now that it was very foolish of me; but I thought that I +ought to fight, and try to survive if I possibly could. And then I met +Char--that is, a bad man who offered to show me how to be a burglar.” + +The other had been listening in amazement. “Boy,” he said, “are you +joking with me?” + +“Joking!” echoed Samuel, his eyes opening wide. And then the doctor +caught his breath and proceeded to question him. He went back to the +beginning, and made Samuel lay bare the story of his whole life. But +when he got to the interview with Professor Stewart, the other could +contain himself no longer. “Samuel!” he exclaimed, “this is the most +terrible thing I have ever heard in my life.” + +“How do you mean, sir?” + +“You have been saved--providentially saved, as I firmly believe. But you +were hanging on the very verge of a life of evil; and all because men +in our colleges are permitted to teach these blasphemous and godless +doctrines. This is what they call science! This is our modern +enlightenment!” + +The doctor had risen and begun to pace the floor in his agitation. “I +have always insisted that the consequence of such teaching would be the +end of all morality. And here we have the thing before our very eyes! A +young man of decent life is actually led to the commission of a crime, +as a consequence of the teachings of Herbert Spencer!” + +Samuel was listening in consternation. “Then it isn't true what Herbert +Spencer says!” he exclaimed. + +“True!” cried the other. “Why, Samuel, don't you KNOW that it isn't +true? Weren't you brought up to read the Bible? And do you read anything +in the Bible about the struggle for existence? Were you taught there +that your sole duty was to fight with other men for your own selfish +ends? Was it not rather made clear to you that you were not to concern +yourself with your own welfare at all, but to struggle for the good of +others, and to suffer rather than do evil? Why Samuel, what would your +father have said, if he could have seen you last night--his own dear +son, that he had brought up in the way of the Gospel?” + +“Oh, sir!” cried Samuel, struck to the heart. + +“My boy!” exclaimed the other. “Our business in this world is not that +we should survive, but that the good should survive. We are to live for +it and to die for it, if need be. We are to love and serve others--we +are to be humble and patient--to sacrifice ourselves freely. The +survival of the fittest! Why, Samuel, the very idea is a denial of +spirituality--what are we that we should call ourselves fit? To think +that is to be exposed to all the base passions of the human heart--to +greed and jealousy and hate! Such doctrines are the cause of all the +wickedness, of all the materialism of our time--of crime and murder and +war! My boy, do you read that Jesus went about, worrying about His own +survival, and robbing others because they were less fit than He? Only +think how it would have been with you had you been called to face Him +last night?” + +The shame of this was more than Samuel could bear. “Oh, stop, stop, +sir!” he cried, and covered his face with his hands. “I see it all! I +have been very wicked!” + +“Yes!” exclaimed the other. “You have been wicked.” + +The tears were welling into Samuel's eyes. “I can't see how I did it, +sir,” he whispered. “I have been blind--I have been lost. I am a strayed +sheep!” And then suddenly his emotion overcame him, and he burst into a +paroxysm of weeping. “I can't believe it of myself!” he exclaimed again +and again. “I have been out of my senses!” + +The doctor watched him for a few moments. “Perhaps it was not altogether +your fault,” he said more gently. “You have been led astray--” + +“No, no!” cried the boy. “I am bad. I see it--it must be! I could +never have been persuaded, if I had not been bad! It began at the very +beginning. I yielded to the first temptation when I stole a ride upon +the train. And everything else came from that--it has been one long +chain!” + +“Let us be glad that it is no longer,” said Dr. Vince--“and that you +have come to the end of it.” + +“Ah, but have I?” cried the boy wildly. + +“Why not? Surely you will no longer be led by such false teaching!” + +“No, sir. But see what I have done! Why I am liable to be sent to +jail--for I don't know how long.” + +“You mean for last night?” asked the doctor. “But no one will ever know +about that. You may start again and live a true life.” + +“Ah,” cried Samuel, “but the memory of it will haunt me--I can never +forgive myself!” + +“We are very fortunate,” said the other gravely, “if we have only a few +things in our lives that we cannot forget, and that we cannot forgive +ourselves.” + +The worthy doctor had been anticipating a long struggle to bring the +young criminal to see the error of his ways; but instead, he found that +he had to use his skill in casuistry to convince the boy that he was not +hopelessly sullied. And when at last Samuel had been persuaded that he +might take up his life again, there was nothing that would satisfy him +save to go back where he had been before, and take up that struggle with +starvation. + +“I must prove that I can conquer,” he said--“I yielded to the temptation +once, and now I must face it.” + +“But, Samuel,” protested the doctor, “it is no man's duty to starve. You +must let me help you, and find some useful work for you, and some people +who will be your friends.” + +“Don't think I am ungrateful,” cried the boy--“but why should I be +favored? There are so many others starving, right here in this town. And +if I am going to love them and serve them, why should I have more than +they have? Wouldn't that be selfish of me? Why, sir, I'd be making +profit out of my repentance!” + +“I don't quite see that,” said the other-- + +“Why, sir! Isn't it just because I've been so sorry that you are willing +to help me? There are so many others who have not been helped--some I +know, sir, that need it far more than I do, and have deserved it more, +too!” + +“It seems to me, my boy, that is being too hard upon yourself--and on +me. I cannot relieve all the distress in the world. I relieve what I +find out about. And so I must help you. And don't you see that I wish +to keep you near me, so that I can watch after your welfare? And +perhaps--who knows--you can help me. The harvest is plenty, you have +heard, and the laborers are few. There are many ways in which you could +be of service in my church.” + +“Ah, sir!” cried Samuel, overwhelmed with gratitude--“if you put it that +way--” + +“I put it that way most certainly,” said Dr. Vince. “You have seen a +new light--you wish to live a new life. Stay here and live it in +Lockmanville--there is no place in the world where it could be more +needed.” + +All this while the little girl had been sitting in silence drinking in +the conversation. Now suddenly she rose and came to Samuel, putting her +hand in his. “Please stay,” she said. + +And Samuel answered, “Very well--I'll stay.” + +So then they fell to discussing his future, and what Dr. Vince was going +to do for him. The good doctor was inwardly more perplexed about it than +he cared to let Samuel know. + +“I'll ask Mr. Wygant,” he said--“perhaps he can find you a place in one +of his factories.” + +“Mr. Wygant?” echoed Samuel. “You mean Miss Gladys's father?” + +“Yes,” said the doctor. “Do you know Miss Gladys?” + +“I have met her two or three times,” said the boy. + +“They are parishioners of mine,” remarked the other. + +And Samuel gave a start. “Why!” he exclaimed. “Then you--you must be the +rector of St. Matthew's.” + +“Yes,” was the reply. “Didn't you know that?” + +The boy was a little awed. He had seen the great brownstone temple +upon the hill--a structure far more splendid than anything he had ever +dreamed of. + +“Have you never attended?” asked the doctor. + +“I went to the mission once,” said Samuel--referring to the little +chapel in the poor quarters of the town. “A friend of mine goes +there--Sophie Stedman. She works in Mr. Wygant's cotton mill.” + +“I should be glad to have you come to the church,” said the other. + +“I'd like to very much,” replied the boy. “I didn't know exactly if I +ought to, you know.” + +“I am sorry you got that impression,” said Dr. Vince. “The church holds +out its arms to everyone.” + +“Well,” began Samuel apologetically, “I knew that all the rich people +went to St. Matthew's---” + +“The church does not belong to the rich people,” put in the doctor very +gravely; “the church belongs to the Lord.” + +And so Samuel, overflowing with gratitude and happiness, joined St. +Matthew's forthwith; and all the while in the deeps of his soul a voice +was whispering to him that it was Miss Gladys' church also! And he would +see his divinity again! + + + + +CHAPTER XVI + + +Samuel went back in great excitement to the Stedmans', to tell them of +his good fortune. And the family sat about in a circle and listened to +the recital in open-eyed amazement. It was a wonderful thing to have an +adventurer like Samuel in one's house! + +But the boy noticed that Sophie did not seem as much excited as he had +anticipated. She sat with her head resting in her hands. And when the +others had left the room--“Oh, Samuel,” she said. “I feel so badly +to-day! I don't see how I'm going to go on.” + +“Listen, Sophie,” he said quickly. “That's one of the first things I +thought about--I can give you a chance now.” + +“How do you mean?” + +“I can get Dr. Vince to help you find some better work.” + +“Did he say he would?” asked the child. + +“No,” was the reply--“but he is so good to everyone. And all the rich +people go to his church, you know. He said he wanted me to help him; so +I shall find out things like that for him to do.” + +And Samuel went on, pouring out his praises of the kind and gentle +clergyman, and striving to interest Sophie by his pictures of the +new world that was to open before her. “I'm going to see him again +to-morrow,” he said. “Then you'll see.” + +“Samuel,” announced the doctor when he called the next morning, “I have +found a chance for you.” And Samuel's heart gave a great leap of joy. + +It appeared that the sexton of St. Matthew's was growing old. They did +not wish to change, but there must be some one to help him. The pay +would not be high; but he would have a chance to work in the church, and +to be near his benefactor. The tears of gratitude started into his eyes +as he heard this wonderful piece of news. + +“I'll see more of Miss Gladys!” the voice within him was whispering +eagerly. + +“Doctor,” he said after a pause, “I've some good news for you also.” + +“What is it?” asked the other. + +“It's a chance for you to help some one.” + +“Oh!” said the doctor. + +“It's little Sophie Stedman,” said Samuel; and he went on to tell how he +had met the widow, and about her long struggle with starvation, and then +of Sophie's experiences in the cotton mill. + +“But what do you want me to do?” asked the other, with a troubled look. + +“Why,” said Samuel, “we must save her. We must find her some work that +will not kill her.” + +“But, Samuel!” protested the other. “There are so many in her +position--and how can I help it?” + +“But, doctor! She can't stand it!” + +“I know, my boy. It is a terrible thing to think of. Still, I can't +undertake to find work for everyone.” + +“But she will die!” cried the boy. “Truly, it is killing her! And, +doctor, she has never had a chance in all her life! Only think--how +would you feel if Ethel had to work in a cotton mill?” + +There was a pause. “I honestly can't see--” began the bewildered +clergyman. + +“It will be quite easy for you to help her,” put in the boy; “because, +you see, Mr. Wygant belongs to your church!” + +“But what has that to do with it?” + +“Why--it's Mr. Wygant's mill that she works in.” + +“Yes,” said the doctor. “But--I---” + +“Surely,” exclaimed Samuel, “you don't mean that he wouldn't want to +know about it!” + +“Ahem!” said the other; and again there was a pause. + +It was broken by Ethel, who had come in and was listening to the +conversation. “Papa!” she exclaimed, “wouldn't Miss Gladys be the one to +ask?” + +Samuel gave a start. “The very thing!” he said. + +And Dr. Vince, after pondering for a moment, admitted that it might be a +good idea. + +“You will come to church with me to-morrow,” said Ethel. “And if she is +there we'll ask her.” + +And so Samuel was on hand, trembling with excitement, and painfully +conscious of his green and purple necktie. He sat in the Vince's pew, +at Ethel's invitation; and directly across the aisle was Miss Wygant, +miraculously resplendent in a springtime costume, yet with a touch of +primness, becoming to the Sabbath. She did not see her adorer until +after the service, when they met face to face. + +“Why, Samuel!” she exclaimed. “You are here?” + +“Yes, Miss Gladys,” he said. “I'm to work in the church now.” + +“You don't tell me!” she responded. + +“I'm to help the sexton,” he added. + +“And he belongs to the church, too,” put in little Ethel. “And oh, Miss +Gladys, won't you please let him tell you about Sophie!” + +“About Sophie?” said the other. + +“She's a little girl who works in your papa's mill, Miss Gladys. And her +family's very poor, and she is sick, and Samuel says she may die.” + +“Why, that's too bad!” exclaimed Miss Gladys. “Tell me about her, +Samuel.” + +And Samuel told the story. At the end a sudden inspiration came to him, +and he mentioned how Sophie had received her Christmas present from Miss +Gladys, and how she had kept her pictures in her room. + +And, of course, Miss Wygant was touched. “I will see what I can do for +her,” she said. “What would you suggest?” + +“I thought,” said he boldly, “that maybe there might be some place for +her at your home. That would make her so happy, you know.” + +“I will see,” said the other. “Will you bring her to see me to-morrow, +Samuel?” + +“I will,” said he; and then he chanced to look into her face, and he +caught again that piercing gaze which made the blood leap into his +cheeks, and the strange and terrible emotions to stir in him. He turned +his eyes away again, and his knees were trembling as he passed on down +the aisle. + +He stood and watched Miss Gladys enter her motor. Then he bade good-by +to Ethel and her mother, and hurried back into the vestry room to tell +Dr. Vince of his good fortune. + +The good doctor had just slipped out of his vestments, and was putting +on his cuffs. “I am so glad to hear it!” he said. “It was the very thing +to do!” + +“Yes,” said Samuel. “And, doctor, I've thought of something else.” + +“What is that, Samuel?” + +“I'll have to have a minute or two to tell you about it.” + +“I'm just going to dinner now”--began the doctor. + +“I'll walk with you, if I may,” said Samuel. “It's really very +important.” + +“All right,” responded the doctor in some trepidation. + +“I thought of this in the middle of the night,” explained the boy, +when they had started down the street. “It kept me awake for hours. Dr. +Vince, I think we ought to convert Master Albert Lockman!” + +“Convert him?” echoed the other perplexed. + +“Yes, sir,” said the boy. “He is leading a wild life, and he's in a very +bad way.” + +“Yes, Samuel,” said the clergyman. “It is terrible, I know--” + +“We must labor with him!” exclaimed Samuel. “He must not be allowed to +go on like that!” + +“Unfortunately,” said Dr. Vince hastily, “it wouldn't do for me to try +it. You see, the Lockmans have always been Presbyterians, and so Bertie +is under Dr. Handy's care.” + +“But is Dr. Handy doing anything about it?” persisted the other. + +“I really don't know, Samuel.” + +“Because if he isn't, we ought to, Dr. Vince! Something must be done.” + +“My boy,” said the doctor, “perhaps it wouldn't be easy for you to +understand it. But there is a feeling--would it be quite good taste for +me to try to take away a very rich parishioner from another church?” + +“But what have his riches to do with it?” asked the boy. + +“Unfortunately, Samuel, it costs money to build churches; and most +clergymen are dependent upon their salaries, you know.” + +The good doctor was trying to make a jest of it; but Samuel was in +deadly earnest. “I hope,” he said, “that you are not dependent upon the +money of anyone like Master Albert.” + +“Um--no,” said the doctor quickly. + +“Understand me, please,” went on the other. “It's not simply that Master +Albert is wrecking his own life. I suppose that's his right, if he wants +to. But it's what he can do to other people! It's his money, Dr. Vince! +Just think of it, he has seven hundred thousand dollars a year! And +he never earned a cent of it; and he doesn't know what to do with it! +Doctor, you KNOW that isn't right!” + +“No,” said the clergyman, “it's very wrong indeed. But what can you do +about it?” + +“I don't know, doctor. I haven't had time to think about it--I've only +just begun to realize it. But I thought if somebody like yourself--some +one he respects--could point it out to him, he might use his money to +some good purpose. If he won't, why then he ought to give it up.” + +The other smiled. “I'm afraid, Samuel, he'd hardly do that!” + +“But, doctor, things can't go on as they are! Right here in this town +are people dying of starvation. And he has seven hundred thousand +dollars a year! Can that continue?” + +“No, I trust not, my boy. It will be better some day. But it must be +left to evolution--” + +“Evolution!” echoed Samuel perplexed. “Do you believe in evolution?” + +“Why,” said the other embarrassed--“what I mean is, that there are vast +social forces at work--great changes taking place. But they move very +slowly--” + +“But why do they move so slowly?” objected the boy. “Isn't it just +because so many people, don't care?” + +“Why, Samuel--” + +“If everyone would take an interest in them--then they would happen +quickly!” + +The two walked on for a minute in silence. Finally, the clergyman +remarked, “Samuel, you take a great interest in social questions.” + +“Yes, sir,” said the boy. “You see, I have been down at the bottom, and +I know how it feels. Nobody else can possibly understand--not even you, +sir, with all your kind heart. You don't know what it means, sir--you +don't know what it means!” + +“Perhaps not, my boy,” said the other. “But my conscience is far from +easy, I assure you. The only thing is, we must not be too impatient--we +must learn to wait--” + +“But, doctor!” exclaimed Samuel. “Will the people wait to starve?” + +That question was a poser; and perhaps it was just as well that Dr. +Vince was nearing the steps of his home. “I must go in now, Samuel,” he +said. “But we will talk about these questions another time.” + +“Yes, sir,” said Samuel, “we will.” + +And the other glanced at him quickly. But the boy's face wore its old +look of guileless eagerness. + + + + +CHAPTER XVII + + +Samuel walked away, still pondering at the problem. Something must be +done about Master Albert, that was certain. Before he went in to his +dinner he had thought of yet another plan. He would appeal to Miss +Gladys about it! He would get her to labor with the prodigal! + +At eight o'clock the next morning, he and Sophie called at Miss Wygant's +home. They went to the servants' entrance, and the maid who opened +the door sent them away, saying that Miss Gladys never rose until ten +o'clock and would not see anyone until eleven. + +So they went home again and came at eleven; and they were taken to a +sitting room upon the second floor and there Miss Gladys met them, clad +in a morning gown of crimson silk. + +“And so this is Sophie!” she exclaimed. “Why you poor, poor child!” And +she gazed at the little mill girl with her stunted figure and pinched +cheeks, and her patched and threadbare dress; and Sophie, in her turn, +gazed at the wonderful princess, tall and stately, glowing with health +and voluptuous beauty. + +“And you work in our cotton mill!” she cried. + +“How perfectly terrible! And do you mean to tell me that this child is +thirteen years old, Samuel?” + +“Yes, Miss Gladys,” said he. + +She turned quickly and pressed a button on the wall. “Send Mrs. Harris +here,” she said to the man who answered. + +“Mrs. Harris is our housekeeper,” she added to Samuel. “I will consult +her about it.” + +The “consulting” was very brief. “Mrs. Harris, this is Sophie Stedman, +a little girl I want to help. I don't know what she can do, but you will +find out. I want her to have some sort of a place in the house--and it +mustn't be hard work.” + +“But, Miss Gladys,” said the other in perplexity, “I don't know of +anything at all!” + +“You can find something,” was the young lady's reply. “I want her to +have a chance to learn. Take her downstairs and have a talk with her +about it.” + +“Yes, Miss Gladys,” said Mrs. Harris; and so Samuel was left alone with +his goddess. + +He sat with his eyes upon the floor. He was just about to open the great +subject he had in his mind, when suddenly Miss Gladys herself brought it +up. “Samuel,” she asked, “why did you leave my cousin's?” + +Samuel hesitated. “I--I don't like to say, Miss Gladys.” + +“Please tell me,” she insisted. + +“I left it,” he replied in a low voice, “because I found that he got +drunk.” + +“Oh!” said the girl, “when was this?” + +“It was last Wednesday night, Miss Gladys.” + +“Tell me all about it, Samuel.” + +“I--I don't like to,” he stammered. “It's not a story to tell to a +lady.” + +“I already know something about it from my maid,” said she. “Jack +Holliday was there, wasn't he?” + +“Yes, ma'am.” + +“And some women?” + +“Yes, ma'am.” + +“How many, Samuel?” + +“Four, Miss Gladys.” + +“Tell me about them, Samuel. What sort of women were they?” + +It was very hard for Samuel to answer these questions. He blushed as he +talked; but Miss Gladys appeared not at all disconcerted--in fact she +was greedy for the details. + +“You say her name was Belle. I wonder if it was that girl from 'The +Maids of Mandelay.' Was she a dancer, Samuel?” + +“I don't know, Miss Gladys.” + +“And what became of her?” + +“I took her to a hotel, Miss Gladys.” + +“And what then?” + +Samuel stopped short. “I really couldn't tell you,” he said. + +“But why not?” + +“Because I promised.” + +“Whom did you promise?” + +“I promised the sergeant, Miss Gladys.” + +“The sergeant! A policeman, you mean?” + +“Yes, ma'am.” + +“But what--what did the police have to do with it?” + +“They took me to jail, Miss Gladys. They thought that I did it.” + +“Did what?” + +And again the boy shut his lips. + +“Listen, Samuel,” pleaded the other. “You know that I am Bertie's +cousin. And he's all alone. And I'm responsible for him--” + +“Oh, Miss Gladys!” cried the boy. “If you only would try to help him! I +meant to ask you--” + +“But how can I help him if you keep me in ignorance?” + +And so Samuel blurted out the whole story. And Miss Gladys sat dumb with +horror. “She killed herself! She killed herself!” she gasped again and +again. + +“Yes, Miss Gladys,” said Samuel. “And it was awful! You can't imagine +it!” + +“I read of the suicide in the paper. But I never dreamed of Bertie!” + +There was a moment's pause. “It must be a dreadful thing for him to have +on his conscience”--began the boy. + +“He must have been frightened to death!” said she. And then she added +quickly, “Samuel, you haven't told anyone about this!” + +“Not a soul, Miss Gladys.” + +“You are sure?” + +“I'm sure, ma'am.” + +“You didn't tell Dr. Vince?” + +“I just told him that I had left because Master Albert got drunk, Miss +Gladys. That was the truth.” + +“Yes,” said she; and then, “You always tell the truth, don't you, +Samuel?” + +“I try to,” he replied. + +“You are very good, aren't you?” she added. + +Samuel blushed. “No,” he said gravely. “I'm not good at all.” + +The other looked at him for a moment, and then a smile crossed her face. +“I've heard a saying,” she remarked--“'Be good and you'll be happy, but +you'll miss a lot of fun.'” + +Samuel pondered. “I think that is a very terrible saying,” he declared +earnestly. + +Miss Gladys laughed. And she went on to cross-question him as to the +suicide--satisfying her curiosity as to the last hideous detail. + +Then she looked at Samuel and asked suddenly, “Why do you wear that +hideous thing?” + +Samuel started. “What thing?” he asked. + +“That tie!” + +“Why!” he said--“I got that specially--” + +He stopped, embarrassed; and the other's peal of laughter rang through +the room. “Take it off!” she said. + +She got up and came to him, saying, “I couldn't stand it.” + + +With trembling fingers he removed the tie. And she took off the +beautiful red ribbon that was tied about her waist, and cut it to the +right length. “Put that on,” she said, “and I'll show you how to tie +it.” + +And Samuel stood there, rapt in a sudden nightmare ecstasy. She was +close to him, her quick fingers were playing about his throat. Her +breath was upon his face, and the intoxicating perfume of her filled his +nostrils. The blood mounted into his face, and the veins stood out upon +his forehead, and strange and monstrous things stirred in the depths of +him. + +“There,” she said, “that's better”--and stepped back to admire the +result. She smiled upon him radiantly. “You have no taste, Samuel,” she +said. “I shall have to educate you.” + +“Yes, Miss Gladys,” he responded in a low voice. + +“And listen,” she went on, “you will come to see Sophie now and then, +won't you?” + +“Yes, yes,” he said quickly. + +“And come some time when I am here.” + +He caught his breath and gripped his hands and answered yet again, +“Yes!” + +“Don't be afraid of me,” added the girl gently. “You don't appreciate +yourself half enough, Samuel.” + +Then there came voices in the hall, and Miss Gladys turned, and the +housekeeper and Sophie came in. “Well?” she asked. + +“She doesn't know anything at all,” said Mrs. Harris. “But if you want +her taught--I suppose she could run errands and do sewing--” + +“Very good,” said the other. “And pay her well. Will you like that, +Sophie?” + +“Yes, Miss,” whispered the child in a faint voice. She was gazing in awe +and rapture at this peerless being, and she could hardly find utterance +for two words. + +“All right, then,” said Miss Gladys, “that will do very well. You come +to-morrow, Sophie. And good-by, Samuel. I must go for my ride now.” + +“Good-by, Miss Gladys,” said Samuel. “And please don't forget what you +were going to say to Master Albert!” + + + + +CHAPTER XVIII + + +Samuel went home walking upon air. He had found a place for himself and +a place for Sophie. And he had got the reforming of Bertie Lockman under +way! Truly, the church was a great institution--the solution of all the +puzzles and problems of life. And fortunate was Samuel to be so close to +the inner life of things! + +Then suddenly, on a street corner, he stopped short. A sign had caught +his eye--“John Callahan, Wines and Liquors--Bernheimer Beer.” “Do you +know what that place is?” he said to Sophie. + +“That's where my friend Finnegan works.” + +“Who's Finnegan?” asked the child. + +“He's the barkeeper who gave me something to eat when I first came to +town. He's a good man, even if he is a barkeeper.” + +Samuel had often found himself thinking of Finnegan; for it had been +altogether against his idea of things that a man so obviously well +meaning should be selling liquor. And now suddenly a brilliant idea +flashed across his mind. Why should he continue selling liquor? And +instantly Samuel saw a new duty before him. He must help Finnegan. + +And forgetting that it was time for his dinner, he bade good-by to +Sophie and went into the saloon. + +“Well, young feller!” exclaimed the Irishman, his face lighting up with +pleasure; and then, seeing the boy's new collar and tie, “Gee, you're +moving up in the world!” + +“I've got a job,” said Samuel proudly. “I'm the assistant sexton at St. +Matthew's Church.” + +“You don't say! Gone up with the sky pilots, hey!” + +Samuel did not notice this irreverent remark. He looked around the +place and saw that they were alone. Then he said, very earnestly, “Mr. +Finnegan, may I have a few minutes' talk with you?” + +“Sure,” said Finnegan perplexed. “What is it?” + +“It's something I've been thinking about very often,” said Samuel. “You +were so kind to me, and I saw that you were a good-hearted man. And so +it has always seemed to me too bad that you should be selling drink.” + +The other stared at him. “Gee!” he said, “are you going to take me up in +your airship?” + +“Mr. Finnegan,” said the boy, “I wish you wouldn't make fun of me. For +I'm talking to you out of the bottom of my heart.” + +And Samuel gazed with so much yearning in his eyes that the man was +touched, in spite of the absurdity of it. “Go on,” he said. “I'll +listen.” + +“It's just this,” said Samuel. “It's wrong to sell liquor! Think what +drink does to men? I saw a man drunk the other night and it led to what +was almost murder. Drink makes men cruel and selfish. It takes away +their self-control. It makes them unfit for their work. It leads to vice +and wickedness. It enslaves them and degrades them. Don't you know that +is true, Mr. Finnegan?” + +“Yes,” admitted Finnegan, “I reckon it is. I never touch the stuff +myself.” + +“And still you sell it to others?” + +“Well, my boy, I don't do it because I hate them.” + +“But then, why DO you do it?” + +“I do it,” said Finnegan, “because I have to live. It's my trade--it's +all I know.” + +“It seems such a terrible trade!” exclaimed the boy. + +“Maybe,” said the other. “But take notice, it ain't a princely one. I'm +on the job all day and a good part of the night, and standing up all the +time. And I don't get no holidays either--and I only get twelve a week. +And I've a wife and a new baby. So what's a man to do?” + +Now, strange as it may seem, this unfolded a new view to Samuel. He had +always supposed that bartenders and saloonkeepers were such from innate +depravity. Could it really be that they were driven to the trade? + +The bare idea was enough to set his zeal in a blaze. “Listen,” he said. +“Suppose I were to find you some kind of honest work, so that you could +earn a living. Would you promise to reform?” + +“Do you mean would I quit Callahan's? Why, sure I would.” + +“Ah!” exclaimed the boy in delight. + + +“But it'd have to be a steady job,” put in the other. “I can take no +chances with the baby.” + +“That's all right,” said Samuel. “I'll get you what you want.” + +“Gee, young feller!” exclaimed Finnegan. “Do you carry 'em round in your +pockets?” + +“No,” said Samuel, “but Dr. Vince asked me to help him; and I'm going to +tell him about you.” + +And so, forthwith, he made his way to the doctor's house, and was +ushered into the presence of the unhappy clergyman. He stated his case; +and the other threw up his hands in despair. + +“Really,” he exclaimed, “this is too much, Samuel! I can't find +employment for everyone in Lockmanville.” + +“But, doctor!” protested Samuel, “I don't think you understand. This man +wants to lead a decent life, and he can't because there's no way for him +to earn a living.” + +“I understand all that Samuel.” + +“But, doctor, what's the use of trying to reform men if they're chained +in that way?” + +There was a pause. + +“I'm afraid it's hopeless to explain to you,” said the clergyman. “But +you'll have to make up your mind to it, Samuel--there are a great many +men in the world who want jobs, and it seems to be unfortunately true +that there are fewer jobs than men.” + +“Yes,” said the other, “but that's what Professor Stewart taught men. +And you said it was wicked of him.” + +“Um--” said the doctor, taken aback. + +“Don't you see?” went on Samuel eagerly. “It puts you right back with +Herbert Spencer! If there are more men than there are jobs, then the men +have to fight for them. And so you have the struggle for existence, and +the survival of the greedy and the selfish. If Finnegan wouldn't be a +barkeeper, then he and his family would starve, and somebody else would +survive who was willing to be that bad.” + +The boy waited. “Don't you see that, Dr. Vince?” he persisted. + +“Yes, I see that,” said the doctor. + +“And you told me that the only way to escape from that was to live for +others--to serve them and help them. And isn't that what I'm trying to +do?” + +“Yes, my boy, that is so. But what can we do?” + +“Why, doctor, aren't you the head of the church? And the people come to +you to be taught. You must point out these things to them, so that there +can be a change.” + +“But WHAT change, Samuel?” + +“I don't know, sir. I'm groping around and trying to find out. But I'm +sure of one thing--that some people have got too much money. Why, Dr. +Vince, there are people right in your church who have more than they +could spend in hundreds of years.” + +“Perhaps so,” said the other. “But what harm does that do?” + +“Why--that's the reason that so many others have nothing! Only realize +it--right at this very moment there are people starving to death--and +here in Lockmanville! They want to work, and there is no work for them! +I could take you to see them, sir--girls who want a job in Mr. Wygant's +cotton mill, and he won't give it to them!” + +“But, my boy--that isn't Mr. Wygant's fault! It's because there is too +much cloth already.” + +“I've been thinking about that,” said Samuel earnestly. “And it doesn't +sound right to me. There are too many people who need good clothes. Look +at poor Sophie, for instance!” + +“Yes,” said the other, “of course. But they haven't money to buy the +cloth---” + +And Samuel sat forward in his excitement. “Yes, yes!” he cried. “And +isn't that just what I said before? They have no money, because the rich +people have it all!” + +There was no reply; and after a moment Samuel rushed on: “Surely it is +selfish of Mr. Wygant to shut poor people out of his mill, just because +they have no money. Why couldn't he let them make cloth for themselves?” + +“Samuel!” protested the other. “That is absurd!” + +“But why, sir?” + +“Because, my boy--in a day they could make more than they could wear in +a year.” + +“So much the better, doctor! Then they could give the balance to other +people who needed it--and the other people could make things for them. +Take Sophie. She not only needs clothing, she needs shoes, and above +all, she needs enough to eat. And if it's a question of there not being +enough food, look at what's wasted in a place like Master Albert's! And +there's land enough at 'Fairview' to raise food for the whole town--I +know what I'm talking about there, because I'm a farmer. And it's used +to keep a lot of race horses that nobody ever rides.” + +“Samuel,” said the clergyman gravely, “that is true--and that is very +wrong. But what can _I_ do?” + +And Samuel stared at him. “Doctor!” he exclaimed. “I can't tell you how +it hurts me to have you talk to me like that!” + +“How do you mean, Samuel?” asked the other in bewilderment. + +And the boy clasped his hands together in his agitation. “You told me +that we must sacrifice ourselves, and help others! You said that was our +sole duty! And I believed you--I was ready to go with you. And here I +am--I want to follow you, and you won't lead!” + +Those words were like a stab. The doctor winced visibly. + +And Samuel winced also--his heart was wrung. “It hurts me more than +I can tell you!” he cried. “But think of the people who are +suffering--nobody spares them! And how can you be silent, doctor--how +can the shepherd of Christ be silent while some of his flock are living +in luxury and others are starving to death?” + +There was a long pause. Dr. Vince sat rigid, clutching the arms of his +chair. + +“Samuel,” he said, “you are right. I will preach on this unemployed +question next Sunday.” + +“Ah, thank you, sir--thank you!” exclaimed Samuel, with tears of +gratitude in his eyes. And he took his friend's hand and wrung it. + +Then, suddenly, a new thought came to him. “And meantime, doctor,” said +he, “what am I to tell Finnegan?” + + + + +CHAPTER XIX + + +One who has all the cares of humanity upon his shoulders, as Samuel had, +is apt to find that it claims a good deal of time. Samuel did his best +to keep his mind upon the weighty problems which he had to solve; but he +found that he was continually distracted by the thought of Miss Gladys. +Again and again her image would sweep over him, driving everything +else from his mind. The vision of her beauty haunted him, sending his +imagination upon all sorts of strange excursions and adventures. + +She had told him to come again; and he wondered how long he should wait. +He was supposed to come to see Sophie--but that, of course, was absurd, +for he saw Sophie every night at home. + +He waited three days; and then he could wait no longer. The hunger to +see her was like a fire smoldering in him. + +In the morning, at eleven o'clock, he went to the house and Sophie came +to the door. “I'll tell her you're here,” said she, understanding at +once. She ran upstairs, and came back telling him to come. “And she's +glad, Samuel!” exclaimed the child. + +“Won't you come, too?” he asked blunderingly. + +“No, she told me not to,” was Sophie's reply. + +So he went upstairs to Miss Wygant's own sitting room, and found her in +a morning gown, even more beautiful than the one she had worn before. + +“You don't know how glad I am to see you,” she said. + +Samuel admitted that he didn't know; and he added, “And I don't know why +you should be, Miss Gladys.” + +Miss Gladys stood looking at him. “You find things interesting, don't +you?” she asked. + +“Why, yes, Miss Gladys,” he replied. + +“And I find things so tiresome.” + +“Tiresome!” gasped the boy. “Here--in this house!” + +“It seems strange to you, does it?” said she. + +“Why you have everything in the world!” he cried. + +“Yes, and I'm tired of everything.” + +The boy was looking at her in wonder. “It's true,” she said. “Everybody +I meet is uninteresting--they live such dull and stupid lives. I'm shut +up here in this town--I've got to spend a whole month here this summer!” + +Samuel gazed at her, and a wave of pity swept over him. He had felt for +some time that she was not happy. So here was one more duty for him--he +must help this beautiful young lady to a realization of her own good +fortune. + +The thought set him athrill. “Ah, but Miss Gladys!” he exclaimed. “Think +how much good you do!” + +“Good?” said she. “In what way?” + +“Why--think of Sophie! How happy you've made her.” + +“Yes,” she said dully. “I suppose so.” + +“And me!” he exclaimed. + +“Have I made you happy?” she inquired. + +And he answered, “I have never been so happy in my life.” + +All the wonder that was in his soul shone in his eyes, and arrested +her gaze. They stood looking at each other; and then she came to him +laughing. “Samuel,” she said, “you haven't got that tie right.” + +And once more her fingers touched him, and her breath was upon him, and +the glory of her set him on fire. A new wave of feeling swept over him, +and this time it swamped him completely. His heart was pounding, his +brain was reeling; and blindly, like a drunken man--almost without +knowing what he was doing--he put out his arms and caught her to him. + +And then, in an instant, horror seized him. What had he done? She would +repel him--she would drive him from her! He had ruined everything! + +But another instant sufficed to show him that this was not the case. And +the tide of his feeling swept back redoubled. From the hidden regions of +his soul there came new emotions, suddenly awakened--things tremendous +and terrifying--never guessed by him before. His manhood came suddenly +to consciousness--he lost all his shyness and fear of her. She was +his--to do what he pleased with! And he pressed her to him, he half +crushed her in his embrace. She closed her eyes, and he kissed her +upon the cheeks and upon the lips; then he heard her voice, faint and +trembling--“Samuel, I love you!” And within him it was like a great +fanfare of trumpets, for wonder and triumph and delirious joy. + +Suddenly there came a step in the hall outside. They sprang apart. The +door of the room was open; and for an instant he saw wild terror in her +eyes. + +Then she sank down upon her knees. “Oh, Samuel!” she exclaimed. “My +ring!” + +“Your ring!” he echoed, dazed. + +“My ring!” she said again; then he heard the voice of Mrs. Harris in the +doorway. “Your ring, Miss Gladys?” + +“I dropped it,” she said; and Samuel sank down upon his knees also. + +They sought under the table. “It fell here,” she said. “It's my +solitaire.” + +“It must have rolled,” said Mrs. Harris, beginning to search. + +“Put your head down and look about, Samuel,” commanded Miss Gladys, and +Samuel obeyed; but he did not find any ring. + +They continued the search for a minute. Mrs. Harris had come back to the +table; and suddenly she exclaimed, “Here it is!” + +“What!” cried the other. “Why, I looked there!” + +“It was under the leg of the table,” explained the housekeeper. + +“Ah!” said the other, and put the precious ring back upon her finger. + +Samuel was overwhelmed with astonishment; but it was nothing to what +he felt a moment later. His goddess turned to him. “No,” she said. “I'm +sorry, Samuel, but it's impossible for me to do what you ask me.” + +He stared at her perplexed. + +“I have found a place for Sophie,” she went on, “and that is positively +all I can do.” + +“Miss Gladys!” he exclaimed. + +“Really,” she said, “I think you ought not to ask me to do any more. I +understand that there is a good deal of suffering among the mill people, +and I do what I can to relieve it. But as for taking all the employees +into my father's household--that is simply absurd.” + +The boy could not find words. He could only stare at her. “That's all,” + said Miss Gladys. “And about those flower seeds--do what you can to +find them. I want them in a few days, if I'm to use them at all. Do you +understand?” + +“Y-yes, Miss Gladys,” he stammered. He had seen her dart a swift glance +at the housekeeper, and he was beginning at last to comprehend. + +“Bring them to me yourself,” she added. “Good-by.” + +“Good-by, Miss Gladys,” he said, and went out. + +He went downstairs, marveling. But before he was halfway down the first +flight of steps he had forgotten everything except those incredible +words--“Samuel, I love you!” They rang in his head like a trumpet call. + +He could not hold himself in. He could not carry away such a secret. +Sophie went to the door with him; and he took her outside and whispered +it to her. + +The child stared at him, with awe in her eyes. “Samuel!” she whispered, +“she must mean to marry you!” + +The boy started in dismay. “Marry me!” he gasped. “Marry me!” + +“Why, yes!” said Sophie. “What else can she mean?” + +That was a poser. “But--but--” he cried. “It's absurd!” + +“It's not, Samuel! She loves you!” + +“But I'm nothing but a poor boy!” + +“But, Samuel, she has plenty of money!” + +It had not occurred to Samuel that way; but he had to admit that it was +true. “But I'm not good enough,” he protested. + +“You are good enough for anyone!” cried Sophie. “You are noble and +beautiful--and she has found it out. And she means to stoop and lift you +up to her.” + +The boy was silent, stricken with awe. “Oh, Samuel, it is just like in +the fairy stories!” whispered the child. “You are to be the prince!” + +So she went on, pouring out the wonder of it to him, and thrilling his +soul to yet new flights. + +He left her at last and walked down the street half dazed. He was to +marry Miss Gladys! Yes, it must be true, for she had told him that she +loved him! And then, presumably, he would come to live in that great +palace. How could he ever stand it? What would he do? + +And he would be a rich man! A great surge of triumph came to him. What +would the people at home say--what would his brothers think when he went +to pay them a visit, and perhaps to buy the old place? + +But he put these thoughts away from him. He must not think of such +things--it was selfish and ignoble. He must think of the good that he +would be able to do with all the money. He might help the poor at last. +He and Miss Gladys would devote their lives to this. Perhaps some day he +might even own the mill where the children worked, and he would be able +to send them all to school! And he would be a member of the Lockman +family, in a way--he might even have some influence over Master Albert! +And Ethel and Dr. Vince--how happy they would be when they heard of his +good fortune! + +In the end his thoughts left all these things, and came back to Miss +Gladys. After all, what counted but that? She loved him! She was his! +And like a swiftly spreading fire there came over him the memory of what +he had done to her; he walked on, trembling with wonder and fear. It +was a kind of madness in his blood. It had taken possession of his whole +being--he would never again be the same! He stretched out his arms as he +walked down the street, because his emotions were greater than he could +bear. + +Then suddenly, in the midst of the turmoil, a sight met his eyes which +brought him back to the world. Approaching him, about to pass him, +was an old man with a gray beard, stooping as he walked and carrying +a peddler's basket. The disguise was excellent, but it did not deceive +Samuel for an instant. He stood stock-still and cried in amazement: +“Charlie Swift!” + +The peddler shot a quick glance at him. “Shut up!” he muttered; and then +he passed on, and left Samuel staring. + +So with a sudden rush, a new set of emotions overwhelmed the boy. He +was only a week away from the burglary; and yet it was an age. And how +terrible it seemed--how almost incredible! And here was he, about to +marry the daughter of a millionaire--while his friend and confederate +was still skulking in the shadows, hiding from the police. + +Of all the distressed people whom Samuel had met in the course of his +adventures, Charlie Swift was the only one whom he had not benefited. +And simply to set eyes upon him was to hear in his soul a new call. How +could he pursue his own gratifications while Charlie was left a prey to +wickedness? + +The figure almost passed from sight while Samuel stood wrestling with +the problem. He shrunk from the task before him; he was afraid of +Charlie Swift, afraid of his cynical smile, and of his merciless +sneering. But his duty was clear before him--as clear as that of any +soldier, who in the midst of love and pleasure hears the bugle call. He +might not be able to do anything for Charlie. But he must try! + +And so he turned and followed the old peddler to his home. + + + + +CHAPTER XX + + +“So you've let them turn you into a mission stiff!” said Charlie Swift, +when the two were seated in his room. + +“A what?” exclaimed Samuel perplexed. + +“A mission stiff,” repeated the other. “One of the guys that gets +repentance!” + +Samuel experienced a sudden chilling of the ardor with which he had +come into the room. The old grin was upon the other's face; and the boy +realized with a sudden sinking of the heart how hard and savage he was. +Finnegan was a babe in arms compared with Charlie Swift. + +To convert him would be a real task, a test of one's fervor and vision. +Samuel resolved suddenly upon diplomacy. + +“They've been very good to me,” he said. + +“I dare say,” responded the other indifferently. + +“And Dr. Vince is really a very good man,” he went on. + +“Humph!” commented the burglar; and then he added quickly, “You haven't +been telling him anything about me?” + +“Oh, no!” exclaimed the boy. + +“Not a word?” + +“Have you forgotten that I promised you?” + +“That's all right,” said Charlie, “only I just wanted to warn you. You +can tie up with the church guys if you feel like it--only don't mention +your lost brothers down in the pit. Just you remember that I got some of +the doctor's silver.” + +The boy gave a start. “Oh!” he exclaimed. + +“Didn't you know that?” laughed the other. + +“No, I didn't know it.” + +“What did you suppose I was doing all that time while you were +watching?” + +Samuel said nothing for a minute. “Why did you pick out Dr. Vince?” he +asked suddenly. + +“Him? Why not? I knew his house.” + +“But a clergyman! Does it seem quite fair?” + +“Oh, that's all right,” laughed the other. “He's got a-plenty. It don't +have to come out of his salary, you know.” + +“Why not?” + +“Because, he's got a rich wife. You didn't suppose he lived in that +palace of a house on his own salary, did you?” + +“I hadn't thought anything about it.” + +“Well, he's all right--he married one of the richest girls in town. And +she'll keep his nest feathered.” + +There was a pause. “Don't you think that Dr. Vince is a good man?” asked +Samuel. + +“I don't know,” said the other. “I've got no quarrel with him. But I +don't like his trade.” + +“Doesn't he do a great deal of good to people?” + +“Maybe,” said the other, shrugging his shoulders. + +“To poor people?” persisted Samuel. + +“I dare say,” admitted Charlie. “But you'll notice it takes all the sand +out of them--makes them into beggars. And I ain't that sort.” + +“Why do you think he tries to help them?” + +“Well, he gets paid for it, don't he?” + +“But the other people in the church--the ones who pay the money. Why do +you think they do it?” + +The burglar thought for a moment. “I reckon they do it to make +themselves feel good,” he said. + +“To make themselves feel good,” repeated the other perplexed. + +“Sure!” said the man. “You take one of those rich women--she's got a +lot of money that she never earned, and she spends all her life amusing +herself and ordering servants about. And all the time she knows that +most of the people--the people that do the work--are suffering and +dying. And she don't want to let that make her feel bad, so she hires +some fellow like your friend, the doctor, to preach to 'em--and maybe +give 'em a turkey at Christmas. And that takes the trouble off her mind. +Don't you see?” + +“Yes,” said the other weakly. “I see.” + +“Or else,” added Charlie, “take some of those smooth grafters they've +got up there--the men, I mean. They spend six days in the week cutting +other people's throats, and robbing the public. Don't you think +it's handy for them to know they can come on Sunday and drop a +five-dollar-bill in the plate, and square the whole account?” + +Samuel sought for a reply to these cruel taunts. “I don't think you put +it quite fairly,” he protested. + +“Why not?” demanded the other. + +“In the first place, men like that wouldn't go to church--” + +Charlie stared at him. “What!” he exclaimed. + +“No,” said the boy. + +“Why not?” + +“Well, why should they care to go? And they wouldn't be welcome--” + +Charlie burst into laughter. “You poor kid!” he exclaimed. “What have +you been doing up there at St. Matthew's, anyhow?” + +“I'm the sexton's assistant,” said Samuel gravely. + +“Yes,” said the other. “Evidently a sexton's assistant doesn't see much +of the congregation.” + +“I wish you'd explain,” remarked the boy after a pause. + +“I hardly know where to begin,” replied the other. “They've such a +choice collection of crooks up there. Did you ever notice a little +pot-bellied fellow with mutton-chop whiskers--looks as if he was eating +persimmons all the time?” + +“You mean Mr. Hickman?” + +“Yes, that's the chap. He's one of the pillars of the church, isn't he?” + +“I suppose so,” said Samuel. “He's one of the vestrymen.” + +“And did you ever hear of Henry Hickman before?” + +“I know he's a famous lawyer; and I was told that he managed the Lockman +estate.” + +“Yes,” said Charlie, “and I suppose you don't know what that means!” + +“No,” admitted Samuel, “I don't.” + +“It means,” went on the other, “that he was old Lockman's right-hand +man, and had his finger in every dirty job that the old fellow ever did +for thirty years. And it means that he runs the business now, and does +all the crooked work that has to be done for it.” + +There was a pause. “For instance, what?” asked Samuel in a low voice. + +“For instance, politics,” said the other. “Steering the grafters off +the Lockman preserve. Getting the right men named by the machine, and +putting up the dough to elect them. Last year the Democrats got in, in +spite of all he could do; and he had to buy the city council outright.” + +“What!” gasped the boy in horror. + +“Sure thing,” laughed Charlie--“there was an independent water company +trying to break in, and the Democrats were pledged to them. They say it +cost Hickman forty-five thousand dollars.” + +“But do you KNOW that?” cried the other. + +“Know it, Sammy? Why everybody in town knows it. It was a rotten steal, +on the face of it.” + +Samuel was staring at him. “I can't believe it!” he exclaimed. + +“Nonsense!” laughed the other. “Ask round a bit!” And then he added +quickly, “Why, see here--didn't you tell me you knew Billy Finnegan--the +barkeeper?” + +“Yes, I know him.” + +“Well, then, you can go right to headquarters and find out. His boss, +John Callahan, was one of the supervisors--he got the dough. Go and ask +Finnegan.” + +“But will he tell?” exclaimed Samuel. + +“I guess he'll tell,” said Charlie, “if you go at him right. It's no +great secret--the whole town's been laughing about it.” + +Samuel was almost too shocked for words. “Do you suppose Dr. Vince knows +it?” he cried. + +“He don't know much if he doesn't,” was the other's reply. + +“A member of his church!” gasped the boy. + +“Oh, pshaw!” laughed the other. “You're too green, Sammy! What's the +church got to do with business? Why, look--there's old Wygant--another +of the vestrymen!” + +“Miss Gladys' father, you mean?” + +“Yes; old Lockman's brother-in-law. He's the other trustee of the +estate. And do you suppose there's any rascality he doesn't know about?” + +“But he's a reformer!” cried the boy wildly. + +“Sure!” laughed Charlie. “He made a speech at the college commencement +about representative government; I suppose you read it in the Express. +But all the same, when the Democrats got in, his nibs came round and +made his terms with Slattery, the new boss; and they get along so well +it'll be his money that will put them in again next year.” + +“But WHY?” cried Samuel dazed. + +“For one thing,” said Charlie, “because he's got to have his man in the +State legislature, to beat the child-labor bill.” + +“The child-labor bill!” + +“Surely. You knew he was fighting it, didn't you? They wanted to prevent +children under fourteen from working in the cotton mills. Wygant sent +Jack Pemberton up to the Capital for nothing at all but to beat that +law.” Samuel sat with his hands clenched tightly. Before him there had +come the vision of little Sophie Stedman with her wan and haggard face! +“But why does he want the children in his mill?” he cried. + +“Why?” echoed Charlie. “Good God! Because he can pay them less and work +them harder. Did you suppose he wanted them there for their health?” + +There was a long pause. The boy was wrestling with the most terrible +specter that had yet laid hold upon him. “I don't believe he knows it!” + he whispered half to himself. “I don't believe it!” + +“Who?” asked the other. + +“Dr. Vince!” said the boy. And he rose suddenly to his feet. “I will go +and see him about it,” he said. + +“Go and see him!” echoed Charlie. + +“Yes. He will tell me!” + +Charlie was gazing at him with a broad grin. “I dare you!” he cried. + +“I am going,” said the boy simply; and the burglar slapped his thigh in +delight. + +“Go on!” he chuckled. “Sock it to him, Sammy! And come back and tell me +about it!” + + + + +CHAPTER XXI + + +“Dr. Vince is at lunch,” said the maid who answered the bell. + +“Please tell him I must see him at once,” said Samuel. “It's something +very important.” + +He went in and sat down in the library, and the doctor came, looking +anxious. “What is it now?” he asked. + +And Samuel turned to him a face of anguish. “Doctor,” he said, “I've +just had a terrible experience.” + +“What is it, Samuel?” + +“I hardly know how to tell you,” said the boy. “I know a man--a very +wicked man; and I went to him to try to convert him, and to bring him +into the church. And he laughed at me, and at the church, too. He said +there are wicked men in it--in St. Matthew's, Dr. Vince! He told me who +they are, and what they are doing! And, doctor--I can't believe that you +know about it--that you would let such things go on!” + +The other was staring at him in alarm. “My dear boy,” he said, “there +are many wicked men in the world, and I cannot know everything.” + +“Ah, but this is terrible, doctor! You will have to find out about +it--you cannot let such men stay in the church.” + +The other rose and closed the door of his study. Then he drew his chair +close to Samuel. “Now,” he said, “what is it?” + +“It's Mr. Wygant,” said Samuel. + +“Mr. Wygant!” cried the other in dismay. + +“Yes, Dr. Vince.” + +“What has he done?” + +“Did you know that it was he who beat the child-labor bill--that he +named the State senator on purpose to do it?” + +The doctor was staring at him. “The child-labor bill!” he gasped. “Is +THAT what you mean?” + +“Yes, Dr. Vince,” said Samuel. “Surely you didn't know that!” + +“Why, I know that Mr. Wygant is very much opposed to the bill. He has +opposed it openly. He has a perfect right to do that, hasn't he?”' + +“But to name the State senator to beat it, doctor!” + +“Well, my boy, Mr. Wygant is very much interested in politics; and, of +course, he would use his influence. Why not?” + +“But, Dr. Vince--it was a wicked thing! Think of Sophie!” + +“But, my boy--haven't we found Sophie a place in Mr. Wygant's own home?” + +“Yes, doctor! But there are all the others! Think of the suffering and +misery in that dreadful mill! And Mr. Wygant pays such low wages. And he +is such a rich man--he might help the children if he would.” + +“Really, Samuel--” began the doctor. + +But the boy, seeing the frown of displeasure on his face, rushed on +swiftly. “That's only the beginning! Listen to me! There's Mr. Hickman!” + +“Mr. Hickman!” + +“Mr. Henry Hickman, the lawyer. He has done even worse things--” + +And suddenly the clergyman clenched his hands. “Really, Samuel!” he +cried. “This is too much! You are exceeding all patience!” + +“Doctor!” exclaimed the boy in anguish. + +“It seems to me,” the doctor continued, “that you owe it to me to +consider more carefully. You have been treated very kindly here--you +have been favored in more ways than one.” + +“But what has that to do with it?” cried the other wildly. + +“It is necessary that you should remember your place. It is certainly +not becoming for you, a mere boy, and filling a subordinate position, to +come to me with gossip concerning the vestry of my church.” + +“A subordinate position!” echoed Samuel dazed. “But what has my position +to do with it?” + +“It has a great deal to do with it, Samuel.” + +The boy was staring at him. “You don't understand me!” he cried. “I am +not doing this for myself! I am not setting myself up! I am thinking of +the saving of the church!” + +“What do you mean--saving the church?” + +“Why, doctor--just see! I went to reform a man; and he sneered at me. He +would not have anything to do with the church, because such wicked men +as Mr. Hickman were in it. He said it was their money that saved them +from exposure--he said--” + +“What has Mr. Hickman done?” demanded the other quickly. + +“He bribed the city council, sir! He bribed it to beat the water bill.” + +Dr. Vince got up from his chair and began to pace the floor nervously. +“Tell me, doctor!” cried Samuel. “Please tell me! Surely you didn't know +that!” + +The other turned to him suddenly. “I don't think you quite realize +the circumstances,” said he. “You come to me with this tale about Mr. +Hickman. Do you know that he is my brother-in-law?” + +Samuel clutched the arms of his chair and stared aghast. “Your +brother-in-law!” he gasped. + +“Yes,” said the other. “He is my wife's only brother.” + +Samuel was dumb with dismay. And the doctor continued to pace the floor. +“You see,” he said, “the position you put me in.” + +“Yes,” said the boy. “I see. It's very terrible.” But then he rushed +on in dreadful anxiety: “But, doctor, you didn't know it. Oh, I'm +sure--please tell me that you didn't know it!” + +“I didn't know it!” exclaimed the doctor. “And what is more, I don't +know it now! I have heard these rumors, of course. Mr. Hickman is a man +of vast responsibilities, and he has many enemies. Am I to believe every +tale that I hear about him?” + +“No,” said Samuel, taken aback. “But this is something that everyone +knows.” + +“Everyone!” cried the other. “Who is everyone? Who told it to you?” + +“I--I can't tell,” stammered the boy. + +“How does he know it?” continued the doctor. “And what sort of a man is +he? Is he a good man?” + +“No,” admitted Samuel weakly. “I am afraid he is not.” + +“Is he a man who loves and serves others? A man who never speaks +falsehood--whom you would believe in a matter that involved your dearest +friends? Would believe him if he told you that I was a briber and a +scoundrel?” + +Samuel was obliged to admit that Charlie Swift was not a man like that. +“Dr. Vince,” he said quickly, “I admit that I am at fault. I have come +to you too soon. I will find out about these things; and if they are +true, I will prove them to you. If they are not, I will go away in +shame, and never come to trouble you again as long as I live.” + +Samuel said this very humbly; and yet there was a note of grim +resolution in his voice--which the doctor did not fail to note. “But, +Samuel!” he protested. “Why--why should you meddle in these things?” + +“Meddle in them!” exclaimed the other. “Surely, if they are true, I +have to. You don't mean that if they were proven, you would let such men +remain in your church?” + +“I don't think,” said the doctor gravely, “that I can say what I should +do in case of anything so terrible.” + +“No,” was Samuel's reply, “you are right. The first thing is to find out +the truth.” + +And so Samuel took his departure. + +He went straight to his friend Finnegan. + +“Hello!” exclaimed Finnegan. Then, “What about that job of mine?” he +asked with a broad grin. + +“Dr. Vince says he will look out for you,” was the boy's reply. “But I'm +not ready to talk about that yet. There's something else come up.” + +He waited until his friend had attended to the wants of a customer, and +until the customer had consumed a glass of beer and departed. Then he +called the bartender into a corner. + +“Mr. Finnegan,” he said, “I want to know something very important.” + +“What is it?” asked the other. + +“Do you know Mr. Hickman--Henry Hickman, the lawyer?” + +“He's not on my calling list,” said Finnegan. “I know him by sight.” + +“I've heard it said that he had something to do with beating a water +bill in the city council. Did he?” + +“You bet your life he did!” said the bartender with a grin. + +“Is it true that he bought up the council?” + +“You bet your life it's true!” + +“And is it true that Mr. Callahan got some of the money?” + +Finnegan glanced at the other suspiciously. “Say,” he said, “what's all +this about, anyhow?” + +“Listen,” said Samuel gravely. “You know that Mr. Hickman is a member +of my church. And he's Dr. Vince's brother-in-law, which makes it more +complicated yet. Dr. Vince has heard these terrible stories, and you +can see how awkward it is for him. He cannot let such evil-doers go +unrebuked.” + +“Gee!” said the other. “What's he going to do?” + +“I don't know,” said Samuel. “He hasn't told me that. First, you see, +he has to be sure that the thing is true. And, of course, Mr. Hickman +wouldn't tell.” + +“No,” said Finnegan. “Hardly!” + +“And it isn't easy for the doctor to find out. You see--he's a +clergyman, and he only meets good people. But I told him I would find +out for him.” + +“I see,” said Finnegan. + +“What I want,” said the boy, “is to be able to tell him that I heard it +from the lips of one of the men who got the money. I won't have to say +who it is--he'll take my word for that. Do you suppose Mr. Callahan +would talk about it?” + +The bartender thought for a moment. “You wait here,” he said. “The boss +has only stepped round the corner; and perhaps I can get the doctor what +he wants.” + +So Samuel sat down and waited; and in a few minutes John Callahan came +in. He was a thick-set and red-faced Irishman, good-natured and pleasant +looking-not at all like the desperado Samuel had imagined. + +“Say, John,” said Finnegan. “This boy here used to work for Bertie +Lockman; and he's got a girl works for the Wygants.” + +“So!” said Callahan. + +“And what do you think,” went on the other, “He heard old Henry Hickman +talking--he says you fellows held him up on that water bill.” + +“Go on!” said Callahan. “Did he say that?” + +“He did,” said Finnegan, without giving Samuel a chance to reply. + +“Well,” said the other, “he's a damned liar, and he knows it. It was a +dead straight proposition, and we hadn't a thing to do with it. There +was an independent water company that wanted a franchise--and it would +have given the city its water for just half. Every time I pay my water +bill I am sorry I didn't hold out. It would have been cheaper for me in +the end.” + +“He says it cost him sixty thousand,” remarked Finnegan. + +“Maybe,” said the other. “You can't tell what the organization got. All +I know is that ten of us fellows in the council got two thousand apiece +out of it.” + +There was a pause. Samuel was listening with his hands clenched tightly. + +“Did he pay it to you himself?” asked Finnegan. + +“Who, Hickman? No, he paid it to Slattery, and Slattery came here from +his office. Why, is he trying to crawl out of that part of it?” + +“No, not exactly. But he makes a great fuss about being held up.” + +“Yes!” said Callahan. “I dare say! He's got his new franchise, and he +and the Lockman estate are clearing about ten thousand a month out of +it. And my two thousand was gone the week I got it--it had cost me twice +that to get elected--and without counting the free drinks. It's a great +graft, being a supervisor, ain't it?” + +“Why did you do it then?” asked Samuel in a faint voice. + +“I'll never do it again, young fellow,” said the saloon keeper. “I'm the +Honorable John for the rest of my life, and I guess that'll do me. And +the next time old Henry Hickman wants his dirty work done, he can hunt +up somebody that needs the money more than me!” + +Then the Honorable John went on to discuss the politics of Lockmanville, +and to lay bare the shameless and grotesque corruption in a town where +business interests were fighting. The trouble was, apparently, that the +people were beginning to rebel--they were tired of being robbed in so +many different ways, and they went to the polls to find redress. And +time and again, after they had elected new men to carry out their will, +the great concerns had stepped in and bought out the law-makers. The +last time it had been the unions that made the trouble; and three of the +last supervisors had been labor leaders--“the worst skates of all,” as +Callahan phrased it. + +Samuel listened, while one by one the last of his illusions were torn +to shreds. There had been a general scramble to get favors from the new +government of the town; and the scramblers seemed to include every +pious and respectable member of St. Matthew's whose name Samuel had ever +heard. There was old Mr. Curtis, another of the vestrymen, who passed +the plate every Sunday morning, and looked like a study of the +Olympian Jove. He wanted to pile boxes on the sidewalks in front of his +warehouse, and he had come to Slattery and paid him two hundred dollars. + +“And Mr. Wygant!” exclaimed Samuel, as a sudden thought came to him. “Is +it true that he is back of the organization?” + +“Good God!” laughed Callahan. “Did you hear him say that?” + +“Some one else told me,” was the reply. + +“Well,” said the other, “the truth is that Wygant got cold feet before +the election, and he came to Slattery and fixed it. I know that, for +Slattery told me. We had him bluffed clean--I don't think we'd ever have +got in at all if it hadn't been for his money.” + +“I see!” whispered the boy. + +“Oh, he's a smooth guy!” laughed the saloon keeper. “Look at that new +franchise got for his trolley road--ninety-nine years, and anything +he wants in the meantime! And then to hear him making reform speeches! +That's what makes me mad about them fellows up on the hill. They get a +thousand dollars for every one we get; but they are tip-top swells, and +they wouldn't speak to one of us low grafters on the street. And they're +eminent citizens and pillars of the church--wouldn't it make you sick?” + +“Yes,” said Samuel in a low voice, “that's just what it does. It makes +me sick!” + + + + +CHAPTER XXII + + +Samuel now had his evidence; and he went straight back to Dr. Vince. +“Doctor,” he said, “I am able to tell you that I know. I have heard it +from one of the men who got the money.” + +“Who is he?” asked the doctor. + +“I could not tell you that,” said the boy--“it would not be fair. But +you know that I am telling the truth. And this man told me with his +own lips that Mr. Hickman paid twenty thousand dollars to Slattery, the +Democratic boss, to be paid to ten of the supervisors to vote against +the other company's water bill.” + +There was a long pause; the doctor sat staring in front of him. “What do +you want me to do?” he asked faintly. + +“I don't know,” said Samuel. “Is it for me to tell you what is right?” + +And again there was a pause. + +“My boy,” said the doctor, “this is a terrible thing for me. Mr. Hickman +is my wife's brother, and she loves him very dearly. And he is a very +good friend of mine--I depend on him in all the business matters of the +church. + +“Yes,” said Samuel. “But he bribed the city council.” + +“This thing would make a frightful scandal if it were known,” the other +went on. “Think what a terrible thing it would be for St. Matthew's!” + +“It is much worse as it is,” said the boy. “For people hear the story, +and they say that the church is sheltering evil doers.” + +“Think what a burden you place upon me!” cried the clergyman in +distress. “A member of my own family!” + +“It is just as hard for me,” said Samuel quickly. + +“In what way?” + +“On account of Mr. Wygant, sir.” + +“What of that?” + +Samuel had meant to say--“He is to be my father-in-law.” But at the last +moment some instinct told him that it might be best to let Miss Gladys +make that announcement at her own time. So instead he said, “I am +thinking of Sophie.” + +“It is not quite the same,” said the doctor; and then he repeated his +question, “What do you want me to do?” + +“Truly, I don't know!” protested the boy. “I am groping about to find +what is right.” + +“But you must have some idea in coming to me!” exclaimed the other +anxiously. “Do you want me to expose my brother-in-law and drive him +from the church?” + +“I suppose,” said Samuel gravely, “that he would be sent to prison. +But I certainly don't think that he should be driven from the church at +least not unless he is unrepentant. First of all we should labor with +him, I think.” + +“And threaten him with exposure?” + +“I'll tell you, doctor,” said the boy quickly. “I've been thinking about +this very hard; and I don't think it would do much good to expose +and punish any one. That only leads to bitterness and hatred--and we +oughtn't to hate any person, you know.” + +“Ah!” said the doctor with relief. + +“The point is, the wicked thing that's been done. It's this robbing +of the people that must be stopped! And it's the things that have been +stolen!--Let me give you an example. To-day I met the man who came here +with me to rob your house; and I learned for the first time that he had +carried off some of your silver.” + +“Yes,” said the other. + +“And the man asked me to say nothing about what he had done, and I +promised. I felt about him just as you do about your brother-in-law--I +wouldn't denounce him and put him in jail. But I saw right away that I +must do one thing--I must make him return the things he had stolen! That +was right, was it not, doctor?” + +“Yes,” said Dr. Vince promptly, “that was right.” + +“Very well,” said the boy; “and the same thing is true about Mr. +Hickman. He has robbed the people. He has got a franchise that enables +him and the Lockman estate to make about ten thousand dollars a month +out of the public. And they must give up that franchise! They must give +up every dollar that they have made out of it! That is the whole story +as I see it--nothing else counts but that. You can make all the fuss +you want about bribery and graft, but you haven't accomplished anything +unless you get back the stolen money.” + +There was a pause. “Don't you see what I mean, doctor?” asked Samuel. + +“Yes,” was the reply, “I see.” + + +“Well?” said Samuel. + +“It would be no use to try it,” said the doctor. “They would never do +it.” + +“They wouldn't?” + +“No. Nothing in the world could make them do it.” + +“Not even if we threatened to denounce them?” + +“No; not even then.” + +“Not even if we put them in jail?” + +Dr. Vince made no reply. The other sat waiting. And then suddenly he +said in a low voice, “Doctor, I mean to MAKE them give it up. I see it +quite clearly now--that is my duty. They must give it up!” + +Again there was silence. + +“Dr. Vince,” cried the boy in a voice of pain, “you surely mean to help +me!” + +And suddenly the doctor shut his lips together tightly. “No, Samuel,” he +said. “I do not!” + +The boy sat dumb. He felt a kind of faintness come over him. “You will +leave me all alone?” he said in a weak voice. + +The other made no reply. + +“Am I not right?” cried the boy wildly. “Have I not spoken the truth?” + +“I don't know,” the doctor answered. “It is too hard a question for +me to answer. I only know that I do not feel such things to be in my +province; and I will not have anything to do with them.” + +“But, doctor, you are the representative of the church!” + +“Yes. And I must attend to the affairs of the church.” + +“But is it no affair of the church that the people are being robbed?” + +There was no reply. + +“You give out charity!” protested Samuel. + +“You pretend to try to help the poor! And I bring you cases, and you +confess that you can't help them--because there are too many. And you +couldn't tell how it came to be. But here I show you--I prove to you +what makes the people poor! They are being robbed--they are being +trampled upon! Their own government has been stolen from them, and is +being used to cheat them! And you won't lift your voice to help!” + +“There is nothing that I can do, Samuel!” cried the clergyman wildly. + +“But there is! There is! You won't try! You might at least withdraw your +help from these criminals!” + +“My HELP!” + +“Yes, sir! You help them! You permit them to stay in the church, and +that gives them your sanction! You shelter them, and save them from +attack! If I were to go out to-morrow and try to open the eyes of +the people, no one would listen to me, because these men are so +respectable--because they are members of the church, and friends and +relatives of yours!” + +“Samuel!” exclaimed the clergyman. + +“And worse than that, sir! You take their money--you let the church +become dependent upon them! You told me that yourself, sir! And you give +their money to the poor people--the very people they have robbed! And +that blinds the people--they are grateful, and they don't understand! +And so you help to keep them in their chains! Don't you see that, Dr. +Vince?--why, it's just the same as if you were hired for that purpose!” + +Dr. Vince had risen in agitation. “Really, Samuel!” he cried. “You have +exceeded the limit of endurance. This cannot go on! I will not hear +another word of it!” + +Samuel sat, heart broken. “Then you are going to desert me!” he +exclaimed. “You are going to make me do it alone.” + +The other stared. “What are you going to do?” he demanded. + +“First,” said Samuel, “I am going to see these men. I am going to give +them a chance to see the error of their ways.” + +“Boy!” cried the doctor. “You are mad!” + +“Perhaps I am,” was the reply. “But how can I help that?” + +“At least,” exclaimed the other, “if you take any such step, you will +make it clear to them that _I_ have not sent you, and that you have no +sanction from me.” + +For a long time Samuel made no reply to this. Somehow it seemed the most +unworthy thing that his friend had said yet. It meant that Dr. Vince was +a coward! + +“No, sir,” he said at last, “you may rest easy about that. I will take +the whole burden on my own shoulders. There's no reason why I should +trouble you any more, I think.” + +And with that he rose, and went out from the house. + + + + +CHAPTER XXIII + + +After Samuel had left Dr. Vince, a great wave of desolation swept over +him. He was alone again, and all the world was against him! + +For a moment he had an impulse to turn back. After all, he was only a +boy; and who was he, to set himself up against the wise and great? But +then like a stab, came again the thought which drove him always--the +thought of the people, suffering and starving! Truly it was better +to die than to live in a world in which there was so much misery and +oppression! That was the truth, he would rather die than let these +things go on unopposed. And so there could be no turning back-there was +nothing for him save to do what he could. + +Where should he begin? He thought of Mr. Hickman--a most unpromising +person to work with. Samuel had been afraid of him from the first time +he had seen him. + +Then he thought of Mr. Wygant; should he begin with him? This brought +to his mind something which had been driven away by the rush of events. +Miss Gladys! How would she take these things? And what would she think +when she learned about her father's wickedness? + +A new idea came to Samuel. Why should he not take Miss Gladys into his +confidence? She would be the one to help him. She had helped him with +Sophie; and she had promised to help with Master Albert. And surely +it was her right to know about matters which concerned her family +so nearly. She would know what was best, so far as concerned her own +father; he would take her advice as to how to approach him. + +He went to the house and asked for Sophie. + +“Tell Miss Gladys that I want to see her,” he said; “and that it's +something very, very important.” + +So Sophie went away, and returning, took him upstairs. + +“Samuel,” said his divinity, “it isn't safe for you to come to see me in +the afternoons.” + +“Yes, Miss Gladys,” said he. “But this is something very serious. It's +got nothing to do with myself.” + +“What is it?” she asked. + +“It's your father, Miss Gladys.” + +“My father?” + +“Yes, Miss Gladys. It's a long story. I shall have to begin at the +beginning.” + +So he told the story of his coming to the church, and of the fervor +which had seized upon him, and how he had set to work to bring converts +into the fold; and how he had met a wicked man who had resisted his +faith, and of all the dreadful things which this man had said. When he +came to what Charlie Swift had told about her own father, Samuel was +disposed to expurgate the story; but Miss Gladys would have it all, and +seemed even to be disappointed that he had not more details to give her. + +“And Hickman!” she exclaimed gleefully. “I always knew he was an old +scamp! I'll wager you haven't found out the hundredth part about him, +Samuel!” + +Samuel went on to tell about the revelation at Callahan's. + +“And you took that to Dr. Vince!” she cried amazed. + +“Yes,” said he. + +“And what did he say?” + +“He wouldn't have anything to do with it. And so it's all left to me.” + +“And what are you going to do now?” + +“I don't know, Miss Gladys. For one thing, I think I shall have to see +your father.” + +“See my father!” gasped the girl. + +“Yes, Miss Gladys.” + +“But what for?” + +“To try to get him to see how wicked these things are.” + +The other was staring at him with wide-open, startled eyes. “Do you +mean,” she cried, “that you want to go to my father and talk to him +about what he's doing in politics?” + +“Why, yes, Miss Gladys--what else can I do?” + +And Miss Gladys took out her handkerchief, and leaned down upon the +table, hiding her face. She was overcome with some emotion, the nature +of which was not apparent. + +The boy was naturally alarmed. “Miss Gladys!” he cried. “You aren't +angry with me?” + +She answered, in a muffled voice, “No, Samuel--no!” + +Then she looked up, her face somewhat red. “Go and see him, Samuel!” she +said. + +“You don't mind?” he cried anxiously. + +“No, not in the least,” she said. “Go right ahead and see what you can +do. He's a very bad, worldly man; and if you can soften his heart, it +will be the best thing for all of us.” + +“And it won't make any difference in our relationship?” he asked. + +“In our relationship?” she repeated; and then, “Not in the least. But +mind, of course, don't say anything about that to him. Don't give him +any idea that you know me!” + +“Of course not, Miss Gladys.” + +“Tell him that you come from the church. And give it to him good and +hard, Samuel--for I'm sure he's done everything you told me, and lots +that is worse.” + +“Miss Gladys!” gasped the other. + +“And mind, Samuel!” she added. “Come and tell me about it afterwards. +Perhaps I can advise you what to do next.” + +There was a pause, while the two looked at each other. And then in a +sudden burst of emotion Miss Gladys exclaimed, “Oh, Samuel, you are an +angel!” + +And she broke into a peal of laughter; and swiftly, like a bird upon the +wing, she leaned toward him, and touched his cheek with her lips. And +then, like a flash, she was gone; and Samuel was left alone with his +bewilderment. + +Samuel set out forthwith for Mr. Wygant's office. But just before he +came to the bridge Mr. Wygant's automobile flashed past him; and so he +turned and went back to the house. + +This time he went to the front door. “I am Samuel Prescott, from St. +Matthew's Church,” he said to the butler. “And I want to see Mr. Wygant +upon important business.” + +Mr. Wygant sat in a great armchair by one of the windows in his library. +About him was the most elaborate collection of books that Samuel had +yet seen; and in the luxurious room was an atmosphere of profound +and age-long calm. Mr. Wygant himself was tall and stately, with an +indescribable air of exclusiveness and reserve. + +Samuel clenched his hands and rushed at once to the attack. “I am Samuel +Prescott, the sexton's boy at the church,” he said; “and I have to talk +to you about something very, VERY serious.” + +“Well?” said Mr. Wygant. + +Then Samuel told yet again how he had been led into evil ways, and how +he had been converted by Dr. Vince. He told the story in detail, so that +the other might comprehend his fervor. Then he told of the converts he +had made, and how at last he had encountered Charlie Swift. “And this +man would not come into the church,” he wound up, “because of the wicked +people who are in it.” + +The other had been listening with perplexed interest. “Who are these +people?” he asked. + +“Yourself for one,” said Samuel. + +Mr. Wygant started. “Myself!” he exclaimed. “What have I done?” + +“For one thing,” replied Samuel, “you work little children in your mill, +and you named the State senator to beat the child-labor bill. And for +another, you make speeches and pose as a political reformer, while you +are paying money to Slattery, so that he will give you franchises.” + +There was a silence, while Mr. Wygant got back his breath. “Young man,” + he cried at last, “this is a most incredible piece of impertinence!” + +And suddenly the boy started toward him, stretching out his arms. “Mr. +Wygant!” he cried. “You are going to be angry with me! But I beg you not +to harden your heart! I have come here for your own good! I came because +I couldn't bear to know that such things are done by a member of St. +Matthew's Church!” + +For a moment or two Mr. Wygant sat staring. “Let me ask you one thing,” + he said. “Does Dr. Vince know about this?” + +“I went to Dr. Vince about it first,” replied Samuel. “And he wouldn't +do anything about it. He said that if I came to you, I must make it +clear that he did not approve of it. I have come of my own free will, +sir.” + +There was another pause. “You are going to be angry with me!” cried +Samuel, again. + +“No,” said the other, “I will not be angry--because you are nothing but +a child, and you don't know what you are doing.” + +“Oh!” said Samuel. + +“You are very much in need of a little knowledge of life,” added the +other. + +“But, Mr. Wygant,” exclaimed the boy, “the things I have said are true!” + +“They are true--after a fashion,” was the reply. + +“And they are very wrong things!” + +“They seem so to you. That is because you know so little about such +matters.” + +“You are corrupting the government of your country, Mr. Wygant!” + +“The government of my country, as you call it, consisting of a number +of blackmailing politicians, who exist to prey upon the business I +represent.” + +There was a pause. “You see, young man,” said Mr. Wygant, “I have many +responsibilities upon my shoulders--many interests looking to me for +protection. And it is as if I were surrounded by a pack of wolves.” + +“But meantime,” cried Samuel, “what is becoming of free government?” + +“I do not know,” the other replied. “I sometimes think that unless the +people reform, free government will soon come to an end.” + +“But what are the people to do, sir?” + +“They are to elect honest men, with whom one can do business--instead +of the peasant saloon keepers and blatherskite labor leaders whom they +choose at present.” + +Samuel thought for a moment. “Men with whom one can do business,” he +said--“but what kind of business do you want to do?” + +“How do you mean?” asked the other. + +“You went to those politicians and got a franchise that will let you tax +the people whatever you please for ninety-nine years. And do you think +that was good business for the people?” + +There was no reply to this. + +“And how much of the property you are protecting was made in such ways +as that, sir?” + +A frown had come upon Mr. Wygant's forehead. But no one could gaze into +Samuel's agonized face and remain angry. + +“Young man,” said he. “I can only tell you again that you do not know +the world. If I should step out, would things be any different? +The franchises would go to some other crowd--that is all. It is the +competition of capital.” + +“The competition of capital,” reflected the boy. “In other words, there +is a scramble for money, and you get what you can!” + +“You may put it that way, sir.” + +“And you think that your responsibility ends when you've got a share for +your crowd!” + +“Yes--I suppose that is it.” + +There was a pause. “I see perfectly,” said Samuel, in a low voice. +“There's only one thing I can't understand.” + +“What is that?” + +“Why you should belong to the church, sir? What has this money scramble +to do with the teaching of Jesus?” + +And then Samuel saw that he had overstepped the mark. “Really, young +man,” said Mr. Wygant, “I cannot see what is to be gained by pursuing +this conversation.” + +“But, sir, you are degrading the church!” + +“The subject must be dropped!” said Mr. Wygant sternly. “You are +presuming upon my good nature. You are forgetting your place.” + +“I have been reminded of my place before,” said Samuel, in a suppressed +voice. “But I do not know what my place is.” + +“That is quite evident,” responded the other. “It is your place to do +your work, and be respectful to your superiors, and keep your opinions +to yourself.” + +“I see that you will get angry with me,” said the boy, “I can't make +you understand--I am only trying to find the truth. I want to do what's +right, Mr. Wygant!” + +“I suppose you do,” began the other-- + +“I want to understand, sir--just what is it that makes another person my +superior?” + +“People who are older than you, and who are wiser--” + +“But is it age and wisdom, Mr. Wygant? I worked for Master Albert +Lockman, and he's hardly any older than I. And yet he was my superior!” + +“Yes,” admitted the other-- + +“And in spite of the wicked life that he's leading, sir!” + +“What!” + +“Yes, Mr. Wygant--he's drinking, and going with bad women. And yet he is +my superior.” + +“Ahem!” said Mr. Wygant. + +“Isn't it simply that he has got a lot of money?” pursued Samuel +relentlessly. + +Mr. Wygant did not reply. + +“And isn't my 'place' simply the fact that I haven't any money at all?” + +Again there was no reply. + +“And yet, I see the truth, and I have to speak it! And how can I get to +a 'place' where I may?” + +“Really,” said Mr. Wygant coldly, “you will have to solve that problem +for yourself.” + +“Apparently, I should have to take part in the scramble for money--if +it's only money that counts.” + +“Young man,” said the other, “I feel sorry for you--you will get some +hard knocks from the world before you get through. You will have to +learn to take life as you find it. Perhaps many of us would make it +different, if we could have our way. But you will find that life is a +hard battle. It is a struggle for existence, and the people who survive +are the ones who are best fitted--” + +And suddenly Samuel raised his hand. “I thank you, Mr. Wygant,” he said +gravely, “but I have been all through that part of it before.” + +“What do you mean?” asked the other. + +“I couldn't explain,” said he. “You wouldn't understand me. I see that +you are another of the followers of Herbert Spencer. And that's all +right--only WHY do you belong to the church? Why do you pretend to +follow Jesus---” + + +And suddenly Mr. Wygant rose to his feet. “This is quite too much,” he +said. “I must ask you to leave my house.” + +“But, sir!” cried Samuel. + +“Not another word!” exclaimed the other. “Please leave the house!” + +And so the conversation came to an end. + + + + +CHAPTER XXIV + + +Samuel had had nothing to eat since morning, but he did not feel hungry. +He was faint from grief and despair. To encounter a man of the world +like Mr. Wygant, cold and merciless and masterful--that was a terrible +ordeal for him. The man seemed to him like some great fortress of evil; +and what could he do, save to gaze at it in impotent rage? + +He went home, and Sophie met him at the door. “I thought you wanted an +early supper, Samuel,” said she. + +“Why?” he asked dully. + +“You had something to do at the church tonight!” + +“Yes,” he recollected, “there's to be a vestry meeting, and I have to +light up. But I'm tired of the church work.” + +“Tired of the church work!” gasped the child. “Yes,” he said. And then +to the amazed and terrified family, he told the story of his day's +experiences. + +Sophie listened, thrilling with excitement. “And you went to see Mr. +Wygant!” she cried in awe. “Oh, Samuel, how brave of you!” + +“He ordered me out of his house,” said the boy bitterly. “And Dr. Vince +has gone back on me--I have no one at all to help.” + +Sophie came to him and flung her arms about him. “You have us, Samuel!” + she exclaimed. “We will stand by you--won't we mother?” + +“Yes,” said Mrs. Stedman--“but what can poor people like us do?” + +“And then you have Miss Gladys!” cried Sophie after a moment. + +“Miss Gladys!” he echoed. “Will she take my part against her own +father?” + +“She told you that she loved you, Samuel,” said the child. “And she +knows that you are in the right.” + +“I will have to go and see her,” said Samuel after a little. “I promised +that I would come and tell what happened.” + +“And I will see her, too!” put in the other. “Oh, I'm sure she'll stand +by you!” + +The child's face was aglow with excitement; and Samuel looked at +her, and for the first time it occurred to him that Sophie was really +beautiful. Her face had filled out and her color had come back, since +she had been getting one meal every day at the Wygant's. “Don't you +think Miss Gladys will help, mother?” she asked. + +“I don't know,” said Mrs. Stedman dubiously. + +“It's very terrible--I can't see why such things have to be.” + +“You think that Samuel did right, don't you?” cried the child. + +“I--I suppose so,” she answered. “It's hard to say--it will make so much +trouble. And if Miss Gladys were angry, then you might lose your place!” + +“Oh, mother!” cried Sophie. And the two young people gazed at each other +in sudden dismay. That was something they had never thought of. + +“You mustn't do it, Sophie!” cried the boy. “You must leave it to me!” + +“But why should you make all the sacrifices?” replied Sophie. “If it's +right for you, isn't it right for me?” + +“But, Sophie!” wailed Mrs. Stedman. “If you lost this place we should +all starve!” + +And again they stared at each other with terror in their eyes. “Sophie,” + said Samuel, “I forbid you to have anything to do with it!” + +But in his heart he knew that he might as well not have said this. And +Mrs. Stedman knew it, too, and turned white with fear. + +The boy ate a few hurried mouthfuls, and then went off to his work at +the church. But he did not go with the old joy in his soul. Before this +it had been the work of the Lord that he had been doing; but now he was +only serving the Wygants--and the Hickmans--apparently one always served +them, no matter where or how he worked in this world. + +“You are late,” said old Mr. Jacobs, the sexton, when he arrived. + +“Yes, sir,” said Samuel. + +“Dr. Vince left word that he wanted to see you as soon as you came.” + +The boy's heart gave a leap. Had the doctor by any chance repented? +“Where is he?” he asked. + +“In the vestry room,” said the other; and the boy went there. + +The instant he entered, Dr. Vince sprang to his feet. “Samuel,” he cried +vehemently, “this thing has got to stop!” + +“What thing, Dr. Vince?” + +“Your conduct is beyond endurance, boy--you are driving me to +distraction!” + +“What have I done now, sir?” + +“My brother-in-law has just been here, making a terrible disturbance. +You have been defaming him among the congregation of the church!” + +“But, Dr. Vince!” cried Samuel, in amazement. “I have done nothing of +the sort!” + +“But you must have! Everyone is talking about it!” + +“Doctor,” said the boy solemnly, “you are mistaken. I went to see Mr. +Wygant, as I told you I would. Besides that, I have not spoken to a +single soul about it, except just now to Sophie and Mrs. Stedman.--Oh, +yes,” he added quickly--“and to Miss Gladys!” + +“Ah!” exclaimed the other. “There you have it! Miss Gladys is a school +friend of Mr. Hickman's daughter; and, of course, she went at once to +tell her. And, of course, she will tell everyone else she knows--the +whole congregation will be gossiping about it to-morrow!” + +“I am very sorry, sir.” + +“You see the trouble you cause me! And I must tell you plainly, Samuel, +that this thing cannot go on another minute. Unless you are prepared +to give up these absurd ideas of yours and attend to your duties as the +sexton's boy, it will be necessary for you to leave the church.” + +Samuel was staring at him aghast. “Leave the church!” he cried. + +“Most assuredly!” declared the other. + +“Dr. Vince!” exclaimed the other. “Do you mean that you would actually +try to turn me out of the church?” + +“I would, sir!” + +“But, doctor, have you the right to do that?” + +“The right? Why not?” + +“You have the right to take away my work. But to turn me out of the +church?” + +“Samuel,” cried the distracted clergyman, “am I not the rector of this +church?” + +“But, doctor,” cried Samuel, “it is the church of God!” + +There was a long pause. + +Finally, Samuel took up the conversation again. “Tell me, Dr. Vince,” + he said. “When Mr. Hickman came to see you, did he deny that he had +committed that crime?” + + +“I did not ask him,” replied the other. + +“You didn't ask him!” exclaimed the boy in dismay. “You didn't even care +that much?” + +Again there was a pause. “I asked Mr. Wygant,” said Samuel in a low +voice. “And he confessed that he was guilty.” + +“What!” cried the other. + +“He confessed it--his whole conversation was a confession of it. He said +everybody did those things, because that was the way to make money, and +everybody wanted to make money. He called it competition. And then I +asked him why he came to the church of Jesus, and he ordered me out of +his house.” + +Dr. Vince was listening with knitted brows. “And what do you propose to +do now,” he asked. + +“I don't know, sir. I suppose I shall have to expose him.” + +“Samuel,” exclaimed the clergyman, “in all this wild behavior of yours, +does it never occur to you that you owe some gratitude to me?” + +“Oh, doctor!” cried the boy, clasping his hands in agony. “Don't say +anything like that to me!” + +“I do say it!” persisted the other. “I saved you and helped you; and now +you are causing me most terrible suffering!” + +“Doctor,” protested Samuel, “I would do anything in the world for you--I +would die for you. But you ask me to be false to my duty; and how can I +do that?” + +“But does it never occur to you that older and wiser people may be +better able to judge than you are?” + +“But the facts are so plain, sir! And you have never answered me! You +simply command me to be silent!” + +The other did not reply. + +“When I came to you,” went on Samuel, “you taught me about love and +brotherhood--about self-sacrifice and service. And I took you at your +word, sir. As God is my witness, I have done nothing but try to apply +what you told me! I have tried to help the poor and oppressed. And how +could I know that you did not really mean what you said?” + +“Samuel,” protested the other, “you have no right to say that! I am +doing all that I can. I preach upon these things very often.” + +“Yes!” exclaimed the boy, “but what do you preach? Do you tell the truth +to these rich people who come to your church? Do you say to them: 'You +are robbing the poor. You are the cause of all the misery which exists +in this town--you carry the guilt of it upon your souls. And you must +cease from robbery and oppression--you must give up this wealth that you +have taken from the people!' No--you don't say that--you know that you +don't! And can't you see what that means, Dr. Vince--it means that +the church is failing in its mission! And there will have to be a new +church--somewhere, somehow! For these things exist! They are right here +in our midst, and something must be done!” + +And the boy sprang forward in his excitement, stretching out his arms. +“The people are starving! Right here about us--here in Lockmanville! +They are starving! starving! starving! Don't you understand, Dr. Vince? +Starving!” + +The doctor wrung his hands in his agitation. “Boy,” he exclaimed, “this +thing cannot go on. I cannot stand it any longer!” + +“But what am I to do, sir?” + +“You are to submit yourself to my guidance. I ask you, once for all, +Will you give up these wild courses of yours?” + +“Dr. Vince,” cried Samuel, “I cannot! I cannot!” + +“Then I tell you it will be necessary for us to part. You will give up +your position, and you will leave the church.” + +The tears started into Samuel's eyes. “Doctor,” he cried frantically, +“don't cast me out! Don't! I beg you on my knees, sir!” + +“I have spoken,” said the other, clenching his hands. + +“But think what you are doing!” protested the boy. “You are casting out +your own soul! You are turning your back upon the truth!” + +“I tell you you must go!” exclaimed the doctor. + +“But think of it! It means the end of the church. For don't you see--I +shall have to fight you! I shall have to expose you! And I shall prevail +over you, because I have the truth with me--because you have cast it +out! Think what you are doing when you cast out the truth!” + +“I will hear no more of this!” cried Dr. Vince wildly. “You are raving. +I tell you to go! I tell you to go! Go now!” + +And Samuel turned and went, sobbing meanwhile as if his heart would +break. + + + + +CHAPTER XXV + + +Samuel rushed away into the darkness. But he couldn't stay away--he +could not bring himself to believe that he was separated from St. +Matthew's forever. He turned and came back to the church, and stood +gazing at it, choking with his sobs. + +Then, as he waited, he saw an automobile draw up in front of the side +entrance, and saw Mr. Wygant step out and enter. The sight was like +a blow in the face to him. There was the proud rich man, defiant and +unpunished, seated in the place of authority; while Samuel, the Seeker, +was turned out of the door! + +A blaze of rebellion flamed up in him. No, no--they should not cast him +off! He would fight them--he would fight to the very end. The church was +not their church--it was the church of God! And he had a right to belong +to it--and to speak the truth in it, too! + +And so, just after the vestry had got settled to the consideration of +the architect's sketch for the new Nurse's Home, there came a loud knock +upon the door, and Samuel entered, wild-eyed and breathless. + +“Gentlemen!” he cried. “I demand a hearing!” + +Dr. Vince sprang to his feet in terror. “Samuel Prescott!” he exclaimed. + +“I have been ordered out of the church!” proclaimed Samuel. “And I will +not submit to it! I have spoken the truth, and I will not permit the +evil-doers in St. Matthew's to silence me!” + +Mr. Hickman had sprung up. “Boy,” he commanded, “leave this room!” + +“I will not leave the room!” shouted Samuel. “I demand a hearing from +the vestry of this church. I have a right to a hearing! I have spoken +the truth, and nothing but the truth!” + +“What is the boy talking about?” demanded another of the vestrymen. This +was Mr. Hamerton, a young lawyer, whose pleasant face Samuel had often +noticed. And Samuel, seeing curiosity and interest in his look, sprang +toward him. + +“Don't let them turn me out without a hearing!” he cried. + +“Boy!” exclaimed Mr. Hickman, “I command you to leave this room.” + +“You corrupted the city council!” shrilled Samuel. “You bribed it to +beat the water bill! It's true, and you know it's true, and you don't +dare to deny it!” + +Mr. Hickman was purple in the face with rage. “It's a preposterous lie!” + he roared. + +“I have talked with one of the men who got the money!” cried Samuel. +“There was two thousand dollars paid to ten of the supervisors.” + +“Who is this man?” cried the other furiously. + +“I won't tell his name,” said Samuel. “He told me in confidence.” + +“Aha!” laughed the other. “I knew as much! It is a vile slander!” + +“It is true!” protested Samuel. “Dr. Vince, you know that I am telling +the truth. What reason would I have for making it up?” + +“I have told you, Samuel,” exclaimed Dr. Vince, “that I would have +nothing to do with this matter.” + +“I will take any member of this vestry to talk with that man!” declared +the boy. “Anybody can find out about these things if he wants to. Why, +Mr. Wygant told me himself that he had paid money to Slattery to get +franchises!” + +And then Mr. Wygant came into the controversy. “WHAT!” he shouted. + +“Why, of course you did!” cried Samuel in amazement. “Didn't you tell me +this very afternoon?” + +“I told you nothing of the sort!” declared the man. + +“You told me everybody did it--that there was no way to help doing it. +You called it the competition of capital!” + +“I submit that this is an outrage!” exclaimed Mr. Hickman. “Leave this +room, sir!” + +“The poor people in this town are suffering and dying!” cried Samuel. +“And they are being robbed and oppressed. And are these things to go on +forever?” + +“Samuel, this is no place to discuss the question!” broke in Dr. Vince. + +“But why not, sir? The guilty men are high in the councils of this +church. They hold the church up to disgrace before all the world. And +this is the church of Christ, sir!” + +“But yours is not the way to go about it, boy!” exclaimed Mr. +Hamerton--who was alarmed because Samuel kept looking at him. + +“Why not?” cried Samuel. “Did not Christ drive out the money-changers +from the temple with whips?” + +This was an uncomfortable saying. There was a pause after it, as if +everyone were willing to let his neighbor speak first. + +“Are we not taught to follow Christ's example, Dr. Vince?” asked the +boy. + +“Hardly in that sense, Samuel,” said the terrified doctor. “Christ was +God. And we can hardly be expected--” + +“Ah, that is a subterfuge!” broke in Samuel, passionately. “You say that +Christ was God, and so you excuse yourself from doing what He tells you +to! But I don't believe that He was God in any such sense as that. He +was a man, like you and me! He was a poor man, who suffered and +starved! And the rich men of His time despised Him and spit upon Him and +crucified Him!” + +Here a new member of the vestry entered the arena. This was the +venerable Mr. Curtis, who looked like a statue of the Olympian Jove. +“Boy,” he said sternly, “you object to being put out of the church--and +yet you confess to being an infidel.” + +“I may be an infidel, Mr. Curtis,” replied the other, quickly; “but I +never paid two hundred dollars to Slattery so that the police would let +me block the sidewalks of the town.” + +And Mr. Curtis subsided and took no further part in the discussion. + +“The church cast out Jesus!” went on Samuel, taking advantage of the +confusion. “And it was the rich and powerful in the church who did it. +And he used about them language far more violent than I have ever used. +'Woe unto you, scribes and pharisees, hypocrites!' he said. 'Woe unto +you also, you lawyers!--Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye +escape the damnation of hell?' And if He were here tonight He would be +on my side--and the rich evil-doers who sit on this board would cast Him +out again! You have cast Him out already! You have shut your ears to +the cry of the oppressed--you make mockery of justice and truth! You are +crucifying Him again every day!” + +“This is outrageous!” cried Mr. Hickman. “It is blasphemy!” + +“It must stop instantly,” put in Mr. Wygant. And Samuel knew that when +Mr. Wygant spoke, he meant to be obeyed. + +“Then there is no one here who will hear me?” he exclaimed. “Mr. +Hamerton, won't you help me?” + +“What do you want us to do?” demanded Mr. Hamerton. + +“I want the vestry to investigate these charges. I want you to find out +whether it is true that members of St. Matthew's have been corrupting +the government of Lockmanville. And if it is true, I want you to drive +such men from the church! They have no place in the church, sir! Men who +spend their whole time in trying to get the people's money from them! +Men who openly declare, as Mr. Wygant did to me, that it is necessary to +bribe lawmakers in order to make money! Such men degrade the church +and drag it from its mission. They are the enemies the church exists to +fight--” + +“Are we here to listen to a sermon from this boy?” shouted Mr. Hickman +furiously. + +“Samuel, leave this room!” commanded Dr. Vince. + +“Then there is no one here who will help me?” + +“I told you you could accomplish nothing by such behavior. Leave the +room!” + +“Very well, then,” cried the boy wildly, “I will go. But I tell you I +will not give up without a fight. I will expose you and denounce you +to the world! The people shall know you for what you are--cowards +and hypocrites, faithless to your trust! Plunderers of the public! +Corrupters of the state!” + +“Get out of here, you young villain!” shouted Hickman, advancing with a +menace. + +And the boy, blazing with fury, pointed his finger straight into his +face. “You, Henry Hickman!” he cried. “You are the worst of them all! +You, the great lawyer--the eminent statesman! I have been among the +lowest--I have been with saloon keepers and criminals--with publicans +and harlots and thieves--but never yet have I met a man as merciless and +as hard as you! You a Christian--you might be the Roman soldier who spat +in Jesus' face!” + +And with that last thunderbolt Samuel turned and went out, slamming the +door with a terrific bang in the great lawyer's face. + +For at least a couple of hours Samuel paced the streets of Lockmanville, +to let his rage and grief subside. And then he went home, and to his +astonishment found that Sophie Stedman had been waiting up for him all +this while. + +She listened breathlessly to the story of his evening's adventures. Then +she said, “I have been trying to do something, too.” + +“What have you done?” he asked. + +“I went to see little Ethel,” she replied. + +“Ethel Vince!” he gasped. + +“Yes,” said she. “She is your friend, you know; and I went to ask her +not to let her father turn you off.” + +“And what came of it?” + +“She cried,” said Sophie. “She was terribly unhappy. She said that she +knew that you were a good boy; and that she would never rest until her +father had taken you back.” + +“You don't mean it!” cried Samuel in amazement. + +“Yes, Samuel; but then her mother came.” + +“Oh! And what then?” + +“She scolded me! She was very angry with me. She said I had no right to +fill the child's mind with falsehoods about her uncle. And she wouldn't +listen to me--she turned me out of the house.” + +There was a long silence. “I don't think I did any good at all,” said +Sophie in a low voice. “We are going to have to do it all by ourselves.” + + + + +CHAPTER XXVI + + +Samuel slept not a wink all that night. First he lay wrestling with the +congregation. And then his thoughts came to Miss Gladys, and what he +was going to say to her. This kindled a fire in his blood, and when the +first streaks of dawn were in the sky, he rose and went out to walk. + +Throughout all these adventures, his feelings had been mingled with +the excitement of his love for her. Samuel hardly knew what to make of +himself. He had never kissed a woman in his life before--but now desire +was awake, and from the deeps of him the most unexpected emotions came +surging, sweeping him away. He was a prey to longings and terrors. Wild +ecstasies came to him, and then followed plunges into melancholy. He +longed to see her, and other things stood in the way, and he did not +know why he should be so tormented. + +Just to be in love would have been enough. But to have been given the +love of a being like Miss Gladys--peerless and unapproachable, almost +unimaginable! + +After hours of pacing the streets, he called to see her. And she came +to him, her face alight with eager curiosity, and crying, “Tell me all +about it!” + +She listened, almost dumb with amazement. “And you said that to my +father!” she exclaimed again and again. “And to Mr. Hickman! And to old +Mr. Curtis! Samuel! Samuel!” + +“It was all true, Miss Gladys,” he insisted. + +“Yes,” she said--“but--to say it to them!” + +“They turned me out of the church,” he went on. “Had they a right to do +that?” + +“I don't know,” she answered. “Oh, my, what a time there will be!” + +“And what are you going to do now?” she asked after a pause. + +“I don't know. I wanted to talk about it with you.” + +“But what do you think of doing?” + +“I must expose them to the people.” + +Miss Gladys looked at him quickly. “Oh, no, Samuel,” she said--“you +mustn't do that!” + +“Why not, Miss Gladys?” + +“Because--it wouldn't do.” + +“But Miss Gladys--” + +“It wouldn't be decent, Samuel. And it's so much more effective to talk +with people privately, as you have been doing.” + +“But who else is there to talk to?” + +“Why, I don't know. We'll have to think.” + +“It's your father and Mr. Hickman I have to deal with, Miss Gladys. And +they won't listen to me any more!” + +“Perhaps not. But, then, see how much you have done already!” + +“What have I done?” + +“Think how ashamed you have made them!” + +“But what difference does that make, Miss Gladys? Don't you see they've +still got the money they've taken?” + +There was a pause. “This is something I have been thinking,” said Samuel +gravely. “I've had this great burden laid upon me, and I must carry it. +I have to see the thing through to the end. And I'm afraid it will be +painful to you. You may feel that you can't possibly marry me.” + +At these words Miss Gladys gave a wild start. She stared at him in +consternation. “Marry you!” she gasped. + +“Yes,” he said; and then, seeing the look upon her face, he stopped. + +“Marry you!” she panted again. + +A silence followed, while they gazed at each other. + +“Why, Samuel!” she exclaimed. + +“Miss Gladys,” he said in a low voice, “you told me that you loved me.” + +“Yes,” she said, “but surely--” And then suddenly she bit her lips +together exclaiming, “This has gone too far!” + +“Miss Gladys!” he cried. + +“Samuel,” she said, “we have been two bad children; and we must not go +on in this way.” + +The boy gave a gasp of amazement. + +“I had no idea that you were taking me so seriously,” she continued. “It +wasn't fair to me.” + +“Then--then you don't love me!” he panted. + +“Why--perhaps,” she replied, “how can I tell? But one does not marry +because one loves, Samuel.” + +He gazed at her, speechless. + +“I thought we were playing with each other; and I thought you understood +it. It wasn't very wise, perhaps---” + +“Playing with each other!” whispered the boy, his voice almost gone. + +“You take everything with such frightful seriousness,” she protested. +“Really, I don't think you had any right---” + +“Miss Gladys!” he cried in sudden anguish; and she stopped and stared at +him, frightened. + +“Do you know what you have done to me?” he exclaimed. + +“Samuel,” she said in a trembling voice, “I am very much surprised and +upset. I had no idea of such a thing; and you must stop, before it is +too late.” + +“But I love you!” he cried, half beside himself. + +“Yes,” she said in great agitation--“and that's very good of you. But +there are some things you must remember--” + +“You--you let me embrace you, Miss Gladys! You let me think of you so! +Why, what is a man to do? What was I to make of it? I had never loved a +woman before. And you--you led me on--” + +“Samuel, you must not talk like this!” she broke in. “I can't listen to +you. It was a misunderstanding, and you must forget it all. You must go +away. We must not meet again.” + +“Miss Gladys!” he cried in horror. + +“Yes,” she exclaimed, “you must go--” + +“You are going to turn me off!” he panted. “Oh, how can you say such a +thing? Why, think what you have done to me!” + +“Samuel,” protested the girl angrily, “this is perfectly preposterous +behavior of you! You have no right to go on in this way. You never had +any right to--to think such things. How could you so forget your place?” + +And he started as if stung with a whip. “My place!” he gasped. + +“Yes,” she said. + +“I see, I see!” he burst out. “It's my 'place' again. It's the fact that +I have no money!” + +“Why, Samuel!” she exclaimed. “What a thing to say! It's not that--” + +“It's that, and it's nothing but that! It never is anything but that! +It's because I am a poor boy, and couldn't help myself! You told me that +you loved me, and I believed you. You were so beautiful, and I thought +that you must be good! Why, I worshiped the very ground you walked on. +I would have done anything in the world for you--I would have died for +you! I went about thinking about you all day--I made you into a dream +of everything that was good and perfect! And now--now--you say that you +were only playing with me! Using me for your selfish pleasure--just as +you do all the other poor people!” + +“Samuel!” she gasped. + +“Just as your father does the children in his mill! Just as your cousin +does the poor girls he seduces! Just as you do everything in life that +you touch!” + +The girl had turned scarlet with anger. “How dare you speak to me that +way?” she cried. + +“I dare to speak the truth to anyone! And that is the truth about you! +You are like all the rest of them--the members of your class. You are +parasites--vampires--you devour other people's lives! And you are the +worst, because you are a woman! You are beautiful, and you ought to be +all the things that I imagined you were! But you use your beauty for a +snare--you wreck men's lives with it--” + +“Stop, Samuel!” + +“I won't stop! You shall hear me! You drew me on deliberately--you +wanted to amuse yourself with me, to see what I would do. And you had +never a thought about me, or my rights, or the harm you might be doing +to me! And now you've got tired--and you tell me to end it! You tell +me about my 'place!' What am I in the world for, but to afford you +amusement? What are all the working people for but to save you trouble +and keep you beautiful and happy? What are the children for but to spin +clothes for you to wear? And you--what do you do for them, to pay for +their wasted lives, for all their toil and suffering?” + +“Samuel Prescott!” cried the outraged girl. “I will not hear another +word of this!” + +“Yes, that's just what your father said! And what your cousin said! And +what your clergyman said! And you can send for the butler and have me +put out--but let me tell you that will not be the end of it. We +shall find some way to get at you! The people will not always be your +slaves--they will not always give their lives to keep you in idleness +and luxury! You were born to it--you've had everything in the world that +you wanted, from the first hour of your life. And you think that will go +on forever, that nothing can ever change it! But let me tell you that it +seems different to the people underneath! We are tired of being robbed +and spit upon! And we mean to fight! We mean to fight! We don't intend +to be starved and tormented forever!” + +And then in the midst of his wild tirade, Samuel stopped, and stared +with horror in his eyes--realizing that this was Miss Gladys to whom he +was talking! And suddenly a storm of sobs rose in him; and he put his +hands to his face, and burst into tears, and turned and rushed from the +room. + +He went down the street, like a hunted animal, beside himself with +grief, and looking for some place to hide. And as he ran on, he pulled +out the faded pictures he had carried next to his heart, and tore them +into pieces and flung them to the winds. + + + + +CHAPTER XXVII + + +When Sophie came home that evening, Samuel had mastered himself. He told +her the story without a tremor in his voice. And this was well, for +he was not prepared for the paroxysm of emotion with which the child +received the news. Miss Gladys had been the last of Samuel's illusions; +but she was the only one that Sophie had ever had. The child had made +her life all over out of the joy of working for her; and now, hearing +the story of her treatment of Samuel, she was almost beside herself with +grief. + +Samuel was frightened at her violence. “Listen, Sophie,” he said, +putting his arm around her. “We must not forget our duty.” + +“I could never go back there again!” exclaimed the child wildly. “I +should die if I had to see her again!” + +“I don't mean that,” said the other quickly--seeking to divert her +thoughts. “But you must remember what I have to do; and you must help +me.” + +He went on to tell her of his plan to fight for the possession of St. +Matthew's Church. “And we must not give way to bitterness,” he said; “it +would be a very wicked thing if we did it from anger.” + +“But how can you help it?” she cried. + +“It is hard,” said Samuel; “but I have been wrestling with myself. We +must not hate these people. They have done evil to us, but they do not +realize it--they are poor human beings like the rest of us.” + +“But they are bad, selfish people!” exclaimed the child. + +“I have thought it all out,” said he. “I have been walking the streets +all day, thinking about it. And I will not let myself feel anything but +pity for them. They have done me wrong, but it is nothing to the wrong +they have done themselves.” + +“Oh, Samuel, you are so good!” exclaimed Sophie; and he winced--because +that was what Miss Gladys had said to him. + +“I had to settle it with myself,” he explained. “I have got to carry on +a fight against them, and I have to be sure that I'm not just venting my +spite.” + +“What are you going to do?” asked Sophie. + +“I am going to put the facts before the congregation of the church. If +they will do nothing, I am going to the people.” + +“But how, Samuel?” + +“I am going to call a meeting. See, I have written this.” + +And he took from his pocket a piece of paper, on which he had printed, +in capital letters, as follows: + +TO THE MEMBERS OF ST. MATTHEWS! + +“There is corruption in the church. Members of its vestry have bribed +the government of the town. They are robbing the people. The vestry has +refused me a hearing and turned me out of the church. I appeal to the +congregation. Next Wednesday evening, at eight o'clock, I will address +a meeting on the vacant lot opposite the church, and will tell what I +know. SAMUEL PRESCOTT.” + +“And what are you going to do with that?” asked Sophie in wonder. + +“I am going to have it printed on little slips, and give them out to the +people when they are coming out of the church to-morrow morning.” + +“Oh, Samuel!” gasped the child. + +“I have to do it,” he said. + +“But, Samuel, everyone will come--people from all over town.” + +“I can't help that,” he answered. “I can't afford to hire a hall; and +they wouldn't let me speak in the church.” + +“But can you get this printed so quickly?” + +“I don't know,” said he. “I must find some one.” + +Sophie clapped her hands suddenly. “Oh, I know just the very thing!” she +cried. “Friedrich Bremer has a printing press!” + +“What!” + +“Yes. His father used to print things. They will tell us.” And so, +without stopping to eat, the two hurried off to the Bremer family; and +mother and father and all the children sat and listened in astonishment +while Samuel told his tale. Friedrich was thrilling with excitement; and +old Johann's red face grew fiery. + +“Herr Gott!” he cried. “I vas that vay myself once!” + +“And then will you help me to get them printed?” asked Samuel. + +“Sure!” replied the other. “I will do it myself. Vy did I go through the +Commune?” And so the whole family adjourned to the attic, and the little +printing outfit was dragged out from under the piles of rubbish. + +“I used it myself,” said the old carpet designer. “But vhen I come here +they give me a varning, and I haf not dared. For two years I haf not +even been to the meetings of the local.” + +“Of the what?” asked Samuel. + +“I am a Socialist,” explained Mr. Bremer. And Samuel gave a start. +Ought he to accept any help from Socialists? But meantime Friedrich was +sorting out the type, and his father was inspecting Samuel's copy. + +“You must make it vith a plenty of paragraphs,” he said; “and +exclamation points, too. Then they vill read it.” + +“They'll read it!” said Friedrich grimly. + +“How shall we print it?” asked the father; and the children rushed +downstairs and came back with some sheets of writing paper, and a lot of +brown wrapping paper. They sat on the floor and folded and cut it, while +Friedrich set the type. And this was the way of the printing of Samuel's +first manifesto. + +“Can you make a speech?” Mrs. Bremer asked. “Won't you be frightened?” + +To which Samuel answered gravely: “I don't think so. I shall be thinking +about what I have to say.” + +It was late at night when the two children went home, with three hundred +copies of the revolutionary document carefully wrapped up from view; +and they were so much excited by the whole affair that they had actually +forgotten about Miss Gladys! It was not until he tried to go to sleep +that her image came back to him, and all his blasted hopes arose to mock +at him. What a fool he had been! How utterly insane all his fantasies +seemed to him now! So he passed another sleepless night, and it was not +till daylight that he fell into a troubled slumber. + +He had to control his impatience until after eleven o'clock, the hour +of the service at the church. Sophie wished to go with him and share his +peril, but he would not consent to this. He would not be able to give +the manifesto to everyone, but he could reach enough--the others would +hear about it! So, a full hour before the end of the service, he took up +his post across the street, his heart beating furiously. He was feeling, +it must be confessed, a good deal like a dynamiter or an assassin. The +weather was warm, and the door of the church was open, so that he could +hear the booming voice of Dr. Vince. The sound of the organ brought +tears into his eyes--he loved the organ, and he was not to be allowed to +listen to it! At last came the end; the sounds of the choir receded, and +the assassin moved over to a strategic position. And then came the first +of the congregation--of all persons, the Olympian Mr. Curtis! + +“Will you take one of these, sir?” said Samuel, with his heart in +his throat. And Mr. Curtis who was mopping his forehead with his +handkerchief, started as if he had seen a ghost. “Boy, what are you +doing?” he cried; but Samuel had darted away, trying to give out the +slips of paper to the people as they came out at both doors. He was +quite right in saying that everybody would know about it. The people +took the slips and read them, and then they stopped to stare and exclaim +to one another, so that there was a regular blockade at the doors of +the church. By the time that a score of the slips had been given out +the members had had time to get their wits back, and then there was an +attempt to interfere. + +“This is an outrage!” cried Mr. Curtis, and tried to grab Samuel by the +arm; but the boy wrenched himself loose and darted around the corner, to +where a stream of people had come out of the side door. + +“Take one!” he exclaimed. “Pass it along! Let everyone know!” And so he +got rid of a score or two more of his slips. And then, keeping a wary +lookout for Mr. Curtis or any other of the vestrymen, he ran around in +front again, and circled on the edge of the rapidly gathering throng, +giving away several of the dodgers wherever a hand was held out. “Give +them to everyone!” he kept repeating in his shrill voice. + +“The evil-doers must be turned out of the church!” + +Then suddenly out of the crowd pushed Mr. Hamerton, breathless and red +in the face. “Samuel!” he cried, pouncing upon him, “this cannot go on!” + +“But it must go on!” replied the boy. “Let me go! Take your hands off +me!” And he raised his voice in a wild shriek. “There are thieves in the +church of Christ!” + +In the scuffle the dodgers were scattered on the ground; and Mr. +Hamerton stooped to pick them up. Samuel seized what he could and darted +to the side door again, where there were more people eager to take them. +And so he got rid of the last he had. And for the benefit of those whom +he still saw emerging, he raised his hands and shouted: “There are +men in the vestry of this church who have bribed the city council of +Lockmanville! I mean to expose them in a meeting across the street on +Wednesday night!” And then he turned, and dodging an outraged church +member who sought to lay hold of him, he sped like a deer down the +street. + +He had made his appeal to the congregation! + + + + +CHAPTER XXVIII + + +Samuel rushed home, breathless, to tell Sophie; and pretty soon came +the Bremers, who had been watching the scene from a distance. And the +thrilling tale had to be told all over to them. + +Then Johann made a novel announcement. “For that meeting,” he said, “you +must get a permit.” + +“A permit!” exclaimed Samuel. “From whom?” + +“From the police,” replied the other. “You must haf it for all street +meetings.” + +“And where do I get it?” + +“At the station house, I think.” + +Samuel did not much fancy a visit to the station house, which he knew +far too well already; but he would have gone into a den of lions for the +sake of his cause. So, bright and early the next morning, he set out. +With Mrs. Stedman's help he had persuaded Sophie that she must return to +the Wygants, and so he walked part of the way with her. + +There was a new sergeant at the desk, an Irishman. “Please, sir,” said +the boy, “is this where I get a permit?” + +“For what?” asked the other. + +“To hold a meeting on the street, sir.” + +“What sort of a meeting?” + +“Why--I've just got something to say to the people, sir.” + +“Something to say to the people!” echoed the other; and then, suddenly, +“What's your name?” + +“Samuel Prescott, sir.” + +And the sergeant's eyes opened wide. “Oh!” he said. “You're that +fellow!” + +“What did you say?” asked Samuel. + +“The chief wants to see you,” replied the other. + +And so Samuel was escorted into the private room, where Chief McCullagh, +red-faced and burly, sat at his desk. When he saw Samuel he bounded to +his feet. “So here you are!” he cried. + +To the sergeant he said, “Leave us alone.” And when the man had shut the +door, he strode toward Samuel, and thrust a finger into his face. “Young +fellow,” he cried, “you promised me you would get out of this town!” + +“No!” exclaimed the boy. + +“What?” roared the other. + +“No, sir! It was Charlie Swift promised you that!” + +“And what did you promise?” + +“I promised I wouldn't tell anyone about--about Master Albert, sir. And +I haven't done it.” + +“I told Charlie Swift to take you out of town. And why didn't you go?” + +“He didn't--” And then Samuel stopped. He had promised to tell nothing +about Charlie. + +“Go on!” cried the chief. + +“I--I can't tell,” he stammered. + +“What?” exclaimed the other. “You want to hide things from me? Don't you +suppose I know that he's still in town; and that you and him have been +doin' jobs?” + +“No--no!” cried Samuel in terror. + +“You can't lie to me!” threatened the chief. “I know you, you young +villain!” + +He stood glaring at the boy for a few moments. “And you have the nerve +to come here!” he cried. “What do you want anyway?” + +“I--I want to hold a meeting, sir.” + +“Who's given you a license to make trouble in this town?” + +“Nobody's given me one yet,” replied Samuel. “That's what I came for.” + +“Don't you get gay with me!” snapped the chief. But Samuel was far from +the thought of getting gay with anyone--he was trembling in his boots. +The man towered over him like a huge gorilla, and his red face was +ferocious. + +“Now look here, young fellow!” he went on. “You might as well get this +straight. You'll get no permit to make any speeches in Lockmanville! +D'ye see?” + +“Yes, sir.” + +“And what's more, you'll not make any speech. D'ye see?” + +“But--but--” gasped the boy. + +And McCullagh shook his finger so that it almost hit Samuel's nose. +“You'll not make any speech! You'll not make it on the street, and +you'll not make it anywheres else in town! And you might as well get +that through your nut and save yourself trouble. And if I hear of you +givin' out any more papers on the street--you'll wish you hadn't--that's +all, young fellow! D'ye see?” + +“I see,” gasped Samuel. + +“All right,” said the chief. “And if you take my advice, you'll get the +first train out of Lockmanville and never show your face in it again. +Now get out of here!” + +And Samuel got out, and went down the street dumb with dismay. So they +had got the police after him! + +Of course he would make his speech. He could not let himself be +stopped by such a thing as that. But he saw at once how matters were +complicated--if the police were to stop him before he had made clear +what he had to say, they might ruin all his plans. + +He must seek advice about it; and he went at once to the carpet factory, +and sought out the little room where the Bremers sat with their drawing +boards and paints. + +“So that's it!” exclaimed Johann. “They vill shut you up!” + +“Do you think they can?” asked the boy. + +“Sure they can!” cried the other. “They hafn't let the Socialists speak +on the streets for years. We should haf fought them!” + +He reached for his coat. “Come,” he said. “I vill take you to see Tom +Everley.” + +“Who is Tom Everley?” asked the boy. + +“He's a lawyer, and he vill tell you. He's the secretary of the local.” + +“A Socialist!” exclaimed Samuel, startled. Again it was the Socialists! + +Everley sat in a little office in an out-of-the-way street. He was a +young chap, frank and boyish-looking, and Samuel's heart warmed to him +at once. “Comrade Everley,” said the carpet designer, “here is a boy you +ought to help. Tell him all about it, Samuel--you can trust him.” + +So Samuel told his tale once more. And the other listened with +breathless interest, and with many exclamations of incredulity and +delight. When the boy had finished, he sprang up excitedly and grasped +his hand. “Samuel Prescott,” he cried, “put it there! You are a brick!” + +“Then you'll stand by me!” exclaimed Samuel, breathless with relief. + +“Stand by you?” echoed the other. “I'll stand by you until hell freezes +solid!” + +Then he sat down again, and began tapping nervously on the desk with his +pencil. “I'll call a special meeting of the local,” he said. “They must +take you up. The movement's been slow in Lockmanville of late, and a +fight like this is just what the comrades need.” + +“But I'm not a Socialist!” objected Samuel. + +“That's all right,” replied Everley, “we don't care about that.” + +Samuel had not meant it that way, but he could not think how to make his +trouble clear. + +“I can get the local together to-morrow night,” went on the other. +“There's no time to be lost. We must get out a lot of circulars and +cover the town.” + +“But I only wanted the people of the church to come,” said the boy. + +“But others will come anyway,” said Everley. “And haven't the people a +right to know how they've been robbed?” + +“Yes,” said Samuel, “they have.” + +“And perhaps,” added the other with a smile, “if the congregation has a +little pressure from outside, it will be much more apt to take action. +What we've got to do with this thing is to make a free speech fight out +of it, and open the eyes of the whole town. Otherwise the police will +nip the thing in the bud, and no one will ever know what we had.” + +“You must be careful how you give out those circulars,” put in Johann. +“They will nip you there, if they can.” + +“That's all right,” laughed Everley. “You trust the comrades for that! +We know a printer we can rely on!” + +Samuel drew a deep breath of satisfaction. Here was a man who understood +things, and took hold with conviction--a man who was really willing +to do something. It was very disconcerting that he happened to be a +Socialist! + +Everley took up a pencil and wrote the new announcement: + +PEOPLE OF LOCKMANVILLE! + +“Having made the discovery that members of the vestry of St. Matthew's +Church had been bribing the city council, I demanded an investigation, +and I was turned out of the church. + +“I called a meeting to tell the congregation about it, but I was refused +a permit to speak. Chief of Police McCullagh declared to me that I +should never make my speech in this town. + +“Will you stand by me? + +“I intend to speak on Wednesday night, at 8 P.M., at the vacant lot +opposite the church. + +“In the name of Free Speech and Civic Decency, + + “SAMUEL PRESCOTT.” + +“How's that?” he asked. + +“Fine!” exclaimed Samuel in delight. + +“I'll take the risk of having it set up,” added the lawyer. “And I'll +get the notices to the members of the local off in this evening's mail. +Come, we'll go to see one or two of them now and talk it over with +them.” + +So they went down, and while Johann hurried back to his work, Samuel and +Everley stopped in a cigar store a couple of doors down the street, +kept by a little Russian Jew with a merry face and dancing black eyes. +“Comrade Lippman,” said Everley, “this is Mr. Prescott.” + +There came also “Comrade Minsky,” from the rear workroom, a cigar maker, +bare-armed and very yellow and emaciated. To them Everley told briefly +the story of Samuel's adventures and what he proposed to do. The glow +of excitement with which they received the tidings left no doubt as to +their attitude. And a couple of blocks around the corner was a little +shop where a grizzled old carpenter, “Comrade Beggs,” clutched Samuel's +hand in a grip like one of his vises, while he expressed his approval of +his course. And then they called on Dr. Barton, a young physician, whom +Everley declared to be one of the mainstays of the local of the town. +“He got his education abroad,” he explained, “so he has none of the +narrowness of our physicians. His wife's quite a speaker, too.” + +Mrs. Barton was a sweet-faced and mild-looking lady, who reminded Samuel +of the picture of his mother. All the while that Everley was telling +his story the boy was staring at her, and trying to straighten out the +tangle of perplexity that was caused in his mind by the idea of her +being a Socialist speaker! + +By and by the doctor came in, and the story had to be told yet again. +They were so much interested and excited that they begged their visitors +to remain to luncheon. They talked the whole problem out, and Samuel was +struck by the certainty with which their minds took hold of it. There +was no need of any long explanations with them--they seemed to know just +what to expect; it was as if they possessed some magic key to the inner +life of Lockmanville, enabling them to understand everyone in it, +and exactly how he felt and exactly how he would act under any given +circumstances. + +All this was an amazing experience for Samuel. A few hours ago he had +been a voice crying in the wilderness; forlorn and solitary; and now +here was a band of allies, sprung up suddenly, from the very ground, as +it seemed. Men who knew exactly what was wanted, and exactly how to +get it; who required no persuading, who set to work without wasting a +word--just as if they had been doing such things all their lives! He +was so swept away with delight that for a while he was tempted to forget +what sort of people they were. + +But it came back to him suddenly, when they had returned to Everley's +office. He sat gazing at the young lawyer with such a worried expression +on his face that the other asked, “What's the matter?” + +“Tell me, Mr. Everley,” said the boy, “how can the Bartons believe in +free love?” + +“Believe in free love?” echoed Everley. “What put that into your head?” + +“But don't they believe in free love?” persisted Samuel. + +“Why, of course not. Who said they did?” + +“But they are Socialists!” + +And the other put down his work and laughed heartily. “Where did you +pick that up?” he asked. + +“Why,” stammered the boy, “I've read everywhere that Socialists believe +in free love!” + +“Wait till you get well going in this reform of yours!” laughed the +young lawyer, “and then see what you read about yourself!” + +“But,” gasped Samuel, aghast, “don't Socialists believe in free love?” + +“Some of them do, I suppose,” was the reply. “I know one who believes in +ghosts, and one who believes in the Pope, and one who believes in Adam +and Eve. How can I help what they believe?” + +There was a pause. “You see,” explained Everley, “we are a political +party; and we can't keep anybody from joining us who wants to. And +because we are an advanced party, all sorts of wild people come to us. +How can we help that?” + +“But,” exclaimed Samuel, “you are against religion!” + +“We have nothing to do with religion,” replied the other. “I told you we +are a political party. Some of us have found it necessary to leave the +capitalist churches--but you will hardly blame us for that!” + +“N-no,” admitted the boy; then he added, “But don't you want to destroy +the Government?” + +“On the contrary, we want to strengthen it. But first we have to get it +away from the capitalists.” + +“Then, what DO you believe?” asked Samuel in perplexity. + +Then the other explained that they were seeking to organize and educate +the working class, for the purpose of bringing about an economic change. +They wished to take the land and the mines, the railroads and the +factories out of the hands of the capitalists. “We believe that such +things should not belong to individuals,” he said, “but to the people. +Then there will be work for everyone, and everyone will get the full +value of his labor, and no man will be able to live without working.” + +There was a pause, while Samuel was getting the meaning of this into +his mind. “But,” he exclaimed in amazement, “that is exactly what _I_ +believe!” + +“Of course,” replied the other, “it is exactly what everyone with sense +believes.” + +“But--but--” gasped the boy, “then am I a Socialist?” + +“Nine tenths of the people in the country are Socialists,” replied +Everley--“only they haven't found it out yet.” + +“But,” cried Samuel, “you ought to teach them!” + +“We're doing our best,” laughed the other. “Come and help us.” + +Samuel was quite dumfounded. “But how do people come to have all these +false ideas about you?” he asked. + +“Those are the ideas that the masters want them to have.” + +Samuel was clutching at the arms of his chair. “Why--it's a conspiracy!” + he cried. + +“Precisely,” said the other. “A conspiracy of the ruling class. They own +the newspapers and the books, the colleges and churches and governments. +And they tell lies about us and keep us down.” + +And so Samuel found himself face to face with the ultimate horror of +Capitalism. It was bad enough to own the means whereby the people lived, +and to starve and exploit their bodies. But to own their minds, and +to lead them astray! To keep them from finding out the way of their +deliverance! Surely that was the crime of crimes! + +“I can't believe it!” he panted. + +And the young lawyer answered, “Come and work with us a while and see +for yourself.” + + + + +CHAPTER XXIX + + +Samuel went home and faced a surprising experience. There was a dapper +and well-dressed young man waiting to see him. “My name is Pollard,” he +said, “and I'm from the Lockmanville 'Express.' I want to get a story +from you.” + +“A story from me?” echoed the boy in perplexity. + +“An interview,” explained the other. “I want to find out about that +meeting you're going to hold.” + +And so Samuel experienced the great thrill, which comes sooner or later +to every social reformer. He sat in Mrs. Stedman's little parlor, and +told his tale yet again. Mr. Pollard was young and just out of college, +and his pencil fairly flew over his notebook. “Gosh!” he exclaimed. “But +this is hot stuff!” + +To Samuel it was an extraordinary revelation. He was surprised that +the idea had not occurred to him before. What was the use of holding +meetings and making speeches, when one could have things printed in +the papers? In the papers everyone would read it; and they would get it +straight--there would be no chance of error. Moreover, they would read +it at their leisure, and have time to think it all over! + +And after Mr. Pollard had gone, he rushed off in great excitement to +tell Everley about it. “You won't need to print those circulars,” he +said. “For I told him where the meeting was to be.” + +But Everley only smiled at this. “We'll get out our stuff just the +same,” he said. “You'd better wait until you've seen what the 'Express' +prints.” + +“What do you mean?” asked the boy. But Everley would not explain--he +merely told Samuel to wait. He did not seem to be as much excited as he +should have been. + +Samuel went home again. And later on in the afternoon, while Mrs. +Stedman had gone out to the grocer's, there came a knock on the door, +and he opened it, and to his amazement found himself confronted by Billy +Finnegan. + +“Hello, young fellow!” said Finnegan. + +“Hello!” said Samuel. + +“What's this I hear about your making a speech?” asked Finnegan. + +“I'm going to,” was the reply. “But how did you know?” + +“I got it from Callahan. Slattery told him.” + +“Slattery! Has he heard about it?” + +“Gee, young fellow! What do you think he's boss for?” + +And Finnegan gazed around the room, to make sure that they were alone. + +“Sammy,” he said, “I've come to give you a friendly tip; I hope you'll +have sense enough to take it.” + +“What is it?” asked the other. + +“Don't try to make any speech.” + +“Why not?” + +“Because you ain't a-going to be let to make it, Sammy.” + +“But how can they stop me?” + +“I dunno, Sammy. But they ain't a-going to let you.” + +There was a pause. + +“It's a crazy thing you're tryin' to do,” said the other. “And take my +word for it--somethin' will happen to you if you go on.” + +“What will happen?” + +“I dunno, my boy--maybe you'll fall into the river.” + +“Fall into the river!” + +“Yes; or else run your head into a slungshot some night, in a dark +alley. I can't tell you what--only you won't make the speech.” + +Samuel was dumfounded. “You can't mean such things!” he gasped. + +“Sure I mean them,” was the reply. “Why not?” + +Samuel did not respond. “I don't know why you're tryin' to do this +thing,” went on the other, “nor who's backing you. But from what I can +make out, you've got the goods, and you've got them on most everybody in +the town. You've got Slattery, and you've got Pat McCullagh, and +you've got the machine. You've got Wygant and Hickman--you've even got +something on Bertie Lockman, haven't you?” + +“I suppose I have,” said Samuel. “But I'm not going to tell that.” + +“Well, they don't know what you're going to tell, and they won't take +any chances. They won't let you tell anything.” + +“But can such things be done?” panted the boy. + +“They're done all the time,” said the other. “Why, see--it stands to +reason. Wouldn't folks be finding out things like this, and wouldn't +they be tellin' them?” + +“To be sure,” said Samuel. “That's what puzzled me.” + +“Well,” said the bartender, “they ain't let to. Don't you see?” + +“I see,” whispered the boy. + +“There's a crowd that runs this town, Sammy; and they mean to go on +runnin' it. And don't you think they can't find ways of shuttin' up a +kid like you!” + +“But Mr. Finnegan, it would be murder!” + +“Well, they wouldn't have to do it themselves, would they? When Henry +Hickman wants a chicken for dinner, he don't have to wring its neck with +his own hands.” + +Samuel could find nothing to reply to that. He sat dumb with horror. + +“You see,” continued Finnegan after a bit, “I know about this game, and +I'm givin' you a friendly word. What the hell does a kid like you want +to be reformin' things for anyway?” + +“What else can I do?” asked Samuel. + +To which the other answered, “Do? Get yourself a decent job, and find +some girl you like and settle down. You'll never know what there is in +life, Sammy, till you've got a baby.” + +But Samuel only shook his head. The plan did not appeal to him. “I'll +try to keep out of trouble,” he said, “but I MUST make that speech!” + +So Finnegan went out, shaking his head and grumbling to himself. And +Samuel hurried off to see his lawyer friend again. The result of the +visit was that Everley exacted from him a solemn promise that he would +not go out of the house after dark. + +“I know what was done in this town during the strike,” said the other, +“and I don't want to take any chances. Now that they have finished the +unions, there's nobody left but us.” + +So Samuel stayed at home, and told Sophie and her mother all about his +various experiences, and about the people he had met. The child was +almost beside herself with delight. + +“Oh, I knew that help would come!” she kept saying, “I knew that help +would come!” + +Worn out as he was, the young reformer could hardly sleep that night, +for all the excitement. And early in the morning he was up and out +hunting for a copy of the “Express.” + +He stood on the street-corner and opened it. He glanced at the first +page--there was nothing there. He glanced at the back page, and then +at one page after another, seeking for the one that was given up to the +story. But there was no such page. And then he went back and read over +the headings of each column--and still he did not find it. And then +he began a third time, reading carefully each tiny item. And so, +after nearly an hour's search, when he found himself lost in a maze of +advertisements, he brought himself to realize that there was not a line +of the story in the paper! + +When Everley arrived at his office that morning, Samuel was waiting for +him on the steps. Seeing the paper in the other's hand, the young lawyer +laughed. “You found out, have you?” he said. + +“It's not here!” cried Samuel. + +“I knew just what would happen,” said the other. “But I thought I'd let +you see for yourself.” + +“But what does it mean?” demanded the boy. + +“It means,” was the answer, “that the Lockman estate has a mortgage of +one hundred thousand dollars on the Express.” + +And Samuel's jaw fell, and he stood staring at his friend. + +“Now you see what it is to be a Socialist!” laughed Everley. + +And Samuel saw. + + + + +CHAPTER XXX + + +After supper that evening came Everley with Friederich Bremer, to take +Samuel to the meeting of the local, where he was to tell his story. + +The “local” met in an obscure hall, over a grocery shop. There were +present those whom Samuel had met the night before, and about a score +of others. Most of them were working-men, but there were several who +appeared to be well-to-do shopkeepers and clerks. Samuel noticed that +they all called one another “comrade”; and several of them addressed +him thus, which gave him a queer feeling. Also he noted that there were +women present, and that one of them presided at the meeting. + +Everley made a speech, reading Samuel's manifesto, and telling how it +had been given out. Then he called upon Samuel. The boy stood upon his +feet--and suddenly a deadly terror seized hold upon him. Suppose he +should not be able to make a speech after all! Suppose he should be +nervous! What would they think of him? But he clenched his hands--what +did it matter what they thought of him? The poor were suffering, and the +truth was crying out for vindication! He would tell these men what had +happened to him. + +So he began. He told how he had been robbed, and how he had sought in +vain for work, and how he had been arrested. And because he saw that +these were people who understood, he found himself a case, and thinking +no longer about himself. He talked for nearly half an hour, and there +was quite a sensation when he finished. + +Then Everley rose to his feet again. “Comrades,” he said, “for the past +year I have been urging that the local must make a fight for free speech +in this town. And it seems to me that the occasion has now come. If we +do not take up this fight, we might just as well give up.” + +“That's right,” cried Beggs, the old carpenter. + +“I took the liberty of ordering circulars,” continued Everley. “There +was no time to be lost, and I felt sure that the comrades would back me. +I now move that the local take charge of the meeting to-morrow evening, +and that the two thousand circulars I have here be given out secretly +to-night.” + +“I second that motion,” said Mrs. Barton. + +“It must be understood,” added Everley, “that we can't expect help from +the papers. And our people ought to hear this story, as well as the +members of the church.” + +And then he read the circulars, and the motion was put, and carried +unanimously. + +“Now,” said Everley, “I suggest that the local make this the occasion of +a contest for the right to hold street meetings in Lockmanville. As you +know, the police have refused permits ever since the strike. And I move +that beginning with Thursday evening, we hold a meeting on the corner of +Market and Main streets, and tell this story to the public. And that +we continue to hold a meeting every night thereafter until we have made +good our right.” + +Samuel could see from the faces of the men what a serious proposition +this was to them. Everley launched into an impassioned speech. The +workingmen of the town had lost their last hope in the unions; they were +suffering from the hard times; and now, if ever, was the time to open +their eyes to the remedy. And the Socialists were powerless, because +they had permitted the police to frighten them. Now they must make a +stand. + +“You realize that it will mean going to jail?” asked Dr. Barton. + +“I realize it,” said Everley. “We shall probably have to go several +times. But if we make up our minds from the beginning, we can win; +we shall have the sympathy of the people--and also we can break the +conspiracy of silence of the newspapers.” + +“That is the thing we must think of,” said the woman in the chair. + +“I am ready to do what I can,” added the lawyer. “I will give my +services free to defend the speakers, or I will be the first man to be +arrested--whichever the comrades prefer.” + + +“We will lose our jobs,” said some one in the rear of the room. + +“Yes,” said Everley, “that is something you will have to consider. You +know well enough how much I have lost already.” + +Samuel listened in breathless excitement to this discussion. Here were +poor people, people with no more resources than he, and at the mercy of +the same forces which had been crushing him. Here was one man who had +lost an eye in the glass works, and another, a railroad brakeman, who +was just out of the hospital after losing a leg. Here were men pale and +haggard from hunger, men with wives and children dependent upon them; +yet they were giving their time and their money--risking their very +existence--in the cause of human freedom! Had he ever met a group of men +like this before? Had he ever dreamed that such men were living? + +He had thought that he was alone, that he had all the burdens of +humanity upon his own shoulders! And now here were people who were ready +to hold up his hands; and from the discussion he gathered that they were +part of a vast organization, that there existed such “locals” in every +city and town in the country. They made their own nominations and +voted for their own candidates at every election; they published many +newspapers and magazines and books. And they were part of an army of men +who were banded together in every civilized nation. Wherever Capitalism +had come, there men were uniting against it; and every day their power +grew--there was nothing that could stop them. + +These men had seen the vision of the new time that was coming, and there +burned in them a fire of conviction. Suddenly Samuel realized the import +of that word “comrade” which they gave one another; they were men bound +together by the memory of persecutions, and by the presence of ruthless +enemies. They knew what they were facing at this moment; not only Chief +McCullagh with his policemen and their clubs; not only the subsidized +“Express” with its falsehoods and ridicule: but all the political and +business power of the Hickmans and Wygants. They were facing arrest and +imprisonment, humiliation and disgrace--perhaps ruin and starvation. +Only in this way could they reach the ears of the people. + +“Comrades,” the young lawyer was saying, “every step that has been taken +in the progress of humanity has been taken because men have been willing +to give their lives. Everywhere that our movement has grown, it has +been in the face of persecution. And sooner or later we must make up +our minds to it--we may wait for years, but nothing can be accomplished +until we have faced this issue. And so I ask you to join with me in +taking this pledge--that we will speak on the streets of Lockmanville +next Saturday night, and that we will continue to speak there as often +as need be until we have vindicated our rights as American citizens.” + +There was a solemn hush when he finished; one by one the men and women +arose and offered themselves. + +“I have been out of work for four months,” said one, “and I have been +promised a job next week. If I am arrested, I know that I will not get +it. But still I will speak.” + +“And I am in Wygant's cotton mill,” said another. “And I'm not young, +and when I'm turned out, it will not be easy for me. But I will help.” + +“And I, too,” put in Lippman, the cigar store keeper; “my wife can tend +the shop!” There was a general laugh at this. + +And then Friedrich Bremer sprang up. “My father has been warned!” he +cried. “But I will speak also!” + +“And I!” exclaimed Samuel. “I think I am going to be a Socialist. Will +you let me help?” + +“No one's help will be refused in a crisis like this,” said Everley. “We +must stand by our guns, for if they can crush us this time, it may be +years before we can be heard.” + +And then, somewhere in the hall, a voice began to sing. Others took it +up, until the walls of the building shook with a mighty chant. “What is +it?” whispered Samuel to Friedrich. + +“It is called 'The Red Flag,'” replied Friedrich. + +And Samuel sat spellbound, listening while they sang: + + +Hark to the thunder, hark to the tramp--a myriad army comes! + +An army sprung from a hundred lands, speaking a hundred tongues! + +And overhead a portent new, a blood-red banner see! + +The nations gather in affright to ask what the sign may be. + +Banner of crimson, banner bright, banner flaunting the sky! + +What is the word that ye bring to men, the hope that ye hold on high? + +We come from the fields, we come from the forge, we come from the land +and sea-- + +We come in the right of our new-born might to set the people free! + +Masters, we left you a world to make, the planning was yours to do-- + +We were the toilers, humble and sad, we gave our faith to you. + +And now with a dread in our hearts we stand and gaze at the work of the +years-- + +We have builded a temple with pillars white, ye have stained it with +blood and tears! + +For our little ones with their teeming hopes ye have roofed the +sweatshop den, + +And our daughters fair ye have prisoned in the reeking brothel's pen! + +And so for the sign of our murdered hopes our blood-red banner see-- + +We come in the right of our new-born might to set the people free! + +Tremble, oh masters--tremble all who live by others' toil-- + +We come your dungeon walls to raze, your citadel to spoil! + +Yours is the power of club and jail, yours is the axe and fire-- + +But ours is the hope of human hearts and the strength of the soul's +desire! + +Ours is the blazing banner, sweeping the sky along! + +Ours the host, the marching host--hark to our battle song! + +Chanting of brotherhood, chanting of freedom, dreaming the world to be-- + +We come in the right of our new-born might to set the people free! + + + + +CHAPTER XXXI + + +While the other members of the local scattered to distribute the +circulars, Everley and Friedrich escorted Samuel home, and saw him +safely in, and the door locked. They had supplied him with some +Socialist papers and pamphlets, and he spent most of the next day +devouring these. They spread a picture of the whole wonderful movement +before him; they explained to him all the mechanism of the cruel system, +in the cogs of which he had been caught. + +It was all so very obvious that Samuel found himself in a state of +exasperation with the people who did not yet understand it, and spent +his time wrestling in imagination with all those he had ever known: with +his brothers, and with Finnegan, and with Charlie Swift, with Master +Albert and Mr. Wygant, with Professor Stewart and Dr. Vince. Most of all +he labored with Miss Gladys; and he pictured how it would be after the +Revolution, when he would be famous and she would be poor, and he might +magnanimously forgive her! + +And when Sophie came home, he explained it all to her. It did not +take much to make a revolutionist out of Sophie. She had become quite +thoroughly what the Socialists called “class-conscious.” + +The members of the local had been anxious about Samuel all day. Everley +had come in twice in the afternoon, to make sure that he was safe; and +he came over again after supper, and said that Beggs and Lippman and the +Bartons and himself were coming to act as a body guard to take Samuel to +the meeting. The circulars had created a tremendous sensation--the whole +town was talking about it, and the police were furious at the way they +had been outwitted. + +So the hour of the meeting drew near. It was as if a great shadow were +gathering over them. They were nervous and restless--Samuel pacing the +room, wandering about here and there. + +His speech was seething within him. He saw before him the eager +multitude, and he was laying bare to them the picture of their wrongs. +So much depended upon this speech! If he failed now, he failed in +everything--all that he had done before has gone for nothing! Ah! if +only one had a voice that could reach the whole world--that could shout +these things into the ears of the oppressed! + +His friends had said they would come at a quarter to eight. But they +came at half past seven, and sat round and waited. It was thought best +that they should not arrive until the precise minute of the meeting; and +meantime they outlined to Samuel the plan of campaign they had formed. + +Dr. Barton was to make the opening speech, introducing Samuel; and by +way of outwitting the police, he was to be particularly careful to get +into this “introduction” all the essential facts which it was desired to +lay before the people. He was to tell about the twenty thousand dollars +which Hickman paid to Slattery, and about the acknowledgment which +Wygant had made to Samuel, and about how the boy had been turned out of +St. Matthew's Church. If the police attempted to interfere with this, +the doctor was to persist until he had been actually placed under +arrest; and then others were to take up the attempt in different places, +until six had been arrested. In this case Samuel was to make no attempt +to speak at all; they would “save” him for an out-door meeting--and also +Everley, who was to defend them in court. More circulars would be given +out the next afternoon, and another attempt to speak would be made that +evening. + +All this was duly impressed upon the boy, and then the little company +set forth. Dr. Barton walked on one side of him, and Everley on the +other; Mrs. Barton, Mrs. Stedman and Sophie came next, and Beggs and +Lippman brought up the rear. So they marched along; they kept their eyes +open, and every time they had to pass a man they gave him a wide berth. + +So they came to the place of the meeting. At the corner were the Bremers +and half a dozen others, who formed a ring about them. There was a +huge crowd, they said--the lot was thronged, and the people extended to +streets on every side. There was a score of policemen scattered about, +and no doubt there were many detectives. + +Promptly on the minute of eight the little group approached. There was +a murmur of excitement among the waiting crowd, as they started to force +their way through. Samuel's heart was thumping like mad, and his knees +were trembling so that he could hardly walk. The people gave way, and +they found themselves in the center, where several of the Socialists +stood guard over the half dozen boxes from which the speaking was to be +done. + +Without a moment's delay, Dr. Barton mounted up. + +“Fellow citizens,” he called in a clear, ringing voice; and instantly a +hush fell upon the crowd, and a thousand faces were turned toward him. + +“We are here,” he began, “for a very important purpose--” + +Instantly a policeman pushed his way toward him. + +“Have you a permit for this meeting?” he demanded. + +“We have been refused a permit!” proclaimed Dr. Barton to the crowd. “We +are here as law-abiding citizens, demanding our right to free speech!” + +“You cannot speak,” declared the policeman. + +“There has been bribery of the city council of Lockmanville,” shouted +the doctor. + +“You cannot speak!” cried the policeman sharply. + +“Henry Hickman paid twenty thousand dollars to the city council to +prevent the passage of the water bill!” cried the speaker. + +“Come down from there!” commanded the officer, and made a grab at him. + +“I will not stop until I am arrested!” declared the doctor. “I am here +to protest against bribery!” + +“Come down and shut up!” shouted the other. + +“For shame! For shame!” said voices in the crowd. “Let him speak!” + +“That charge was made before the vestry of the St. Matthew's Church! +And the vestry refused to investigate it, and turned out a member of the +church! And we are here--” + +And so, still shouting, the doctor was dragged off the box and collared +by the policeman. + +“An outrage!” cried people in the audience. “Let him go on!” And yet +others shouted, “Arrest him!” The throng was in a turmoil; and in +the midst of it, Lippman, who was the second victim appointed for the +sacrifice, sprang upon the stump of an old tree, a little at one side, +and shrieked at the top of his lungs: + +“Henry Hickman paid twenty thousand dollars to Slattery to beat the +water bill; and now he and the Lockman estate are making ten thousand +dollars a month out of it! And Wygant confessed to our speaker that he +ran the city government to get franchise favors--” + +And then Lippman was seized by an officer and dragged off his perch, +and choked into silence--surrounded meanwhile by a crowd of indignantly +protesting citizens. It was quite clear by this time that the crowd had +come to hear Samuel's speech, and was angry at being balked. There was a +general shout of protest that made the policemen glad of their numbers. + +Of these exciting events Samuel and Everley had been witnesses from the +vantage point of a soap box. Now suddenly the boy caught his friend's +arm and pointed, crying, “Who's that man?” + +Near the outskirts of the thrown was a big burly individual, who had +been roaring in a furious voice, “For shame! Go on!” and waving his +fists in the air. + +“I don't know,” said Everley. “I never saw him before.” + +“An outrage!” yelled the man. “Kill the police! Smash them! Drive them +away!” + +And Everley caught the boy's arm, crying excitedly, “He's been sent +here, I'll wager! They want to provoke trouble!” + +And even as he spoke, the two saw the man stoop, and pick up a +brick-bat, and fling it into the center of the crowd, where the police +were massing. + +“Arrest that man!” shouted Everley indignantly, and leaped forward and +plunged through the throng to reach him. + +There was a roar from the crowd, and Samuel saw that several men had +grappled with the bully; he saw, also, that the police in the center of +the throng had drawn their clubs, and were beginning to strike at the +people. A burly sergeant was commanding them, and forcing back the crowd +by jabbing men in the stomachs. + +Meantime the next speaker, a woman, had mounted upon a box, and was +crying in a shrill voice: “We are Socialists! We are the only political +party which dares to speak for the working class of Lockmanville! We +protest against this outrage! We demand free speech! There has been +bribery in our city council!” + +Then suddenly the boy heard a disturbance behind him, and turned, just +in the nick of time. A fellow had thrust his way through the crowd +toward him, a rowdy with a brutal, half-drunken face. And Samuel saw him +raise his hand, with some dark object in it, and aim a smashing blow at +his head. + +The boy ducked and raised his arm. He felt a sharp, agonizing pain, and +his arm dropped helpless at his side. Something struck him across the +forehead, cutting a gash, out of which hot blood spurted, blinding him. +He heard Beggs, who was beside him, give a shout--“Down!” And realizing +that his life was aimed at, he dropped like a flash, and put his head +under him, covering it with one arm as well as he could. + +There was a struggle going on over him. Men were pushing and +shouting--and some one kicked him savagely upon the leg. He crawled on +a little way, still keeping his head down, underneath the feet of the +contendents. He heard Beggs shouting for help, and heard the Bremers +answering; he heard the roar of the throng all about, the sharp commands +of the police sergeant, and the crack of clubs, falling upon the heads +of men and women. And then he swooned, and lay there, his face in a pool +of his own blood. + +Meanwhile, one by one, three more speakers rose and made their attempts, +and were arrested, while the indignant people voiced their helpless +protests. Then suddenly, somewhere in the crowd, a woman began to sing. +Others took up the song--it swelled louder, until it rang above all +the uproar. It was the hymn that Samuel had heard at the meeting of the +local--The Red Flag! + +It took hold of the crowd--men followed the melody, even though they did +not know the words. They continued to sing while the police were leading +away their prisoners; they followed, all the way to the station house, +with shouts of protest, and of encouragement for the victims. + +And so the throng moved on, and the uproar died away. There was left +upon the scene a little group of frightened people, gathered about +two who lay upon the ground. One of them was Samuel, unconscious and +bleeding; and the other was Sophie, clinging to him and sobbing upon his +bosom, frantic with grief and fear. And meanwhile, in the distance one +could still hear the melody ringing: + +Yours is the power of club and jail, yours is the axe and fire, + +But ours is the hope of human hearts and the strength of the soul's +desire! + + + + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Samuel the Seeker, by Upton Sinclair + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SAMUEL THE SEEKER *** + +***** This file should be named 5961-0.txt or 5961-0.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/5/9/6/5961/ + +Produced by Charles Franks, Charles Aldarondo, and the +Online Distributed Proofreading Team + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Samuel the Seeker + +Author: Upton Sinclair + + +Release Date: June, 2004 [EBook #5961] +This file was first posted on October 1, 2002 +Last Updated: March 10, 2018 + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: UTF-8 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SAMUEL THE SEEKER *** + + + + +Text file produced by Charles Franks, Charles Aldarondo, and the +Online Distributed Proofreading Team + +HTML file produced by David Widger + + + + +</pre> + + <div style="height: 8em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h1> + SAMUEL THE SEEKER + </h1> + <h2> + By Upton Sinclair + </h2> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <p> + <b>CONTENTS</b> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0001"> CHAPTER I </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0002"> CHAPTER II </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0003"> CHAPTER III </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0004"> CHAPTER IV </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0005"> CHAPTER V </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0006"> CHAPTER VI </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0007"> CHAPTER VII </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0008"> CHAPTER VIII </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0009"> CHAPTER IX </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0010"> CHAPTER X </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0011"> CHAPTER XI </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0012"> CHAPTER XII </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0013"> CHAPTER XIII </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0014"> CHAPTER XIV </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0015"> CHAPTER XV </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0016"> CHAPTER XVI </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0017"> CHAPTER XVII </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0018"> CHAPTER XVIII </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0019"> CHAPTER XIX </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0020"> CHAPTER XX </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0021"> CHAPTER XXI </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0022"> CHAPTER XXII </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0023"> CHAPTER XXIII </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0024"> CHAPTER XXIV </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0025"> CHAPTER XXV </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0026"> CHAPTER XXVI </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0027"> CHAPTER XXVII </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0028"> CHAPTER XXVIII </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0029"> CHAPTER XXIX </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0030"> CHAPTER XXX </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0031"> CHAPTER XXXI </a> + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0001" id="link2HCH0001"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER I + </h2> + <p> + “Samuel,” said old Ephraim, “Seek, and ye shall find.” + </p> + <p> + He had written these words upon the little picture of Samuel's mother, + which hung in that corner of the old attic which served as the boy's + bedroom; and so Samuel grew up with the knowledge that he, too, was one of + the Seekers. Just what he was to seek, and just how he was to seek it, + were matters of uncertainty—they were part of the search. Old + Ephraim could not tell him very much about it, for the Seekers had moved + away to the West before he had come to the farm; and Samuel's mother had + died very young, before her husband had a chance to learn more than the + rudiments of her faith. So all that Samuel knew was that the Seekers were + men and women of fervor, who had broken with the churches because they + would not believe what was taught—holding that it was every man's + duty to read the Word of God for himself and to follow where it led him. + </p> + <p> + Thus the boy learned to think of life, not as something settled, but as a + place for adventure. One must seek and seek; and in the end the way of + truth would be revealed to him. He could see this zeal in his mother's + face, beautiful and delicate, even in the crude picture; and Samuel did + not know that the picture was crude, and wove his dreams about it. + Sometimes at twilight old Ephraim would talk about her, and the tears + would steal down his cheeks. The one year that he had known her had + sufficed to change the course of his life; and he had been a man past + middle life, too, a widower with two children. He had come into the + country as the foreman of a lumber camp back on the mountain. + </p> + <p> + Samuel had always thought of his father as an old man; Ephraim had been + hurt by a vicious horse, and had aged rapidly after that. He had given up + lumbering; it had not taken long to clear out that part of the mountains. + Now the hills were swept bare, and the population had found a new way of + living. + </p> + <p> + Samuel's childhood life had been grim and stern. The winter fell early + upon the mountain wilderness; the lake would freeze over, and the roads + block up with snow, and after that they would live upon what they had + raised in the summer, with what Dan and Adam—Samuel's half-brothers—might + bring in from the chase. But now all this was changed and forgotten; for + there was a hotel at the end of the lake, and money was free in the + country. It was no longer worth while to reap the hay from the mountain + meadows; it was better to move the family into the attic, and “take + boarders.” Some of the neighbors even turned their old corncribs into + sleeping shacks, and advertised in the city papers, and were soon + blossoming forth in white paint and new buildings, and were on the way to + having “hotels” of their own. + </p> + <p> + Old Ephraim lacked the cunning for that kind of success. He was lame and + slow, tending toward stoutness, and having a film over one eye; and Samuel + knew that the boarders made fun of him, even while they devoured his food + and took advantage of him. This was the first bitterness of Samuel's life; + for he knew that within old Ephraim's bosom was the heart of a king. Once + the boy had heard him in the room beneath his attic, talking with one of + the boarders, a widow with a little daughter of whom the old man was fond. + “I've had a feeling, ma'am,” he was saying, “that somehow you might be in + trouble. And I wanted to say that if you can't spare this money, I would + rather you kept it; for I don't need it now, and you can send it to me + when things are better with you.” That was Ephraim Prescott's way with his + boarders; and so he did not grow in riches as fast as he grew in soul. + </p> + <p> + Ephraim's wife had taught him to read the Bible. He read it every night, + and on Sundays also; and if what he was reading was sublime poetry, and a + part of the world's best literature, the old man did not know it. He took + it all as having actual relationship to such matters as trading horses and + feeding boarders. And he taught Samuel to take it that way also; and as + the boy grew up there took root within him a great dismay and perplexity, + that these moral truths which he read in the Book seemed to count for so + little in the world about him. + </p> + <p> + Besides the Bible and his mother, Ephraim taught his son one other great + thing; that was America. America was Samuel's country, the land where his + fathers had died. It was a land set apart from all others, for the working + out of a high and wonderful destiny. It was the land of Liberty. For this + whole armies of heroic men had poured out their heart's blood; and their + dream was embodied in institutions which were almost as sacred as the Book + itself. Samuel learned hymns which dealt with these things, and he heard + great speeches about them; every Fourth of July that he could remember he + had driven out to the courthouse to hear one, and he was never in the + least ashamed when the tears came into his eyes. + </p> + <p> + He had seen tears even in the summer boarders' eyes; once or twice when on + a quiet evening it chanced that the old man unlocked the secret chambers + of his soul. For Ephraim Prescott had been through the War. He had marched + with the Seventeenth Pennsylvania from Bull Run to Cold Harbor, where he + had been three times wounded; and his memory was a storehouse of mighty + deeds and thrilling images. Heroic figures strode through it; there were + marches and weary sieges, prison and sickness and despair; there were + moments of horror and of glory, visions of blood and anguish, of flame and + cannon smoke; there were battle flags, torn by shot and shell, and names + of precious memory, which stirred the deep places of the soul. These men + had given their lives for Freedom; they had lain down to make a pathway + before her—they had filled up a bloody chasm so that she might pass + upon her way. And that was the heritage they handed to their children, to + guard and cherish. That was what it meant to be an American; that one must + hold himself in readiness to go forth as they had done, and dare and + suffer whatever the fates might send. + </p> + <p> + Such were the things out of which Samuel's life was made; besides these he + had only the farm, with its daily tasks, and the pageant of Nature in the + wilderness—of day and night, and of winter and summer upon the + mountains. The books were few. There was one ragged volume which Samuel + knew nearly by heart, which told the adventures of a castaway upon a + desert island, and how, step by step, he solved his problem; Samuel + learned from that to think of life as made by honest labor, and to find a + thrill of romance in the making of useful things. And then there was the + story of Christian, and of his pilgrimage; the very book for a Seeker—with + visions of glory not too definite, leaving danger of premature success. + </p> + <p> + And then, much later, some one left at the place a volume of the “Farm + Rhymes” of James Whitcomb Riley; and before Samuel's eyes there opened a + new vision of life. He had been happy; but now suddenly he realized it. He + had loved the blue sky above him, and the deep woods and the sparkling + lake; but now he had words to tell about them—and the common tasks + of his life were transfigured with the glory of song. So one might milk + the cow with stirrings of wonder, and mow in the meadows to the rhythm of + “Knee-deep in June.” + </p> + <p> + From which you may divine that Samuel was what is called an Enthusiast. He + was disposed to take rosy views of things, and to believe what he was told—especially + if it was something beautiful and appealing. He was given to having ideals + and to accepting theories. He would be stirred by some broad new + principle; and he would set to work to apply it with fervor. But you are + not to conclude from this that Samuel was a fool. On the contrary, when + things went wrong he knew it; and according to his religion, he sought the + reason, and he sought persistently, and with all his might. If all men + would do as much, the world might soon be quite a different place. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0002" id="link2HCH0002"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER II + </h2> + <p> + Such was Samuel's life until he was seventeen, and then a sad experience + came to the family. + </p> + <p> + It was because of the city people. They brought prosperity to the country, + everyone said, but old Ephraim regretted their coming, none the less. They + broke down the old standards, and put an end to the old ways of life. What + was the use of grubbing up stumps in a pasture lot, when one could sell + minnows for a penny apiece? So all the men became “guides” and camp + servants, and the girls became waitresses. They wore more stylish clothes + and were livelier of speech; but they were also more greedy and less + independent. They had learned to take tips, for instance; and more than + one of the girls went away to the city to nameless and terrible destinies. + </p> + <p> + These summer boarders all had money. Young and old, it flowed from them in + a continuous stream. They did not have to plow and reap—they bought + what they wanted; and they spent their time at play—with sailboats + and fishing tackle, bicycles and automobiles, and what not. How all this + money came to be was a thing difficult to imagine; but it came from the + city—from the great Metropolis, to which one's thoughts turned with + ever livelier interest. + </p> + <p> + Then, one August, came a man who opened the gates of knowledge a little. + Manning was his name—Percival Manning, junior partner in the firm of + Manning & Isaacson, Bankers and Brokers—with an address which + had caused the Prescott family to start and stare with awe. It was Wall + Street! + </p> + <p> + Mr. Percival Manning was round and stout, and wore striped shirts, and + trousers which were like a knife blade in front; also, he fairly radiated + prosperity. His talk was all of financial wizardry by which fortunes were + made overnight. The firm of Manning & Isaacson was one of the oldest + and most prosperous in the street, so he said; and its junior partner was + in the confidence of some of the greatest powers in the financial affairs + of the country. And, alas! for the Prescott family, which did not read the + magazines and had never even heard of a “bucket-shop”! + </p> + <p> + Adam, the oldest brother, took Mr. Manning back to Indian Pond on a + fishing trip; and Samuel went along to help with the carries. And all the + way the talk was of the wonders of city life. Samuel learned that his home + was a God-forsaken place in winter—something which had never been + hinted at in any theological book which he had read. Manning wondered that + Adam didn't get out to some place where a man had a chance. Then he threw + away a half-smoked cigar and talked about the theaters and the music + halls; and after that he came back to the inexhaustible topic of Wall + Street. + </p> + <p> + He had had interesting news from the office that day; there was a big deal + about to be consummated—the Glass Bottle Trust was ready for + launching. For nearly a year old Harry Lockman—“You've heard of him, + no doubt—he built up the great glass works at Lockmanville?” said + Manning. No, Adam confessed that he had never heard of Lockman, that + shrewd and crafty old multi-millionaire who had gone on a still hunt for + glass-bottle factories, and now had the country in the grip of the + fourteen-million-dollar “Glass Bottle Securities Company.” No one knew it, + as yet; but soon the enterprise would be under full sail—“And won't + the old cormorant take in the shekels, though!” chuckled Manning. + </p> + <p> + “That might be a good sort of thing for a man to invest in,” said Adam + cautiously. + </p> + <p> + “Well, I just guess!” laughed the other. “If he's quick about it.” + </p> + <p> + “Do you suppose you could find out how to get some of that stock?” was the + next question. + </p> + <p> + “Sure,” said Manning—“that's what we're in business for.” + </p> + <p> + And then, as luck would have it, a city man bought the old Wyckman farm, + and the trustees of the estate came to visit Ephraim in solemn state and + paid down three crisp one-thousand-dollar bills and carried off the + canceled mortgage. And the old man sat a-tremble holding in his hands the + savings of his whole lifetime, and facing the eager onslaught of his two + eldest sons. + </p> + <p> + “But, Adam!” he protested. “It's gambling!” + </p> + <p> + “It's nothing of the kind,” cried the other. “It's no more gambling than + if I was to buy a horse because I knowed that horses would be scarce next + spring. It's just business.” + </p> + <p> + “But those factories make beer bottles and whisky bottles!” exclaimed the + old man. “Does it seem right to you to get our money that way?” + </p> + <p> + “They make all kinds of bottles,” said Adam; “how can they help what + they're used for?” + </p> + <p> + “And besides,” put in Dan, with a master-stroke of diplomacy, “it will + raise the prices on 'em, and make 'em harder to git.” + </p> + <p> + “There's been fortunes lost in Wall Street,” said the father. “How can we + tell?” + </p> + <p> + “We've got a chance to get in on the inside,” said Adam. “Such chances + don't happen twice in a lifetime.” + </p> + <p> + “Just read this here circular!” added Dan. “If we let a chance like this + go we'll deserve to break our backs hoeing corn the rest of our days.” + </p> + <p> + That was the argument. Old Ephraim had never thought of a broken back in + connection with the hoeing of corn. There were four acres in the field, + and every spring he had plowed and harrowed it and planted it and + replanted what the crows had pulled up; and all summer long he had hoed + and tended it, and in the fall he had cut it, stalk by stalk, and stacked + it; and then through October, sitting on the bare bleak hillside, he had + husked it, ear by ear, and gathered it in baskets—if the season was + good, perhaps a hundred dollars' worth of grain. That was the way one + worked to create a hundred dollars' worth of Value; and Manning had paid + as much for the fancy-mounted shotgun which stood in the corner of his + room! And here was the great fourteen-million-dollar Glass Bottle Trust, + with properties said to be worth twenty-five million, and the control of + one of the great industries of the country—and stock which might + easily go to a hundred and fifty in a single week! + </p> + <p> + “Boys,” said the old man, sadly, “it won't be me that will spend this + money. And I don't want to stand in your way. If you're bent on doing it—” + </p> + <p> + “We are!” cried Adam. + </p> + <p> + “What do you say, Samuel?” asked the father. + </p> + <p> + “I don't know what to say,” said Samuel. “It seems to me that three + thousand dollars is a lot of money. And I don't see why we need any more.” + </p> + <p> + “Do you want to stand in the way?” demanded Adam. + </p> + <p> + “No, I don't want to stand in the way,” said Samuel. + </p> + <p> + And so the decision was made. When they came to give the order they found + themselves confronted with a strange proposition; they did not have to buy + the whole stock, it seemed—they might buy only the increase in its + value. And the effect of this marvelous device would be that they would + make ten times as much as they had expected to make! So, needless to say, + they bought that way. + </p> + <p> + And they took a daily paper and watched breathlessly, while “Glass Bottle + Securities” crept up from sixty-three and an eighth to sixty-four and a + quarter. And then, late one evening, old Hiram Johns, the storekeeper, + drove up with a telegram from Manning and Isaacson, telling them that they + must put up more “margin”—“Glass Bottle Securities” was at fifty-six + and five eighths. They sat up all night debating what this could mean and + trying to lay the specters of horror. The next day Adam set out to go to + the city and see about it; but he met the mail on the way and came home + again with a letter from the brokers, regretfully informing them that it + had been necessary to sell the stock, which was now below fifty. In the + news columns of the paper they found the explanation of the calamity—old + Henry Lockman had dropped dead of apoplexy at the climax of his career, + and the bears had played havoc with “Glass Bottle Securities.” + </p> + <p> + Their three thousand dollars was gone. It took them three days to realize + it—it was so utterly beyond belief, that they had to write to the + brokers and receive another letter in which it was stated in black and + white and beyond all misunderstanding that there was not a dollar of their + money left. Adam raged and swore like a madman, and Dan vowed savagely + that he would go down to the city and kill Manning. As for the father, he + wrote a letter of agonized reproach, to which Mr. Manning replied with + patient courtesy, explaining that he had had nothing to do with the + matter; that he was a broker and had bought as ordered, and that he had + been powerless to foresee the death of Lockman. “You will remember,” he + said, “that I warned you of the uncertainties of the market, and of the + chances that you took.” Ephraim did not remember anything of the sort, but + he realized that there was nothing to be gained by saying so. + </p> + <p> + Samuel did not care much about the loss of his share of the money; but he + did care about the grief of his father, which was terrible to see. The + blow really killed him; he looked ten years older after that week and he + failed all through the winter. And then late in the spring he caught a + cold, and took to his bed; and it turned to pneumonia, and almost before + anyone had had time to realize it, he was gone. + </p> + <p> + He went to join Samuel's mother. He had whispered this as he clutched the + boy's hand; and Samuel knew that it was true, and that therefore there was + no occasion for grief. So he was ashamed for the awful waves of loneliness + and terror which swept over him; and he gulped back his feelings and + forced himself to wear a cheerful demeanor—much too cheerful for the + taste of Adam and Dan, who were more concerned with what their neighbors + would think than they were with the subtleties of Samuel's faith. + </p> + <p> + The boy had been doing a great deal of thinking that winter; and after the + funeral he called a council of the family. + </p> + <p> + “Brothers,” he said, “this farm is too small for three men. Dan wants to + marry already; and we can't live here always. It's just as Manning said—” + </p> + <p> + “I don't want to hear what that skunk said!” growled Adam. + </p> + <p> + “Well, he was right that time. People stay on the land and they divide it + up and get poorer and poorer. So I've made up my mind to break away. I'm + going to the city and get a start.” + </p> + <p> + “What can you do in the city?” asked Dan. + </p> + <p> + “I don't know,” said Samuel. “I'll do my best. I don't expect to go to + Wall Street and make my fortune.” + </p> + <p> + “You needn't be smart!” growled Dan. + </p> + <p> + But the other was quite innocent of sarcasm. “What I mean is that I'll + have to work,” said he. “I'm young and strong, and I'm not afraid to try. + I'll find somebody to give me a chance; and then I'll work hard and learn + and I'll get promoted. I've read of boys that have done that.” + </p> + <p> + “It's not a bad idea,” commented Adam. + </p> + <p> + “Go ahead,” said Dan. + </p> + <p> + “The only thing is,” began Samuel, hesitatingly, “I shall have to have a + little money for a start.” + </p> + <p> + “Humph!” said Adam. “Money's a scarce thing here.” + </p> + <p> + “How much'll ye want?” asked the other. + </p> + <p> + “Well,” said the boy, “I want enough to feel safe. For if I go, I promise + you I shall stay till I succeed. I shan't play the baby.” + </p> + <p> + “How do you expect to raise it?” was the next question. + </p> + <p> + “I thought,” replied Samuel, “that we might make some kind of a deal—let + me sell out my share in the farm.” + </p> + <p> + “You can't sell your share,” said Adam, sharply. “You ain't of age.” + </p> + <p> + “Maybe I'm not,” was the answer; “but all the same you know me. And if I + was to make a bargain I'd keep it. You may be sure I'll never come back + and bother you.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, I suppose not,” said Adam, doubtfully. “But you can't tell—” + </p> + <p> + “How much do you expect to git?” asked Dan warily. + </p> + <p> + “Well, I thought maybe I could get a hundred dollars,” said the other and + then he stopped, hesitating. + </p> + <p> + Adam and Dan exchanged a quick glance. + </p> + <p> + “Money's mighty scarce hereabouts,” said Adam. + </p> + <p> + “Still,” said Dan, “I don't know, I'll go to the village tomorrow and see + what I can do.” + </p> + <p> + So Dan drove away and came back in the evening and there was another + council; he produced eight new ten-dollar bills. + </p> + <p> + “It was the best I could do,” he said. “I'm sorry if it ain't enough”—and + then he stopped. + </p> + <p> + “I'll make that do,” said Samuel. + </p> + <p> + And so his brother produced a long and imposing-looking document; Samuel + was too polite to read it but signed at once, and so the bargain was + closed. And that night Samuel packed his few belongings in a neat + newspaper bundle and before sunrise the next morning he set out upon his + search. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0003" id="link2HCH0003"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER III + </h2> + <p> + He had his bundle slung over his back and his eighty dollars pinned + tightly in an inside pocket. Underneath it his heart beat fast and high; + he was young and he was free—the open road stretched out before him, + and perpetual adventure beckoned to him. Every pilgrimage that he had ever + read of helped to make up the thrill that stirred him, as he stood on the + ridge and gazed at the old farmhouse, and waved his hand, and turned and + began his journey. + </p> + <p> + The horse was needed for the plowing, and so Samuel walked the six miles + to the village, and from there the mail stage took him out to the solitary + railroad station. He had three hours to wait here for the train, and so he + decided that he would save fifteen cents by walking on to the next + station. Distance was nothing to Samuel just then. + </p> + <p> + Halfway to his destination there was a fire in a little clearing by the + track, and a young man sat toasting some bread on a stick. + </p> + <p> + “Hello!” he said. “You're hittin' her lively.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” said Samuel. The stranger was not much older than he, but his + clothing was dirty and he had a dissipated, leering face. + </p> + <p> + “You're new at this game, aren't you?” said he. + </p> + <p> + “What game?” asked Samuel. + </p> + <p> + The other laughed. “Where ye goin'?” + </p> + <p> + “To New York.” + </p> + <p> + “Goin' to hoof it all the way?” + </p> + <p> + “No!” gasped the boy. “I'm just walking to the next station.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, I see! What's the fare?” + </p> + <p> + “Six thirty-seven, I think.” + </p> + <p> + “Humph! Got the price, hey!” + </p> + <p> + “Yes—I've got the price.” Samuel said this without pride. + </p> + <p> + “Well, you won't have it long if you live at that rate,” commented the + stranger. “Why don't you beat your way?” + </p> + <p> + “How do you mean?” asked Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “Nobody but a duffer pays fare,” said the other. “There'll be a freight + along pretty soon, and she stops at the water tank just below here. Why + don't you jump her?” + </p> + <p> + Samuel hesitated. “I wouldn't like to do that,” he said. + </p> + <p> + “Come,” said the other, “sit down.” + </p> + <p> + And he held out a piece of his toast, which Samuel accepted for + politeness' sake. This young fellow had run away from school at the age of + thirteen; and he had traveled all over the United States, following the + seasons, and living off the country. He was on his way now from a winter's + holiday in Mexico. And as Samuel listened to the tale of his adventures, + he could not keep the thought from troubling him, how large a part of + eighty dollars was six thirty-seven. And all in a single day. + </p> + <p> + “Come,” said the young fellow; and they started down the track. The + freight was whistling for brakes, far up the grade. And Samuel's heart + thumped with excitement. + </p> + <p> + They crouched in the bushes, not far beyond the tank. But the train did + not stop for water; it only slowed down for a curve, and it thundered by + at what seemed to Samuel an appalling rate of speed. “Jump!” shouted the + other, and started to run by the track. He made a leap, and caught, and + was whirled on, half visible in a cloud of dust. + </p> + <p> + Samuel's nerve failed him. He waited, while car after car went by. But + then he caught hold of himself. If anyone could do it, so could he. For + shame. + </p> + <p> + He started to run. There came a box-car, empty, with the door open, and he + leaped and clutched the edge of the door. He was whirled from his feet, + his arms were nearly jerked out of him. He was half blinded by the dust, + but he hung on desperately, and pulled himself up. A minute more and he + lay gasping and trembling upon the floor of the car. He was on his way to + the city. + </p> + <p> + After a while, Samuel began to think; and then scruples troubled him. He + was riding free; but was he not really stealing? And would his father have + approved of his doing it? He had begun his career by yielding to + temptation! And this at the suggestion of a young fellow who boasted of + drinking and thieving! Simply to start such questions was enough, with + Samuel; and he made up his mind that when he reached the city the first + thing he would do would be to visit the office of the railroad, and + explain what he had done, and pay his fare. + </p> + <p> + Perhaps an hour later the train came to a stop, and he heard some one + walking by the track. He hid in a corner, ashamed of being there. Some one + stopped before the car, and the door was rolled shut. Then the footsteps + went on. There came clankings and jarrings, as of cars being shifted, and + then these ceased and silence fell. + </p> + <p> + Samuel waited for perhaps an hour. Then, becoming restless, he got up and + tried the door. It was fast. + </p> + <p> + The boy was startled and rather dazed. He sat down to think it out. “I + suppose I'm locked in till we reach New York,” he reflected. But then, why + didn't they go? + </p> + <p> + “Perhaps we're on a siding, waiting for the passenger train to pass,” was + his next thought; and he realized regretfully that he would have been on + that train. But then, as hour after hour passed, and they did not go on, a + terrible possibility dawned upon him. He was left behind—on a + siding. + </p> + <p> + Two or three trains went by, and each time he waited anxiously. But they + did not stop. Silence came again, and he sat in the darkness and waited + and wondered and feared. + </p> + <p> + He had no means of telling the time; and doubtless an hour seemed an age + in such a plight. He would get up and pace back and forth, like a caged + animal; and then he would lie down by the door, straining his ears for a + sound—thinking that some one might pass, unnoticed through the thick + wall of the car. + </p> + <p> + By and by he became hungry and he ate the scanty meal he had in his + bundle. Then he became thirsty—and he had no water. + </p> + <p> + The realization of this made his heart thump. It was no joking matter to + be shut in, at one could not tell what lonely place, to suffer from + thirst. He sprang up and began to pound and kick upon the door in a + frenzy. + </p> + <p> + But he soon tired of that and crouched on the floor again listening and + shivering, half with fear and half with cold. It was becoming chillier, so + he judged it must be night; up here in the mountains there was still frost + at night. + </p> + <p> + There came another train, a freight, he knew by the heavy pounding and the + time it took to pass. He kicked on the door and shouted, but he soon + realized that it was of no use to shout in that uproar. + </p> + <p> + The craving for water was becoming an obsession. He tried not to think + about it, but that only made him think about it the more; he would think + about not thinking about it and about not thinking about that—and + all the time he was growing thirstier. He wondered how long one could live + without water; and as the torment grew worse he began to wonder if he was + dying. He was hungry, too, and he wondered which was worse, of which one + would die the sooner. He had heard that dying men remembered all their + past, and so he began to remember his—with extraordinary vividness, + and with bursts of strange and entirely new emotions. He remembered + particularly all the evil things that he had ever done; including the + theft of a ride, for which he was paying the penalty. And meantime, with + another part of his mind, he was plotting and seeking. He must not die + here like a rat in a hole. There must be some way. + </p> + <p> + He tried every inch of the car—of the floor and ceiling and walls. + But there was not a loose plank nor a crack—the car was new. And + that suggested another idea—that he might suffocate before he + starved. He was beginning to feel weak and dizzy. + </p> + <p> + If only he had a knife. He could have cut a hole for air and then perhaps + enlarged it and broken out a board. He found a spike on the floor and + began tapping round the walls for a place that sounded thin; but they all + sounded thick—how thick he had no idea. He began picking splinters + away at the juncture of two planks. + </p> + <p> + Meantime hunger and thirst continued to gnaw at him. At long intervals he + would pause while a train roared by, or because he fancied he had heard a + sound. Then he would pound and call until he was hoarse, and then go on + picking at the splinters. + </p> + <p> + And so on, for an unknown number of hours, but certainly for days and + nights. And Samuel was famished and wild and weak and gasping; when at + last it dawned upon his senses that a passing train had begun to make less + noise—that the thumping was growing slower. The train was stopping. + </p> + <p> + He leaped up and began to pound. Then he realized that he must control + himself—he must save his strength until the train had stopped. But + suppose it went on without delay? He began to pound again and to shout + like a madman. + </p> + <p> + The train stopped and there was silence; then came sounds of cars being + coupled—and meantime Samuel was kicking and beating upon the wall. + He was almost exhausted and in despair—when suddenly from outside + came a muffled call—“Hello!” + </p> + <p> + For a moment he could not speak. Then “Help! Help!” he shrieked. + </p> + <p> + “What's the matter?” asked the voice. + </p> + <p> + “I'm locked in,” he called. . + </p> + <p> + “How'd you get in?” + </p> + <p> + “They locked me in by accident. I'm nearly dead.” + </p> + <p> + “Who are you?” + </p> + <p> + “I was riding in the car.” + </p> + <p> + “A tramp, hey? Serves ye right! Better stay there!” + </p> + <p> + “No! No!” screamed the boy, in terror. “I'm starving—I've been here + for days. For heaven's sake let me out—I'll never do it again.” + </p> + <p> + “If I let you out,” said the voice, “it's my business to arrest you.” + </p> + <p> + “All right,” cried Samuel. “Anything—but don't leave me here.” + </p> + <p> + There was a moment's silence. “Have you got any money?” asked the voice. + </p> + <p> + “Yes. Yes—I've got money.” + </p> + <p> + “Don't yell so loud. How much?” + </p> + <p> + “Why—what?” + </p> + <p> + “How much?” + </p> + <p> + “I've got eighty dollars.” + </p> + <p> + “All right. Give it to me and I'll let you out.” + </p> + <p> + Frantic as he was, this staggered Samuel. “I can't give you all my money,” + he cried. + </p> + <p> + “All right then,” said the other. “Stay there.” + </p> + <p> + “No, no!” he protested. “Wait! Leave me just a little.” + </p> + <p> + “I'll leave you five dollars,” said the voice. “Speak up! Quick!” + </p> + <p> + “All right,” said Samuel faintly. “I'll give it to you.” + </p> + <p> + “Mind! No nonsense now!” + </p> + <p> + “No. Let me out!” + </p> + <p> + “I'll bat you over the head if you try it,” growled the voice; and the boy + stood trembling while the hasp was unfastened and the door was pushed back + a little. The light of a lantern flashed in through the crack, blinding + him. + </p> + <p> + “Now hand out the money,” said the stranger, standing at one side for + safety. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” said Samuel, fumbling with the pin in his waistcoat. “But I can't + see to count it.” + </p> + <p> + “Be quick! I'll count it!” + </p> + <p> + And so he shoved out the wad. Fingers seized it; and then the light + vanished, and he heard the sound of footsteps running. + </p> + <p> + For a moment he did not understand. Then, “Give me my five dollars!” he + yelled, and rolled back the door and leaped out. He was just in time to + see the figure with the lantern vanish among the cars up the track. + </p> + <p> + He started to run up the track and tripped over a tie and fell headlong + into a ditch. When he scrambled to his feet again the long train was + beginning to move, and the light of the lantern was nowhere to be seen. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0004" id="link2HCH0004"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER IV + </h2> + <p> + Samuel's money was gone, but he was suffering too keenly from hunger and + thirst to worry about it for more than a minute. Then the thought came to + him—he was here in a lonely place at night, and the train was going! + If he were left he might still starve. + </p> + <p> + He ran over and caught the iron ladder of one of the freight cars and drew + himself up and clung there. Later on he climbed on top of the car; but the + wind was too cold—he could not stand it, and had to climb down + again. And then he realized that he had left the bundle of his belongings + in the empty car. + </p> + <p> + Fortunately for him the train began to slow up at the end of an hour or + so, and peering out Samuel saw lights ahead. Also there were lights here + and there in the landscape, and he realized that he had come to a large + town. The east was just beginning to turn gray, and faint shadows of + buildings were visible. + </p> + <p> + Samuel got off and walked up the track very carefully, for he was stiff as + well as weak. There was a light in one of the offices at the depot, and he + looked in at the window and saw a man seated at a desk writing busily. He + knocked at the door. + </p> + <p> + “Come in,” said a voice, and he entered. + </p> + <p> + “Please, may I have a drink of water?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “Over there in the corner,” said the man, scarcely looking up from his + papers. + </p> + <p> + There was a bucket and dipper, and Samuel drank. The taste of the water + was a kind of ecstasy to him—he drank until he could drink no more. + </p> + <p> + Then he stood waiting. “I beg pardon, sir,” he began timidly. + </p> + <p> + “Hey?” said the man. + </p> + <p> + “I'm nearly starved, sir. I've had nothing to eat for I don't know how + long.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh!” exclaimed the other. “So that's it. Get out!” + </p> + <p> + “You don't understand,” began Samuel, perplexed. + </p> + <p> + “Get out!” cried the man. “That don't go in here. No beggars allowed!” + </p> + <p> + Beggars! The word struck Samuel like a whip-lash. + </p> + <p> + “I'm no beggar!” he cried wildly. “I—” And then he stopped. He had + been going to say, “I will pay for it.” + </p> + <p> + He went out burning with shame, and on the spot he took his resolution—come + what might, he would never beg. He would not put a morsel of food into his + mouth until he had earned it. + </p> + <p> + Across from the depot was a public square, and a broad street with trolley + tracks. Samuel walked down the street; and then, feeling weak and seeing a + dark doorway, he went in and crouched in a corner. For a while he dozed; + and then it was daylight. People were passing. + </p> + <p> + He got more water at a fountain and felt better. He went down one of the + poorer streets where a man was opening a shop. There was food in the + window—fruit and bread—and the sight made him ravenous. But he + asked for work and the man shook his head. + </p> + <p> + Samuel went on. Shops were opened here and there; and everywhere he asked + for a job—for any little thing to do—and always it was No. Now + and then he caught a whiff of some one's breakfast—bacon frying, and + coffee or hot bread in a bake shop. But each time he gripped his hands + together and set his teeth. He would not beg. He would find work. + </p> + <p> + And so on through the morning. He went into stores, big and little. + Sometimes they answered politely—sometimes gruffly; but no one + hesitated a moment. He went past warehouses, where men were loading wagons—surely + there would be work here. + </p> + <p> + He spoke to a busy foreman in his shirt sleeves. + </p> + <p> + “How often must I tell you no?” cried the man. + </p> + <p> + “But you never told me before,” protested Samuel with great earnestness. + </p> + <p> + “Get out!” said the man. “There are so many of you—how the devil can + I tell?” + </p> + <p> + There were so many! And suddenly Samuel realized that he had passed a good + many poor-looking men upon the streets. And were they all hunting jobs and + not finding them? Perhaps some were even begging and getting nothing by + that. + </p> + <p> + He went on with a blank terror in his soul. He gazed at the people he + passed on the street; some of them had kindly faces—surely they + would have helped him had they known. But there was no way for him to let + them know—no way but to be a beggar! + </p> + <p> + He came to the suburbs and asked at the houses. But no one wanted anything + done. It was noon and people were at luncheon—he caught odors as + doors were opened. He went back into the city, because he could not stand + it. He was feeling weaker, and he was afraid with a ghastly fear. Pretty + soon he might not be able to work! + </p> + <p> + It was a new idea to Samuel, that a man might starve in the midst of + civilization. He could hardly believe it, and grew half-delirious as he + thought about it. What would happen at the end? Would they let him lie + down and die in the street? Or was there some place where starving men + went to die? + </p> + <p> + So the day passed, and he found nothing. Several people advised him to get + out of town—this was no place to look for work, they said. + Apparently something was the matter with the place, but they did not stop + to tell him what. + </p> + <p> + This was the first large town Samuel had ever seen, and under other + circumstances he would have gazed at it with wonder. He passed great + buildings of brick and stone, and trolley cars, and a fire-engine house, + and many other strange sights. He came to a great high fence, inclosing + many acres of buildings, dingy and black with smoke; there were tall + chimneys, and rows of sheds, and railroad tracks running in. He passed + other factories, huge brick buildings with innumerable windows; and many + blocks of working-men's houses, small and dirty frame structures, with + pale-faced children in the doorways. The roads and sidewalks here were all + of black cinders, and it was hot even in May. + </p> + <p> + And then he came to a steel bridge and crossed a river and the road + broadened out, and he climbed a hill and found himself walking upon a + macadamized avenue lined with trees, and with beautiful residences + overlooking the ridge. Rich people lived here, evidently; and Samuel + stared, marveling at the splendor. He came to a great estate with a stone + gateway and iron railings ten feet high, and an avenue of stately elm + trees; there were bright green lawns with peacocks and lyre birds + strutting about, and a great colonial mansion with white pillars in the + distance. “Fairview,” read the name upon the gates. + </p> + <p> + And then again Samuel remembered his appetite. Surely amid all this luxury + there would be some chance for him! He started up the path! + </p> + <p> + He had got about halfway to the house when a man who was tending the + flowers caught sight of him and came toward him. “What are you doing + here?” he called, before he had come halfway. + </p> + <p> + “I'm looking for some work,” began Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “Do you want to get your head punched?” shouted the man. “What do you mean + by coming in here?” + </p> + <p> + “Why, what's the matter?” asked the boy perplexed. + </p> + <p> + “Get out, you loafer!” cried the other. + </p> + <p> + And Samuel turned and went quickly. A loafer! + </p> + <p> + So for the first time it occurred to him to look at his clothes, which + were muddy from his tumble in the ditch. And no doubt his face and hands + were dirty also, and his hair unkempt, and his aspect unprepossessing + enough for an applicant for labor. At any rate it was clear that this was + not the part of the town to seek it in; so he went back across the bridge. + </p> + <p> + Twilight had fallen and the stores were shutting up. Soon everything would + be closed; and that night he felt that he would perish. And so at last + desperation seized him. + </p> + <p> + He bolted into the first lighted place he saw. + </p> + <p> + It was a saloon—empty, save for a man in white behind the bar. + </p> + <p> + “I'm no beggar!” shouted Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “Hey?” said the man. + </p> + <p> + “I say I'm no beggar! I'll come back and pay you. I'm starving. I must + have something to eat.” + </p> + <p> + “Gee whiz!” said the man. + </p> + <p> + “I was never in a saloon in my life before,” added Samuel, as he realized + the character of the place. “But please—please give me something to + eat.” + </p> + <p> + “Hully gee, young feller!” exclaimed the bar-keeper. “You do it great. You + ought to be an actor. Step up and feed your face.” + </p> + <p> + “What?” stammered Samuel, perplexed. + </p> + <p> + “EAT!” said the other, and pointed. “Maybe you understand that.” + </p> + <p> + And Samuel turned and saw a lot of food set out upon a counter. He rushed + to it and began. At the first taste a kind of madness seized him, and he + ate like a wild beast, gulping things. + </p> + <p> + For several minutes he did this, while the other watched curiously. Then + he remarked, “Say, you'd better quit.” + </p> + <p> + “What?” asked Samuel, seizing more food. + </p> + <p> + “I say quit,” said the man. “Just for your own good. I see your story's + true, an' a little rest won't hurt you.” + </p> + <p> + Samuel gazed longingly at the food, desiring more handfuls. “Come over + here,” said the man. “What happened to you?” + </p> + <p> + “I was locked in an empty freight car.” + </p> + <p> + “Humph! That's a new one! How long?” + </p> + <p> + “What day is this?” + </p> + <p> + “Friday.” + </p> + <p> + “I was locked in Wednesday morning. It seemed longer.” + </p> + <p> + “It's long enough,” commented the barkeeper. + </p> + <p> + “I was robbed,” Samuel went on. “A man took all my money.” And then the + old shame started up in him. “Don't think I'm a beggar. I'll work and pay + for this.” + </p> + <p> + “That's all right,” said the barkeeper. “Be easy.” + </p> + <p> + “Haven't you anything I can do? Some wood to split?” + </p> + <p> + “We don't burn wood.” + </p> + <p> + “Or some cleaning up?” Samuel looked round. The place did not seem very + neat to him. “I'll scrub the floors for you,” he said. + </p> + <p> + “We have 'em scrubbed in the early morning,” replied the man. + </p> + <p> + “Well, let me come and do it,” said Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “Go on!” said the other. “You'll be ready for more feed then.” + </p> + <p> + “I'll come, just the same, sir.” + </p> + <p> + “If you take my advice,” the bartender observed, “you'll get out of this + town. Lockmanville's a poor place to hunt jobs in.” + </p> + <p> + Samuel started. “Lockmanville!” he gasped. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” said the other. “Don't you know where you are?” + </p> + <p> + “I didn't know,” said the boy. “Lockmanville! The one where the big glass + works are?” + </p> + <p> + “That's the one.” + </p> + <p> + “And where old Henry Lockman lived!” + </p> + <p> + “What about it?” asked the other. + </p> + <p> + “Nothing,” said Samuel, “only my father invested all his money in + Lockman's company, and lost it.” + </p> + <p> + “Gee!” said the bartender. + </p> + <p> + “Maybe if I told them,” said the boy, “they'd give me some work here.” + </p> + <p> + “Maybe,” said the other—“only the works is shut down.” + </p> + <p> + “Shut down!” cried Samuel; and then added, “On account of his death?” + </p> + <p> + “No—they always close in summer. But this year they closed in March. + Times is bad.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh,” said Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “So there's plenty of men looking for jobs in Lockmanville,”. the other + continued, “an' some of the other factories is closed, too—the + cotton mill is only runnin' half time.” + </p> + <p> + “I see.” + </p> + <p> + “Old Lockman used to say there was too many glass works,” the barkeeper + added. “An' the fellers he bought out went an' built more. So there you + are.” + </p> + <p> + There was a pause. “I'm coming back in the morning,” said Samuel doggedly. + </p> + <p> + “All right,” said the other, with a smile—“if you don't forget it.” + Then a couple of customers entered. “Run along now,” said he. + </p> + <p> + And Samuel went—the more readily because he realized that he had + been all this time in a saloon, a place of mystery and wickedness to him. + </p> + <p> + He started down the street again. A fine cold rain had begun to fall. What + was he to do? + </p> + <p> + He felt warm, having feasted. But there was no use in getting wet. He + glanced into the doorways as he passed, and seeing a dark and empty one, + crouched inside. + </p> + <p> + Lockmanville! What a curious coincidence! And there were hundreds in the + town out of work. It seemed a strange and terrible thing. Could it be that + they let people starve as he was starving—people they knew? Could it + be that they went on about their business and paid no attention to such a + thing? + </p> + <p> + He must get out, they told him. But how? Would the railroad take him, if + he explained? Or would the people on the way give him work? He had got + some food at last, but only by begging. And was he expected to beg? + </p> + <p> + There came footsteps outside. A man strode into the doorway and took hold + of the door and tried it. Then he turned to go out. Samuel moved his foot + out of the way. + </p> + <p> + “Hello!” said the man. “Who's that?” + </p> + <p> + “Only me,” said Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “Get up there,” commanded the other. + </p> + <p> + He got up and a hand seized him by the collar. “Who are you?” + </p> + <p> + He was jerked into the light before he had a chance to reply. “More bums!” + growled the voice; and Samuel, terrified, saw that he was in the grasp of + a policeman. + </p> + <p> + “Please, sir, I'm not doing any harm,” he began. + </p> + <p> + “Come,” said the policeman. + </p> + <p> + “Where to?” he cried. + </p> + <p> + But the other merely jerked him along. A sudden wild horror seized Samuel. + “You're not going to arrest me!” he exclaimed. + </p> + <p> + “Sure,” said the other. “Why not?” + </p> + <p> + “But,” he exclaimed, “I've not done anything. I can't help it. I—” + </p> + <p> + He started to drag back, and the man twisted a huge hand, in his collar, + choking him. “Do you want to be hit?” he growled. + </p> + <p> + So Samuel went on. But sobs shook him, convulsive sobs of terror and + despair, and tears of shame rolled down his cheeks. He was going to jail! + </p> + <p> + “What's the matter with you?” said the policeman after a bit. “Why don't + you be quiet?” + </p> + <p> + “You've no business to arrest me,” wailed the boy. “I haven't done + anything, and I couldn't help it. I've no place to go and no money. And + it's not my fault.” + </p> + <p> + “You can tell that to the judge,” replied the other. + </p> + <p> + “But—but what have I done? Why—” + </p> + <p> + “Shut up!” said the officer, and gave another twist at his throat. And + after that Samuel was quiet. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0005" id="link2HCH0005"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER V + </h2> + <p> + In the station-house a fat sergeant sat dozing upon his throne. “Another + vagrant,” said the policeman, as if to say there was no special need to + rouse himself. + </p> + <p> + “What was he doing?” the sergeant asked. + </p> + <p> + “Sleeping in a doorway,” was the reply. + </p> + <p> + By this time Samuel had come to realize the futility of protest. He + accepted his fate with dumb despair. He gave the information the sergeant + asked for—Samuel Prescott, aged seventeen, native born, from Euba + Corners, occupation farmer, never arrested before. + </p> + <p> + “All right,” said the man, and went back to his nap; and Samuel was led + away, and after a pretense at a search was shoved into a cell and heard + the iron door clang upon him. + </p> + <p> + He was alone now, and free to sob out his grief. It was the culmination of + all the shame and horror that he could ever have imagined; first, to have + to beg, and then to be locked up in jail. He knew now what they did with + men who were out of work and starving. + </p> + <p> + He lay there weeping, and then suddenly he sat up transfixed. From the + cell next to him had come a cry, a horrible blood-curdling screech, more + like the scream of a wild cat than any human sound. Samuel listened, his + heart pounding. + </p> + <p> + There came the voice of a man from across the corridor—“Shut up, you + hag!” And after that bedlam broke loose. The woman—Samuel realized + at last that the scream had come from a woman—broke forth into a + torrent of yells and curses. Such hideous obscenities, such revolting + blasphemies he had never heard in his life before—he had never + dreamed that life contained within it the possibility of such depravity. + It was like an explosion from some loathsome sewer; and its source was the + lips of a woman. + </p> + <p> + For ten minutes or so the tirade continued until it seemed to the boy that + every beautiful and sacred thing he had ever heard of in his life had been + defiled forever. Then a jailer strolled down the corridor, and with a few + vigorous and judicious oaths contrived to quell the uproar. + </p> + <p> + Samuel lay down again; and now he had a chance to make another discovery. + He had felt sharp stinging sensations which caused him to scratch himself + frantically. Then suddenly he realized that he was lying upon a mattress + infested with vermin. + </p> + <p> + The discovery sent him bounding to the middle of the floor. It set him + wild with rage. Such a thing had never happened to him in his life before, + for his home was a decent and clean one. This was the crowning infamy—that + they should have taken him, helpless as he was, and shut him up in a + filthy hole to be devoured by bedbugs and lice. + </p> + <p> + In the morning they brought him bread and coffee; and after a couple of + hours' more waiting he was taken to court. + </p> + <p> + It was a big bare room with whitewashed walls. There were a few scattered + spectators, a couple of policemen and several men writing at tables. + Seated within an inclosure were a number of prisoners, dull and listless + looking. One by one they stepped up before the railing and faced the + judge; there would be a few muttered words and they would move on. + Everything went as a matter of routine, which had been going that way for + ages. The judge, who was elderly and gray haired, looked like a prosperous + business man in a masquerade costume. + </p> + <p> + Samuel's turn came and he stood before the bar. His name was read, and the + charge—vagrancy. + </p> + <p> + “Well?” said the judge mechanically. “What have you to say for yourself?” + </p> + <p> + Samuel caught his breath. “It's not my fault, sir,” he began. + </p> + <p> + “Your honor,” prompted the policeman who stood at his elbow. + </p> + <p> + “Your honor,” said Samuel, “I lost all my money. And I've been trying to + find work, your honor.” + </p> + <p> + “Have you any friends in town?” + </p> + <p> + “No, your honor.” + </p> + <p> + “How long have you been here?” + </p> + <p> + “Only since yesterday, your honor.” + </p> + <p> + “How did you get here?” + </p> + <p> + “I came in on a freight train, your honor.” + </p> + <p> + “I see,” said the judge. “Well, you came to the wrong place. We're going + to put an end to vagrancy in Lockmanville. Thirty days. Next case.” + </p> + <p> + Samuel caught his breath. “Your honor,” he gasped. + </p> + <p> + “Next case,” repeated the judge. + </p> + <p> + The policeman started to lead Samuel away. “Your honor,” he cried + frantically. “Don't send me to jail.” And fighting against the policeman's + grip, he rushed on, “It's not my fault—I'm an honest boy and I tried + to find work. I haven't done anything. And you'll kill me if you send me + to jail. Have mercy! Have mercy!” + </p> + <p> + The policeman shook him roughly. But there was something so genuine in + Samuel's wail that the judge said, “Wait.” + </p> + <p> + “How could I help it if I was robbed?” the boy rushed on, taking advantage + of his chance. “And what could I do but ask for work? I was brought up + honest, your honor. It would have killed my father if he'd thought I'd be + sent to jail. He brought me up to earn my living.” + </p> + <p> + “Who was your father?” asked the judge. + </p> + <p> + “His name was Ephraim Prescott, and he was a farmer. You can ask anyone at + Euba Corners what sort of a man he was. He'd fought all through the war—he + was wounded four times. And if he could be here he'd tell you that I don't + deserve to go to jail.” + </p> + <p> + There was a moment's pause. “What regiment was your father in?” asked the + magistrate. + </p> + <p> + “He was in the Seventeenth Pennsylvania, your honor.” + </p> + <p> + “Be careful, boy,” said the other sternly. “Don't try to deceive me.” + </p> + <p> + “I don't want to deceive you, your honor,” protested Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “What brigade was the Seventeenth Pennsylvania in?” + </p> + <p> + “In the Third Brigade, your honor.” + </p> + <p> + “And who commanded it?” + </p> + <p> + “General Anderson—that is, until he was killed at the battle of + Chancellorsville. My father was there.” + </p> + <p> + “I was there, too,” said the judge. + </p> + <p> + “My father used to tell me about it,” exclaimed Samuel with sudden + eagerness. “His brigade was in the right wing and they had a double line + of trenches. And the rebels charged the line with cavalry. They charged a + dozen times during the day, and there were big trees cut down by the + bullets. My father said the rebels never fought harder than they did right + there.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” said his honor, “I know. I was one of them.” + </p> + <p> + Everyone within hearing laughed; and Samuel turned crimson. + </p> + <p> + “I beg pardon, your honor,” he said. + </p> + <p> + “That's all right,” said the judge. And then he added gravely, “Very well, + Samuel, we'll give you another chance for your father's sake. But don't + let me see you here again.” + </p> + <p> + “No, your honor,” said Samuel. Then he added quickly. “But what can I do?” + </p> + <p> + “Get out of Lockmanville,” said the other. + </p> + <p> + “But how? When I've no money. If your honor could only help me to some + work.” + </p> + <p> + “No,” said the judge. “I'm sorry, but I've found jobs for three men this + week, and I don't know any more.” + </p> + <p> + “But then—” began Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “I'll give you a dollar out of my own pocket,” the other added. + </p> + <p> + “Your honor,” cried Samuel startled, “I don't want to take money!” + </p> + <p> + “You can send it back to me when you get a job,” said the judge, holding + out a bill. “Take it. Prisoner discharged. Next case.” + </p> + <p> + Samuel took the money and was turning away, when a man who had been + sitting in a chair near the magistrate suddenly leaned forward. + </p> + <p> + “Judge,” he said, “if I may interrupt—” + </p> + <p> + “Why, surely, professor,” said the other pleasantly. + </p> + <p> + “I may possibly be able to find something for the boy to do.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah, that will be fine!” + </p> + <p> + “He seems to be a capable young fellow and might be worth helping.” + </p> + <p> + “The very thing, professor. Samuel, this is Professor Stewart, of Lockman + College.” + </p> + <p> + Samuel was very glad to meet the professor. He was a trim little + gentleman, with a carefully cut black beard and gold-rimmed eyeglasses. + </p> + <p> + “Here is my card,” he said; “and if you'll come to see me to-morrow + morning at my house, we'll see what we can do.” + </p> + <p> + “Thank you very much,” said the boy, and put the card in his pocket. Then, + realizing suddenly that the policeman had let go of his arm, and that he + was free, he turned and made his way through the gate. + </p> + <p> + “A diverting episode,” said the professor. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” said the judge, with a smile. “We have them now and then, you see.” + </p> + <p> + Samuel went out with a glow in his heart. At last he had got a start. He + had got underneath the world's tough hide and found kindness and humanity + after all. It had been a harrowing experience, but it would not happen + again. + </p> + <p> + He had now one definite purpose in mind. He walked straight out of town + and down the river road until he came to a sufficiently solitary place. + Then he took off his clothes and sat down on the bank and performed a most + elaborate toilet. For half an hour at least he scrubbed his head with sand + and water, and combed his hair out with his fingers. And then he went over + his clothing inch by inch. At least he would be through with one hideous + reminder of his imprisonment. + </p> + <p> + After which he dressed again and went back to town and found the saloon + where he had eaten. + </p> + <p> + “Hello!” said his friend Finnegan, the bar-keeper. “Back again!” + </p> + <p> + “I came to explain about this morning,” said Samuel. “I couldn't come + because they put me in jail.” + </p> + <p> + “Gee!” said the other; but then he added, with a laugh, “Well, it was a + wet night.” + </p> + <p> + Samuel did not reply. “I'll come to-morrow morning,” he said. + </p> + <p> + “You'd better get out of town, sonny,” advised the other. + </p> + <p> + “I'm all right. The judge gave me a dollar.” + </p> + <p> + “Humph! A dollar won't last forever.” + </p> + <p> + “No. But I've got the promise of a job. There was a gentleman there—Professor + Stewart, from the college.” + </p> + <p> + “Hully gee!” said Finnegan. “I know that guy. A little runt with a black + beard?” + </p> + <p> + “I guess so,” said Samuel dubiously. + </p> + <p> + “I seen his pitcher in the paper,” said the other. “He's one of them + reformers—always messin' into things.” + </p> + <p> + “Maybe that's why he was at the court,” observed Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “Sure thing! He's a professor of sociology an' such things, an' he thinks + he knows all about politics. But we handed him a few last election—just + you bet!” + </p> + <p> + “Who's 'we'?” asked Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “The organization,” said Finnegan; “the Democrats, o' course. Them + reformers is always Republicans—the 'better element,' an' all that. + That means the rich guys—that have their own little grafts to work. + This perfessor was a great friend of old Henry Lockman—an' the old + man used to run this town with his little finger. But they had a big + strike here three years ago, and too many men got hit over the head. So + it'll be a long day before there's any more 'reform' in Lockmanville.” + </p> + <p> + “I see,” said Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “They make a great howl about the saloons an' all the rest,” added the + barkeeper. “But when the Republicans ran things, my boss paid his little + rake-off just the same, you can bet. But you needn't tell that to the + perfessor.” + </p> + <p> + “I won't,” said the boy. + </p> + <p> + “What you goin' to do now?” asked the other. + </p> + <p> + “I don't know. I guess I'll have to get something to eat first.” + </p> + <p> + “You'll find the cheapest way is to buy a glass of beer and then feed over + there.” + </p> + <p> + “No,” said Samuel, startled. “I—I think I'd rather not do that.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, so long,” said Finriegan, with a laugh. + </p> + <p> + “You'll see me to-morrow morning,” said Samuel, as he went out. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0006" id="link2HCH0006"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER VI + </h2> + <p> + Samuel went to a bake shop and bought a loaf of bread and sat on the bench + of the public square and devoured it bit by bit. It was the cheapest thing + he could think of, and quantity was what counted just then. + </p> + <p> + Next he had to find a room to spend the night. He knew nothing about + hotels and lodging-houses—he walked through the workingmen's quarter + of the town, scanning the cottages hesitatingly. At last in the doorway of + one he noticed a woman standing, an elderly woman, very thin and weary + looking, but clean, and with a kindly face. So he stopped. + </p> + <p> + “Please,” said he, “could you tell me any place where I could hire a + room?” + </p> + <p> + The woman looked at him. “For how long?” she asked. + </p> + <p> + “I'm not quite sure,” he said. “I want it for one night, and then if I get + a job, I may want it longer.” + </p> + <p> + “A job in Lockmanville?” said the woman. + </p> + <p> + “Well, I've the promise of one,” he replied. + </p> + <p> + “There can't be very many,” said she. “I've two rooms I've always rented,” + she added, “but when the glass works shut down the men went away. One of + them owed me three dollars, too.” + </p> + <p> + “I—I'm not able to pay very much,” said Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “Come in,” responded the woman; and he sat down and told her his story. + And she told him hers. + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Stedman was her name, and her husband had been a glass blower. He + earned good wages—five dollars a day in the busy season. But he + worked in front of a huge tank of white-hot glass and that was hard on a + man. And once on a hot day he had gone suddenly dizzy, and fallen upon a + mass of hot slag, and been frightfully burned in the face. They had + carried him to the hospital and taken out one eye. And then, because of + his family and the end of the season being near, he had gone to work too + soon, and his wound had gone bad, and in the end he had died of + blood-poisoning. + </p> + <p> + “That was two years ago,” said Mrs. Stedman. “And I got no damages. We've + barely got along—this year's been worse than ever. It's the panic, + they say. It seemed as if everything was shutting down.” + </p> + <p> + “It must be very hard on people here,” said Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “I've got three children—all girls,” said Mrs. Stedman, “and only + one old enough to work. That's Sophie—she's in the cotton mill, and + that only started again last month. And they say it may run on half time + all the year. I do sewing and whatever I can to help, but there's never + enough.” + </p> + <p> + Samuel forgot his own troubles in talking with this woman. His family had + been poor on the farm, but they had never known such poverty as this. And + here were whole streets full of people living the same sort of life; + hanging over the abyss of destruction, and with no prospect save to + struggle forever. Mrs. Stedman talked casually about her friends and + neighbors, and new glimpses came to make the boy catch his breath. Next + door was Mrs. Prosser, whose husband was dying of cancer; he had been two + years dying, and they had five small children. And on the other side were + the Rapinskys, a Polish family; they had been strong in the possession of + three grown sons, and had even bought a phonograph. And now not one of + them had done a stroke of work for three months. + </p> + <p> + To have been robbed and put in jail seemed a mere incident in comparison + with such bitter and I lifelong suffering; and Samuel was ashamed of + having made so much fuss. He had stated, with some trepidation, that he + was just out of jail; but Mrs. Stedman had not seemed to mind that. Her + husband had been in jail once, during the big glass strike, and for + nothing more than begging another man not to take his job. + </p> + <p> + It was arranged that Samuel was to pay her thirty-five cents for his + supper and bed and breakfast, and if he wished to stay longer she would + board him for four dollars a week, or he might have the room alone for a + dollar. + </p> + <p> + The two young children came in from school; they were frail and undersized + little girls, with clothing that was neatly but pitifully patched. And + shortly after them came Sophie. + </p> + <p> + Samuel gave a start of dismay when he saw her. He had been told that she + worked in the cotton mill and was the mainstay of the family; and he had + pictured a sturdy young woman, such as he had seen at home. Instead, here + was a frail slip of a child scarcely larger than the others. Sophie was + thirteen, as he learned afterwards; but she did not look to be ten by his + standards. She was grave and deliberate in her movements, and she gazed at + the stranger with a pair of very big brown eyes. + </p> + <p> + “This is Samuel Prescott,” said her mother. “He is going to spend the + night, and maybe board with us.” + </p> + <p> + “How do you do?” said Sophie, and took off the shawl from her head and sat + down in a corner. The boy thought that this was shyness upon her part, but + later on he realized that it was lassitude. The child rested her head upon + her hand every chance that she got, and she never did anything that she + did not have to. + </p> + <p> + The next morning, bright and early, Samuel was on hand at the saloon, + greatly to the amusement of his friend Finnegan. He got down on his hands + and knees and gave the place such a scrubbing as it had never had before + since it was built. And in return Finnegan invited him to some breakfast, + which Samuel finally accepted, because it would enable him to take less + from the Stedmans. + </p> + <p> + Professor Stewart had not specified any hour in his invitation. He lived + in the aristocratic district across the bridge and Samuel presented + himself at his door a little before eight. + </p> + <p> + “Professor Stewart told me to come and see him,” he said to the maid. + </p> + <p> + “Professor Stewart is out of town,” said she. + </p> + <p> + “Out of town!” he echoed. + </p> + <p> + “He's gone to New York,” said she. “He was called away unexpectedly last + night.” + </p> + <p> + “When will he be back?” + </p> + <p> + “He said he'd try to be back the day after tomorrow; but he wasn't sure.” + </p> + <p> + Samuel stared at her in consternation. + </p> + <p> + “What did you want?” she asked. + </p> + <p> + “He promised me a job.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh!” said she. “Well, can't you come back later on?” And then, seeing + that Samuel had nothing better to do than to stare at her dumbly, she + closed the door and went about her business. + </p> + <p> + Samuel walked back in a daze. It gave him a new sense of the world's lack + of interest in him. Probably the great man had forgotten him altogether. + </p> + <p> + There was nothing to do but to wait; and meantime he had only sixty cents. + He could not stay with Mrs. Stedman, that was certain. But when he came to + tell her, she recurred to a suggestion he had made. There were a few + square yards of ground behind her house, given up mostly to tomato cans. + If he would plant some garden seed for her she would board him meanwhile. + And so Samuel went to work vigorously with a borrowed spade. + </p> + <p> + Two days passed, and another day, and still the professor had not + returned. It was Saturday evening and Samuel was seated upon the steps of + the house, resting after a hard day's work. Sophie was seated near him, + leaning back against the house with her eyes closed. The evening was warm + and beautiful, and gradually the peace of it stole over her. And so at + last she revealed herself to Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “Do you like music?” she asked. + </p> + <p> + “Very much indeed,” said he. + </p> + <p> + “Not everybody does,” she remarked—“I mean real music, such as + Friedrich plays.” + </p> + <p> + “I don't know,” said Samuel. “Who is Friedrich?” + </p> + <p> + “He's a friend of mine,” Sophie answered. “He's a German boy. His father's + the designer at the carpet works. And he plays the violin.” + </p> + <p> + “I should like to hear him,” said he. + </p> + <p> + “I'll take you,” she volunteered. “I generally go to see them on Sunday + afternoons. It's the only time I have.” + </p> + <p> + So the next day Samuel met the Bremers. Their cottage was a little way out + in the country, and they had a few trees about it and a flower bed. But + the house was not large, and it was well filled with a family of nine + children. Johann, the father, was big and florid, with bristling hair. He + was marked in the town because he called himself a “Socialist,” but Samuel + did not know that. His wife was a little mite of a woman, completely + swamped by child-bearing. Most interesting to Samuel was Friedrich, who + played the violin; a pale ascetic-looking boy of fifteen, with wavy hair + and beautiful eyes. + </p> + <p> + Music was a serious rite with the Bremers. The father played the piano, + and the next oldest son to Friedrich was struggling with a 'cello; and + when they played, the whole family sat in the parlor, even the tiny tots, + round-eyed and silent. + </p> + <p> + Samuel knew some “patriotic songs,” and a great number of hymns, and a few + tunes that one heard at country dances. But such music as this was a new + revelation of the possibilities of life. He listened in a transport of + wonder and awe. Such wailing grief, such tumultuous longing, such + ravishing and soul-tormenting beauty! Friedrich had only such technique as + his father had been able to give him, together with what he had invented + for himself; his bowings were not always correct, and he was weak on the + high notes; but Samuel knew nothing of this—he was thinking of the + music. And he needed no one to tell him about it—he needed no + criticisms and no commentaries. Across the centuries the souls of Schubert + and Beethoven spoke to him, telling their visions of the wonderful world + of the spirit, toward which humanity is painfully groping. + </p> + <p> + It was impossible for him to keep from voicing his excitement, and this + greatly delighted the Bremers, who craved for comprehension in a lonely + place. His sympathy gave wings to their fervor, and they played the whole + afternoon through, and then Johann invited them to stay to supper, so that + they might play some more in the evening. + </p> + <p> + “You should haf been a musician,” he said to Samuel. “You vas made for + it.” + </p> + <p> + They had a supper such as the boy had missed for some time; a great + platter of cold boiled meat, and a bowl of hot gravy, and another bowl of + mashed potatoes, with no end of bread and butter. Also there was some kind + of a German pudding, and to the stranger's dismay, a pitcher of beer in + front of Johann. After offering some to his guests, he drank it all, and + also he ate a vast supper. Afterwards he dozed, while Friedrich played yet + more wonderful music, and this gave Samuel a new insight into the life of + the family, and into the wild and terrible longing that poured itself out + in Friedrich's tones. The father was good-natured and sentimental, but + sunk in grossness; and the mother was worn out with the care of her brood, + and beneath all this burden the soul of the boy was crying frantically for + life. + </p> + <p> + The exigencies of trade demanded endless variety of designs in carpets and + rugs, and so all day Johann Bremer stood in front of a great sheet of + cardboard, marked off in tiny numbered squares, on which he painted with + many colors. For this he received thirty dollars a week, and his son + received twelve dollars as his assistant—painting in the same colors + upon all the squares of certain numbers, and so completing a symmetrical + design. It was a very good job, and Johann prodded his son to devote his + energies to the evolving of new designs. But the boy hated it all—thinking + only of his music. And his music meant to him, not sentimental dreaming, + but a passionate clutch into the infinite, a battle for deliverance from + the bondage of the world. So Johann himself had been in his youth, when he + had become a revolutionist, and before beer and gravy and domesticity had + tamed him. + </p> + <p> + No one said a word about these things. It was all in the playing. And now + and then Samuel stole a glance about the room and discovered yet another + soul's tragedy. Sophie, too, was drinking in the music, and life had crept + into her face, and her breath came quick and fast, and now and then she + furtively brushed away a tear. + </p> + <p> + Afterwards, as they walked home, she said to Samuel, “I don't know if it's + good for me to listen to music like that.” + </p> + <p> + “Why not?” he asked—“if it makes you happy.” + </p> + <p> + “But it makes me unhappy afterwards. It makes me want things. And I get + restless—and when I go back to the factory it's so much harder.” + </p> + <p> + “What do you do in the factory?” asked Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “I'm what they call a bobbin-girl—I tie the threads on the bobbins + when they are empty.” + </p> + <p> + “Is it very hard work?” + </p> + <p> + “No, you mightn't think so. But you have to stand up all day; and it's + doing the same thing all the time—the same thing the whole day long. + You get dull—you never think about anything. And then the air is + full of dust and the machinery roars. You get used to it, but I'm sure its + bad for you.” + </p> + <p> + They walked for a while in silence. “Do you like to imagine things?” asked + Sophie suddenly. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” said he. + </p> + <p> + “I used to,” said she—“when I was younger.” It was so strange to + Samuel to notice that this slip of a child always spoke of herself as old. + </p> + <p> + “Why don't you do it now?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “I'm too tired, I think. But I've a lot of pictures up in my room—that + I cut out of magazines that people gave me. Pictures of beautiful things—birds + and flowers, and old castles, and fine ladies and gentlemen. And I used to + make up stories about them, and imagine that I was there, and that all + sorts of nice things were happening to me. Would you like to see my + pictures?” + </p> + <p> + “Very much,” said Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “I think of things like that when I listen to Friedrich. I've a picture of + Sir Galahad—he's very beautiful, and he stands at his horse's head + with a sword in his hand. I used to dream that somebody like that might + come and carry me off to a place where there aren't any mills. But I guess + it's no use any more.” + </p> + <p> + “Why not?” asked the other. + </p> + <p> + “It's too late. There is something the matter with me. I never say + anything, because it would make mother unhappy; but I'm always tired now, + and every day I have a headache. And I'm so very sleepy, and yet when I + lie down I can't sleep—I keep hearing the mill.” “Oh!” cried Samuel + involuntarily. + </p> + <p> + “I don't mind it so much,” said the child. “There's no help, so what's the + use. It's only when I hear Friedrich play—then I get all stirred + up.” + </p> + <p> + They walked on for a while again. + </p> + <p> + “He's very unhappy,” she said finally. + </p> + <p> + “I suppose so,” replied Samuel. “Tell me,” he asked suddenly. “Isn't there + some other work that you could do?” + </p> + <p> + “What? I'm not strong enough for hard work. And where could I make three + dollars a week?” + </p> + <p> + “Is that what they pay you?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes—that is—when we are on full time.” + </p> + <p> + “Does it make all the girls sick?” he inquired. “There's that girl who + came in this afternoon—she seems well and strong.” + </p> + <p> + “Bessie, you mean? But it's just play for her, you see. She lives with her + parents and stops whenever she feels like it. She just wants to buy + dresses and go to the theater.” + </p> + <p> + “But that girl we passed on the street to-day!” + </p> + <p> + “Helen Davis. Ah, yes—but she's different again. She's bad.” + </p> + <p> + “Bad?” echoed Samuel perplexed. + </p> + <p> + There was a brief pause. It was not easy for him to adjust himself to a + world in which the good were of necessity frail and ill, and the bad were + rosy-cheeked and merry. “How do you mean?” he asked at last. + </p> + <p> + And Sophie answered quite simply, “She lives with a fellow.” + </p> + <p> + The blood leaped into Samuel's face. Such a blunder for him to have made. + </p> + <p> + But then the flush passed, giving place to a feeling of horrified wonder. + For Sophie was not in the least embarrassed—she spoke in the most + matter-of-fact tone. And this from a child of thirteen, who did not look + to be ten. + </p> + <p> + “I see,” said he in a faint voice. + </p> + <p> + “A good many of the girls do it,” she added. “You see, they move about so + much—the mills close, and so a girl has no hope of marrying. But + mothers says it's wrong, just the same.” + </p> + <p> + And Samuel walked home the rest of the way in silence, and thinking no + more about the joys of music. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0007" id="link2HCH0007"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER VII + </h2> + <p> + On Monday morning Samuel found that Professor Stewart had returned, and he + sat in the great man's study and waited until he had finished his + breakfast. + </p> + <p> + It was a big room, completely walled with crowded bookshelves; in the + center was a big work-table covered with books and papers. Samuel had + never dreamed that there were so many books in the world, and he gazed + about him with awe, feeling that he had come to the sources of knowledge. + </p> + <p> + That was Samuel's way. Both by nature and training, he had a profound + respect for all authority. He believed in the majesty of the law—that + was why it had shocked him so to be arrested. He thought of the church as + a divine institution, whose ministers were appointed as shepherds of the + people. And up here on the heights was this great College, a temple of + learning; and this professor was one who had been selected by those in the + seats of authority, and set apart as one of its priests. So Samuel was + profoundly grateful for the attention which was given to him, and was + prepared to pick up whatever crumbs of counsel might be dropped. + </p> + <p> + “Ah, yes,” the professor said, wiping his glasses with a silk + handkerchief. “Samuel—let me see—Samuel—” + </p> + <p> + “Prescott, sir.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes—Samuel Prescott. And how have you been?” + </p> + <p> + “I've been very well, sir.” + </p> + <p> + “I meant to leave a message for you, but I overlooked it. I had so many + things to attend to in the rush of departure. I—er—I hope you + didn't wait for me.” + </p> + <p> + “I had nothing else to do, sir,” said Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “The truth is,” continued the other, “I'm afraid I shan't be able to do + for you what I thought I could.” + </p> + <p> + Samuel's heart went down into his boots. + </p> + <p> + “You see,” said the professor a trifle embarrassed, “my sister wanted a + man to look after her place, but I found she had already engaged some + one.” + </p> + <p> + There was a pause. Samuel simply stared. + </p> + <p> + “Of course, as the man is giving satisfaction—you see—it + wouldn't do for her to send him away.” + </p> + <p> + And Samuel continued to stare, dumb with terror and dismay. + </p> + <p> + “I'm very sorry,” said the other—“no need to tell you that. But I + don't know of any other place.” + </p> + <p> + “But what am I to do?” burst out Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “It's really too bad,” remarked the other. + </p> + <p> + And again there was a silence. + </p> + <p> + “Professor Stewart,” said Samuel in a low voice, “what is a man to do who + is out of work and starving?” + </p> + <p> + “God knows,” said the professor. + </p> + <p> + And yet again there was silence. Samuel could have said that himself—he + had the utmost faith in God. + </p> + <p> + And after a while the professor himself seemed to realize that the reply + was inadequate. “You see,” he went on, “there is a peculiar condition here + in Lockmanville. There was an attempt to corner the glass industry, and + that caused the building of too many factories, and so there is + overproduction. And then, besides that, they've just invented a machine + that blows as many bottles as a dozen men.” + </p> + <p> + “But then what are the men to do?” asked Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “The condition readjusts itself,” said the other. “The men have to go into + some other trade.” + </p> + <p> + “But then—the cotton mills are on half time, too!” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, there are too many cotton mills.” + </p> + <p> + “But then—in the end there will be too many everything.” + </p> + <p> + “That is the tendency,” said the professor. + </p> + <p> + “There are foreign markets, of course. But the difficulty really goes + deeper than that.” + </p> + <p> + Professor Stewart paused and looked at Samuel wondering, perhaps, if he + were not throwing away his instruction. But the boy looked very much + interested, even excited. + </p> + <p> + “Most of our economists are disposed to blink the truth,” said he. “But + the fact is, there are too many men.” + </p> + <p> + Samuel started. It was precisely that terrible suspicion which had been + shaping itself in his own mind. + </p> + <p> + “There is a law,” went on the other, “which was clearly set forth by + Malthus, that population tends continually to outrun the food supply. And + then the surplus people have to be removed.” + </p> + <p> + “I see,” said Samuel, awestricken. “But isn't it rather hard?” + </p> + <p> + “It seems so—to the individual. To the race it is really of the very + greatest benefit. It is the process of life.” + </p> + <p> + “Please tell me,” Samuel's look seemed to say. + </p> + <p> + “If you will consider Nature,” Professor Stewart continued, “you will + observe that she always produces many times more individuals than can + possibly reach maturity. The salmon lays millions of eggs, and thousands + of young trees spring up in every thicket. And these individuals struggle + for a chance to live, and those survive which are strongest and best + fitted to meet the conditions. And precisely the same thing is true among + men—there is no other way by which the race could be improved, or + even kept at its present standard. Those who perish are sacrificed for the + benefit of the race.” + </p> + <p> + Now, strange as it may seem, Samuel had never before heard the phrase, + “the survival of the fittest.” And so now he was living over the + experience of the thinking world of fifty or sixty years ago. What a + marvelous generalization it was! What a range of life it covered! And how + obvious it seemed—one could think of a hundred things, perfectly + well known, which fitted into it. And yet he had never thought of it + himself! The struggle for existence! The survival of the fittest! + </p> + <p> + A few days ago Samuel had discovered music. And now he was discovering + science. What an extraordinary thing was the intellect of man, which could + take all the infinitely varied facts of life and interpret them in the + terms of one vast law. + </p> + <p> + Samuel was all aglow with excitement at the revelation. “I see,” he said, + again and again—“I see!” + </p> + <p> + “It is the law of life,” said the professor. “No one can escape from it.” + </p> + <p> + “And then,” said Samuel, “when we try to change things—when we give + out charity, for instance—we are working against Nature, and we + really make things worse.” + </p> + <p> + “That is it,” replied the other. + </p> + <p> + And Samuel gave a great sigh. How very simple was the problem, when one + had seen it in the light of science. Here he had been worrying and + tormenting his brain about the matter; and all the time he was in the + hands of Nature—and all he had to do was to lie back and let Nature + solve it. “Nature never makes mistakes,” said Professor Stewart. + </p> + <p> + Of course, in this new light Samuel's own case became plain. “Those who + are out of work are those who have failed in the struggle,” he said. + </p> + <p> + “Precisely,” said the professor. + </p> + <p> + “And that is because they are unfit.” + </p> + <p> + “Precisely,” said the professor again. “As Herbert Spencer has phrased it, + 'Inability to catch prey must be regarded as a falling short of conduct + from its ideal.' And, of course, in an industrial community, the 'prey' is + a job.” + </p> + <p> + “Who is Herbert Spencer?” asked Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “He is recognized as the authority in such matters,” said the other. + </p> + <p> + “And then,” pondered Samuel, “those who have jobs must be the fit. And the + very rich people—the ones who make the millions and millions—they + are the fittest of all.” + </p> + <p> + “Er—yes,” said the professor. + </p> + <p> + “And, of course, that makes my problem clear—I'm out of a job, and + so I must die.” + </p> + <p> + The professor gazed at Samuel sharply. But it was impossible to mistake + the boy's open-eyed sincerity. He had no thought about himself—he + was discovering the laws of life. + </p> + <p> + “I'm so glad you explained it to me,” he went on. “But all these thousands + of men who are starving to death—they ought to be told it, too.” + </p> + <p> + “What good would it do?” asked the other. + </p> + <p> + “Why, they ought to understand. They suffer, and it seems to them + purposeless and stupid. But if you were to explain to them that they are + being sacrificed for the benefit of the race—don't you see what a + difference it would make?” + </p> + <p> + “I don't believe they would take the suggestion kindly,” said the + professor with a faint attempt to smile. + </p> + <p> + “But why not?” asked Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “Wouldn't it sound rather hypocritical, so to speak—coming from a + man who had succeeded?” + </p> + <p> + “Not at all! You have a right to your success, haven't you?” + </p> + <p> + “I hope so.” + </p> + <p> + “You have a job”—began Samuel and then hesitated. “I don't know how + a professor comes to get his job,” he said. “But I suppose that the men + who make the great fortunes—the ones who are wisest and best of all—they + give the money for the colleges, don't they?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” said Professor Stewart. + </p> + <p> + “And then,” said Samuel, “I suppose it is they who have chosen you?” + </p> + <p> + Again the professor darted a suspicious glance at his questioner. “Er—one + might put it that way,” he said. + </p> + <p> + “Well, then, that is your right to teach; and you could explain it. Then + you could say to these men: 'There are too many of you; you aren't needed; + and you must be removed.'” + </p> + <p> + But the professor only shook his head. “It wouldn't do,” he said. And + Samuel, pondering and seeking as ever, came to a sudden comprehension. + </p> + <p> + “I see,” he exclaimed. “What is needed is action!” + </p> + <p> + “Action?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes—it's for us who are beaten to teach it; and to teach it in our + lives. It's a sort of revival that is needed, you see.” + </p> + <p> + “But I don't see the need,” laughed the other, interested in spite of + himself. + </p> + <p> + “That's because you aren't one of us!” cried Samuel vehemently. “Nobody + else can understand—nobody! It's easy to be one of the successes of + life. You have a comfortable home and plenty to eat and all. But when + you've failed—when you're down and out—then you have to bear + hunger and cold and sickness. And there is grief and fear and despair—you + can have no idea of it! Why, I've met a little girl in this town. She + works in the cotton mill, and it's just killed her by inches, body and + soul. And even so, she can only get half a day's work; and the mother is + trying to support the little children by sewing—and they're all just + dying of slow starvation. This very morning they asked me to stay to + breakfast, and I refused, because I knew they had only some bread and a + few potatoes, and it wasn't enough for one person. You see, it's so slow—it's + such a terribly long process—this starving people off by inches. And + keeping them always tormented by hope. Don't you see, Professor Stewart? + And just because you don't come out honestly and teach them the truth. + Because you won't say to them: 'The world is too full; and you've got to + get out of the way, so as to give us a chance.' Why, look, sir—you + defeat your own purposes! These people stay, and they keep on having more + children, and everything gets worse instead of better; and they have + diseases and vices—they ruin the whole world. What's the use of + having a world if it's got to be like this town—crowded with hovels + full of dirty people, and sick people, and starving and miserable people? + I can't see how you who live up here on the heights can enjoy yourselves + while such things continue.” + </p> + <p> + “Um—no,” said Professor Stewart; and he gazed at Samuel with knitted + brows—unable, for the life of him, to feel certain whether he ought + to feel amused, or to feel touched, or to feel outraged. + </p> + <p> + As for Samuel, he realized that he was through with the professor. The + professor had taught him all that he had to teach. He did not really + understand this matter at all—that was because he belonged to the + other world, the world of successful and fit people. They had their own + problems to solve, no doubt! + </p> + <p> + This non-comprehension was made quite clear by the professor's next + remark. “I'm sorry to have disappointed you,” he said. “If a little money + will help you—” + </p> + <p> + “No,” said the other quickly. “You mustn't offer me money. How can that be + right? That would be charity.” + </p> + <p> + “Ahem!” said the professor. “Yes. But then—you mentioned that you + hadn't had any breakfast. Hadn't you better go into the kitchen and let + them give you something?” + </p> + <p> + “But what is the use of putting things off?” cried Samuel wildly. “If I'm + going to preach this new idea, I've got to begin.” + </p> + <p> + “But you can't preach very long on an empty stomach,” objected the other. + </p> + <p> + To which Samuel answered, “The preaching has to be by deeds.” + </p> + <p> + And so he took his departure; and Professor Stewart turned back to his + work-table, upon which lay the bulky manuscript of his monumental work, + which was entitled: “Methods of Relief; A Theory and a Programme.” Some + pages lay before him; the top one was headed: “Chapter LXIII—Unemployment + and Social Responsibility.” And Professor Stewart sat before this title, + and stared, and stared. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0008" id="link2HCH0008"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER VIII + </h2> + <p> + Samuel meantime was walking down the broad macadam avenue debating his + problem. The first glow of excitement was over, and he was finding + difficulties. The theory still held; but in the carrying out of it there + were complications. + </p> + <p> + For one thing, it would be so hard to spread this doctrine. For if one + tried to teach it by words, he seemed a hypocrite, as the professor had + said; and on the other hand, if one simply practiced it, who would ever + know? Suppose, for instance, that he starved to death during the next few + days? That would be only one person removed, and apparently there were + millions of the superfluous. + </p> + <p> + The truth was that Samuel, in discussing the theory, had applied it only + to himself. But now he pictured himself going home to tell Mrs. Stedman + that she must give up her futile effort, and take herself and her three + children out of the way of the progress of the race. And he realized that + he could never do it—he was not equal to the task. Doubtless, it was + because he was one of the unfit. It would need some one who did not know + them, some one who could approach the matter from the purely scientific + standpoint. + </p> + <p> + Then there was another difficulty graver yet. Did not this doctrine really + point to suicide? Would it not be the simplest solution of his problem if + he were to climb down to the river, and tie a stone about his neck, and + jump in? Samuel wished that he had thought to ask the professor about + this. For the idea frightened him; he had a distinct impression of having + been taught that it was a dreadful sin to take one's own life. + </p> + <p> + The trouble seemed to lie in the dull and unromantic nature of the life + about him. If only there had been some way to die nobly and heroically for + the good of others. If only there was a war, for instance, and a call for + men to perish on the ramparts! Or a terrible pestilence, so that one could + be a nurse! But there was nothing at all but this low starving to death—and + while other people lived in plenty. Samuel thought of the chance of + finding some work which involved grave peril to life or limb; but + apparently even the danger posts were filled. The world did not need him, + either in life or death! + </p> + <p> + So there was nothing for it but the starving. Having eaten nothing that + day, Samuel was ready to begin at once; he tightened his belt and set his + teeth for the grapple with the gaunt wolf of hunger. + </p> + <p> + And so he strode on down the road, pining for a chance to sacrifice + himself—and at the very hour that the greatest peril of his life was + bearing down upon him. + </p> + <p> + He had passed “Fairview,” the great mansion with the stately gates and the + white pillars. He had passed beyond its vast grounds, and had got out into + the open country. He was walking blindly—it made no great difference + where he went. And then suddenly behind him there was a clatter of hoofs; + and he turned, and up the road he saw a cloud of dust, and in the midst of + it a horse galloping furiously. Samuel stared; there was some kind of a + vehicle behind it, and there was a person in the vehicle. A single glance + was enough for him to realize—it was a runaway! + </p> + <p> + To Samuel the thing came as a miracle—it was an answer to his + prayer. And it found him ready. The chance was offered him, and he would + not fail—not he! He did not falter for a second. He knew just what + he had to do, and he was ready—resolute, and alert, and tense. + </p> + <p> + He moved into the center of the road. The horse came on, galloping at top + speed; it was a blooded horse, swift and frantic with fear, and terrible + to see. Samuel spread out his arms; and then in a flash the creature was + upon him. + </p> + <p> + It swerved to pass him; and the boy wheeled, leaped swiftly, and flung + himself at the bridle. + </p> + <p> + He caught it; his arms were wrenched, but he hung on, and jerked himself + up. The horse flung him to one side; but with a swift clutch, Samuel + caught him by the nostrils with one hand, and gripped fast. Then he drew + himself up close and hung grimly, his eyes shut, with a grasp like death. + </p> + <p> + And he was still hanging there when the run-away stopped, and the occupant + leaped from the vehicle and rushed to help him. “My God!” he cried, “but + that was nerve!” + </p> + <p> + He was a young fellow, white as a sheet and trembling in every muscle. + “How did you do it?” he panted. + </p> + <p> + “I just held on,” said Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “God, but I'm thankful to you!” exclaimed the other. “You've saved my + life!” + </p> + <p> + Samuel still clung to the horse, which was quivering with nervousness. + </p> + <p> + “He'd never have got away from me, but one rein broke. See here!”—And + he held up the end. + </p> + <p> + “What started him?” asked Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “Nothing,” said the other—“a piece of paper, likely. He's a fool—always + was.” And he shook his fist in the horse's face, exclaiming, “By God, I'll + tame you before I finish with you!” + </p> + <p> + “Look out!” said Samuel. “You'll start him again!” And again he clutched + the horse, which started to plunge. + </p> + <p> + “I've got him now,” said the other. “He'll quiet down.” + </p> + <p> + “Hold fast,” Samuel continued; and then he put his hand to his forehead, + and swayed slightly. “I—I'll have to sit down a moment, I'm afraid. + I feel sort of dizzy.” + </p> + <p> + “Are you hurt?” cried the stranger anxiously. + </p> + <p> + “No,” he said—“no, but I haven't had anything to eat to-day, and I'm + a little weak.” + </p> + <p> + “Nothing to eat!” cried the other. “What's the matter?” + </p> + <p> + “Why, I've been out of a job.” + </p> + <p> + “Out of a job? Good heavens, man, have you been starving?” + </p> + <p> + “Well,” said Samuel with a wan smile, “I had begun to.” + </p> + <p> + He sat down by the roadside, and the other stared at him. “Do you live in + Lockmanville?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “No, I just came here. I left my home in the country to go to New York, + and I was robbed and lost all my money. And I haven't been able to find + anything to do, and I'd just about given up and got ready to die.” + </p> + <p> + “My God!” cried the other in dismay. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, it's all right,” said Samuel. “I didn't mind.” + </p> + <p> + The stranger gazed at him in perplexity. And Samuel returned the gaze, + being curious to see who it was he had rescued. It was a youth not more + than a year or two older than himself. The color had now come back into + his face, and Samuel thought that he was the most beautiful human being he + had ever seen. He had a frank, open face, and laughing eyes, and golden + hair like a girl's. He wore outing costume, a silk shirt and light + flannels—things which Samuel had learned to associate with the + possession of wealth and ease. Also, his horse was a thoroughbred; and + with a rubber-tired runabout and a silver-mounted harness, the + expensiveness of the rig was evident. Samuel was glad of this, because it + meant that he had rescued some one of consequence—some one of the + successful and fit people. + </p> + <p> + “Just as soon as you're able, come hold the horse,” said the stranger, + “and then I'll fix this rein, and take you back and get you something to + eat.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, no!” said Samuel. “Don't bother. That's all right.” + </p> + <p> + “Hell, man!” cried the other. “Don't you suppose I'm going to do anything + for you?” + </p> + <p> + “Well, I hadn't thought—” began Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “Cut it out!” exclaimed the other. “I'll set you up, and find you a job, + and you can have a decent start.” + </p> + <p> + Find him a job! Samuel's heart gave a great throb. For a moment he hardly + knew how to take this—how it would fit into his new philosophy. But + surely it was all right for him to take a job. Yes, he had earned it. Even + if some one else had to be turned out—even so, he had proven his + fitness. He had won in the struggle. He had a place among the successful, + and he could help Sophie and her mother. + </p> + <p> + He got up with eagerness, and held the horse. “Do you think you can manage + him?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, yes,” said the other. “I'll chance it, anyhow.” + </p> + <p> + And he leaped into the runabout and took the reins. “Now,” he said; and + Samuel got in, and they sped away, back toward town. + </p> + <p> + “Don't say anything about this accident, please,” said the young man + suddenly. + </p> + <p> + “I won't,” said Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “My friends are always teasing me because I drive horses,” he explained. + </p> + <p> + “Why not?” asked the other. + </p> + <p> + “Well, everybody drives motors nowadays. But my father stood by horses, + and I learned to be fond of them.” + </p> + <p> + “We never had but one horse on the farm,” observed Samuel. “But I was fond + of him.” + </p> + <p> + “What is your name?” inquired the stranger; and Samuel told him. Also he + told him where he had come from and what had happened to him. He took + particular pains to tell about the jail, because he did not want to + deceive anyone. But his companion merely called it “an infernal outrage.” + </p> + <p> + “Where were you going now?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “I'd just left Professor Stewart's,” replied Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “What! Old Stew? How do you come to know him?” + </p> + <p> + “He was at the court. And he said he'd get me a job, and then he found he + couldn't. Do you know him?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, yes, I had him at college, you know.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, do you go to the college?” + </p> + <p> + “I used to—till my father died. Then I quit. I hate study.” + </p> + <p> + Samuel was startled. “I suppose you don't need to,” he said after a pause. + </p> + <p> + “No,” said the other. “My father thought the world of Old Stew,” he added; + “but he used to bore the life out of me. How'd you find him?” + </p> + <p> + “Well,” answered Samuel, “you see, I haven't had any of your advantages. I + found what he told me very wonderful.” + </p> + <p> + “What did he tell you?” + </p> + <p> + “Well, he explained to me how it was I was out of a job. There are too + many people in the world, it seems, and I was one of the unfit. I had + failed in the struggle for existence, and so I had to be exterminated, he + said.” + </p> + <p> + “The devil he did!” exclaimed the stranger. + </p> + <p> + Samuel wished that the young man would not use so many improper words; but + he presumed that was one of the privileges of the successful. “I was very + grateful to him,” he went on, “because, you see, I hadn't understood what + it meant. But when I realized it was for the good of the race, then I + didn't mind any more.” + </p> + <p> + His companion stole a glance at him out of the corner of his eye. “Gee!” + he said. + </p> + <p> + “I had quite an argument with him. I wanted him to see that he ought to + teach the people. There are thousands of people starving here in + Lockmanville; and would you want to starve without knowing the reason?” + </p> + <p> + “No,” said the other, “I don't think I should.” And again he looked at his + companion. + </p> + <p> + But the conversation was interrupted there. For some time they had been + passing the place with the ten-foot iron railing; and now they came to the + great stone entrance with the name “Fairview” carved upon it. To Samuel's + surprise they turned in. + </p> + <p> + “Where are you going?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “Home,” said the other. + </p> + <p> + And Samuel started. “Do you live here?” he gasped. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” was the reply. + </p> + <p> + Samuel stared at the familiar driveway with the stately elms, and the + lawns with the peacocks and lyre birds. “This is one of the places where I + asked for work,” he said. “They ordered me out.” + </p> + <p> + “The deuce they did!” exclaimed the other. “Well, they won't order you out + now.” + </p> + <p> + There was a pause. “You haven't told me your name,” put in Samuel + suddenly. + </p> + <p> + “I thought you'd guess,” said the other with a laugh. + </p> + <p> + “How could I?” + </p> + <p> + “Why—don't you know what place this is?” + </p> + <p> + “No,” said Samuel. “What?” + </p> + <p> + And his companion replied, “It's the Lockman place.” + </p> + <p> + Samuel caught his breath and clutched at the seat. + </p> + <p> + “The Lockman place!” he panted; and then again, “The Lockman place!” + </p> + <p> + He stared ahead at the great building, with the broad porticos and the + snow-white columns. He could hardly credit his ears. + </p> + <p> + “I'm the old man's son,” added the stranger genially. “Albert's my name. + They call me Bertie.” + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0009" id="link2HCH0009"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER IX + </h2> + <p> + Properly to understand the thrill which this revelation brought to Samuel, + one would have to consider the state of his mind. With all the power of + his being Samuel was seeking for excellence; and a great and wise man had + explained to him what were the signs by which this quality was known. And + in the “struggle for existence” old Henry Lockman had succeeded more than + any other man of whom Samuel had ever heard in his life. He owned these + huge glass works, and many others all over the country. He owned the + trolley roads, and the gas works, and the water works; the place had been + named after him, and the great college also. For many years he had even + run the government of the town, so Finnegan had stated. And here was this + huge estate, his home—a palace fit for a king. How great must have + been the excellence of such a man! And what benefits he must have + conferred upon the world, to have been rewarded with all this power and + glory! + </p> + <p> + And here was his son—a youth in aspect fitting perfectly to Samuel's + vision; a very prince of the blood, yet genial and free-hearted—noblesse + oblige! To him had descended these virtues and excellences—and all + the estates and powers as the sign and symbol thereof. And now had come a + poor ignorant country boy, and it had fallen to his fortune to save the + life of this extraordinary being. And he was to have a chance to be near + him, and to serve him—to see how he lived, and to find out the + secret of his superior excellence. There was no snobbery in Samuel's + attitude; he felt precisely as another and far greater Samuel had felt + when his sovereign had condescended to praise his dictionary, and the + tears of gratitude had started into his eyes. + </p> + <p> + They drove up before the palace, and a groom came hurrying up. “Phillips,” + said young Lockman, “look at that rein!” + </p> + <p> + The groom stared aghast. + </p> + <p> + “Take it and show it to Sanderson,” the other continued. “Ask him if I + don't pay enough for my harness that he gets me stuff like that.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, sir,” said the groom. + </p> + <p> + They alighted and crossed the broad piazza, which was covered with easy + chairs and tables and rugs. In the entrance hall stood a man in livery. + </p> + <p> + “Peters,” said the young man, “this is Samuel Prescott. I had some trouble + with my horse and he helped me. He hasn't had anything to eat today, and I + want him to have a good meal.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, sir,” said the man. “Where shall I serve it, sir?” + </p> + <p> + “In the morning room. We'll wait there. And mind you, bring him a plenty.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, sir,” said Peters, and went off. + </p> + <p> + Meantime Samuel had time for a glance about him. Never had he heard or + dreamed of such magnificence. It was appalling, beyond belief! The great + entrance hall went up to the roof; and there was a broad staircase of + white marble, with galleries of marble, and below a marble fireplace, big + enough to hold a section of a tree. Beyond this was a court with fountains + splashing, and visions of palms and gorgeous flowers; and on each side + were vistas of rooms with pictures and tapestries and furniture which + Samuel thought must be of solid gold. + </p> + <p> + “Come,” said his companion, and they ascended the staircase. + </p> + <p> + Halfway up, however, Samuel stopped and caught his breath. Before him + there was a painting. There is no need to describe it in detail—suffice + it to say that it was a life-size painting of a woman, entirely naked; and + that Samuel had never seen such a thing in his life before. He dropped his + eyes as he came near to it. + </p> + <p> + They went along the gallery and entered a room, dazzlingly beautiful and + bright. It was all done in white satin, the front being of glass, and + opening upon a wide balcony. There were flowers and singing birds, and in + the panels most beautiful paintings, representing wood nymphs dancing. + These airy creatures, also, were innocent of anything save filmy veils; + but they were all about the room, and so poor Samuel had no way to escape + them. He sought for light within his mind; and suddenly he recollected the + illustrated Bible at home. Perhaps the peerless beings who lived in such + palaces had returned to a state of guiltlessness, such as had existed + before the serpent came. + </p> + <p> + Young Lockman flung himself into an easy chair and proceeded to + cross-question his companion. He wanted to know all about the interview + with “Old Stew”; and afterwards, having managed to divine Samuel's + attitude to himself, he led him to talk about that, which Samuel did with + the utmost frankness. “Gee, but you're a queer duffer!” was Lockman's + comment; but Samuel didn't mind that. + </p> + <p> + The butler came with the meal—carrying it on a big tray, and with + another man to carry a folding table, and yet another to help. Such a + display of silver and cut glass! Such snowy linen, and such unimaginable + viands! There were piles of sandwiches, each one half a bite for a fairly + hungry man. There was jellied game, and caviar, and a pate of something + strange and spicy. Nothing was what one would have expected—there + were eggs inside of baked potatoes, and ice cream in some sort of crispy + cake. The crackers looked like cakes, and the cakes like crackers, and the + cheese was green and discouraging. But a bowl of strawberries and cream + held out a rich promise at the end, and Samuel took heart. + </p> + <p> + “Fall to,” said the host; and then divining the other's state of mind, he + remarked, “You needn't serve, Peters,” and the men went away, to Samuel's + vast relief. + </p> + <p> + “Don't mind me,” added Lockman laughing. “And if there's any question you + want to ask, all right.” + </p> + <p> + So Samuel tasted the food of the gods; a kind of food which human skill + and ingenuity had labored for centuries to invent, and for days and even + weeks to prepare. Samuel wondered vaguely where all these foods had come + from, and how many people had had a hand in their preparation; also he + wondered if all those who ate them would become as beautiful and as + dazzling as his young friend. + </p> + <p> + The friend meanwhile was vastly diverted, and was bent upon making the + most of his find. “I suppose you'd like to see the place?” he said. + </p> + <p> + “I should, indeed,” said Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “Come and I'll show it to you—that is, If you're able to walk after + the meal.” + </p> + <p> + The meal did not trouble Samuel, and they went out and took a stroll. And + so the boy met with yet another revelation of the possibilities of + existence. + </p> + <p> + If there was anything in the world he would have supposed he understood, + it was farming; but here at “Fairview” was farming as it was done by the + methods of Science. At home they had had some lilac bushes and a row of + peonies; here were acres of greeneries, filled with flowers of gorgeous + and unimaginable splendor, and rare plants from every part of the world. + At home it had been Samuel's lot to milk the cow, and he had found it a + trying job on cold and dark winter mornings; and here was a model dairy, + with steam heat and electric light, and tiled walls and nickel plumbing, + and cows with pedigrees in frames, and attendants with white uniforms and + rubber gloves. Then there was a row of henhouses, each for a fancy breed + of fowl—some of them red and lean as herons, and others white as + snow and as fat and ungainly as hogs. And then out in front, at one corner + of the lawn, was the aviary, with houses for the peacocks and lyre birds, + and for parrots and magpies and innumerable strange birds from the + tropics. Also there were dog kennels with many dozens of strange breeds. + </p> + <p> + “Father got those for me,” said young Lockman. “He thought I'd be + interested in agriculture.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, aren't you?” asked Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “Not very much,” said the other carelessly. “Here's Punch—what do + you think of him?” + </p> + <p> + The occasion for this was a dog, the most hideously ugly object that + Samuel had ever seen in his life. “I—I don't think I'd care for + him,” he said hesitatingly. + </p> + <p> + “He's a Japanese bulldog,” observed the other. “He cost three thousand + dollars.” + </p> + <p> + “Three thousand dollars!” gasped the boy in horror. “Why should anyone pay + so much for a dog?” + </p> + <p> + “That's what he's worth,” said the other with a laugh. + </p> + <p> + They went to see the horses, which were housed in a palace of their own. + There were innumerable rows of stalls, and a running track and endless + acres of inclosures. “Why do you have so many horses?” asked Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “Father ran a stock farm,” said the other. “I don't have much time to give + to it myself.” + </p> + <p> + “But who rides the horses?” asked Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “Well, I go in for sport,” replied Lockman. “I'm supposed to be quite a + dab at polo.” + </p> + <p> + “I see,” said the boy—though to tell the truth he did not see at + all, not having the least idea what polo was. + </p> + <p> + “If you're interested in horses, I'll have them find you something to do + here,” Lockman went on. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, thank you,” said the boy with a thrill. “That will be fine!” + </p> + <p> + He could have spent all day in gazing at the marvels of this place, but + his host was tired now and started back to the house. “It's lunch time,” + he said. “Perhaps you are hungry again!” + </p> + <p> + They came out upon the piazza and sat down. And then suddenly they heard a + clatter of hoofs and looked up. “Hello!” exclaimed the host. “Here's + Glad!” + </p> + <p> + A horse was coming up the road at a lively pace. The rider was seated + a-straddle, and so Samuel was slow to realize that it was a woman. It was + only when he saw her wave her hand and call to them that he was sure. + </p> + <p> + She reined up her horse, and a groom who followed her took the rein, and + she stepped off upon the piazza and stood looking at them. She was young + and of extraordinary beauty. She was breathing fast, and her hair was + blown about her forehead, and the glow of health was in her cheeks; and + Samuel thought that she was the most beautiful object that he had ever + beheld in all his life. He stared transfixed; he had never dreamed that + anything so wonderful could exist in the world. He realized in a sudden + glow of excitement what it was that confronted him. She was the female of + this higher species; she was the superior and triumphant woman. + </p> + <p> + “Hello, Bertie!” she said. + </p> + <p> + “Hello!” the other replied, and then added. “This is my cousin, Miss + Wygant. Glad, this is Samuel Prescott.” + </p> + <p> + The girl made a slight acknowledgment, and stared at Samuel with a look in + which curiosity and hauteur were equally mingled. She was a brunette with + dark hair, and an almost Oriental richness of coloring. She was lithe and + gracefully built, and quick in her motions. There was eager alertness in + her whole aspect; her glance was swift and her voice imperious. One could + read her at a glance for a person accustomed to command—impatient + and adventurous, passionate and proud. + </p> + <p> + “I've had an adventure,” said her cousin by way of explanation. “Samuel, + here, saved my life.” + </p> + <p> + And Samuel thrilled to see the sudden look of interest which came into the + girl's face. + </p> + <p> + “What!” she cried. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” said the other. “Spitfire ran away with me.” + </p> + <p> + “You don't mean it, Bertie!” + </p> + <p> + “Yes. The rein broke. He started near the gate here and ran three or four + miles with me.” + </p> + <p> + “Bertie!” cried the girl. “And what happened?” + </p> + <p> + “Samuel stopped him.” + </p> + <p> + “How?” + </p> + <p> + “It was splendid, Glad—the nerviest thing I ever saw. He just flung + himself at the rein and caught it and hung on. He saved my life, beyond + question.” + </p> + <p> + And now Samuel, burning up with embarrassment, faced the full blaze of the + girl's impetuous interest. “How perfectly fine!” she exclaimed; then, + “Where do you come from?” she asked. + </p> + <p> + “He's just off a farm,” said Lockman. “He was on his way to New York to + make his fortune. And think of it, Glad, he'd been robbed, and he'd been + wandering about town begging for work, and he was nearly starving.” + </p> + <p> + “You don't say so!” gasped the girl. + </p> + <p> + She took a chair and indicated to Samuel to sit in front of her. “Tell me + all about yourself,” she said; and proceeded to cross-question him about + his life and his adventures. + </p> + <p> + Poor Samuel was like a witness in the hands of a prosecutor—he + became hopelessly confused and frightened. But that made no difference to + the girl, who poured a ceaseless fire of questions upon him, until she had + laid his whole life bare. She even made him tell about Manning, the + stockbroker, and how the family had lost its money in the collapse of + Glass Bottle Securities. And then her cousin put in a word about his + adventure with “Old Stew,” and Samuel had to tell that all over again, and + to set forth his sociological convictions—Miss Wygant and her cousin + meantime exchanging glances of wonder and amusement. + </p> + <p> + At last, however, they tired of him and fell to talking of a dance they + were to attend and a tennis tournament in which they were to play. And so + Samuel had a chance to gaze at Miss Wygant and to feast his eyes upon her + beauty. He could have dreamed of no greater joy in all this world than to + watch her for hours—to study every detail of her features and her + costume, and to see the play of laughter about her mouth and eyes. + </p> + <p> + But then came the butler announcing luncheon; and Samuel rose in a panic. + He had a sudden vision of himself being asked to the table, to sit under + Miss Wygant's merciless survey. “I think I'd better go now,” he said. + </p> + <p> + “All right,” said young Lockman. “Will you come to-morrow morning, and + we'll fix things up?” + </p> + <p> + “I'll come,” said Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “What are you going to do with him?” asked the girl. + </p> + <p> + “He likes to take care of horses,” said Lockman. + </p> + <p> + “No,” exclaimed the other promptly, “that won't do.” + </p> + <p> + “Why not?” asked he. + </p> + <p> + “Because, Bertie, you don't want to make a stable boy out of him. He has + too many possibilities. For one thing, he's good looking.” + </p> + <p> + Samuel flushed scarlet and dropped his eyes. He felt again that + penetrating gaze. + </p> + <p> + “All right,” said Lockman. “What can you suggest?” + </p> + <p> + “I don't know, I'm sure. But something decent.” + </p> + <p> + “He doesn't know enough to be a house servant, Glad—” + </p> + <p> + “No—but something outside. Couldn't he learn gardening? Are you fond + of flowers, Samuel?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, ma'am,” said Samuel quickly. + </p> + <p> + “Well, then, make a gardener out of him,” said Miss Wygant; and that + settled Samuel's destiny. + </p> + <p> + The boy took his departure and went home, almost running in his + excitement. He was transported into a distant heaven of bliss; he had been + seated among the gods—he was to dwell there forever after! + </p> + <p> + His new patron had given him a five-dollar bill; and before he reached the + Stedman home he stopped in a grocery store and loaded up his arms with + bundles. And then, seized by a sudden thought, he went into a notion store + and set down his bundles and purchased a clean, white linen collar, and a + necktie of royal purple and brilliant green—already tied, so that it + would always be perfect in shape. + </p> + <p> + Then he went into the Stedmans, and the widow and the youngest children + sat round and listened open-eyed to his tale. And then came Sophie, and he + had to tell it all over again. + </p> + <p> + The girl's eyes opened wide with excitement when he came to the end of his + recital. “Miss Wygant!” she exclaimed. “Miss Gladys Wygant?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” said Samuel. “You've heard of her?” + </p> + <p> + “I've seen her!” exclaimed Sophie eagerly. “Twice!” + </p> + <p> + “You don't mean it,” he said. + </p> + <p> + “Yes. Once she came to our church festival at Christmas.” + </p> + <p> + “Does she belong to your church?” + </p> + <p> + “It's the mission. Great folks like her wouldn't want us in the church + with them. She goes to St. Matthew's, you know—up there on the hill. + But she came to the festival at the mission and helped to give out the + presents. And she was dressed all in red—something filmy and soft, + like you'd see in a dream. And, oh, Samuel—she was so beautiful! She + had a rose in her hair—and such a sweet perfume—you could + hardly bear it! And she stood there and smiled at all the children and + gave them the presents. She gave me mine, and it was like seeing a + princess. I wanted to fall down and kiss her feet.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” said Samuel understandingly. + </p> + <p> + “And to think that you've met her!” cried Sophie in ecstasy. “And talked + with her! Oh, how could you do it?” + </p> + <p> + “I—I don't think I did it very well,” said Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “What did you say to her?” + </p> + <p> + “I don't remember much of it.” + </p> + <p> + “I never heard her voice,” said Sophie. “She was talking, the other time I + saw her, but the machinery drowned it out. That was in the mill—she + came there with some other people and walked about, looking at everything. + We were all so excited. You know, her father owns the mill.” + </p> + <p> + “No, I didn't know it,” replied Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “He owns all sorts of things in Lockmanville. They're very, very rich. And + she's his only daughter, and so beautiful—everybody worships her. + I've got two pictures of her that were in the newspapers once. Come—you + must see them.” + </p> + <p> + And so the two rushed upstairs; and over the bed were two faded newspaper + clippings, one showing Miss Gladys in an evening gown, and the other in + dimity en princesse, with a bunch of roses in her arms. + </p> + <p> + “Did you ever see anything so lovely?” asked the girl. “I made her my + fairy godmother. And she used to say such lovely things to me. She must be + very kind, you know—no one could be so beautiful who wasn't very, + very good and kind.” + </p> + <p> + “No,” said Samuel. “She must be, I'm sure.” + </p> + <p> + And then a sudden idea came to him. “Sophie!” he exclaimed—“she said + I was good looking! I wonder if I am.” + </p> + <p> + And Sophie shot a quick glance at him. “Why, of course you are!” she + cried. “You stupid boy!” + </p> + <p> + Samuel went to the cracked mirror which hung upon the wall and looked at + himself with new and wandering interest. + </p> + <p> + “Don't you see how fine and strong you are?” said Sophie. “And what a + bright color you've got?” + </p> + <p> + “I never thought of it,” said he, and recollected the green and purple + necktie. + </p> + <p> + “And to think that you've talked with her!” exclaimed Sophie, turning back + to the pictures; and she added in a sudden burst of generosity, “I tell + you what I'll do, Samuel—I'll give you these, and you can put them + in your room!” + </p> + <p> + “You mustn't do that!” he protested. + </p> + <p> + But the girl insisted. “No, no! I know them by heart, so it won't make any + difference. And they'll mean so much more to you, because you've really + met her!” + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0010" id="link2HCH0010"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER X + </h2> + <p> + Samuel presented himself the next morning and was turned over to the head + gardener and duly installed as an assistant. “Let me know how you're + getting along,” was young Lockman's last word to him. “And if there's + anything else I can do for you come and tell me.” + </p> + <p> + “Thank you very much, sir,” said the boy gratefully; but without realizing + how these magic words, pronounced in the gardener's hearing, would make + him a privileged character about the place—an object of mingled + deference and envy to the other servants. + </p> + <p> + It was a little world all in itself, the “Fairview” menage. Without + counting the stable hands, and the employees of the different farms, it + took no less than twenty-three people to minister to the personal wants of + Bertie Lockman. And they were divided into ranks and classes, with a rigid + code of etiquette, upon which they insisted with vehemence. A + housekeeper's assistant looked with infinite scorn upon a kitchen maid, + and there had to be no less than four dining rooms for the various classes + of servants who would not eat at the same table. All this was very + puzzling to the stranger; but after a while he came to see how the system + had grown up. It was just like a court; and the privileged beings who + waited upon the sovereign necessarily were esteemed according to the + importance of the service they performed for him and the access which they + attained to his person. + </p> + <p> + A good many of these servants were foreigners, and Samuel was pained to + discover that they were for the most part without any ennobling conception + of their calling. They were much given to gluttony and drinking; and there + was an unthinkable amount of scandal and backbiting and jealousy. But it + was only by degrees that he realized this, for he had one great motive in + common with them—they were all possessed with a sense of the + greatness of the Lockmans, and none of them wanted anything better than to + talk for hours about the family and its wealth and power, and the habits + and tastes of its members and their friends. + </p> + <p> + It was Katie Reilly, a bright little Irish damsel, the housekeeper's + sewing girl, who first captured Samuel with her smile; she carried him off + for a walk, in spite of the efforts of the second parlor maid, and Samuel + drank up eagerly the stream of gossip which poured from her lips. Master + Albert—that was what they all called him—was said to have an + income of over seven hundred thousand dollars a year. What he did with + such a sum no one could imagine; he had lived quite alone since his + father's death. The house had always been run by Miss Aurelia, old Mr. + Lockman's sister, a lady with the lumbago and a terrible temper; but she + had died a couple of years ago. Mr. Lockman had taken great interest in + his stock farm, but very little in his house; and Master Albert took even + less, spending most of his time in New York. Consequently everything was + at sixes and sevens, and he was being robbed most terribly. But in spite + of all his relatives' suggestions, he would not have anyone to come and + live with him. + </p> + <p> + Master Albert was still a minor, and his affairs were managed by Mr. + Hickman, the family lawyer, and also by his uncle, Mr. Wygant. The latter + was a manufacturer and capitalist—also a great scholar, so Katie + said. It was he Samuel had seen that afternoon in the automobile, a tall + and very proud-looking man with an iron-gray mustache. He lived in the big + white house just after you climbed the ridge; and Miss Gladys was his only + daughter. She had been old Mr. Lockman's favorite niece, and he had left + her a great deal of money. People were always planning a match between her + and Master Albert, but that always made Miss Gladys very angry. They both + declared they were not in love with each other, and Katie was inclined to + think this was true. Miss Gladys had been away to a rich boarding school, + and she wanted to visit some friends at Newport; but her father wanted her + to stay with him, and that made her discontented. She was very beautiful, + and everybody was her slave. “But oh, I tell you, when she's angry!” said + Katie with a shake of her head. + </p> + <p> + This little Irish girl was a rare find for Samuel, because her brother was + the “fellow” to Miss Gladys's maid, and so there was nothing she could not + tell Samuel about his divinity. He learned about Miss Gladys's beautiful + party dresses, and about her wonderful riding horse, and about her skill + at tennis, and even her fondness for chocolate fudge. Miss Gladys had been + to Paris the summer before; and her family had a camp in the Adirondacks, + and they went there every August in an automobile and flew about on a + mountain lake in a motor-boat the shape of a knife blade. Katie wanted to + talk about Samuel a part of the time, and even, perhaps, about herself; + but Samuel plied her with questions about Miss Wygant. + </p> + <p> + He had her two pictures folded away in his vest pocket; and all the time + that he trimmed the hedges he listened for the sound of her horse's hoofs + or for the chug of her motor. And then, one blissful morning, when he was + carrying in an armful of roses for the housekeeper, he ran full upon her + in the hall. + </p> + <p> + His heart leaped so that it hurt him; and instead of passing straight on, + as he should have done, he stood stock still, and almost spilled his roses + on the floor. + </p> + <p> + Miss Gladys's face lighted with pleasure. + </p> + <p> + “Why, it's Samuel!” she exclaimed. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, Miss Gladys,” said he. + </p> + <p> + “And how do you like your position?” + </p> + <p> + “Very well, Miss Gladys,” he replied; and then, feeling the inadequacy of + this, he added with fervor, “I'm so happy I can't tell you.” + </p> + <p> + “I'm very glad to hear it,” she said. “And I'm sure you fill it very + well.” + </p> + <p> + “I've done the best I can, Miss Gladys,” said he. + </p> + <p> + There was a moment's pause. “You find there is a good deal to learn?” she + inquired. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” he answered. “But you see, it's about flowers, and I was always + interested in flowers.” + </p> + <p> + And again there was a pause; and then suddenly Miss Wygant flung a + question at him—“Samuel, why do you look at me like that?” + </p> + <p> + Samuel was almost knocked over. + </p> + <p> + “Why—why—” he gasped. “Miss Gladys! I don't—!” + </p> + <p> + “Ah!” she said, “but you do.” + </p> + <p> + Poor Samuel was in an agony of horror. “I—I—really—” he + stammered. “I didn't mean it—I wouldn't for the world—-” + </p> + <p> + He stopped, utterly at a loss; and Miss Wygant kept her merciless gaze + upon him. “Am I so very beautiful?” she asked. + </p> + <p> + This startled Samuel into lifting his eyes. He stared at her, transfixed; + and at last he whispered, faintly, “Yes.” + </p> + <p> + “Tell me about it,” she said, and her look shook him to the depths of his + soul. + </p> + <p> + He stood there, trembling; he could feel the blood pouring in a warm flood + about his throat and neck. “Tell me,” she said again. + </p> + <p> + “You—you are more beautiful than anyone I have ever seen,” he + panted. + </p> + <p> + “You are not used to women, Samuel!” + </p> + <p> + “No,” said he. “I'm just a country boy.” + </p> + <p> + She stood waiting for him to continue. “The girls there”—he + whispered—“they are pretty—but you—you—-” + </p> + <p> + And then suddenly the words came to him. “You are like a princess!” he + cried. + </p> + <p> + “Ah, if you ever find your tongue!” she said with a smile; and then after + a pause she added, “You don't know how different you are, Samuel.” + </p> + <p> + “Different?” he echoed. + </p> + <p> + “Yes. You are so fresh—so young. You would do anything for me, + wouldn't you?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” he said. + </p> + <p> + “You'd risk your life for me, as you did for Bertie?” + </p> + <p> + And Samuel answered her with fervor that left no room for doubt. + </p> + <p> + “I wish there was a chance,” she laughed. “But there's only this dull + every-day round!” + </p> + <p> + There was a pause; the boy dropped his eyes and stood trembling. + </p> + <p> + “Where are you going with the roses?” she asked. + </p> + <p> + “I'm to take them to the housekeeper.” + </p> + <p> + “Let me have one.” + </p> + <p> + She took one from the bunch, and he stood watching while she pinned it to + her dress. “You may bring me some, now and then,” she said with one of her + marvelous smiles. “Don't forget.” And then, as she went on, she touched + him upon the hand. + </p> + <p> + At the touch of her warm, living fingers such a thrill passed through the + boy as made him reel. It was something blind and elemental, outside of + anything that he had dreamed of in his life. She went on down the hall and + left him there, and he had to lean against a table for support. + </p> + <p> + And all that day he was in a daze—with bursts of rapture sweeping + over him. She was interested in him! She had smiled upon him! She had + touched his hand! + </p> + <p> + He went home that evening on purpose to tell Sophie; and the two of them + talked about it for hours. He told the story over and over again. And + Sophie listened, with her eyes shining and her hands clasped in an ecstasy + of delight. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, Samuel!” she whispered. “I knew it—I knew she'd appreciate you! + She was so beautiful—I knew she must be kind and good!” + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0011" id="link2HCH0011"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XI + </h2> + <p> + A week passed, and Samuel did not see his divinity again. He lived upon + the memory of their brief interview, and while he trimmed the hedges he + was dreaming the most extravagant dreams of rescues and perilous escapes. + For the first time he began to find that his work was tedious; it offered + so few possibilities of romance! If only he had been her chauffeur, now! + Or the guide who escorted her in her tramps about the wilderness! Or the + man who ran the wonderful motor-boat that was shaped like a knife blade! + </p> + <p> + Samuel continued to ponder, and was greatly worried lest the commonplace + should ingulf him. So little he dreamed how near was a change! + </p> + <p> + Bertie Lockman had been away for a few days, visiting some friends, and he + came back unexpectedly one afternoon. Samuel knew that he had not been + expected, for always there were great bunches of flowers to be placed in + his room. The gardener happened to be away at the time the motor arrived, + and so Samuel upon his own responsibility cut the flowers and took them + into the house. He left them in the housekeeper's workroom and then set + out to find that functionary, and tell her what he had done. So, in the + entrance to the dining room, he stumbled upon his young master, giving + some orders to Peters, the butler. + </p> + <p> + As an humble gardener's boy, Samuel should have stepped back and vanished. + Instead he came forward, and Bertie smiled pleasantly and said, “Hello, + Samuel.” + </p> + <p> + “Good afternoon, Master Albert,” said Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “And how do you like your work?” the other asked. + </p> + <p> + “I like it very well, sir,” he replied; and then added apologetically, “I + was bringing some flowers.” + </p> + <p> + The master turned to speak to Peters again; and Samuel turned to retire. + But at that instant there came the sound of a motor in front of the house. + </p> + <p> + “Hello,” said Bertie. “Who's that?” and turned to look through the + entrance hall. Peters went forward to the door; and so Samuel was left + standing and watching. + </p> + <p> + A big red touring car had drawn up in front of the piazza. It was filled + with young people, waving their hands and shouting, “Bertie! Oh, Bertie!” + </p> + <p> + The other appeared to be startled. “Well, I'll be damned!” he muttered as + he went to meet them. + </p> + <p> + Of course Samuel had no business whatever to stand there. He should have + fled in trepidation. But he, as a privileged person, had not yet been + drilled into a realization of his “place.” And they were such marvelous + creatures—these people of the upper world—and he was so + devoured with the desire to know about them. + </p> + <p> + There were two young men in the motor, of about his master's age, and + nearly as goodly to look at. And there were four young women, of a quite + extraordinary sort. They were beautiful, all of them—nearly as + beautiful as Miss Gladys; and perhaps it was only the automobile costumes, + but they struck one as even more alarmingly complex. + </p> + <p> + They were airy, ethereal creatures, with delicate peach blow complexions, + and very small hands and feet. They seemed to favor all kinds of fluffy + and flimsy things; they were explosions of all the colors of the + springtime. There were leaves and flowers and fruits and birds in their + hats; and there were elaborate filmy veils to hold the hats on. They + descended from the motor, and Samuel had glimpses of ribbons and ruffles, + of shapely ankles and daintily slippered feet. They came in the midst of a + breeze of merriment, with laughter and bantering and little cries of all + sorts. + </p> + <p> + “You don't seem very glad to see us, Bertie!” one said. + </p> + <p> + “Cheer up, old chap—nobody'll tell on us!” cried one of the young + men. + </p> + <p> + “And we'll be good and go home early!” added another of the girls. + </p> + <p> + One of the party Samuel noticed particularly, because she looked more + serious, and hung back a little. She was smaller than the others, a study + in pink and white; her dress and hat were trimmed with pink ribbons, and + she had the most marvelously pink cheeks and lips, and the most exquisite + features Samuel had ever seen in his life. + </p> + <p> + Now suddenly she ran to young Lockman and flung her arms about his neck. + </p> + <p> + “Bertie,” she exclaimed, “it's my fault. I made them come! I wanted to see + you so badly! You aren't mad with us, are you?” + </p> + <p> + “No,” said Bertie, “I'm not mad.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, then, be glad!” cried the girl, and kissed him again. “Be a good + boy—do!” + </p> + <p> + “All right,” said Bertie feebly. “I'll be good, Belle.” + </p> + <p> + “We wanted to surprise you,” added one of the young fellows. + </p> + <p> + “You surprised me all right,” said Bertie—a reply which all of them + seemed to find highly amusing, for they laughed uproariously. + </p> + <p> + “He doesn't ask us in,” said one of the girls. “Come on, Dolly—let's + see this house of his.” + </p> + <p> + And so the party poured in. Samuel waited just long enough to catch the + rustle of innumerable garments, and a medley of perfumes which might have + been blown from all the gardens of the East. Then he turned and fled to + the regions below. + </p> + <p> + One of the young men, he learned from the talk in the servants' hall, was + Jack Holliday, the youngest son of the railroad magnate; it was his sister + who was engaged to marry the English duke. The other boy was the heir of a + great lumber king from the West, and though he was only twenty he had got + himself involved in a divorce scandal with some actor people. Who the + young ladies were no one seemed to know, but there were half-whispered + remarks about them, the significance of which was quite lost upon Samuel. + </p> + <p> + Presently the word came that the party was to stay to dinner. And then + instantly the whole household sprang into activity. Above stairs + everything would move with the smoothness of clockwork; but downstairs in + the servants' quarters it was a serious matter that an elaborate banquet + for seven people had to be got ready in a couple of hours. Even Samuel was + pressed into service at odd jobs—something for which he was very + glad, as it gave him a chance to remain in the midst of events. + </p> + <p> + So it happened that he saw Peters emerging from the wine cellar, followed + by a man with a huge basket full of bottles. And this set Samuel to + pondering hard, the while he scraped away at a bowl of potatoes. It was + the one thing which had disconcerted him in the life of this upper world—the + obvious part that drinking played in it. There were always decanters of + liquor upon the buffet in the dining room; and liquor was served to guests + upon any—and every pretext. And the women drank as freely as the men—even + Miss Gladys drank, a thing which was simply appalling to Samuel. + </p> + <p> + Of course, these were privileged people, and they knew what they wanted to + do. But could it be right for anyone to drink? As in the case of suicide, + Samuel found his moral convictions beginning to waver. Perhaps it was that + drink did not affect these higher beings as it did ordinary people! Or + perhaps what they drank was something that cheered without inebriating! + Certain it was that the servants got drunk; and Samuel had seen that they + took the stuff from the decanters used by the guests. + </p> + <p> + It was something over which he labored with great pain of soul. But, of + course, all his hesitations and sophistries were for the benefit of his + master—that it could be right for Samuel himself to touch liquor was + something that could not by any chance enter his mind. + </p> + <p> + The dinner had begun; and Samuel went on several errands to the room below + the butler's pantry, and so from the dumb-waiter shafts he could hear the + sounds of laughter and conversation. And more wine went up—it was + evidently a very merry party. The meal was protracted for two or three + hours, and the noise grew louder and louder. They were shouting so that + one could hear them all over the house. They were singing songs—wild + rollicking choruses which were very wonderful to listen to, and yet + terribly disturbing to Samuel. These fortunate successful ones—he + would grant them the right to any happiness—it was to be expected + that they should dwell in perpetual merriment and delight. But he could + hear the champagne corks popping every few minutes. And COULD it be right + for them to drink! + </p> + <p> + It grew late, and still the revelry went on. A thunderstorm had come up + and was raging outside. The servants who were not at work, had gone to + bed, but there was no sleep for Samuel; he continued to prowl about, + restless and tormented. The whole house was now deserted, save for the + party in the dining room; and so he crept up, by one of the rear + stairways, and crouched in a doorway, where he could listen to the wild + uproar. + </p> + <p> + He had been there perhaps ten minutes. He could hear the singing and + yelling, though he could not make out the words because of the noise of + the elements. But then suddenly, above all the confusion, he heard a + woman's shrieks piercing and shrill; and he started up and sprang into the + hall. Whether they were cries of anger, or of fear, or of pain, Samuel + could not be certain; but he knew that they were not cries of enjoyment. + </p> + <p> + He stood trembling. There rose a babel of shouts, and then again came the + woman's voice—“No, no—you shan't, I say!” + </p> + <p> + “Sit down, you fool!” Samuel heard Bertie Lockman shout. + </p> + <p> + And then came another woman's voice—“Shut up and mind your + business!” + </p> + <p> + “I'll tear your eyes out, you devil!” shrilled the first voice, and there + followed a string of furious curses. The other woman replied in kind and + Samuel made out that there was some kind of a quarrel, and that some of + the party wanted to interfere, and that others wanted it to go on. All + were whooping and shrieking uproariously, and the two women yelled like + hyenas. + </p> + <p> + It was like the nightmare sounds he had heard from his cell in the police + station, and Samuel listened appalled. There came a crash of breaking + glass; and then suddenly, in the midst of the confusion, he heard his + young master cry, “Get out of here!”—and the dining room door was + flung open, and the uproar burst full upon him. + </p> + <p> + A terrible sight met his eyes. It was the beautiful and radiant creature + who had kissed Bertie Lockman; her face was now flushed with drink and + distorted with rage—her hair disheveled and her aspect wild; and she + was screaming in the voice which had first startled Samuel. Bertie had + grappled with her and was trying to push her out of the room, while she + fought frantically, and screamed: “Let me go! Let me go!” + </p> + <p> + “Get out of here, I say!” cried Bertie, “I mean it now.” + </p> + <p> + “I won't! Let me be!” exclaimed the girl. + </p> + <p> + “Hurrah!” shouted the others, crowding behind them. Young Holliday was + dancing about, waving a bottle and yelling like a maniac, “Go it, Bertie! + Give it to him, Belle!” + </p> + <p> + “This is the end of it!” cried Bertie. “I'm through with you. And you get + out of here!” + </p> + <p> + “I won't! I won't!” screamed the girl again and again. “Help!” And she + flung one arm about his neck and caught at the doorway. + </p> + <p> + But he tore her loose and dragged her bodily across the entrance hall. + “Out with you!” he exclaimed. “And don't ever let me see your face again!” + </p> + <p> + “Bertie! Bertie!” she protested. + </p> + <p> + “I mean it!” he said. “Here Jack! Open the door for me.” + </p> + <p> + “Bertie! No!” shrieked the girl; but then with a sudden effort he half + threw her out into the darkness. There was a brief altercation outside, + and then he sprang back, and flung to the heavy door, and bolted it fast. + </p> + <p> + “Now, by God!” he said, “you'll stay out.” + </p> + <p> + The girl beat and kicked frantically upon the door. But Bertie turned his + back and staggered away, reeling slightly. “That'll settle it, I guess,” + he said, with a wild laugh. + </p> + <p> + And amidst a din of laughter and cheers from the others, he went back to + the dining room. One of the other women flung her arms about him + hilariously, and Jack Holliday raised a bottle of wine on high, and + shouted: “Off with the old love—on with the new!” + </p> + <p> + And so Bertie shut the door again, and the scene was hid from Samuel's + eyes. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0012" id="link2HCH0012"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XII + </h2> + <p> + For a long while, Samuel stood motionless, hearing the swish of the rain + and the crashing of the thunder as an echo of the storm in his own soul. + It was as if a chasm had yawned beneath his feet, and all the castles of + his dreams had come down in ruins. He stood there, stunned and horrified, + staring at the wreckage of everything he had believed. + </p> + <p> + Then suddenly he crossed the drawing-room and opened one of the French + windows which led to the piazza. The rain was driving underneath the + shelter of the roof; but he faced it, and ran toward the door. + </p> + <p> + The girl was lying in front of it, and above the noise of the wind and + rain he heard her sobbing wildly. He stood for a minute, hesitating; then + he bent down and touched her. + </p> + <p> + “Lady,” he said. + </p> + <p> + She started. “Who are you?” she cried. + </p> + <p> + “I'm just one of the servants, ma'am.” + </p> + <p> + She caught her breath. “Did he send you?” she demanded. + </p> + <p> + “No,” said he, “I came to help you.” + </p> + <p> + “I don't need any help. Let me be.” + </p> + <p> + “But you can't stay here in the rain,” he protested. “You'll catch your + death.” + </p> + <p> + “I want to die!” she answered. “What have I to live for?” + </p> + <p> + Samuel stood for a moment, perplexed. Then, as he touched her wet clothing + again, common sense asserted itself. “You mustn't stay here,” he said. + “You mustn't.” + </p> + <p> + But she only went on weeping. “He's cast me off!” she exclaimed. “My God, + what shall I do?” + </p> + <p> + Samuel turned and ran into the house again and got an umbrella in the + hall. Then he took the girl by the arm and half lifted her. “Come,” he + said. “Please.” + </p> + <p> + “But where shall I go?” she asked. + </p> + <p> + “I know some one in the town who'll help you,” he said. “You can't stay + here—you'll catch cold.” + </p> + <p> + “What's there left for me?” she moaned. “What am I good for? He's thrown + me over—and I can't live without him!” + </p> + <p> + Samuel got the umbrella up and held it with one hand; then with his other + arm about the girl's waist, he half carried her down the piazza steps. + “That she-devil was after him!” she was saying. “And it was Jack Holliday + set her at it, damn his soul! I'll pay him for it!” + </p> + <p> + She poured forth a stream of wild invective. + </p> + <p> + “Please stop,” pleaded Samuel. “People will hear you.” + </p> + <p> + “What do I care if they do hear me? Let them put me in jail—that's + all I'm fit for. I'm drunk, and I'm good for nothing—and he's tired + of me!” + </p> + <p> + So she rushed on, all the way toward town. Then, as they came to the + bridge, she stopped and looked about. “Where are you taking me?” she + asked. + </p> + <p> + “To a friend's house,” he said, having in mind the Stedmans. + </p> + <p> + “No,” she replied. “I don't want to see anyone. Take me to some hotel, + can't you?” + </p> + <p> + “There's one down the street here,” he said. “I don't know anything about + it.” + </p> + <p> + “I don't care. Any place.” + </p> + <p> + The rain had slackened and she stopped and gathered up her wet and + straggled hair. + </p> + <p> + There was a bar underneath the hotel, and a flight of stairs led up to the + office. They went up, and a man sitting behind the desk stared at them. + </p> + <p> + “I want to get a room for this lady,” said Samuel. “She's been caught in + the rain.” + </p> + <p> + “Is she your wife?” asked the man. + </p> + <p> + “Mercy, no,” said he startled. + </p> + <p> + “Do you want a room, too?” + </p> + <p> + “No, no, I'm going away.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh!” said the man, and took down a key. “Register, please.” + </p> + <p> + Samuel took the pen, and then turned to the girl. “I beg pardon,” he said, + “but I don't know your name.” + </p> + <p> + “Mary Smith,” she answered, and Samuel stared at her in surprise. “Mary + Smith,” she repeated, and he wrote it down obediently. + </p> + <p> + The man took them upstairs; and Samuel, after helping the girl to a chair, + shut the door and stood waiting. And she flung herself down upon the bed + and burst into a paroxysm of weeping. Samuel had never even heard the word + hysterics, and it was terrifying to him to see her—he could not have + believed that so frail and slender a human body could survive so frightful + a storm of emotion. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, please, please stop!” he cried wildly. + </p> + <p> + “I can't live without him!” she wailed again and again. “I can't live + without him! What am I going to do?” + </p> + <p> + Samuel's heart was wrung. He went to the girl, and put his hand upon her + arm. “Listen to me,” he said earnestly. “Let me try to help you.” + </p> + <p> + “What can you do?” she demanded. + </p> + <p> + “I'll go and see him. I'll plead with him—perhaps he'll listen to + me.” + </p> + <p> + “All right!” she cried. “Anything! Tell him I'll kill myself! I'll kill + him and Dolly both, before I'll ever let her have him! Yes, I mean it! He + swore to me he'd never leave me! And I believed him—I trusted him!” + </p> + <p> + And Samuel clenched his hands with sudden resolution. “I'll see him about + it,” he said. “I'll see him to-night.” + </p> + <p> + And leaving the other still shaking with sobs, he turned and left the + room. + </p> + <p> + He stopped in the office to tell the man that he was going. But there was + nobody there; and after hesitating a moment he went on. + </p> + <p> + The storm was over and the moon was out, with scud of clouds flying past. + Samuel strode back to “Fairview,” with his hands gripped tightly, and a + blaze of resolution in his soul. + </p> + <p> + He was just in time to see the automobile at the door, and the company + taking their departure. They passed him, singing hilariously; and then he + found himself confronting his young master. + </p> + <p> + “Who's that?” exclaimed Bertie, startled. + </p> + <p> + “It's me, sir,” said Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! Samuel! What are you doing here?” + </p> + <p> + “I've been with the young lady, sir.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! So that's what became of her!” + </p> + <p> + “I took her to a hotel, sir.” + </p> + <p> + “Humph!” said Bertie. “I'm obliged to you.” + </p> + <p> + The piazza lights were turned up, and by them Samuel could see the other's + face, flushed with drink, and his hair and clothing in disarray. He swayed + slightly as he stood there. + </p> + <p> + “Master Albert,” said Samuel very gravely, “May I have a few words with + you?” + </p> + <p> + “Sure,” said Bertie. He looked about him for a chair and sank into it. + “What is it?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “It's the young lady, Master Albert.” + </p> + <p> + “What about her?” + </p> + <p> + “She's very much distressed, sir.” + </p> + <p> + “I dare say. She'll get over it, Samuel.” + </p> + <p> + “Master Albert,” exclaimed the boy, “you've not treated her fairly.” + </p> + <p> + The other stared at him. “The devil!” he exclaimed. + </p> + <p> + “You must not desert her, sir! It would be a terrible thing to have on + your conscience. You have ruined and betrayed her.” + </p> + <p> + “WHAT!” cried the other, and gazed at him in amazement. “Did she give you + that kind of a jolly?” + </p> + <p> + “She didn't go into particulars”—said the boy. + </p> + <p> + “My dear fellow!” laughed Bertie. “Why, I've been the making of that girl. + She was an eighteen-dollar-a-week chorus girl when I took her up.” + </p> + <p> + “That might be, Master Albert. But if she was an honest girl—” + </p> + <p> + “Nonsense, Samuel—forget it. She'd had three or four lovers before + she ever laid eyes on me.” + </p> + <p> + There was a pause, while the boy strove to get these facts into his mind. + “Even so,” he said, “you can't desert her and let her starve, Master + Albert.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, stuff!” said the other. “What put that into your head? I'll give her + all the money she needs, if that's what's troubling her. Did she say + that?” + </p> + <p> + “N—no,” admitted Samuel disconcerted. “But, Master Albert, she loves + you.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, I know,” said Bertie, “and that's where the trouble comes in. She + wants to keep me in a glass case, and I've got tired of it.” + </p> + <p> + He paused for a moment; and then a sudden idea flashed over him. “Samuel!” + he exclaimed “Why don't you marry her?” + </p> + <p> + Samuel started in amazement. “What!” he gasped. + </p> + <p> + “It's the very thing!” cried Bertie. “I'll set you up in a little + business, and you can have an easy time.” + </p> + <p> + “Master Albert!” panted the boy shocked to the depths of his soul. + </p> + <p> + “She's beautiful, Samuel—you know she is. And she's a fine girl, too—only + a little wild. I believe you'd be just the man to hold her in.” + </p> + <p> + Bertie paused a moment, and then, seeing that the other was unconvinced, + he added with a laugh, “Wait till you've known her a bit. Maybe you'll + fall in love with her.” + </p> + <p> + But Samuel only shook his head. “Master Albert,” he said, in a low voice, + “I'm afraid you've not understood the reason I've come to you.” + </p> + <p> + “How do you mean?” + </p> + <p> + “This—all this business, sir—it's shocked me more than I can + tell you. I came here to serve you, sir. You don't know how I felt about + it. I was ready to do anything—I was so grateful for a chance to be + near you! You were rich and great, and everything about you was so + beautiful—I thought you must be noble and good, to have deserved so + much. And now, instead, I find you are a wicked man!” + </p> + <p> + The other sat up. “The dickens!” he exclaimed. + </p> + <p> + “And it's a terrible thing to me,” went on Samuel. “I don't know just what + to make of it— + </p> + <p> + “See here, Samuel!” demanded the other angrily. “Who sent you here to + lecture me?” + </p> + <p> + “I don't see how it can be!” the boy exclaimed. “You are one of the fit + people, as Professor Stewart explained it to me; and yet I know some who + are better than you, and who have nothing at all.” + </p> + <p> + And Bertie Lockman, after another stare into the boy's solemn eyes, sank + back in his chair and burst into laughter. “Look here, Samuel!” he + exclaimed. “You aren't playing the game!” + </p> + <p> + “How do you mean, sir?” + </p> + <p> + “If I'm one of the fit ones, what right have you got to preach at me?” + </p> + <p> + Samuel was startled. “Why sir—” he stammered. + </p> + <p> + “Just look!” went on Bertie. “I'm the master, and you're the servant. I + have breeding and culture—everything—and you're just a country + bumpkin. And yet you presume to set your ideas up against mine! You + presume to judge me, and tell me what I ought to do!” + </p> + <p> + Samuel was taken aback by this. He could not think what to reply. + </p> + <p> + “Don't you see?” went on Bertie, following up his advantage. “If you + really believe what you say, you ought to submit yourself to me. If I say + a thing's right, that makes it right. If I had to come to you to have you + approve it, wouldn't that make you the master and me the servant?” + </p> + <p> + “No, no—Master Albert!” protested Samuel. “I didn't mean quite + that!” + </p> + <p> + “Why, I might just as well give you my money and be done with it,” + insisted the other. + </p> + <p> + “Then you could fix everything up to suit yourself.” + </p> + <p> + “That isn't what I mean at all!” cried the boy in great distress. “I don't + know how to answer you, sir—but there's a wrong in it.” + </p> + <p> + “But where? How?” + </p> + <p> + “Master Albert,” blurted Samuel—“it can't be right for you to get + drunk!” + </p> + <p> + Bertie's face clouded. + </p> + <p> + “It can't be right, sir!” repeated Samuel. + </p> + <p> + And suddenly the other sat forward in his chair. “All right,” he said—“Maybe + it isn't. But what are you going to do about it?” + </p> + <p> + There was anger in his voice, and Samuel was frightened into silence. + There was a pause while they stared at each other. + </p> + <p> + “I'm on top!” exclaimed Bertie. “I'm on top, and I'm going to stay on top—don't + you see? The game's in my hands; and if I please to get drunk, I get + drunk. And you will take your orders and mind your own business. And what + have you to say to that?” + </p> + <p> + “I presume, sir,” said Samuel, his voice almost a whisper, “I can leave + your service.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” said the other—“and then either you'll starve, or else you'll + go to somebody else who has money, and ask him to give you a job. And then + you'll take your orders from him, and keep your opinions to yourself. + Don't you see?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” said Samuel, lowering his eyes—“I see.” + </p> + <p> + “All right,” said Bertie; and he rose unsteadily to his feet. “Now, if you + please,” said he, “you'll go back to Belle, wherever you've left her, and + take her a message for me.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, sir,” said Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “Tell her I'm through with her, and I don't want to see her again. I'll + have a couple of hundred dollars a month sent to her so long as she lets + me alone. If she writes to me or bothers me in any way, she'll get + nothing. And that's all.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, sir,” said Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “And as for you, this was all right for a joke, but it wouldn't bear + repeating. From now on, you're the gardener's boy, and you'll not forget + your place again.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, sir,” said Samuel once more, and stood watching while his young + master went into the house. + </p> + <p> + Then he turned and went down the road, half dazed. + </p> + <p> + Those had been sledge-hammer blows, and they had landed full and hard. + They had left him without a shred of all his illusions. His work, that he + had been so proud of—he hated it, and everything associated with it. + And he was overwhelmed with perplexity and pain—just as before when + he had found himself in jail, and it had dawned upon him that the Law, an + institution which he had revered, might be no such august thing at all, + but an instrument of injustice and oppression. + </p> + <p> + In that mood he came to the hotel. Again there was no one in the office, + so he went directly to the room and knocked. There was no answer; he + knocked again, more heavily. + </p> + <p> + “I wonder if she's gone,” he thought, and looked again at the number, to + make sure he was at the right room. Then, timidly, he tried the door. + </p> + <p> + It opened. “Lady,” he said, and then louder, “Lady.” + </p> + <p> + There was no response, and he went in. Could she be asleep? he thought. No—that + was not likely. He listened for her breathing. There was not a sound. + </p> + <p> + And finally he went to the bed, and put his hand upon it. Then he started + back with a cry of terror. He had touched something warm and moist and + sticky. + </p> + <p> + He rushed out into the hall, and as he looked at his hand he nearly + fainted. It was a mass of blood! + </p> + <p> + “Help! Help!” the boy screamed; and he turned and rushed down the stairs + into the office. + </p> + <p> + The proprietor came running in. “Look!” shouted Samuel. “Look what she's + done!” + </p> + <p> + “Good God!” cried the man. And he rushed upstairs, the other following. + </p> + <p> + With trembling fingers the man lit the gas; and Samuel took one look, and + then turned away and caught at a table, sick with horror. The girl was + lying in the midst of a pool of blood; and across her throat, from ear to + ear, was a great gaping slit. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! oh!” gasped Samuel, and then—“I can't stand it!” And holding + out one hand from him, he hid his face with the other. + </p> + <p> + Meantime the proprietor was staring at him. “See here, young fellow,” he + said. + </p> + <p> + “What is it?” asked Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “When did you find out about this?” + </p> + <p> + “Why, just now. When I came in.” + </p> + <p> + “You've been out?” + </p> + <p> + “Why of course. I went out just after we came.” + </p> + <p> + “I didn't see you.” + </p> + <p> + “No. I stopped in the office, but you weren't there.” + </p> + <p> + “Humph!” said the man, “maybe you did and maybe you didn't. You can tell + it to the police.” + </p> + <p> + “The police!” echoed Samuel; and then in sudden horror—“Do you think + <i>I</i> did it?” + </p> + <p> + “I don't know anything about it,” replied the other. “I only know you + brought her here, and that you'll stay here till the police come.” + </p> + <p> + By this time several people had come into the room, awakened by the noise. + Samuel, without a word more, went and sank down into a chair and waited. + And half an hour later he was on his way to the station house again—this + time with a policeman on either side of him, and gripping him very + tightly. And now the charge against him was murder! + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0013" id="link2HCH0013"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XIII + </h2> + <p> + The same corpulent official was seated behind the desk at the police + station; but on this occasion he woke up promptly. “The chief had better + handle this,” he said, and went to the telephone. + </p> + <p> + “Where's this chap to go?” asked one of the policemen. + </p> + <p> + “We're full up,” said the sergeant. “Put him in with Charlie Swift. The + chief'll be over in a few minutes.” + </p> + <p> + So once more Samuel was led into a cell, and heard the door clang upon + him. + </p> + <p> + He was really not much alarmed this time, for he knew it was not his + fault, and that he could prove it. But he was sick with horror at the fate + of the unhappy girl. He began pacing back and forth in his cell. + </p> + <p> + Then suddenly from one corner growled a voice: “Say, when are you going to + get quiet?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, I beg pardon,” said Samuel. “I didn't know you were here.” + </p> + <p> + “What are you in for?” asked the voice. + </p> + <p> + “For murder,” said Samuel. + </p> + <p> + And he heard the cot give a sudden creak as the man sat up. “What!” he + gasped. + </p> + <p> + “I didn't do it,” the boy explained hastily. “She killed herself.” + </p> + <p> + “Where was this?” asked the man. + </p> + <p> + “At the Continental Hotel.” + </p> + <p> + “And what did you have to do with it?” + </p> + <p> + “I took her there.” + </p> + <p> + “Who was she?” + </p> + <p> + “Why—she called herself Mary Smith.” + </p> + <p> + “Where did you meet her?” + </p> + <p> + “Up at 'Fairview.'” + </p> + <p> + “At 'Fairview'!” exclaimed the other. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” said Samuel. “The Lockman place.” + </p> + <p> + “ALBERT Lockman's place?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes.” + </p> + <p> + “How did she come to be there?” + </p> + <p> + “Why, she was—a friend of his. She was there to dinner.” + </p> + <p> + “What!” gasped the man. “How do you know it?” + </p> + <p> + “I work there,” replied Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “And how did she come to go to the hotel?” + </p> + <p> + “Master Albert turned her out,” said Samuel. “And it was raining, and so I + took her to a hotel.” + </p> + <p> + “For the love of God!” exclaimed the other; and then he asked quickly, + “Did you tell the sergeant that?” + </p> + <p> + “No,” said the boy. “He didn't ask me anything.” + </p> + <p> + The man sprang up and ran to the grated door and shook it. “Hello! Hello + there!” he cried. + </p> + <p> + “What's the matter?” growled a policeman down the corridor. + </p> + <p> + “Come here! quick!” cried the other; and then through the grating he + whispered, “Say, tell the cap to come here for a moment, will you?” + </p> + <p> + “What do you want?” demanded the policeman. + </p> + <p> + “Look here, O'Brien,” said the other. “You know Charlie Swift is no fool. + And there's something about this fellow you've put in here that the cap + ought to know about quick.” + </p> + <p> + The sergeant came. “Say,” said Charlie. “Did you ask this boy any + questions?” + </p> + <p> + “No,” said the sergeant, “I'm waiting for the chief.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, did you know that girl came from Albert Lockman's place?” + </p> + <p> + “Good God, no!” + </p> + <p> + “He says she was there to dinner and Lockman turned her out of the house. + This boy says he works for Lockman.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, I'm damned!” exclaimed the sergeant. And so Samuel was led into a + private room. + </p> + <p> + A minute or two later “the chief” strode in. McCullagh was his name and he + was huge and burly, with a red face and a protruding jaw. He went at + Samuel as if he meant to strike him. “What's this you're givin' us?” he + cried. + </p> + <p> + “Why—why—” stammered Samuel, in alarm. + </p> + <p> + “You're tryin' to tell me that girl came from Lockman's?” roared the + chief. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, sir!” + </p> + <p> + “And you expect me to believe that?” + </p> + <p> + “It's true, sir!” + </p> + <p> + “What're you tryin' to give me, anyhow?” demanded the man. + </p> + <p> + “But it's true, sir!” declared Samuel again. + </p> + <p> + “You tell me she was there at dinner?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, sir!” + </p> + <p> + “Come! Quit your nonsense, boy!” + </p> + <p> + “But she was, sir!” + </p> + <p> + “What do you expect to make out of this, young fellow?” + </p> + <p> + “But she was, sir!” + </p> + <p> + Apparently the chief's method was to doubt every statement that Samuel + made, and repeat his incredulity three times, each time in a louder tone + of voice and with a more ferocious expression of countenance. Then, if the + boy stuck it out, he concluded that he was telling the truth. By this + exhausting method the examination reached its end, and Samuel was led back + to his cell. + </p> + <p> + “Did you stick to your story?” asked his cellmate. + </p> + <p> + “Of course,” said he. + </p> + <p> + “Well, if it is true,” remarked the other, “there'll be something doing + soon.” + </p> + <p> + And there was. About an hour later the sergeant came again and entered. He + drew the two men into a corner. + </p> + <p> + “See here, young fellow,” he said to Samuel in a low voice. “Have you got + anything against young Lockman?” + </p> + <p> + “No,” replied Samuel. “Why?” + </p> + <p> + “If we let you go, will you shut up about this?” + </p> + <p> + “Why, yes,” said the boy, “if you want me to.” + </p> + <p> + “All right,” said the sergeant. “And you, Charlie—we've got you + dead, you know.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” said the other, “I know.” + </p> + <p> + “And there's ten years coming to you, you understand?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, I guess so.” + </p> + <p> + “All right. Then will you call it a bargain?” + </p> + <p> + “I will,” said Charlie. “You'll skip the town, and hold your mouth?” + </p> + <p> + “I will.” + </p> + <p> + “Very well. Here's your own kit—and you ought to get through them + bars before daylight. And here's fifty dollars. You take this young fellow + to New York and lose him. Do you see?” + </p> + <p> + “I see,” said Charlie. + </p> + <p> + “All right,” went on the sergeant. “And mind you don't play any monkey + tricks!” + </p> + <p> + “I'm on,” said Charlie with a chuckle. + </p> + <p> + And without more ado he selected a saw from his bag and set to work at the + bars of the window. The sergeant retired; and Samuel sat down on the floor + and gasped for breath. + </p> + <p> + For about an hour the man worked without a word. Then he braced himself + against the wall and wrenched out one of the bars; then another wrench, + and another bar gave way; after which he packed up his kit and slipped it + into a pocket under his coat. “Now,” he said, “come on.” + </p> + <p> + He slipped through the opening and dropped to the ground, and Samuel + followed suit. “This way,” he whispered, and they darted down an alley and + came out upon a dark street. For perhaps a mile they walked on in silence, + then Charlie turned into a doorway and opened the door with a latch key, + and they went up two flights of stairs and into a rear room. He lit the + gas, and took off his coat and flung it on the bed. “Now, make yourself at + home,” he said. + </p> + <p> + “Is this your room?” asked Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” was the reply. “The bulls haven't found it, either!” + </p> + <p> + “But I thought we were to go out of town!” exclaimed the other. + </p> + <p> + “Humph!” laughed Charlie. “Young fellow, you're easy!” + </p> + <p> + “Do you mean you're not going?” cried Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “What! When I've got a free license to work the town?” + </p> + <p> + Samuel stared at him, amazed. “You mean they wouldn't arrest you?” + </p> + <p> + “Not for anything short of murder, I think.” + </p> + <p> + “But—but what could you do?” + </p> + <p> + “Just suppose I was to tip off some newspaper with that story? Not here in + Lockmanville—but the New York Howler, we'll say?” + </p> + <p> + “I see!” gasped Samuel. + </p> + <p> + Charlie had tilted back in his chair and was proceeding to fill his pipe. + “Gee, sonny,” he said, “they did me the greatest turn of my life when they + poked you into that cell. I'll get what's coming to me now!” + </p> + <p> + “How will you get it?” asked the boy. + </p> + <p> + “I'm a gopherman,” said the other. + </p> + <p> + “What's that?” asked Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “You'll have to learn to sling the lingo,” said Charlie with a laugh. + “It's what you call a burglar.” + </p> + <p> + Samuel looked at the man in wonder. He was tall and lean, with a pale face + and restless dark eyes. He had a prominent nose and a long neck, which + gave him a peculiar, alert expression that reminded Samuel of a startled + partridge. + </p> + <p> + “Scares you, hey?” he said. “Well, I wasn't always a gopherman.” + </p> + <p> + “What were you before that?” + </p> + <p> + “I was an inventor.” + </p> + <p> + “An inventor!” exclaimed Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “Yes. Have you seen the glass-blowing machines here in town?” + </p> + <p> + “No, I haven't.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, I invented three of them. And old Henry Lockman robbed me of them.” + </p> + <p> + “Robbed you!” gasped the boy amazed. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” said the other. “Didn't he rob everybody he ever came near?” + </p> + <p> + “I didn't know it,” replied Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “Guess you never came near him,” laughed the man. “Say—where do you + come from, anyhow? Tell me about yourself.” + </p> + <p> + So Samuel began at the beginning and told his story. Pretty soon he came + to the episode of “Glass Bottle Securities.” + </p> + <p> + “My God!” exclaimed the other. “I thought you said old Lockman had never + robbed you!” + </p> + <p> + “I did,” answered Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “But don't you see that he robbed you then?” + </p> + <p> + “Why, no. It wasn't his fault. The stock went down when he died.” + </p> + <p> + “But why should it have gone down when he died, except that he'd unloaded + it on the public for a lot more than it was worth?” + </p> + <p> + Samuel's jaw fell. “I never thought of that,” he said. + </p> + <p> + “Go on,” said Charlie. + </p> + <p> + Then Samuel told how he was starving, and how he had gone to Professor + Stewart, and how the professor had told him he was one of the unfit. His + companion had taken his pipe out of his mouth and was staring at him. + </p> + <p> + “And you swallowed all that?” he gasped. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” said Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “And you tried to carry it out! You went away to starve!” + </p> + <p> + “But what else was there for me to do?” asked the boy. + </p> + <p> + “But the Lord!” ejaculated the other. “When it came time for ME to starve, + I can promise you I found something else to do!” + </p> + <p> + “Go on,” he said after a pause; and Samuel told how he had saved young + Lockman's life, and what happened afterwards. + </p> + <p> + “And so he was your dream!” exclaimed the other. “You were up against a + brace game, Sammy!” + </p> + <p> + “But how was I to know?” protested the boy. + </p> + <p> + “You should read the papers. That kid's been cutting didoes in the + Tenderloin for a couple of years. He wasn't worth the risking of your + little finger—to say nothing of your life.” + </p> + <p> + “It seems terrible,” said Samuel dismayed. + </p> + <p> + “The trouble with you, Sammy,” commented the other, “is that you're too + good to live. That's all there is to your unfitness. You take old Lockman, + for instance. What was all his 'fitness'? It was just that he was an old + wolf. I was raised in this town, and my dad went to school with him. He + began by cheating his sisters out of their inheritance. Then he foreclosed + a mortgage on a glass factory and went into the business. He was a + skinflint, and he made money—they say he burned the plant down for + the insurance, but I don't know. Anyway, he had rivals, and he made a + crooked deal with some of the railroad people—gave them stock you + know—and got rebates. And he had some union leaders on his pay + rolls, and he called strikes on his rivals, and when he'd ruined them he + bought them out for a song. And when he had everything in his hands, and + got tired of paying high wages, he fired some of the union men and forced + a strike. Then he brought in some strike-breakers and hired some thugs to + slug them, and turned the police loose on the men—and that was the + end of the unions. Meanwhile he'd been running the politics of the town, + and he'd given himself all the franchises—there was nobody could do + anything in Lockmanville unless he said so. And finally, when he'd got the + glass trade cornered, he formed the Trust, and issued stock for about five + times what the plants had cost, and dumped it on the market for suckers + like you to buy. And that's the way he made his millions—that's the + meaning of his palace and all the wonders you saw up there. And now he's + dead, and all his fortune belongs to Master Albert, who never did a stroke + of work in his life, and isn't 'fit' enough to be a ten-dollar-a-week + clerk. And you come along and lie down for him to walk on, and the more + nails he has in his boots the better you like it! And there's the whole + story for you!” + </p> + <p> + Samuel had been listening awe-stricken. The abysmal depths of his + ignorance and folly! + </p> + <p> + “Now he's got his money,” said the other—“and he means to keep it. + So there are the bulls, to slam you over the head if you bother him. + That's called the Law! And then he hires some duffer to sit up and hand + you out a lot of dope about your being 'unfit'; and that's called a + College! Don't you see?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” whispered Samuel. “I see!” + </p> + <p> + His companion stabbed at him with his finger. “All that was wrong with + you, Sammy,” he said, “was that you swallowed the dope! That's where your + 'unfitness' came in! Why—take his own argument. Suppose you hadn't + given up. Suppose you'd fought and won out. Then you'd have been as good + as any of them, wouldn't you? Suppose, for instance, you'd hit that + son-of-a-gun over the head with a poker and got away with his watch and + his pocketbook—then you'd have been 'fitter' than he, wouldn't you?” + </p> + <p> + Samuel had clutched at the arms of his chair and was staring with + wide-open eyes. + </p> + <p> + “You never thought of that, hey, Sammy? But that's what I found myself + facing a few years ago. They'd got every cent I had, and I was ready for + the scrap heap. But I said, 'Nay, nay, Isabel!' I'd played their game and + lost—but I made a new game—and I made my own rules, you can + bet!” + </p> + <p> + “You mean stealing!” cried the boy. + </p> + <p> + “I mean War,” replied the other. “And you see—I've survived! I'm not + pretty to look at and I don't live in a palace, but I'm not starving, and + I've got some provisions salted away.” + </p> + <p> + “But they had you in jail!” + </p> + <p> + “Of course. I've done my bit—twice. But that didn't kill me; and I + can learn things, even in the pen.” + </p> + <p> + There was a pause. Then Charlie Swift stood up and shook the ashes out of + his pipe. “Speaking of provisions,” he said, “these midnight adventures + give you an appetite.” And he got out a box of crackers and some cheese + and a pot of jam. “Move up,” he said, “and dip in. You'll find that red + stuff the real thing. My best girl made it. One of the things that + bothered me in jail was the fear that the bulls might get it.” + </p> + <p> + Samuel was too much excited to eat. But he sat and watched, while his + companion stowed away crackers and cheese. + </p> + <p> + “What am I going to do now?” he said half to himself. + </p> + <p> + “You come with me,” said Charlie. “I'll teach you a trade where you'll be + your own boss. And I'll give you a quarter of the swag until you've + learned it.” + </p> + <p> + “What!” gasped Samuel in horror. “Be a burglar!” + </p> + <p> + “Sure,” said the other. “What else can you do?” + </p> + <p> + “I don't know,” said the boy. + </p> + <p> + “Have you got any money?” + </p> + <p> + “Only a few pennies. I hadn't got my wages yet.” + </p> + <p> + “I see. And will you go and ask Master Albert for them?” + </p> + <p> + “No,” said Samuel quickly. “I'll never do that!” + </p> + <p> + “Then you'll go out and hunt for a job again, I suppose? Or will you start + out on that starving scheme again?” + </p> + <p> + “Don't!” cried the boy wildly. “Let me think!” + </p> + <p> + “Come! Don't be a summer-boarder!” exclaimed the other. “You've got the + professor's own warrant for it, haven't you? And you've got a free field + before you—you can help yourself to anything you want in + Lockmanville, and the bulls won't dare to lift a finger! You'll be a fool + if you let go of such a chance.” + </p> + <p> + “But it's wrong!” protested Samuel. “You know it's wrong!” + </p> + <p> + “Humph!” laughed Charlie. And he shut the top of the cracker box with a + bang and rose up. “You sleep over it,” he said. “You'll be hungry + to-morrow morning.” + </p> + <p> + “That won't make any difference!” cried the boy. + </p> + <p> + “Maybe not,” commented the other; and then he added with a grin: “Don't + you ask me for grub. For that would be charity; and if you're really one + of the unfit, it's not for me to interfere with nature!” + </p> + <p> + And so all the next day Samuel sat in Charlie's room and faced the + crackers and cheese and the pot of jam, and wrestled with the problem. He + knew what it would mean to partake of the food, and Charlie knew what it + would mean also; and feeling certain that Samuel would not partake upon + any other terms, he left the covers off the food, so that the odors might + assail the boy's nostrils. + </p> + <p> + Of course Samuel might have gone out and bought some food with the few + pennies he had in his pocket. But that would have been merely to postpone + the decision, and what was the use of that? And to make matters ten times + worse, he owed money to the Stedmans—for he had lived upon the + expectation of his salary! + </p> + <p> + In the end it was not so much hunger that moved him, as it was pure + reason. For Samuel, as we know, was a person who took an idea seriously; + and there was no answer to be found to Charlie's argument. Doubtless the + reader will find a supply of them, but Samuel racked his wits in vain. If, + as the learned professor had said, life is a struggle for existence, and + those who have put money in their purses are the victors; and if they have + nothing to do for the unemployed save to let them starve or put them in + jail; then on the other hand, it would seem to be up to the unemployed to + take measures for their own survival. And apparently the only proof of + their fitness would be to get some money away from those who had it. Had + not Herbert Spencer, the authority in such matters, stated that “inability + to catch prey shows a falling short of conduct from its ideal”? And if the + good people let themselves be starved to death by the wicked, would that + not mean that only the wicked would be left alive? It was thoughts like + this that were driving Samuel—he had Bertie Lockman's taunts ringing + in his ears, and for the life of him he could not see why he should vacate + the earth in favor of Bertie Lockman! + </p> + <p> + So breakfast time passed, and dinner time passed, and supper time came. + And his friend spread out the contents of his larder again, and then + leaned over the table and said, “Come and try it once and see how you like + it!” + </p> + <p> + And Samuel clenched his hands suddenly and answered—“All right, I'll + try it!” + </p> + <p> + Then he started upon a meal. But in the middle of it he stopped, and set + down an untasted cracker, and gasped within himself—“Merciful + Heaven! I've promised to be a burglar!” + </p> + <p> + The other was watching him narrowly. “Ain't going to back out?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “No,” said Samuel. “I won't back out! But it seems a little queer, that's + all.” + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0014" id="link2HCH0014"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XIV + </h2> + <p> + The meal over, Charlie Swift took out a pencil and paper. “Now,” said he. + “To business!” + </p> + <p> + Samuel pulled up his chair and the other drew a square. “This is a house + I've been studying. It's on a corner—these are streets, and here's + an alley. This is the side door that I think I can open. There's a door + here and one in back here. Fix all that in your mind.” + </p> + <p> + “I have it,” said the boy. + </p> + <p> + “You go in, and here's the entrance hall. The front stairs are here. What + I'm after is the family plate, and it's up on the second floor. I'll + attend to that. The only trouble is that over here beyond the library + there's a door, and, somebody sleeps in that room. I don't know who it is. + But I want you to stay in the hall, and if there's anyone stirs in that + room you're to dart upstairs and give one whistle at the top. Then I'll + come.” + </p> + <p> + “And what then?” + </p> + <p> + “This is the second floor,” said Charlie, drawing another square. “And + here's the servant's stairway, and we can get down to this entrance in the + rear, that I'll open before I set to work. On the other hand, if you hear + me whistle upstairs, then you're to get out by the way we came. If there's + any alarm given, then it's each for himself.” + </p> + <p> + “I see,” said Samuel; and gripped his hands so that his companion might + not see how he was quaking. + </p> + <p> + Charlie got out his kit and examined it to make sure that the police had + kept nothing. Then he went to a bureau drawer and got a revolver, examined + it and slipped it into his pocket. “They kept my best one,” he said. “So + I've none to lend you.” + </p> + <p> + “I—I wouldn't take it, anyway,” stammered the other in horror. + </p> + <p> + “You'll learn,” said the burglar with a smile. + </p> + <p> + Then he sat down again and drew a diagram of the streets of Lockmanville, + so that Samuel could find his way back in case of trouble. “We don't want + to take any chances,” said he. “And mind, if I get caught, I'll not + mention you—wild horses couldn't drag it out of me. And you make the + same promise.” + </p> + <p> + “I make it,” said Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “Man to man,” said Charlie solemnly; and Samuel repeated the words. + </p> + <p> + “How did you come to know so much about the house?” he asked after a + while. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! I've lived here and I've kept my eyes open. I worked as a plumber's + man for a couple of months and I made diagrams.” + </p> + <p> + “But don't the police get to know you?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes—they know me. But I skip out when I've done a job. And when I + come back it's in disguise. Once I grew a beard and worked in the glass + works all day and did my jobs at night; and again I lived here as a + woman.” + </p> + <p> + “A woman!” gasped the boy. + </p> + <p> + “You see,” said the other with a laugh, “there's more ways than one to + prove your fitness.” And he went on, narrating some of his adventures—adventures + calculated to throw the glamour of romance about the trade of burglar. + Samuel listened breathless with wonder. + </p> + <p> + “We'd better get a bit of sleep now,” said Charlie later on. “We'll start + about one.” And he stretched himself out on the bed, while the other sat + motionless in the chair, pondering hard over his problem. There was no + sleeping for Samuel that night. + </p> + <p> + He would carry out his bargain—that was his decision. But he would + not take his share of the plunder, except just enough to pay Mrs. Stedman. + And he would never be a burglar again! + </p> + <p> + At one o'clock he awakened his companion, and they set out through the + deserted streets. They crossed the bridge to the residential part of town; + and then, at a corner, Charlie stopped. “There's the place,” he said, + pointing to a large house set back within a garden. + </p> + <p> + They gazed about. The coast was clear; and they darted into the door which + had been indicated in the diagram. Samuel crouched in the doorway, + motionless, while the other worked at the lock. Samuel's knees were + trembling so that he could hardly stand up. + </p> + <p> + The door was opened without a sound having been made, and they stole into + the entrance. They listened—the house was as still as death. Then + Charlie flashed his lantern, and Samuel had quick glimpses of a beautiful + and luxuriously furnished house. It was nothing like “Fairview,” of + course; but it was finer than Professor Stewart's home. There was a + library, with great leather armchairs; and in the rear a dining room, + where mirrors and cut glass flashed back the far-off glimmer of the light. + </p> + <p> + “There's your door over there,” whispered Charlie. “And you'd better stay + behind those curtains.” + </p> + <p> + So Samuel took up his post; the light vanished and his companion started + for the floor above. Several times the boy heard the stairs creaking, and + his heart leaped into his throat; but then the sounds ceased and all was + still. + </p> + <p> + The minutes crawled by—each one seemed an age. He stood rooted to + the spot, staring into the darkness—half-hypnotized by the thought + of the door which he could not see, and of the person who might be asleep + behind it. Surely this was a ghastly way for a man to have to gain his + living—it were better to perish than to survive by such an ordeal! + Samuel was appalled by the terrors which took possession of him, and the + tremblings and quiverings which he could not control. Any danger in the + world he would have faced for conscience' sake; but this was wrong—he + knew it was wrong! And so all the glow of conviction was gone from him. + </p> + <p> + What could be the matter? Why should Charlie be so long? Surely he had had + time enough to ransack the whole house! Could it be that he had got out by + the other way—that he had planned to skip town, and leave Samuel + there in the lurch? + </p> + <p> + And then again came a faint creaking upon the stairs. He was coming back! + Or could it by any chance be another person? He dared not venture to + whisper; he stood, tense with excitement, while the sounds came nearer—it + was as if some monster were creeping upon him in the darkness, and folding + its tentacles about him! + </p> + <p> + He heard a sound in the hall beside him. Why didn't Charlie speak? What + was the matter with him? What— + </p> + <p> + And then suddenly came a snapping sound, and a blinding glare of light + flashed up, flooding the hallway and everything about him. Samuel + staggered back appalled. There was some one standing there before him! He + was caught! + </p> + <p> + Thus for one moment of dreadful horror. And then he realized that the + person confronting him was a little girl! + </p> + <p> + She was staring at him; and he stared at her. She could not have been more + than ten years old, and wore a nightgown trimmed with lace. She had bright + yellow hair, and her finger was upon the button which controlled the + lights. + </p> + <p> + For fully a minute neither of them moved. Then Samuel heard a voice + whispering: “Are you a burglar?” + </p> + <p> + He could not speak, but he nodded his head. And then again he heard the + child's voice: “Oh, I'm so glad!” + </p> + <p> + “I'm so glad!” she repeated again, and her tone was clear and sweet. “I'd + been praying for it! But I'd almost given up hope!” + </p> + <p> + Samuel found voice enough to gasp, “Why?” + </p> + <p> + “My mamma read me a story,” said the child. “It was about a little girl + who met a burglar. And ever since I've been waiting for one to come.” + </p> + <p> + There was a pause. “Are you a really truly burglar?” the child whispered. + </p> + <p> + “I—I think so,” replied Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “You look very young,” she said. + </p> + <p> + And the other bethought himself. “I'm only a beginner,” he said. “This is + really my first time.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh!” said the child with a faint touch of disappointment. “But still you + will do, won't you?” + </p> + <p> + “Do for what?” asked the boy in bewilderment. + </p> + <p> + “You must let me reform you,” exclaimed the other. “That's what the little + girl did in the story. Will you?” + </p> + <p> + “Why—why, yes”—gasped Samuel. “I—I really meant to + reform.” + </p> + <p> + Then suddenly he thought he heard a sound in the hall above. He glanced + up, and for one instant he had a glimpse of the face of Charlie peering + down at him. + </p> + <p> + “What are you looking at?” asked the child. + </p> + <p> + “I thought—that is—there's some one with me,” stammered + Samuel, forgetting his solemn vow. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! two burglars!” cried the child in delight. “And may I reform him, + too?” + </p> + <p> + “I think you'd better begin with me,” said Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “Will he go away, do you think?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes—I think he's gone now.” + </p> + <p> + “But you—you won't go yet, will you?” asked the child anxiously. + “You'll stay and talk to me?” + </p> + <p> + “If you wish”—gasped the boy. + </p> + <p> + “You aren't afraid of me?” she asked. + </p> + <p> + “Not of you,” said he. “But if some one else should waken.” + </p> + <p> + “No, you needn't think of that. Mamma and grandma both lock their doors at + night. And papa's away.” + </p> + <p> + “Who sleeps there?” asked Samuel, pointing to the door he had been + watching. + </p> + <p> + “That's papa's room,” said the child; and the other gave a great gasp of + relief. + </p> + <p> + “Come,” said the little girl; and she seated herself in one of the big + leather armchairs. “Now,” she continued, “tell me how you came to be a + burglar.” + </p> + <p> + “I had no money,” said Samuel, “and no work.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh!” exclaimed the child; and then, “What is your work?” + </p> + <p> + “I lived on a farm all my life,” said he. “My father died and then I + wanted to go to the city. I was robbed of all my money, and I was here + without any friends and I couldn't find anything to do at all. I was + nearly starving.” + </p> + <p> + “Why, how dreadful!” cried the other. “Why didn't you come to see papa?” + </p> + <p> + “Your father?” said he. “I didn't want to beg—” + </p> + <p> + “It wouldn't have been begging. He'd have been glad to help you.” + </p> + <p> + “I—I didn't know about him,” said Samuel. “Why should he—-” + </p> + <p> + “He helps everyone,” said the child. “That's his business.” + </p> + <p> + “How do you mean?” + </p> + <p> + “Don't you know who my father is?” she asked in surprise. + </p> + <p> + “No,” said he, “I don't.” + </p> + <p> + “My father is Dr. Vince,” she said; and then she gazed at him with + wide-open eyes. “You've never heard of him!” + </p> + <p> + “Never,” said Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “He's a clergyman,” said the little girl. + </p> + <p> + “A clergyman!” echoed Samuel aghast. Somehow it seemed far worse to have + been robbing a clergyman. + </p> + <p> + “And he's so good and kind!” went on the other. “He loves everyone, and + tries to help them. And if you had come to him and told him, he'd have + found some work for you.” + </p> + <p> + “There are a great many people in Lockmanville out of work,” said Samuel + gravely. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! but they don't come to my papa!” said the child. “You must come and + let him help you. You must promise me that you will.” + </p> + <p> + “But how can I? I've tried to rob him!” + </p> + <p> + “But that won't make any difference! You don't know my papa. If you should + tell him that you had done wrong and that you were sorry—you are + sorry, aren't you?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, I'm very sorry.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, then, if you told him that, he'd forgive you—he'd do anything + for you, I know. If he knew that I'd helped to reform you, he'd be so + glad!—I did help a little, didn't I?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” said Samuel. “You helped.” + </p> + <p> + “You—you weren't very hard to reform, somehow,” said the child + hesitatingly. “The little girl in the story had to talk a good deal more. + Are you sure that you are going to be good now?” + </p> + <p> + Samuel could not keep back a smile. “Truly I will,” he said. + </p> + <p> + “I guess you were brought up to be good,” reflected the other. “I don't + think you were very bad, anyway. It must be very hard to be starving.” + </p> + <p> + “It is indeed,” said the boy with conviction. + </p> + <p> + “I never heard of anyone starving before,” went on the other. “If that + happened to people often, there'd be more burglars, I guess.” + </p> + <p> + There was a pause. “What is your name?” asked the little girl. “Mine is + Ethel. And now I'll tell you what we'll do. My papa's on his way home—his + train gets here early in the morning. And you come up after breakfast—I'll + make him wait for you. And then you can tell it all to him, and then you + won't have any more troubles. Will you do that?” + </p> + <p> + “You think he won't be angry with me?” asked Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “No, I'm sure of it.” + </p> + <p> + “And he won't want to have me arrested?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, dear me!” exclaimed Ethel with an injured look. “Why, my papa goes to + see people in prison, and tries to help them get out! I'll promise you, + truly.” + </p> + <p> + “Very well,” said Samuel, “I'll come.” + </p> + <p> + And so they parted. And Samuel found himself out upon the street again, + with the open sky above him, and a great hymn of relief and joy in his + soul. He was no longer a burglar! + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0015" id="link2HCH0015"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XV + </h2> + <p> + Samuel walked the streets all that night. For he fully meant to do what he + had promised the child, and he did not care to go back to Charlie Swift, + and face the latter's protests and ridicule. + </p> + <p> + At eight the next morning, tired but happy, he rang the bell of Dr. + Vince's house. Ethel herself opened the door; and at the sight of him her + face lighted up with joy, and she turned, crying out, “Here he is!” + </p> + <p> + And she ran halfway down the hall, exclaiming: “He's come! I told you he'd + come! Papa!” + </p> + <p> + A man appeared at the dining room door, and stood staring at Samuel. + “There he is, papa!” cried Ethel beside herself with delight. “There's my + burglar!” + </p> + <p> + Dr. Vince came down the hall. He was a stockily built gentleman with a + rather florid complexion and bushy beard. “Good morning,” he said. + </p> + <p> + “Good morning, sir,” said Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “And are you really the young man who was here last night?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, sir,” said Samuel. + </p> + <p> + The worthy doctor was obviously disconcerted. “This is quite + extraordinary!” he exclaimed. “Won't you come in?” + </p> + <p> + They sat down in the library. “I don't want you to think, sir,” said + Samuel quickly, “that I come to beg. Your little girl asked me—-” + </p> + <p> + “Don't mention that,” said the other. “If the story you told Ethel is + really true, I should be only too glad to do anything that I could.” + </p> + <p> + “Thank you, sir,” said Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “And so you really broke into my house last night!” exclaimed the other. + “Well! well! And it is the first time you have ever done anything of the + sort in your life?” + </p> + <p> + “The very first,” said the boy. + </p> + <p> + “But what could have put it into your head?” + </p> + <p> + “There was another person with me,” said Samuel—“you will understand + that I would rather not talk about him.” + </p> + <p> + “I see,” said the other. “He led you to it?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, sir.” + </p> + <p> + “And you have never done anything dishonest before?” + </p> + <p> + “No, sir.” + </p> + <p> + “You have never even been a thief?” + </p> + <p> + “No!” exclaimed Samuel indignantly. + </p> + <p> + The other noticed the tone of his voice. “But why did you begin now?” he + asked. + </p> + <p> + “I was persuaded that it was right,” said Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “But how could that be? Had you never been taught about stealing?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, sir,” replied the boy—“but it's not as simple as it seems. I + had met Professor Stewart—” + </p> + <p> + “Professor Stewart!” echoed the other. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, sir—the professor at the college.” + </p> + <p> + “But what did he have to do with it?” + </p> + <p> + “Why, sir, he told me about the survival of the fittest, and how I had to + starve to death because I was one of the failures. And then you see, sir, + I met Master Albert—” + </p> + <p> + “Master Albert?” + </p> + <p> + “Albert Lockman, sir. And the professor had said that he was one of the + fit; and I saw that he got drunk, sir, and did other things that were very + wicked, and so it did not seem just right that I should starve. I can see + now that it was very foolish of me; but I thought that I ought to fight, + and try to survive if I possibly could. And then I met Char—that is, + a bad man who offered to show me how to be a burglar.” + </p> + <p> + The other had been listening in amazement. “Boy,” he said, “are you joking + with me?” + </p> + <p> + “Joking!” echoed Samuel, his eyes opening wide. And then the doctor caught + his breath and proceeded to question him. He went back to the beginning, + and made Samuel lay bare the story of his whole life. But when he got to + the interview with Professor Stewart, the other could contain himself no + longer. “Samuel!” he exclaimed, “this is the most terrible thing I have + ever heard in my life.” + </p> + <p> + “How do you mean, sir?” + </p> + <p> + “You have been saved—providentially saved, as I firmly believe. But + you were hanging on the very verge of a life of evil; and all because men + in our colleges are permitted to teach these blasphemous and godless + doctrines. This is what they call science! This is our modern + enlightenment!” + </p> + <p> + The doctor had risen and begun to pace the floor in his agitation. “I have + always insisted that the consequence of such teaching would be the end of + all morality. And here we have the thing before our very eyes! A young man + of decent life is actually led to the commission of a crime, as a + consequence of the teachings of Herbert Spencer!” + </p> + <p> + Samuel was listening in consternation. “Then it isn't true what Herbert + Spencer says!” he exclaimed. + </p> + <p> + “True!” cried the other. “Why, Samuel, don't you KNOW that it isn't true? + Weren't you brought up to read the Bible? And do you read anything in the + Bible about the struggle for existence? Were you taught there that your + sole duty was to fight with other men for your own selfish ends? Was it + not rather made clear to you that you were not to concern yourself with + your own welfare at all, but to struggle for the good of others, and to + suffer rather than do evil? Why Samuel, what would your father have said, + if he could have seen you last night—his own dear son, that he had + brought up in the way of the Gospel?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, sir!” cried Samuel, struck to the heart. + </p> + <p> + “My boy!” exclaimed the other. “Our business in this world is not that we + should survive, but that the good should survive. We are to live for it + and to die for it, if need be. We are to love and serve others—we + are to be humble and patient—to sacrifice ourselves freely. The + survival of the fittest! Why, Samuel, the very idea is a denial of + spirituality—what are we that we should call ourselves fit? To think + that is to be exposed to all the base passions of the human heart—to + greed and jealousy and hate! Such doctrines are the cause of all the + wickedness, of all the materialism of our time—of crime and murder + and war! My boy, do you read that Jesus went about, worrying about His own + survival, and robbing others because they were less fit than He? Only + think how it would have been with you had you been called to face Him last + night?” + </p> + <p> + The shame of this was more than Samuel could bear. “Oh, stop, stop, sir!” + he cried, and covered his face with his hands. “I see it all! I have been + very wicked!” + </p> + <p> + “Yes!” exclaimed the other. “You have been wicked.” + </p> + <p> + The tears were welling into Samuel's eyes. “I can't see how I did it, + sir,” he whispered. “I have been blind—I have been lost. I am a + strayed sheep!” And then suddenly his emotion overcame him, and he burst + into a paroxysm of weeping. “I can't believe it of myself!” he exclaimed + again and again. “I have been out of my senses!” + </p> + <p> + The doctor watched him for a few moments. “Perhaps it was not altogether + your fault,” he said more gently. “You have been led astray—” + </p> + <p> + “No, no!” cried the boy. “I am bad. I see it—it must be! I could + never have been persuaded, if I had not been bad! It began at the very + beginning. I yielded to the first temptation when I stole a ride upon the + train. And everything else came from that—it has been one long + chain!” + </p> + <p> + “Let us be glad that it is no longer,” said Dr. Vince—“and that you + have come to the end of it.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah, but have I?” cried the boy wildly. + </p> + <p> + “Why not? Surely you will no longer be led by such false teaching!” + </p> + <p> + “No, sir. But see what I have done! Why I am liable to be sent to jail—for + I don't know how long.” + </p> + <p> + “You mean for last night?” asked the doctor. “But no one will ever know + about that. You may start again and live a true life.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah,” cried Samuel, “but the memory of it will haunt me—I can never + forgive myself!” + </p> + <p> + “We are very fortunate,” said the other gravely, “if we have only a few + things in our lives that we cannot forget, and that we cannot forgive + ourselves.” + </p> + <p> + The worthy doctor had been anticipating a long struggle to bring the young + criminal to see the error of his ways; but instead, he found that he had + to use his skill in casuistry to convince the boy that he was not + hopelessly sullied. And when at last Samuel had been persuaded that he + might take up his life again, there was nothing that would satisfy him + save to go back where he had been before, and take up that struggle with + starvation. + </p> + <p> + “I must prove that I can conquer,” he said—“I yielded to the + temptation once, and now I must face it.” + </p> + <p> + “But, Samuel,” protested the doctor, “it is no man's duty to starve. You + must let me help you, and find some useful work for you, and some people + who will be your friends.” + </p> + <p> + “Don't think I am ungrateful,” cried the boy—“but why should I be + favored? There are so many others starving, right here in this town. And + if I am going to love them and serve them, why should I have more than + they have? Wouldn't that be selfish of me? Why, sir, I'd be making profit + out of my repentance!” + </p> + <p> + “I don't quite see that,” said the other— + </p> + <p> + “Why, sir! Isn't it just because I've been so sorry that you are willing + to help me? There are so many others who have not been helped—some I + know, sir, that need it far more than I do, and have deserved it more, + too!” + </p> + <p> + “It seems to me, my boy, that is being too hard upon yourself—and on + me. I cannot relieve all the distress in the world. I relieve what I find + out about. And so I must help you. And don't you see that I wish to keep + you near me, so that I can watch after your welfare? And perhaps—who + knows—you can help me. The harvest is plenty, you have heard, and + the laborers are few. There are many ways in which you could be of service + in my church.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah, sir!” cried Samuel, overwhelmed with gratitude—“if you put it + that way—” + </p> + <p> + “I put it that way most certainly,” said Dr. Vince. “You have seen a new + light—you wish to live a new life. Stay here and live it in + Lockmanville—there is no place in the world where it could be more + needed.” + </p> + <p> + All this while the little girl had been sitting in silence drinking in the + conversation. Now suddenly she rose and came to Samuel, putting her hand + in his. “Please stay,” she said. + </p> + <p> + And Samuel answered, “Very well—I'll stay.” + </p> + <p> + So then they fell to discussing his future, and what Dr. Vince was going + to do for him. The good doctor was inwardly more perplexed about it than + he cared to let Samuel know. + </p> + <p> + “I'll ask Mr. Wygant,” he said—“perhaps he can find you a place in + one of his factories.” + </p> + <p> + “Mr. Wygant?” echoed Samuel. “You mean Miss Gladys's father?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” said the doctor. “Do you know Miss Gladys?” + </p> + <p> + “I have met her two or three times,” said the boy. + </p> + <p> + “They are parishioners of mine,” remarked the other. + </p> + <p> + And Samuel gave a start. “Why!” he exclaimed. “Then you—you must be + the rector of St. Matthew's.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” was the reply. “Didn't you know that?” + </p> + <p> + The boy was a little awed. He had seen the great brownstone temple upon + the hill—a structure far more splendid than anything he had ever + dreamed of. + </p> + <p> + “Have you never attended?” asked the doctor. + </p> + <p> + “I went to the mission once,” said Samuel—referring to the little + chapel in the poor quarters of the town. “A friend of mine goes there—Sophie + Stedman. She works in Mr. Wygant's cotton mill.” + </p> + <p> + “I should be glad to have you come to the church,” said the other. + </p> + <p> + “I'd like to very much,” replied the boy. “I didn't know exactly if I + ought to, you know.” + </p> + <p> + “I am sorry you got that impression,” said Dr. Vince. “The church holds + out its arms to everyone.” + </p> + <p> + “Well,” began Samuel apologetically, “I knew that all the rich people went + to St. Matthew's—-” + </p> + <p> + “The church does not belong to the rich people,” put in the doctor very + gravely; “the church belongs to the Lord.” + </p> + <p> + And so Samuel, overflowing with gratitude and happiness, joined St. + Matthew's forthwith; and all the while in the deeps of his soul a voice + was whispering to him that it was Miss Gladys' church also! And he would + see his divinity again! + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0016" id="link2HCH0016"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XVI + </h2> + <p> + Samuel went back in great excitement to the Stedmans', to tell them of his + good fortune. And the family sat about in a circle and listened to the + recital in open-eyed amazement. It was a wonderful thing to have an + adventurer like Samuel in one's house! + </p> + <p> + But the boy noticed that Sophie did not seem as much excited as he had + anticipated. She sat with her head resting in her hands. And when the + others had left the room—“Oh, Samuel,” she said. “I feel so badly + to-day! I don't see how I'm going to go on.” + </p> + <p> + “Listen, Sophie,” he said quickly. “That's one of the first things I + thought about—I can give you a chance now.” + </p> + <p> + “How do you mean?” + </p> + <p> + “I can get Dr. Vince to help you find some better work.” + </p> + <p> + “Did he say he would?” asked the child. + </p> + <p> + “No,” was the reply—“but he is so good to everyone. And all the rich + people go to his church, you know. He said he wanted me to help him; so I + shall find out things like that for him to do.” + </p> + <p> + And Samuel went on, pouring out his praises of the kind and gentle + clergyman, and striving to interest Sophie by his pictures of the new + world that was to open before her. “I'm going to see him again to-morrow,” + he said. “Then you'll see.” + </p> + <p> + “Samuel,” announced the doctor when he called the next morning, “I have + found a chance for you.” And Samuel's heart gave a great leap of joy. + </p> + <p> + It appeared that the sexton of St. Matthew's was growing old. They did not + wish to change, but there must be some one to help him. The pay would not + be high; but he would have a chance to work in the church, and to be near + his benefactor. The tears of gratitude started into his eyes as he heard + this wonderful piece of news. + </p> + <p> + “I'll see more of Miss Gladys!” the voice within him was whispering + eagerly. + </p> + <p> + “Doctor,” he said after a pause, “I've some good news for you also.” + </p> + <p> + “What is it?” asked the other. + </p> + <p> + “It's a chance for you to help some one.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh!” said the doctor. + </p> + <p> + “It's little Sophie Stedman,” said Samuel; and he went on to tell how he + had met the widow, and about her long struggle with starvation, and then + of Sophie's experiences in the cotton mill. + </p> + <p> + “But what do you want me to do?” asked the other, with a troubled look. + </p> + <p> + “Why,” said Samuel, “we must save her. We must find her some work that + will not kill her.” + </p> + <p> + “But, Samuel!” protested the other. “There are so many in her position—and + how can I help it?” + </p> + <p> + “But, doctor! She can't stand it!” + </p> + <p> + “I know, my boy. It is a terrible thing to think of. Still, I can't + undertake to find work for everyone.” + </p> + <p> + “But she will die!” cried the boy. “Truly, it is killing her! And, doctor, + she has never had a chance in all her life! Only think—how would you + feel if Ethel had to work in a cotton mill?” + </p> + <p> + There was a pause. “I honestly can't see—” began the bewildered + clergyman. + </p> + <p> + “It will be quite easy for you to help her,” put in the boy; “because, you + see, Mr. Wygant belongs to your church!” + </p> + <p> + “But what has that to do with it?” + </p> + <p> + “Why—it's Mr. Wygant's mill that she works in.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” said the doctor. “But—I—-” + </p> + <p> + “Surely,” exclaimed Samuel, “you don't mean that he wouldn't want to know + about it!” + </p> + <p> + “Ahem!” said the other; and again there was a pause. + </p> + <p> + It was broken by Ethel, who had come in and was listening to the + conversation. “Papa!” she exclaimed, “wouldn't Miss Gladys be the one to + ask?” + </p> + <p> + Samuel gave a start. “The very thing!” he said. + </p> + <p> + And Dr. Vince, after pondering for a moment, admitted that it might be a + good idea. + </p> + <p> + “You will come to church with me to-morrow,” said Ethel. “And if she is + there we'll ask her.” + </p> + <p> + And so Samuel was on hand, trembling with excitement, and painfully + conscious of his green and purple necktie. He sat in the Vince's pew, at + Ethel's invitation; and directly across the aisle was Miss Wygant, + miraculously resplendent in a springtime costume, yet with a touch of + primness, becoming to the Sabbath. She did not see her adorer until after + the service, when they met face to face. + </p> + <p> + “Why, Samuel!” she exclaimed. “You are here?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, Miss Gladys,” he said. “I'm to work in the church now.” + </p> + <p> + “You don't tell me!” she responded. + </p> + <p> + “I'm to help the sexton,” he added. + </p> + <p> + “And he belongs to the church, too,” put in little Ethel. “And oh, Miss + Gladys, won't you please let him tell you about Sophie!” + </p> + <p> + “About Sophie?” said the other. + </p> + <p> + “She's a little girl who works in your papa's mill, Miss Gladys. And her + family's very poor, and she is sick, and Samuel says she may die.” + </p> + <p> + “Why, that's too bad!” exclaimed Miss Gladys. “Tell me about her, Samuel.” + </p> + <p> + And Samuel told the story. At the end a sudden inspiration came to him, + and he mentioned how Sophie had received her Christmas present from Miss + Gladys, and how she had kept her pictures in her room. + </p> + <p> + And, of course, Miss Wygant was touched. “I will see what I can do for + her,” she said. “What would you suggest?” + </p> + <p> + “I thought,” said he boldly, “that maybe there might be some place for her + at your home. That would make her so happy, you know.” + </p> + <p> + “I will see,” said the other. “Will you bring her to see me to-morrow, + Samuel?” + </p> + <p> + “I will,” said he; and then he chanced to look into her face, and he + caught again that piercing gaze which made the blood leap into his cheeks, + and the strange and terrible emotions to stir in him. He turned his eyes + away again, and his knees were trembling as he passed on down the aisle. + </p> + <p> + He stood and watched Miss Gladys enter her motor. Then he bade good-by to + Ethel and her mother, and hurried back into the vestry room to tell Dr. + Vince of his good fortune. + </p> + <p> + The good doctor had just slipped out of his vestments, and was putting on + his cuffs. “I am so glad to hear it!” he said. “It was the very thing to + do!” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” said Samuel. “And, doctor, I've thought of something else.” + </p> + <p> + “What is that, Samuel?” + </p> + <p> + “I'll have to have a minute or two to tell you about it.” + </p> + <p> + “I'm just going to dinner now”—began the doctor. + </p> + <p> + “I'll walk with you, if I may,” said Samuel. “It's really very important.” + </p> + <p> + “All right,” responded the doctor in some trepidation. + </p> + <p> + “I thought of this in the middle of the night,” explained the boy, when + they had started down the street. “It kept me awake for hours. Dr. Vince, + I think we ought to convert Master Albert Lockman!” + </p> + <p> + “Convert him?” echoed the other perplexed. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, sir,” said the boy. “He is leading a wild life, and he's in a very + bad way.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, Samuel,” said the clergyman. “It is terrible, I know—” + </p> + <p> + “We must labor with him!” exclaimed Samuel. “He must not be allowed to go + on like that!” + </p> + <p> + “Unfortunately,” said Dr. Vince hastily, “it wouldn't do for me to try it. + You see, the Lockmans have always been Presbyterians, and so Bertie is + under Dr. Handy's care.” + </p> + <p> + “But is Dr. Handy doing anything about it?” persisted the other. + </p> + <p> + “I really don't know, Samuel.” + </p> + <p> + “Because if he isn't, we ought to, Dr. Vince! Something must be done.” + </p> + <p> + “My boy,” said the doctor, “perhaps it wouldn't be easy for you to + understand it. But there is a feeling—would it be quite good taste + for me to try to take away a very rich parishioner from another church?” + </p> + <p> + “But what have his riches to do with it?” asked the boy. + </p> + <p> + “Unfortunately, Samuel, it costs money to build churches; and most + clergymen are dependent upon their salaries, you know.” + </p> + <p> + The good doctor was trying to make a jest of it; but Samuel was in deadly + earnest. “I hope,” he said, “that you are not dependent upon the money of + anyone like Master Albert.” + </p> + <p> + “Um—no,” said the doctor quickly. + </p> + <p> + “Understand me, please,” went on the other. “It's not simply that Master + Albert is wrecking his own life. I suppose that's his right, if he wants + to. But it's what he can do to other people! It's his money, Dr. Vince! + Just think of it, he has seven hundred thousand dollars a year! And he + never earned a cent of it; and he doesn't know what to do with it! Doctor, + you KNOW that isn't right!” + </p> + <p> + “No,” said the clergyman, “it's very wrong indeed. But what can you do + about it?” + </p> + <p> + “I don't know, doctor. I haven't had time to think about it—I've + only just begun to realize it. But I thought if somebody like yourself—some + one he respects—could point it out to him, he might use his money to + some good purpose. If he won't, why then he ought to give it up.” + </p> + <p> + The other smiled. “I'm afraid, Samuel, he'd hardly do that!” + </p> + <p> + “But, doctor, things can't go on as they are! Right here in this town are + people dying of starvation. And he has seven hundred thousand dollars a + year! Can that continue?” + </p> + <p> + “No, I trust not, my boy. It will be better some day. But it must be left + to evolution—” + </p> + <p> + “Evolution!” echoed Samuel perplexed. “Do you believe in evolution?” + </p> + <p> + “Why,” said the other embarrassed—“what I mean is, that there are + vast social forces at work—great changes taking place. But they move + very slowly—” + </p> + <p> + “But why do they move so slowly?” objected the boy. “Isn't it just because + so many people, don't care?” + </p> + <p> + “Why, Samuel—” + </p> + <p> + “If everyone would take an interest in them—then they would happen + quickly!” + </p> + <p> + The two walked on for a minute in silence. Finally, the clergyman + remarked, “Samuel, you take a great interest in social questions.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, sir,” said the boy. “You see, I have been down at the bottom, and I + know how it feels. Nobody else can possibly understand—not even you, + sir, with all your kind heart. You don't know what it means, sir—you + don't know what it means!” + </p> + <p> + “Perhaps not, my boy,” said the other. “But my conscience is far from + easy, I assure you. The only thing is, we must not be too impatient—we + must learn to wait—” + </p> + <p> + “But, doctor!” exclaimed Samuel. “Will the people wait to starve?” + </p> + <p> + That question was a poser; and perhaps it was just as well that Dr. Vince + was nearing the steps of his home. “I must go in now, Samuel,” he said. + “But we will talk about these questions another time.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, sir,” said Samuel, “we will.” + </p> + <p> + And the other glanced at him quickly. But the boy's face wore its old look + of guileless eagerness. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0017" id="link2HCH0017"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XVII + </h2> + <p> + Samuel walked away, still pondering at the problem. Something must be done + about Master Albert, that was certain. Before he went in to his dinner he + had thought of yet another plan. He would appeal to Miss Gladys about it! + He would get her to labor with the prodigal! + </p> + <p> + At eight o'clock the next morning, he and Sophie called at Miss Wygant's + home. They went to the servants' entrance, and the maid who opened the + door sent them away, saying that Miss Gladys never rose until ten o'clock + and would not see anyone until eleven. + </p> + <p> + So they went home again and came at eleven; and they were taken to a + sitting room upon the second floor and there Miss Gladys met them, clad in + a morning gown of crimson silk. + </p> + <p> + “And so this is Sophie!” she exclaimed. “Why you poor, poor child!” And + she gazed at the little mill girl with her stunted figure and pinched + cheeks, and her patched and threadbare dress; and Sophie, in her turn, + gazed at the wonderful princess, tall and stately, glowing with health and + voluptuous beauty. + </p> + <p> + “And you work in our cotton mill!” she cried. + </p> + <p> + “How perfectly terrible! And do you mean to tell me that this child is + thirteen years old, Samuel?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, Miss Gladys,” said he. + </p> + <p> + She turned quickly and pressed a button on the wall. “Send Mrs. Harris + here,” she said to the man who answered. + </p> + <p> + “Mrs. Harris is our housekeeper,” she added to Samuel. “I will consult her + about it.” + </p> + <p> + The “consulting” was very brief. “Mrs. Harris, this is Sophie Stedman, a + little girl I want to help. I don't know what she can do, but you will + find out. I want her to have some sort of a place in the house—and + it mustn't be hard work.” + </p> + <p> + “But, Miss Gladys,” said the other in perplexity, “I don't know of + anything at all!” + </p> + <p> + “You can find something,” was the young lady's reply. “I want her to have + a chance to learn. Take her downstairs and have a talk with her about it.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, Miss Gladys,” said Mrs. Harris; and so Samuel was left alone with + his goddess. + </p> + <p> + He sat with his eyes upon the floor. He was just about to open the great + subject he had in his mind, when suddenly Miss Gladys herself brought it + up. “Samuel,” she asked, “why did you leave my cousin's?” + </p> + <p> + Samuel hesitated. “I—I don't like to say, Miss Gladys.” + </p> + <p> + “Please tell me,” she insisted. + </p> + <p> + “I left it,” he replied in a low voice, “because I found that he got + drunk.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh!” said the girl, “when was this?” + </p> + <p> + “It was last Wednesday night, Miss Gladys.” + </p> + <p> + “Tell me all about it, Samuel.” + </p> + <p> + “I—I don't like to,” he stammered. “It's not a story to tell to a + lady.” + </p> + <p> + “I already know something about it from my maid,” said she. “Jack Holliday + was there, wasn't he?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, ma'am.” + </p> + <p> + “And some women?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, ma'am.” + </p> + <p> + “How many, Samuel?” + </p> + <p> + “Four, Miss Gladys.” + </p> + <p> + “Tell me about them, Samuel. What sort of women were they?” + </p> + <p> + It was very hard for Samuel to answer these questions. He blushed as he + talked; but Miss Gladys appeared not at all disconcerted—in fact she + was greedy for the details. + </p> + <p> + “You say her name was Belle. I wonder if it was that girl from 'The Maids + of Mandelay.' Was she a dancer, Samuel?” + </p> + <p> + “I don't know, Miss Gladys.” + </p> + <p> + “And what became of her?” + </p> + <p> + “I took her to a hotel, Miss Gladys.” + </p> + <p> + “And what then?” + </p> + <p> + Samuel stopped short. “I really couldn't tell you,” he said. + </p> + <p> + “But why not?” + </p> + <p> + “Because I promised.” + </p> + <p> + “Whom did you promise?” + </p> + <p> + “I promised the sergeant, Miss Gladys.” + </p> + <p> + “The sergeant! A policeman, you mean?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, ma'am.” + </p> + <p> + “But what—what did the police have to do with it?” + </p> + <p> + “They took me to jail, Miss Gladys. They thought that I did it.” + </p> + <p> + “Did what?” + </p> + <p> + And again the boy shut his lips. + </p> + <p> + “Listen, Samuel,” pleaded the other. “You know that I am Bertie's cousin. + And he's all alone. And I'm responsible for him—” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, Miss Gladys!” cried the boy. “If you only would try to help him! I + meant to ask you—” + </p> + <p> + “But how can I help him if you keep me in ignorance?” + </p> + <p> + And so Samuel blurted out the whole story. And Miss Gladys sat dumb with + horror. “She killed herself! She killed herself!” she gasped again and + again. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, Miss Gladys,” said Samuel. “And it was awful! You can't imagine it!” + </p> + <p> + “I read of the suicide in the paper. But I never dreamed of Bertie!” + </p> + <p> + There was a moment's pause. “It must be a dreadful thing for him to have + on his conscience”—began the boy. + </p> + <p> + “He must have been frightened to death!” said she. And then she added + quickly, “Samuel, you haven't told anyone about this!” + </p> + <p> + “Not a soul, Miss Gladys.” + </p> + <p> + “You are sure?” + </p> + <p> + “I'm sure, ma'am.” + </p> + <p> + “You didn't tell Dr. Vince?” + </p> + <p> + “I just told him that I had left because Master Albert got drunk, Miss + Gladys. That was the truth.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” said she; and then, “You always tell the truth, don't you, Samuel?” + </p> + <p> + “I try to,” he replied. + </p> + <p> + “You are very good, aren't you?” she added. + </p> + <p> + Samuel blushed. “No,” he said gravely. “I'm not good at all.” + </p> + <p> + The other looked at him for a moment, and then a smile crossed her face. + “I've heard a saying,” she remarked—“'Be good and you'll be happy, + but you'll miss a lot of fun.'” + </p> + <p> + Samuel pondered. “I think that is a very terrible saying,” he declared + earnestly. + </p> + <p> + Miss Gladys laughed. And she went on to cross-question him as to the + suicide—satisfying her curiosity as to the last hideous detail. + </p> + <p> + Then she looked at Samuel and asked suddenly, “Why do you wear that + hideous thing?” + </p> + <p> + Samuel started. “What thing?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “That tie!” + </p> + <p> + “Why!” he said—“I got that specially—” + </p> + <p> + He stopped, embarrassed; and the other's peal of laughter rang through the + room. “Take it off!” she said. + </p> + <p> + She got up and came to him, saying, “I couldn't stand it.” + </p> + <p> + With trembling fingers he removed the tie. And she took off the beautiful + red ribbon that was tied about her waist, and cut it to the right length. + “Put that on,” she said, “and I'll show you how to tie it.” + </p> + <p> + And Samuel stood there, rapt in a sudden nightmare ecstasy. She was close + to him, her quick fingers were playing about his throat. Her breath was + upon his face, and the intoxicating perfume of her filled his nostrils. + The blood mounted into his face, and the veins stood out upon his + forehead, and strange and monstrous things stirred in the depths of him. + </p> + <p> + “There,” she said, “that's better”—and stepped back to admire the + result. She smiled upon him radiantly. “You have no taste, Samuel,” she + said. “I shall have to educate you.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, Miss Gladys,” he responded in a low voice. + </p> + <p> + “And listen,” she went on, “you will come to see Sophie now and then, + won't you?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, yes,” he said quickly. + </p> + <p> + “And come some time when I am here.” + </p> + <p> + He caught his breath and gripped his hands and answered yet again, “Yes!” + </p> + <p> + “Don't be afraid of me,” added the girl gently. “You don't appreciate + yourself half enough, Samuel.” + </p> + <p> + Then there came voices in the hall, and Miss Gladys turned, and the + housekeeper and Sophie came in. “Well?” she asked. + </p> + <p> + “She doesn't know anything at all,” said Mrs. Harris. “But if you want her + taught—I suppose she could run errands and do sewing—” + </p> + <p> + “Very good,” said the other. “And pay her well. Will you like that, + Sophie?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, Miss,” whispered the child in a faint voice. She was gazing in awe + and rapture at this peerless being, and she could hardly find utterance + for two words. + </p> + <p> + “All right, then,” said Miss Gladys, “that will do very well. You come + to-morrow, Sophie. And good-by, Samuel. I must go for my ride now.” + </p> + <p> + “Good-by, Miss Gladys,” said Samuel. “And please don't forget what you + were going to say to Master Albert!” + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0018" id="link2HCH0018"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XVIII + </h2> + <p> + Samuel went home walking upon air. He had found a place for himself and a + place for Sophie. And he had got the reforming of Bertie Lockman under + way! Truly, the church was a great institution—the solution of all + the puzzles and problems of life. And fortunate was Samuel to be so close + to the inner life of things! + </p> + <p> + Then suddenly, on a street corner, he stopped short. A sign had caught his + eye—“John Callahan, Wines and Liquors—Bernheimer Beer.” “Do + you know what that place is?” he said to Sophie. + </p> + <p> + “That's where my friend Finnegan works.” + </p> + <p> + “Who's Finnegan?” asked the child. + </p> + <p> + “He's the barkeeper who gave me something to eat when I first came to + town. He's a good man, even if he is a barkeeper.” + </p> + <p> + Samuel had often found himself thinking of Finnegan; for it had been + altogether against his idea of things that a man so obviously well meaning + should be selling liquor. And now suddenly a brilliant idea flashed across + his mind. Why should he continue selling liquor? And instantly Samuel saw + a new duty before him. He must help Finnegan. + </p> + <p> + And forgetting that it was time for his dinner, he bade good-by to Sophie + and went into the saloon. + </p> + <p> + “Well, young feller!” exclaimed the Irishman, his face lighting up with + pleasure; and then, seeing the boy's new collar and tie, “Gee, you're + moving up in the world!” + </p> + <p> + “I've got a job,” said Samuel proudly. “I'm the assistant sexton at St. + Matthew's Church.” + </p> + <p> + “You don't say! Gone up with the sky pilots, hey!” + </p> + <p> + Samuel did not notice this irreverent remark. He looked around the place + and saw that they were alone. Then he said, very earnestly, “Mr. Finnegan, + may I have a few minutes' talk with you?” + </p> + <p> + “Sure,” said Finnegan perplexed. “What is it?” + </p> + <p> + “It's something I've been thinking about very often,” said Samuel. “You + were so kind to me, and I saw that you were a good-hearted man. And so it + has always seemed to me too bad that you should be selling drink.” + </p> + <p> + The other stared at him. “Gee!” he said, “are you going to take me up in + your airship?” + </p> + <p> + “Mr. Finnegan,” said the boy, “I wish you wouldn't make fun of me. For I'm + talking to you out of the bottom of my heart.” + </p> + <p> + And Samuel gazed with so much yearning in his eyes that the man was + touched, in spite of the absurdity of it. “Go on,” he said. “I'll listen.” + </p> + <p> + “It's just this,” said Samuel. “It's wrong to sell liquor! Think what + drink does to men? I saw a man drunk the other night and it led to what + was almost murder. Drink makes men cruel and selfish. It takes away their + self-control. It makes them unfit for their work. It leads to vice and + wickedness. It enslaves them and degrades them. Don't you know that is + true, Mr. Finnegan?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” admitted Finnegan, “I reckon it is. I never touch the stuff + myself.” + </p> + <p> + “And still you sell it to others?” + </p> + <p> + “Well, my boy, I don't do it because I hate them.” + </p> + <p> + “But then, why DO you do it?” + </p> + <p> + “I do it,” said Finnegan, “because I have to live. It's my trade—it's + all I know.” + </p> + <p> + “It seems such a terrible trade!” exclaimed the boy. + </p> + <p> + “Maybe,” said the other. “But take notice, it ain't a princely one. I'm on + the job all day and a good part of the night, and standing up all the + time. And I don't get no holidays either—and I only get twelve a + week. And I've a wife and a new baby. So what's a man to do?” + </p> + <p> + Now, strange as it may seem, this unfolded a new view to Samuel. He had + always supposed that bartenders and saloonkeepers were such from innate + depravity. Could it really be that they were driven to the trade? + </p> + <p> + The bare idea was enough to set his zeal in a blaze. “Listen,” he said. + “Suppose I were to find you some kind of honest work, so that you could + earn a living. Would you promise to reform?” + </p> + <p> + “Do you mean would I quit Callahan's? Why, sure I would.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah!” exclaimed the boy in delight. + </p> + <p> + “But it'd have to be a steady job,” put in the other. “I can take no + chances with the baby.” + </p> + <p> + “That's all right,” said Samuel. “I'll get you what you want.” + </p> + <p> + “Gee, young feller!” exclaimed Finnegan. “Do you carry 'em round in your + pockets?” + </p> + <p> + “No,” said Samuel, “but Dr. Vince asked me to help him; and I'm going to + tell him about you.” + </p> + <p> + And so, forthwith, he made his way to the doctor's house, and was ushered + into the presence of the unhappy clergyman. He stated his case; and the + other threw up his hands in despair. + </p> + <p> + “Really,” he exclaimed, “this is too much, Samuel! I can't find employment + for everyone in Lockmanville.” + </p> + <p> + “But, doctor!” protested Samuel, “I don't think you understand. This man + wants to lead a decent life, and he can't because there's no way for him + to earn a living.” + </p> + <p> + “I understand all that Samuel.” + </p> + <p> + “But, doctor, what's the use of trying to reform men if they're chained in + that way?” + </p> + <p> + There was a pause. + </p> + <p> + “I'm afraid it's hopeless to explain to you,” said the clergyman. “But + you'll have to make up your mind to it, Samuel—there are a great + many men in the world who want jobs, and it seems to be unfortunately true + that there are fewer jobs than men.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” said the other, “but that's what Professor Stewart taught men. And + you said it was wicked of him.” + </p> + <p> + “Um—” said the doctor, taken aback. + </p> + <p> + “Don't you see?” went on Samuel eagerly. “It puts you right back with + Herbert Spencer! If there are more men than there are jobs, then the men + have to fight for them. And so you have the struggle for existence, and + the survival of the greedy and the selfish. If Finnegan wouldn't be a + barkeeper, then he and his family would starve, and somebody else would + survive who was willing to be that bad.” + </p> + <p> + The boy waited. “Don't you see that, Dr. Vince?” he persisted. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, I see that,” said the doctor. + </p> + <p> + “And you told me that the only way to escape from that was to live for + others—to serve them and help them. And isn't that what I'm trying + to do?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, my boy, that is so. But what can we do?” + </p> + <p> + “Why, doctor, aren't you the head of the church? And the people come to + you to be taught. You must point out these things to them, so that there + can be a change.” + </p> + <p> + “But WHAT change, Samuel?” + </p> + <p> + “I don't know, sir. I'm groping around and trying to find out. But I'm + sure of one thing—that some people have got too much money. Why, Dr. + Vince, there are people right in your church who have more than they could + spend in hundreds of years.” + </p> + <p> + “Perhaps so,” said the other. “But what harm does that do?” + </p> + <p> + “Why—that's the reason that so many others have nothing! Only + realize it—right at this very moment there are people starving to + death—and here in Lockmanville! They want to work, and there is no + work for them! I could take you to see them, sir—girls who want a + job in Mr. Wygant's cotton mill, and he won't give it to them!” + </p> + <p> + “But, my boy—that isn't Mr. Wygant's fault! It's because there is + too much cloth already.” + </p> + <p> + “I've been thinking about that,” said Samuel earnestly. “And it doesn't + sound right to me. There are too many people who need good clothes. Look + at poor Sophie, for instance!” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” said the other, “of course. But they haven't money to buy the cloth—-” + </p> + <p> + And Samuel sat forward in his excitement. “Yes, yes!” he cried. “And isn't + that just what I said before? They have no money, because the rich people + have it all!” + </p> + <p> + There was no reply; and after a moment Samuel rushed on: “Surely it is + selfish of Mr. Wygant to shut poor people out of his mill, just because + they have no money. Why couldn't he let them make cloth for themselves?” + </p> + <p> + “Samuel!” protested the other. “That is absurd!” + </p> + <p> + “But why, sir?” + </p> + <p> + “Because, my boy—in a day they could make more than they could wear + in a year.” + </p> + <p> + “So much the better, doctor! Then they could give the balance to other + people who needed it—and the other people could make things for + them. Take Sophie. She not only needs clothing, she needs shoes, and above + all, she needs enough to eat. And if it's a question of there not being + enough food, look at what's wasted in a place like Master Albert's! And + there's land enough at 'Fairview' to raise food for the whole town—I + know what I'm talking about there, because I'm a farmer. And it's used to + keep a lot of race horses that nobody ever rides.” + </p> + <p> + “Samuel,” said the clergyman gravely, “that is true—and that is very + wrong. But what can <i>I</i> do?” + </p> + <p> + And Samuel stared at him. “Doctor!” he exclaimed. “I can't tell you how it + hurts me to have you talk to me like that!” + </p> + <p> + “How do you mean, Samuel?” asked the other in bewilderment. + </p> + <p> + And the boy clasped his hands together in his agitation. “You told me that + we must sacrifice ourselves, and help others! You said that was our sole + duty! And I believed you—I was ready to go with you. And here I am—I + want to follow you, and you won't lead!” + </p> + <p> + Those words were like a stab. The doctor winced visibly. + </p> + <p> + And Samuel winced also—his heart was wrung. “It hurts me more than I + can tell you!” he cried. “But think of the people who are suffering—nobody + spares them! And how can you be silent, doctor—how can the shepherd + of Christ be silent while some of his flock are living in luxury and + others are starving to death?” + </p> + <p> + There was a long pause. Dr. Vince sat rigid, clutching the arms of his + chair. + </p> + <p> + “Samuel,” he said, “you are right. I will preach on this unemployed + question next Sunday.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah, thank you, sir—thank you!” exclaimed Samuel, with tears of + gratitude in his eyes. And he took his friend's hand and wrung it. + </p> + <p> + Then, suddenly, a new thought came to him. “And meantime, doctor,” said + he, “what am I to tell Finnegan?” + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0019" id="link2HCH0019"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XIX + </h2> + <p> + One who has all the cares of humanity upon his shoulders, as Samuel had, + is apt to find that it claims a good deal of time. Samuel did his best to + keep his mind upon the weighty problems which he had to solve; but he + found that he was continually distracted by the thought of Miss Gladys. + Again and again her image would sweep over him, driving everything else + from his mind. The vision of her beauty haunted him, sending his + imagination upon all sorts of strange excursions and adventures. + </p> + <p> + She had told him to come again; and he wondered how long he should wait. + He was supposed to come to see Sophie—but that, of course, was + absurd, for he saw Sophie every night at home. + </p> + <p> + He waited three days; and then he could wait no longer. The hunger to see + her was like a fire smoldering in him. + </p> + <p> + In the morning, at eleven o'clock, he went to the house and Sophie came to + the door. “I'll tell her you're here,” said she, understanding at once. + She ran upstairs, and came back telling him to come. “And she's glad, + Samuel!” exclaimed the child. + </p> + <p> + “Won't you come, too?” he asked blunderingly. + </p> + <p> + “No, she told me not to,” was Sophie's reply. + </p> + <p> + So he went upstairs to Miss Wygant's own sitting room, and found her in a + morning gown, even more beautiful than the one she had worn before. + </p> + <p> + “You don't know how glad I am to see you,” she said. + </p> + <p> + Samuel admitted that he didn't know; and he added, “And I don't know why + you should be, Miss Gladys.” + </p> + <p> + Miss Gladys stood looking at him. “You find things interesting, don't + you?” she asked. + </p> + <p> + “Why, yes, Miss Gladys,” he replied. + </p> + <p> + “And I find things so tiresome.” + </p> + <p> + “Tiresome!” gasped the boy. “Here—in this house!” + </p> + <p> + “It seems strange to you, does it?” said she. + </p> + <p> + “Why you have everything in the world!” he cried. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, and I'm tired of everything.” + </p> + <p> + The boy was looking at her in wonder. “It's true,” she said. “Everybody I + meet is uninteresting—they live such dull and stupid lives. I'm shut + up here in this town—I've got to spend a whole month here this + summer!” + </p> + <p> + Samuel gazed at her, and a wave of pity swept over him. He had felt for + some time that she was not happy. So here was one more duty for him—he + must help this beautiful young lady to a realization of her own good + fortune. + </p> + <p> + The thought set him athrill. “Ah, but Miss Gladys!” he exclaimed. “Think + how much good you do!” + </p> + <p> + “Good?” said she. “In what way?” + </p> + <p> + “Why—think of Sophie! How happy you've made her.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” she said dully. “I suppose so.” + </p> + <p> + “And me!” he exclaimed. + </p> + <p> + “Have I made you happy?” she inquired. + </p> + <p> + And he answered, “I have never been so happy in my life.” + </p> + <p> + All the wonder that was in his soul shone in his eyes, and arrested her + gaze. They stood looking at each other; and then she came to him laughing. + “Samuel,” she said, “you haven't got that tie right.” + </p> + <p> + And once more her fingers touched him, and her breath was upon him, and + the glory of her set him on fire. A new wave of feeling swept over him, + and this time it swamped him completely. His heart was pounding, his brain + was reeling; and blindly, like a drunken man—almost without knowing + what he was doing—he put out his arms and caught her to him. + </p> + <p> + And then, in an instant, horror seized him. What had he done? She would + repel him—she would drive him from her! He had ruined everything! + </p> + <p> + But another instant sufficed to show him that this was not the case. And + the tide of his feeling swept back redoubled. From the hidden regions of + his soul there came new emotions, suddenly awakened—things + tremendous and terrifying—never guessed by him before. His manhood + came suddenly to consciousness—he lost all his shyness and fear of + her. She was his—to do what he pleased with! And he pressed her to + him, he half crushed her in his embrace. She closed her eyes, and he + kissed her upon the cheeks and upon the lips; then he heard her voice, + faint and trembling—“Samuel, I love you!” And within him it was like + a great fanfare of trumpets, for wonder and triumph and delirious joy. + </p> + <p> + Suddenly there came a step in the hall outside. They sprang apart. The + door of the room was open; and for an instant he saw wild terror in her + eyes. + </p> + <p> + Then she sank down upon her knees. “Oh, Samuel!” she exclaimed. “My ring!” + </p> + <p> + “Your ring!” he echoed, dazed. + </p> + <p> + “My ring!” she said again; then he heard the voice of Mrs. Harris in the + doorway. “Your ring, Miss Gladys?” + </p> + <p> + “I dropped it,” she said; and Samuel sank down upon his knees also. + </p> + <p> + They sought under the table. “It fell here,” she said. “It's my + solitaire.” + </p> + <p> + “It must have rolled,” said Mrs. Harris, beginning to search. + </p> + <p> + “Put your head down and look about, Samuel,” commanded Miss Gladys, and + Samuel obeyed; but he did not find any ring. + </p> + <p> + They continued the search for a minute. Mrs. Harris had come back to the + table; and suddenly she exclaimed, “Here it is!” + </p> + <p> + “What!” cried the other. “Why, I looked there!” + </p> + <p> + “It was under the leg of the table,” explained the housekeeper. + </p> + <p> + “Ah!” said the other, and put the precious ring back upon her finger. + </p> + <p> + Samuel was overwhelmed with astonishment; but it was nothing to what he + felt a moment later. His goddess turned to him. “No,” she said. “I'm + sorry, Samuel, but it's impossible for me to do what you ask me.” + </p> + <p> + He stared at her perplexed. + </p> + <p> + “I have found a place for Sophie,” she went on, “and that is positively + all I can do.” + </p> + <p> + “Miss Gladys!” he exclaimed. + </p> + <p> + “Really,” she said, “I think you ought not to ask me to do any more. I + understand that there is a good deal of suffering among the mill people, + and I do what I can to relieve it. But as for taking all the employees + into my father's household—that is simply absurd.” + </p> + <p> + The boy could not find words. He could only stare at her. “That's all,” + said Miss Gladys. “And about those flower seeds—do what you can to + find them. I want them in a few days, if I'm to use them at all. Do you + understand?” + </p> + <p> + “Y-yes, Miss Gladys,” he stammered. He had seen her dart a swift glance at + the housekeeper, and he was beginning at last to comprehend. + </p> + <p> + “Bring them to me yourself,” she added. “Good-by.” + </p> + <p> + “Good-by, Miss Gladys,” he said, and went out. + </p> + <p> + He went downstairs, marveling. But before he was halfway down the first + flight of steps he had forgotten everything except those incredible words—“Samuel, + I love you!” They rang in his head like a trumpet call. + </p> + <p> + He could not hold himself in. He could not carry away such a secret. + Sophie went to the door with him; and he took her outside and whispered it + to her. + </p> + <p> + The child stared at him, with awe in her eyes. “Samuel!” she whispered, + “she must mean to marry you!” + </p> + <p> + The boy started in dismay. “Marry me!” he gasped. “Marry me!” + </p> + <p> + “Why, yes!” said Sophie. “What else can she mean?” + </p> + <p> + That was a poser. “But—but—” he cried. “It's absurd!” + </p> + <p> + “It's not, Samuel! She loves you!” + </p> + <p> + “But I'm nothing but a poor boy!” + </p> + <p> + “But, Samuel, she has plenty of money!” + </p> + <p> + It had not occurred to Samuel that way; but he had to admit that it was + true. “But I'm not good enough,” he protested. + </p> + <p> + “You are good enough for anyone!” cried Sophie. “You are noble and + beautiful—and she has found it out. And she means to stoop and lift + you up to her.” + </p> + <p> + The boy was silent, stricken with awe. “Oh, Samuel, it is just like in the + fairy stories!” whispered the child. “You are to be the prince!” + </p> + <p> + So she went on, pouring out the wonder of it to him, and thrilling his + soul to yet new flights. + </p> + <p> + He left her at last and walked down the street half dazed. He was to marry + Miss Gladys! Yes, it must be true, for she had told him that she loved + him! And then, presumably, he would come to live in that great palace. How + could he ever stand it? What would he do? + </p> + <p> + And he would be a rich man! A great surge of triumph came to him. What + would the people at home say—what would his brothers think when he + went to pay them a visit, and perhaps to buy the old place? + </p> + <p> + But he put these thoughts away from him. He must not think of such things—it + was selfish and ignoble. He must think of the good that he would be able + to do with all the money. He might help the poor at last. He and Miss + Gladys would devote their lives to this. Perhaps some day he might even + own the mill where the children worked, and he would be able to send them + all to school! And he would be a member of the Lockman family, in a way—he + might even have some influence over Master Albert! And Ethel and Dr. Vince—how + happy they would be when they heard of his good fortune! + </p> + <p> + In the end his thoughts left all these things, and came back to Miss + Gladys. After all, what counted but that? She loved him! She was his! And + like a swiftly spreading fire there came over him the memory of what he + had done to her; he walked on, trembling with wonder and fear. It was a + kind of madness in his blood. It had taken possession of his whole being—he + would never again be the same! He stretched out his arms as he walked down + the street, because his emotions were greater than he could bear. + </p> + <p> + Then suddenly, in the midst of the turmoil, a sight met his eyes which + brought him back to the world. Approaching him, about to pass him, was an + old man with a gray beard, stooping as he walked and carrying a peddler's + basket. The disguise was excellent, but it did not deceive Samuel for an + instant. He stood stock-still and cried in amazement: “Charlie Swift!” + </p> + <p> + The peddler shot a quick glance at him. “Shut up!” he muttered; and then + he passed on, and left Samuel staring. + </p> + <p> + So with a sudden rush, a new set of emotions overwhelmed the boy. He was + only a week away from the burglary; and yet it was an age. And how + terrible it seemed—how almost incredible! And here was he, about to + marry the daughter of a millionaire—while his friend and confederate + was still skulking in the shadows, hiding from the police. + </p> + <p> + Of all the distressed people whom Samuel had met in the course of his + adventures, Charlie Swift was the only one whom he had not benefited. And + simply to set eyes upon him was to hear in his soul a new call. How could + he pursue his own gratifications while Charlie was left a prey to + wickedness? + </p> + <p> + The figure almost passed from sight while Samuel stood wrestling with the + problem. He shrunk from the task before him; he was afraid of Charlie + Swift, afraid of his cynical smile, and of his merciless sneering. But his + duty was clear before him—as clear as that of any soldier, who in + the midst of love and pleasure hears the bugle call. He might not be able + to do anything for Charlie. But he must try! + </p> + <p> + And so he turned and followed the old peddler to his home. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0020" id="link2HCH0020"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XX + </h2> + <p> + “So you've let them turn you into a mission stiff!” said Charlie Swift, + when the two were seated in his room. + </p> + <p> + “A what?” exclaimed Samuel perplexed. + </p> + <p> + “A mission stiff,” repeated the other. “One of the guys that gets + repentance!” + </p> + <p> + Samuel experienced a sudden chilling of the ardor with which he had come + into the room. The old grin was upon the other's face; and the boy + realized with a sudden sinking of the heart how hard and savage he was. + Finnegan was a babe in arms compared with Charlie Swift. + </p> + <p> + To convert him would be a real task, a test of one's fervor and vision. + Samuel resolved suddenly upon diplomacy. + </p> + <p> + “They've been very good to me,” he said. + </p> + <p> + “I dare say,” responded the other indifferently. + </p> + <p> + “And Dr. Vince is really a very good man,” he went on. + </p> + <p> + “Humph!” commented the burglar; and then he added quickly, “You haven't + been telling him anything about me?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, no!” exclaimed the boy. + </p> + <p> + “Not a word?” + </p> + <p> + “Have you forgotten that I promised you?” + </p> + <p> + “That's all right,” said Charlie, “only I just wanted to warn you. You can + tie up with the church guys if you feel like it—only don't mention + your lost brothers down in the pit. Just you remember that I got some of + the doctor's silver.” + </p> + <p> + The boy gave a start. “Oh!” he exclaimed. + </p> + <p> + “Didn't you know that?” laughed the other. + </p> + <p> + “No, I didn't know it.” + </p> + <p> + “What did you suppose I was doing all that time while you were watching?” + </p> + <p> + Samuel said nothing for a minute. “Why did you pick out Dr. Vince?” he + asked suddenly. + </p> + <p> + “Him? Why not? I knew his house.” + </p> + <p> + “But a clergyman! Does it seem quite fair?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, that's all right,” laughed the other. “He's got a-plenty. It don't + have to come out of his salary, you know.” + </p> + <p> + “Why not?” + </p> + <p> + “Because, he's got a rich wife. You didn't suppose he lived in that palace + of a house on his own salary, did you?” + </p> + <p> + “I hadn't thought anything about it.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, he's all right—he married one of the richest girls in town. + And she'll keep his nest feathered.” + </p> + <p> + There was a pause. “Don't you think that Dr. Vince is a good man?” asked + Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “I don't know,” said the other. “I've got no quarrel with him. But I don't + like his trade.” + </p> + <p> + “Doesn't he do a great deal of good to people?” + </p> + <p> + “Maybe,” said the other, shrugging his shoulders. + </p> + <p> + “To poor people?” persisted Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “I dare say,” admitted Charlie. “But you'll notice it takes all the sand + out of them—makes them into beggars. And I ain't that sort.” + </p> + <p> + “Why do you think he tries to help them?” + </p> + <p> + “Well, he gets paid for it, don't he?” + </p> + <p> + “But the other people in the church—the ones who pay the money. Why + do you think they do it?” + </p> + <p> + The burglar thought for a moment. “I reckon they do it to make themselves + feel good,” he said. + </p> + <p> + “To make themselves feel good,” repeated the other perplexed. + </p> + <p> + “Sure!” said the man. “You take one of those rich women—she's got a + lot of money that she never earned, and she spends all her life amusing + herself and ordering servants about. And all the time she knows that most + of the people—the people that do the work—are suffering and + dying. And she don't want to let that make her feel bad, so she hires some + fellow like your friend, the doctor, to preach to 'em—and maybe give + 'em a turkey at Christmas. And that takes the trouble off her mind. Don't + you see?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” said the other weakly. “I see.” + </p> + <p> + “Or else,” added Charlie, “take some of those smooth grafters they've got + up there—the men, I mean. They spend six days in the week cutting + other people's throats, and robbing the public. Don't you think it's handy + for them to know they can come on Sunday and drop a five-dollar-bill in + the plate, and square the whole account?” + </p> + <p> + Samuel sought for a reply to these cruel taunts. “I don't think you put it + quite fairly,” he protested. + </p> + <p> + “Why not?” demanded the other. + </p> + <p> + “In the first place, men like that wouldn't go to church—” + </p> + <p> + Charlie stared at him. “What!” he exclaimed. + </p> + <p> + “No,” said the boy. + </p> + <p> + “Why not?” + </p> + <p> + “Well, why should they care to go? And they wouldn't be welcome—” + </p> + <p> + Charlie burst into laughter. “You poor kid!” he exclaimed. “What have you + been doing up there at St. Matthew's, anyhow?” + </p> + <p> + “I'm the sexton's assistant,” said Samuel gravely. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” said the other. “Evidently a sexton's assistant doesn't see much of + the congregation.” + </p> + <p> + “I wish you'd explain,” remarked the boy after a pause. + </p> + <p> + “I hardly know where to begin,” replied the other. “They've such a choice + collection of crooks up there. Did you ever notice a little pot-bellied + fellow with mutton-chop whiskers—looks as if he was eating + persimmons all the time?” + </p> + <p> + “You mean Mr. Hickman?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, that's the chap. He's one of the pillars of the church, isn't he?” + </p> + <p> + “I suppose so,” said Samuel. “He's one of the vestrymen.” + </p> + <p> + “And did you ever hear of Henry Hickman before?” + </p> + <p> + “I know he's a famous lawyer; and I was told that he managed the Lockman + estate.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” said Charlie, “and I suppose you don't know what that means!” + </p> + <p> + “No,” admitted Samuel, “I don't.” + </p> + <p> + “It means,” went on the other, “that he was old Lockman's right-hand man, + and had his finger in every dirty job that the old fellow ever did for + thirty years. And it means that he runs the business now, and does all the + crooked work that has to be done for it.” + </p> + <p> + There was a pause. “For instance, what?” asked Samuel in a low voice. + </p> + <p> + “For instance, politics,” said the other. “Steering the grafters off the + Lockman preserve. Getting the right men named by the machine, and putting + up the dough to elect them. Last year the Democrats got in, in spite of + all he could do; and he had to buy the city council outright.” + </p> + <p> + “What!” gasped the boy in horror. + </p> + <p> + “Sure thing,” laughed Charlie—“there was an independent water + company trying to break in, and the Democrats were pledged to them. They + say it cost Hickman forty-five thousand dollars.” + </p> + <p> + “But do you KNOW that?” cried the other. + </p> + <p> + “Know it, Sammy? Why everybody in town knows it. It was a rotten steal, on + the face of it.” + </p> + <p> + Samuel was staring at him. “I can't believe it!” he exclaimed. + </p> + <p> + “Nonsense!” laughed the other. “Ask round a bit!” And then he added + quickly, “Why, see here—didn't you tell me you knew Billy Finnegan—the + barkeeper?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, I know him.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, then, you can go right to headquarters and find out. His boss, John + Callahan, was one of the supervisors—he got the dough. Go and ask + Finnegan.” + </p> + <p> + “But will he tell?” exclaimed Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “I guess he'll tell,” said Charlie, “if you go at him right. It's no great + secret—the whole town's been laughing about it.” + </p> + <p> + Samuel was almost too shocked for words. “Do you suppose Dr. Vince knows + it?” he cried. + </p> + <p> + “He don't know much if he doesn't,” was the other's reply. + </p> + <p> + “A member of his church!” gasped the boy. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, pshaw!” laughed the other. “You're too green, Sammy! What's the + church got to do with business? Why, look—there's old Wygant—another + of the vestrymen!” + </p> + <p> + “Miss Gladys' father, you mean?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes; old Lockman's brother-in-law. He's the other trustee of the estate. + And do you suppose there's any rascality he doesn't know about?” + </p> + <p> + “But he's a reformer!” cried the boy wildly. + </p> + <p> + “Sure!” laughed Charlie. “He made a speech at the college commencement + about representative government; I suppose you read it in the Express. But + all the same, when the Democrats got in, his nibs came round and made his + terms with Slattery, the new boss; and they get along so well it'll be his + money that will put them in again next year.” + </p> + <p> + “But WHY?” cried Samuel dazed. + </p> + <p> + “For one thing,” said Charlie, “because he's got to have his man in the + State legislature, to beat the child-labor bill.” + </p> + <p> + “The child-labor bill!” + </p> + <p> + “Surely. You knew he was fighting it, didn't you? They wanted to prevent + children under fourteen from working in the cotton mills. Wygant sent Jack + Pemberton up to the Capital for nothing at all but to beat that law.” + Samuel sat with his hands clenched tightly. Before him there had come the + vision of little Sophie Stedman with her wan and haggard face! “But why + does he want the children in his mill?” he cried. + </p> + <p> + “Why?” echoed Charlie. “Good God! Because he can pay them less and work + them harder. Did you suppose he wanted them there for their health?” + </p> + <p> + There was a long pause. The boy was wrestling with the most terrible + specter that had yet laid hold upon him. “I don't believe he knows it!” he + whispered half to himself. “I don't believe it!” + </p> + <p> + “Who?” asked the other. + </p> + <p> + “Dr. Vince!” said the boy. And he rose suddenly to his feet. “I will go + and see him about it,” he said. + </p> + <p> + “Go and see him!” echoed Charlie. + </p> + <p> + “Yes. He will tell me!” + </p> + <p> + Charlie was gazing at him with a broad grin. “I dare you!” he cried. + </p> + <p> + “I am going,” said the boy simply; and the burglar slapped his thigh in + delight. + </p> + <p> + “Go on!” he chuckled. “Sock it to him, Sammy! And come back and tell me + about it!” + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0021" id="link2HCH0021"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXI + </h2> + <p> + “Dr. Vince is at lunch,” said the maid who answered the bell. + </p> + <p> + “Please tell him I must see him at once,” said Samuel. “It's something + very important.” + </p> + <p> + He went in and sat down in the library, and the doctor came, looking + anxious. “What is it now?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + And Samuel turned to him a face of anguish. “Doctor,” he said, “I've just + had a terrible experience.” + </p> + <p> + “What is it, Samuel?” + </p> + <p> + “I hardly know how to tell you,” said the boy. “I know a man—a very + wicked man; and I went to him to try to convert him, and to bring him into + the church. And he laughed at me, and at the church, too. He said there + are wicked men in it—in St. Matthew's, Dr. Vince! He told me who + they are, and what they are doing! And, doctor—I can't believe that + you know about it—that you would let such things go on!” + </p> + <p> + The other was staring at him in alarm. “My dear boy,” he said, “there are + many wicked men in the world, and I cannot know everything.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah, but this is terrible, doctor! You will have to find out about it—you + cannot let such men stay in the church.” + </p> + <p> + The other rose and closed the door of his study. Then he drew his chair + close to Samuel. “Now,” he said, “what is it?” + </p> + <p> + “It's Mr. Wygant,” said Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “Mr. Wygant!” cried the other in dismay. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, Dr. Vince.” + </p> + <p> + “What has he done?” + </p> + <p> + “Did you know that it was he who beat the child-labor bill—that he + named the State senator on purpose to do it?” + </p> + <p> + The doctor was staring at him. “The child-labor bill!” he gasped. “Is THAT + what you mean?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, Dr. Vince,” said Samuel. “Surely you didn't know that!” + </p> + <p> + “Why, I know that Mr. Wygant is very much opposed to the bill. He has + opposed it openly. He has a perfect right to do that, hasn't he?”' + </p> + <p> + “But to name the State senator to beat it, doctor!” + </p> + <p> + “Well, my boy, Mr. Wygant is very much interested in politics; and, of + course, he would use his influence. Why not?” + </p> + <p> + “But, Dr. Vince—it was a wicked thing! Think of Sophie!” + </p> + <p> + “But, my boy—haven't we found Sophie a place in Mr. Wygant's own + home?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, doctor! But there are all the others! Think of the suffering and + misery in that dreadful mill! And Mr. Wygant pays such low wages. And he + is such a rich man—he might help the children if he would.” + </p> + <p> + “Really, Samuel—” began the doctor. + </p> + <p> + But the boy, seeing the frown of displeasure on his face, rushed on + swiftly. “That's only the beginning! Listen to me! There's Mr. Hickman!” + </p> + <p> + “Mr. Hickman!” + </p> + <p> + “Mr. Henry Hickman, the lawyer. He has done even worse things—” + </p> + <p> + And suddenly the clergyman clenched his hands. “Really, Samuel!” he cried. + “This is too much! You are exceeding all patience!” + </p> + <p> + “Doctor!” exclaimed the boy in anguish. + </p> + <p> + “It seems to me,” the doctor continued, “that you owe it to me to consider + more carefully. You have been treated very kindly here—you have been + favored in more ways than one.” + </p> + <p> + “But what has that to do with it?” cried the other wildly. + </p> + <p> + “It is necessary that you should remember your place. It is certainly not + becoming for you, a mere boy, and filling a subordinate position, to come + to me with gossip concerning the vestry of my church.” + </p> + <p> + “A subordinate position!” echoed Samuel dazed. “But what has my position + to do with it?” + </p> + <p> + “It has a great deal to do with it, Samuel.” + </p> + <p> + The boy was staring at him. “You don't understand me!” he cried. “I am not + doing this for myself! I am not setting myself up! I am thinking of the + saving of the church!” + </p> + <p> + “What do you mean—saving the church?” + </p> + <p> + “Why, doctor—just see! I went to reform a man; and he sneered at me. + He would not have anything to do with the church, because such wicked men + as Mr. Hickman were in it. He said it was their money that saved them from + exposure—he said—” + </p> + <p> + “What has Mr. Hickman done?” demanded the other quickly. + </p> + <p> + “He bribed the city council, sir! He bribed it to beat the water bill.” + </p> + <p> + Dr. Vince got up from his chair and began to pace the floor nervously. + “Tell me, doctor!” cried Samuel. “Please tell me! Surely you didn't know + that!” + </p> + <p> + The other turned to him suddenly. “I don't think you quite realize the + circumstances,” said he. “You come to me with this tale about Mr. Hickman. + Do you know that he is my brother-in-law?” + </p> + <p> + Samuel clutched the arms of his chair and stared aghast. “Your + brother-in-law!” he gasped. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” said the other. “He is my wife's only brother.” + </p> + <p> + Samuel was dumb with dismay. And the doctor continued to pace the floor. + “You see,” he said, “the position you put me in.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” said the boy. “I see. It's very terrible.” But then he rushed on in + dreadful anxiety: “But, doctor, you didn't know it. Oh, I'm sure—please + tell me that you didn't know it!” + </p> + <p> + “I didn't know it!” exclaimed the doctor. “And what is more, I don't know + it now! I have heard these rumors, of course. Mr. Hickman is a man of vast + responsibilities, and he has many enemies. Am I to believe every tale that + I hear about him?” + </p> + <p> + “No,” said Samuel, taken aback. “But this is something that everyone + knows.” + </p> + <p> + “Everyone!” cried the other. “Who is everyone? Who told it to you?” + </p> + <p> + “I—I can't tell,” stammered the boy. + </p> + <p> + “How does he know it?” continued the doctor. “And what sort of a man is + he? Is he a good man?” + </p> + <p> + “No,” admitted Samuel weakly. “I am afraid he is not.” + </p> + <p> + “Is he a man who loves and serves others? A man who never speaks falsehood—whom + you would believe in a matter that involved your dearest friends? Would + believe him if he told you that I was a briber and a scoundrel?” + </p> + <p> + Samuel was obliged to admit that Charlie Swift was not a man like that. + “Dr. Vince,” he said quickly, “I admit that I am at fault. I have come to + you too soon. I will find out about these things; and if they are true, I + will prove them to you. If they are not, I will go away in shame, and + never come to trouble you again as long as I live.” + </p> + <p> + Samuel said this very humbly; and yet there was a note of grim resolution + in his voice—which the doctor did not fail to note. “But, Samuel!” + he protested. “Why—why should you meddle in these things?” + </p> + <p> + “Meddle in them!” exclaimed the other. “Surely, if they are true, I have + to. You don't mean that if they were proven, you would let such men remain + in your church?” + </p> + <p> + “I don't think,” said the doctor gravely, “that I can say what I should do + in case of anything so terrible.” + </p> + <p> + “No,” was Samuel's reply, “you are right. The first thing is to find out + the truth.” + </p> + <p> + And so Samuel took his departure. + </p> + <p> + He went straight to his friend Finnegan. + </p> + <p> + “Hello!” exclaimed Finnegan. Then, “What about that job of mine?” he asked + with a broad grin. + </p> + <p> + “Dr. Vince says he will look out for you,” was the boy's reply. “But I'm + not ready to talk about that yet. There's something else come up.” + </p> + <p> + He waited until his friend had attended to the wants of a customer, and + until the customer had consumed a glass of beer and departed. Then he + called the bartender into a corner. + </p> + <p> + “Mr. Finnegan,” he said, “I want to know something very important.” + </p> + <p> + “What is it?” asked the other. + </p> + <p> + “Do you know Mr. Hickman—Henry Hickman, the lawyer?” + </p> + <p> + “He's not on my calling list,” said Finnegan. “I know him by sight.” + </p> + <p> + “I've heard it said that he had something to do with beating a water bill + in the city council. Did he?” + </p> + <p> + “You bet your life he did!” said the bartender with a grin. + </p> + <p> + “Is it true that he bought up the council?” + </p> + <p> + “You bet your life it's true!” + </p> + <p> + “And is it true that Mr. Callahan got some of the money?” + </p> + <p> + Finnegan glanced at the other suspiciously. “Say,” he said, “what's all + this about, anyhow?” + </p> + <p> + “Listen,” said Samuel gravely. “You know that Mr. Hickman is a member of + my church. And he's Dr. Vince's brother-in-law, which makes it more + complicated yet. Dr. Vince has heard these terrible stories, and you can + see how awkward it is for him. He cannot let such evil-doers go + unrebuked.” + </p> + <p> + “Gee!” said the other. “What's he going to do?” + </p> + <p> + “I don't know,” said Samuel. “He hasn't told me that. First, you see, he + has to be sure that the thing is true. And, of course, Mr. Hickman + wouldn't tell.” + </p> + <p> + “No,” said Finnegan. “Hardly!” + </p> + <p> + “And it isn't easy for the doctor to find out. You see—he's a + clergyman, and he only meets good people. But I told him I would find out + for him.” + </p> + <p> + “I see,” said Finnegan. + </p> + <p> + “What I want,” said the boy, “is to be able to tell him that I heard it + from the lips of one of the men who got the money. I won't have to say who + it is—he'll take my word for that. Do you suppose Mr. Callahan would + talk about it?” + </p> + <p> + The bartender thought for a moment. “You wait here,” he said. “The boss + has only stepped round the corner; and perhaps I can get the doctor what + he wants.” + </p> + <p> + So Samuel sat down and waited; and in a few minutes John Callahan came in. + He was a thick-set and red-faced Irishman, good-natured and pleasant + looking-not at all like the desperado Samuel had imagined. + </p> + <p> + “Say, John,” said Finnegan. “This boy here used to work for Bertie + Lockman; and he's got a girl works for the Wygants.” + </p> + <p> + “So!” said Callahan. + </p> + <p> + “And what do you think,” went on the other, “He heard old Henry Hickman + talking—he says you fellows held him up on that water bill.” + </p> + <p> + “Go on!” said Callahan. “Did he say that?” + </p> + <p> + “He did,” said Finnegan, without giving Samuel a chance to reply. + </p> + <p> + “Well,” said the other, “he's a damned liar, and he knows it. It was a + dead straight proposition, and we hadn't a thing to do with it. There was + an independent water company that wanted a franchise—and it would + have given the city its water for just half. Every time I pay my water + bill I am sorry I didn't hold out. It would have been cheaper for me in + the end.” + </p> + <p> + “He says it cost him sixty thousand,” remarked Finnegan. + </p> + <p> + “Maybe,” said the other. “You can't tell what the organization got. All I + know is that ten of us fellows in the council got two thousand apiece out + of it.” + </p> + <p> + There was a pause. Samuel was listening with his hands clenched tightly. + </p> + <p> + “Did he pay it to you himself?” asked Finnegan. + </p> + <p> + “Who, Hickman? No, he paid it to Slattery, and Slattery came here from his + office. Why, is he trying to crawl out of that part of it?” + </p> + <p> + “No, not exactly. But he makes a great fuss about being held up.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes!” said Callahan. “I dare say! He's got his new franchise, and he and + the Lockman estate are clearing about ten thousand a month out of it. And + my two thousand was gone the week I got it—it had cost me twice that + to get elected—and without counting the free drinks. It's a great + graft, being a supervisor, ain't it?” + </p> + <p> + “Why did you do it then?” asked Samuel in a faint voice. + </p> + <p> + “I'll never do it again, young fellow,” said the saloon keeper. “I'm the + Honorable John for the rest of my life, and I guess that'll do me. And the + next time old Henry Hickman wants his dirty work done, he can hunt up + somebody that needs the money more than me!” + </p> + <p> + Then the Honorable John went on to discuss the politics of Lockmanville, + and to lay bare the shameless and grotesque corruption in a town where + business interests were fighting. The trouble was, apparently, that the + people were beginning to rebel—they were tired of being robbed in so + many different ways, and they went to the polls to find redress. And time + and again, after they had elected new men to carry out their will, the + great concerns had stepped in and bought out the law-makers. The last time + it had been the unions that made the trouble; and three of the last + supervisors had been labor leaders—“the worst skates of all,” as + Callahan phrased it. + </p> + <p> + Samuel listened, while one by one the last of his illusions were torn to + shreds. There had been a general scramble to get favors from the new + government of the town; and the scramblers seemed to include every pious + and respectable member of St. Matthew's whose name Samuel had ever heard. + There was old Mr. Curtis, another of the vestrymen, who passed the plate + every Sunday morning, and looked like a study of the Olympian Jove. He + wanted to pile boxes on the sidewalks in front of his warehouse, and he + had come to Slattery and paid him two hundred dollars. + </p> + <p> + “And Mr. Wygant!” exclaimed Samuel, as a sudden thought came to him. “Is + it true that he is back of the organization?” + </p> + <p> + “Good God!” laughed Callahan. “Did you hear him say that?” + </p> + <p> + “Some one else told me,” was the reply. + </p> + <p> + “Well,” said the other, “the truth is that Wygant got cold feet before the + election, and he came to Slattery and fixed it. I know that, for Slattery + told me. We had him bluffed clean—I don't think we'd ever have got + in at all if it hadn't been for his money.” + </p> + <p> + “I see!” whispered the boy. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, he's a smooth guy!” laughed the saloon keeper. “Look at that new + franchise got for his trolley road—ninety-nine years, and anything + he wants in the meantime! And then to hear him making reform speeches! + That's what makes me mad about them fellows up on the hill. They get a + thousand dollars for every one we get; but they are tip-top swells, and + they wouldn't speak to one of us low grafters on the street. And they're + eminent citizens and pillars of the church—wouldn't it make you + sick?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” said Samuel in a low voice, “that's just what it does. It makes me + sick!” + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0022" id="link2HCH0022"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXII + </h2> + <p> + Samuel now had his evidence; and he went straight back to Dr. Vince. + “Doctor,” he said, “I am able to tell you that I know. I have heard it + from one of the men who got the money.” + </p> + <p> + “Who is he?” asked the doctor. + </p> + <p> + “I could not tell you that,” said the boy—“it would not be fair. But + you know that I am telling the truth. And this man told me with his own + lips that Mr. Hickman paid twenty thousand dollars to Slattery, the + Democratic boss, to be paid to ten of the supervisors to vote against the + other company's water bill.” + </p> + <p> + There was a long pause; the doctor sat staring in front of him. “What do + you want me to do?” he asked faintly. + </p> + <p> + “I don't know,” said Samuel. “Is it for me to tell you what is right?” + </p> + <p> + And again there was a pause. + </p> + <p> + “My boy,” said the doctor, “this is a terrible thing for me. Mr. Hickman + is my wife's brother, and she loves him very dearly. And he is a very good + friend of mine—I depend on him in all the business matters of the + church. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” said Samuel. “But he bribed the city council.” + </p> + <p> + “This thing would make a frightful scandal if it were known,” the other + went on. “Think what a terrible thing it would be for St. Matthew's!” + </p> + <p> + “It is much worse as it is,” said the boy. “For people hear the story, and + they say that the church is sheltering evil doers.” + </p> + <p> + “Think what a burden you place upon me!” cried the clergyman in distress. + “A member of my own family!” + </p> + <p> + “It is just as hard for me,” said Samuel quickly. + </p> + <p> + “In what way?” + </p> + <p> + “On account of Mr. Wygant, sir.” + </p> + <p> + “What of that?” + </p> + <p> + Samuel had meant to say—“He is to be my father-in-law.” But at the + last moment some instinct told him that it might be best to let Miss + Gladys make that announcement at her own time. So instead he said, “I am + thinking of Sophie.” + </p> + <p> + “It is not quite the same,” said the doctor; and then he repeated his + question, “What do you want me to do?” + </p> + <p> + “Truly, I don't know!” protested the boy. “I am groping about to find what + is right.” + </p> + <p> + “But you must have some idea in coming to me!” exclaimed the other + anxiously. “Do you want me to expose my brother-in-law and drive him from + the church?” + </p> + <p> + “I suppose,” said Samuel gravely, “that he would be sent to prison. But I + certainly don't think that he should be driven from the church at least + not unless he is unrepentant. First of all we should labor with him, I + think.” + </p> + <p> + “And threaten him with exposure?” + </p> + <p> + “I'll tell you, doctor,” said the boy quickly. “I've been thinking about + this very hard; and I don't think it would do much good to expose and + punish any one. That only leads to bitterness and hatred—and we + oughtn't to hate any person, you know.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah!” said the doctor with relief. + </p> + <p> + “The point is, the wicked thing that's been done. It's this robbing of the + people that must be stopped! And it's the things that have been stolen!—Let + me give you an example. To-day I met the man who came here with me to rob + your house; and I learned for the first time that he had carried off some + of your silver.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” said the other. + </p> + <p> + “And the man asked me to say nothing about what he had done, and I + promised. I felt about him just as you do about your brother-in-law—I + wouldn't denounce him and put him in jail. But I saw right away that I + must do one thing—I must make him return the things he had stolen! + That was right, was it not, doctor?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” said Dr. Vince promptly, “that was right.” + </p> + <p> + “Very well,” said the boy; “and the same thing is true about Mr. Hickman. + He has robbed the people. He has got a franchise that enables him and the + Lockman estate to make about ten thousand dollars a month out of the + public. And they must give up that franchise! They must give up every + dollar that they have made out of it! That is the whole story as I see it—nothing + else counts but that. You can make all the fuss you want about bribery and + graft, but you haven't accomplished anything unless you get back the + stolen money.” + </p> + <p> + There was a pause. “Don't you see what I mean, doctor?” asked Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” was the reply, “I see.” + </p> + <p> + “Well?” said Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “It would be no use to try it,” said the doctor. “They would never do it.” + </p> + <p> + “They wouldn't?” + </p> + <p> + “No. Nothing in the world could make them do it.” + </p> + <p> + “Not even if we threatened to denounce them?” + </p> + <p> + “No; not even then.” + </p> + <p> + “Not even if we put them in jail?” + </p> + <p> + Dr. Vince made no reply. The other sat waiting. And then suddenly he said + in a low voice, “Doctor, I mean to MAKE them give it up. I see it quite + clearly now—that is my duty. They must give it up!” + </p> + <p> + Again there was silence. + </p> + <p> + “Dr. Vince,” cried the boy in a voice of pain, “you surely mean to help + me!” + </p> + <p> + And suddenly the doctor shut his lips together tightly. “No, Samuel,” he + said. “I do not!” + </p> + <p> + The boy sat dumb. He felt a kind of faintness come over him. “You will + leave me all alone?” he said in a weak voice. + </p> + <p> + The other made no reply. + </p> + <p> + “Am I not right?” cried the boy wildly. “Have I not spoken the truth?” + </p> + <p> + “I don't know,” the doctor answered. “It is too hard a question for me to + answer. I only know that I do not feel such things to be in my province; + and I will not have anything to do with them.” + </p> + <p> + “But, doctor, you are the representative of the church!” + </p> + <p> + “Yes. And I must attend to the affairs of the church.” + </p> + <p> + “But is it no affair of the church that the people are being robbed?” + </p> + <p> + There was no reply. + </p> + <p> + “You give out charity!” protested Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “You pretend to try to help the poor! And I bring you cases, and you + confess that you can't help them—because there are too many. And you + couldn't tell how it came to be. But here I show you—I prove to you + what makes the people poor! They are being robbed—they are being + trampled upon! Their own government has been stolen from them, and is + being used to cheat them! And you won't lift your voice to help!” + </p> + <p> + “There is nothing that I can do, Samuel!” cried the clergyman wildly. + </p> + <p> + “But there is! There is! You won't try! You might at least withdraw your + help from these criminals!” + </p> + <p> + “My HELP!” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, sir! You help them! You permit them to stay in the church, and that + gives them your sanction! You shelter them, and save them from attack! If + I were to go out to-morrow and try to open the eyes of the people, no one + would listen to me, because these men are so respectable—because + they are members of the church, and friends and relatives of yours!” + </p> + <p> + “Samuel!” exclaimed the clergyman. + </p> + <p> + “And worse than that, sir! You take their money—you let the church + become dependent upon them! You told me that yourself, sir! And you give + their money to the poor people—the very people they have robbed! And + that blinds the people—they are grateful, and they don't understand! + And so you help to keep them in their chains! Don't you see that, Dr. + Vince?—why, it's just the same as if you were hired for that + purpose!” + </p> + <p> + Dr. Vince had risen in agitation. “Really, Samuel!” he cried. “You have + exceeded the limit of endurance. This cannot go on! I will not hear + another word of it!” + </p> + <p> + Samuel sat, heart broken. “Then you are going to desert me!” he exclaimed. + “You are going to make me do it alone.” + </p> + <p> + The other stared. “What are you going to do?” he demanded. + </p> + <p> + “First,” said Samuel, “I am going to see these men. I am going to give + them a chance to see the error of their ways.” + </p> + <p> + “Boy!” cried the doctor. “You are mad!” + </p> + <p> + “Perhaps I am,” was the reply. “But how can I help that?” + </p> + <p> + “At least,” exclaimed the other, “if you take any such step, you will make + it clear to them that <i>I</i> have not sent you, and that you have no + sanction from me.” + </p> + <p> + For a long time Samuel made no reply to this. Somehow it seemed the most + unworthy thing that his friend had said yet. It meant that Dr. Vince was a + coward! + </p> + <p> + “No, sir,” he said at last, “you may rest easy about that. I will take the + whole burden on my own shoulders. There's no reason why I should trouble + you any more, I think.” + </p> + <p> + And with that he rose, and went out from the house. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0023" id="link2HCH0023"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXIII + </h2> + <p> + After Samuel had left Dr. Vince, a great wave of desolation swept over + him. He was alone again, and all the world was against him! + </p> + <p> + For a moment he had an impulse to turn back. After all, he was only a boy; + and who was he, to set himself up against the wise and great? But then + like a stab, came again the thought which drove him always—the + thought of the people, suffering and starving! Truly it was better to die + than to live in a world in which there was so much misery and oppression! + That was the truth, he would rather die than let these things go on + unopposed. And so there could be no turning back-there was nothing for him + save to do what he could. + </p> + <p> + Where should he begin? He thought of Mr. Hickman—a most unpromising + person to work with. Samuel had been afraid of him from the first time he + had seen him. + </p> + <p> + Then he thought of Mr. Wygant; should he begin with him? This brought to + his mind something which had been driven away by the rush of events. Miss + Gladys! How would she take these things? And what would she think when she + learned about her father's wickedness? + </p> + <p> + A new idea came to Samuel. Why should he not take Miss Gladys into his + confidence? She would be the one to help him. She had helped him with + Sophie; and she had promised to help with Master Albert. And surely it was + her right to know about matters which concerned her family so nearly. She + would know what was best, so far as concerned her own father; he would + take her advice as to how to approach him. + </p> + <p> + He went to the house and asked for Sophie. + </p> + <p> + “Tell Miss Gladys that I want to see her,” he said; “and that it's + something very, very important.” + </p> + <p> + So Sophie went away, and returning, took him upstairs. + </p> + <p> + “Samuel,” said his divinity, “it isn't safe for you to come to see me in + the afternoons.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, Miss Gladys,” said he. “But this is something very serious. It's got + nothing to do with myself.” + </p> + <p> + “What is it?” she asked. + </p> + <p> + “It's your father, Miss Gladys.” + </p> + <p> + “My father?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, Miss Gladys. It's a long story. I shall have to begin at the + beginning.” + </p> + <p> + So he told the story of his coming to the church, and of the fervor which + had seized upon him, and how he had set to work to bring converts into the + fold; and how he had met a wicked man who had resisted his faith, and of + all the dreadful things which this man had said. When he came to what + Charlie Swift had told about her own father, Samuel was disposed to + expurgate the story; but Miss Gladys would have it all, and seemed even to + be disappointed that he had not more details to give her. + </p> + <p> + “And Hickman!” she exclaimed gleefully. “I always knew he was an old + scamp! I'll wager you haven't found out the hundredth part about him, + Samuel!” + </p> + <p> + Samuel went on to tell about the revelation at Callahan's. + </p> + <p> + “And you took that to Dr. Vince!” she cried amazed. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” said he. + </p> + <p> + “And what did he say?” + </p> + <p> + “He wouldn't have anything to do with it. And so it's all left to me.” + </p> + <p> + “And what are you going to do now?” + </p> + <p> + “I don't know, Miss Gladys. For one thing, I think I shall have to see + your father.” + </p> + <p> + “See my father!” gasped the girl. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, Miss Gladys.” + </p> + <p> + “But what for?” + </p> + <p> + “To try to get him to see how wicked these things are.” + </p> + <p> + The other was staring at him with wide-open, startled eyes. “Do you mean,” + she cried, “that you want to go to my father and talk to him about what + he's doing in politics?” + </p> + <p> + “Why, yes, Miss Gladys—what else can I do?” + </p> + <p> + And Miss Gladys took out her handkerchief, and leaned down upon the table, + hiding her face. She was overcome with some emotion, the nature of which + was not apparent. + </p> + <p> + The boy was naturally alarmed. “Miss Gladys!” he cried. “You aren't angry + with me?” + </p> + <p> + She answered, in a muffled voice, “No, Samuel—no!” + </p> + <p> + Then she looked up, her face somewhat red. “Go and see him, Samuel!” she + said. + </p> + <p> + “You don't mind?” he cried anxiously. + </p> + <p> + “No, not in the least,” she said. “Go right ahead and see what you can do. + He's a very bad, worldly man; and if you can soften his heart, it will be + the best thing for all of us.” + </p> + <p> + “And it won't make any difference in our relationship?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “In our relationship?” she repeated; and then, “Not in the least. But + mind, of course, don't say anything about that to him. Don't give him any + idea that you know me!” + </p> + <p> + “Of course not, Miss Gladys.” + </p> + <p> + “Tell him that you come from the church. And give it to him good and hard, + Samuel—for I'm sure he's done everything you told me, and lots that + is worse.” + </p> + <p> + “Miss Gladys!” gasped the other. + </p> + <p> + “And mind, Samuel!” she added. “Come and tell me about it afterwards. + Perhaps I can advise you what to do next.” + </p> + <p> + There was a pause, while the two looked at each other. And then in a + sudden burst of emotion Miss Gladys exclaimed, “Oh, Samuel, you are an + angel!” + </p> + <p> + And she broke into a peal of laughter; and swiftly, like a bird upon the + wing, she leaned toward him, and touched his cheek with her lips. And + then, like a flash, she was gone; and Samuel was left alone with his + bewilderment. + </p> + <p> + Samuel set out forthwith for Mr. Wygant's office. But just before he came + to the bridge Mr. Wygant's automobile flashed past him; and so he turned + and went back to the house. + </p> + <p> + This time he went to the front door. “I am Samuel Prescott, from St. + Matthew's Church,” he said to the butler. “And I want to see Mr. Wygant + upon important business.” + </p> + <p> + Mr. Wygant sat in a great armchair by one of the windows in his library. + About him was the most elaborate collection of books that Samuel had yet + seen; and in the luxurious room was an atmosphere of profound and age-long + calm. Mr. Wygant himself was tall and stately, with an indescribable air + of exclusiveness and reserve. + </p> + <p> + Samuel clenched his hands and rushed at once to the attack. “I am Samuel + Prescott, the sexton's boy at the church,” he said; “and I have to talk to + you about something very, VERY serious.” + </p> + <p> + “Well?” said Mr. Wygant. + </p> + <p> + Then Samuel told yet again how he had been led into evil ways, and how he + had been converted by Dr. Vince. He told the story in detail, so that the + other might comprehend his fervor. Then he told of the converts he had + made, and how at last he had encountered Charlie Swift. “And this man + would not come into the church,” he wound up, “because of the wicked + people who are in it.” + </p> + <p> + The other had been listening with perplexed interest. “Who are these + people?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “Yourself for one,” said Samuel. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Wygant started. “Myself!” he exclaimed. “What have I done?” + </p> + <p> + “For one thing,” replied Samuel, “you work little children in your mill, + and you named the State senator to beat the child-labor bill. And for + another, you make speeches and pose as a political reformer, while you are + paying money to Slattery, so that he will give you franchises.” + </p> + <p> + There was a silence, while Mr. Wygant got back his breath. “Young man,” he + cried at last, “this is a most incredible piece of impertinence!” + </p> + <p> + And suddenly the boy started toward him, stretching out his arms. “Mr. + Wygant!” he cried. “You are going to be angry with me! But I beg you not + to harden your heart! I have come here for your own good! I came because I + couldn't bear to know that such things are done by a member of St. + Matthew's Church!” + </p> + <p> + For a moment or two Mr. Wygant sat staring. “Let me ask you one thing,” he + said. “Does Dr. Vince know about this?” + </p> + <p> + “I went to Dr. Vince about it first,” replied Samuel. “And he wouldn't do + anything about it. He said that if I came to you, I must make it clear + that he did not approve of it. I have come of my own free will, sir.” + </p> + <p> + There was another pause. “You are going to be angry with me!” cried + Samuel, again. + </p> + <p> + “No,” said the other, “I will not be angry—because you are nothing + but a child, and you don't know what you are doing.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh!” said Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “You are very much in need of a little knowledge of life,” added the + other. + </p> + <p> + “But, Mr. Wygant,” exclaimed the boy, “the things I have said are true!” + </p> + <p> + “They are true—after a fashion,” was the reply. + </p> + <p> + “And they are very wrong things!” + </p> + <p> + “They seem so to you. That is because you know so little about such + matters.” + </p> + <p> + “You are corrupting the government of your country, Mr. Wygant!” + </p> + <p> + “The government of my country, as you call it, consisting of a number of + blackmailing politicians, who exist to prey upon the business I + represent.” + </p> + <p> + There was a pause. “You see, young man,” said Mr. Wygant, “I have many + responsibilities upon my shoulders—many interests looking to me for + protection. And it is as if I were surrounded by a pack of wolves.” + </p> + <p> + “But meantime,” cried Samuel, “what is becoming of free government?” + </p> + <p> + “I do not know,” the other replied. “I sometimes think that unless the + people reform, free government will soon come to an end.” + </p> + <p> + “But what are the people to do, sir?” + </p> + <p> + “They are to elect honest men, with whom one can do business—instead + of the peasant saloon keepers and blatherskite labor leaders whom they + choose at present.” + </p> + <p> + Samuel thought for a moment. “Men with whom one can do business,” he said—“but + what kind of business do you want to do?” + </p> + <p> + “How do you mean?” asked the other. + </p> + <p> + “You went to those politicians and got a franchise that will let you tax + the people whatever you please for ninety-nine years. And do you think + that was good business for the people?” + </p> + <p> + There was no reply to this. + </p> + <p> + “And how much of the property you are protecting was made in such ways as + that, sir?” + </p> + <p> + A frown had come upon Mr. Wygant's forehead. But no one could gaze into + Samuel's agonized face and remain angry. + </p> + <p> + “Young man,” said he. “I can only tell you again that you do not know the + world. If I should step out, would things be any different? The franchises + would go to some other crowd—that is all. It is the competition of + capital.” + </p> + <p> + “The competition of capital,” reflected the boy. “In other words, there is + a scramble for money, and you get what you can!” + </p> + <p> + “You may put it that way, sir.” + </p> + <p> + “And you think that your responsibility ends when you've got a share for + your crowd!” + </p> + <p> + “Yes—I suppose that is it.” + </p> + <p> + There was a pause. “I see perfectly,” said Samuel, in a low voice. + “There's only one thing I can't understand.” + </p> + <p> + “What is that?” + </p> + <p> + “Why you should belong to the church, sir? What has this money scramble to + do with the teaching of Jesus?” + </p> + <p> + And then Samuel saw that he had overstepped the mark. “Really, young man,” + said Mr. Wygant, “I cannot see what is to be gained by pursuing this + conversation.” + </p> + <p> + “But, sir, you are degrading the church!” + </p> + <p> + “The subject must be dropped!” said Mr. Wygant sternly. “You are presuming + upon my good nature. You are forgetting your place.” + </p> + <p> + “I have been reminded of my place before,” said Samuel, in a suppressed + voice. “But I do not know what my place is.” + </p> + <p> + “That is quite evident,” responded the other. “It is your place to do your + work, and be respectful to your superiors, and keep your opinions to + yourself.” + </p> + <p> + “I see that you will get angry with me,” said the boy, “I can't make you + understand—I am only trying to find the truth. I want to do what's + right, Mr. Wygant!” + </p> + <p> + “I suppose you do,” began the other— + </p> + <p> + “I want to understand, sir—just what is it that makes another person + my superior?” + </p> + <p> + “People who are older than you, and who are wiser—” + </p> + <p> + “But is it age and wisdom, Mr. Wygant? I worked for Master Albert Lockman, + and he's hardly any older than I. And yet he was my superior!” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” admitted the other— + </p> + <p> + “And in spite of the wicked life that he's leading, sir!” + </p> + <p> + “What!” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, Mr. Wygant—he's drinking, and going with bad women. And yet he + is my superior.” + </p> + <p> + “Ahem!” said Mr. Wygant. + </p> + <p> + “Isn't it simply that he has got a lot of money?” pursued Samuel + relentlessly. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Wygant did not reply. + </p> + <p> + “And isn't my 'place' simply the fact that I haven't any money at all?” + </p> + <p> + Again there was no reply. + </p> + <p> + “And yet, I see the truth, and I have to speak it! And how can I get to a + 'place' where I may?” + </p> + <p> + “Really,” said Mr. Wygant coldly, “you will have to solve that problem for + yourself.” + </p> + <p> + “Apparently, I should have to take part in the scramble for money—if + it's only money that counts.” + </p> + <p> + “Young man,” said the other, “I feel sorry for you—you will get some + hard knocks from the world before you get through. You will have to learn + to take life as you find it. Perhaps many of us would make it different, + if we could have our way. But you will find that life is a hard battle. It + is a struggle for existence, and the people who survive are the ones who + are best fitted—” + </p> + <p> + And suddenly Samuel raised his hand. “I thank you, Mr. Wygant,” he said + gravely, “but I have been all through that part of it before.” + </p> + <p> + “What do you mean?” asked the other. + </p> + <p> + “I couldn't explain,” said he. “You wouldn't understand me. I see that you + are another of the followers of Herbert Spencer. And that's all right—only + WHY do you belong to the church? Why do you pretend to follow Jesus—-” + </p> + <p> + And suddenly Mr. Wygant rose to his feet. “This is quite too much,” he + said. “I must ask you to leave my house.” + </p> + <p> + “But, sir!” cried Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “Not another word!” exclaimed the other. “Please leave the house!” + </p> + <p> + And so the conversation came to an end. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0024" id="link2HCH0024"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXIV + </h2> + <p> + Samuel had had nothing to eat since morning, but he did not feel hungry. + He was faint from grief and despair. To encounter a man of the world like + Mr. Wygant, cold and merciless and masterful—that was a terrible + ordeal for him. The man seemed to him like some great fortress of evil; + and what could he do, save to gaze at it in impotent rage? + </p> + <p> + He went home, and Sophie met him at the door. “I thought you wanted an + early supper, Samuel,” said she. + </p> + <p> + “Why?” he asked dully. + </p> + <p> + “You had something to do at the church tonight!” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” he recollected, “there's to be a vestry meeting, and I have to + light up. But I'm tired of the church work.” + </p> + <p> + “Tired of the church work!” gasped the child. “Yes,” he said. And then to + the amazed and terrified family, he told the story of his day's + experiences. + </p> + <p> + Sophie listened, thrilling with excitement. “And you went to see Mr. + Wygant!” she cried in awe. “Oh, Samuel, how brave of you!” + </p> + <p> + “He ordered me out of his house,” said the boy bitterly. “And Dr. Vince + has gone back on me—I have no one at all to help.” + </p> + <p> + Sophie came to him and flung her arms about him. “You have us, Samuel!” + she exclaimed. “We will stand by you—won't we mother?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” said Mrs. Stedman—“but what can poor people like us do?” + </p> + <p> + “And then you have Miss Gladys!” cried Sophie after a moment. + </p> + <p> + “Miss Gladys!” he echoed. “Will she take my part against her own father?” + </p> + <p> + “She told you that she loved you, Samuel,” said the child. “And she knows + that you are in the right.” + </p> + <p> + “I will have to go and see her,” said Samuel after a little. “I promised + that I would come and tell what happened.” + </p> + <p> + “And I will see her, too!” put in the other. “Oh, I'm sure she'll stand by + you!” + </p> + <p> + The child's face was aglow with excitement; and Samuel looked at her, and + for the first time it occurred to him that Sophie was really beautiful. + Her face had filled out and her color had come back, since she had been + getting one meal every day at the Wygant's. “Don't you think Miss Gladys + will help, mother?” she asked. + </p> + <p> + “I don't know,” said Mrs. Stedman dubiously. + </p> + <p> + “It's very terrible—I can't see why such things have to be.” + </p> + <p> + “You think that Samuel did right, don't you?” cried the child. + </p> + <p> + “I—I suppose so,” she answered. “It's hard to say—it will make + so much trouble. And if Miss Gladys were angry, then you might lose your + place!” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, mother!” cried Sophie. And the two young people gazed at each other + in sudden dismay. That was something they had never thought of. + </p> + <p> + “You mustn't do it, Sophie!” cried the boy. “You must leave it to me!” + </p> + <p> + “But why should you make all the sacrifices?” replied Sophie. “If it's + right for you, isn't it right for me?” + </p> + <p> + “But, Sophie!” wailed Mrs. Stedman. “If you lost this place we should all + starve!” + </p> + <p> + And again they stared at each other with terror in their eyes. “Sophie,” + said Samuel, “I forbid you to have anything to do with it!” + </p> + <p> + But in his heart he knew that he might as well not have said this. And + Mrs. Stedman knew it, too, and turned white with fear. + </p> + <p> + The boy ate a few hurried mouthfuls, and then went off to his work at the + church. But he did not go with the old joy in his soul. Before this it had + been the work of the Lord that he had been doing; but now he was only + serving the Wygants—and the Hickmans—apparently one always + served them, no matter where or how he worked in this world. + </p> + <p> + “You are late,” said old Mr. Jacobs, the sexton, when he arrived. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, sir,” said Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “Dr. Vince left word that he wanted to see you as soon as you came.” + </p> + <p> + The boy's heart gave a leap. Had the doctor by any chance repented? “Where + is he?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “In the vestry room,” said the other; and the boy went there. + </p> + <p> + The instant he entered, Dr. Vince sprang to his feet. “Samuel,” he cried + vehemently, “this thing has got to stop!” + </p> + <p> + “What thing, Dr. Vince?” + </p> + <p> + “Your conduct is beyond endurance, boy—you are driving me to + distraction!” + </p> + <p> + “What have I done now, sir?” + </p> + <p> + “My brother-in-law has just been here, making a terrible disturbance. You + have been defaming him among the congregation of the church!” + </p> + <p> + “But, Dr. Vince!” cried Samuel, in amazement. “I have done nothing of the + sort!” + </p> + <p> + “But you must have! Everyone is talking about it!” + </p> + <p> + “Doctor,” said the boy solemnly, “you are mistaken. I went to see Mr. + Wygant, as I told you I would. Besides that, I have not spoken to a single + soul about it, except just now to Sophie and Mrs. Stedman.—Oh, yes,” + he added quickly—“and to Miss Gladys!” + </p> + <p> + “Ah!” exclaimed the other. “There you have it! Miss Gladys is a school + friend of Mr. Hickman's daughter; and, of course, she went at once to tell + her. And, of course, she will tell everyone else she knows—the whole + congregation will be gossiping about it to-morrow!” + </p> + <p> + “I am very sorry, sir.” + </p> + <p> + “You see the trouble you cause me! And I must tell you plainly, Samuel, + that this thing cannot go on another minute. Unless you are prepared to + give up these absurd ideas of yours and attend to your duties as the + sexton's boy, it will be necessary for you to leave the church.” + </p> + <p> + Samuel was staring at him aghast. “Leave the church!” he cried. + </p> + <p> + “Most assuredly!” declared the other. + </p> + <p> + “Dr. Vince!” exclaimed the other. “Do you mean that you would actually try + to turn me out of the church?” + </p> + <p> + “I would, sir!” + </p> + <p> + “But, doctor, have you the right to do that?” + </p> + <p> + “The right? Why not?” + </p> + <p> + “You have the right to take away my work. But to turn me out of the + church?” + </p> + <p> + “Samuel,” cried the distracted clergyman, “am I not the rector of this + church?” + </p> + <p> + “But, doctor,” cried Samuel, “it is the church of God!” + </p> + <p> + There was a long pause. + </p> + <p> + Finally, Samuel took up the conversation again. “Tell me, Dr. Vince,” he + said. “When Mr. Hickman came to see you, did he deny that he had committed + that crime?” + </p> + <p> + “I did not ask him,” replied the other. + </p> + <p> + “You didn't ask him!” exclaimed the boy in dismay. “You didn't even care + that much?” + </p> + <p> + Again there was a pause. “I asked Mr. Wygant,” said Samuel in a low voice. + “And he confessed that he was guilty.” + </p> + <p> + “What!” cried the other. + </p> + <p> + “He confessed it—his whole conversation was a confession of it. He + said everybody did those things, because that was the way to make money, + and everybody wanted to make money. He called it competition. And then I + asked him why he came to the church of Jesus, and he ordered me out of his + house.” + </p> + <p> + Dr. Vince was listening with knitted brows. “And what do you propose to do + now,” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “I don't know, sir. I suppose I shall have to expose him.” + </p> + <p> + “Samuel,” exclaimed the clergyman, “in all this wild behavior of yours, + does it never occur to you that you owe some gratitude to me?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, doctor!” cried the boy, clasping his hands in agony. “Don't say + anything like that to me!” + </p> + <p> + “I do say it!” persisted the other. “I saved you and helped you; and now + you are causing me most terrible suffering!” + </p> + <p> + “Doctor,” protested Samuel, “I would do anything in the world for you—I + would die for you. But you ask me to be false to my duty; and how can I do + that?” + </p> + <p> + “But does it never occur to you that older and wiser people may be better + able to judge than you are?” + </p> + <p> + “But the facts are so plain, sir! And you have never answered me! You + simply command me to be silent!” + </p> + <p> + The other did not reply. + </p> + <p> + “When I came to you,” went on Samuel, “you taught me about love and + brotherhood—about self-sacrifice and service. And I took you at your + word, sir. As God is my witness, I have done nothing but try to apply what + you told me! I have tried to help the poor and oppressed. And how could I + know that you did not really mean what you said?” + </p> + <p> + “Samuel,” protested the other, “you have no right to say that! I am doing + all that I can. I preach upon these things very often.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes!” exclaimed the boy, “but what do you preach? Do you tell the truth + to these rich people who come to your church? Do you say to them: 'You are + robbing the poor. You are the cause of all the misery which exists in this + town—you carry the guilt of it upon your souls. And you must cease + from robbery and oppression—you must give up this wealth that you + have taken from the people!' No—you don't say that—you know + that you don't! And can't you see what that means, Dr. Vince—it + means that the church is failing in its mission! And there will have to be + a new church—somewhere, somehow! For these things exist! They are + right here in our midst, and something must be done!” + </p> + <p> + And the boy sprang forward in his excitement, stretching out his arms. + “The people are starving! Right here about us—here in Lockmanville! + They are starving! starving! starving! Don't you understand, Dr. Vince? + Starving!” + </p> + <p> + The doctor wrung his hands in his agitation. “Boy,” he exclaimed, “this + thing cannot go on. I cannot stand it any longer!” + </p> + <p> + “But what am I to do, sir?” + </p> + <p> + “You are to submit yourself to my guidance. I ask you, once for all, Will + you give up these wild courses of yours?” + </p> + <p> + “Dr. Vince,” cried Samuel, “I cannot! I cannot!” + </p> + <p> + “Then I tell you it will be necessary for us to part. You will give up + your position, and you will leave the church.” + </p> + <p> + The tears started into Samuel's eyes. “Doctor,” he cried frantically, + “don't cast me out! Don't! I beg you on my knees, sir!” + </p> + <p> + “I have spoken,” said the other, clenching his hands. + </p> + <p> + “But think what you are doing!” protested the boy. “You are casting out + your own soul! You are turning your back upon the truth!” + </p> + <p> + “I tell you you must go!” exclaimed the doctor. + </p> + <p> + “But think of it! It means the end of the church. For don't you see—I + shall have to fight you! I shall have to expose you! And I shall prevail + over you, because I have the truth with me—because you have cast it + out! Think what you are doing when you cast out the truth!” + </p> + <p> + “I will hear no more of this!” cried Dr. Vince wildly. “You are raving. I + tell you to go! I tell you to go! Go now!” + </p> + <p> + And Samuel turned and went, sobbing meanwhile as if his heart would break. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0025" id="link2HCH0025"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXV + </h2> + <p> + Samuel rushed away into the darkness. But he couldn't stay away—he + could not bring himself to believe that he was separated from St. + Matthew's forever. He turned and came back to the church, and stood gazing + at it, choking with his sobs. + </p> + <p> + Then, as he waited, he saw an automobile draw up in front of the side + entrance, and saw Mr. Wygant step out and enter. The sight was like a blow + in the face to him. There was the proud rich man, defiant and unpunished, + seated in the place of authority; while Samuel, the Seeker, was turned out + of the door! + </p> + <p> + A blaze of rebellion flamed up in him. No, no—they should not cast + him off! He would fight them—he would fight to the very end. The + church was not their church—it was the church of God! And he had a + right to belong to it—and to speak the truth in it, too! + </p> + <p> + And so, just after the vestry had got settled to the consideration of the + architect's sketch for the new Nurse's Home, there came a loud knock upon + the door, and Samuel entered, wild-eyed and breathless. + </p> + <p> + “Gentlemen!” he cried. “I demand a hearing!” + </p> + <p> + Dr. Vince sprang to his feet in terror. “Samuel Prescott!” he exclaimed. + </p> + <p> + “I have been ordered out of the church!” proclaimed Samuel. “And I will + not submit to it! I have spoken the truth, and I will not permit the + evil-doers in St. Matthew's to silence me!” + </p> + <p> + Mr. Hickman had sprung up. “Boy,” he commanded, “leave this room!” + </p> + <p> + “I will not leave the room!” shouted Samuel. “I demand a hearing from the + vestry of this church. I have a right to a hearing! I have spoken the + truth, and nothing but the truth!” + </p> + <p> + “What is the boy talking about?” demanded another of the vestrymen. This + was Mr. Hamerton, a young lawyer, whose pleasant face Samuel had often + noticed. And Samuel, seeing curiosity and interest in his look, sprang + toward him. + </p> + <p> + “Don't let them turn me out without a hearing!” he cried. + </p> + <p> + “Boy!” exclaimed Mr. Hickman, “I command you to leave this room.” + </p> + <p> + “You corrupted the city council!” shrilled Samuel. “You bribed it to beat + the water bill! It's true, and you know it's true, and you don't dare to + deny it!” + </p> + <p> + Mr. Hickman was purple in the face with rage. “It's a preposterous lie!” + he roared. + </p> + <p> + “I have talked with one of the men who got the money!” cried Samuel. + “There was two thousand dollars paid to ten of the supervisors.” + </p> + <p> + “Who is this man?” cried the other furiously. + </p> + <p> + “I won't tell his name,” said Samuel. “He told me in confidence.” + </p> + <p> + “Aha!” laughed the other. “I knew as much! It is a vile slander!” + </p> + <p> + “It is true!” protested Samuel. “Dr. Vince, you know that I am telling the + truth. What reason would I have for making it up?” + </p> + <p> + “I have told you, Samuel,” exclaimed Dr. Vince, “that I would have nothing + to do with this matter.” + </p> + <p> + “I will take any member of this vestry to talk with that man!” declared + the boy. “Anybody can find out about these things if he wants to. Why, Mr. + Wygant told me himself that he had paid money to Slattery to get + franchises!” + </p> + <p> + And then Mr. Wygant came into the controversy. “WHAT!” he shouted. + </p> + <p> + “Why, of course you did!” cried Samuel in amazement. “Didn't you tell me + this very afternoon?” + </p> + <p> + “I told you nothing of the sort!” declared the man. + </p> + <p> + “You told me everybody did it—that there was no way to help doing + it. You called it the competition of capital!” + </p> + <p> + “I submit that this is an outrage!” exclaimed Mr. Hickman. “Leave this + room, sir!” + </p> + <p> + “The poor people in this town are suffering and dying!” cried Samuel. “And + they are being robbed and oppressed. And are these things to go on + forever?” + </p> + <p> + “Samuel, this is no place to discuss the question!” broke in Dr. Vince. + </p> + <p> + “But why not, sir? The guilty men are high in the councils of this church. + They hold the church up to disgrace before all the world. And this is the + church of Christ, sir!” + </p> + <p> + “But yours is not the way to go about it, boy!” exclaimed Mr. Hamerton—who + was alarmed because Samuel kept looking at him. + </p> + <p> + “Why not?” cried Samuel. “Did not Christ drive out the money-changers from + the temple with whips?” + </p> + <p> + This was an uncomfortable saying. There was a pause after it, as if + everyone were willing to let his neighbor speak first. + </p> + <p> + “Are we not taught to follow Christ's example, Dr. Vince?” asked the boy. + </p> + <p> + “Hardly in that sense, Samuel,” said the terrified doctor. “Christ was + God. And we can hardly be expected—” + </p> + <p> + “Ah, that is a subterfuge!” broke in Samuel, passionately. “You say that + Christ was God, and so you excuse yourself from doing what He tells you + to! But I don't believe that He was God in any such sense as that. He was + a man, like you and me! He was a poor man, who suffered and starved! And + the rich men of His time despised Him and spit upon Him and crucified + Him!” + </p> + <p> + Here a new member of the vestry entered the arena. This was the venerable + Mr. Curtis, who looked like a statue of the Olympian Jove. “Boy,” he said + sternly, “you object to being put out of the church—and yet you + confess to being an infidel.” + </p> + <p> + “I may be an infidel, Mr. Curtis,” replied the other, quickly; “but I + never paid two hundred dollars to Slattery so that the police would let me + block the sidewalks of the town.” + </p> + <p> + And Mr. Curtis subsided and took no further part in the discussion. + </p> + <p> + “The church cast out Jesus!” went on Samuel, taking advantage of the + confusion. “And it was the rich and powerful in the church who did it. And + he used about them language far more violent than I have ever used. 'Woe + unto you, scribes and pharisees, hypocrites!' he said. 'Woe unto you also, + you lawyers!—Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape + the damnation of hell?' And if He were here tonight He would be on my side—and + the rich evil-doers who sit on this board would cast Him out again! You + have cast Him out already! You have shut your ears to the cry of the + oppressed—you make mockery of justice and truth! You are crucifying + Him again every day!” + </p> + <p> + “This is outrageous!” cried Mr. Hickman. “It is blasphemy!” + </p> + <p> + “It must stop instantly,” put in Mr. Wygant. And Samuel knew that when Mr. + Wygant spoke, he meant to be obeyed. + </p> + <p> + “Then there is no one here who will hear me?” he exclaimed. “Mr. Hamerton, + won't you help me?” + </p> + <p> + “What do you want us to do?” demanded Mr. Hamerton. + </p> + <p> + “I want the vestry to investigate these charges. I want you to find out + whether it is true that members of St. Matthew's have been corrupting the + government of Lockmanville. And if it is true, I want you to drive such + men from the church! They have no place in the church, sir! Men who spend + their whole time in trying to get the people's money from them! Men who + openly declare, as Mr. Wygant did to me, that it is necessary to bribe + lawmakers in order to make money! Such men degrade the church and drag it + from its mission. They are the enemies the church exists to fight—” + </p> + <p> + “Are we here to listen to a sermon from this boy?” shouted Mr. Hickman + furiously. + </p> + <p> + “Samuel, leave this room!” commanded Dr. Vince. + </p> + <p> + “Then there is no one here who will help me?” + </p> + <p> + “I told you you could accomplish nothing by such behavior. Leave the + room!” + </p> + <p> + “Very well, then,” cried the boy wildly, “I will go. But I tell you I will + not give up without a fight. I will expose you and denounce you to the + world! The people shall know you for what you are—cowards and + hypocrites, faithless to your trust! Plunderers of the public! Corrupters + of the state!” + </p> + <p> + “Get out of here, you young villain!” shouted Hickman, advancing with a + menace. + </p> + <p> + And the boy, blazing with fury, pointed his finger straight into his face. + “You, Henry Hickman!” he cried. “You are the worst of them all! You, the + great lawyer—the eminent statesman! I have been among the lowest—I + have been with saloon keepers and criminals—with publicans and + harlots and thieves—but never yet have I met a man as merciless and + as hard as you! You a Christian—you might be the Roman soldier who + spat in Jesus' face!” + </p> + <p> + And with that last thunderbolt Samuel turned and went out, slamming the + door with a terrific bang in the great lawyer's face. + </p> + <p> + For at least a couple of hours Samuel paced the streets of Lockmanville, + to let his rage and grief subside. And then he went home, and to his + astonishment found that Sophie Stedman had been waiting up for him all + this while. + </p> + <p> + She listened breathlessly to the story of his evening's adventures. Then + she said, “I have been trying to do something, too.” + </p> + <p> + “What have you done?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “I went to see little Ethel,” she replied. + </p> + <p> + “Ethel Vince!” he gasped. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” said she. “She is your friend, you know; and I went to ask her not + to let her father turn you off.” + </p> + <p> + “And what came of it?” + </p> + <p> + “She cried,” said Sophie. “She was terribly unhappy. She said that she + knew that you were a good boy; and that she would never rest until her + father had taken you back.” + </p> + <p> + “You don't mean it!” cried Samuel in amazement. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, Samuel; but then her mother came.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! And what then?” + </p> + <p> + “She scolded me! She was very angry with me. She said I had no right to + fill the child's mind with falsehoods about her uncle. And she wouldn't + listen to me—she turned me out of the house.” + </p> + <p> + There was a long silence. “I don't think I did any good at all,” said + Sophie in a low voice. “We are going to have to do it all by ourselves.” + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0026" id="link2HCH0026"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXVI + </h2> + <p> + Samuel slept not a wink all that night. First he lay wrestling with the + congregation. And then his thoughts came to Miss Gladys, and what he was + going to say to her. This kindled a fire in his blood, and when the first + streaks of dawn were in the sky, he rose and went out to walk. + </p> + <p> + Throughout all these adventures, his feelings had been mingled with the + excitement of his love for her. Samuel hardly knew what to make of + himself. He had never kissed a woman in his life before—but now + desire was awake, and from the deeps of him the most unexpected emotions + came surging, sweeping him away. He was a prey to longings and terrors. + Wild ecstasies came to him, and then followed plunges into melancholy. He + longed to see her, and other things stood in the way, and he did not know + why he should be so tormented. + </p> + <p> + Just to be in love would have been enough. But to have been given the love + of a being like Miss Gladys—peerless and unapproachable, almost + unimaginable! + </p> + <p> + After hours of pacing the streets, he called to see her. And she came to + him, her face alight with eager curiosity, and crying, “Tell me all about + it!” + </p> + <p> + She listened, almost dumb with amazement. “And you said that to my + father!” she exclaimed again and again. “And to Mr. Hickman! And to old + Mr. Curtis! Samuel! Samuel!” + </p> + <p> + “It was all true, Miss Gladys,” he insisted. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” she said—“but—to say it to them!” + </p> + <p> + “They turned me out of the church,” he went on. “Had they a right to do + that?” + </p> + <p> + “I don't know,” she answered. “Oh, my, what a time there will be!” + </p> + <p> + “And what are you going to do now?” she asked after a pause. + </p> + <p> + “I don't know. I wanted to talk about it with you.” + </p> + <p> + “But what do you think of doing?” + </p> + <p> + “I must expose them to the people.” + </p> + <p> + Miss Gladys looked at him quickly. “Oh, no, Samuel,” she said—“you + mustn't do that!” + </p> + <p> + “Why not, Miss Gladys?” + </p> + <p> + “Because—it wouldn't do.” + </p> + <p> + “But Miss Gladys—” + </p> + <p> + “It wouldn't be decent, Samuel. And it's so much more effective to talk + with people privately, as you have been doing.” + </p> + <p> + “But who else is there to talk to?” + </p> + <p> + “Why, I don't know. We'll have to think.” + </p> + <p> + “It's your father and Mr. Hickman I have to deal with, Miss Gladys. And + they won't listen to me any more!” + </p> + <p> + “Perhaps not. But, then, see how much you have done already!” + </p> + <p> + “What have I done?” + </p> + <p> + “Think how ashamed you have made them!” + </p> + <p> + “But what difference does that make, Miss Gladys? Don't you see they've + still got the money they've taken?” + </p> + <p> + There was a pause. “This is something I have been thinking,” said Samuel + gravely. “I've had this great burden laid upon me, and I must carry it. I + have to see the thing through to the end. And I'm afraid it will be + painful to you. You may feel that you can't possibly marry me.” + </p> + <p> + At these words Miss Gladys gave a wild start. She stared at him in + consternation. “Marry you!” she gasped. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” he said; and then, seeing the look upon her face, he stopped. + </p> + <p> + “Marry you!” she panted again. + </p> + <p> + A silence followed, while they gazed at each other. + </p> + <p> + “Why, Samuel!” she exclaimed. + </p> + <p> + “Miss Gladys,” he said in a low voice, “you told me that you loved me.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” she said, “but surely—” And then suddenly she bit her lips + together exclaiming, “This has gone too far!” + </p> + <p> + “Miss Gladys!” he cried. + </p> + <p> + “Samuel,” she said, “we have been two bad children; and we must not go on + in this way.” + </p> + <p> + The boy gave a gasp of amazement. + </p> + <p> + “I had no idea that you were taking me so seriously,” she continued. “It + wasn't fair to me.” + </p> + <p> + “Then—then you don't love me!” he panted. + </p> + <p> + “Why—perhaps,” she replied, “how can I tell? But one does not marry + because one loves, Samuel.” + </p> + <p> + He gazed at her, speechless. + </p> + <p> + “I thought we were playing with each other; and I thought you understood + it. It wasn't very wise, perhaps—-” + </p> + <p> + “Playing with each other!” whispered the boy, his voice almost gone. + </p> + <p> + “You take everything with such frightful seriousness,” she protested. + “Really, I don't think you had any right—-” + </p> + <p> + “Miss Gladys!” he cried in sudden anguish; and she stopped and stared at + him, frightened. + </p> + <p> + “Do you know what you have done to me?” he exclaimed. + </p> + <p> + “Samuel,” she said in a trembling voice, “I am very much surprised and + upset. I had no idea of such a thing; and you must stop, before it is too + late.” + </p> + <p> + “But I love you!” he cried, half beside himself. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” she said in great agitation—“and that's very good of you. But + there are some things you must remember—” + </p> + <p> + “You—you let me embrace you, Miss Gladys! You let me think of you + so! Why, what is a man to do? What was I to make of it? I had never loved + a woman before. And you—you led me on—” + </p> + <p> + “Samuel, you must not talk like this!” she broke in. “I can't listen to + you. It was a misunderstanding, and you must forget it all. You must go + away. We must not meet again.” + </p> + <p> + “Miss Gladys!” he cried in horror. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” she exclaimed, “you must go—” + </p> + <p> + “You are going to turn me off!” he panted. “Oh, how can you say such a + thing? Why, think what you have done to me!” + </p> + <p> + “Samuel,” protested the girl angrily, “this is perfectly preposterous + behavior of you! You have no right to go on in this way. You never had any + right to—to think such things. How could you so forget your place?” + </p> + <p> + And he started as if stung with a whip. “My place!” he gasped. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” she said. + </p> + <p> + “I see, I see!” he burst out. “It's my 'place' again. It's the fact that I + have no money!” + </p> + <p> + “Why, Samuel!” she exclaimed. “What a thing to say! It's not that—” + </p> + <p> + “It's that, and it's nothing but that! It never is anything but that! It's + because I am a poor boy, and couldn't help myself! You told me that you + loved me, and I believed you. You were so beautiful, and I thought that + you must be good! Why, I worshiped the very ground you walked on. I would + have done anything in the world for you—I would have died for you! I + went about thinking about you all day—I made you into a dream of + everything that was good and perfect! And now—now—you say that + you were only playing with me! Using me for your selfish pleasure—just + as you do all the other poor people!” + </p> + <p> + “Samuel!” she gasped. + </p> + <p> + “Just as your father does the children in his mill! Just as your cousin + does the poor girls he seduces! Just as you do everything in life that you + touch!” + </p> + <p> + The girl had turned scarlet with anger. “How dare you speak to me that + way?” she cried. + </p> + <p> + “I dare to speak the truth to anyone! And that is the truth about you! You + are like all the rest of them—the members of your class. You are + parasites—vampires—you devour other people's lives! And you + are the worst, because you are a woman! You are beautiful, and you ought + to be all the things that I imagined you were! But you use your beauty for + a snare—you wreck men's lives with it—” + </p> + <p> + “Stop, Samuel!” + </p> + <p> + “I won't stop! You shall hear me! You drew me on deliberately—you + wanted to amuse yourself with me, to see what I would do. And you had + never a thought about me, or my rights, or the harm you might be doing to + me! And now you've got tired—and you tell me to end it! You tell me + about my 'place!' What am I in the world for, but to afford you amusement? + What are all the working people for but to save you trouble and keep you + beautiful and happy? What are the children for but to spin clothes for you + to wear? And you—what do you do for them, to pay for their wasted + lives, for all their toil and suffering?” + </p> + <p> + “Samuel Prescott!” cried the outraged girl. “I will not hear another word + of this!” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, that's just what your father said! And what your cousin said! And + what your clergyman said! And you can send for the butler and have me put + out—but let me tell you that will not be the end of it. We shall + find some way to get at you! The people will not always be your slaves—they + will not always give their lives to keep you in idleness and luxury! You + were born to it—you've had everything in the world that you wanted, + from the first hour of your life. And you think that will go on forever, + that nothing can ever change it! But let me tell you that it seems + different to the people underneath! We are tired of being robbed and spit + upon! And we mean to fight! We mean to fight! We don't intend to be + starved and tormented forever!” + </p> + <p> + And then in the midst of his wild tirade, Samuel stopped, and stared with + horror in his eyes—realizing that this was Miss Gladys to whom he + was talking! And suddenly a storm of sobs rose in him; and he put his + hands to his face, and burst into tears, and turned and rushed from the + room. + </p> + <p> + He went down the street, like a hunted animal, beside himself with grief, + and looking for some place to hide. And as he ran on, he pulled out the + faded pictures he had carried next to his heart, and tore them into pieces + and flung them to the winds. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0027" id="link2HCH0027"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXVII + </h2> + <p> + When Sophie came home that evening, Samuel had mastered himself. He told + her the story without a tremor in his voice. And this was well, for he was + not prepared for the paroxysm of emotion with which the child received the + news. Miss Gladys had been the last of Samuel's illusions; but she was the + only one that Sophie had ever had. The child had made her life all over + out of the joy of working for her; and now, hearing the story of her + treatment of Samuel, she was almost beside herself with grief. + </p> + <p> + Samuel was frightened at her violence. “Listen, Sophie,” he said, putting + his arm around her. “We must not forget our duty.” + </p> + <p> + “I could never go back there again!” exclaimed the child wildly. “I should + die if I had to see her again!” + </p> + <p> + “I don't mean that,” said the other quickly—seeking to divert her + thoughts. “But you must remember what I have to do; and you must help me.” + </p> + <p> + He went on to tell her of his plan to fight for the possession of St. + Matthew's Church. “And we must not give way to bitterness,” he said; “it + would be a very wicked thing if we did it from anger.” + </p> + <p> + “But how can you help it?” she cried. + </p> + <p> + “It is hard,” said Samuel; “but I have been wrestling with myself. We must + not hate these people. They have done evil to us, but they do not realize + it—they are poor human beings like the rest of us.” + </p> + <p> + “But they are bad, selfish people!” exclaimed the child. + </p> + <p> + “I have thought it all out,” said he. “I have been walking the streets all + day, thinking about it. And I will not let myself feel anything but pity + for them. They have done me wrong, but it is nothing to the wrong they + have done themselves.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, Samuel, you are so good!” exclaimed Sophie; and he winced—because + that was what Miss Gladys had said to him. + </p> + <p> + “I had to settle it with myself,” he explained. “I have got to carry on a + fight against them, and I have to be sure that I'm not just venting my + spite.” + </p> + <p> + “What are you going to do?” asked Sophie. + </p> + <p> + “I am going to put the facts before the congregation of the church. If + they will do nothing, I am going to the people.” + </p> + <p> + “But how, Samuel?” + </p> + <p> + “I am going to call a meeting. See, I have written this.” + </p> + <p> + And he took from his pocket a piece of paper, on which he had printed, in + capital letters, as follows: + </p> + <h3> + TO THE MEMBERS OF ST. MATTHEWS! + </h3> + <p> + “There is corruption in the church. Members of its vestry have bribed the + government of the town. They are robbing the people. The vestry has + refused me a hearing and turned me out of the church. I appeal to the + congregation. Next Wednesday evening, at eight o'clock, I will address a + meeting on the vacant lot opposite the church, and will tell what I know. + SAMUEL PRESCOTT.” + </p> + <p> + “And what are you going to do with that?” asked Sophie in wonder. + </p> + <p> + “I am going to have it printed on little slips, and give them out to the + people when they are coming out of the church to-morrow morning.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, Samuel!” gasped the child. + </p> + <p> + “I have to do it,” he said. + </p> + <p> + “But, Samuel, everyone will come—people from all over town.” + </p> + <p> + “I can't help that,” he answered. “I can't afford to hire a hall; and they + wouldn't let me speak in the church.” + </p> + <p> + “But can you get this printed so quickly?” + </p> + <p> + “I don't know,” said he. “I must find some one.” + </p> + <p> + Sophie clapped her hands suddenly. “Oh, I know just the very thing!” she + cried. “Friedrich Bremer has a printing press!” + </p> + <p> + “What!” + </p> + <p> + “Yes. His father used to print things. They will tell us.” And so, without + stopping to eat, the two hurried off to the Bremer family; and mother and + father and all the children sat and listened in astonishment while Samuel + told his tale. Friedrich was thrilling with excitement; and old Johann's + red face grew fiery. + </p> + <p> + “Herr Gott!” he cried. “I vas that vay myself once!” + </p> + <p> + “And then will you help me to get them printed?” asked Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “Sure!” replied the other. “I will do it myself. Vy did I go through the + Commune?” And so the whole family adjourned to the attic, and the little + printing outfit was dragged out from under the piles of rubbish. + </p> + <p> + “I used it myself,” said the old carpet designer. “But vhen I come here + they give me a varning, and I haf not dared. For two years I haf not even + been to the meetings of the local.” + </p> + <p> + “Of the what?” asked Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “I am a Socialist,” explained Mr. Bremer. And Samuel gave a start. Ought + he to accept any help from Socialists? But meantime Friedrich was sorting + out the type, and his father was inspecting Samuel's copy. + </p> + <p> + “You must make it vith a plenty of paragraphs,” he said; “and exclamation + points, too. Then they vill read it.” + </p> + <p> + “They'll read it!” said Friedrich grimly. + </p> + <p> + “How shall we print it?” asked the father; and the children rushed + downstairs and came back with some sheets of writing paper, and a lot of + brown wrapping paper. They sat on the floor and folded and cut it, while + Friedrich set the type. And this was the way of the printing of Samuel's + first manifesto. + </p> + <p> + “Can you make a speech?” Mrs. Bremer asked. “Won't you be frightened?” + </p> + <p> + To which Samuel answered gravely: “I don't think so. I shall be thinking + about what I have to say.” + </p> + <p> + It was late at night when the two children went home, with three hundred + copies of the revolutionary document carefully wrapped up from view; and + they were so much excited by the whole affair that they had actually + forgotten about Miss Gladys! It was not until he tried to go to sleep that + her image came back to him, and all his blasted hopes arose to mock at + him. What a fool he had been! How utterly insane all his fantasies seemed + to him now! So he passed another sleepless night, and it was not till + daylight that he fell into a troubled slumber. + </p> + <p> + He had to control his impatience until after eleven o'clock, the hour of + the service at the church. Sophie wished to go with him and share his + peril, but he would not consent to this. He would not be able to give the + manifesto to everyone, but he could reach enough—the others would + hear about it! So, a full hour before the end of the service, he took up + his post across the street, his heart beating furiously. He was feeling, + it must be confessed, a good deal like a dynamiter or an assassin. The + weather was warm, and the door of the church was open, so that he could + hear the booming voice of Dr. Vince. The sound of the organ brought tears + into his eyes—he loved the organ, and he was not to be allowed to + listen to it! At last came the end; the sounds of the choir receded, and + the assassin moved over to a strategic position. And then came the first + of the congregation—of all persons, the Olympian Mr. Curtis! + </p> + <p> + “Will you take one of these, sir?” said Samuel, with his heart in his + throat. And Mr. Curtis who was mopping his forehead with his handkerchief, + started as if he had seen a ghost. “Boy, what are you doing?” he cried; + but Samuel had darted away, trying to give out the slips of paper to the + people as they came out at both doors. He was quite right in saying that + everybody would know about it. The people took the slips and read them, + and then they stopped to stare and exclaim to one another, so that there + was a regular blockade at the doors of the church. By the time that a + score of the slips had been given out the members had had time to get + their wits back, and then there was an attempt to interfere. + </p> + <p> + “This is an outrage!” cried Mr. Curtis, and tried to grab Samuel by the + arm; but the boy wrenched himself loose and darted around the corner, to + where a stream of people had come out of the side door. + </p> + <p> + “Take one!” he exclaimed. “Pass it along! Let everyone know!” And so he + got rid of a score or two more of his slips. And then, keeping a wary + lookout for Mr. Curtis or any other of the vestrymen, he ran around in + front again, and circled on the edge of the rapidly gathering throng, + giving away several of the dodgers wherever a hand was held out. “Give + them to everyone!” he kept repeating in his shrill voice. + </p> + <p> + “The evil-doers must be turned out of the church!” + </p> + <p> + Then suddenly out of the crowd pushed Mr. Hamerton, breathless and red in + the face. “Samuel!” he cried, pouncing upon him, “this cannot go on!” + </p> + <p> + “But it must go on!” replied the boy. “Let me go! Take your hands off me!” + And he raised his voice in a wild shriek. “There are thieves in the church + of Christ!” + </p> + <p> + In the scuffle the dodgers were scattered on the ground; and Mr. Hamerton + stooped to pick them up. Samuel seized what he could and darted to the + side door again, where there were more people eager to take them. And so + he got rid of the last he had. And for the benefit of those whom he still + saw emerging, he raised his hands and shouted: “There are men in the + vestry of this church who have bribed the city council of Lockmanville! I + mean to expose them in a meeting across the street on Wednesday night!” + And then he turned, and dodging an outraged church member who sought to + lay hold of him, he sped like a deer down the street. + </p> + <p> + He had made his appeal to the congregation! + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0028" id="link2HCH0028"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXVIII + </h2> + <p> + Samuel rushed home, breathless, to tell Sophie; and pretty soon came the + Bremers, who had been watching the scene from a distance. And the + thrilling tale had to be told all over to them. + </p> + <p> + Then Johann made a novel announcement. “For that meeting,” he said, “you + must get a permit.” + </p> + <p> + “A permit!” exclaimed Samuel. “From whom?” + </p> + <p> + “From the police,” replied the other. “You must haf it for all street + meetings.” + </p> + <p> + “And where do I get it?” + </p> + <p> + “At the station house, I think.” + </p> + <p> + Samuel did not much fancy a visit to the station house, which he knew far + too well already; but he would have gone into a den of lions for the sake + of his cause. So, bright and early the next morning, he set out. With Mrs. + Stedman's help he had persuaded Sophie that she must return to the + Wygants, and so he walked part of the way with her. + </p> + <p> + There was a new sergeant at the desk, an Irishman. “Please, sir,” said the + boy, “is this where I get a permit?” + </p> + <p> + “For what?” asked the other. + </p> + <p> + “To hold a meeting on the street, sir.” + </p> + <p> + “What sort of a meeting?” + </p> + <p> + “Why—I've just got something to say to the people, sir.” + </p> + <p> + “Something to say to the people!” echoed the other; and then, suddenly, + “What's your name?” + </p> + <p> + “Samuel Prescott, sir.” + </p> + <p> + And the sergeant's eyes opened wide. “Oh!” he said. “You're that fellow!” + </p> + <p> + “What did you say?” asked Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “The chief wants to see you,” replied the other. + </p> + <p> + And so Samuel was escorted into the private room, where Chief McCullagh, + red-faced and burly, sat at his desk. When he saw Samuel he bounded to his + feet. “So here you are!” he cried. + </p> + <p> + To the sergeant he said, “Leave us alone.” And when the man had shut the + door, he strode toward Samuel, and thrust a finger into his face. “Young + fellow,” he cried, “you promised me you would get out of this town!” + </p> + <p> + “No!” exclaimed the boy. + </p> + <p> + “What?” roared the other. + </p> + <p> + “No, sir! It was Charlie Swift promised you that!” + </p> + <p> + “And what did you promise?” + </p> + <p> + “I promised I wouldn't tell anyone about—about Master Albert, sir. + And I haven't done it.” + </p> + <p> + “I told Charlie Swift to take you out of town. And why didn't you go?” + </p> + <p> + “He didn't—” And then Samuel stopped. He had promised to tell + nothing about Charlie. + </p> + <p> + “Go on!” cried the chief. + </p> + <p> + “I—I can't tell,” he stammered. + </p> + <p> + “What?” exclaimed the other. “You want to hide things from me? Don't you + suppose I know that he's still in town; and that you and him have been + doin' jobs?” + </p> + <p> + “No—no!” cried Samuel in terror. + </p> + <p> + “You can't lie to me!” threatened the chief. “I know you, you young + villain!” + </p> + <p> + He stood glaring at the boy for a few moments. “And you have the nerve to + come here!” he cried. “What do you want anyway?” + </p> + <p> + “I—I want to hold a meeting, sir.” + </p> + <p> + “Who's given you a license to make trouble in this town?” + </p> + <p> + “Nobody's given me one yet,” replied Samuel. “That's what I came for.” + </p> + <p> + “Don't you get gay with me!” snapped the chief. But Samuel was far from + the thought of getting gay with anyone—he was trembling in his + boots. The man towered over him like a huge gorilla, and his red face was + ferocious. + </p> + <p> + “Now look here, young fellow!” he went on. “You might as well get this + straight. You'll get no permit to make any speeches in Lockmanville! D'ye + see?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, sir.” + </p> + <p> + “And what's more, you'll not make any speech. D'ye see?” + </p> + <p> + “But—but—” gasped the boy. + </p> + <p> + And McCullagh shook his finger so that it almost hit Samuel's nose. + “You'll not make any speech! You'll not make it on the street, and you'll + not make it anywheres else in town! And you might as well get that through + your nut and save yourself trouble. And if I hear of you givin' out any + more papers on the street—you'll wish you hadn't—that's all, + young fellow! D'ye see?” + </p> + <p> + “I see,” gasped Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “All right,” said the chief. “And if you take my advice, you'll get the + first train out of Lockmanville and never show your face in it again. Now + get out of here!” + </p> + <p> + And Samuel got out, and went down the street dumb with dismay. So they had + got the police after him! + </p> + <p> + Of course he would make his speech. He could not let himself be stopped by + such a thing as that. But he saw at once how matters were complicated—if + the police were to stop him before he had made clear what he had to say, + they might ruin all his plans. + </p> + <p> + He must seek advice about it; and he went at once to the carpet factory, + and sought out the little room where the Bremers sat with their drawing + boards and paints. + </p> + <p> + “So that's it!” exclaimed Johann. “They vill shut you up!” + </p> + <p> + “Do you think they can?” asked the boy. + </p> + <p> + “Sure they can!” cried the other. “They hafn't let the Socialists speak on + the streets for years. We should haf fought them!” + </p> + <p> + He reached for his coat. “Come,” he said. “I vill take you to see Tom + Everley.” + </p> + <p> + “Who is Tom Everley?” asked the boy. + </p> + <p> + “He's a lawyer, and he vill tell you. He's the secretary of the local.” + </p> + <p> + “A Socialist!” exclaimed Samuel, startled. Again it was the Socialists! + </p> + <p> + Everley sat in a little office in an out-of-the-way street. He was a young + chap, frank and boyish-looking, and Samuel's heart warmed to him at once. + “Comrade Everley,” said the carpet designer, “here is a boy you ought to + help. Tell him all about it, Samuel—you can trust him.” + </p> + <p> + So Samuel told his tale once more. And the other listened with breathless + interest, and with many exclamations of incredulity and delight. When the + boy had finished, he sprang up excitedly and grasped his hand. “Samuel + Prescott,” he cried, “put it there! You are a brick!” + </p> + <p> + “Then you'll stand by me!” exclaimed Samuel, breathless with relief. + </p> + <p> + “Stand by you?” echoed the other. “I'll stand by you until hell freezes + solid!” + </p> + <p> + Then he sat down again, and began tapping nervously on the desk with his + pencil. “I'll call a special meeting of the local,” he said. “They must + take you up. The movement's been slow in Lockmanville of late, and a fight + like this is just what the comrades need.” + </p> + <p> + “But I'm not a Socialist!” objected Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “That's all right,” replied Everley, “we don't care about that.” + </p> + <p> + Samuel had not meant it that way, but he could not think how to make his + trouble clear. + </p> + <p> + “I can get the local together to-morrow night,” went on the other. + “There's no time to be lost. We must get out a lot of circulars and cover + the town.” + </p> + <p> + “But I only wanted the people of the church to come,” said the boy. + </p> + <p> + “But others will come anyway,” said Everley. “And haven't the people a + right to know how they've been robbed?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” said Samuel, “they have.” + </p> + <p> + “And perhaps,” added the other with a smile, “if the congregation has a + little pressure from outside, it will be much more apt to take action. + What we've got to do with this thing is to make a free speech fight out of + it, and open the eyes of the whole town. Otherwise the police will nip the + thing in the bud, and no one will ever know what we had.” + </p> + <p> + “You must be careful how you give out those circulars,” put in Johann. + “They will nip you there, if they can.” + </p> + <p> + “That's all right,” laughed Everley. “You trust the comrades for that! We + know a printer we can rely on!” + </p> + <p> + Samuel drew a deep breath of satisfaction. Here was a man who understood + things, and took hold with conviction—a man who was really willing + to do something. It was very disconcerting that he happened to be a + Socialist! + </p> + <p> + Everley took up a pencil and wrote the new announcement: + </p> + <h3> + PEOPLE OF LOCKMANVILLE! + </h3> + <p> + “Having made the discovery that members of the vestry of St. Matthew's + Church had been bribing the city council, I demanded an investigation, and + I was turned out of the church. + </p> + <p> + “I called a meeting to tell the congregation about it, but I was refused a + permit to speak. Chief of Police McCullagh declared to me that I should + never make my speech in this town. + </p> + <p> + “Will you stand by me? + </p> + <p> + “I intend to speak on Wednesday night, at 8 P.M., at the vacant lot + opposite the church. + </p> + <p> + “In the name of Free Speech and Civic Decency, + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + “SAMUEL PRESCOTT.” + </pre> + <p> + “How's that?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “Fine!” exclaimed Samuel in delight. + </p> + <p> + “I'll take the risk of having it set up,” added the lawyer. “And I'll get + the notices to the members of the local off in this evening's mail. Come, + we'll go to see one or two of them now and talk it over with them.” + </p> + <p> + So they went down, and while Johann hurried back to his work, Samuel and + Everley stopped in a cigar store a couple of doors down the street, kept + by a little Russian Jew with a merry face and dancing black eyes. “Comrade + Lippman,” said Everley, “this is Mr. Prescott.” + </p> + <p> + There came also “Comrade Minsky,” from the rear workroom, a cigar maker, + bare-armed and very yellow and emaciated. To them Everley told briefly the + story of Samuel's adventures and what he proposed to do. The glow of + excitement with which they received the tidings left no doubt as to their + attitude. And a couple of blocks around the corner was a little shop where + a grizzled old carpenter, “Comrade Beggs,” clutched Samuel's hand in a + grip like one of his vises, while he expressed his approval of his course. + And then they called on Dr. Barton, a young physician, whom Everley + declared to be one of the mainstays of the local of the town. “He got his + education abroad,” he explained, “so he has none of the narrowness of our + physicians. His wife's quite a speaker, too.” + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Barton was a sweet-faced and mild-looking lady, who reminded Samuel + of the picture of his mother. All the while that Everley was telling his + story the boy was staring at her, and trying to straighten out the tangle + of perplexity that was caused in his mind by the idea of her being a + Socialist speaker! + </p> + <p> + By and by the doctor came in, and the story had to be told yet again. They + were so much interested and excited that they begged their visitors to + remain to luncheon. They talked the whole problem out, and Samuel was + struck by the certainty with which their minds took hold of it. There was + no need of any long explanations with them—they seemed to know just + what to expect; it was as if they possessed some magic key to the inner + life of Lockmanville, enabling them to understand everyone in it, and + exactly how he felt and exactly how he would act under any given + circumstances. + </p> + <p> + All this was an amazing experience for Samuel. A few hours ago he had been + a voice crying in the wilderness; forlorn and solitary; and now here was a + band of allies, sprung up suddenly, from the very ground, as it seemed. + Men who knew exactly what was wanted, and exactly how to get it; who + required no persuading, who set to work without wasting a word—just + as if they had been doing such things all their lives! He was so swept + away with delight that for a while he was tempted to forget what sort of + people they were. + </p> + <p> + But it came back to him suddenly, when they had returned to Everley's + office. He sat gazing at the young lawyer with such a worried expression + on his face that the other asked, “What's the matter?” + </p> + <p> + “Tell me, Mr. Everley,” said the boy, “how can the Bartons believe in free + love?” + </p> + <p> + “Believe in free love?” echoed Everley. “What put that into your head?” + </p> + <p> + “But don't they believe in free love?” persisted Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “Why, of course not. Who said they did?” + </p> + <p> + “But they are Socialists!” + </p> + <p> + And the other put down his work and laughed heartily. “Where did you pick + that up?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “Why,” stammered the boy, “I've read everywhere that Socialists believe in + free love!” + </p> + <p> + “Wait till you get well going in this reform of yours!” laughed the young + lawyer, “and then see what you read about yourself!” + </p> + <p> + “But,” gasped Samuel, aghast, “don't Socialists believe in free love?” + </p> + <p> + “Some of them do, I suppose,” was the reply. “I know one who believes in + ghosts, and one who believes in the Pope, and one who believes in Adam and + Eve. How can I help what they believe?” + </p> + <p> + There was a pause. “You see,” explained Everley, “we are a political + party; and we can't keep anybody from joining us who wants to. And because + we are an advanced party, all sorts of wild people come to us. How can we + help that?” + </p> + <p> + “But,” exclaimed Samuel, “you are against religion!” + </p> + <p> + “We have nothing to do with religion,” replied the other. “I told you we + are a political party. Some of us have found it necessary to leave the + capitalist churches—but you will hardly blame us for that!” + </p> + <p> + “N-no,” admitted the boy; then he added, “But don't you want to destroy + the Government?” + </p> + <p> + “On the contrary, we want to strengthen it. But first we have to get it + away from the capitalists.” + </p> + <p> + “Then, what DO you believe?” asked Samuel in perplexity. + </p> + <p> + Then the other explained that they were seeking to organize and educate + the working class, for the purpose of bringing about an economic change. + They wished to take the land and the mines, the railroads and the + factories out of the hands of the capitalists. “We believe that such + things should not belong to individuals,” he said, “but to the people. + Then there will be work for everyone, and everyone will get the full value + of his labor, and no man will be able to live without working.” + </p> + <p> + There was a pause, while Samuel was getting the meaning of this into his + mind. “But,” he exclaimed in amazement, “that is exactly what <i>I</i> + believe!” + </p> + <p> + “Of course,” replied the other, “it is exactly what everyone with sense + believes.” + </p> + <p> + “But—but—” gasped the boy, “then am I a Socialist?” + </p> + <p> + “Nine tenths of the people in the country are Socialists,” replied Everley—“only + they haven't found it out yet.” + </p> + <p> + “But,” cried Samuel, “you ought to teach them!” + </p> + <p> + “We're doing our best,” laughed the other. “Come and help us.” + </p> + <p> + Samuel was quite dumfounded. “But how do people come to have all these + false ideas about you?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “Those are the ideas that the masters want them to have.” + </p> + <p> + Samuel was clutching at the arms of his chair. “Why—it's a + conspiracy!” he cried. + </p> + <p> + “Precisely,” said the other. “A conspiracy of the ruling class. They own + the newspapers and the books, the colleges and churches and governments. + And they tell lies about us and keep us down.” + </p> + <p> + And so Samuel found himself face to face with the ultimate horror of + Capitalism. It was bad enough to own the means whereby the people lived, + and to starve and exploit their bodies. But to own their minds, and to + lead them astray! To keep them from finding out the way of their + deliverance! Surely that was the crime of crimes! + </p> + <p> + “I can't believe it!” he panted. + </p> + <p> + And the young lawyer answered, “Come and work with us a while and see for + yourself.” + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0029" id="link2HCH0029"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXIX + </h2> + <p> + Samuel went home and faced a surprising experience. There was a dapper and + well-dressed young man waiting to see him. “My name is Pollard,” he said, + “and I'm from the Lockmanville 'Express.' I want to get a story from you.” + </p> + <p> + “A story from me?” echoed the boy in perplexity. + </p> + <p> + “An interview,” explained the other. “I want to find out about that + meeting you're going to hold.” + </p> + <p> + And so Samuel experienced the great thrill, which comes sooner or later to + every social reformer. He sat in Mrs. Stedman's little parlor, and told + his tale yet again. Mr. Pollard was young and just out of college, and his + pencil fairly flew over his notebook. “Gosh!” he exclaimed. “But this is + hot stuff!” + </p> + <p> + To Samuel it was an extraordinary revelation. He was surprised that the + idea had not occurred to him before. What was the use of holding meetings + and making speeches, when one could have things printed in the papers? In + the papers everyone would read it; and they would get it straight—there + would be no chance of error. Moreover, they would read it at their + leisure, and have time to think it all over! + </p> + <p> + And after Mr. Pollard had gone, he rushed off in great excitement to tell + Everley about it. “You won't need to print those circulars,” he said. “For + I told him where the meeting was to be.” + </p> + <p> + But Everley only smiled at this. “We'll get out our stuff just the same,” + he said. “You'd better wait until you've seen what the 'Express' prints.” + </p> + <p> + “What do you mean?” asked the boy. But Everley would not explain—he + merely told Samuel to wait. He did not seem to be as much excited as he + should have been. + </p> + <p> + Samuel went home again. And later on in the afternoon, while Mrs. Stedman + had gone out to the grocer's, there came a knock on the door, and he + opened it, and to his amazement found himself confronted by Billy + Finnegan. + </p> + <p> + “Hello, young fellow!” said Finnegan. + </p> + <p> + “Hello!” said Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “What's this I hear about your making a speech?” asked Finnegan. + </p> + <p> + “I'm going to,” was the reply. “But how did you know?” + </p> + <p> + “I got it from Callahan. Slattery told him.” + </p> + <p> + “Slattery! Has he heard about it?” + </p> + <p> + “Gee, young fellow! What do you think he's boss for?” + </p> + <p> + And Finnegan gazed around the room, to make sure that they were alone. + </p> + <p> + “Sammy,” he said, “I've come to give you a friendly tip; I hope you'll + have sense enough to take it.” + </p> + <p> + “What is it?” asked the other. + </p> + <p> + “Don't try to make any speech.” + </p> + <p> + “Why not?” + </p> + <p> + “Because you ain't a-going to be let to make it, Sammy.” + </p> + <p> + “But how can they stop me?” + </p> + <p> + “I dunno, Sammy. But they ain't a-going to let you.” + </p> + <p> + There was a pause. + </p> + <p> + “It's a crazy thing you're tryin' to do,” said the other. “And take my + word for it—somethin' will happen to you if you go on.” + </p> + <p> + “What will happen?” + </p> + <p> + “I dunno, my boy—maybe you'll fall into the river.” + </p> + <p> + “Fall into the river!” + </p> + <p> + “Yes; or else run your head into a slungshot some night, in a dark alley. + I can't tell you what—only you won't make the speech.” + </p> + <p> + Samuel was dumfounded. “You can't mean such things!” he gasped. + </p> + <p> + “Sure I mean them,” was the reply. “Why not?” + </p> + <p> + Samuel did not respond. “I don't know why you're tryin' to do this thing,” + went on the other, “nor who's backing you. But from what I can make out, + you've got the goods, and you've got them on most everybody in the town. + You've got Slattery, and you've got Pat McCullagh, and you've got the + machine. You've got Wygant and Hickman—you've even got something on + Bertie Lockman, haven't you?” + </p> + <p> + “I suppose I have,” said Samuel. “But I'm not going to tell that.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, they don't know what you're going to tell, and they won't take any + chances. They won't let you tell anything.” + </p> + <p> + “But can such things be done?” panted the boy. + </p> + <p> + “They're done all the time,” said the other. “Why, see—it stands to + reason. Wouldn't folks be finding out things like this, and wouldn't they + be tellin' them?” + </p> + <p> + “To be sure,” said Samuel. “That's what puzzled me.” + </p> + <p> + “Well,” said the bartender, “they ain't let to. Don't you see?” + </p> + <p> + “I see,” whispered the boy. + </p> + <p> + “There's a crowd that runs this town, Sammy; and they mean to go on + runnin' it. And don't you think they can't find ways of shuttin' up a kid + like you!” + </p> + <p> + “But Mr. Finnegan, it would be murder!” + </p> + <p> + “Well, they wouldn't have to do it themselves, would they? When Henry + Hickman wants a chicken for dinner, he don't have to wring its neck with + his own hands.” + </p> + <p> + Samuel could find nothing to reply to that. He sat dumb with horror. + </p> + <p> + “You see,” continued Finnegan after a bit, “I know about this game, and + I'm givin' you a friendly word. What the hell does a kid like you want to + be reformin' things for anyway?” + </p> + <p> + “What else can I do?” asked Samuel. + </p> + <p> + To which the other answered, “Do? Get yourself a decent job, and find some + girl you like and settle down. You'll never know what there is in life, + Sammy, till you've got a baby.” + </p> + <p> + But Samuel only shook his head. The plan did not appeal to him. “I'll try + to keep out of trouble,” he said, “but I MUST make that speech!” + </p> + <p> + So Finnegan went out, shaking his head and grumbling to himself. And + Samuel hurried off to see his lawyer friend again. The result of the visit + was that Everley exacted from him a solemn promise that he would not go + out of the house after dark. + </p> + <p> + “I know what was done in this town during the strike,” said the other, + “and I don't want to take any chances. Now that they have finished the + unions, there's nobody left but us.” + </p> + <p> + So Samuel stayed at home, and told Sophie and her mother all about his + various experiences, and about the people he had met. The child was almost + beside herself with delight. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, I knew that help would come!” she kept saying, “I knew that help + would come!” + </p> + <p> + Worn out as he was, the young reformer could hardly sleep that night, for + all the excitement. And early in the morning he was up and out hunting for + a copy of the “Express.” + </p> + <p> + He stood on the street-corner and opened it. He glanced at the first page—there + was nothing there. He glanced at the back page, and then at one page after + another, seeking for the one that was given up to the story. But there was + no such page. And then he went back and read over the headings of each + column—and still he did not find it. And then he began a third time, + reading carefully each tiny item. And so, after nearly an hour's search, + when he found himself lost in a maze of advertisements, he brought himself + to realize that there was not a line of the story in the paper! + </p> + <p> + When Everley arrived at his office that morning, Samuel was waiting for + him on the steps. Seeing the paper in the other's hand, the young lawyer + laughed. “You found out, have you?” he said. + </p> + <p> + “It's not here!” cried Samuel. + </p> + <p> + “I knew just what would happen,” said the other. “But I thought I'd let + you see for yourself.” + </p> + <p> + “But what does it mean?” demanded the boy. + </p> + <p> + “It means,” was the answer, “that the Lockman estate has a mortgage of one + hundred thousand dollars on the Express.” + </p> + <p> + And Samuel's jaw fell, and he stood staring at his friend. + </p> + <p> + “Now you see what it is to be a Socialist!” laughed Everley. + </p> + <p> + And Samuel saw. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0030" id="link2HCH0030"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXX + </h2> + <p> + After supper that evening came Everley with Friederich Bremer, to take + Samuel to the meeting of the local, where he was to tell his story. + </p> + <p> + The “local” met in an obscure hall, over a grocery shop. There were + present those whom Samuel had met the night before, and about a score of + others. Most of them were working-men, but there were several who appeared + to be well-to-do shopkeepers and clerks. Samuel noticed that they all + called one another “comrade”; and several of them addressed him thus, + which gave him a queer feeling. Also he noted that there were women + present, and that one of them presided at the meeting. + </p> + <p> + Everley made a speech, reading Samuel's manifesto, and telling how it had + been given out. Then he called upon Samuel. The boy stood upon his feet—and + suddenly a deadly terror seized hold upon him. Suppose he should not be + able to make a speech after all! Suppose he should be nervous! What would + they think of him? But he clenched his hands—what did it matter what + they thought of him? The poor were suffering, and the truth was crying out + for vindication! He would tell these men what had happened to him. + </p> + <p> + So he began. He told how he had been robbed, and how he had sought in vain + for work, and how he had been arrested. And because he saw that these were + people who understood, he found himself a case, and thinking no longer + about himself. He talked for nearly half an hour, and there was quite a + sensation when he finished. + </p> + <p> + Then Everley rose to his feet again. “Comrades,” he said, “for the past + year I have been urging that the local must make a fight for free speech + in this town. And it seems to me that the occasion has now come. If we do + not take up this fight, we might just as well give up.” + </p> + <p> + “That's right,” cried Beggs, the old carpenter. + </p> + <p> + “I took the liberty of ordering circulars,” continued Everley. “There was + no time to be lost, and I felt sure that the comrades would back me. I now + move that the local take charge of the meeting to-morrow evening, and that + the two thousand circulars I have here be given out secretly to-night.” + </p> + <p> + “I second that motion,” said Mrs. Barton. + </p> + <p> + “It must be understood,” added Everley, “that we can't expect help from + the papers. And our people ought to hear this story, as well as the + members of the church.” + </p> + <p> + And then he read the circulars, and the motion was put, and carried + unanimously. + </p> + <p> + “Now,” said Everley, “I suggest that the local make this the occasion of a + contest for the right to hold street meetings in Lockmanville. As you + know, the police have refused permits ever since the strike. And I move + that beginning with Thursday evening, we hold a meeting on the corner of + Market and Main streets, and tell this story to the public. And that we + continue to hold a meeting every night thereafter until we have made good + our right.” + </p> + <p> + Samuel could see from the faces of the men what a serious proposition this + was to them. Everley launched into an impassioned speech. The workingmen + of the town had lost their last hope in the unions; they were suffering + from the hard times; and now, if ever, was the time to open their eyes to + the remedy. And the Socialists were powerless, because they had permitted + the police to frighten them. Now they must make a stand. + </p> + <p> + “You realize that it will mean going to jail?” asked Dr. Barton. + </p> + <p> + “I realize it,” said Everley. “We shall probably have to go several times. + But if we make up our minds from the beginning, we can win; we shall have + the sympathy of the people—and also we can break the conspiracy of + silence of the newspapers.” + </p> + <p> + “That is the thing we must think of,” said the woman in the chair. + </p> + <p> + “I am ready to do what I can,” added the lawyer. “I will give my services + free to defend the speakers, or I will be the first man to be arrested—whichever + the comrades prefer.” + </p> + <p> + “We will lose our jobs,” said some one in the rear of the room. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” said Everley, “that is something you will have to consider. You + know well enough how much I have lost already.” + </p> + <p> + Samuel listened in breathless excitement to this discussion. Here were + poor people, people with no more resources than he, and at the mercy of + the same forces which had been crushing him. Here was one man who had lost + an eye in the glass works, and another, a railroad brakeman, who was just + out of the hospital after losing a leg. Here were men pale and haggard + from hunger, men with wives and children dependent upon them; yet they + were giving their time and their money—risking their very existence—in + the cause of human freedom! Had he ever met a group of men like this + before? Had he ever dreamed that such men were living? + </p> + <p> + He had thought that he was alone, that he had all the burdens of humanity + upon his own shoulders! And now here were people who were ready to hold up + his hands; and from the discussion he gathered that they were part of a + vast organization, that there existed such “locals” in every city and town + in the country. They made their own nominations and voted for their own + candidates at every election; they published many newspapers and magazines + and books. And they were part of an army of men who were banded together + in every civilized nation. Wherever Capitalism had come, there men were + uniting against it; and every day their power grew—there was nothing + that could stop them. + </p> + <p> + These men had seen the vision of the new time that was coming, and there + burned in them a fire of conviction. Suddenly Samuel realized the import + of that word “comrade” which they gave one another; they were men bound + together by the memory of persecutions, and by the presence of ruthless + enemies. They knew what they were facing at this moment; not only Chief + McCullagh with his policemen and their clubs; not only the subsidized + “Express” with its falsehoods and ridicule: but all the political and + business power of the Hickmans and Wygants. They were facing arrest and + imprisonment, humiliation and disgrace—perhaps ruin and starvation. + Only in this way could they reach the ears of the people. + </p> + <p> + “Comrades,” the young lawyer was saying, “every step that has been taken + in the progress of humanity has been taken because men have been willing + to give their lives. Everywhere that our movement has grown, it has been + in the face of persecution. And sooner or later we must make up our minds + to it—we may wait for years, but nothing can be accomplished until + we have faced this issue. And so I ask you to join with me in taking this + pledge—that we will speak on the streets of Lockmanville next + Saturday night, and that we will continue to speak there as often as need + be until we have vindicated our rights as American citizens.” + </p> + <p> + There was a solemn hush when he finished; one by one the men and women + arose and offered themselves. + </p> + <p> + “I have been out of work for four months,” said one, “and I have been + promised a job next week. If I am arrested, I know that I will not get it. + But still I will speak.” + </p> + <p> + “And I am in Wygant's cotton mill,” said another. “And I'm not young, and + when I'm turned out, it will not be easy for me. But I will help.” + </p> + <p> + “And I, too,” put in Lippman, the cigar store keeper; “my wife can tend + the shop!” There was a general laugh at this. + </p> + <p> + And then Friedrich Bremer sprang up. “My father has been warned!” he + cried. “But I will speak also!” + </p> + <p> + “And I!” exclaimed Samuel. “I think I am going to be a Socialist. Will you + let me help?” + </p> + <p> + “No one's help will be refused in a crisis like this,” said Everley. “We + must stand by our guns, for if they can crush us this time, it may be + years before we can be heard.” + </p> + <p> + And then, somewhere in the hall, a voice began to sing. Others took it up, + until the walls of the building shook with a mighty chant. “What is it?” + whispered Samuel to Friedrich. + </p> + <p> + “It is called 'The Red Flag,'” replied Friedrich. + </p> + <p> + And Samuel sat spellbound, listening while they sang: + </p> + <p> + Hark to the thunder, hark to the tramp—a myriad army comes! + </p> + <p> + An army sprung from a hundred lands, speaking a hundred tongues! + </p> + <p> + And overhead a portent new, a blood-red banner see! + </p> + <p> + The nations gather in affright to ask what the sign may be. + </p> + <p> + Banner of crimson, banner bright, banner flaunting the sky! + </p> + <p> + What is the word that ye bring to men, the hope that ye hold on high? + </p> + <p> + We come from the fields, we come from the forge, we come from the land and + sea— + </p> + <p> + We come in the right of our new-born might to set the people free! + </p> + <p> + Masters, we left you a world to make, the planning was yours to do— + </p> + <p> + We were the toilers, humble and sad, we gave our faith to you. + </p> + <p> + And now with a dread in our hearts we stand and gaze at the work of the + years— + </p> + <p> + We have builded a temple with pillars white, ye have stained it with blood + and tears! + </p> + <p> + For our little ones with their teeming hopes ye have roofed the sweatshop + den, + </p> + <p> + And our daughters fair ye have prisoned in the reeking brothel's pen! + </p> + <p> + And so for the sign of our murdered hopes our blood-red banner see— + </p> + <p> + We come in the right of our new-born might to set the people free! + </p> + <p> + Tremble, oh masters—tremble all who live by others' toil— + </p> + <p> + We come your dungeon walls to raze, your citadel to spoil! + </p> + <p> + Yours is the power of club and jail, yours is the axe and fire— + </p> + <p> + But ours is the hope of human hearts and the strength of the soul's + desire! + </p> + <p> + Ours is the blazing banner, sweeping the sky along! + </p> + <p> + Ours the host, the marching host—hark to our battle song! + </p> + <p> + Chanting of brotherhood, chanting of freedom, dreaming the world to be— + </p> + <p> + We come in the right of our new-born might to set the people free! + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0031" id="link2HCH0031"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXXI + </h2> + <p> + While the other members of the local scattered to distribute the + circulars, Everley and Friedrich escorted Samuel home, and saw him safely + in, and the door locked. They had supplied him with some Socialist papers + and pamphlets, and he spent most of the next day devouring these. They + spread a picture of the whole wonderful movement before him; they + explained to him all the mechanism of the cruel system, in the cogs of + which he had been caught. + </p> + <p> + It was all so very obvious that Samuel found himself in a state of + exasperation with the people who did not yet understand it, and spent his + time wrestling in imagination with all those he had ever known: with his + brothers, and with Finnegan, and with Charlie Swift, with Master Albert + and Mr. Wygant, with Professor Stewart and Dr. Vince. Most of all he + labored with Miss Gladys; and he pictured how it would be after the + Revolution, when he would be famous and she would be poor, and he might + magnanimously forgive her! + </p> + <p> + And when Sophie came home, he explained it all to her. It did not take + much to make a revolutionist out of Sophie. She had become quite + thoroughly what the Socialists called “class-conscious.” + </p> + <p> + The members of the local had been anxious about Samuel all day. Everley + had come in twice in the afternoon, to make sure that he was safe; and he + came over again after supper, and said that Beggs and Lippman and the + Bartons and himself were coming to act as a body guard to take Samuel to + the meeting. The circulars had created a tremendous sensation—the + whole town was talking about it, and the police were furious at the way + they had been outwitted. + </p> + <p> + So the hour of the meeting drew near. It was as if a great shadow were + gathering over them. They were nervous and restless—Samuel pacing + the room, wandering about here and there. + </p> + <p> + His speech was seething within him. He saw before him the eager multitude, + and he was laying bare to them the picture of their wrongs. So much + depended upon this speech! If he failed now, he failed in everything—all + that he had done before has gone for nothing! Ah! if only one had a voice + that could reach the whole world—that could shout these things into + the ears of the oppressed! + </p> + <p> + His friends had said they would come at a quarter to eight. But they came + at half past seven, and sat round and waited. It was thought best that + they should not arrive until the precise minute of the meeting; and + meantime they outlined to Samuel the plan of campaign they had formed. + </p> + <p> + Dr. Barton was to make the opening speech, introducing Samuel; and by way + of outwitting the police, he was to be particularly careful to get into + this “introduction” all the essential facts which it was desired to lay + before the people. He was to tell about the twenty thousand dollars which + Hickman paid to Slattery, and about the acknowledgment which Wygant had + made to Samuel, and about how the boy had been turned out of St. Matthew's + Church. If the police attempted to interfere with this, the doctor was to + persist until he had been actually placed under arrest; and then others + were to take up the attempt in different places, until six had been + arrested. In this case Samuel was to make no attempt to speak at all; they + would “save” him for an out-door meeting—and also Everley, who was + to defend them in court. More circulars would be given out the next + afternoon, and another attempt to speak would be made that evening. + </p> + <p> + All this was duly impressed upon the boy, and then the little company set + forth. Dr. Barton walked on one side of him, and Everley on the other; + Mrs. Barton, Mrs. Stedman and Sophie came next, and Beggs and Lippman + brought up the rear. So they marched along; they kept their eyes open, and + every time they had to pass a man they gave him a wide berth. + </p> + <p> + So they came to the place of the meeting. At the corner were the Bremers + and half a dozen others, who formed a ring about them. There was a huge + crowd, they said—the lot was thronged, and the people extended to + streets on every side. There was a score of policemen scattered about, and + no doubt there were many detectives. + </p> + <p> + Promptly on the minute of eight the little group approached. There was a + murmur of excitement among the waiting crowd, as they started to force + their way through. Samuel's heart was thumping like mad, and his knees + were trembling so that he could hardly walk. The people gave way, and they + found themselves in the center, where several of the Socialists stood + guard over the half dozen boxes from which the speaking was to be done. + </p> + <p> + Without a moment's delay, Dr. Barton mounted up. + </p> + <p> + “Fellow citizens,” he called in a clear, ringing voice; and instantly a + hush fell upon the crowd, and a thousand faces were turned toward him. + </p> + <p> + “We are here,” he began, “for a very important purpose—” + </p> + <p> + Instantly a policeman pushed his way toward him. + </p> + <p> + “Have you a permit for this meeting?” he demanded. + </p> + <p> + “We have been refused a permit!” proclaimed Dr. Barton to the crowd. “We + are here as law-abiding citizens, demanding our right to free speech!” + </p> + <p> + “You cannot speak,” declared the policeman. + </p> + <p> + “There has been bribery of the city council of Lockmanville,” shouted the + doctor. + </p> + <p> + “You cannot speak!” cried the policeman sharply. + </p> + <p> + “Henry Hickman paid twenty thousand dollars to the city council to prevent + the passage of the water bill!” cried the speaker. + </p> + <p> + “Come down from there!” commanded the officer, and made a grab at him. + </p> + <p> + “I will not stop until I am arrested!” declared the doctor. “I am here to + protest against bribery!” + </p> + <p> + “Come down and shut up!” shouted the other. + </p> + <p> + “For shame! For shame!” said voices in the crowd. “Let him speak!” + </p> + <p> + “That charge was made before the vestry of the St. Matthew's Church! And + the vestry refused to investigate it, and turned out a member of the + church! And we are here—” + </p> + <p> + And so, still shouting, the doctor was dragged off the box and collared by + the policeman. + </p> + <p> + “An outrage!” cried people in the audience. “Let him go on!” And yet + others shouted, “Arrest him!” The throng was in a turmoil; and in the + midst of it, Lippman, who was the second victim appointed for the + sacrifice, sprang upon the stump of an old tree, a little at one side, and + shrieked at the top of his lungs: + </p> + <p> + “Henry Hickman paid twenty thousand dollars to Slattery to beat the water + bill; and now he and the Lockman estate are making ten thousand dollars a + month out of it! And Wygant confessed to our speaker that he ran the city + government to get franchise favors—” + </p> + <p> + And then Lippman was seized by an officer and dragged off his perch, and + choked into silence—surrounded meanwhile by a crowd of indignantly + protesting citizens. It was quite clear by this time that the crowd had + come to hear Samuel's speech, and was angry at being balked. There was a + general shout of protest that made the policemen glad of their numbers. + </p> + <p> + Of these exciting events Samuel and Everley had been witnesses from the + vantage point of a soap box. Now suddenly the boy caught his friend's arm + and pointed, crying, “Who's that man?” + </p> + <p> + Near the outskirts of the thrown was a big burly individual, who had been + roaring in a furious voice, “For shame! Go on!” and waving his fists in + the air. + </p> + <p> + “I don't know,” said Everley. “I never saw him before.” + </p> + <p> + “An outrage!” yelled the man. “Kill the police! Smash them! Drive them + away!” + </p> + <p> + And Everley caught the boy's arm, crying excitedly, “He's been sent here, + I'll wager! They want to provoke trouble!” + </p> + <p> + And even as he spoke, the two saw the man stoop, and pick up a brick-bat, + and fling it into the center of the crowd, where the police were massing. + </p> + <p> + “Arrest that man!” shouted Everley indignantly, and leaped forward and + plunged through the throng to reach him. + </p> + <p> + There was a roar from the crowd, and Samuel saw that several men had + grappled with the bully; he saw, also, that the police in the center of + the throng had drawn their clubs, and were beginning to strike at the + people. A burly sergeant was commanding them, and forcing back the crowd + by jabbing men in the stomachs. + </p> + <p> + Meantime the next speaker, a woman, had mounted upon a box, and was crying + in a shrill voice: “We are Socialists! We are the only political party + which dares to speak for the working class of Lockmanville! We protest + against this outrage! We demand free speech! There has been bribery in our + city council!” + </p> + <p> + Then suddenly the boy heard a disturbance behind him, and turned, just in + the nick of time. A fellow had thrust his way through the crowd toward + him, a rowdy with a brutal, half-drunken face. And Samuel saw him raise + his hand, with some dark object in it, and aim a smashing blow at his + head. + </p> + <p> + The boy ducked and raised his arm. He felt a sharp, agonizing pain, and + his arm dropped helpless at his side. Something struck him across the + forehead, cutting a gash, out of which hot blood spurted, blinding him. He + heard Beggs, who was beside him, give a shout—“Down!” And realizing + that his life was aimed at, he dropped like a flash, and put his head + under him, covering it with one arm as well as he could. + </p> + <p> + There was a struggle going on over him. Men were pushing and shouting—and + some one kicked him savagely upon the leg. He crawled on a little way, + still keeping his head down, underneath the feet of the contendents. He + heard Beggs shouting for help, and heard the Bremers answering; he heard + the roar of the throng all about, the sharp commands of the police + sergeant, and the crack of clubs, falling upon the heads of men and women. + And then he swooned, and lay there, his face in a pool of his own blood. + </p> + <p> + Meanwhile, one by one, three more speakers rose and made their attempts, + and were arrested, while the indignant people voiced their helpless + protests. Then suddenly, somewhere in the crowd, a woman began to sing. + Others took up the song—it swelled louder, until it rang above all + the uproar. It was the hymn that Samuel had heard at the meeting of the + local—The Red Flag! + </p> + <p> + It took hold of the crowd—men followed the melody, even though they + did not know the words. They continued to sing while the police were + leading away their prisoners; they followed, all the way to the station + house, with shouts of protest, and of encouragement for the victims. + </p> + <p> + And so the throng moved on, and the uproar died away. There was left upon + the scene a little group of frightened people, gathered about two who lay + upon the ground. One of them was Samuel, unconscious and bleeding; and the + other was Sophie, clinging to him and sobbing upon his bosom, frantic with + grief and fear. And meanwhile, in the distance one could still hear the + melody ringing: + </p> + <p> + Yours is the power of club and jail, yours is the axe and fire, + </p> + <p> + But ours is the hope of human hearts and the strength of the soul's + desire! + </p> + <div style="height: 6em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + + + + + + + +<pre> + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Samuel the Seeker, by Upton Sinclair + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SAMUEL THE SEEKER *** + +***** This file should be named 5961-h.htm or 5961-h.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/5/9/6/5961/ + + +Text file produced by Charles Franks, Charles Aldarondo, and the +Online Distributed Proofreading Team + +HTML file produced by David Widger + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Samuel the Seeker + +Author: Upton Sinclair + + +Release Date: June, 2004 [EBook #5961] +This file was first posted on October 1, 2002 +Last updated: April 28, 2013 + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SAMUEL THE SEEKER *** + + + + +Produced by Charles Franks, Charles Aldarondo, and the +Online Distributed Proofreading Team + + + + + + + +SAMUEL THE SEEKER + +By Upton Sinclair + + + + +CHAPTER I + + +"Samuel," said old Ephraim, "Seek, and ye shall find." + +He had written these words upon the little picture of Samuel's mother, +which hung in that corner of the old attic which served as the boy's +bedroom; and so Samuel grew up with the knowledge that he, too, was one +of the Seekers. Just what he was to seek, and just how he was to seek +it, were matters of uncertainty--they were part of the search. Old +Ephraim could not tell him very much about it, for the Seekers had moved +away to the West before he had come to the farm; and Samuel's mother had +died very young, before her husband had a chance to learn more than the +rudiments of her faith. So all that Samuel knew was that the Seekers +were men and women of fervor, who had broken with the churches because +they would not believe what was taught--holding that it was every man's +duty to read the Word of God for himself and to follow where it led him. + +Thus the boy learned to think of life, not as something settled, but as +a place for adventure. One must seek and seek; and in the end the way of +truth would be revealed to him. He could see this zeal in his mother's +face, beautiful and delicate, even in the crude picture; and Samuel +did not know that the picture was crude, and wove his dreams about it. +Sometimes at twilight old Ephraim would talk about her, and the tears +would steal down his cheeks. The one year that he had known her had +sufficed to change the course of his life; and he had been a man past +middle life, too, a widower with two children. He had come into the +country as the foreman of a lumber camp back on the mountain. + +Samuel had always thought of his father as an old man; Ephraim had been +hurt by a vicious horse, and had aged rapidly after that. He had given +up lumbering; it had not taken long to clear out that part of the +mountains. Now the hills were swept bare, and the population had found a +new way of living. + +Samuel's childhood life had been grim and stern. The winter fell early +upon the mountain wilderness; the lake would freeze over, and the roads +block up with snow, and after that they would live upon what they +had raised in the summer, with what Dan and Adam--Samuel's +half-brothers--might bring in from the chase. But now all this was +changed and forgotten; for there was a hotel at the end of the lake, and +money was free in the country. It was no longer worth while to reap the +hay from the mountain meadows; it was better to move the family into the +attic, and "take boarders." Some of the neighbors even turned their old +corncribs into sleeping shacks, and advertised in the city papers, and +were soon blossoming forth in white paint and new buildings, and were on +the way to having "hotels" of their own. + +Old Ephraim lacked the cunning for that kind of success. He was lame +and slow, tending toward stoutness, and having a film over one eye; and +Samuel knew that the boarders made fun of him, even while they devoured +his food and took advantage of him. This was the first bitterness of +Samuel's life; for he knew that within old Ephraim's bosom was the heart +of a king. Once the boy had heard him in the room beneath his attic, +talking with one of the boarders, a widow with a little daughter of whom +the old man was fond. "I've had a feeling, ma'am," he was saying, "that +somehow you might be in trouble. And I wanted to say that if you can't +spare this money, I would rather you kept it; for I don't need it now, +and you can send it to me when things are better with you." That was +Ephraim Prescott's way with his boarders; and so he did not grow in +riches as fast as he grew in soul. + +Ephraim's wife had taught him to read the Bible. He read it every night, +and on Sundays also; and if what he was reading was sublime poetry, and +a part of the world's best literature, the old man did not know it. He +took it all as having actual relationship to such matters as trading +horses and feeding boarders. And he taught Samuel to take it that way +also; and as the boy grew up there took root within him a great dismay +and perplexity, that these moral truths which he read in the Book seemed +to count for so little in the world about him. + +Besides the Bible and his mother, Ephraim taught his son one other great +thing; that was America. America was Samuel's country, the land where +his fathers had died. It was a land set apart from all others, for the +working out of a high and wonderful destiny. It was the land of Liberty. +For this whole armies of heroic men had poured out their heart's blood; +and their dream was embodied in institutions which were almost as sacred +as the Book itself. Samuel learned hymns which dealt with these things, +and he heard great speeches about them; every Fourth of July that he +could remember he had driven out to the courthouse to hear one, and he +was never in the least ashamed when the tears came into his eyes. + +He had seen tears even in the summer boarders' eyes; once or twice +when on a quiet evening it chanced that the old man unlocked the secret +chambers of his soul. For Ephraim Prescott had been through the War. +He had marched with the Seventeenth Pennsylvania from Bull Run to Cold +Harbor, where he had been three times wounded; and his memory was a +storehouse of mighty deeds and thrilling images. Heroic figures strode +through it; there were marches and weary sieges, prison and sickness and +despair; there were moments of horror and of glory, visions of blood +and anguish, of flame and cannon smoke; there were battle flags, torn +by shot and shell, and names of precious memory, which stirred the deep +places of the soul. These men had given their lives for Freedom; they +had lain down to make a pathway before her--they had filled up a bloody +chasm so that she might pass upon her way. And that was the heritage +they handed to their children, to guard and cherish. That was what it +meant to be an American; that one must hold himself in readiness to go +forth as they had done, and dare and suffer whatever the fates might +send. + +Such were the things out of which Samuel's life was made; besides these +he had only the farm, with its daily tasks, and the pageant of Nature +in the wilderness--of day and night, and of winter and summer upon the +mountains. The books were few. There was one ragged volume which Samuel +knew nearly by heart, which told the adventures of a castaway upon a +desert island, and how, step by step, he solved his problem; Samuel +learned from that to think of life as made by honest labor, and to find +a thrill of romance in the making of useful things. And then there +was the story of Christian, and of his pilgrimage; the very book for +a Seeker--with visions of glory not too definite, leaving danger of +premature success. + +And then, much later, some one left at the place a volume of the "Farm +Rhymes" of James Whitcomb Riley; and before Samuel's eyes there opened a +new vision of life. He had been happy; but now suddenly he realized +it. He had loved the blue sky above him, and the deep woods and the +sparkling lake; but now he had words to tell about them--and the common +tasks of his life were transfigured with the glory of song. So one might +milk the cow with stirrings of wonder, and mow in the meadows to the +rhythm of "Knee-deep in June." + +From which you may divine that Samuel was what is called an Enthusiast. +He was disposed to take rosy views of things, and to believe what he +was told--especially if it was something beautiful and appealing. He was +given to having ideals and to accepting theories. He would be stirred +by some broad new principle; and he would set to work to apply it with +fervor. But you are not to conclude from this that Samuel was a fool. +On the contrary, when things went wrong he knew it; and according to his +religion, he sought the reason, and he sought persistently, and with all +his might. If all men would do as much, the world might soon be quite a +different place. + + + + +CHAPTER II + + +Such was Samuel's life until he was seventeen, and then a sad experience +came to the family. + +It was because of the city people. They brought prosperity to the +country, everyone said, but old Ephraim regretted their coming, none the +less. They broke down the old standards, and put an end to the old ways +of life. What was the use of grubbing up stumps in a pasture lot, +when one could sell minnows for a penny apiece? So all the men became +"guides" and camp servants, and the girls became waitresses. They wore +more stylish clothes and were livelier of speech; but they were also +more greedy and less independent. They had learned to take tips, for +instance; and more than one of the girls went away to the city to +nameless and terrible destinies. + +These summer boarders all had money. Young and old, it flowed from them +in a continuous stream. They did not have to plow and reap--they bought +what they wanted; and they spent their time at play--with sailboats and +fishing tackle, bicycles and automobiles, and what not. How all this +money came to be was a thing difficult to imagine; but it came from the +city--from the great Metropolis, to which one's thoughts turned with +ever livelier interest. + +Then, one August, came a man who opened the gates of knowledge a little. +Manning was his name--Percival Manning, junior partner in the firm +of Manning & Isaacson, Bankers and Brokers--with an address which had +caused the Prescott family to start and stare with awe. It was Wall +Street! + +Mr. Percival Manning was round and stout, and wore striped shirts, +and trousers which were like a knife blade in front; also, he fairly +radiated prosperity. His talk was all of financial wizardry by which +fortunes were made overnight. The firm of Manning & Isaacson was one of +the oldest and most prosperous in the street, so he said; and its junior +partner was in the confidence of some of the greatest powers in the +financial affairs of the country. And, alas! for the Prescott family, +which did not read the magazines and had never even heard of a +"bucket-shop"! + +Adam, the oldest brother, took Mr. Manning back to Indian Pond on a +fishing trip; and Samuel went along to help with the carries. And all +the way the talk was of the wonders of city life. Samuel learned that +his home was a God-forsaken place in winter--something which had never +been hinted at in any theological book which he had read. Manning +wondered that Adam didn't get out to some place where a man had a +chance. Then he threw away a half-smoked cigar and talked about the +theaters and the music halls; and after that he came back to the +inexhaustible topic of Wall Street. + +He had had interesting news from the office that day; there was a big +deal about to be consummated--the Glass Bottle Trust was ready for +launching. For nearly a year old Harry Lockman--"You've heard of him, no +doubt--he built up the great glass works at Lockmanville?" said Manning. +No, Adam confessed that he had never heard of Lockman, that shrewd +and crafty old multi-millionaire who had gone on a still hunt for +glass-bottle factories, and now had the country in the grip of the +fourteen-million-dollar "Glass Bottle Securities Company." No one knew +it, as yet; but soon the enterprise would be under full sail--"And won't +the old cormorant take in the shekels, though!" chuckled Manning. + +"That might be a good sort of thing for a man to invest in," said Adam +cautiously. + +"Well, I just guess!" laughed the other. "If he's quick about it." + +"Do you suppose you could find out how to get some of that stock?" was +the next question. + +"Sure," said Manning--"that's what we're in business for." + +And then, as luck would have it, a city man bought the old Wyckman farm, +and the trustees of the estate came to visit Ephraim in solemn state +and paid down three crisp one-thousand-dollar bills and carried off the +canceled mortgage. And the old man sat a-tremble holding in his hands +the savings of his whole lifetime, and facing the eager onslaught of his +two eldest sons. + +"But, Adam!" he protested. "It's gambling!" + +"It's nothing of the kind," cried the other. "It's no more gambling than +if I was to buy a horse because I knowed that horses would be scarce +next spring. It's just business." + +"But those factories make beer bottles and whisky bottles!" exclaimed +the old man. "Does it seem right to you to get our money that way?" + +"They make all kinds of bottles," said Adam; "how can they help what +they're used for?" + +"And besides," put in Dan, with a master-stroke of diplomacy, "it will +raise the prices on 'em, and make 'em harder to git." + +"There's been fortunes lost in Wall Street," said the father. "How can +we tell?" + +"We've got a chance to get in on the inside," said Adam. "Such chances +don't happen twice in a lifetime." + +"Just read this here circular!" added Dan. "If we let a chance like this +go we'll deserve to break our backs hoeing corn the rest of our days." + +That was the argument. Old Ephraim had never thought of a broken back in +connection with the hoeing of corn. There were four acres in the field, +and every spring he had plowed and harrowed it and planted it and +replanted what the crows had pulled up; and all summer long he had +hoed and tended it, and in the fall he had cut it, stalk by stalk, +and stacked it; and then through October, sitting on the bare bleak +hillside, he had husked it, ear by ear, and gathered it in baskets--if +the season was good, perhaps a hundred dollars' worth of grain. That +was the way one worked to create a hundred dollars' worth of Value; and +Manning had paid as much for the fancy-mounted shotgun which stood in +the corner of his room! And here was the great fourteen-million-dollar +Glass Bottle Trust, with properties said to be worth twenty-five +million, and the control of one of the great industries of the +country--and stock which might easily go to a hundred and fifty in a +single week! + +"Boys," said the old man, sadly, "it won't be me that will spend this +money. And I don't want to stand in your way. If you're bent on doing +it--" + +"We are!" cried Adam. + +"What do you say, Samuel?" asked the father. + +"I don't know what to say," said Samuel. "It seems to me that three +thousand dollars is a lot of money. And I don't see why we need any +more." + +"Do you want to stand in the way?" demanded Adam. + +"No, I don't want to stand in the way," said Samuel. + +And so the decision was made. When they came to give the order they +found themselves confronted with a strange proposition; they did not +have to buy the whole stock, it seemed--they might buy only the increase +in its value. And the effect of this marvelous device would be that they +would make ten times as much as they had expected to make! So, needless +to say, they bought that way. + +And they took a daily paper and watched breathlessly, while "Glass +Bottle Securities" crept up from sixty-three and an eighth to sixty-four +and a quarter. And then, late one evening, old Hiram Johns, the +storekeeper, drove up with a telegram from Manning and Isaacson, telling +them that they must put up more "margin"--"Glass Bottle Securities" was +at fifty-six and five eighths. They sat up all night debating what this +could mean and trying to lay the specters of horror. The next day Adam +set out to go to the city and see about it; but he met the mail on the +way and came home again with a letter from the brokers, regretfully +informing them that it had been necessary to sell the stock, which +was now below fifty. In the news columns of the paper they found the +explanation of the calamity--old Henry Lockman had dropped dead of +apoplexy at the climax of his career, and the bears had played havoc +with "Glass Bottle Securities." + +Their three thousand dollars was gone. It took them three days to +realize it--it was so utterly beyond belief, that they had to write to +the brokers and receive another letter in which it was stated in black +and white and beyond all misunderstanding that there was not a dollar +of their money left. Adam raged and swore like a madman, and Dan vowed +savagely that he would go down to the city and kill Manning. As for the +father, he wrote a letter of agonized reproach, to which Mr. Manning +replied with patient courtesy, explaining that he had had nothing to +do with the matter; that he was a broker and had bought as ordered, and +that he had been powerless to foresee the death of Lockman. "You will +remember," he said, "that I warned you of the uncertainties of the +market, and of the chances that you took." Ephraim did not remember +anything of the sort, but he realized that there was nothing to be +gained by saying so. + +Samuel did not care much about the loss of his share of the money; but +he did care about the grief of his father, which was terrible to see. +The blow really killed him; he looked ten years older after that week +and he failed all through the winter. And then late in the spring he +caught a cold, and took to his bed; and it turned to pneumonia, and +almost before anyone had had time to realize it, he was gone. + +He went to join Samuel's mother. He had whispered this as he clutched +the boy's hand; and Samuel knew that it was true, and that therefore +there was no occasion for grief. So he was ashamed for the awful waves +of loneliness and terror which swept over him; and he gulped back +his feelings and forced himself to wear a cheerful demeanor--much too +cheerful for the taste of Adam and Dan, who were more concerned with +what their neighbors would think than they were with the subtleties of +Samuel's faith. + +The boy had been doing a great deal of thinking that winter; and after +the funeral he called a council of the family. + +"Brothers," he said, "this farm is too small for three men. Dan wants +to marry already; and we can't live here always. It's just as Manning +said--" + +"I don't want to hear what that skunk said!" growled Adam. + +"Well, he was right that time. People stay on the land and they divide +it up and get poorer and poorer. So I've made up my mind to break away. +I'm going to the city and get a start." + +"What can you do in the city?" asked Dan. + +"I don't know," said Samuel. "I'll do my best. I don't expect to go to +Wall Street and make my fortune." + +"You needn't be smart!" growled Dan. + +But the other was quite innocent of sarcasm. "What I mean is that I'll +have to work," said he. "I'm young and strong, and I'm not afraid to +try. I'll find somebody to give me a chance; and then I'll work hard and +learn and I'll get promoted. I've read of boys that have done that." + +"It's not a bad idea," commented Adam. + +"Go ahead," said Dan. + +"The only thing is," began Samuel, hesitatingly, "I shall have to have a +little money for a start." + +"Humph!" said Adam. "Money's a scarce thing here." + +"How much'll ye want?" asked the other. + +"Well," said the boy, "I want enough to feel safe. For if I go, I +promise you I shall stay till I succeed. I shan't play the baby." + +"How do you expect to raise it?" was the next question. + +"I thought," replied Samuel, "that we might make some kind of a +deal--let me sell out my share in the farm." + +"You can't sell your share," said Adam, sharply. "You ain't of age." + +"Maybe I'm not," was the answer; "but all the same you know me. And if I +was to make a bargain I'd keep it. You may be sure I'll never come back +and bother you." + +"Yes, I suppose not," said Adam, doubtfully. "But you can't tell--" + +"How much do you expect to git?" asked Dan warily. + +"Well, I thought maybe I could get a hundred dollars," said the other +and then he stopped, hesitating. + +Adam and Dan exchanged a quick glance. + +"Money's mighty scarce hereabouts," said Adam. + +"Still," said Dan, "I don't know, I'll go to the village tomorrow and +see what I can do." + +So Dan drove away and came back in the evening and there was another +council; he produced eight new ten-dollar bills. + +"It was the best I could do," he said. "I'm sorry if it ain't +enough"--and then he stopped. + +"I'll make that do," said Samuel. + +And so his brother produced a long and imposing-looking document; Samuel +was too polite to read it but signed at once, and so the bargain was +closed. And that night Samuel packed his few belongings in a neat +newspaper bundle and before sunrise the next morning he set out upon his +search. + + + + +CHAPTER III + + +He had his bundle slung over his back and his eighty dollars pinned +tightly in an inside pocket. Underneath it his heart beat fast and high; +he was young and he was free--the open road stretched out before him, +and perpetual adventure beckoned to him. Every pilgrimage that he had +ever read of helped to make up the thrill that stirred him, as he stood +on the ridge and gazed at the old farmhouse, and waved his hand, and +turned and began his journey. + +The horse was needed for the plowing, and so Samuel walked the six +miles to the village, and from there the mail stage took him out to +the solitary railroad station. He had three hours to wait here for the +train, and so he decided that he would save fifteen cents by walking on +to the next station. Distance was nothing to Samuel just then. + +Halfway to his destination there was a fire in a little clearing by the +track, and a young man sat toasting some bread on a stick. + +"Hello!" he said. "You're hittin' her lively." + +"Yes," said Samuel. The stranger was not much older than he, but his +clothing was dirty and he had a dissipated, leering face. + +"You're new at this game, aren't you?" said he. + +"What game?" asked Samuel. + +The other laughed. "Where ye goin'?" + +"To New York." + +"Goin' to hoof it all the way?" + +"No!" gasped the boy. "I'm just walking to the next station." + +"Oh, I see! What's the fare?" + +"Six thirty-seven, I think." + +"Humph! Got the price, hey!" + +"Yes--I've got the price." Samuel said this without pride. + +"Well, you won't have it long if you live at that rate," commented the +stranger. "Why don't you beat your way?" + +"How do you mean?" asked Samuel. + +"Nobody but a duffer pays fare," said the other. "There'll be a freight +along pretty soon, and she stops at the water tank just below here. Why +don't you jump her?" + +Samuel hesitated. "I wouldn't like to do that," he said. + +"Come," said the other, "sit down." + +And he held out a piece of his toast, which Samuel accepted for +politeness' sake. This young fellow had run away from school at the age +of thirteen; and he had traveled all over the United States, following +the seasons, and living off the country. He was on his way now from a +winter's holiday in Mexico. And as Samuel listened to the tale of his +adventures, he could not keep the thought from troubling him, how large +a part of eighty dollars was six thirty-seven. And all in a single day. + +"Come," said the young fellow; and they started down the track. The +freight was whistling for brakes, far up the grade. And Samuel's heart +thumped with excitement. + +They crouched in the bushes, not far beyond the tank. But the train did +not stop for water; it only slowed down for a curve, and it thundered by +at what seemed to Samuel an appalling rate of speed. "Jump!" shouted the +other, and started to run by the track. He made a leap, and caught, and +was whirled on, half visible in a cloud of dust. + +Samuel's nerve failed him. He waited, while car after car went by. But +then he caught hold of himself. If anyone could do it, so could he. For +shame. + +He started to run. There came a box-car, empty, with the door open, and +he leaped and clutched the edge of the door. He was whirled from his +feet, his arms were nearly jerked out of him. He was half blinded by the +dust, but he hung on desperately, and pulled himself up. A minute more +and he lay gasping and trembling upon the floor of the car. He was on +his way to the city. + +After a while, Samuel began to think; and then scruples troubled him. +He was riding free; but was he not really stealing? And would his father +have approved of his doing it? He had begun his career by yielding to +temptation! And this at the suggestion of a young fellow who boasted of +drinking and thieving! Simply to start such questions was enough, with +Samuel; and he made up his mind that when he reached the city the first +thing he would do would be to visit the office of the railroad, and +explain what he had done, and pay his fare. + +Perhaps an hour later the train came to a stop, and he heard some one +walking by the track. He hid in a corner, ashamed of being there. Some +one stopped before the car, and the door was rolled shut. Then the +footsteps went on. There came clankings and jarrings, as of cars being +shifted, and then these ceased and silence fell. + +Samuel waited for perhaps an hour. Then, becoming restless, he got up +and tried the door. It was fast. + +The boy was startled and rather dazed. He sat down to think it out. "I +suppose I'm locked in till we reach New York," he reflected. But then, +why didn't they go? + +"Perhaps we're on a siding, waiting for the passenger train to pass," +was his next thought; and he realized regretfully that he would have +been on that train. But then, as hour after hour passed, and they +did not go on, a terrible possibility dawned upon him. He was left +behind--on a siding. + +Two or three trains went by, and each time he waited anxiously. But they +did not stop. Silence came again, and he sat in the darkness and waited +and wondered and feared. + +He had no means of telling the time; and doubtless an hour seemed an age +in such a plight. He would get up and pace back and forth, like a caged +animal; and then he would lie down by the door, straining his ears for +a sound--thinking that some one might pass, unnoticed through the thick +wall of the car. + +By and by he became hungry and he ate the scanty meal he had in his +bundle. Then he became thirsty--and he had no water. + +The realization of this made his heart thump. It was no joking matter +to be shut in, at one could not tell what lonely place, to suffer from +thirst. He sprang up and began to pound and kick upon the door in a +frenzy. + +But he soon tired of that and crouched on the floor again listening and +shivering, half with fear and half with cold. It was becoming chillier, +so he judged it must be night; up here in the mountains there was still +frost at night. + +There came another train, a freight, he knew by the heavy pounding and +the time it took to pass. He kicked on the door and shouted, but he soon +realized that it was of no use to shout in that uproar. + +The craving for water was becoming an obsession. He tried not to think +about it, but that only made him think about it the more; he would think +about not thinking about it and about not thinking about that--and all +the time he was growing thirstier. He wondered how long one could live +without water; and as the torment grew worse he began to wonder if he +was dying. He was hungry, too, and he wondered which was worse, of which +one would die the sooner. He had heard that dying men remembered +all their past, and so he began to remember his--with extraordinary +vividness, and with bursts of strange and entirely new emotions. He +remembered particularly all the evil things that he had ever done; +including the theft of a ride, for which he was paying the penalty. And +meantime, with another part of his mind, he was plotting and seeking. He +must not die here like a rat in a hole. There must be some way. + +He tried every inch of the car--of the floor and ceiling and walls. +But there was not a loose plank nor a crack--the car was new. And that +suggested another idea--that he might suffocate before he starved. He +was beginning to feel weak and dizzy. + +If only he had a knife. He could have cut a hole for air and then +perhaps enlarged it and broken out a board. He found a spike on the +floor and began tapping round the walls for a place that sounded thin; +but they all sounded thick--how thick he had no idea. He began picking +splinters away at the juncture of two planks. + +Meantime hunger and thirst continued to gnaw at him. At long intervals +he would pause while a train roared by, or because he fancied he had +heard a sound. Then he would pound and call until he was hoarse, and +then go on picking at the splinters. + +And so on, for an unknown number of hours, but certainly for days and +nights. And Samuel was famished and wild and weak and gasping; when at +last it dawned upon his senses that a passing train had begun to +make less noise--that the thumping was growing slower. The train was +stopping. + +He leaped up and began to pound. Then he realized that he must control +himself--he must save his strength until the train had stopped. But +suppose it went on without delay? He began to pound again and to shout +like a madman. + +The train stopped and there was silence; then came sounds of cars being +coupled--and meantime Samuel was kicking and beating upon the wall. He +was almost exhausted and in despair--when suddenly from outside came a +muffled call--"Hello!" + +For a moment he could not speak. Then "Help! Help!" he shrieked. + +"What's the matter?" asked the voice. + +"I'm locked in," he called. . + +"How'd you get in?" + +"They locked me in by accident. I'm nearly dead." + +"Who are you?" + +"I was riding in the car." + +"A tramp, hey? Serves ye right! Better stay there!" + +"No! No!" screamed the boy, in terror. "I'm starving--I've been here for +days. For heaven's sake let me out--I'll never do it again." + +"If I let you out," said the voice, "it's my business to arrest you." + +"All right," cried Samuel. "Anything--but don't leave me here." + +There was a moment's silence. "Have you got any money?" asked the voice. + +"Yes. Yes--I've got money." + +"Don't yell so loud. How much?" + +"Why--what?" + +"How much?" + +"I've got eighty dollars." + +"All right. Give it to me and I'll let you out." + +Frantic as he was, this staggered Samuel. "I can't give you all my +money," he cried. + +"All right then," said the other. "Stay there." + +"No, no!" he protested. "Wait! Leave me just a little." + +"I'll leave you five dollars," said the voice. "Speak up! Quick!" + +"All right," said Samuel faintly. "I'll give it to you." + +"Mind! No nonsense now!" + +"No. Let me out!" + +"I'll bat you over the head if you try it," growled the voice; and +the boy stood trembling while the hasp was unfastened and the door was +pushed back a little. The light of a lantern flashed in through the +crack, blinding him. + +"Now hand out the money," said the stranger, standing at one side for +safety. + +"Yes," said Samuel, fumbling with the pin in his waistcoat. "But I can't +see to count it." + +"Be quick! I'll count it!" + +And so he shoved out the wad. Fingers seized it; and then the light +vanished, and he heard the sound of footsteps running. + +For a moment he did not understand. Then, "Give me my five dollars!" he +yelled, and rolled back the door and leaped out. He was just in time to +see the figure with the lantern vanish among the cars up the track. + +He started to run up the track and tripped over a tie and fell headlong +into a ditch. When he scrambled to his feet again the long train was +beginning to move, and the light of the lantern was nowhere to be seen. + + + + +CHAPTER IV + + +Samuel's money was gone, but he was suffering too keenly from hunger and +thirst to worry about it for more than a minute. Then the thought came +to him--he was here in a lonely place at night, and the train was going! +If he were left he might still starve. + +He ran over and caught the iron ladder of one of the freight cars and +drew himself up and clung there. Later on he climbed on top of the car; +but the wind was too cold--he could not stand it, and had to climb +down again. And then he realized that he had left the bundle of his +belongings in the empty car. + +Fortunately for him the train began to slow up at the end of an hour or +so, and peering out Samuel saw lights ahead. Also there were lights here +and there in the landscape, and he realized that he had come to a large +town. The east was just beginning to turn gray, and faint shadows of +buildings were visible. + +Samuel got off and walked up the track very carefully, for he was stiff +as well as weak. There was a light in one of the offices at the depot, +and he looked in at the window and saw a man seated at a desk writing +busily. He knocked at the door. + +"Come in," said a voice, and he entered. + +"Please, may I have a drink of water?" he asked. + +"Over there in the corner," said the man, scarcely looking up from his +papers. + +There was a bucket and dipper, and Samuel drank. The taste of the water +was a kind of ecstasy to him--he drank until he could drink no more. + +Then he stood waiting. "I beg pardon, sir," he began timidly. + +"Hey?" said the man. + +"I'm nearly starved, sir. I've had nothing to eat for I don't know how +long." + +"Oh!" exclaimed the other. "So that's it. Get out!" + +"You don't understand," began Samuel, perplexed. + +"Get out!" cried the man. "That don't go in here. No beggars allowed!" + +Beggars! The word struck Samuel like a whip-lash. + +"I'm no beggar!" he cried wildly. "I--" And then he stopped. He had been +going to say, "I will pay for it." + +He went out burning with shame, and on the spot he took his +resolution--come what might, he would never beg. He would not put a +morsel of food into his mouth until he had earned it. + +Across from the depot was a public square, and a broad street with +trolley tracks. Samuel walked down the street; and then, feeling weak +and seeing a dark doorway, he went in and crouched in a corner. For a +while he dozed; and then it was daylight. People were passing. + +He got more water at a fountain and felt better. He went down one of +the poorer streets where a man was opening a shop. There was food in the +window--fruit and bread--and the sight made him ravenous. But he asked +for work and the man shook his head. + +Samuel went on. Shops were opened here and there; and everywhere he +asked for a job--for any little thing to do--and always it was No. Now +and then he caught a whiff of some one's breakfast--bacon frying, and +coffee or hot bread in a bake shop. But each time he gripped his hands +together and set his teeth. He would not beg. He would find work. + +And so on through the morning. He went into stores, big and little. +Sometimes they answered politely--sometimes gruffly; but no one +hesitated a moment. He went past warehouses, where men were loading +wagons--surely there would be work here. + +He spoke to a busy foreman in his shirt sleeves. + +"How often must I tell you no?" cried the man. + +"But you never told me before," protested Samuel with great earnestness. + +"Get out!" said the man. "There are so many of you--how the devil can I +tell?" + +There were so many! And suddenly Samuel realized that he had passed a +good many poor-looking men upon the streets. And were they all hunting +jobs and not finding them? Perhaps some were even begging and getting +nothing by that. + +He went on with a blank terror in his soul. He gazed at the people he +passed on the street; some of them had kindly faces--surely they would +have helped him had they known. But there was no way for him to let them +know--no way but to be a beggar! + +He came to the suburbs and asked at the houses. But no one wanted +anything done. It was noon and people were at luncheon--he caught odors +as doors were opened. He went back into the city, because he could not +stand it. He was feeling weaker, and he was afraid with a ghastly fear. +Pretty soon he might not be able to work! + +It was a new idea to Samuel, that a man might starve in the midst of +civilization. He could hardly believe it, and grew half-delirious as he +thought about it. What would happen at the end? Would they let him lie +down and die in the street? Or was there some place where starving men +went to die? + +So the day passed, and he found nothing. Several people advised him +to get out of town--this was no place to look for work, they said. +Apparently something was the matter with the place, but they did not +stop to tell him what. + +This was the first large town Samuel had ever seen, and under other +circumstances he would have gazed at it with wonder. He passed great +buildings of brick and stone, and trolley cars, and a fire-engine house, +and many other strange sights. He came to a great high fence, inclosing +many acres of buildings, dingy and black with smoke; there were tall +chimneys, and rows of sheds, and railroad tracks running in. He passed +other factories, huge brick buildings with innumerable windows; and many +blocks of working-men's houses, small and dirty frame structures, with +pale-faced children in the doorways. The roads and sidewalks here were +all of black cinders, and it was hot even in May. + +And then he came to a steel bridge and crossed a river and the road +broadened out, and he climbed a hill and found himself walking upon +a macadamized avenue lined with trees, and with beautiful residences +overlooking the ridge. Rich people lived here, evidently; and Samuel +stared, marveling at the splendor. He came to a great estate with a +stone gateway and iron railings ten feet high, and an avenue of stately +elm trees; there were bright green lawns with peacocks and lyre birds +strutting about, and a great colonial mansion with white pillars in the +distance. "Fairview," read the name upon the gates. + +And then again Samuel remembered his appetite. Surely amid all this +luxury there would be some chance for him! He started up the path! + +He had got about halfway to the house when a man who was tending the +flowers caught sight of him and came toward him. "What are you doing +here?" he called, before he had come halfway. + +"I'm looking for some work," began Samuel. + +"Do you want to get your head punched?" shouted the man. "What do you +mean by coming in here?" + +"Why, what's the matter?" asked the boy perplexed. + +"Get out, you loafer!" cried the other. + +And Samuel turned and went quickly. A loafer! + +So for the first time it occurred to him to look at his clothes, which +were muddy from his tumble in the ditch. And no doubt his face and hands +were dirty also, and his hair unkempt, and his aspect unprepossessing +enough for an applicant for labor. At any rate it was clear that this +was not the part of the town to seek it in; so he went back across the +bridge. + +Twilight had fallen and the stores were shutting up. Soon everything +would be closed; and that night he felt that he would perish. And so at +last desperation seized him. + +He bolted into the first lighted place he saw. + +It was a saloon--empty, save for a man in white behind the bar. + +"I'm no beggar!" shouted Samuel. + +"Hey?" said the man. + +"I say I'm no beggar! I'll come back and pay you. I'm starving. I must +have something to eat." + +"Gee whiz!" said the man. + +"I was never in a saloon in my life before," added Samuel, as he +realized the character of the place. "But please--please give me +something to eat." + +"Hully gee, young feller!" exclaimed the bar-keeper. "You do it great. +You ought to be an actor. Step up and feed your face." + +"What?" stammered Samuel, perplexed. + +"EAT!" said the other, and pointed. "Maybe you understand that." + +And Samuel turned and saw a lot of food set out upon a counter. He +rushed to it and began. At the first taste a kind of madness seized him, +and he ate like a wild beast, gulping things. + +For several minutes he did this, while the other watched curiously. Then +he remarked, "Say, you'd better quit." + +"What?" asked Samuel, seizing more food. + +"I say quit," said the man. "Just for your own good. I see your story's +true, an' a little rest won't hurt you." + +Samuel gazed longingly at the food, desiring more handfuls. "Come over +here," said the man. "What happened to you?" + +"I was locked in an empty freight car." + +"Humph! That's a new one! How long?" + +"What day is this?" + +"Friday." + +"I was locked in Wednesday morning. It seemed longer." + +"It's long enough," commented the barkeeper. + +"I was robbed," Samuel went on. "A man took all my money." And then the +old shame started up in him. "Don't think I'm a beggar. I'll work and +pay for this." + +"That's all right," said the barkeeper. "Be easy." + +"Haven't you anything I can do? Some wood to split?" + +"We don't burn wood." + +"Or some cleaning up?" Samuel looked round. The place did not seem very +neat to him. "I'll scrub the floors for you," he said. + +"We have 'em scrubbed in the early morning," replied the man. + +"Well, let me come and do it," said Samuel. + +"Go on!" said the other. "You'll be ready for more feed then." + +"I'll come, just the same, sir." + +"If you take my advice," the bartender observed, "you'll get out of this +town. Lockmanville's a poor place to hunt jobs in." + +Samuel started. "Lockmanville!" he gasped. + +"Yes," said the other. "Don't you know where you are?" + +"I didn't know," said the boy. "Lockmanville! The one where the big +glass works are?" + +"That's the one." + +"And where old Henry Lockman lived!" + +"What about it?" asked the other. + +"Nothing," said Samuel, "only my father invested all his money in +Lockman's company, and lost it." + +"Gee!" said the bartender. + +"Maybe if I told them," said the boy, "they'd give me some work here." + +"Maybe," said the other--"only the works is shut down." + +"Shut down!" cried Samuel; and then added, "On account of his death?" + +"No--they always close in summer. But this year they closed in March. +Times is bad." + +"Oh," said Samuel. + +"So there's plenty of men looking for jobs in Lockmanville,". the other +continued, "an' some of the other factories is closed, too--the cotton +mill is only runnin' half time." + +"I see." + +"Old Lockman used to say there was too many glass works," the barkeeper +added. "An' the fellers he bought out went an' built more. So there you +are." + +There was a pause. "I'm coming back in the morning," said Samuel +doggedly. + +"All right," said the other, with a smile--"if you don't forget it." +Then a couple of customers entered. "Run along now," said he. + +And Samuel went--the more readily because he realized that he had been +all this time in a saloon, a place of mystery and wickedness to him. + +He started down the street again. A fine cold rain had begun to fall. +What was he to do? + +He felt warm, having feasted. But there was no use in getting wet. He +glanced into the doorways as he passed, and seeing a dark and empty one, +crouched inside. + +Lockmanville! What a curious coincidence! And there were hundreds in the +town out of work. It seemed a strange and terrible thing. Could it be +that they let people starve as he was starving--people they knew? Could +it be that they went on about their business and paid no attention to +such a thing? + +He must get out, they told him. But how? Would the railroad take him, if +he explained? Or would the people on the way give him work? He had got +some food at last, but only by begging. And was he expected to beg? + +There came footsteps outside. A man strode into the doorway and took +hold of the door and tried it. Then he turned to go out. Samuel moved +his foot out of the way. + +"Hello!" said the man. "Who's that?" + +"Only me," said Samuel. + +"Get up there," commanded the other. + +He got up and a hand seized him by the collar. "Who are you?" + +He was jerked into the light before he had a chance to reply. "More +bums!" growled the voice; and Samuel, terrified, saw that he was in the +grasp of a policeman. + +"Please, sir, I'm not doing any harm," he began. + +"Come," said the policeman. + +"Where to?" he cried. + +But the other merely jerked him along. A sudden wild horror seized +Samuel. "You're not going to arrest me!" he exclaimed. + +"Sure," said the other. "Why not?" + +"But," he exclaimed, "I've not done anything. I can't help it. I--" + +He started to drag back, and the man twisted a huge hand, in his collar, +choking him. "Do you want to be hit?" he growled. + +So Samuel went on. But sobs shook him, convulsive sobs of terror and +despair, and tears of shame rolled down his cheeks. He was going to +jail! + +"What's the matter with you?" said the policeman after a bit. "Why don't +you be quiet?" + +"You've no business to arrest me," wailed the boy. "I haven't done +anything, and I couldn't help it. I've no place to go and no money. And +it's not my fault." + +"You can tell that to the judge," replied the other. + +"But--but what have I done? Why--" + +"Shut up!" said the officer, and gave another twist at his throat. And +after that Samuel was quiet. + + + + +CHAPTER V + + +In the station-house a fat sergeant sat dozing upon his throne. "Another +vagrant," said the policeman, as if to say there was no special need to +rouse himself. + +"What was he doing?" the sergeant asked. + +"Sleeping in a doorway," was the reply. + +By this time Samuel had come to realize the futility of protest. +He accepted his fate with dumb despair. He gave the information the +sergeant asked for--Samuel Prescott, aged seventeen, native born, from +Euba Corners, occupation farmer, never arrested before. + +"All right," said the man, and went back to his nap; and Samuel was led +away, and after a pretense at a search was shoved into a cell and heard +the iron door clang upon him. + +He was alone now, and free to sob out his grief. It was the culmination +of all the shame and horror that he could ever have imagined; first, to +have to beg, and then to be locked up in jail. He knew now what they did +with men who were out of work and starving. + +He lay there weeping, and then suddenly he sat up transfixed. From the +cell next to him had come a cry, a horrible blood-curdling screech, more +like the scream of a wild cat than any human sound. Samuel listened, his +heart pounding. + +There came the voice of a man from across the corridor--"Shut up, you +hag!" And after that bedlam broke loose. The woman--Samuel realized at +last that the scream had come from a woman--broke forth into a +torrent of yells and curses. Such hideous obscenities, such revolting +blasphemies he had never heard in his life before--he had never dreamed +that life contained within it the possibility of such depravity. It was +like an explosion from some loathsome sewer; and its source was the lips +of a woman. + +For ten minutes or so the tirade continued until it seemed to the boy +that every beautiful and sacred thing he had ever heard of in his life +had been defiled forever. Then a jailer strolled down the corridor, and +with a few vigorous and judicious oaths contrived to quell the uproar. + +Samuel lay down again; and now he had a chance to make another +discovery. He had felt sharp stinging sensations which caused him to +scratch himself frantically. Then suddenly he realized that he was lying +upon a mattress infested with vermin. + +The discovery sent him bounding to the middle of the floor. It set +him wild with rage. Such a thing had never happened to him in his life +before, for his home was a decent and clean one. This was the crowning +infamy--that they should have taken him, helpless as he was, and shut +him up in a filthy hole to be devoured by bedbugs and lice. + +In the morning they brought him bread and coffee; and after a couple of +hours' more waiting he was taken to court. + +It was a big bare room with whitewashed walls. There were a few +scattered spectators, a couple of policemen and several men writing at +tables. Seated within an inclosure were a number of prisoners, dull +and listless looking. One by one they stepped up before the railing and +faced the judge; there would be a few muttered words and they would move +on. Everything went as a matter of routine, which had been going that +way for ages. The judge, who was elderly and gray haired, looked like a +prosperous business man in a masquerade costume. + +Samuel's turn came and he stood before the bar. His name was read, and +the charge--vagrancy. + +"Well?" said the judge mechanically. "What have you to say for +yourself?" + +Samuel caught his breath. "It's not my fault, sir," he began. + +"Your honor," prompted the policeman who stood at his elbow. + +"Your honor," said Samuel, "I lost all my money. And I've been trying to +find work, your honor." + +"Have you any friends in town?" + +"No, your honor." + +"How long have you been here?" + +"Only since yesterday, your honor." + +"How did you get here?" + +"I came in on a freight train, your honor." + +"I see," said the judge. "Well, you came to the wrong place. We're going +to put an end to vagrancy in Lockmanville. Thirty days. Next case." + +Samuel caught his breath. "Your honor," he gasped. + +"Next case," repeated the judge. + +The policeman started to lead Samuel away. "Your honor," he cried +frantically. "Don't send me to jail." And fighting against the +policeman's grip, he rushed on, "It's not my fault--I'm an honest boy +and I tried to find work. I haven't done anything. And you'll kill me if +you send me to jail. Have mercy! Have mercy!" + +The policeman shook him roughly. But there was something so genuine in +Samuel's wail that the judge said, "Wait." + +"How could I help it if I was robbed?" the boy rushed on, taking +advantage of his chance. "And what could I do but ask for work? I was +brought up honest, your honor. It would have killed my father if he'd +thought I'd be sent to jail. He brought me up to earn my living." + +"Who was your father?" asked the judge. + +"His name was Ephraim Prescott, and he was a farmer. You can ask anyone +at Euba Corners what sort of a man he was. He'd fought all through the +war--he was wounded four times. And if he could be here he'd tell you +that I don't deserve to go to jail." + +There was a moment's pause. "What regiment was your father in?" asked +the magistrate. + +"He was in the Seventeenth Pennsylvania, your honor." + +"Be careful, boy," said the other sternly. "Don't try to deceive me." + +"I don't want to deceive you, your honor," protested Samuel. + +"What brigade was the Seventeenth Pennsylvania in?" + +"In the Third Brigade, your honor." + +"And who commanded it?" + +"General Anderson--that is, until he was killed at the battle of +Chancellorsville. My father was there." + +"I was there, too," said the judge. + +"My father used to tell me about it," exclaimed Samuel with sudden +eagerness. "His brigade was in the right wing and they had a double line +of trenches. And the rebels charged the line with cavalry. They charged +a dozen times during the day, and there were big trees cut down by the +bullets. My father said the rebels never fought harder than they did +right there." + +"Yes," said his honor, "I know. I was one of them." + +Everyone within hearing laughed; and Samuel turned crimson. + +"I beg pardon, your honor," he said. + +"That's all right," said the judge. And then he added gravely, "Very +well, Samuel, we'll give you another chance for your father's sake. But +don't let me see you here again." + +"No, your honor," said Samuel. Then he added quickly. "But what can I +do?" + +"Get out of Lockmanville," said the other. + +"But how? When I've no money. If your honor could only help me to some +work." + +"No," said the judge. "I'm sorry, but I've found jobs for three men this +week, and I don't know any more." + +"But then--" began Samuel. + +"I'll give you a dollar out of my own pocket," the other added. + +"Your honor," cried Samuel startled, "I don't want to take money!" + +"You can send it back to me when you get a job," said the judge, holding +out a bill. "Take it. Prisoner discharged. Next case." + +Samuel took the money and was turning away, when a man who had been +sitting in a chair near the magistrate suddenly leaned forward. + +"Judge," he said, "if I may interrupt--" + +"Why, surely, professor," said the other pleasantly. + +"I may possibly be able to find something for the boy to do." + +"Ah, that will be fine!" + +"He seems to be a capable young fellow and might be worth helping." + +"The very thing, professor. Samuel, this is Professor Stewart, of +Lockman College." + +Samuel was very glad to meet the professor. He was a trim little +gentleman, with a carefully cut black beard and gold-rimmed eyeglasses. + +"Here is my card," he said; "and if you'll come to see me to-morrow +morning at my house, we'll see what we can do." + +"Thank you very much," said the boy, and put the card in his pocket. +Then, realizing suddenly that the policeman had let go of his arm, and +that he was free, he turned and made his way through the gate. + +"A diverting episode," said the professor. + +"Yes," said the judge, with a smile. "We have them now and then, you +see." + +Samuel went out with a glow in his heart. At last he had got a start. +He had got underneath the world's tough hide and found kindness and +humanity after all. It had been a harrowing experience, but it would not +happen again. + +He had now one definite purpose in mind. He walked straight out of town +and down the river road until he came to a sufficiently solitary place. +Then he took off his clothes and sat down on the bank and performed a +most elaborate toilet. For half an hour at least he scrubbed his head +with sand and water, and combed his hair out with his fingers. And then +he went over his clothing inch by inch. At least he would be through +with one hideous reminder of his imprisonment. + +After which he dressed again and went back to town and found the saloon +where he had eaten. + +"Hello!" said his friend Finnegan, the bar-keeper. "Back again!" + +"I came to explain about this morning," said Samuel. "I couldn't come +because they put me in jail." + +"Gee!" said the other; but then he added, with a laugh, "Well, it was a +wet night." + +Samuel did not reply. "I'll come to-morrow morning," he said. + +"You'd better get out of town, sonny," advised the other. + +"I'm all right. The judge gave me a dollar." + +"Humph! A dollar won't last forever." + +"No. But I've got the promise of a job. There was a gentleman +there--Professor Stewart, from the college." + +"Hully gee!" said Finnegan. "I know that guy. A little runt with a black +beard?" + +"I guess so," said Samuel dubiously. + +"I seen his pitcher in the paper," said the other. "He's one of them +reformers--always messin' into things." + +"Maybe that's why he was at the court," observed Samuel. + +"Sure thing! He's a professor of sociology an' such things, an' he +thinks he knows all about politics. But we handed him a few last +election--just you bet!" + +"Who's 'we'?" asked Samuel. + +"The organization," said Finnegan; "the Democrats, o' course. Them +reformers is always Republicans--the 'better element,' an' all that. +That means the rich guys--that have their own little grafts to work. +This perfessor was a great friend of old Henry Lockman--an' the old man +used to run this town with his little finger. But they had a big strike +here three years ago, and too many men got hit over the head. So it'll +be a long day before there's any more 'reform' in Lockmanville." + +"I see," said Samuel. + +"They make a great howl about the saloons an' all the rest," added the +barkeeper. "But when the Republicans ran things, my boss paid his little +rake-off just the same, you can bet. But you needn't tell that to the +perfessor." + +"I won't," said the boy. + +"What you goin' to do now?" asked the other. + +"I don't know. I guess I'll have to get something to eat first." + +"You'll find the cheapest way is to buy a glass of beer and then feed +over there." + +"No," said Samuel, startled. "I--I think I'd rather not do that." + +"Well, so long," said Finriegan, with a laugh. + +"You'll see me to-morrow morning," said Samuel, as he went out. + + + + +CHAPTER VI + + +Samuel went to a bake shop and bought a loaf of bread and sat on the +bench of the public square and devoured it bit by bit. It was the +cheapest thing he could think of, and quantity was what counted just +then. + +Next he had to find a room to spend the night. He knew nothing about +hotels and lodging-houses--he walked through the workingmen's quarter of +the town, scanning the cottages hesitatingly. At last in the doorway of +one he noticed a woman standing, an elderly woman, very thin and weary +looking, but clean, and with a kindly face. So he stopped. + +"Please," said he, "could you tell me any place where I could hire a +room?" + +The woman looked at him. "For how long?" she asked. + +"I'm not quite sure," he said. "I want it for one night, and then if I +get a job, I may want it longer." + +"A job in Lockmanville?" said the woman. + +"Well, I've the promise of one," he replied. + +"There can't be very many," said she. "I've two rooms I've always +rented," she added, "but when the glass works shut down the men went +away. One of them owed me three dollars, too." + +"I--I'm not able to pay very much," said Samuel. + +"Come in," responded the woman; and he sat down and told her his story. +And she told him hers. + +Mrs. Stedman was her name, and her husband had been a glass blower. He +earned good wages--five dollars a day in the busy season. But he worked +in front of a huge tank of white-hot glass and that was hard on a man. +And once on a hot day he had gone suddenly dizzy, and fallen upon a mass +of hot slag, and been frightfully burned in the face. They had carried +him to the hospital and taken out one eye. And then, because of his +family and the end of the season being near, he had gone to work +too soon, and his wound had gone bad, and in the end he had died of +blood-poisoning. + +"That was two years ago," said Mrs. Stedman. "And I got no damages. +We've barely got along--this year's been worse than ever. It's the +panic, they say. It seemed as if everything was shutting down." + +"It must be very hard on people here," said Samuel. + +"I've got three children--all girls," said Mrs. Stedman, "and only one +old enough to work. That's Sophie--she's in the cotton mill, and that +only started again last month. And they say it may run on half time +all the year. I do sewing and whatever I can to help, but there's never +enough." + +Samuel forgot his own troubles in talking with this woman. His family +had been poor on the farm, but they had never known such poverty as +this. And here were whole streets full of people living the same sort of +life; hanging over the abyss of destruction, and with no prospect save +to struggle forever. Mrs. Stedman talked casually about her friends and +neighbors, and new glimpses came to make the boy catch his breath. Next +door was Mrs. Prosser, whose husband was dying of cancer; he had been +two years dying, and they had five small children. And on the other +side were the Rapinskys, a Polish family; they had been strong in the +possession of three grown sons, and had even bought a phonograph. And +now not one of them had done a stroke of work for three months. + +To have been robbed and put in jail seemed a mere incident in comparison +with such bitter and I lifelong suffering; and Samuel was ashamed of +having made so much fuss. He had stated, with some trepidation, that he +was just out of jail; but Mrs. Stedman had not seemed to mind that. +Her husband had been in jail once, during the big glass strike, and for +nothing more than begging another man not to take his job. + +It was arranged that Samuel was to pay her thirty-five cents for his +supper and bed and breakfast, and if he wished to stay longer she would +board him for four dollars a week, or he might have the room alone for a +dollar. + +The two young children came in from school; they were frail and +undersized little girls, with clothing that was neatly but pitifully +patched. And shortly after them came Sophie. + +Samuel gave a start of dismay when he saw her. He had been told that she +worked in the cotton mill and was the mainstay of the family; and he +had pictured a sturdy young woman, such as he had seen at home. Instead, +here was a frail slip of a child scarcely larger than the others. Sophie +was thirteen, as he learned afterwards; but she did not look to be ten +by his standards. She was grave and deliberate in her movements, and she +gazed at the stranger with a pair of very big brown eyes. + +"This is Samuel Prescott," said her mother. "He is going to spend the +night, and maybe board with us." + +"How do you do?" said Sophie, and took off the shawl from her head and +sat down in a corner. The boy thought that this was shyness upon her +part, but later on he realized that it was lassitude. The child rested +her head upon her hand every chance that she got, and she never did +anything that she did not have to. + +The next morning, bright and early, Samuel was on hand at the saloon, +greatly to the amusement of his friend Finnegan. He got down on his +hands and knees and gave the place such a scrubbing as it had never had +before since it was built. And in return Finnegan invited him to some +breakfast, which Samuel finally accepted, because it would enable him to +take less from the Stedmans. + +Professor Stewart had not specified any hour in his invitation. He lived +in the aristocratic district across the bridge and Samuel presented +himself at his door a little before eight. + +"Professor Stewart told me to come and see him," he said to the maid. + +"Professor Stewart is out of town," said she. + +"Out of town!" he echoed. + +"He's gone to New York," said she. "He was called away unexpectedly last +night." + +"When will he be back?" + +"He said he'd try to be back the day after tomorrow; but he wasn't +sure." + +Samuel stared at her in consternation. + +"What did you want?" she asked. + +"He promised me a job." + +"Oh!" said she. "Well, can't you come back later on?" And then, seeing +that Samuel had nothing better to do than to stare at her dumbly, she +closed the door and went about her business. + +Samuel walked back in a daze. It gave him a new sense of the world's +lack of interest in him. Probably the great man had forgotten him +altogether. + +There was nothing to do but to wait; and meantime he had only sixty +cents. He could not stay with Mrs. Stedman, that was certain. But when +he came to tell her, she recurred to a suggestion he had made. There +were a few square yards of ground behind her house, given up mostly to +tomato cans. If he would plant some garden seed for her she would board +him meanwhile. And so Samuel went to work vigorously with a borrowed +spade. + +Two days passed, and another day, and still the professor had not +returned. It was Saturday evening and Samuel was seated upon the steps +of the house, resting after a hard day's work. Sophie was seated near +him, leaning back against the house with her eyes closed. The evening +was warm and beautiful, and gradually the peace of it stole over her. +And so at last she revealed herself to Samuel. + +"Do you like music?" she asked. + +"Very much indeed," said he. + +"Not everybody does," she remarked--"I mean real music, such as +Friedrich plays." + +"I don't know," said Samuel. "Who is Friedrich?" + +"He's a friend of mine," Sophie answered. "He's a German boy. His +father's the designer at the carpet works. And he plays the violin." + +"I should like to hear him," said he. + +"I'll take you," she volunteered. "I generally go to see them on Sunday +afternoons. It's the only time I have." + +So the next day Samuel met the Bremers. Their cottage was a little way +out in the country, and they had a few trees about it and a flower bed. +But the house was not large, and it was well filled with a family of +nine children. Johann, the father, was big and florid, with bristling +hair. He was marked in the town because he called himself a "Socialist," +but Samuel did not know that. His wife was a little mite of a woman, +completely swamped by child-bearing. Most interesting to Samuel was +Friedrich, who played the violin; a pale ascetic-looking boy of fifteen, +with wavy hair and beautiful eyes. + +Music was a serious rite with the Bremers. The father played the piano, +and the next oldest son to Friedrich was struggling with a 'cello; and +when they played, the whole family sat in the parlor, even the tiny +tots, round-eyed and silent. + +Samuel knew some "patriotic songs," and a great number of hymns, and a +few tunes that one heard at country dances. But such music as this was a +new revelation of the possibilities of life. He listened in a transport +of wonder and awe. Such wailing grief, such tumultuous longing, such +ravishing and soul-tormenting beauty! Friedrich had only such technique +as his father had been able to give him, together with what he had +invented for himself; his bowings were not always correct, and he was +weak on the high notes; but Samuel knew nothing of this--he was thinking +of the music. And he needed no one to tell him about it--he needed +no criticisms and no commentaries. Across the centuries the souls +of Schubert and Beethoven spoke to him, telling their visions of the +wonderful world of the spirit, toward which humanity is painfully +groping. + +It was impossible for him to keep from voicing his excitement, and this +greatly delighted the Bremers, who craved for comprehension in a lonely +place. His sympathy gave wings to their fervor, and they played the +whole afternoon through, and then Johann invited them to stay to supper, +so that they might play some more in the evening. + +"You should haf been a musician," he said to Samuel. "You vas made for +it." + +They had a supper such as the boy had missed for some time; a great +platter of cold boiled meat, and a bowl of hot gravy, and another bowl +of mashed potatoes, with no end of bread and butter. Also there was some +kind of a German pudding, and to the stranger's dismay, a pitcher of +beer in front of Johann. After offering some to his guests, he drank it +all, and also he ate a vast supper. Afterwards he dozed, while Friedrich +played yet more wonderful music, and this gave Samuel a new insight +into the life of the family, and into the wild and terrible longing that +poured itself out in Friedrich's tones. The father was good-natured and +sentimental, but sunk in grossness; and the mother was worn out with the +care of her brood, and beneath all this burden the soul of the boy was +crying frantically for life. + +The exigencies of trade demanded endless variety of designs in carpets +and rugs, and so all day Johann Bremer stood in front of a great sheet +of cardboard, marked off in tiny numbered squares, on which he painted +with many colors. For this he received thirty dollars a week, and his +son received twelve dollars as his assistant--painting in the same +colors upon all the squares of certain numbers, and so completing a +symmetrical design. It was a very good job, and Johann prodded his son +to devote his energies to the evolving of new designs. But the boy hated +it all--thinking only of his music. And his music meant to him, not +sentimental dreaming, but a passionate clutch into the infinite, a +battle for deliverance from the bondage of the world. So Johann himself +had been in his youth, when he had become a revolutionist, and before +beer and gravy and domesticity had tamed him. + +No one said a word about these things. It was all in the playing. And +now and then Samuel stole a glance about the room and discovered yet +another soul's tragedy. Sophie, too, was drinking in the music, and life +had crept into her face, and her breath came quick and fast, and now and +then she furtively brushed away a tear. + +Afterwards, as they walked home, she said to Samuel, "I don't know if +it's good for me to listen to music like that." + +"Why not?" he asked--"if it makes you happy." + +"But it makes me unhappy afterwards. It makes me want things. And I get +restless--and when I go back to the factory it's so much harder." + +"What do you do in the factory?" asked Samuel. + +"I'm what they call a bobbin-girl--I tie the threads on the bobbins when +they are empty." + +"Is it very hard work?" + +"No, you mightn't think so. But you have to stand up all day; and it's +doing the same thing all the time--the same thing the whole day long. +You get dull--you never think about anything. And then the air is full +of dust and the machinery roars. You get used to it, but I'm sure its +bad for you." + +They walked for a while in silence. "Do you like to imagine things?" +asked Sophie suddenly. + +"Yes," said he. + +"I used to," said she--"when I was younger." It was so strange to Samuel +to notice that this slip of a child always spoke of herself as old. + +"Why don't you do it now?" he asked. + +"I'm too tired, I think. But I've a lot of pictures up in my room--that +I cut out of magazines that people gave me. Pictures of beautiful +things--birds and flowers, and old castles, and fine ladies and +gentlemen. And I used to make up stories about them, and imagine that I +was there, and that all sorts of nice things were happening to me. Would +you like to see my pictures?" + +"Very much," said Samuel. + +"I think of things like that when I listen to Friedrich. I've a picture +of Sir Galahad--he's very beautiful, and he stands at his horse's head +with a sword in his hand. I used to dream that somebody like that might +come and carry me off to a place where there aren't any mills. But I +guess it's no use any more." + +"Why not?" asked the other. + +"It's too late. There is something the matter with me. I never say +anything, because it would make mother unhappy; but I'm always tired +now, and every day I have a headache. And I'm so very sleepy, and yet +when I lie down I can't sleep--I keep hearing the mill." "Oh!" cried +Samuel involuntarily. + +"I don't mind it so much," said the child. "There's no help, so what's +the use. It's only when I hear Friedrich play--then I get all stirred +up." + +They walked on for a while again. + +"He's very unhappy," she said finally. + +"I suppose so," replied Samuel. "Tell me," he asked suddenly. "Isn't +there some other work that you could do?" + +"What? I'm not strong enough for hard work. And where could I make three +dollars a week?" + +"Is that what they pay you?" + +"Yes--that is--when we are on full time." + +"Does it make all the girls sick?" he inquired. "There's that girl who +came in this afternoon--she seems well and strong." + +"Bessie, you mean? But it's just play for her, you see. She lives with +her parents and stops whenever she feels like it. She just wants to buy +dresses and go to the theater." + +"But that girl we passed on the street to-day!" + +"Helen Davis. Ah, yes--but she's different again. She's bad." + +"Bad?" echoed Samuel perplexed. + +There was a brief pause. It was not easy for him to adjust himself to +a world in which the good were of necessity frail and ill, and the bad +were rosy-cheeked and merry. "How do you mean?" he asked at last. + +And Sophie answered quite simply, "She lives with a fellow." + +The blood leaped into Samuel's face. Such a blunder for him to have +made. + +But then the flush passed, giving place to a feeling of horrified +wonder. For Sophie was not in the least embarrassed--she spoke in the +most matter-of-fact tone. And this from a child of thirteen, who did not +look to be ten. + +"I see," said he in a faint voice. + +"A good many of the girls do it," she added. "You see, they move about +so much--the mills close, and so a girl has no hope of marrying. But +mothers says it's wrong, just the same." + +And Samuel walked home the rest of the way in silence, and thinking no +more about the joys of music. + + + + +CHAPTER VII + + +On Monday morning Samuel found that Professor Stewart had returned, and +he sat in the great man's study and waited until he had finished his +breakfast. + +It was a big room, completely walled with crowded bookshelves; in the +center was a big work-table covered with books and papers. Samuel had +never dreamed that there were so many books in the world, and he +gazed about him with awe, feeling that he had come to the sources of +knowledge. + +That was Samuel's way. Both by nature and training, he had a profound +respect for all authority. He believed in the majesty of the law--that +was why it had shocked him so to be arrested. He thought of the church +as a divine institution, whose ministers were appointed as shepherds of +the people. And up here on the heights was this great College, a temple +of learning; and this professor was one who had been selected by those +in the seats of authority, and set apart as one of its priests. So +Samuel was profoundly grateful for the attention which was given to him, +and was prepared to pick up whatever crumbs of counsel might be dropped. + +"Ah, yes," the professor said, wiping his glasses with a silk +handkerchief. "Samuel--let me see--Samuel--" + +"Prescott, sir." + +"Yes--Samuel Prescott. And how have you been?" + +"I've been very well, sir." + +"I meant to leave a message for you, but I overlooked it. I had so many +things to attend to in the rush of departure. I--er--I hope you didn't +wait for me." + +"I had nothing else to do, sir," said Samuel. + +"The truth is," continued the other, "I'm afraid I shan't be able to do +for you what I thought I could." + +Samuel's heart went down into his boots. + +"You see," said the professor a trifle embarrassed, "my sister wanted +a man to look after her place, but I found she had already engaged some +one." + +There was a pause. Samuel simply stared. + +"Of course, as the man is giving satisfaction--you see--it wouldn't do +for her to send him away." + +And Samuel continued to stare, dumb with terror and dismay. + +"I'm very sorry," said the other--"no need to tell you that. But I don't +know of any other place." + +"But what am I to do?" burst out Samuel. + +"It's really too bad," remarked the other. + +And again there was a silence. + +"Professor Stewart," said Samuel in a low voice, "what is a man to do +who is out of work and starving?" + +"God knows," said the professor. + +And yet again there was silence. Samuel could have said that himself--he +had the utmost faith in God. + +And after a while the professor himself seemed to realize that the reply +was inadequate. "You see," he went on, "there is a peculiar condition +here in Lockmanville. There was an attempt to corner the glass industry, +and that caused the building of too many factories, and so there is +overproduction. And then, besides that, they've just invented a machine +that blows as many bottles as a dozen men." + +"But then what are the men to do?" asked Samuel. + +"The condition readjusts itself," said the other. "The men have to go +into some other trade." + +"But then--the cotton mills are on half time, too!" + +"Yes, there are too many cotton mills." + +"But then--in the end there will be too many everything." + +"That is the tendency," said the professor. + +"There are foreign markets, of course. But the difficulty really goes +deeper than that." + +Professor Stewart paused and looked at Samuel wondering, perhaps, if +he were not throwing away his instruction. But the boy looked very much +interested, even excited. + +"Most of our economists are disposed to blink the truth," said he. "But +the fact is, there are too many men." + +Samuel started. It was precisely that terrible suspicion which had been +shaping itself in his own mind. + +"There is a law," went on the other, "which was clearly set forth by +Malthus, that population tends continually to outrun the food supply. +And then the surplus people have to be removed." + +"I see," said Samuel, awestricken. "But isn't it rather hard?" + +"It seems so--to the individual. To the race it is really of the very +greatest benefit. It is the process of life." + +"Please tell me," Samuel's look seemed to say. + +"If you will consider Nature," Professor Stewart continued, "you will +observe that she always produces many times more individuals than can +possibly reach maturity. The salmon lays millions of eggs, and thousands +of young trees spring up in every thicket. And these individuals +struggle for a chance to live, and those survive which are strongest and +best fitted to meet the conditions. And precisely the same thing is true +among men--there is no other way by which the race could be improved, or +even kept at its present standard. Those who perish are sacrificed for +the benefit of the race." + +Now, strange as it may seem, Samuel had never before heard the phrase, +"the survival of the fittest." And so now he was living over the +experience of the thinking world of fifty or sixty years ago. What a +marvelous generalization it was! What a range of life it covered! And +how obvious it seemed--one could think of a hundred things, perfectly +well known, which fitted into it. And yet he had never thought of it +himself! The struggle for existence! The survival of the fittest! + +A few days ago Samuel had discovered music. And now he was discovering +science. What an extraordinary thing was the intellect of man, which +could take all the infinitely varied facts of life and interpret them in +the terms of one vast law. + +Samuel was all aglow with excitement at the revelation. "I see," he +said, again and again--"I see!" + +"It is the law of life," said the professor. "No one can escape from +it." + +"And then," said Samuel, "when we try to change things--when we give out +charity, for instance--we are working against Nature, and we really make +things worse." + +"That is it," replied the other. + +And Samuel gave a great sigh. How very simple was the problem, when +one had seen it in the light of science. Here he had been worrying and +tormenting his brain about the matter; and all the time he was in the +hands of Nature--and all he had to do was to lie back and let Nature +solve it. "Nature never makes mistakes," said Professor Stewart. + +Of course, in this new light Samuel's own case became plain. "Those who +are out of work are those who have failed in the struggle," he said. + +"Precisely," said the professor. + +"And that is because they are unfit." + +"Precisely," said the professor again. "As Herbert Spencer has phrased +it, 'Inability to catch prey must be regarded as a falling short of +conduct from its ideal.' And, of course, in an industrial community, the +'prey' is a job." + +"Who is Herbert Spencer?" asked Samuel. + +"He is recognized as the authority in such matters," said the other. + +"And then," pondered Samuel, "those who have jobs must be the fit. And +the very rich people--the ones who make the millions and millions--they +are the fittest of all." + +"Er--yes," said the professor. + +"And, of course, that makes my problem clear--I'm out of a job, and so I +must die." + +The professor gazed at Samuel sharply. But it was impossible to mistake +the boy's open-eyed sincerity. He had no thought about himself--he was +discovering the laws of life. + +"I'm so glad you explained it to me," he went on. "But all these +thousands of men who are starving to death--they ought to be told it, +too." + +"What good would it do?" asked the other. + +"Why, they ought to understand. They suffer, and it seems to them +purposeless and stupid. But if you were to explain to them that they +are being sacrificed for the benefit of the race--don't you see what a +difference it would make?" + +"I don't believe they would take the suggestion kindly," said the +professor with a faint attempt to smile. + +"But why not?" asked Samuel. + +"Wouldn't it sound rather hypocritical, so to speak--coming from a man +who had succeeded?" + +"Not at all! You have a right to your success, haven't you?" + +"I hope so." + +"You have a job"--began Samuel and then hesitated. "I don't know how a +professor comes to get his job," he said. "But I suppose that the +men who make the great fortunes--the ones who are wisest and best of +all--they give the money for the colleges, don't they?" + +"Yes," said Professor Stewart. + +"And then," said Samuel, "I suppose it is they who have chosen you?" + +Again the professor darted a suspicious glance at his questioner. +"Er--one might put it that way," he said. + +"Well, then, that is your right to teach; and you could explain it. +Then you could say to these men: 'There are too many of you; you aren't +needed; and you must be removed.'" + +But the professor only shook his head. "It wouldn't do," he said. And +Samuel, pondering and seeking as ever, came to a sudden comprehension. + +"I see," he exclaimed. "What is needed is action!" + +"Action?" + +"Yes--it's for us who are beaten to teach it; and to teach it in our +lives. It's a sort of revival that is needed, you see." + +"But I don't see the need," laughed the other, interested in spite of +himself. + +"That's because you aren't one of us!" cried Samuel vehemently. "Nobody +else can understand--nobody! It's easy to be one of the successes of +life. You have a comfortable home and plenty to eat and all. But when +you've failed--when you're down and out--then you have to bear hunger +and cold and sickness. And there is grief and fear and despair--you can +have no idea of it! Why, I've met a little girl in this town. She works +in the cotton mill, and it's just killed her by inches, body and soul. +And even so, she can only get half a day's work; and the mother is +trying to support the little children by sewing--and they're all just +dying of slow starvation. This very morning they asked me to stay to +breakfast, and I refused, because I knew they had only some bread and +a few potatoes, and it wasn't enough for one person. You see, it's so +slow--it's such a terribly long process--this starving people off +by inches. And keeping them always tormented by hope. Don't you see, +Professor Stewart? And just because you don't come out honestly and +teach them the truth. Because you won't say to them: 'The world is too +full; and you've got to get out of the way, so as to give us a chance.' +Why, look, sir--you defeat your own purposes! These people stay, and +they keep on having more children, and everything gets worse instead +of better; and they have diseases and vices--they ruin the whole +world. What's the use of having a world if it's got to be like this +town--crowded with hovels full of dirty people, and sick people, and +starving and miserable people? I can't see how you who live up here on +the heights can enjoy yourselves while such things continue." + +"Um--no," said Professor Stewart; and he gazed at Samuel with knitted +brows--unable, for the life of him, to feel certain whether he ought to +feel amused, or to feel touched, or to feel outraged. + +As for Samuel, he realized that he was through with the professor. The +professor had taught him all that he had to teach. He did not really +understand this matter at all--that was because he belonged to the +other world, the world of successful and fit people. They had their own +problems to solve, no doubt! + +This non-comprehension was made quite clear by the professor's next +remark. "I'm sorry to have disappointed you," he said. "If a little +money will help you--" + +"No," said the other quickly. "You mustn't offer me money. How can that +be right? That would be charity." + +"Ahem!" said the professor. "Yes. But then--you mentioned that you +hadn't had any breakfast. Hadn't you better go into the kitchen and let +them give you something?" + +"But what is the use of putting things off?" cried Samuel wildly. "If +I'm going to preach this new idea, I've got to begin." + +"But you can't preach very long on an empty stomach," objected the +other. + +To which Samuel answered, "The preaching has to be by deeds." + +And so he took his departure; and Professor Stewart turned back to his +work-table, upon which lay the bulky manuscript of his monumental work, +which was entitled: "Methods of Relief; A Theory and a Programme." +Some pages lay before him; the top one was headed: "Chapter +LXIII--Unemployment and Social Responsibility." And Professor Stewart +sat before this title, and stared, and stared. + + + + +CHAPTER VIII + + +Samuel meantime was walking down the broad macadam avenue debating +his problem. The first glow of excitement was over, and he was finding +difficulties. The theory still held; but in the carrying out of it there +were complications. + +For one thing, it would be so hard to spread this doctrine. For if one +tried to teach it by words, he seemed a hypocrite, as the professor had +said; and on the other hand, if one simply practiced it, who would ever +know? Suppose, for instance, that he starved to death during the next +few days? That would be only one person removed, and apparently there +were millions of the superfluous. + +The truth was that Samuel, in discussing the theory, had applied it only +to himself. But now he pictured himself going home to tell Mrs. Stedman +that she must give up her futile effort, and take herself and her three +children out of the way of the progress of the race. And he realized +that he could never do it--he was not equal to the task. Doubtless, it +was because he was one of the unfit. It would need some one who did +not know them, some one who could approach the matter from the purely +scientific standpoint. + +Then there was another difficulty graver yet. Did not this doctrine +really point to suicide? Would it not be the simplest solution of his +problem if he were to climb down to the river, and tie a stone about +his neck, and jump in? Samuel wished that he had thought to ask the +professor about this. For the idea frightened him; he had a distinct +impression of having been taught that it was a dreadful sin to take +one's own life. + +The trouble seemed to lie in the dull and unromantic nature of the life +about him. If only there had been some way to die nobly and heroically +for the good of others. If only there was a war, for instance, and a +call for men to perish on the ramparts! Or a terrible pestilence, so +that one could be a nurse! But there was nothing at all but this low +starving to death--and while other people lived in plenty. Samuel +thought of the chance of finding some work which involved grave peril +to life or limb; but apparently even the danger posts were filled. The +world did not need him, either in life or death! + +So there was nothing for it but the starving. Having eaten nothing that +day, Samuel was ready to begin at once; he tightened his belt and set +his teeth for the grapple with the gaunt wolf of hunger. + +And so he strode on down the road, pining for a chance to sacrifice +himself--and at the very hour that the greatest peril of his life was +bearing down upon him. + +He had passed "Fairview," the great mansion with the stately gates and +the white pillars. He had passed beyond its vast grounds, and had got +out into the open country. He was walking blindly--it made no great +difference where he went. And then suddenly behind him there was a +clatter of hoofs; and he turned, and up the road he saw a cloud of dust, +and in the midst of it a horse galloping furiously. Samuel stared; there +was some kind of a vehicle behind it, and there was a person in the +vehicle. A single glance was enough for him to realize--it was a +runaway! + +To Samuel the thing came as a miracle--it was an answer to his prayer. +And it found him ready. The chance was offered him, and he would not +fail--not he! He did not falter for a second. He knew just what he had +to do, and he was ready--resolute, and alert, and tense. + +He moved into the center of the road. The horse came on, galloping at +top speed; it was a blooded horse, swift and frantic with fear, and +terrible to see. Samuel spread out his arms; and then in a flash the +creature was upon him. + +It swerved to pass him; and the boy wheeled, leaped swiftly, and flung +himself at the bridle. + +He caught it; his arms were wrenched, but he hung on, and jerked himself +up. The horse flung him to one side; but with a swift clutch, Samuel +caught him by the nostrils with one hand, and gripped fast. Then he +drew himself up close and hung grimly, his eyes shut, with a grasp like +death. + +And he was still hanging there when the run-away stopped, and the +occupant leaped from the vehicle and rushed to help him. "My God!" he +cried, "but that was nerve!" + +He was a young fellow, white as a sheet and trembling in every muscle. +"How did you do it?" he panted. + +"I just held on," said Samuel. + +"God, but I'm thankful to you!" exclaimed the other. "You've saved my +life!" + +Samuel still clung to the horse, which was quivering with nervousness. + +"He'd never have got away from me, but one rein broke. See here!"--And +he held up the end. + +"What started him?" asked Samuel. + +"Nothing," said the other--"a piece of paper, likely. He's a +fool--always was." And he shook his fist in the horse's face, +exclaiming, "By God, I'll tame you before I finish with you!" + +"Look out!" said Samuel. "You'll start him again!" And again he clutched +the horse, which started to plunge. + +"I've got him now," said the other. "He'll quiet down." + +"Hold fast," Samuel continued; and then he put his hand to his forehead, +and swayed slightly. "I--I'll have to sit down a moment, I'm afraid. I +feel sort of dizzy." + +"Are you hurt?" cried the stranger anxiously. + +"No," he said--"no, but I haven't had anything to eat to-day, and I'm a +little weak." + +"Nothing to eat!" cried the other. "What's the matter?" + +"Why, I've been out of a job." + +"Out of a job? Good heavens, man, have you been starving?" + +"Well," said Samuel with a wan smile, "I had begun to." + +He sat down by the roadside, and the other stared at him. "Do you live +in Lockmanville?" he asked. + +"No, I just came here. I left my home in the country to go to New York, +and I was robbed and lost all my money. And I haven't been able to find +anything to do, and I'd just about given up and got ready to die." + +"My God!" cried the other in dismay. + +"Oh, it's all right," said Samuel. "I didn't mind." + +The stranger gazed at him in perplexity. And Samuel returned the gaze, +being curious to see who it was he had rescued. It was a youth not more +than a year or two older than himself. The color had now come back into +his face, and Samuel thought that he was the most beautiful human being +he had ever seen. He had a frank, open face, and laughing eyes, and +golden hair like a girl's. He wore outing costume, a silk shirt and +light flannels--things which Samuel had learned to associate with the +possession of wealth and ease. Also, his horse was a thoroughbred; +and with a rubber-tired runabout and a silver-mounted harness, the +expensiveness of the rig was evident. Samuel was glad of this, because +it meant that he had rescued some one of consequence--some one of the +successful and fit people. + +"Just as soon as you're able, come hold the horse," said the stranger, +"and then I'll fix this rein, and take you back and get you something to +eat." + +"Oh, no!" said Samuel. "Don't bother. That's all right." + +"Hell, man!" cried the other. "Don't you suppose I'm going to do +anything for you?" + +"Well, I hadn't thought--" began Samuel. + +"Cut it out!" exclaimed the other. "I'll set you up, and find you a job, +and you can have a decent start." + +Find him a job! Samuel's heart gave a great throb. For a moment he +hardly knew how to take this--how it would fit into his new philosophy. +But surely it was all right for him to take a job. Yes, he had earned +it. Even if some one else had to be turned out--even so, he had proven +his fitness. He had won in the struggle. He had a place among the +successful, and he could help Sophie and her mother. + +He got up with eagerness, and held the horse. "Do you think you can +manage him?" he asked. + +"Oh, yes," said the other. "I'll chance it, anyhow." + +And he leaped into the runabout and took the reins. "Now," he said; and +Samuel got in, and they sped away, back toward town. + +"Don't say anything about this accident, please," said the young man +suddenly. + +"I won't," said Samuel. + +"My friends are always teasing me because I drive horses," he explained. + +"Why not?" asked the other. + +"Well, everybody drives motors nowadays. But my father stood by horses, +and I learned to be fond of them." + +"We never had but one horse on the farm," observed Samuel. "But I was +fond of him." + +"What is your name?" inquired the stranger; and Samuel told him. Also +he told him where he had come from and what had happened to him. He +took particular pains to tell about the jail, because he did not want +to deceive anyone. But his companion merely called it "an infernal +outrage." + +"Where were you going now?" he asked. + +"I'd just left Professor Stewart's," replied Samuel. + +"What! Old Stew? How do you come to know him?" + +"He was at the court. And he said he'd get me a job, and then he found +he couldn't. Do you know him?" + +"Oh, yes, I had him at college, you know." + +"Oh, do you go to the college?" + +"I used to--till my father died. Then I quit. I hate study." + +Samuel was startled. "I suppose you don't need to," he said after a +pause. + +"No," said the other. "My father thought the world of Old Stew," he +added; "but he used to bore the life out of me. How'd you find him?" + +"Well," answered Samuel, "you see, I haven't had any of your advantages. +I found what he told me very wonderful." + +"What did he tell you?" + +"Well, he explained to me how it was I was out of a job. There are too +many people in the world, it seems, and I was one of the unfit. I had +failed in the struggle for existence, and so I had to be exterminated, +he said." + +"The devil he did!" exclaimed the stranger. + +Samuel wished that the young man would not use so many improper words; +but he presumed that was one of the privileges of the successful. "I +was very grateful to him," he went on, "because, you see, I hadn't +understood what it meant. But when I realized it was for the good of the +race, then I didn't mind any more." + +His companion stole a glance at him out of the corner of his eye. "Gee!" +he said. + +"I had quite an argument with him. I wanted him to see that he ought +to teach the people. There are thousands of people starving here in +Lockmanville; and would you want to starve without knowing the reason?" + +"No," said the other, "I don't think I should." And again he looked at +his companion. + +But the conversation was interrupted there. For some time they had been +passing the place with the ten-foot iron railing; and now they came to +the great stone entrance with the name "Fairview" carved upon it. To +Samuel's surprise they turned in. + +"Where are you going?" he asked. + +"Home," said the other. + +And Samuel started. "Do you live here?" he gasped. + +"Yes," was the reply. + +Samuel stared at the familiar driveway with the stately elms, and the +lawns with the peacocks and lyre birds. "This is one of the places where +I asked for work," he said. "They ordered me out." + +"The deuce they did!" exclaimed the other. "Well, they won't order you +out now." + +There was a pause. "You haven't told me your name," put in Samuel +suddenly. + +"I thought you'd guess," said the other with a laugh. + +"How could I?" + +"Why--don't you know what place this is?" + +"No," said Samuel. "What?" + +And his companion replied, "It's the Lockman place." + +Samuel caught his breath and clutched at the seat. + +"The Lockman place!" he panted; and then again, "The Lockman place!" + +He stared ahead at the great building, with the broad porticos and the +snow-white columns. He could hardly credit his ears. + +"I'm the old man's son," added the stranger genially. "Albert's my name. +They call me Bertie." + + + + +CHAPTER IX + + +Properly to understand the thrill which this revelation brought to +Samuel, one would have to consider the state of his mind. With all the +power of his being Samuel was seeking for excellence; and a great and +wise man had explained to him what were the signs by which this quality +was known. And in the "struggle for existence" old Henry Lockman had +succeeded more than any other man of whom Samuel had ever heard in his +life. He owned these huge glass works, and many others all over the +country. He owned the trolley roads, and the gas works, and the water +works; the place had been named after him, and the great college also. +For many years he had even run the government of the town, so Finnegan +had stated. And here was this huge estate, his home--a palace fit for +a king. How great must have been the excellence of such a man! And what +benefits he must have conferred upon the world, to have been rewarded +with all this power and glory! + +And here was his son--a youth in aspect fitting perfectly to +Samuel's vision; a very prince of the blood, yet genial and +free-hearted--noblesse oblige! To him had descended these virtues and +excellences--and all the estates and powers as the sign and symbol +thereof. And now had come a poor ignorant country boy, and it had fallen +to his fortune to save the life of this extraordinary being. And he was +to have a chance to be near him, and to serve him--to see how he lived, +and to find out the secret of his superior excellence. There was no +snobbery in Samuel's attitude; he felt precisely as another and far +greater Samuel had felt when his sovereign had condescended to praise +his dictionary, and the tears of gratitude had started into his eyes. + +They drove up before the palace, and a groom came hurrying up. +"Phillips," said young Lockman, "look at that rein!" + +The groom stared aghast. + +"Take it and show it to Sanderson," the other continued. "Ask him if I +don't pay enough for my harness that he gets me stuff like that." + +"Yes, sir," said the groom. + +They alighted and crossed the broad piazza, which was covered with easy +chairs and tables and rugs. In the entrance hall stood a man in livery. + +"Peters," said the young man, "this is Samuel Prescott. I had some +trouble with my horse and he helped me. He hasn't had anything to eat +today, and I want him to have a good meal." + +"Yes, sir," said the man. "Where shall I serve it, sir?" + +"In the morning room. We'll wait there. And mind you, bring him a +plenty." + +"Yes, sir," said Peters, and went off. + +Meantime Samuel had time for a glance about him. Never had he heard or +dreamed of such magnificence. It was appalling, beyond belief! The great +entrance hall went up to the roof; and there was a broad staircase of +white marble, with galleries of marble, and below a marble fireplace, +big enough to hold a section of a tree. Beyond this was a court with +fountains splashing, and visions of palms and gorgeous flowers; and +on each side were vistas of rooms with pictures and tapestries and +furniture which Samuel thought must be of solid gold. + +"Come," said his companion, and they ascended the staircase. + +Halfway up, however, Samuel stopped and caught his breath. Before him +there was a painting. There is no need to describe it in detail--suffice +it to say that it was a life-size painting of a woman, entirely naked; +and that Samuel had never seen such a thing in his life before. He +dropped his eyes as he came near to it. + +They went along the gallery and entered a room, dazzlingly beautiful and +bright. It was all done in white satin, the front being of glass, and +opening upon a wide balcony. There were flowers and singing birds, +and in the panels most beautiful paintings, representing wood nymphs +dancing. These airy creatures, also, were innocent of anything save +filmy veils; but they were all about the room, and so poor Samuel had no +way to escape them. He sought for light within his mind; and suddenly he +recollected the illustrated Bible at home. Perhaps the peerless beings +who lived in such palaces had returned to a state of guiltlessness, such +as had existed before the serpent came. + +Young Lockman flung himself into an easy chair and proceeded to +cross-question his companion. He wanted to know all about the interview +with "Old Stew"; and afterwards, having managed to divine Samuel's +attitude to himself, he led him to talk about that, which Samuel +did with the utmost frankness. "Gee, but you're a queer duffer!" was +Lockman's comment; but Samuel didn't mind that. + +The butler came with the meal--carrying it on a big tray, and with +another man to carry a folding table, and yet another to help. Such a +display of silver and cut glass! Such snowy linen, and such unimaginable +viands! There were piles of sandwiches, each one half a bite for a +fairly hungry man. There was jellied game, and caviar, and a pate +of something strange and spicy. Nothing was what one would have +expected--there were eggs inside of baked potatoes, and ice cream in +some sort of crispy cake. The crackers looked like cakes, and the cakes +like crackers, and the cheese was green and discouraging. But a bowl of +strawberries and cream held out a rich promise at the end, and Samuel +took heart. + +"Fall to," said the host; and then divining the other's state of mind, +he remarked, "You needn't serve, Peters," and the men went away, to +Samuel's vast relief. + +"Don't mind me," added Lockman laughing. "And if there's any question +you want to ask, all right." + +So Samuel tasted the food of the gods; a kind of food which human skill +and ingenuity had labored for centuries to invent, and for days and even +weeks to prepare. Samuel wondered vaguely where all these foods had come +from, and how many people had had a hand in their preparation; also +he wondered if all those who ate them would become as beautiful and as +dazzling as his young friend. + +The friend meanwhile was vastly diverted, and was bent upon making the +most of his find. "I suppose you'd like to see the place?" he said. + +"I should, indeed," said Samuel. + +"Come and I'll show it to you--that is, If you're able to walk after the +meal." + +The meal did not trouble Samuel, and they went out and took a stroll. +And so the boy met with yet another revelation of the possibilities of +existence. + +If there was anything in the world he would have supposed he understood, +it was farming; but here at "Fairview" was farming as it was done by the +methods of Science. At home they had had some lilac bushes and a row of +peonies; here were acres of greeneries, filled with flowers of gorgeous +and unimaginable splendor, and rare plants from every part of the world. +At home it had been Samuel's lot to milk the cow, and he had found it a +trying job on cold and dark winter mornings; and here was a model dairy, +with steam heat and electric light, and tiled walls and nickel plumbing, +and cows with pedigrees in frames, and attendants with white uniforms +and rubber gloves. Then there was a row of henhouses, each for a fancy +breed of fowl--some of them red and lean as herons, and others white +as snow and as fat and ungainly as hogs. And then out in front, at one +corner of the lawn, was the aviary, with houses for the peacocks and +lyre birds, and for parrots and magpies and innumerable strange birds +from the tropics. Also there were dog kennels with many dozens of +strange breeds. + +"Father got those for me," said young Lockman. "He thought I'd be +interested in agriculture." + +"Well, aren't you?" asked Samuel. + +"Not very much," said the other carelessly. "Here's Punch--what do you +think of him?" + +The occasion for this was a dog, the most hideously ugly object that +Samuel had ever seen in his life. "I--I don't think I'd care for him," +he said hesitatingly. + +"He's a Japanese bulldog," observed the other. "He cost three thousand +dollars." + +"Three thousand dollars!" gasped the boy in horror. "Why should anyone +pay so much for a dog?" + +"That's what he's worth," said the other with a laugh. + +They went to see the horses, which were housed in a palace of their own. +There were innumerable rows of stalls, and a running track and endless +acres of inclosures. "Why do you have so many horses?" asked Samuel. + +"Father ran a stock farm," said the other. "I don't have much time to +give to it myself." + +"But who rides the horses?" asked Samuel. + +"Well, I go in for sport," replied Lockman. "I'm supposed to be quite a +dab at polo." + +"I see," said the boy--though to tell the truth he did not see at all, +not having the least idea what polo was. + +"If you're interested in horses, I'll have them find you something to do +here," Lockman went on. + +"Oh, thank you," said the boy with a thrill. "That will be fine!" + +He could have spent all day in gazing at the marvels of this place, but +his host was tired now and started back to the house. "It's lunch time," +he said. "Perhaps you are hungry again!" + +They came out upon the piazza and sat down. And then suddenly they heard +a clatter of hoofs and looked up. "Hello!" exclaimed the host. "Here's +Glad!" + +A horse was coming up the road at a lively pace. The rider was seated +a-straddle, and so Samuel was slow to realize that it was a woman. It +was only when he saw her wave her hand and call to them that he was +sure. + +She reined up her horse, and a groom who followed her took the rein, and +she stepped off upon the piazza and stood looking at them. She was young +and of extraordinary beauty. She was breathing fast, and her hair was +blown about her forehead, and the glow of health was in her cheeks; and +Samuel thought that she was the most beautiful object that he had ever +beheld in all his life. He stared transfixed; he had never dreamed that +anything so wonderful could exist in the world. He realized in a sudden +glow of excitement what it was that confronted him. She was the female +of this higher species; she was the superior and triumphant woman. + +"Hello, Bertie!" she said. + +"Hello!" the other replied, and then added. "This is my cousin, Miss +Wygant. Glad, this is Samuel Prescott." + +The girl made a slight acknowledgment, and stared at Samuel with a look +in which curiosity and hauteur were equally mingled. She was a brunette +with dark hair, and an almost Oriental richness of coloring. She was +lithe and gracefully built, and quick in her motions. There was eager +alertness in her whole aspect; her glance was swift and her voice +imperious. One could read her at a glance for a person accustomed to +command--impatient and adventurous, passionate and proud. + +"I've had an adventure," said her cousin by way of explanation. "Samuel, +here, saved my life." + +And Samuel thrilled to see the sudden look of interest which came into +the girl's face. + +"What!" she cried. + +"Yes," said the other. "Spitfire ran away with me." + +"You don't mean it, Bertie!" + +"Yes. The rein broke. He started near the gate here and ran three or +four miles with me." + +"Bertie!" cried the girl. "And what happened?" + +"Samuel stopped him." + +"How?" + +"It was splendid, Glad--the nerviest thing I ever saw. He just flung +himself at the rein and caught it and hung on. He saved my life, beyond +question." + +And now Samuel, burning up with embarrassment, faced the full blaze +of the girl's impetuous interest. "How perfectly fine!" she exclaimed; +then, "Where do you come from?" she asked. + +"He's just off a farm," said Lockman. "He was on his way to New York to +make his fortune. And think of it, Glad, he'd been robbed, and he'd been +wandering about town begging for work, and he was nearly starving." + +"You don't say so!" gasped the girl. + +She took a chair and indicated to Samuel to sit in front of her. "Tell +me all about yourself," she said; and proceeded to cross-question him +about his life and his adventures. + +Poor Samuel was like a witness in the hands of a prosecutor--he became +hopelessly confused and frightened. But that made no difference to the +girl, who poured a ceaseless fire of questions upon him, until she had +laid his whole life bare. She even made him tell about Manning, the +stockbroker, and how the family had lost its money in the collapse of +Glass Bottle Securities. And then her cousin put in a word about his +adventure with "Old Stew," and Samuel had to tell that all over again, +and to set forth his sociological convictions--Miss Wygant and her +cousin meantime exchanging glances of wonder and amusement. + +At last, however, they tired of him and fell to talking of a dance they +were to attend and a tennis tournament in which they were to play. And +so Samuel had a chance to gaze at Miss Wygant and to feast his eyes upon +her beauty. He could have dreamed of no greater joy in all this world +than to watch her for hours--to study every detail of her features and +her costume, and to see the play of laughter about her mouth and eyes. + +But then came the butler announcing luncheon; and Samuel rose in a +panic. He had a sudden vision of himself being asked to the table, to +sit under Miss Wygant's merciless survey. "I think I'd better go now," +he said. + +"All right," said young Lockman. "Will you come to-morrow morning, and +we'll fix things up?" + +"I'll come," said Samuel. + +"What are you going to do with him?" asked the girl. + +"He likes to take care of horses," said Lockman. + +"No," exclaimed the other promptly, "that won't do." + +"Why not?" asked he. + +"Because, Bertie, you don't want to make a stable boy out of him. He has +too many possibilities. For one thing, he's good looking." + +Samuel flushed scarlet and dropped his eyes. He felt again that +penetrating gaze. + +"All right," said Lockman. "What can you suggest?" + +"I don't know, I'm sure. But something decent." + +"He doesn't know enough to be a house servant, Glad--" + +"No--but something outside. Couldn't he learn gardening? Are you fond of +flowers, Samuel?" + +"Yes, ma'am," said Samuel quickly. + +"Well, then, make a gardener out of him," said Miss Wygant; and that +settled Samuel's destiny. + +The boy took his departure and went home, almost running in his +excitement. He was transported into a distant heaven of bliss; he had +been seated among the gods--he was to dwell there forever after! + +His new patron had given him a five-dollar bill; and before he reached +the Stedman home he stopped in a grocery store and loaded up his arms +with bundles. And then, seized by a sudden thought, he went into a +notion store and set down his bundles and purchased a clean, white linen +collar, and a necktie of royal purple and brilliant green--already tied, +so that it would always be perfect in shape. + +Then he went into the Stedmans, and the widow and the youngest children +sat round and listened open-eyed to his tale. And then came Sophie, and +he had to tell it all over again. + +The girl's eyes opened wide with excitement when he came to the end of +his recital. "Miss Wygant!" she exclaimed. "Miss Gladys Wygant?" + +"Yes," said Samuel. "You've heard of her?" + +"I've seen her!" exclaimed Sophie eagerly. "Twice!" + +"You don't mean it," he said. + +"Yes. Once she came to our church festival at Christmas." + +"Does she belong to your church?" + +"It's the mission. Great folks like her wouldn't want us in the church +with them. She goes to St. Matthew's, you know--up there on the hill. +But she came to the festival at the mission and helped to give out the +presents. And she was dressed all in red--something filmy and soft, like +you'd see in a dream. And, oh, Samuel--she was so beautiful! She had a +rose in her hair--and such a sweet perfume--you could hardly bear it! +And she stood there and smiled at all the children and gave them the +presents. She gave me mine, and it was like seeing a princess. I wanted +to fall down and kiss her feet." + +"Yes," said Samuel understandingly. + +"And to think that you've met her!" cried Sophie in ecstasy. "And talked +with her! Oh, how could you do it?" + +"I--I don't think I did it very well," said Samuel. + +"What did you say to her?" + +"I don't remember much of it." + +"I never heard her voice," said Sophie. "She was talking, the other time +I saw her, but the machinery drowned it out. That was in the mill--she +came there with some other people and walked about, looking at +everything. We were all so excited. You know, her father owns the mill." + +"No, I didn't know it," replied Samuel. + +"He owns all sorts of things in Lockmanville. They're very, very rich. +And she's his only daughter, and so beautiful--everybody worships her. +I've got two pictures of her that were in the newspapers once. Come--you +must see them." + +And so the two rushed upstairs; and over the bed were two faded +newspaper clippings, one showing Miss Gladys in an evening gown, and the +other in dimity en princesse, with a bunch of roses in her arms. + +"Did you ever see anything so lovely?" asked the girl. "I made her my +fairy godmother. And she used to say such lovely things to me. She must +be very kind, you know--no one could be so beautiful who wasn't very, +very good and kind." + +"No," said Samuel. "She must be, I'm sure." + +And then a sudden idea came to him. "Sophie!" he exclaimed--"she said I +was good looking! I wonder if I am." + +And Sophie shot a quick glance at him. "Why, of course you are!" she +cried. "You stupid boy!" + +Samuel went to the cracked mirror which hung upon the wall and looked at +himself with new and wandering interest. + +"Don't you see how fine and strong you are?" said Sophie. "And what a +bright color you've got?" + +"I never thought of it," said he, and recollected the green and purple +necktie. + +"And to think that you've talked with her!" exclaimed Sophie, turning +back to the pictures; and she added in a sudden burst of generosity, "I +tell you what I'll do, Samuel--I'll give you these, and you can put them +in your room!" + +"You mustn't do that!" he protested. + +But the girl insisted. "No, no! I know them by heart, so it won't make +any difference. And they'll mean so much more to you, because you've +really met her!" + + + + +CHAPTER X + + +Samuel presented himself the next morning and was turned over to the +head gardener and duly installed as an assistant. "Let me know how +you're getting along," was young Lockman's last word to him. "And if +there's anything else I can do for you come and tell me." + +"Thank you very much, sir," said the boy gratefully; but without +realizing how these magic words, pronounced in the gardener's hearing, +would make him a privileged character about the place--an object of +mingled deference and envy to the other servants. + +It was a little world all in itself, the "Fairview" menage. Without +counting the stable hands, and the employees of the different farms, it +took no less than twenty-three people to minister to the personal wants +of Bertie Lockman. And they were divided into ranks and classes, with +a rigid code of etiquette, upon which they insisted with vehemence. A +housekeeper's assistant looked with infinite scorn upon a kitchen maid, +and there had to be no less than four dining rooms for the various +classes of servants who would not eat at the same table. All this was +very puzzling to the stranger; but after a while he came to see how the +system had grown up. It was just like a court; and the privileged beings +who waited upon the sovereign necessarily were esteemed according to the +importance of the service they performed for him and the access which +they attained to his person. + +A good many of these servants were foreigners, and Samuel was pained +to discover that they were for the most part without any ennobling +conception of their calling. They were much given to gluttony and +drinking; and there was an unthinkable amount of scandal and backbiting +and jealousy. But it was only by degrees that he realized this, for he +had one great motive in common with them--they were all possessed with a +sense of the greatness of the Lockmans, and none of them wanted anything +better than to talk for hours about the family and its wealth and power, +and the habits and tastes of its members and their friends. + +It was Katie Reilly, a bright little Irish damsel, the housekeeper's +sewing girl, who first captured Samuel with her smile; she carried him +off for a walk, in spite of the efforts of the second parlor maid, and +Samuel drank up eagerly the stream of gossip which poured from her lips. +Master Albert--that was what they all called him--was said to have an +income of over seven hundred thousand dollars a year. What he did with +such a sum no one could imagine; he had lived quite alone since his +father's death. The house had always been run by Miss Aurelia, old Mr. +Lockman's sister, a lady with the lumbago and a terrible temper; but she +had died a couple of years ago. Mr. Lockman had taken great interest +in his stock farm, but very little in his house; and Master Albert +took even less, spending most of his time in New York. Consequently +everything was at sixes and sevens, and he was being robbed most +terribly. But in spite of all his relatives' suggestions, he would not +have anyone to come and live with him. + +Master Albert was still a minor, and his affairs were managed by Mr. +Hickman, the family lawyer, and also by his uncle, Mr. Wygant. The +latter was a manufacturer and capitalist--also a great scholar, so Katie +said. It was he Samuel had seen that afternoon in the automobile, a tall +and very proud-looking man with an iron-gray mustache. He lived in the +big white house just after you climbed the ridge; and Miss Gladys was +his only daughter. She had been old Mr. Lockman's favorite niece, and he +had left her a great deal of money. People were always planning a match +between her and Master Albert, but that always made Miss Gladys very +angry. They both declared they were not in love with each other, and +Katie was inclined to think this was true. Miss Gladys had been away to +a rich boarding school, and she wanted to visit some friends at +Newport; but her father wanted her to stay with him, and that made her +discontented. She was very beautiful, and everybody was her slave. "But +oh, I tell you, when she's angry!" said Katie with a shake of her head. + +This little Irish girl was a rare find for Samuel, because her brother +was the "fellow" to Miss Gladys's maid, and so there was nothing she +could not tell Samuel about his divinity. He learned about Miss Gladys's +beautiful party dresses, and about her wonderful riding horse, and about +her skill at tennis, and even her fondness for chocolate fudge. Miss +Gladys had been to Paris the summer before; and her family had a camp in +the Adirondacks, and they went there every August in an automobile +and flew about on a mountain lake in a motor-boat the shape of a knife +blade. Katie wanted to talk about Samuel a part of the time, and even, +perhaps, about herself; but Samuel plied her with questions about Miss +Wygant. + +He had her two pictures folded away in his vest pocket; and all the +time that he trimmed the hedges he listened for the sound of her horse's +hoofs or for the chug of her motor. And then, one blissful morning, when +he was carrying in an armful of roses for the housekeeper, he ran full +upon her in the hall. + +His heart leaped so that it hurt him; and instead of passing straight +on, as he should have done, he stood stock still, and almost spilled his +roses on the floor. + +Miss Gladys's face lighted with pleasure. + +"Why, it's Samuel!" she exclaimed. + +"Yes, Miss Gladys," said he. + +"And how do you like your position?" + +"Very well, Miss Gladys," he replied; and then, feeling the inadequacy +of this, he added with fervor, "I'm so happy I can't tell you." + +"I'm very glad to hear it," she said. "And I'm sure you fill it very +well." + +"I've done the best I can, Miss Gladys," said he. + +There was a moment's pause. "You find there is a good deal to learn?" +she inquired. + +"Yes," he answered. "But you see, it's about flowers, and I was always +interested in flowers." + +And again there was a pause; and then suddenly Miss Wygant flung a +question at him--"Samuel, why do you look at me like that?" + +Samuel was almost knocked over. + +"Why--why--" he gasped. "Miss Gladys! I don't--!" + +"Ah!" she said, "but you do." + +Poor Samuel was in an agony of horror. "I--I--really--" he stammered. "I +didn't mean it--I wouldn't for the world---" + +He stopped, utterly at a loss; and Miss Wygant kept her merciless gaze +upon him. "Am I so very beautiful?" she asked. + +This startled Samuel into lifting his eyes. He stared at her, +transfixed; and at last he whispered, faintly, "Yes." + +"Tell me about it," she said, and her look shook him to the depths of +his soul. + +He stood there, trembling; he could feel the blood pouring in a warm +flood about his throat and neck. "Tell me," she said again. + +"You--you are more beautiful than anyone I have ever seen," he panted. + +"You are not used to women, Samuel!" + +"No," said he. "I'm just a country boy." + +She stood waiting for him to continue. "The girls there"--he +whispered--"they are pretty--but you--you---" + +And then suddenly the words came to him. "You are like a princess!" he +cried. + +"Ah, if you ever find your tongue!" she said with a smile; and then +after a pause she added, "You don't know how different you are, Samuel." + +"Different?" he echoed. + +"Yes. You are so fresh--so young. You would do anything for me, wouldn't +you?" + +"Yes," he said. + +"You'd risk your life for me, as you did for Bertie?" + +And Samuel answered her with fervor that left no room for doubt. + +"I wish there was a chance," she laughed. "But there's only this dull +every-day round!" + +There was a pause; the boy dropped his eyes and stood trembling. + +"Where are you going with the roses?" she asked. + +"I'm to take them to the housekeeper." + +"Let me have one." + +She took one from the bunch, and he stood watching while she pinned it +to her dress. "You may bring me some, now and then," she said with one +of her marvelous smiles. "Don't forget." And then, as she went on, she +touched him upon the hand. + +At the touch of her warm, living fingers such a thrill passed through +the boy as made him reel. It was something blind and elemental, outside +of anything that he had dreamed of in his life. She went on down the +hall and left him there, and he had to lean against a table for support. + +And all that day he was in a daze--with bursts of rapture sweeping over +him. She was interested in him! She had smiled upon him! She had touched +his hand! + +He went home that evening on purpose to tell Sophie; and the two of them +talked about it for hours. He told the story over and over again. And +Sophie listened, with her eyes shining and her hands clasped in an +ecstasy of delight. + +"Oh, Samuel!" she whispered. "I knew it--I knew she'd appreciate you! +She was so beautiful--I knew she must be kind and good!" + + + + +CHAPTER XI + + +A week passed, and Samuel did not see his divinity again. He lived upon +the memory of their brief interview, and while he trimmed the hedges +he was dreaming the most extravagant dreams of rescues and perilous +escapes. For the first time he began to find that his work was tedious; +it offered so few possibilities of romance! If only he had been her +chauffeur, now! Or the guide who escorted her in her tramps about the +wilderness! Or the man who ran the wonderful motor-boat that was shaped +like a knife blade! + +Samuel continued to ponder, and was greatly worried lest the commonplace +should ingulf him. So little he dreamed how near was a change! + +Bertie Lockman had been away for a few days, visiting some friends, and +he came back unexpectedly one afternoon. Samuel knew that he had not +been expected, for always there were great bunches of flowers to be +placed in his room. The gardener happened to be away at the time the +motor arrived, and so Samuel upon his own responsibility cut the flowers +and took them into the house. He left them in the housekeeper's workroom +and then set out to find that functionary, and tell her what he had +done. So, in the entrance to the dining room, he stumbled upon his young +master, giving some orders to Peters, the butler. + +As an humble gardener's boy, Samuel should have stepped back and +vanished. Instead he came forward, and Bertie smiled pleasantly and +said, "Hello, Samuel." + +"Good afternoon, Master Albert," said Samuel. + +"And how do you like your work?" the other asked. + +"I like it very well, sir," he replied; and then added apologetically, +"I was bringing some flowers." + +The master turned to speak to Peters again; and Samuel turned to retire. +But at that instant there came the sound of a motor in front of the +house. + +"Hello," said Bertie. "Who's that?" and turned to look through the +entrance hall. Peters went forward to the door; and so Samuel was left +standing and watching. + +A big red touring car had drawn up in front of the piazza. It was +filled with young people, waving their hands and shouting, "Bertie! Oh, +Bertie!" + +The other appeared to be startled. "Well, I'll be damned!" he muttered +as he went to meet them. + +Of course Samuel had no business whatever to stand there. He should have +fled in trepidation. But he, as a privileged person, had not yet been +drilled into a realization of his "place." And they were such marvelous +creatures--these people of the upper world--and he was so devoured with +the desire to know about them. + +There were two young men in the motor, of about his master's age, and +nearly as goodly to look at. And there were four young women, of a +quite extraordinary sort. They were beautiful, all of them--nearly +as beautiful as Miss Gladys; and perhaps it was only the automobile +costumes, but they struck one as even more alarmingly complex. + +They were airy, ethereal creatures, with delicate peach blow +complexions, and very small hands and feet. They seemed to favor all +kinds of fluffy and flimsy things; they were explosions of all the +colors of the springtime. There were leaves and flowers and fruits and +birds in their hats; and there were elaborate filmy veils to hold the +hats on. They descended from the motor, and Samuel had glimpses of +ribbons and ruffles, of shapely ankles and daintily slippered feet. They +came in the midst of a breeze of merriment, with laughter and bantering +and little cries of all sorts. + +"You don't seem very glad to see us, Bertie!" one said. + +"Cheer up, old chap--nobody'll tell on us!" cried one of the young men. + +"And we'll be good and go home early!" added another of the girls. + +One of the party Samuel noticed particularly, because she looked more +serious, and hung back a little. She was smaller than the others, +a study in pink and white; her dress and hat were trimmed with pink +ribbons, and she had the most marvelously pink cheeks and lips, and the +most exquisite features Samuel had ever seen in his life. + +Now suddenly she ran to young Lockman and flung her arms about his neck. + +"Bertie," she exclaimed, "it's my fault. I made them come! I wanted to +see you so badly! You aren't mad with us, are you?" + +"No," said Bertie, "I'm not mad." + +"Well, then, be glad!" cried the girl, and kissed him again. "Be a good +boy--do!" + +"All right," said Bertie feebly. "I'll be good, Belle." + +"We wanted to surprise you," added one of the young fellows. + +"You surprised me all right," said Bertie--a reply which all of them +seemed to find highly amusing, for they laughed uproariously. + +"He doesn't ask us in," said one of the girls. "Come on, Dolly--let's +see this house of his." + +And so the party poured in. Samuel waited just long enough to catch the +rustle of innumerable garments, and a medley of perfumes which might +have been blown from all the gardens of the East. Then he turned and +fled to the regions below. + +One of the young men, he learned from the talk in the servants' hall, +was Jack Holliday, the youngest son of the railroad magnate; it was his +sister who was engaged to marry the English duke. The other boy was the +heir of a great lumber king from the West, and though he was only twenty +he had got himself involved in a divorce scandal with some actor +people. Who the young ladies were no one seemed to know, but there were +half-whispered remarks about them, the significance of which was quite +lost upon Samuel. + +Presently the word came that the party was to stay to dinner. And +then instantly the whole household sprang into activity. Above stairs +everything would move with the smoothness of clockwork; but downstairs +in the servants' quarters it was a serious matter that an elaborate +banquet for seven people had to be got ready in a couple of hours. Even +Samuel was pressed into service at odd jobs--something for which he was +very glad, as it gave him a chance to remain in the midst of events. + +So it happened that he saw Peters emerging from the wine cellar, +followed by a man with a huge basket full of bottles. And this set +Samuel to pondering hard, the while he scraped away at a bowl of +potatoes. It was the one thing which had disconcerted him in the life +of this upper world--the obvious part that drinking played in it. There +were always decanters of liquor upon the buffet in the dining room; and +liquor was served to guests upon any--and every pretext. And the women +drank as freely as the men--even Miss Gladys drank, a thing which was +simply appalling to Samuel. + +Of course, these were privileged people, and they knew what they wanted +to do. But could it be right for anyone to drink? As in the case of +suicide, Samuel found his moral convictions beginning to waver. Perhaps +it was that drink did not affect these higher beings as it did ordinary +people! Or perhaps what they drank was something that cheered without +inebriating! Certain it was that the servants got drunk; and Samuel had +seen that they took the stuff from the decanters used by the guests. + +It was something over which he labored with great pain of soul. But, of +course, all his hesitations and sophistries were for the benefit of his +master--that it could be right for Samuel himself to touch liquor was +something that could not by any chance enter his mind. + +The dinner had begun; and Samuel went on several errands to the room +below the butler's pantry, and so from the dumb-waiter shafts he could +hear the sounds of laughter and conversation. And more wine went up--it +was evidently a very merry party. The meal was protracted for two or +three hours, and the noise grew louder and louder. They were shouting +so that one could hear them all over the house. They were singing +songs--wild rollicking choruses which were very wonderful to listen +to, and yet terribly disturbing to Samuel. These fortunate successful +ones--he would grant them the right to any happiness--it was to be +expected that they should dwell in perpetual merriment and delight. But +he could hear the champagne corks popping every few minutes. And COULD +it be right for them to drink! + +It grew late, and still the revelry went on. A thunderstorm had come up +and was raging outside. The servants who were not at work, had gone to +bed, but there was no sleep for Samuel; he continued to prowl about, +restless and tormented. The whole house was now deserted, save for +the party in the dining room; and so he crept up, by one of the rear +stairways, and crouched in a doorway, where he could listen to the wild +uproar. + +He had been there perhaps ten minutes. He could hear the singing and +yelling, though he could not make out the words because of the noise +of the elements. But then suddenly, above all the confusion, he heard a +woman's shrieks piercing and shrill; and he started up and sprang into +the hall. Whether they were cries of anger, or of fear, or of pain, +Samuel could not be certain; but he knew that they were not cries of +enjoyment. + +He stood trembling. There rose a babel of shouts, and then again came +the woman's voice--"No, no--you shan't, I say!" + +"Sit down, you fool!" Samuel heard Bertie Lockman shout. + +And then came another woman's voice--"Shut up and mind your business!" + +"I'll tear your eyes out, you devil!" shrilled the first voice, and +there followed a string of furious curses. The other woman replied in +kind and Samuel made out that there was some kind of a quarrel, and that +some of the party wanted to interfere, and that others wanted it to +go on. All were whooping and shrieking uproariously, and the two women +yelled like hyenas. + +It was like the nightmare sounds he had heard from his cell in the +police station, and Samuel listened appalled. There came a crash of +breaking glass; and then suddenly, in the midst of the confusion, he +heard his young master cry, "Get out of here!"--and the dining room door +was flung open, and the uproar burst full upon him. + +A terrible sight met his eyes. It was the beautiful and radiant creature +who had kissed Bertie Lockman; her face was now flushed with drink and +distorted with rage--her hair disheveled and her aspect wild; and she +was screaming in the voice which had first startled Samuel. Bertie had +grappled with her and was trying to push her out of the room, while she +fought frantically, and screamed: "Let me go! Let me go!" + +"Get out of here, I say!" cried Bertie, "I mean it now." + +"I won't! Let me be!" exclaimed the girl. + +"Hurrah!" shouted the others, crowding behind them. Young Holliday +was dancing about, waving a bottle and yelling like a maniac, "Go it, +Bertie! Give it to him, Belle!" + +"This is the end of it!" cried Bertie. "I'm through with you. And you +get out of here!" + +"I won't! I won't!" screamed the girl again and again. "Help!" And she +flung one arm about his neck and caught at the doorway. + +But he tore her loose and dragged her bodily across the entrance hall. +"Out with you!" he exclaimed. "And don't ever let me see your face +again!" + +"Bertie! Bertie!" she protested. + +"I mean it!" he said. "Here Jack! Open the door for me." + +"Bertie! No!" shrieked the girl; but then with a sudden effort he half +threw her out into the darkness. There was a brief altercation outside, +and then he sprang back, and flung to the heavy door, and bolted it +fast. + +"Now, by God!" he said, "you'll stay out." + +The girl beat and kicked frantically upon the door. But Bertie turned +his back and staggered away, reeling slightly. "That'll settle it, I +guess," he said, with a wild laugh. + +And amidst a din of laughter and cheers from the others, he went back +to the dining room. One of the other women flung her arms about him +hilariously, and Jack Holliday raised a bottle of wine on high, and +shouted: "Off with the old love--on with the new!" + +And so Bertie shut the door again, and the scene was hid from Samuel's +eyes. + + + + +CHAPTER XII + + +For a long while, Samuel stood motionless, hearing the swish of the rain +and the crashing of the thunder as an echo of the storm in his own soul. +It was as if a chasm had yawned beneath his feet, and all the castles +of his dreams had come down in ruins. He stood there, stunned and +horrified, staring at the wreckage of everything he had believed. + +Then suddenly he crossed the drawing-room and opened one of the French +windows which led to the piazza. The rain was driving underneath the +shelter of the roof; but he faced it, and ran toward the door. + +The girl was lying in front of it, and above the noise of the wind and +rain he heard her sobbing wildly. He stood for a minute, hesitating; +then he bent down and touched her. + +"Lady," he said. + +She started. "Who are you?" she cried. + +"I'm just one of the servants, ma'am." + +She caught her breath. "Did he send you?" she demanded. + +"No," said he, "I came to help you." + +"I don't need any help. Let me be." + +"But you can't stay here in the rain," he protested. "You'll catch your +death." + +"I want to die!" she answered. "What have I to live for?" + +Samuel stood for a moment, perplexed. Then, as he touched her wet +clothing again, common sense asserted itself. "You mustn't stay here," +he said. "You mustn't." + +But she only went on weeping. "He's cast me off!" she exclaimed. "My +God, what shall I do?" + +Samuel turned and ran into the house again and got an umbrella in the +hall. Then he took the girl by the arm and half lifted her. "Come," he +said. "Please." + +"But where shall I go?" she asked. + +"I know some one in the town who'll help you," he said. "You can't stay +here--you'll catch cold." + +"What's there left for me?" she moaned. "What am I good for? He's thrown +me over--and I can't live without him!" + +Samuel got the umbrella up and held it with one hand; then with his +other arm about the girl's waist, he half carried her down the piazza +steps. "That she-devil was after him!" she was saying. "And it was Jack +Holliday set her at it, damn his soul! I'll pay him for it!" + +She poured forth a stream of wild invective. + +"Please stop," pleaded Samuel. "People will hear you." + +"What do I care if they do hear me? Let them put me in jail--that's all +I'm fit for. I'm drunk, and I'm good for nothing--and he's tired of me!" + +So she rushed on, all the way toward town. Then, as they came to the +bridge, she stopped and looked about. "Where are you taking me?" she +asked. + +"To a friend's house," he said, having in mind the Stedmans. + +"No," she replied. "I don't want to see anyone. Take me to some hotel, +can't you?" + +"There's one down the street here," he said. "I don't know anything +about it." + +"I don't care. Any place." + +The rain had slackened and she stopped and gathered up her wet and +straggled hair. + +There was a bar underneath the hotel, and a flight of stairs led up to +the office. They went up, and a man sitting behind the desk stared at +them. + +"I want to get a room for this lady," said Samuel. "She's been caught in +the rain." + +"Is she your wife?" asked the man. + +"Mercy, no," said he startled. + +"Do you want a room, too?" + +"No, no, I'm going away." + +"Oh!" said the man, and took down a key. "Register, please." + +Samuel took the pen, and then turned to the girl. "I beg pardon," he +said, "but I don't know your name." + +"Mary Smith," she answered, and Samuel stared at her in surprise. "Mary +Smith," she repeated, and he wrote it down obediently. + +The man took them upstairs; and Samuel, after helping the girl to a +chair, shut the door and stood waiting. And she flung herself down upon +the bed and burst into a paroxysm of weeping. Samuel had never even +heard the word hysterics, and it was terrifying to him to see her--he +could not have believed that so frail and slender a human body could +survive so frightful a storm of emotion. + +"Oh, please, please stop!" he cried wildly. + +"I can't live without him!" she wailed again and again. "I can't live +without him! What am I going to do?" + +Samuel's heart was wrung. He went to the girl, and put his hand upon her +arm. "Listen to me," he said earnestly. "Let me try to help you." + +"What can you do?" she demanded. + +"I'll go and see him. I'll plead with him--perhaps he'll listen to me." + +"All right!" she cried. "Anything! Tell him I'll kill myself! I'll kill +him and Dolly both, before I'll ever let her have him! Yes, I mean it! +He swore to me he'd never leave me! And I believed him--I trusted him!" + +And Samuel clenched his hands with sudden resolution. "I'll see him +about it," he said. "I'll see him to-night." + +And leaving the other still shaking with sobs, he turned and left the +room. + +He stopped in the office to tell the man that he was going. But there +was nobody there; and after hesitating a moment he went on. + +The storm was over and the moon was out, with scud of clouds flying +past. Samuel strode back to "Fairview," with his hands gripped tightly, +and a blaze of resolution in his soul. + +He was just in time to see the automobile at the door, and the company +taking their departure. They passed him, singing hilariously; and then +he found himself confronting his young master. + +"Who's that?" exclaimed Bertie, startled. + +"It's me, sir," said Samuel. + +"Oh! Samuel! What are you doing here?" + +"I've been with the young lady, sir." + +"Oh! So that's what became of her!" + +"I took her to a hotel, sir." + +"Humph!" said Bertie. "I'm obliged to you." + +The piazza lights were turned up, and by them Samuel could see the +other's face, flushed with drink, and his hair and clothing in disarray. +He swayed slightly as he stood there. + +"Master Albert," said Samuel very gravely, "May I have a few words with +you?" + +"Sure," said Bertie. He looked about him for a chair and sank into it. +"What is it?" he asked. + +"It's the young lady, Master Albert." + +"What about her?" + +"She's very much distressed, sir." + +"I dare say. She'll get over it, Samuel." + +"Master Albert," exclaimed the boy, "you've not treated her fairly." + +The other stared at him. "The devil!" he exclaimed. + +"You must not desert her, sir! It would be a terrible thing to have on +your conscience. You have ruined and betrayed her." + +"WHAT!" cried the other, and gazed at him in amazement. "Did she give +you that kind of a jolly?" + +"She didn't go into particulars"--said the boy. + +"My dear fellow!" laughed Bertie. "Why, I've been the making of that +girl. She was an eighteen-dollar-a-week chorus girl when I took her up." + +"That might be, Master Albert. But if she was an honest girl--" + +"Nonsense, Samuel--forget it. She'd had three or four lovers before she +ever laid eyes on me." + +There was a pause, while the boy strove to get these facts into his +mind. "Even so," he said, "you can't desert her and let her starve, +Master Albert." + +"Oh, stuff!" said the other. "What put that into your head? I'll give +her all the money she needs, if that's what's troubling her. Did she say +that?" + +"N--no," admitted Samuel disconcerted. "But, Master Albert, she loves +you." + +"Yes, I know," said Bertie, "and that's where the trouble comes in. She +wants to keep me in a glass case, and I've got tired of it." + +He paused for a moment; and then a sudden idea flashed over him. +"Samuel!" he exclaimed "Why don't you marry her?" + +Samuel started in amazement. "What!" he gasped. + +"It's the very thing!" cried Bertie. "I'll set you up in a little +business, and you can have an easy time." + +"Master Albert!" panted the boy shocked to the depths of his soul. + +"She's beautiful, Samuel--you know she is. And she's a fine girl, +too--only a little wild. I believe you'd be just the man to hold her +in." + +Bertie paused a moment, and then, seeing that the other was unconvinced, +he added with a laugh, "Wait till you've known her a bit. Maybe you'll +fall in love with her." + +But Samuel only shook his head. "Master Albert," he said, in a low +voice, "I'm afraid you've not understood the reason I've come to you." + +"How do you mean?" + +"This--all this business, sir--it's shocked me more than I can tell you. +I came here to serve you, sir. You don't know how I felt about it. I was +ready to do anything--I was so grateful for a chance to be near you! +You were rich and great, and everything about you was so beautiful--I +thought you must be noble and good, to have deserved so much. And now, +instead, I find you are a wicked man!" + +The other sat up. "The dickens!" he exclaimed. + +"And it's a terrible thing to me," went on Samuel. "I don't know just +what to make of it-- + +"See here, Samuel!" demanded the other angrily. "Who sent you here to +lecture me?" + +"I don't see how it can be!" the boy exclaimed. "You are one of the fit +people, as Professor Stewart explained it to me; and yet I know some who +are better than you, and who have nothing at all." + +And Bertie Lockman, after another stare into the boy's solemn eyes, +sank back in his chair and burst into laughter. "Look here, Samuel!" he +exclaimed. "You aren't playing the game!" + +"How do you mean, sir?" + +"If I'm one of the fit ones, what right have you got to preach at me?" + +Samuel was startled. "Why sir--" he stammered. + +"Just look!" went on Bertie. "I'm the master, and you're the servant. +I have breeding and culture--everything--and you're just a country +bumpkin. And yet you presume to set your ideas up against mine! You +presume to judge me, and tell me what I ought to do!" + +Samuel was taken aback by this. He could not think what to reply. + +"Don't you see?" went on Bertie, following up his advantage. "If you +really believe what you say, you ought to submit yourself to me. If I +say a thing's right, that makes it right. If I had to come to you +to have you approve it, wouldn't that make you the master and me the +servant?" + +"No, no--Master Albert!" protested Samuel. "I didn't mean quite that!" + +"Why, I might just as well give you my money and be done with it," +insisted the other. + +"Then you could fix everything up to suit yourself." + +"That isn't what I mean at all!" cried the boy in great distress. "I +don't know how to answer you, sir--but there's a wrong in it." + +"But where? How?" + +"Master Albert," blurted Samuel--"it can't be right for you to get +drunk!" + +Bertie's face clouded. + +"It can't be right, sir!" repeated Samuel. + +And suddenly the other sat forward in his chair. "All right," he +said--"Maybe it isn't. But what are you going to do about it?" + +There was anger in his voice, and Samuel was frightened into silence. +There was a pause while they stared at each other. + +"I'm on top!" exclaimed Bertie. "I'm on top, and I'm going to stay +on top--don't you see? The game's in my hands; and if I please to get +drunk, I get drunk. And you will take your orders and mind your own +business. And what have you to say to that?" + +"I presume, sir," said Samuel, his voice almost a whisper, "I can leave +your service." + +"Yes," said the other--"and then either you'll starve, or else you'll go +to somebody else who has money, and ask him to give you a job. And then +you'll take your orders from him, and keep your opinions to yourself. +Don't you see?" + +"Yes," said Samuel, lowering his eyes--"I see." + +"All right," said Bertie; and he rose unsteadily to his feet. "Now, if +you please," said he, "you'll go back to Belle, wherever you've left +her, and take her a message for me." + +"Yes, sir," said Samuel. + +"Tell her I'm through with her, and I don't want to see her again. I'll +have a couple of hundred dollars a month sent to her so long as she +lets me alone. If she writes to me or bothers me in any way, she'll get +nothing. And that's all." + +"Yes, sir," said Samuel. + +"And as for you, this was all right for a joke, but it wouldn't bear +repeating. From now on, you're the gardener's boy, and you'll not forget +your place again." + +"Yes, sir," said Samuel once more, and stood watching while his young +master went into the house. + +Then he turned and went down the road, half dazed. + +Those had been sledge-hammer blows, and they had landed full and hard. +They had left him without a shred of all his illusions. His work, that +he had been so proud of--he hated it, and everything associated with it. +And he was overwhelmed with perplexity and pain--just as before when he +had found himself in jail, and it had dawned upon him that the Law, an +institution which he had revered, might be no such august thing at all, +but an instrument of injustice and oppression. + +In that mood he came to the hotel. Again there was no one in the office, +so he went directly to the room and knocked. There was no answer; he +knocked again, more heavily. + +"I wonder if she's gone," he thought, and looked again at the number, to +make sure he was at the right room. Then, timidly, he tried the door. + +It opened. "Lady," he said, and then louder, "Lady." + +There was no response, and he went in. Could she be asleep? he thought. +No--that was not likely. He listened for her breathing. There was not a +sound. + +And finally he went to the bed, and put his hand upon it. Then he +started back with a cry of terror. He had touched something warm and +moist and sticky. + +He rushed out into the hall, and as he looked at his hand he nearly +fainted. It was a mass of blood! + +"Help! Help!" the boy screamed; and he turned and rushed down the stairs +into the office. + +The proprietor came running in. "Look!" shouted Samuel. "Look what she's +done!" + +"Good God!" cried the man. And he rushed upstairs, the other following. + +With trembling fingers the man lit the gas; and Samuel took one look, +and then turned away and caught at a table, sick with horror. The girl +was lying in the midst of a pool of blood; and across her throat, from +ear to ear, was a great gaping slit. + +"Oh! oh!" gasped Samuel, and then--"I can't stand it!" And holding out +one hand from him, he hid his face with the other. + +Meantime the proprietor was staring at him. "See here, young fellow," he +said. + +"What is it?" asked Samuel. + +"When did you find out about this?" + +"Why, just now. When I came in." + +"You've been out?" + +"Why of course. I went out just after we came." + +"I didn't see you." + +"No. I stopped in the office, but you weren't there." + +"Humph!" said the man, "maybe you did and maybe you didn't. You can tell +it to the police." + +"The police!" echoed Samuel; and then in sudden horror--"Do you think +_I_ did it?" + +"I don't know anything about it," replied the other. "I only know you +brought her here, and that you'll stay here till the police come." + +By this time several people had come into the room, awakened by the +noise. Samuel, without a word more, went and sank down into a chair and +waited. And half an hour later he was on his way to the station house +again--this time with a policeman on either side of him, and gripping +him very tightly. And now the charge against him was murder! + + + + +CHAPTER XIII + + +The same corpulent official was seated behind the desk at the police +station; but on this occasion he woke up promptly. "The chief had better +handle this," he said, and went to the telephone. + +"Where's this chap to go?" asked one of the policemen. + +"We're full up," said the sergeant. "Put him in with Charlie Swift. The +chief'll be over in a few minutes." + +So once more Samuel was led into a cell, and heard the door clang upon +him. + +He was really not much alarmed this time, for he knew it was not his +fault, and that he could prove it. But he was sick with horror at the +fate of the unhappy girl. He began pacing back and forth in his cell. + +Then suddenly from one corner growled a voice: "Say, when are you going +to get quiet?" + +"Oh, I beg pardon," said Samuel. "I didn't know you were here." + +"What are you in for?" asked the voice. + +"For murder," said Samuel. + +And he heard the cot give a sudden creak as the man sat up. "What!" he +gasped. + +"I didn't do it," the boy explained hastily. "She killed herself." + +"Where was this?" asked the man. + +"At the Continental Hotel." + +"And what did you have to do with it?" + +"I took her there." + +"Who was she?" + +"Why--she called herself Mary Smith." + +"Where did you meet her?" + +"Up at 'Fairview.'" + +"At 'Fairview'!" exclaimed the other. + +"Yes," said Samuel. "The Lockman place." + +"ALBERT Lockman's place?" + +"Yes." + +"How did she come to be there?" + +"Why, she was--a friend of his. She was there to dinner." + +"What!" gasped the man. "How do you know it?" + +"I work there," replied Samuel. + +"And how did she come to go to the hotel?" + +"Master Albert turned her out," said Samuel. "And it was raining, and so +I took her to a hotel." + +"For the love of God!" exclaimed the other; and then he asked quickly, +"Did you tell the sergeant that?" + +"No," said the boy. "He didn't ask me anything." + +The man sprang up and ran to the grated door and shook it. "Hello! Hello +there!" he cried. + +"What's the matter?" growled a policeman down the corridor. + +"Come here! quick!" cried the other; and then through the grating he +whispered, "Say, tell the cap to come here for a moment, will you?" + +"What do you want?" demanded the policeman. + +"Look here, O'Brien," said the other. "You know Charlie Swift is no +fool. And there's something about this fellow you've put in here that +the cap ought to know about quick." + +The sergeant came. "Say," said Charlie. "Did you ask this boy any +questions?" + +"No," said the sergeant, "I'm waiting for the chief." + +"Well, did you know that girl came from Albert Lockman's place?" + +"Good God, no!" + +"He says she was there to dinner and Lockman turned her out of the +house. This boy says he works for Lockman." + +"Well, I'm damned!" exclaimed the sergeant. And so Samuel was led into a +private room. + +A minute or two later "the chief" strode in. McCullagh was his name and +he was huge and burly, with a red face and a protruding jaw. He went at +Samuel as if he meant to strike him. "What's this you're givin' us?" he +cried. + +"Why--why--" stammered Samuel, in alarm. + +"You're tryin' to tell me that girl came from Lockman's?" roared the +chief. + +"Yes, sir!" + +"And you expect me to believe that?" + +"It's true, sir!" + +"What're you tryin' to give me, anyhow?" demanded the man. + +"But it's true, sir!" declared Samuel again. + +"You tell me she was there at dinner?" + +"Yes, sir!" + +"Come! Quit your nonsense, boy!" + +"But she was, sir!" + +"What do you expect to make out of this, young fellow?" + +"But she was, sir!" + +Apparently the chief's method was to doubt every statement that Samuel +made, and repeat his incredulity three times, each time in a louder tone +of voice and with a more ferocious expression of countenance. Then, if +the boy stuck it out, he concluded that he was telling the truth. By +this exhausting method the examination reached its end, and Samuel was +led back to his cell. + +"Did you stick to your story?" asked his cellmate. + +"Of course," said he. + +"Well, if it is true," remarked the other, "there'll be something doing +soon." + +And there was. About an hour later the sergeant came again and entered. +He drew the two men into a corner. + +"See here, young fellow," he said to Samuel in a low voice. "Have you +got anything against young Lockman?" + +"No," replied Samuel. "Why?" + +"If we let you go, will you shut up about this?" + +"Why, yes," said the boy, "if you want me to." + +"All right," said the sergeant. "And you, Charlie--we've got you dead, +you know." + +"Yes," said the other, "I know." + +"And there's ten years coming to you, you understand?" + +"Yes, I guess so." + +"All right. Then will you call it a bargain?" + +"I will," said Charlie. "You'll skip the town, and hold your mouth?" + +"I will." + +"Very well. Here's your own kit--and you ought to get through them bars +before daylight. And here's fifty dollars. You take this young fellow to +New York and lose him. Do you see?" + +"I see," said Charlie. + +"All right," went on the sergeant. "And mind you don't play any monkey +tricks!" + +"I'm on," said Charlie with a chuckle. + +And without more ado he selected a saw from his bag and set to work at +the bars of the window. The sergeant retired; and Samuel sat down on the +floor and gasped for breath. + +For about an hour the man worked without a word. Then he braced himself +against the wall and wrenched out one of the bars; then another wrench, +and another bar gave way; after which he packed up his kit and slipped +it into a pocket under his coat. "Now," he said, "come on." + +He slipped through the opening and dropped to the ground, and Samuel +followed suit. "This way," he whispered, and they darted down an alley +and came out upon a dark street. For perhaps a mile they walked on in +silence, then Charlie turned into a doorway and opened the door with a +latch key, and they went up two flights of stairs and into a rear room. +He lit the gas, and took off his coat and flung it on the bed. "Now, +make yourself at home," he said. + +"Is this your room?" asked Samuel. + +"Yes," was the reply. "The bulls haven't found it, either!" + +"But I thought we were to go out of town!" exclaimed the other. + +"Humph!" laughed Charlie. "Young fellow, you're easy!" + +"Do you mean you're not going?" cried Samuel. + +"What! When I've got a free license to work the town?" + +Samuel stared at him, amazed. "You mean they wouldn't arrest you?" + +"Not for anything short of murder, I think." + +"But--but what could you do?" + +"Just suppose I was to tip off some newspaper with that story? Not here +in Lockmanville--but the New York Howler, we'll say?" + +"I see!" gasped Samuel. + +Charlie had tilted back in his chair and was proceeding to fill his +pipe. "Gee, sonny," he said, "they did me the greatest turn of my life +when they poked you into that cell. I'll get what's coming to me now!" + +"How will you get it?" asked the boy. + +"I'm a gopherman," said the other. + +"What's that?" asked Samuel. + +"You'll have to learn to sling the lingo," said Charlie with a laugh. +"It's what you call a burglar." + +Samuel looked at the man in wonder. He was tall and lean, with a pale +face and restless dark eyes. He had a prominent nose and a long neck, +which gave him a peculiar, alert expression that reminded Samuel of a +startled partridge. + +"Scares you, hey?" he said. "Well, I wasn't always a gopherman." + +"What were you before that?" + +"I was an inventor." + +"An inventor!" exclaimed Samuel. + +"Yes. Have you seen the glass-blowing machines here in town?" + +"No, I haven't." + +"Well, I invented three of them. And old Henry Lockman robbed me of +them." + +"Robbed you!" gasped the boy amazed. + +"Yes," said the other. "Didn't he rob everybody he ever came near?" + +"I didn't know it," replied Samuel. + +"Guess you never came near him," laughed the man. "Say--where do you +come from, anyhow? Tell me about yourself." + +So Samuel began at the beginning and told his story. Pretty soon he came +to the episode of "Glass Bottle Securities." + +"My God!" exclaimed the other. "I thought you said old Lockman had never +robbed you!" + +"I did," answered Samuel. + +"But don't you see that he robbed you then?" + +"Why, no. It wasn't his fault. The stock went down when he died." + +"But why should it have gone down when he died, except that he'd +unloaded it on the public for a lot more than it was worth?" + +Samuel's jaw fell. "I never thought of that," he said. + +"Go on," said Charlie. + +Then Samuel told how he was starving, and how he had gone to Professor +Stewart, and how the professor had told him he was one of the unfit. His +companion had taken his pipe out of his mouth and was staring at him. + +"And you swallowed all that?" he gasped. + +"Yes," said Samuel. + +"And you tried to carry it out! You went away to starve!" + +"But what else was there for me to do?" asked the boy. + +"But the Lord!" ejaculated the other. "When it came time for ME to +starve, I can promise you I found something else to do!" + +"Go on," he said after a pause; and Samuel told how he had saved young +Lockman's life, and what happened afterwards. + +"And so he was your dream!" exclaimed the other. "You were up against a +brace game, Sammy!" + +"But how was I to know?" protested the boy. + +"You should read the papers. That kid's been cutting didoes in the +Tenderloin for a couple of years. He wasn't worth the risking of your +little finger--to say nothing of your life." + +"It seems terrible," said Samuel dismayed. + +"The trouble with you, Sammy," commented the other, "is that you're +too good to live. That's all there is to your unfitness. You take old +Lockman, for instance. What was all his 'fitness'? It was just that he +was an old wolf. I was raised in this town, and my dad went to school +with him. He began by cheating his sisters out of their inheritance. +Then he foreclosed a mortgage on a glass factory and went into the +business. He was a skinflint, and he made money--they say he burned the +plant down for the insurance, but I don't know. Anyway, he had rivals, +and he made a crooked deal with some of the railroad people--gave them +stock you know--and got rebates. And he had some union leaders on his +pay rolls, and he called strikes on his rivals, and when he'd ruined +them he bought them out for a song. And when he had everything in his +hands, and got tired of paying high wages, he fired some of the union +men and forced a strike. Then he brought in some strike-breakers and +hired some thugs to slug them, and turned the police loose on the +men--and that was the end of the unions. Meanwhile he'd been running the +politics of the town, and he'd given himself all the franchises--there +was nobody could do anything in Lockmanville unless he said so. And +finally, when he'd got the glass trade cornered, he formed the Trust, +and issued stock for about five times what the plants had cost, and +dumped it on the market for suckers like you to buy. And that's the +way he made his millions--that's the meaning of his palace and all the +wonders you saw up there. And now he's dead, and all his fortune belongs +to Master Albert, who never did a stroke of work in his life, and isn't +'fit' enough to be a ten-dollar-a-week clerk. And you come along and +lie down for him to walk on, and the more nails he has in his boots the +better you like it! And there's the whole story for you!" + +Samuel had been listening awe-stricken. The abysmal depths of his +ignorance and folly! + +"Now he's got his money," said the other--"and he means to keep it. So +there are the bulls, to slam you over the head if you bother him. That's +called the Law! And then he hires some duffer to sit up and hand you +out a lot of dope about your being 'unfit'; and that's called a College! +Don't you see?" + +"Yes," whispered Samuel. "I see!" + +His companion stabbed at him with his finger. "All that was wrong with +you, Sammy," he said, "was that you swallowed the dope! That's where +your 'unfitness' came in! Why--take his own argument. Suppose you hadn't +given up. Suppose you'd fought and won out. Then you'd have been as +good as any of them, wouldn't you? Suppose, for instance, you'd hit that +son-of-a-gun over the head with a poker and got away with his watch and +his pocketbook--then you'd have been 'fitter' than he, wouldn't you?" + +Samuel had clutched at the arms of his chair and was staring with +wide-open eyes. + +"You never thought of that, hey, Sammy? But that's what I found myself +facing a few years ago. They'd got every cent I had, and I was ready for +the scrap heap. But I said, 'Nay, nay, Isabel!' I'd played their game +and lost--but I made a new game--and I made my own rules, you can bet!" + +"You mean stealing!" cried the boy. + +"I mean War," replied the other. "And you see--I've survived! I'm not +pretty to look at and I don't live in a palace, but I'm not starving, +and I've got some provisions salted away." + +"But they had you in jail!" + +"Of course. I've done my bit--twice. But that didn't kill me; and I can +learn things, even in the pen." + +There was a pause. Then Charlie Swift stood up and shook the ashes +out of his pipe. "Speaking of provisions," he said, "these midnight +adventures give you an appetite." And he got out a box of crackers and +some cheese and a pot of jam. "Move up," he said, "and dip in. You'll +find that red stuff the real thing. My best girl made it. One of the +things that bothered me in jail was the fear that the bulls might get +it." + +Samuel was too much excited to eat. But he sat and watched, while his +companion stowed away crackers and cheese. + +"What am I going to do now?" he said half to himself. + +"You come with me," said Charlie. "I'll teach you a trade where you'll +be your own boss. And I'll give you a quarter of the swag until you've +learned it." + +"What!" gasped Samuel in horror. "Be a burglar!" + +"Sure," said the other. "What else can you do?" + +"I don't know," said the boy. + +"Have you got any money?" + +"Only a few pennies. I hadn't got my wages yet." + +"I see. And will you go and ask Master Albert for them?" + +"No," said Samuel quickly. "I'll never do that!" + +"Then you'll go out and hunt for a job again, I suppose? Or will you +start out on that starving scheme again?" + +"Don't!" cried the boy wildly. "Let me think!" + +"Come! Don't be a summer-boarder!" exclaimed the other. "You've got the +professor's own warrant for it, haven't you? And you've got a free field +before you--you can help yourself to anything you want in Lockmanville, +and the bulls won't dare to lift a finger! You'll be a fool if you let +go of such a chance." + + +"But it's wrong!" protested Samuel. "You know it's wrong!" + +"Humph!" laughed Charlie. And he shut the top of the cracker box with +a bang and rose up. "You sleep over it," he said. "You'll be hungry +to-morrow morning." + +"That won't make any difference!" cried the boy. + +"Maybe not," commented the other; and then he added with a grin: "Don't +you ask me for grub. For that would be charity; and if you're really one +of the unfit, it's not for me to interfere with nature!" + +And so all the next day Samuel sat in Charlie's room and faced the +crackers and cheese and the pot of jam, and wrestled with the problem. +He knew what it would mean to partake of the food, and Charlie knew what +it would mean also; and feeling certain that Samuel would not partake +upon any other terms, he left the covers off the food, so that the odors +might assail the boy's nostrils. + +Of course Samuel might have gone out and bought some food with the +few pennies he had in his pocket. But that would have been merely to +postpone the decision, and what was the use of that? And to make matters +ten times worse, he owed money to the Stedmans--for he had lived upon +the expectation of his salary! + +In the end it was not so much hunger that moved him, as it was pure +reason. For Samuel, as we know, was a person who took an idea seriously; +and there was no answer to be found to Charlie's argument. Doubtless the +reader will find a supply of them, but Samuel racked his wits in vain. +If, as the learned professor had said, life is a struggle for existence, +and those who have put money in their purses are the victors; and if +they have nothing to do for the unemployed save to let them starve or +put them in jail; then on the other hand, it would seem to be up to the +unemployed to take measures for their own survival. And apparently the +only proof of their fitness would be to get some money away from those +who had it. Had not Herbert Spencer, the authority in such matters, +stated that "inability to catch prey shows a falling short of conduct +from its ideal"? And if the good people let themselves be starved to +death by the wicked, would that not mean that only the wicked would be +left alive? It was thoughts like this that were driving Samuel--he had +Bertie Lockman's taunts ringing in his ears, and for the life of him he +could not see why he should vacate the earth in favor of Bertie Lockman! + +So breakfast time passed, and dinner time passed, and supper time came. +And his friend spread out the contents of his larder again, and then +leaned over the table and said, "Come and try it once and see how you +like it!" + +And Samuel clenched his hands suddenly and answered--"All right, I'll +try it!" + +Then he started upon a meal. But in the middle of it he stopped, and set +down an untasted cracker, and gasped within himself--"Merciful Heaven! +I've promised to be a burglar!" + +The other was watching him narrowly. "Ain't going to back out?" he +asked. + +"No," said Samuel. "I won't back out! But it seems a little queer, +that's all." + + + + +CHAPTER XIV + + +The meal over, Charlie Swift took out a pencil and paper. "Now," said +he. "To business!" + +Samuel pulled up his chair and the other drew a square. "This is a house +I've been studying. It's on a corner--these are streets, and here's an +alley. This is the side door that I think I can open. There's a door +here and one in back here. Fix all that in your mind." + +"I have it," said the boy. + +"You go in, and here's the entrance hall. The front stairs are here. +What I'm after is the family plate, and it's up on the second floor. +I'll attend to that. The only trouble is that over here beyond the +library there's a door, and, somebody sleeps in that room. I don't know +who it is. But I want you to stay in the hall, and if there's anyone +stirs in that room you're to dart upstairs and give one whistle at the +top. Then I'll come." + +"And what then?" + +"This is the second floor," said Charlie, drawing another square. "And +here's the servant's stairway, and we can get down to this entrance in +the rear, that I'll open before I set to work. On the other hand, if you +hear me whistle upstairs, then you're to get out by the way we came. If +there's any alarm given, then it's each for himself." + +"I see," said Samuel; and gripped his hands so that his companion might +not see how he was quaking. + +Charlie got out his kit and examined it to make sure that the police +had kept nothing. Then he went to a bureau drawer and got a revolver, +examined it and slipped it into his pocket. "They kept my best one," he +said. "So I've none to lend you." + +"I--I wouldn't take it, anyway," stammered the other in horror. + +"You'll learn," said the burglar with a smile. + +Then he sat down again and drew a diagram of the streets of +Lockmanville, so that Samuel could find his way back in case of trouble. +"We don't want to take any chances," said he. "And mind, if I get +caught, I'll not mention you--wild horses couldn't drag it out of me. +And you make the same promise." + +"I make it," said Samuel. + +"Man to man," said Charlie solemnly; and Samuel repeated the words. + +"How did you come to know so much about the house?" he asked after a +while. + +"Oh! I've lived here and I've kept my eyes open. I worked as a plumber's +man for a couple of months and I made diagrams." + +"But don't the police get to know you?" + +"Yes--they know me. But I skip out when I've done a job. And when I come +back it's in disguise. Once I grew a beard and worked in the glass works +all day and did my jobs at night; and again I lived here as a woman." + +"A woman!" gasped the boy. + +"You see," said the other with a laugh, "there's more ways than one +to prove your fitness." And he went on, narrating some of his +adventures--adventures calculated to throw the glamour of romance about +the trade of burglar. Samuel listened breathless with wonder. + +"We'd better get a bit of sleep now," said Charlie later on. "We'll +start about one." And he stretched himself out on the bed, while the +other sat motionless in the chair, pondering hard over his problem. +There was no sleeping for Samuel that night. + +He would carry out his bargain--that was his decision. But he would not +take his share of the plunder, except just enough to pay Mrs. Stedman. +And he would never be a burglar again! + +At one o'clock he awakened his companion, and they set out through the +deserted streets. They crossed the bridge to the residential part of +town; and then, at a corner, Charlie stopped. "There's the place," he +said, pointing to a large house set back within a garden. + +They gazed about. The coast was clear; and they darted into the door +which had been indicated in the diagram. Samuel crouched in the doorway, +motionless, while the other worked at the lock. Samuel's knees were +trembling so that he could hardly stand up. + +The door was opened without a sound having been made, and they stole +into the entrance. They listened--the house was as still as death. +Then Charlie flashed his lantern, and Samuel had quick glimpses of +a beautiful and luxuriously furnished house. It was nothing like +"Fairview," of course; but it was finer than Professor Stewart's home. +There was a library, with great leather armchairs; and in the rear +a dining room, where mirrors and cut glass flashed back the far-off +glimmer of the light. + +"There's your door over there," whispered Charlie. "And you'd better +stay behind those curtains." + +So Samuel took up his post; the light vanished and his companion started +for the floor above. Several times the boy heard the stairs creaking, +and his heart leaped into his throat; but then the sounds ceased and all +was still. + +The minutes crawled by--each one seemed an age. He stood rooted to the +spot, staring into the darkness--half-hypnotized by the thought of +the door which he could not see, and of the person who might be asleep +behind it. Surely this was a ghastly way for a man to have to gain his +living--it were better to perish than to survive by such an ordeal! +Samuel was appalled by the terrors which took possession of him, and the +tremblings and quiverings which he could not control. Any danger in the +world he would have faced for conscience' sake; but this was wrong--he +knew it was wrong! And so all the glow of conviction was gone from him. + +What could be the matter? Why should Charlie be so long? Surely he had +had time enough to ransack the whole house! Could it be that he had got +out by the other way--that he had planned to skip town, and leave Samuel +there in the lurch? + +And then again came a faint creaking upon the stairs. He was coming +back! Or could it by any chance be another person? He dared not venture +to whisper; he stood, tense with excitement, while the sounds came +nearer--it was as if some monster were creeping upon him in the +darkness, and folding its tentacles about him! + +He heard a sound in the hall beside him. Why didn't Charlie speak? What +was the matter with him? What-- + +And then suddenly came a snapping sound, and a blinding glare of light +flashed up, flooding the hallway and everything about him. Samuel +staggered back appalled. There was some one standing there before him! +He was caught! + +Thus for one moment of dreadful horror. And then he realized that the +person confronting him was a little girl! + +She was staring at him; and he stared at her. She could not have been +more than ten years old, and wore a nightgown trimmed with lace. She had +bright yellow hair, and her finger was upon the button which controlled +the lights. + +For fully a minute neither of them moved. Then Samuel heard a voice +whispering: "Are you a burglar?" + +He could not speak, but he nodded his head. And then again he heard the +child's voice: "Oh, I'm so glad!" + +"I'm so glad!" she repeated again, and her tone was clear and sweet. +"I'd been praying for it! But I'd almost given up hope!" + +Samuel found voice enough to gasp, "Why?" + +"My mamma read me a story," said the child. "It was about a little girl +who met a burglar. And ever since I've been waiting for one to come." + +There was a pause. "Are you a really truly burglar?" the child +whispered. + +"I--I think so," replied Samuel. + +"You look very young," she said. + +And the other bethought himself. "I'm only a beginner," he said. "This +is really my first time." + +"Oh!" said the child with a faint touch of disappointment. "But still +you will do, won't you?" + +"Do for what?" asked the boy in bewilderment. + +"You must let me reform you," exclaimed the other. "That's what the +little girl did in the story. Will you?" + +"Why--why, yes"--gasped Samuel. "I--I really meant to reform." + +Then suddenly he thought he heard a sound in the hall above. He glanced +up, and for one instant he had a glimpse of the face of Charlie peering +down at him. + +"What are you looking at?" asked the child. + +"I thought--that is--there's some one with me," stammered Samuel, +forgetting his solemn vow. + +"Oh! two burglars!" cried the child in delight. "And may I reform him, +too?" + +"I think you'd better begin with me," said Samuel. + +"Will he go away, do you think?" + +"Yes--I think he's gone now." + +"But you--you won't go yet, will you?" asked the child anxiously. +"You'll stay and talk to me?" + +"If you wish"--gasped the boy. + +"You aren't afraid of me?" she asked. + +"Not of you," said he. "But if some one else should waken." + +"No, you needn't think of that. Mamma and grandma both lock their doors +at night. And papa's away." + +"Who sleeps there?" asked Samuel, pointing to the door he had been +watching. + +"That's papa's room," said the child; and the other gave a great gasp of +relief. + +"Come," said the little girl; and she seated herself in one of the big +leather armchairs. "Now," she continued, "tell me how you came to be a +burglar." + +"I had no money," said Samuel, "and no work." + +"Oh!" exclaimed the child; and then, "What is your work?" + +"I lived on a farm all my life," said he. "My father died and then I +wanted to go to the city. I was robbed of all my money, and I was here +without any friends and I couldn't find anything to do at all. I was +nearly starving." + +"Why, how dreadful!" cried the other. "Why didn't you come to see papa?" + +"Your father?" said he. "I didn't want to beg--" + +"It wouldn't have been begging. He'd have been glad to help you." + +"I--I didn't know about him," said Samuel. "Why should he---" + + +"He helps everyone," said the child. "That's his business." + +"How do you mean?" + +"Don't you know who my father is?" she asked in surprise. + +"No," said he, "I don't." + +"My father is Dr. Vince," she said; and then she gazed at him with +wide-open eyes. "You've never heard of him!" + +"Never," said Samuel. + +"He's a clergyman," said the little girl. + +"A clergyman!" echoed Samuel aghast. Somehow it seemed far worse to have +been robbing a clergyman. + +"And he's so good and kind!" went on the other. "He loves everyone, and +tries to help them. And if you had come to him and told him, he'd have +found some work for you." + +"There are a great many people in Lockmanville out of work," said Samuel +gravely. + +"Oh! but they don't come to my papa!" said the child. "You must come and +let him help you. You must promise me that you will." + +"But how can I? I've tried to rob him!" + +"But that won't make any difference! You don't know my papa. If you +should tell him that you had done wrong and that you were sorry--you are +sorry, aren't you?" + +"Yes, I'm very sorry." + +"Well, then, if you told him that, he'd forgive you--he'd do anything +for you, I know. If he knew that I'd helped to reform you, he'd be so +glad!--I did help a little, didn't I?" + +"Yes," said Samuel. "You helped." + +"You--you weren't very hard to reform, somehow," said the child +hesitatingly. "The little girl in the story had to talk a good deal +more. Are you sure that you are going to be good now?" + +Samuel could not keep back a smile. "Truly I will," he said. + +"I guess you were brought up to be good," reflected the other. "I don't +think you were very bad, anyway. It must be very hard to be starving." + +"It is indeed," said the boy with conviction. + +"I never heard of anyone starving before," went on the other. "If that +happened to people often, there'd be more burglars, I guess." + +There was a pause. "What is your name?" asked the little girl. "Mine +is Ethel. And now I'll tell you what we'll do. My papa's on his way +home--his train gets here early in the morning. And you come up after +breakfast--I'll make him wait for you. And then you can tell it all to +him, and then you won't have any more troubles. Will you do that?" + +"You think he won't be angry with me?" asked Samuel. + +"No, I'm sure of it." + +"And he won't want to have me arrested?" + +"Oh, dear me!" exclaimed Ethel with an injured look. "Why, my papa goes +to see people in prison, and tries to help them get out! I'll promise +you, truly." + +"Very well," said Samuel, "I'll come." + +And so they parted. And Samuel found himself out upon the street again, +with the open sky above him, and a great hymn of relief and joy in his +soul. He was no longer a burglar! + + + + +CHAPTER XV + + +Samuel walked the streets all that night. For he fully meant to do what +he had promised the child, and he did not care to go back to Charlie +Swift, and face the latter's protests and ridicule. + +At eight the next morning, tired but happy, he rang the bell of Dr. +Vince's house. Ethel herself opened the door; and at the sight of him +her face lighted up with joy, and she turned, crying out, "Here he is!" + +And she ran halfway down the hall, exclaiming: "He's come! I told you +he'd come! Papa!" + +A man appeared at the dining room door, and stood staring at Samuel. +"There he is, papa!" cried Ethel beside herself with delight. "There's +my burglar!" + +Dr. Vince came down the hall. He was a stockily built gentleman with a +rather florid complexion and bushy beard. "Good morning," he said. + +"Good morning, sir," said Samuel. + +"And are you really the young man who was here last night?" + +"Yes, sir," said Samuel. + +The worthy doctor was obviously disconcerted. "This is quite +extraordinary!" he exclaimed. "Won't you come in?" + +They sat down in the library. "I don't want you to think, sir," said +Samuel quickly, "that I come to beg. Your little girl asked me---" + +"Don't mention that," said the other. "If the story you told Ethel is +really true, I should be only too glad to do anything that I could." + +"Thank you, sir," said Samuel. + +"And so you really broke into my house last night!" exclaimed the other. +"Well! well! And it is the first time you have ever done anything of the +sort in your life?" + +"The very first," said the boy. + +"But what could have put it into your head?" + +"There was another person with me," said Samuel--"you will understand +that I would rather not talk about him." + +"I see," said the other. "He led you to it?" + +"Yes, sir." + +"And you have never done anything dishonest before?" + +"No, sir." + +"You have never even been a thief?" + +"No!" exclaimed Samuel indignantly. + +The other noticed the tone of his voice. "But why did you begin now?" he +asked. + +"I was persuaded that it was right," said Samuel. + +"But how could that be? Had you never been taught about stealing?" + +"Yes, sir," replied the boy--"but it's not as simple as it seems. I had +met Professor Stewart--" + +"Professor Stewart!" echoed the other. + +"Yes, sir--the professor at the college." + +"But what did he have to do with it?" + +"Why, sir, he told me about the survival of the fittest, and how I had +to starve to death because I was one of the failures. And then you see, +sir, I met Master Albert--" + +"Master Albert?" + +"Albert Lockman, sir. And the professor had said that he was one of the +fit; and I saw that he got drunk, sir, and did other things that were +very wicked, and so it did not seem just right that I should starve. I +can see now that it was very foolish of me; but I thought that I +ought to fight, and try to survive if I possibly could. And then I met +Char--that is, a bad man who offered to show me how to be a burglar." + +The other had been listening in amazement. "Boy," he said, "are you +joking with me?" + +"Joking!" echoed Samuel, his eyes opening wide. And then the doctor +caught his breath and proceeded to question him. He went back to the +beginning, and made Samuel lay bare the story of his whole life. But +when he got to the interview with Professor Stewart, the other could +contain himself no longer. "Samuel!" he exclaimed, "this is the most +terrible thing I have ever heard in my life." + +"How do you mean, sir?" + +"You have been saved--providentially saved, as I firmly believe. But you +were hanging on the very verge of a life of evil; and all because men +in our colleges are permitted to teach these blasphemous and godless +doctrines. This is what they call science! This is our modern +enlightenment!" + +The doctor had risen and begun to pace the floor in his agitation. "I +have always insisted that the consequence of such teaching would be the +end of all morality. And here we have the thing before our very eyes! A +young man of decent life is actually led to the commission of a crime, +as a consequence of the teachings of Herbert Spencer!" + +Samuel was listening in consternation. "Then it isn't true what Herbert +Spencer says!" he exclaimed. + +"True!" cried the other. "Why, Samuel, don't you KNOW that it isn't +true? Weren't you brought up to read the Bible? And do you read anything +in the Bible about the struggle for existence? Were you taught there +that your sole duty was to fight with other men for your own selfish +ends? Was it not rather made clear to you that you were not to concern +yourself with your own welfare at all, but to struggle for the good of +others, and to suffer rather than do evil? Why Samuel, what would your +father have said, if he could have seen you last night--his own dear +son, that he had brought up in the way of the Gospel?" + +"Oh, sir!" cried Samuel, struck to the heart. + +"My boy!" exclaimed the other. "Our business in this world is not that +we should survive, but that the good should survive. We are to live for +it and to die for it, if need be. We are to love and serve others--we +are to be humble and patient--to sacrifice ourselves freely. The +survival of the fittest! Why, Samuel, the very idea is a denial of +spirituality--what are we that we should call ourselves fit? To think +that is to be exposed to all the base passions of the human heart--to +greed and jealousy and hate! Such doctrines are the cause of all the +wickedness, of all the materialism of our time--of crime and murder and +war! My boy, do you read that Jesus went about, worrying about His own +survival, and robbing others because they were less fit than He? Only +think how it would have been with you had you been called to face Him +last night?" + +The shame of this was more than Samuel could bear. "Oh, stop, stop, +sir!" he cried, and covered his face with his hands. "I see it all! I +have been very wicked!" + +"Yes!" exclaimed the other. "You have been wicked." + +The tears were welling into Samuel's eyes. "I can't see how I did it, +sir," he whispered. "I have been blind--I have been lost. I am a strayed +sheep!" And then suddenly his emotion overcame him, and he burst into a +paroxysm of weeping. "I can't believe it of myself!" he exclaimed again +and again. "I have been out of my senses!" + +The doctor watched him for a few moments. "Perhaps it was not altogether +your fault," he said more gently. "You have been led astray--" + +"No, no!" cried the boy. "I am bad. I see it--it must be! I could +never have been persuaded, if I had not been bad! It began at the very +beginning. I yielded to the first temptation when I stole a ride upon +the train. And everything else came from that--it has been one long +chain!" + +"Let us be glad that it is no longer," said Dr. Vince--"and that you +have come to the end of it." + +"Ah, but have I?" cried the boy wildly. + +"Why not? Surely you will no longer be led by such false teaching!" + +"No, sir. But see what I have done! Why I am liable to be sent to +jail--for I don't know how long." + +"You mean for last night?" asked the doctor. "But no one will ever know +about that. You may start again and live a true life." + +"Ah," cried Samuel, "but the memory of it will haunt me--I can never +forgive myself!" + +"We are very fortunate," said the other gravely, "if we have only a few +things in our lives that we cannot forget, and that we cannot forgive +ourselves." + +The worthy doctor had been anticipating a long struggle to bring the +young criminal to see the error of his ways; but instead, he found that +he had to use his skill in casuistry to convince the boy that he was not +hopelessly sullied. And when at last Samuel had been persuaded that he +might take up his life again, there was nothing that would satisfy him +save to go back where he had been before, and take up that struggle with +starvation. + +"I must prove that I can conquer," he said--"I yielded to the temptation +once, and now I must face it." + +"But, Samuel," protested the doctor, "it is no man's duty to starve. You +must let me help you, and find some useful work for you, and some people +who will be your friends." + +"Don't think I am ungrateful," cried the boy--"but why should I be +favored? There are so many others starving, right here in this town. And +if I am going to love them and serve them, why should I have more than +they have? Wouldn't that be selfish of me? Why, sir, I'd be making +profit out of my repentance!" + +"I don't quite see that," said the other-- + +"Why, sir! Isn't it just because I've been so sorry that you are willing +to help me? There are so many others who have not been helped--some I +know, sir, that need it far more than I do, and have deserved it more, +too!" + +"It seems to me, my boy, that is being too hard upon yourself--and on +me. I cannot relieve all the distress in the world. I relieve what I +find out about. And so I must help you. And don't you see that I wish +to keep you near me, so that I can watch after your welfare? And +perhaps--who knows--you can help me. The harvest is plenty, you have +heard, and the laborers are few. There are many ways in which you could +be of service in my church." + +"Ah, sir!" cried Samuel, overwhelmed with gratitude--"if you put it that +way--" + +"I put it that way most certainly," said Dr. Vince. "You have seen a +new light--you wish to live a new life. Stay here and live it in +Lockmanville--there is no place in the world where it could be more +needed." + +All this while the little girl had been sitting in silence drinking in +the conversation. Now suddenly she rose and came to Samuel, putting her +hand in his. "Please stay," she said. + +And Samuel answered, "Very well--I'll stay." + +So then they fell to discussing his future, and what Dr. Vince was going +to do for him. The good doctor was inwardly more perplexed about it than +he cared to let Samuel know. + +"I'll ask Mr. Wygant," he said--"perhaps he can find you a place in one +of his factories." + +"Mr. Wygant?" echoed Samuel. "You mean Miss Gladys's father?" + +"Yes," said the doctor. "Do you know Miss Gladys?" + +"I have met her two or three times," said the boy. + +"They are parishioners of mine," remarked the other. + +And Samuel gave a start. "Why!" he exclaimed. "Then you--you must be the +rector of St. Matthew's." + +"Yes," was the reply. "Didn't you know that?" + +The boy was a little awed. He had seen the great brownstone temple +upon the hill--a structure far more splendid than anything he had ever +dreamed of. + +"Have you never attended?" asked the doctor. + +"I went to the mission once," said Samuel--referring to the little +chapel in the poor quarters of the town. "A friend of mine goes +there--Sophie Stedman. She works in Mr. Wygant's cotton mill." + +"I should be glad to have you come to the church," said the other. + +"I'd like to very much," replied the boy. "I didn't know exactly if I +ought to, you know." + +"I am sorry you got that impression," said Dr. Vince. "The church holds +out its arms to everyone." + +"Well," began Samuel apologetically, "I knew that all the rich people +went to St. Matthew's---" + +"The church does not belong to the rich people," put in the doctor very +gravely; "the church belongs to the Lord." + +And so Samuel, overflowing with gratitude and happiness, joined St. +Matthew's forthwith; and all the while in the deeps of his soul a voice +was whispering to him that it was Miss Gladys' church also! And he would +see his divinity again! + + + + +CHAPTER XVI + + +Samuel went back in great excitement to the Stedmans', to tell them of +his good fortune. And the family sat about in a circle and listened to +the recital in open-eyed amazement. It was a wonderful thing to have an +adventurer like Samuel in one's house! + +But the boy noticed that Sophie did not seem as much excited as he had +anticipated. She sat with her head resting in her hands. And when the +others had left the room--"Oh, Samuel," she said. "I feel so badly +to-day! I don't see how I'm going to go on." + +"Listen, Sophie," he said quickly. "That's one of the first things I +thought about--I can give you a chance now." + +"How do you mean?" + +"I can get Dr. Vince to help you find some better work." + +"Did he say he would?" asked the child. + +"No," was the reply--"but he is so good to everyone. And all the rich +people go to his church, you know. He said he wanted me to help him; so +I shall find out things like that for him to do." + +And Samuel went on, pouring out his praises of the kind and gentle +clergyman, and striving to interest Sophie by his pictures of the +new world that was to open before her. "I'm going to see him again +to-morrow," he said. "Then you'll see." + +"Samuel," announced the doctor when he called the next morning, "I have +found a chance for you." And Samuel's heart gave a great leap of joy. + +It appeared that the sexton of St. Matthew's was growing old. They did +not wish to change, but there must be some one to help him. The pay +would not be high; but he would have a chance to work in the church, and +to be near his benefactor. The tears of gratitude started into his eyes +as he heard this wonderful piece of news. + +"I'll see more of Miss Gladys!" the voice within him was whispering +eagerly. + +"Doctor," he said after a pause, "I've some good news for you also." + +"What is it?" asked the other. + +"It's a chance for you to help some one." + +"Oh!" said the doctor. + +"It's little Sophie Stedman," said Samuel; and he went on to tell how he +had met the widow, and about her long struggle with starvation, and then +of Sophie's experiences in the cotton mill. + +"But what do you want me to do?" asked the other, with a troubled look. + +"Why," said Samuel, "we must save her. We must find her some work that +will not kill her." + +"But, Samuel!" protested the other. "There are so many in her +position--and how can I help it?" + +"But, doctor! She can't stand it!" + +"I know, my boy. It is a terrible thing to think of. Still, I can't +undertake to find work for everyone." + +"But she will die!" cried the boy. "Truly, it is killing her! And, +doctor, she has never had a chance in all her life! Only think--how +would you feel if Ethel had to work in a cotton mill?" + +There was a pause. "I honestly can't see--" began the bewildered +clergyman. + +"It will be quite easy for you to help her," put in the boy; "because, +you see, Mr. Wygant belongs to your church!" + +"But what has that to do with it?" + +"Why--it's Mr. Wygant's mill that she works in." + +"Yes," said the doctor. "But--I---" + +"Surely," exclaimed Samuel, "you don't mean that he wouldn't want to +know about it!" + +"Ahem!" said the other; and again there was a pause. + +It was broken by Ethel, who had come in and was listening to the +conversation. "Papa!" she exclaimed, "wouldn't Miss Gladys be the one to +ask?" + +Samuel gave a start. "The very thing!" he said. + +And Dr. Vince, after pondering for a moment, admitted that it might be a +good idea. + +"You will come to church with me to-morrow," said Ethel. "And if she is +there we'll ask her." + +And so Samuel was on hand, trembling with excitement, and painfully +conscious of his green and purple necktie. He sat in the Vince's pew, +at Ethel's invitation; and directly across the aisle was Miss Wygant, +miraculously resplendent in a springtime costume, yet with a touch of +primness, becoming to the Sabbath. She did not see her adorer until +after the service, when they met face to face. + +"Why, Samuel!" she exclaimed. "You are here?" + +"Yes, Miss Gladys," he said. "I'm to work in the church now." + +"You don't tell me!" she responded. + +"I'm to help the sexton," he added. + +"And he belongs to the church, too," put in little Ethel. "And oh, Miss +Gladys, won't you please let him tell you about Sophie!" + +"About Sophie?" said the other. + +"She's a little girl who works in your papa's mill, Miss Gladys. And her +family's very poor, and she is sick, and Samuel says she may die." + +"Why, that's too bad!" exclaimed Miss Gladys. "Tell me about her, +Samuel." + +And Samuel told the story. At the end a sudden inspiration came to him, +and he mentioned how Sophie had received her Christmas present from Miss +Gladys, and how she had kept her pictures in her room. + +And, of course, Miss Wygant was touched. "I will see what I can do for +her," she said. "What would you suggest?" + +"I thought," said he boldly, "that maybe there might be some place for +her at your home. That would make her so happy, you know." + +"I will see," said the other. "Will you bring her to see me to-morrow, +Samuel?" + +"I will," said he; and then he chanced to look into her face, and he +caught again that piercing gaze which made the blood leap into his +cheeks, and the strange and terrible emotions to stir in him. He turned +his eyes away again, and his knees were trembling as he passed on down +the aisle. + +He stood and watched Miss Gladys enter her motor. Then he bade good-by +to Ethel and her mother, and hurried back into the vestry room to tell +Dr. Vince of his good fortune. + +The good doctor had just slipped out of his vestments, and was putting +on his cuffs. "I am so glad to hear it!" he said. "It was the very thing +to do!" + +"Yes," said Samuel. "And, doctor, I've thought of something else." + +"What is that, Samuel?" + +"I'll have to have a minute or two to tell you about it." + +"I'm just going to dinner now"--began the doctor. + +"I'll walk with you, if I may," said Samuel. "It's really very +important." + +"All right," responded the doctor in some trepidation. + +"I thought of this in the middle of the night," explained the boy, +when they had started down the street. "It kept me awake for hours. Dr. +Vince, I think we ought to convert Master Albert Lockman!" + +"Convert him?" echoed the other perplexed. + +"Yes, sir," said the boy. "He is leading a wild life, and he's in a very +bad way." + +"Yes, Samuel," said the clergyman. "It is terrible, I know--" + +"We must labor with him!" exclaimed Samuel. "He must not be allowed to +go on like that!" + +"Unfortunately," said Dr. Vince hastily, "it wouldn't do for me to try +it. You see, the Lockmans have always been Presbyterians, and so Bertie +is under Dr. Handy's care." + +"But is Dr. Handy doing anything about it?" persisted the other. + +"I really don't know, Samuel." + +"Because if he isn't, we ought to, Dr. Vince! Something must be done." + +"My boy," said the doctor, "perhaps it wouldn't be easy for you to +understand it. But there is a feeling--would it be quite good taste for +me to try to take away a very rich parishioner from another church?" + +"But what have his riches to do with it?" asked the boy. + +"Unfortunately, Samuel, it costs money to build churches; and most +clergymen are dependent upon their salaries, you know." + +The good doctor was trying to make a jest of it; but Samuel was in +deadly earnest. "I hope," he said, "that you are not dependent upon the +money of anyone like Master Albert." + +"Um--no," said the doctor quickly. + +"Understand me, please," went on the other. "It's not simply that Master +Albert is wrecking his own life. I suppose that's his right, if he wants +to. But it's what he can do to other people! It's his money, Dr. Vince! +Just think of it, he has seven hundred thousand dollars a year! And +he never earned a cent of it; and he doesn't know what to do with it! +Doctor, you KNOW that isn't right!" + +"No," said the clergyman, "it's very wrong indeed. But what can you do +about it?" + +"I don't know, doctor. I haven't had time to think about it--I've only +just begun to realize it. But I thought if somebody like yourself--some +one he respects--could point it out to him, he might use his money to +some good purpose. If he won't, why then he ought to give it up." + +The other smiled. "I'm afraid, Samuel, he'd hardly do that!" + +"But, doctor, things can't go on as they are! Right here in this town +are people dying of starvation. And he has seven hundred thousand +dollars a year! Can that continue?" + +"No, I trust not, my boy. It will be better some day. But it must be +left to evolution--" + +"Evolution!" echoed Samuel perplexed. "Do you believe in evolution?" + +"Why," said the other embarrassed--"what I mean is, that there are vast +social forces at work--great changes taking place. But they move very +slowly--" + +"But why do they move so slowly?" objected the boy. "Isn't it just +because so many people, don't care?" + +"Why, Samuel--" + +"If everyone would take an interest in them--then they would happen +quickly!" + +The two walked on for a minute in silence. Finally, the clergyman +remarked, "Samuel, you take a great interest in social questions." + +"Yes, sir," said the boy. "You see, I have been down at the bottom, and +I know how it feels. Nobody else can possibly understand--not even you, +sir, with all your kind heart. You don't know what it means, sir--you +don't know what it means!" + +"Perhaps not, my boy," said the other. "But my conscience is far from +easy, I assure you. The only thing is, we must not be too impatient--we +must learn to wait--" + +"But, doctor!" exclaimed Samuel. "Will the people wait to starve?" + +That question was a poser; and perhaps it was just as well that Dr. +Vince was nearing the steps of his home. "I must go in now, Samuel," he +said. "But we will talk about these questions another time." + +"Yes, sir," said Samuel, "we will." + +And the other glanced at him quickly. But the boy's face wore its old +look of guileless eagerness. + + + + +CHAPTER XVII + + +Samuel walked away, still pondering at the problem. Something must be +done about Master Albert, that was certain. Before he went in to his +dinner he had thought of yet another plan. He would appeal to Miss +Gladys about it! He would get her to labor with the prodigal! + +At eight o'clock the next morning, he and Sophie called at Miss Wygant's +home. They went to the servants' entrance, and the maid who opened +the door sent them away, saying that Miss Gladys never rose until ten +o'clock and would not see anyone until eleven. + +So they went home again and came at eleven; and they were taken to a +sitting room upon the second floor and there Miss Gladys met them, clad +in a morning gown of crimson silk. + +"And so this is Sophie!" she exclaimed. "Why you poor, poor child!" And +she gazed at the little mill girl with her stunted figure and pinched +cheeks, and her patched and threadbare dress; and Sophie, in her turn, +gazed at the wonderful princess, tall and stately, glowing with health +and voluptuous beauty. + +"And you work in our cotton mill!" she cried. + +"How perfectly terrible! And do you mean to tell me that this child is +thirteen years old, Samuel?" + +"Yes, Miss Gladys," said he. + +She turned quickly and pressed a button on the wall. "Send Mrs. Harris +here," she said to the man who answered. + +"Mrs. Harris is our housekeeper," she added to Samuel. "I will consult +her about it." + +The "consulting" was very brief. "Mrs. Harris, this is Sophie Stedman, +a little girl I want to help. I don't know what she can do, but you will +find out. I want her to have some sort of a place in the house--and it +mustn't be hard work." + +"But, Miss Gladys," said the other in perplexity, "I don't know of +anything at all!" + +"You can find something," was the young lady's reply. "I want her to +have a chance to learn. Take her downstairs and have a talk with her +about it." + +"Yes, Miss Gladys," said Mrs. Harris; and so Samuel was left alone with +his goddess. + +He sat with his eyes upon the floor. He was just about to open the great +subject he had in his mind, when suddenly Miss Gladys herself brought it +up. "Samuel," she asked, "why did you leave my cousin's?" + +Samuel hesitated. "I--I don't like to say, Miss Gladys." + +"Please tell me," she insisted. + +"I left it," he replied in a low voice, "because I found that he got +drunk." + +"Oh!" said the girl, "when was this?" + +"It was last Wednesday night, Miss Gladys." + +"Tell me all about it, Samuel." + +"I--I don't like to," he stammered. "It's not a story to tell to a +lady." + +"I already know something about it from my maid," said she. "Jack +Holliday was there, wasn't he?" + +"Yes, ma'am." + +"And some women?" + +"Yes, ma'am." + +"How many, Samuel?" + +"Four, Miss Gladys." + +"Tell me about them, Samuel. What sort of women were they?" + +It was very hard for Samuel to answer these questions. He blushed as he +talked; but Miss Gladys appeared not at all disconcerted--in fact she +was greedy for the details. + +"You say her name was Belle. I wonder if it was that girl from 'The +Maids of Mandelay.' Was she a dancer, Samuel?" + +"I don't know, Miss Gladys." + +"And what became of her?" + +"I took her to a hotel, Miss Gladys." + +"And what then?" + +Samuel stopped short. "I really couldn't tell you," he said. + +"But why not?" + +"Because I promised." + +"Whom did you promise?" + +"I promised the sergeant, Miss Gladys." + +"The sergeant! A policeman, you mean?" + +"Yes, ma'am." + +"But what--what did the police have to do with it?" + +"They took me to jail, Miss Gladys. They thought that I did it." + +"Did what?" + +And again the boy shut his lips. + +"Listen, Samuel," pleaded the other. "You know that I am Bertie's +cousin. And he's all alone. And I'm responsible for him--" + +"Oh, Miss Gladys!" cried the boy. "If you only would try to help him! I +meant to ask you--" + +"But how can I help him if you keep me in ignorance?" + +And so Samuel blurted out the whole story. And Miss Gladys sat dumb with +horror. "She killed herself! She killed herself!" she gasped again and +again. + +"Yes, Miss Gladys," said Samuel. "And it was awful! You can't imagine +it!" + +"I read of the suicide in the paper. But I never dreamed of Bertie!" + +There was a moment's pause. "It must be a dreadful thing for him to have +on his conscience"--began the boy. + +"He must have been frightened to death!" said she. And then she added +quickly, "Samuel, you haven't told anyone about this!" + +"Not a soul, Miss Gladys." + +"You are sure?" + +"I'm sure, ma'am." + +"You didn't tell Dr. Vince?" + +"I just told him that I had left because Master Albert got drunk, Miss +Gladys. That was the truth." + +"Yes," said she; and then, "You always tell the truth, don't you, +Samuel?" + +"I try to," he replied. + +"You are very good, aren't you?" she added. + +Samuel blushed. "No," he said gravely. "I'm not good at all." + +The other looked at him for a moment, and then a smile crossed her face. +"I've heard a saying," she remarked--"'Be good and you'll be happy, but +you'll miss a lot of fun.'" + +Samuel pondered. "I think that is a very terrible saying," he declared +earnestly. + +Miss Gladys laughed. And she went on to cross-question him as to the +suicide--satisfying her curiosity as to the last hideous detail. + +Then she looked at Samuel and asked suddenly, "Why do you wear that +hideous thing?" + +Samuel started. "What thing?" he asked. + +"That tie!" + +"Why!" he said--"I got that specially--" + +He stopped, embarrassed; and the other's peal of laughter rang through +the room. "Take it off!" she said. + +She got up and came to him, saying, "I couldn't stand it." + + +With trembling fingers he removed the tie. And she took off the +beautiful red ribbon that was tied about her waist, and cut it to the +right length. "Put that on," she said, "and I'll show you how to tie +it." + +And Samuel stood there, rapt in a sudden nightmare ecstasy. She was +close to him, her quick fingers were playing about his throat. Her +breath was upon his face, and the intoxicating perfume of her filled his +nostrils. The blood mounted into his face, and the veins stood out upon +his forehead, and strange and monstrous things stirred in the depths of +him. + +"There," she said, "that's better"--and stepped back to admire the +result. She smiled upon him radiantly. "You have no taste, Samuel," she +said. "I shall have to educate you." + +"Yes, Miss Gladys," he responded in a low voice. + +"And listen," she went on, "you will come to see Sophie now and then, +won't you?" + +"Yes, yes," he said quickly. + +"And come some time when I am here." + +He caught his breath and gripped his hands and answered yet again, +"Yes!" + +"Don't be afraid of me," added the girl gently. "You don't appreciate +yourself half enough, Samuel." + +Then there came voices in the hall, and Miss Gladys turned, and the +housekeeper and Sophie came in. "Well?" she asked. + +"She doesn't know anything at all," said Mrs. Harris. "But if you want +her taught--I suppose she could run errands and do sewing--" + +"Very good," said the other. "And pay her well. Will you like that, +Sophie?" + +"Yes, Miss," whispered the child in a faint voice. She was gazing in awe +and rapture at this peerless being, and she could hardly find utterance +for two words. + +"All right, then," said Miss Gladys, "that will do very well. You come +to-morrow, Sophie. And good-by, Samuel. I must go for my ride now." + +"Good-by, Miss Gladys," said Samuel. "And please don't forget what you +were going to say to Master Albert!" + + + + +CHAPTER XVIII + + +Samuel went home walking upon air. He had found a place for himself and +a place for Sophie. And he had got the reforming of Bertie Lockman under +way! Truly, the church was a great institution--the solution of all the +puzzles and problems of life. And fortunate was Samuel to be so close to +the inner life of things! + +Then suddenly, on a street corner, he stopped short. A sign had caught +his eye--"John Callahan, Wines and Liquors--Bernheimer Beer." "Do you +know what that place is?" he said to Sophie. + +"That's where my friend Finnegan works." + +"Who's Finnegan?" asked the child. + +"He's the barkeeper who gave me something to eat when I first came to +town. He's a good man, even if he is a barkeeper." + +Samuel had often found himself thinking of Finnegan; for it had been +altogether against his idea of things that a man so obviously well +meaning should be selling liquor. And now suddenly a brilliant idea +flashed across his mind. Why should he continue selling liquor? And +instantly Samuel saw a new duty before him. He must help Finnegan. + +And forgetting that it was time for his dinner, he bade good-by to +Sophie and went into the saloon. + +"Well, young feller!" exclaimed the Irishman, his face lighting up with +pleasure; and then, seeing the boy's new collar and tie, "Gee, you're +moving up in the world!" + +"I've got a job," said Samuel proudly. "I'm the assistant sexton at St. +Matthew's Church." + +"You don't say! Gone up with the sky pilots, hey!" + +Samuel did not notice this irreverent remark. He looked around the +place and saw that they were alone. Then he said, very earnestly, "Mr. +Finnegan, may I have a few minutes' talk with you?" + +"Sure," said Finnegan perplexed. "What is it?" + +"It's something I've been thinking about very often," said Samuel. "You +were so kind to me, and I saw that you were a good-hearted man. And so +it has always seemed to me too bad that you should be selling drink." + +The other stared at him. "Gee!" he said, "are you going to take me up in +your airship?" + +"Mr. Finnegan," said the boy, "I wish you wouldn't make fun of me. For +I'm talking to you out of the bottom of my heart." + +And Samuel gazed with so much yearning in his eyes that the man was +touched, in spite of the absurdity of it. "Go on," he said. "I'll +listen." + +"It's just this," said Samuel. "It's wrong to sell liquor! Think what +drink does to men? I saw a man drunk the other night and it led to what +was almost murder. Drink makes men cruel and selfish. It takes away +their self-control. It makes them unfit for their work. It leads to vice +and wickedness. It enslaves them and degrades them. Don't you know that +is true, Mr. Finnegan?" + +"Yes," admitted Finnegan, "I reckon it is. I never touch the stuff +myself." + +"And still you sell it to others?" + +"Well, my boy, I don't do it because I hate them." + +"But then, why DO you do it?" + +"I do it," said Finnegan, "because I have to live. It's my trade--it's +all I know." + +"It seems such a terrible trade!" exclaimed the boy. + +"Maybe," said the other. "But take notice, it ain't a princely one. I'm +on the job all day and a good part of the night, and standing up all the +time. And I don't get no holidays either--and I only get twelve a week. +And I've a wife and a new baby. So what's a man to do?" + +Now, strange as it may seem, this unfolded a new view to Samuel. He had +always supposed that bartenders and saloonkeepers were such from innate +depravity. Could it really be that they were driven to the trade? + +The bare idea was enough to set his zeal in a blaze. "Listen," he said. +"Suppose I were to find you some kind of honest work, so that you could +earn a living. Would you promise to reform?" + +"Do you mean would I quit Callahan's? Why, sure I would." + +"Ah!" exclaimed the boy in delight. + + +"But it'd have to be a steady job," put in the other. "I can take no +chances with the baby." + +"That's all right," said Samuel. "I'll get you what you want." + +"Gee, young feller!" exclaimed Finnegan. "Do you carry 'em round in your +pockets?" + +"No," said Samuel, "but Dr. Vince asked me to help him; and I'm going to +tell him about you." + +And so, forthwith, he made his way to the doctor's house, and was +ushered into the presence of the unhappy clergyman. He stated his case; +and the other threw up his hands in despair. + +"Really," he exclaimed, "this is too much, Samuel! I can't find +employment for everyone in Lockmanville." + +"But, doctor!" protested Samuel, "I don't think you understand. This man +wants to lead a decent life, and he can't because there's no way for him +to earn a living." + +"I understand all that Samuel." + +"But, doctor, what's the use of trying to reform men if they're chained +in that way?" + +There was a pause. + +"I'm afraid it's hopeless to explain to you," said the clergyman. "But +you'll have to make up your mind to it, Samuel--there are a great many +men in the world who want jobs, and it seems to be unfortunately true +that there are fewer jobs than men." + +"Yes," said the other, "but that's what Professor Stewart taught men. +And you said it was wicked of him." + +"Um--" said the doctor, taken aback. + +"Don't you see?" went on Samuel eagerly. "It puts you right back with +Herbert Spencer! If there are more men than there are jobs, then the men +have to fight for them. And so you have the struggle for existence, and +the survival of the greedy and the selfish. If Finnegan wouldn't be a +barkeeper, then he and his family would starve, and somebody else would +survive who was willing to be that bad." + +The boy waited. "Don't you see that, Dr. Vince?" he persisted. + +"Yes, I see that," said the doctor. + +"And you told me that the only way to escape from that was to live for +others--to serve them and help them. And isn't that what I'm trying to +do?" + +"Yes, my boy, that is so. But what can we do?" + +"Why, doctor, aren't you the head of the church? And the people come to +you to be taught. You must point out these things to them, so that there +can be a change." + +"But WHAT change, Samuel?" + +"I don't know, sir. I'm groping around and trying to find out. But I'm +sure of one thing--that some people have got too much money. Why, Dr. +Vince, there are people right in your church who have more than they +could spend in hundreds of years." + +"Perhaps so," said the other. "But what harm does that do?" + +"Why--that's the reason that so many others have nothing! Only realize +it--right at this very moment there are people starving to death--and +here in Lockmanville! They want to work, and there is no work for them! +I could take you to see them, sir--girls who want a job in Mr. Wygant's +cotton mill, and he won't give it to them!" + +"But, my boy--that isn't Mr. Wygant's fault! It's because there is too +much cloth already." + +"I've been thinking about that," said Samuel earnestly. "And it doesn't +sound right to me. There are too many people who need good clothes. Look +at poor Sophie, for instance!" + +"Yes," said the other, "of course. But they haven't money to buy the +cloth---" + +And Samuel sat forward in his excitement. "Yes, yes!" he cried. "And +isn't that just what I said before? They have no money, because the rich +people have it all!" + +There was no reply; and after a moment Samuel rushed on: "Surely it is +selfish of Mr. Wygant to shut poor people out of his mill, just because +they have no money. Why couldn't he let them make cloth for themselves?" + +"Samuel!" protested the other. "That is absurd!" + +"But why, sir?" + +"Because, my boy--in a day they could make more than they could wear in +a year." + +"So much the better, doctor! Then they could give the balance to other +people who needed it--and the other people could make things for them. +Take Sophie. She not only needs clothing, she needs shoes, and above +all, she needs enough to eat. And if it's a question of there not being +enough food, look at what's wasted in a place like Master Albert's! And +there's land enough at 'Fairview' to raise food for the whole town--I +know what I'm talking about there, because I'm a farmer. And it's used +to keep a lot of race horses that nobody ever rides." + +"Samuel," said the clergyman gravely, "that is true--and that is very +wrong. But what can _I_ do?" + +And Samuel stared at him. "Doctor!" he exclaimed. "I can't tell you how +it hurts me to have you talk to me like that!" + +"How do you mean, Samuel?" asked the other in bewilderment. + +And the boy clasped his hands together in his agitation. "You told me +that we must sacrifice ourselves, and help others! You said that was our +sole duty! And I believed you--I was ready to go with you. And here I +am--I want to follow you, and you won't lead!" + +Those words were like a stab. The doctor winced visibly. + +And Samuel winced also--his heart was wrung. "It hurts me more than +I can tell you!" he cried. "But think of the people who are +suffering--nobody spares them! And how can you be silent, doctor--how +can the shepherd of Christ be silent while some of his flock are living +in luxury and others are starving to death?" + +There was a long pause. Dr. Vince sat rigid, clutching the arms of his +chair. + +"Samuel," he said, "you are right. I will preach on this unemployed +question next Sunday." + +"Ah, thank you, sir--thank you!" exclaimed Samuel, with tears of +gratitude in his eyes. And he took his friend's hand and wrung it. + +Then, suddenly, a new thought came to him. "And meantime, doctor," said +he, "what am I to tell Finnegan?" + + + + +CHAPTER XIX + + +One who has all the cares of humanity upon his shoulders, as Samuel had, +is apt to find that it claims a good deal of time. Samuel did his best +to keep his mind upon the weighty problems which he had to solve; but he +found that he was continually distracted by the thought of Miss Gladys. +Again and again her image would sweep over him, driving everything +else from his mind. The vision of her beauty haunted him, sending his +imagination upon all sorts of strange excursions and adventures. + +She had told him to come again; and he wondered how long he should wait. +He was supposed to come to see Sophie--but that, of course, was absurd, +for he saw Sophie every night at home. + +He waited three days; and then he could wait no longer. The hunger to +see her was like a fire smoldering in him. + +In the morning, at eleven o'clock, he went to the house and Sophie came +to the door. "I'll tell her you're here," said she, understanding at +once. She ran upstairs, and came back telling him to come. "And she's +glad, Samuel!" exclaimed the child. + +"Won't you come, too?" he asked blunderingly. + +"No, she told me not to," was Sophie's reply. + +So he went upstairs to Miss Wygant's own sitting room, and found her in +a morning gown, even more beautiful than the one she had worn before. + +"You don't know how glad I am to see you," she said. + +Samuel admitted that he didn't know; and he added, "And I don't know why +you should be, Miss Gladys." + +Miss Gladys stood looking at him. "You find things interesting, don't +you?" she asked. + +"Why, yes, Miss Gladys," he replied. + +"And I find things so tiresome." + +"Tiresome!" gasped the boy. "Here--in this house!" + +"It seems strange to you, does it?" said she. + +"Why you have everything in the world!" he cried. + +"Yes, and I'm tired of everything." + +The boy was looking at her in wonder. "It's true," she said. "Everybody +I meet is uninteresting--they live such dull and stupid lives. I'm shut +up here in this town--I've got to spend a whole month here this summer!" + +Samuel gazed at her, and a wave of pity swept over him. He had felt for +some time that she was not happy. So here was one more duty for him--he +must help this beautiful young lady to a realization of her own good +fortune. + +The thought set him athrill. "Ah, but Miss Gladys!" he exclaimed. "Think +how much good you do!" + +"Good?" said she. "In what way?" + +"Why--think of Sophie! How happy you've made her." + +"Yes," she said dully. "I suppose so." + +"And me!" he exclaimed. + +"Have I made you happy?" she inquired. + +And he answered, "I have never been so happy in my life." + +All the wonder that was in his soul shone in his eyes, and arrested +her gaze. They stood looking at each other; and then she came to him +laughing. "Samuel," she said, "you haven't got that tie right." + +And once more her fingers touched him, and her breath was upon him, and +the glory of her set him on fire. A new wave of feeling swept over him, +and this time it swamped him completely. His heart was pounding, his +brain was reeling; and blindly, like a drunken man--almost without +knowing what he was doing--he put out his arms and caught her to him. + +And then, in an instant, horror seized him. What had he done? She would +repel him--she would drive him from her! He had ruined everything! + +But another instant sufficed to show him that this was not the case. And +the tide of his feeling swept back redoubled. From the hidden regions of +his soul there came new emotions, suddenly awakened--things tremendous +and terrifying--never guessed by him before. His manhood came suddenly +to consciousness--he lost all his shyness and fear of her. She was +his--to do what he pleased with! And he pressed her to him, he half +crushed her in his embrace. She closed her eyes, and he kissed her +upon the cheeks and upon the lips; then he heard her voice, faint and +trembling--"Samuel, I love you!" And within him it was like a great +fanfare of trumpets, for wonder and triumph and delirious joy. + +Suddenly there came a step in the hall outside. They sprang apart. The +door of the room was open; and for an instant he saw wild terror in her +eyes. + +Then she sank down upon her knees. "Oh, Samuel!" she exclaimed. "My +ring!" + +"Your ring!" he echoed, dazed. + +"My ring!" she said again; then he heard the voice of Mrs. Harris in the +doorway. "Your ring, Miss Gladys?" + +"I dropped it," she said; and Samuel sank down upon his knees also. + +They sought under the table. "It fell here," she said. "It's my +solitaire." + +"It must have rolled," said Mrs. Harris, beginning to search. + +"Put your head down and look about, Samuel," commanded Miss Gladys, and +Samuel obeyed; but he did not find any ring. + +They continued the search for a minute. Mrs. Harris had come back to the +table; and suddenly she exclaimed, "Here it is!" + +"What!" cried the other. "Why, I looked there!" + +"It was under the leg of the table," explained the housekeeper. + +"Ah!" said the other, and put the precious ring back upon her finger. + +Samuel was overwhelmed with astonishment; but it was nothing to what +he felt a moment later. His goddess turned to him. "No," she said. "I'm +sorry, Samuel, but it's impossible for me to do what you ask me." + +He stared at her perplexed. + +"I have found a place for Sophie," she went on, "and that is positively +all I can do." + +"Miss Gladys!" he exclaimed. + +"Really," she said, "I think you ought not to ask me to do any more. I +understand that there is a good deal of suffering among the mill people, +and I do what I can to relieve it. But as for taking all the employees +into my father's household--that is simply absurd." + +The boy could not find words. He could only stare at her. "That's all," +said Miss Gladys. "And about those flower seeds--do what you can to +find them. I want them in a few days, if I'm to use them at all. Do you +understand?" + +"Y-yes, Miss Gladys," he stammered. He had seen her dart a swift glance +at the housekeeper, and he was beginning at last to comprehend. + +"Bring them to me yourself," she added. "Good-by." + +"Good-by, Miss Gladys," he said, and went out. + +He went downstairs, marveling. But before he was halfway down the first +flight of steps he had forgotten everything except those incredible +words--"Samuel, I love you!" They rang in his head like a trumpet call. + +He could not hold himself in. He could not carry away such a secret. +Sophie went to the door with him; and he took her outside and whispered +it to her. + +The child stared at him, with awe in her eyes. "Samuel!" she whispered, +"she must mean to marry you!" + +The boy started in dismay. "Marry me!" he gasped. "Marry me!" + +"Why, yes!" said Sophie. "What else can she mean?" + +That was a poser. "But--but--" he cried. "It's absurd!" + +"It's not, Samuel! She loves you!" + +"But I'm nothing but a poor boy!" + +"But, Samuel, she has plenty of money!" + +It had not occurred to Samuel that way; but he had to admit that it was +true. "But I'm not good enough," he protested. + +"You are good enough for anyone!" cried Sophie. "You are noble and +beautiful--and she has found it out. And she means to stoop and lift you +up to her." + +The boy was silent, stricken with awe. "Oh, Samuel, it is just like in +the fairy stories!" whispered the child. "You are to be the prince!" + +So she went on, pouring out the wonder of it to him, and thrilling his +soul to yet new flights. + +He left her at last and walked down the street half dazed. He was to +marry Miss Gladys! Yes, it must be true, for she had told him that she +loved him! And then, presumably, he would come to live in that great +palace. How could he ever stand it? What would he do? + +And he would be a rich man! A great surge of triumph came to him. What +would the people at home say--what would his brothers think when he went +to pay them a visit, and perhaps to buy the old place? + +But he put these thoughts away from him. He must not think of such +things--it was selfish and ignoble. He must think of the good that he +would be able to do with all the money. He might help the poor at last. +He and Miss Gladys would devote their lives to this. Perhaps some day he +might even own the mill where the children worked, and he would be able +to send them all to school! And he would be a member of the Lockman +family, in a way--he might even have some influence over Master Albert! +And Ethel and Dr. Vince--how happy they would be when they heard of his +good fortune! + +In the end his thoughts left all these things, and came back to Miss +Gladys. After all, what counted but that? She loved him! She was his! +And like a swiftly spreading fire there came over him the memory of what +he had done to her; he walked on, trembling with wonder and fear. It +was a kind of madness in his blood. It had taken possession of his whole +being--he would never again be the same! He stretched out his arms as he +walked down the street, because his emotions were greater than he could +bear. + +Then suddenly, in the midst of the turmoil, a sight met his eyes which +brought him back to the world. Approaching him, about to pass him, +was an old man with a gray beard, stooping as he walked and carrying +a peddler's basket. The disguise was excellent, but it did not deceive +Samuel for an instant. He stood stock-still and cried in amazement: +"Charlie Swift!" + +The peddler shot a quick glance at him. "Shut up!" he muttered; and then +he passed on, and left Samuel staring. + +So with a sudden rush, a new set of emotions overwhelmed the boy. He +was only a week away from the burglary; and yet it was an age. And how +terrible it seemed--how almost incredible! And here was he, about to +marry the daughter of a millionaire--while his friend and confederate +was still skulking in the shadows, hiding from the police. + +Of all the distressed people whom Samuel had met in the course of his +adventures, Charlie Swift was the only one whom he had not benefited. +And simply to set eyes upon him was to hear in his soul a new call. How +could he pursue his own gratifications while Charlie was left a prey to +wickedness? + +The figure almost passed from sight while Samuel stood wrestling with +the problem. He shrunk from the task before him; he was afraid of +Charlie Swift, afraid of his cynical smile, and of his merciless +sneering. But his duty was clear before him--as clear as that of any +soldier, who in the midst of love and pleasure hears the bugle call. He +might not be able to do anything for Charlie. But he must try! + +And so he turned and followed the old peddler to his home. + + + + +CHAPTER XX + + +"So you've let them turn you into a mission stiff!" said Charlie Swift, +when the two were seated in his room. + +"A what?" exclaimed Samuel perplexed. + +"A mission stiff," repeated the other. "One of the guys that gets +repentance!" + +Samuel experienced a sudden chilling of the ardor with which he had +come into the room. The old grin was upon the other's face; and the boy +realized with a sudden sinking of the heart how hard and savage he was. +Finnegan was a babe in arms compared with Charlie Swift. + +To convert him would be a real task, a test of one's fervor and vision. +Samuel resolved suddenly upon diplomacy. + +"They've been very good to me," he said. + +"I dare say," responded the other indifferently. + +"And Dr. Vince is really a very good man," he went on. + +"Humph!" commented the burglar; and then he added quickly, "You haven't +been telling him anything about me?" + +"Oh, no!" exclaimed the boy. + +"Not a word?" + +"Have you forgotten that I promised you?" + +"That's all right," said Charlie, "only I just wanted to warn you. You +can tie up with the church guys if you feel like it--only don't mention +your lost brothers down in the pit. Just you remember that I got some of +the doctor's silver." + +The boy gave a start. "Oh!" he exclaimed. + +"Didn't you know that?" laughed the other. + +"No, I didn't know it." + +"What did you suppose I was doing all that time while you were +watching?" + +Samuel said nothing for a minute. "Why did you pick out Dr. Vince?" he +asked suddenly. + +"Him? Why not? I knew his house." + +"But a clergyman! Does it seem quite fair?" + +"Oh, that's all right," laughed the other. "He's got a-plenty. It don't +have to come out of his salary, you know." + +"Why not?" + +"Because, he's got a rich wife. You didn't suppose he lived in that +palace of a house on his own salary, did you?" + +"I hadn't thought anything about it." + +"Well, he's all right--he married one of the richest girls in town. And +she'll keep his nest feathered." + +There was a pause. "Don't you think that Dr. Vince is a good man?" asked +Samuel. + +"I don't know," said the other. "I've got no quarrel with him. But I +don't like his trade." + +"Doesn't he do a great deal of good to people?" + +"Maybe," said the other, shrugging his shoulders. + +"To poor people?" persisted Samuel. + +"I dare say," admitted Charlie. "But you'll notice it takes all the sand +out of them--makes them into beggars. And I ain't that sort." + +"Why do you think he tries to help them?" + +"Well, he gets paid for it, don't he?" + +"But the other people in the church--the ones who pay the money. Why do +you think they do it?" + +The burglar thought for a moment. "I reckon they do it to make +themselves feel good," he said. + +"To make themselves feel good," repeated the other perplexed. + +"Sure!" said the man. "You take one of those rich women--she's got a +lot of money that she never earned, and she spends all her life amusing +herself and ordering servants about. And all the time she knows that +most of the people--the people that do the work--are suffering and +dying. And she don't want to let that make her feel bad, so she hires +some fellow like your friend, the doctor, to preach to 'em--and maybe +give 'em a turkey at Christmas. And that takes the trouble off her mind. +Don't you see?" + +"Yes," said the other weakly. "I see." + +"Or else," added Charlie, "take some of those smooth grafters they've +got up there--the men, I mean. They spend six days in the week cutting +other people's throats, and robbing the public. Don't you think +it's handy for them to know they can come on Sunday and drop a +five-dollar-bill in the plate, and square the whole account?" + +Samuel sought for a reply to these cruel taunts. "I don't think you put +it quite fairly," he protested. + +"Why not?" demanded the other. + +"In the first place, men like that wouldn't go to church--" + +Charlie stared at him. "What!" he exclaimed. + +"No," said the boy. + +"Why not?" + +"Well, why should they care to go? And they wouldn't be welcome--" + +Charlie burst into laughter. "You poor kid!" he exclaimed. "What have +you been doing up there at St. Matthew's, anyhow?" + +"I'm the sexton's assistant," said Samuel gravely. + +"Yes," said the other. "Evidently a sexton's assistant doesn't see much +of the congregation." + +"I wish you'd explain," remarked the boy after a pause. + +"I hardly know where to begin," replied the other. "They've such a +choice collection of crooks up there. Did you ever notice a little +pot-bellied fellow with mutton-chop whiskers--looks as if he was eating +persimmons all the time?" + +"You mean Mr. Hickman?" + +"Yes, that's the chap. He's one of the pillars of the church, isn't he?" + +"I suppose so," said Samuel. "He's one of the vestrymen." + +"And did you ever hear of Henry Hickman before?" + +"I know he's a famous lawyer; and I was told that he managed the Lockman +estate." + +"Yes," said Charlie, "and I suppose you don't know what that means!" + +"No," admitted Samuel, "I don't." + +"It means," went on the other, "that he was old Lockman's right-hand +man, and had his finger in every dirty job that the old fellow ever did +for thirty years. And it means that he runs the business now, and does +all the crooked work that has to be done for it." + +There was a pause. "For instance, what?" asked Samuel in a low voice. + +"For instance, politics," said the other. "Steering the grafters off +the Lockman preserve. Getting the right men named by the machine, and +putting up the dough to elect them. Last year the Democrats got in, in +spite of all he could do; and he had to buy the city council outright." + +"What!" gasped the boy in horror. + +"Sure thing," laughed Charlie--"there was an independent water company +trying to break in, and the Democrats were pledged to them. They say it +cost Hickman forty-five thousand dollars." + +"But do you KNOW that?" cried the other. + +"Know it, Sammy? Why everybody in town knows it. It was a rotten steal, +on the face of it." + +Samuel was staring at him. "I can't believe it!" he exclaimed. + +"Nonsense!" laughed the other. "Ask round a bit!" And then he added +quickly, "Why, see here--didn't you tell me you knew Billy Finnegan--the +barkeeper?" + +"Yes, I know him." + +"Well, then, you can go right to headquarters and find out. His boss, +John Callahan, was one of the supervisors--he got the dough. Go and ask +Finnegan." + +"But will he tell?" exclaimed Samuel. + +"I guess he'll tell," said Charlie, "if you go at him right. It's no +great secret--the whole town's been laughing about it." + +Samuel was almost too shocked for words. "Do you suppose Dr. Vince knows +it?" he cried. + +"He don't know much if he doesn't," was the other's reply. + +"A member of his church!" gasped the boy. + +"Oh, pshaw!" laughed the other. "You're too green, Sammy! What's the +church got to do with business? Why, look--there's old Wygant--another +of the vestrymen!" + +"Miss Gladys' father, you mean?" + +"Yes; old Lockman's brother-in-law. He's the other trustee of the +estate. And do you suppose there's any rascality he doesn't know about?" + +"But he's a reformer!" cried the boy wildly. + +"Sure!" laughed Charlie. "He made a speech at the college commencement +about representative government; I suppose you read it in the Express. +But all the same, when the Democrats got in, his nibs came round and +made his terms with Slattery, the new boss; and they get along so well +it'll be his money that will put them in again next year." + +"But WHY?" cried Samuel dazed. + +"For one thing," said Charlie, "because he's got to have his man in the +State legislature, to beat the child-labor bill." + +"The child-labor bill!" + +"Surely. You knew he was fighting it, didn't you? They wanted to prevent +children under fourteen from working in the cotton mills. Wygant sent +Jack Pemberton up to the Capital for nothing at all but to beat that +law." Samuel sat with his hands clenched tightly. Before him there had +come the vision of little Sophie Stedman with her wan and haggard face! +"But why does he want the children in his mill?" he cried. + +"Why?" echoed Charlie. "Good God! Because he can pay them less and work +them harder. Did you suppose he wanted them there for their health?" + +There was a long pause. The boy was wrestling with the most terrible +specter that had yet laid hold upon him. "I don't believe he knows it!" +he whispered half to himself. "I don't believe it!" + +"Who?" asked the other. + +"Dr. Vince!" said the boy. And he rose suddenly to his feet. "I will go +and see him about it," he said. + +"Go and see him!" echoed Charlie. + +"Yes. He will tell me!" + +Charlie was gazing at him with a broad grin. "I dare you!" he cried. + +"I am going," said the boy simply; and the burglar slapped his thigh in +delight. + +"Go on!" he chuckled. "Sock it to him, Sammy! And come back and tell me +about it!" + + + + +CHAPTER XXI + + +"Dr. Vince is at lunch," said the maid who answered the bell. + +"Please tell him I must see him at once," said Samuel. "It's something +very important." + +He went in and sat down in the library, and the doctor came, looking +anxious. "What is it now?" he asked. + +And Samuel turned to him a face of anguish. "Doctor," he said, "I've +just had a terrible experience." + +"What is it, Samuel?" + +"I hardly know how to tell you," said the boy. "I know a man--a very +wicked man; and I went to him to try to convert him, and to bring him +into the church. And he laughed at me, and at the church, too. He said +there are wicked men in it--in St. Matthew's, Dr. Vince! He told me who +they are, and what they are doing! And, doctor--I can't believe that you +know about it--that you would let such things go on!" + +The other was staring at him in alarm. "My dear boy," he said, "there +are many wicked men in the world, and I cannot know everything." + +"Ah, but this is terrible, doctor! You will have to find out about +it--you cannot let such men stay in the church." + +The other rose and closed the door of his study. Then he drew his chair +close to Samuel. "Now," he said, "what is it?" + +"It's Mr. Wygant," said Samuel. + +"Mr. Wygant!" cried the other in dismay. + +"Yes, Dr. Vince." + +"What has he done?" + +"Did you know that it was he who beat the child-labor bill--that he +named the State senator on purpose to do it?" + +The doctor was staring at him. "The child-labor bill!" he gasped. "Is +THAT what you mean?" + +"Yes, Dr. Vince," said Samuel. "Surely you didn't know that!" + +"Why, I know that Mr. Wygant is very much opposed to the bill. He has +opposed it openly. He has a perfect right to do that, hasn't he?"' + +"But to name the State senator to beat it, doctor!" + +"Well, my boy, Mr. Wygant is very much interested in politics; and, of +course, he would use his influence. Why not?" + +"But, Dr. Vince--it was a wicked thing! Think of Sophie!" + +"But, my boy--haven't we found Sophie a place in Mr. Wygant's own home?" + +"Yes, doctor! But there are all the others! Think of the suffering and +misery in that dreadful mill! And Mr. Wygant pays such low wages. And he +is such a rich man--he might help the children if he would." + +"Really, Samuel--" began the doctor. + +But the boy, seeing the frown of displeasure on his face, rushed on +swiftly. "That's only the beginning! Listen to me! There's Mr. Hickman!" + +"Mr. Hickman!" + +"Mr. Henry Hickman, the lawyer. He has done even worse things--" + +And suddenly the clergyman clenched his hands. "Really, Samuel!" he +cried. "This is too much! You are exceeding all patience!" + +"Doctor!" exclaimed the boy in anguish. + +"It seems to me," the doctor continued, "that you owe it to me to +consider more carefully. You have been treated very kindly here--you +have been favored in more ways than one." + +"But what has that to do with it?" cried the other wildly. + +"It is necessary that you should remember your place. It is certainly +not becoming for you, a mere boy, and filling a subordinate position, to +come to me with gossip concerning the vestry of my church." + +"A subordinate position!" echoed Samuel dazed. "But what has my position +to do with it?" + +"It has a great deal to do with it, Samuel." + +The boy was staring at him. "You don't understand me!" he cried. "I am +not doing this for myself! I am not setting myself up! I am thinking of +the saving of the church!" + +"What do you mean--saving the church?" + +"Why, doctor--just see! I went to reform a man; and he sneered at me. He +would not have anything to do with the church, because such wicked men +as Mr. Hickman were in it. He said it was their money that saved them +from exposure--he said--" + +"What has Mr. Hickman done?" demanded the other quickly. + +"He bribed the city council, sir! He bribed it to beat the water bill." + +Dr. Vince got up from his chair and began to pace the floor nervously. +"Tell me, doctor!" cried Samuel. "Please tell me! Surely you didn't know +that!" + +The other turned to him suddenly. "I don't think you quite realize +the circumstances," said he. "You come to me with this tale about Mr. +Hickman. Do you know that he is my brother-in-law?" + +Samuel clutched the arms of his chair and stared aghast. "Your +brother-in-law!" he gasped. + +"Yes," said the other. "He is my wife's only brother." + +Samuel was dumb with dismay. And the doctor continued to pace the floor. +"You see," he said, "the position you put me in." + +"Yes," said the boy. "I see. It's very terrible." But then he rushed +on in dreadful anxiety: "But, doctor, you didn't know it. Oh, I'm +sure--please tell me that you didn't know it!" + +"I didn't know it!" exclaimed the doctor. "And what is more, I don't +know it now! I have heard these rumors, of course. Mr. Hickman is a man +of vast responsibilities, and he has many enemies. Am I to believe every +tale that I hear about him?" + +"No," said Samuel, taken aback. "But this is something that everyone +knows." + +"Everyone!" cried the other. "Who is everyone? Who told it to you?" + +"I--I can't tell," stammered the boy. + +"How does he know it?" continued the doctor. "And what sort of a man is +he? Is he a good man?" + +"No," admitted Samuel weakly. "I am afraid he is not." + +"Is he a man who loves and serves others? A man who never speaks +falsehood--whom you would believe in a matter that involved your dearest +friends? Would believe him if he told you that I was a briber and a +scoundrel?" + +Samuel was obliged to admit that Charlie Swift was not a man like that. +"Dr. Vince," he said quickly, "I admit that I am at fault. I have come +to you too soon. I will find out about these things; and if they are +true, I will prove them to you. If they are not, I will go away in +shame, and never come to trouble you again as long as I live." + +Samuel said this very humbly; and yet there was a note of grim +resolution in his voice--which the doctor did not fail to note. "But, +Samuel!" he protested. "Why--why should you meddle in these things?" + +"Meddle in them!" exclaimed the other. "Surely, if they are true, I +have to. You don't mean that if they were proven, you would let such men +remain in your church?" + +"I don't think," said the doctor gravely, "that I can say what I should +do in case of anything so terrible." + +"No," was Samuel's reply, "you are right. The first thing is to find out +the truth." + +And so Samuel took his departure. + +He went straight to his friend Finnegan. + +"Hello!" exclaimed Finnegan. Then, "What about that job of mine?" he +asked with a broad grin. + +"Dr. Vince says he will look out for you," was the boy's reply. "But I'm +not ready to talk about that yet. There's something else come up." + +He waited until his friend had attended to the wants of a customer, and +until the customer had consumed a glass of beer and departed. Then he +called the bartender into a corner. + +"Mr. Finnegan," he said, "I want to know something very important." + +"What is it?" asked the other. + +"Do you know Mr. Hickman--Henry Hickman, the lawyer?" + +"He's not on my calling list," said Finnegan. "I know him by sight." + +"I've heard it said that he had something to do with beating a water +bill in the city council. Did he?" + +"You bet your life he did!" said the bartender with a grin. + +"Is it true that he bought up the council?" + +"You bet your life it's true!" + +"And is it true that Mr. Callahan got some of the money?" + +Finnegan glanced at the other suspiciously. "Say," he said, "what's all +this about, anyhow?" + +"Listen," said Samuel gravely. "You know that Mr. Hickman is a member +of my church. And he's Dr. Vince's brother-in-law, which makes it more +complicated yet. Dr. Vince has heard these terrible stories, and you +can see how awkward it is for him. He cannot let such evil-doers go +unrebuked." + +"Gee!" said the other. "What's he going to do?" + +"I don't know," said Samuel. "He hasn't told me that. First, you see, +he has to be sure that the thing is true. And, of course, Mr. Hickman +wouldn't tell." + +"No," said Finnegan. "Hardly!" + +"And it isn't easy for the doctor to find out. You see--he's a +clergyman, and he only meets good people. But I told him I would find +out for him." + +"I see," said Finnegan. + +"What I want," said the boy, "is to be able to tell him that I heard it +from the lips of one of the men who got the money. I won't have to say +who it is--he'll take my word for that. Do you suppose Mr. Callahan +would talk about it?" + +The bartender thought for a moment. "You wait here," he said. "The boss +has only stepped round the corner; and perhaps I can get the doctor what +he wants." + +So Samuel sat down and waited; and in a few minutes John Callahan came +in. He was a thick-set and red-faced Irishman, good-natured and pleasant +looking-not at all like the desperado Samuel had imagined. + +"Say, John," said Finnegan. "This boy here used to work for Bertie +Lockman; and he's got a girl works for the Wygants." + +"So!" said Callahan. + +"And what do you think," went on the other, "He heard old Henry Hickman +talking--he says you fellows held him up on that water bill." + +"Go on!" said Callahan. "Did he say that?" + +"He did," said Finnegan, without giving Samuel a chance to reply. + +"Well," said the other, "he's a damned liar, and he knows it. It was a +dead straight proposition, and we hadn't a thing to do with it. There +was an independent water company that wanted a franchise--and it would +have given the city its water for just half. Every time I pay my water +bill I am sorry I didn't hold out. It would have been cheaper for me in +the end." + +"He says it cost him sixty thousand," remarked Finnegan. + +"Maybe," said the other. "You can't tell what the organization got. All +I know is that ten of us fellows in the council got two thousand apiece +out of it." + +There was a pause. Samuel was listening with his hands clenched tightly. + +"Did he pay it to you himself?" asked Finnegan. + +"Who, Hickman? No, he paid it to Slattery, and Slattery came here from +his office. Why, is he trying to crawl out of that part of it?" + +"No, not exactly. But he makes a great fuss about being held up." + +"Yes!" said Callahan. "I dare say! He's got his new franchise, and he +and the Lockman estate are clearing about ten thousand a month out of +it. And my two thousand was gone the week I got it--it had cost me twice +that to get elected--and without counting the free drinks. It's a great +graft, being a supervisor, ain't it?" + +"Why did you do it then?" asked Samuel in a faint voice. + +"I'll never do it again, young fellow," said the saloon keeper. "I'm the +Honorable John for the rest of my life, and I guess that'll do me. And +the next time old Henry Hickman wants his dirty work done, he can hunt +up somebody that needs the money more than me!" + +Then the Honorable John went on to discuss the politics of Lockmanville, +and to lay bare the shameless and grotesque corruption in a town where +business interests were fighting. The trouble was, apparently, that the +people were beginning to rebel--they were tired of being robbed in so +many different ways, and they went to the polls to find redress. And +time and again, after they had elected new men to carry out their will, +the great concerns had stepped in and bought out the law-makers. The +last time it had been the unions that made the trouble; and three of the +last supervisors had been labor leaders--"the worst skates of all," as +Callahan phrased it. + +Samuel listened, while one by one the last of his illusions were torn +to shreds. There had been a general scramble to get favors from the new +government of the town; and the scramblers seemed to include every +pious and respectable member of St. Matthew's whose name Samuel had ever +heard. There was old Mr. Curtis, another of the vestrymen, who passed +the plate every Sunday morning, and looked like a study of the +Olympian Jove. He wanted to pile boxes on the sidewalks in front of his +warehouse, and he had come to Slattery and paid him two hundred dollars. + +"And Mr. Wygant!" exclaimed Samuel, as a sudden thought came to him. "Is +it true that he is back of the organization?" + +"Good God!" laughed Callahan. "Did you hear him say that?" + +"Some one else told me," was the reply. + +"Well," said the other, "the truth is that Wygant got cold feet before +the election, and he came to Slattery and fixed it. I know that, for +Slattery told me. We had him bluffed clean--I don't think we'd ever have +got in at all if it hadn't been for his money." + +"I see!" whispered the boy. + +"Oh, he's a smooth guy!" laughed the saloon keeper. "Look at that new +franchise got for his trolley road--ninety-nine years, and anything +he wants in the meantime! And then to hear him making reform speeches! +That's what makes me mad about them fellows up on the hill. They get a +thousand dollars for every one we get; but they are tip-top swells, and +they wouldn't speak to one of us low grafters on the street. And they're +eminent citizens and pillars of the church--wouldn't it make you sick?" + +"Yes," said Samuel in a low voice, "that's just what it does. It makes +me sick!" + + + + +CHAPTER XXII + + +Samuel now had his evidence; and he went straight back to Dr. Vince. +"Doctor," he said, "I am able to tell you that I know. I have heard it +from one of the men who got the money." + +"Who is he?" asked the doctor. + +"I could not tell you that," said the boy--"it would not be fair. But +you know that I am telling the truth. And this man told me with his +own lips that Mr. Hickman paid twenty thousand dollars to Slattery, the +Democratic boss, to be paid to ten of the supervisors to vote against +the other company's water bill." + +There was a long pause; the doctor sat staring in front of him. "What do +you want me to do?" he asked faintly. + +"I don't know," said Samuel. "Is it for me to tell you what is right?" + +And again there was a pause. + +"My boy," said the doctor, "this is a terrible thing for me. Mr. Hickman +is my wife's brother, and she loves him very dearly. And he is a very +good friend of mine--I depend on him in all the business matters of the +church. + +"Yes," said Samuel. "But he bribed the city council." + +"This thing would make a frightful scandal if it were known," the other +went on. "Think what a terrible thing it would be for St. Matthew's!" + +"It is much worse as it is," said the boy. "For people hear the story, +and they say that the church is sheltering evil doers." + +"Think what a burden you place upon me!" cried the clergyman in +distress. "A member of my own family!" + +"It is just as hard for me," said Samuel quickly. + +"In what way?" + +"On account of Mr. Wygant, sir." + +"What of that?" + +Samuel had meant to say--"He is to be my father-in-law." But at the last +moment some instinct told him that it might be best to let Miss Gladys +make that announcement at her own time. So instead he said, "I am +thinking of Sophie." + +"It is not quite the same," said the doctor; and then he repeated his +question, "What do you want me to do?" + +"Truly, I don't know!" protested the boy. "I am groping about to find +what is right." + +"But you must have some idea in coming to me!" exclaimed the other +anxiously. "Do you want me to expose my brother-in-law and drive him +from the church?" + +"I suppose," said Samuel gravely, "that he would be sent to prison. +But I certainly don't think that he should be driven from the church at +least not unless he is unrepentant. First of all we should labor with +him, I think." + +"And threaten him with exposure?" + +"I'll tell you, doctor," said the boy quickly. "I've been thinking about +this very hard; and I don't think it would do much good to expose +and punish any one. That only leads to bitterness and hatred--and we +oughtn't to hate any person, you know." + +"Ah!" said the doctor with relief. + +"The point is, the wicked thing that's been done. It's this robbing +of the people that must be stopped! And it's the things that have been +stolen!--Let me give you an example. To-day I met the man who came here +with me to rob your house; and I learned for the first time that he had +carried off some of your silver." + +"Yes," said the other. + +"And the man asked me to say nothing about what he had done, and I +promised. I felt about him just as you do about your brother-in-law--I +wouldn't denounce him and put him in jail. But I saw right away that I +must do one thing--I must make him return the things he had stolen! That +was right, was it not, doctor?" + +"Yes," said Dr. Vince promptly, "that was right." + +"Very well," said the boy; "and the same thing is true about Mr. +Hickman. He has robbed the people. He has got a franchise that enables +him and the Lockman estate to make about ten thousand dollars a month +out of the public. And they must give up that franchise! They must give +up every dollar that they have made out of it! That is the whole story +as I see it--nothing else counts but that. You can make all the fuss +you want about bribery and graft, but you haven't accomplished anything +unless you get back the stolen money." + +There was a pause. "Don't you see what I mean, doctor?" asked Samuel. + +"Yes," was the reply, "I see." + + +"Well?" said Samuel. + +"It would be no use to try it," said the doctor. "They would never do +it." + +"They wouldn't?" + +"No. Nothing in the world could make them do it." + +"Not even if we threatened to denounce them?" + +"No; not even then." + +"Not even if we put them in jail?" + +Dr. Vince made no reply. The other sat waiting. And then suddenly he +said in a low voice, "Doctor, I mean to MAKE them give it up. I see it +quite clearly now--that is my duty. They must give it up!" + +Again there was silence. + +"Dr. Vince," cried the boy in a voice of pain, "you surely mean to help +me!" + +And suddenly the doctor shut his lips together tightly. "No, Samuel," he +said. "I do not!" + +The boy sat dumb. He felt a kind of faintness come over him. "You will +leave me all alone?" he said in a weak voice. + +The other made no reply. + +"Am I not right?" cried the boy wildly. "Have I not spoken the truth?" + +"I don't know," the doctor answered. "It is too hard a question for +me to answer. I only know that I do not feel such things to be in my +province; and I will not have anything to do with them." + +"But, doctor, you are the representative of the church!" + +"Yes. And I must attend to the affairs of the church." + +"But is it no affair of the church that the people are being robbed?" + +There was no reply. + +"You give out charity!" protested Samuel. + +"You pretend to try to help the poor! And I bring you cases, and you +confess that you can't help them--because there are too many. And you +couldn't tell how it came to be. But here I show you--I prove to you +what makes the people poor! They are being robbed--they are being +trampled upon! Their own government has been stolen from them, and is +being used to cheat them! And you won't lift your voice to help!" + +"There is nothing that I can do, Samuel!" cried the clergyman wildly. + +"But there is! There is! You won't try! You might at least withdraw your +help from these criminals!" + +"My HELP!" + +"Yes, sir! You help them! You permit them to stay in the church, and +that gives them your sanction! You shelter them, and save them from +attack! If I were to go out to-morrow and try to open the eyes of +the people, no one would listen to me, because these men are so +respectable--because they are members of the church, and friends and +relatives of yours!" + +"Samuel!" exclaimed the clergyman. + +"And worse than that, sir! You take their money--you let the church +become dependent upon them! You told me that yourself, sir! And you give +their money to the poor people--the very people they have robbed! And +that blinds the people--they are grateful, and they don't understand! +And so you help to keep them in their chains! Don't you see that, Dr. +Vince?--why, it's just the same as if you were hired for that purpose!" + +Dr. Vince had risen in agitation. "Really, Samuel!" he cried. "You have +exceeded the limit of endurance. This cannot go on! I will not hear +another word of it!" + +Samuel sat, heart broken. "Then you are going to desert me!" he +exclaimed. "You are going to make me do it alone." + +The other stared. "What are you going to do?" he demanded. + +"First," said Samuel, "I am going to see these men. I am going to give +them a chance to see the error of their ways." + +"Boy!" cried the doctor. "You are mad!" + +"Perhaps I am," was the reply. "But how can I help that?" + +"At least," exclaimed the other, "if you take any such step, you will +make it clear to them that _I_ have not sent you, and that you have no +sanction from me." + +For a long time Samuel made no reply to this. Somehow it seemed the most +unworthy thing that his friend had said yet. It meant that Dr. Vince was +a coward! + +"No, sir," he said at last, "you may rest easy about that. I will take +the whole burden on my own shoulders. There's no reason why I should +trouble you any more, I think." + +And with that he rose, and went out from the house. + + + + +CHAPTER XXIII + + +After Samuel had left Dr. Vince, a great wave of desolation swept over +him. He was alone again, and all the world was against him! + +For a moment he had an impulse to turn back. After all, he was only a +boy; and who was he, to set himself up against the wise and great? But +then like a stab, came again the thought which drove him always--the +thought of the people, suffering and starving! Truly it was better +to die than to live in a world in which there was so much misery and +oppression! That was the truth, he would rather die than let these +things go on unopposed. And so there could be no turning back-there was +nothing for him save to do what he could. + +Where should he begin? He thought of Mr. Hickman--a most unpromising +person to work with. Samuel had been afraid of him from the first time +he had seen him. + +Then he thought of Mr. Wygant; should he begin with him? This brought +to his mind something which had been driven away by the rush of events. +Miss Gladys! How would she take these things? And what would she think +when she learned about her father's wickedness? + +A new idea came to Samuel. Why should he not take Miss Gladys into his +confidence? She would be the one to help him. She had helped him with +Sophie; and she had promised to help with Master Albert. And surely +it was her right to know about matters which concerned her family +so nearly. She would know what was best, so far as concerned her own +father; he would take her advice as to how to approach him. + +He went to the house and asked for Sophie. + +"Tell Miss Gladys that I want to see her," he said; "and that it's +something very, very important." + +So Sophie went away, and returning, took him upstairs. + +"Samuel," said his divinity, "it isn't safe for you to come to see me in +the afternoons." + +"Yes, Miss Gladys," said he. "But this is something very serious. It's +got nothing to do with myself." + +"What is it?" she asked. + +"It's your father, Miss Gladys." + +"My father?" + +"Yes, Miss Gladys. It's a long story. I shall have to begin at the +beginning." + +So he told the story of his coming to the church, and of the fervor +which had seized upon him, and how he had set to work to bring converts +into the fold; and how he had met a wicked man who had resisted his +faith, and of all the dreadful things which this man had said. When he +came to what Charlie Swift had told about her own father, Samuel was +disposed to expurgate the story; but Miss Gladys would have it all, and +seemed even to be disappointed that he had not more details to give her. + +"And Hickman!" she exclaimed gleefully. "I always knew he was an old +scamp! I'll wager you haven't found out the hundredth part about him, +Samuel!" + +Samuel went on to tell about the revelation at Callahan's. + +"And you took that to Dr. Vince!" she cried amazed. + +"Yes," said he. + +"And what did he say?" + +"He wouldn't have anything to do with it. And so it's all left to me." + +"And what are you going to do now?" + +"I don't know, Miss Gladys. For one thing, I think I shall have to see +your father." + +"See my father!" gasped the girl. + +"Yes, Miss Gladys." + +"But what for?" + +"To try to get him to see how wicked these things are." + +The other was staring at him with wide-open, startled eyes. "Do you +mean," she cried, "that you want to go to my father and talk to him +about what he's doing in politics?" + +"Why, yes, Miss Gladys--what else can I do?" + +And Miss Gladys took out her handkerchief, and leaned down upon the +table, hiding her face. She was overcome with some emotion, the nature +of which was not apparent. + +The boy was naturally alarmed. "Miss Gladys!" he cried. "You aren't +angry with me?" + +She answered, in a muffled voice, "No, Samuel--no!" + +Then she looked up, her face somewhat red. "Go and see him, Samuel!" she +said. + +"You don't mind?" he cried anxiously. + +"No, not in the least," she said. "Go right ahead and see what you can +do. He's a very bad, worldly man; and if you can soften his heart, it +will be the best thing for all of us." + +"And it won't make any difference in our relationship?" he asked. + +"In our relationship?" she repeated; and then, "Not in the least. But +mind, of course, don't say anything about that to him. Don't give him +any idea that you know me!" + +"Of course not, Miss Gladys." + +"Tell him that you come from the church. And give it to him good and +hard, Samuel--for I'm sure he's done everything you told me, and lots +that is worse." + +"Miss Gladys!" gasped the other. + +"And mind, Samuel!" she added. "Come and tell me about it afterwards. +Perhaps I can advise you what to do next." + +There was a pause, while the two looked at each other. And then in a +sudden burst of emotion Miss Gladys exclaimed, "Oh, Samuel, you are an +angel!" + +And she broke into a peal of laughter; and swiftly, like a bird upon the +wing, she leaned toward him, and touched his cheek with her lips. And +then, like a flash, she was gone; and Samuel was left alone with his +bewilderment. + +Samuel set out forthwith for Mr. Wygant's office. But just before he +came to the bridge Mr. Wygant's automobile flashed past him; and so he +turned and went back to the house. + +This time he went to the front door. "I am Samuel Prescott, from St. +Matthew's Church," he said to the butler. "And I want to see Mr. Wygant +upon important business." + +Mr. Wygant sat in a great armchair by one of the windows in his library. +About him was the most elaborate collection of books that Samuel had +yet seen; and in the luxurious room was an atmosphere of profound +and age-long calm. Mr. Wygant himself was tall and stately, with an +indescribable air of exclusiveness and reserve. + +Samuel clenched his hands and rushed at once to the attack. "I am Samuel +Prescott, the sexton's boy at the church," he said; "and I have to talk +to you about something very, VERY serious." + +"Well?" said Mr. Wygant. + +Then Samuel told yet again how he had been led into evil ways, and how +he had been converted by Dr. Vince. He told the story in detail, so that +the other might comprehend his fervor. Then he told of the converts he +had made, and how at last he had encountered Charlie Swift. "And this +man would not come into the church," he wound up, "because of the wicked +people who are in it." + +The other had been listening with perplexed interest. "Who are these +people?" he asked. + +"Yourself for one," said Samuel. + +Mr. Wygant started. "Myself!" he exclaimed. "What have I done?" + +"For one thing," replied Samuel, "you work little children in your mill, +and you named the State senator to beat the child-labor bill. And for +another, you make speeches and pose as a political reformer, while you +are paying money to Slattery, so that he will give you franchises." + +There was a silence, while Mr. Wygant got back his breath. "Young man," +he cried at last, "this is a most incredible piece of impertinence!" + +And suddenly the boy started toward him, stretching out his arms. "Mr. +Wygant!" he cried. "You are going to be angry with me! But I beg you not +to harden your heart! I have come here for your own good! I came because +I couldn't bear to know that such things are done by a member of St. +Matthew's Church!" + +For a moment or two Mr. Wygant sat staring. "Let me ask you one thing," +he said. "Does Dr. Vince know about this?" + +"I went to Dr. Vince about it first," replied Samuel. "And he wouldn't +do anything about it. He said that if I came to you, I must make it +clear that he did not approve of it. I have come of my own free will, +sir." + +There was another pause. "You are going to be angry with me!" cried +Samuel, again. + +"No," said the other, "I will not be angry--because you are nothing but +a child, and you don't know what you are doing." + +"Oh!" said Samuel. + +"You are very much in need of a little knowledge of life," added the +other. + +"But, Mr. Wygant," exclaimed the boy, "the things I have said are true!" + +"They are true--after a fashion," was the reply. + +"And they are very wrong things!" + +"They seem so to you. That is because you know so little about such +matters." + +"You are corrupting the government of your country, Mr. Wygant!" + +"The government of my country, as you call it, consisting of a number +of blackmailing politicians, who exist to prey upon the business I +represent." + +There was a pause. "You see, young man," said Mr. Wygant, "I have many +responsibilities upon my shoulders--many interests looking to me for +protection. And it is as if I were surrounded by a pack of wolves." + +"But meantime," cried Samuel, "what is becoming of free government?" + +"I do not know," the other replied. "I sometimes think that unless the +people reform, free government will soon come to an end." + +"But what are the people to do, sir?" + +"They are to elect honest men, with whom one can do business--instead +of the peasant saloon keepers and blatherskite labor leaders whom they +choose at present." + +Samuel thought for a moment. "Men with whom one can do business," he +said--"but what kind of business do you want to do?" + +"How do you mean?" asked the other. + +"You went to those politicians and got a franchise that will let you tax +the people whatever you please for ninety-nine years. And do you think +that was good business for the people?" + +There was no reply to this. + +"And how much of the property you are protecting was made in such ways +as that, sir?" + +A frown had come upon Mr. Wygant's forehead. But no one could gaze into +Samuel's agonized face and remain angry. + +"Young man," said he. "I can only tell you again that you do not know +the world. If I should step out, would things be any different? +The franchises would go to some other crowd--that is all. It is the +competition of capital." + +"The competition of capital," reflected the boy. "In other words, there +is a scramble for money, and you get what you can!" + +"You may put it that way, sir." + +"And you think that your responsibility ends when you've got a share for +your crowd!" + +"Yes--I suppose that is it." + +There was a pause. "I see perfectly," said Samuel, in a low voice. +"There's only one thing I can't understand." + +"What is that?" + +"Why you should belong to the church, sir? What has this money scramble +to do with the teaching of Jesus?" + +And then Samuel saw that he had overstepped the mark. "Really, young +man," said Mr. Wygant, "I cannot see what is to be gained by pursuing +this conversation." + +"But, sir, you are degrading the church!" + +"The subject must be dropped!" said Mr. Wygant sternly. "You are +presuming upon my good nature. You are forgetting your place." + +"I have been reminded of my place before," said Samuel, in a suppressed +voice. "But I do not know what my place is." + +"That is quite evident," responded the other. "It is your place to do +your work, and be respectful to your superiors, and keep your opinions +to yourself." + +"I see that you will get angry with me," said the boy, "I can't make +you understand--I am only trying to find the truth. I want to do what's +right, Mr. Wygant!" + +"I suppose you do," began the other-- + +"I want to understand, sir--just what is it that makes another person my +superior?" + +"People who are older than you, and who are wiser--" + +"But is it age and wisdom, Mr. Wygant? I worked for Master Albert +Lockman, and he's hardly any older than I. And yet he was my superior!" + +"Yes," admitted the other-- + +"And in spite of the wicked life that he's leading, sir!" + +"What!" + +"Yes, Mr. Wygant--he's drinking, and going with bad women. And yet he is +my superior." + +"Ahem!" said Mr. Wygant. + +"Isn't it simply that he has got a lot of money?" pursued Samuel +relentlessly. + +Mr. Wygant did not reply. + +"And isn't my 'place' simply the fact that I haven't any money at all?" + +Again there was no reply. + +"And yet, I see the truth, and I have to speak it! And how can I get to +a 'place' where I may?" + +"Really," said Mr. Wygant coldly, "you will have to solve that problem +for yourself." + +"Apparently, I should have to take part in the scramble for money--if +it's only money that counts." + +"Young man," said the other, "I feel sorry for you--you will get some +hard knocks from the world before you get through. You will have to +learn to take life as you find it. Perhaps many of us would make it +different, if we could have our way. But you will find that life is a +hard battle. It is a struggle for existence, and the people who survive +are the ones who are best fitted--" + +And suddenly Samuel raised his hand. "I thank you, Mr. Wygant," he said +gravely, "but I have been all through that part of it before." + +"What do you mean?" asked the other. + +"I couldn't explain," said he. "You wouldn't understand me. I see that +you are another of the followers of Herbert Spencer. And that's all +right--only WHY do you belong to the church? Why do you pretend to +follow Jesus---" + + +And suddenly Mr. Wygant rose to his feet. "This is quite too much," he +said. "I must ask you to leave my house." + +"But, sir!" cried Samuel. + +"Not another word!" exclaimed the other. "Please leave the house!" + +And so the conversation came to an end. + + + + +CHAPTER XXIV + + +Samuel had had nothing to eat since morning, but he did not feel hungry. +He was faint from grief and despair. To encounter a man of the world +like Mr. Wygant, cold and merciless and masterful--that was a terrible +ordeal for him. The man seemed to him like some great fortress of evil; +and what could he do, save to gaze at it in impotent rage? + +He went home, and Sophie met him at the door. "I thought you wanted an +early supper, Samuel," said she. + +"Why?" he asked dully. + +"You had something to do at the church tonight!" + +"Yes," he recollected, "there's to be a vestry meeting, and I have to +light up. But I'm tired of the church work." + +"Tired of the church work!" gasped the child. "Yes," he said. And then +to the amazed and terrified family, he told the story of his day's +experiences. + +Sophie listened, thrilling with excitement. "And you went to see Mr. +Wygant!" she cried in awe. "Oh, Samuel, how brave of you!" + +"He ordered me out of his house," said the boy bitterly. "And Dr. Vince +has gone back on me--I have no one at all to help." + +Sophie came to him and flung her arms about him. "You have us, Samuel!" +she exclaimed. "We will stand by you--won't we mother?" + +"Yes," said Mrs. Stedman--"but what can poor people like us do?" + +"And then you have Miss Gladys!" cried Sophie after a moment. + +"Miss Gladys!" he echoed. "Will she take my part against her own +father?" + +"She told you that she loved you, Samuel," said the child. "And she +knows that you are in the right." + +"I will have to go and see her," said Samuel after a little. "I promised +that I would come and tell what happened." + +"And I will see her, too!" put in the other. "Oh, I'm sure she'll stand +by you!" + +The child's face was aglow with excitement; and Samuel looked at +her, and for the first time it occurred to him that Sophie was really +beautiful. Her face had filled out and her color had come back, since +she had been getting one meal every day at the Wygant's. "Don't you +think Miss Gladys will help, mother?" she asked. + +"I don't know," said Mrs. Stedman dubiously. + +"It's very terrible--I can't see why such things have to be." + +"You think that Samuel did right, don't you?" cried the child. + +"I--I suppose so," she answered. "It's hard to say--it will make so much +trouble. And if Miss Gladys were angry, then you might lose your place!" + +"Oh, mother!" cried Sophie. And the two young people gazed at each other +in sudden dismay. That was something they had never thought of. + +"You mustn't do it, Sophie!" cried the boy. "You must leave it to me!" + +"But why should you make all the sacrifices?" replied Sophie. "If it's +right for you, isn't it right for me?" + +"But, Sophie!" wailed Mrs. Stedman. "If you lost this place we should +all starve!" + +And again they stared at each other with terror in their eyes. "Sophie," +said Samuel, "I forbid you to have anything to do with it!" + +But in his heart he knew that he might as well not have said this. And +Mrs. Stedman knew it, too, and turned white with fear. + +The boy ate a few hurried mouthfuls, and then went off to his work at +the church. But he did not go with the old joy in his soul. Before this +it had been the work of the Lord that he had been doing; but now he was +only serving the Wygants--and the Hickmans--apparently one always served +them, no matter where or how he worked in this world. + +"You are late," said old Mr. Jacobs, the sexton, when he arrived. + +"Yes, sir," said Samuel. + +"Dr. Vince left word that he wanted to see you as soon as you came." + +The boy's heart gave a leap. Had the doctor by any chance repented? +"Where is he?" he asked. + +"In the vestry room," said the other; and the boy went there. + +The instant he entered, Dr. Vince sprang to his feet. "Samuel," he cried +vehemently, "this thing has got to stop!" + +"What thing, Dr. Vince?" + +"Your conduct is beyond endurance, boy--you are driving me to +distraction!" + +"What have I done now, sir?" + +"My brother-in-law has just been here, making a terrible disturbance. +You have been defaming him among the congregation of the church!" + +"But, Dr. Vince!" cried Samuel, in amazement. "I have done nothing of +the sort!" + +"But you must have! Everyone is talking about it!" + +"Doctor," said the boy solemnly, "you are mistaken. I went to see Mr. +Wygant, as I told you I would. Besides that, I have not spoken to a +single soul about it, except just now to Sophie and Mrs. Stedman.--Oh, +yes," he added quickly--"and to Miss Gladys!" + +"Ah!" exclaimed the other. "There you have it! Miss Gladys is a school +friend of Mr. Hickman's daughter; and, of course, she went at once to +tell her. And, of course, she will tell everyone else she knows--the +whole congregation will be gossiping about it to-morrow!" + +"I am very sorry, sir." + +"You see the trouble you cause me! And I must tell you plainly, Samuel, +that this thing cannot go on another minute. Unless you are prepared +to give up these absurd ideas of yours and attend to your duties as the +sexton's boy, it will be necessary for you to leave the church." + +Samuel was staring at him aghast. "Leave the church!" he cried. + +"Most assuredly!" declared the other. + +"Dr. Vince!" exclaimed the other. "Do you mean that you would actually +try to turn me out of the church?" + +"I would, sir!" + +"But, doctor, have you the right to do that?" + +"The right? Why not?" + +"You have the right to take away my work. But to turn me out of the +church?" + +"Samuel," cried the distracted clergyman, "am I not the rector of this +church?" + +"But, doctor," cried Samuel, "it is the church of God!" + +There was a long pause. + +Finally, Samuel took up the conversation again. "Tell me, Dr. Vince," +he said. "When Mr. Hickman came to see you, did he deny that he had +committed that crime?" + + +"I did not ask him," replied the other. + +"You didn't ask him!" exclaimed the boy in dismay. "You didn't even care +that much?" + +Again there was a pause. "I asked Mr. Wygant," said Samuel in a low +voice. "And he confessed that he was guilty." + +"What!" cried the other. + +"He confessed it--his whole conversation was a confession of it. He said +everybody did those things, because that was the way to make money, and +everybody wanted to make money. He called it competition. And then I +asked him why he came to the church of Jesus, and he ordered me out of +his house." + +Dr. Vince was listening with knitted brows. "And what do you propose to +do now," he asked. + +"I don't know, sir. I suppose I shall have to expose him." + +"Samuel," exclaimed the clergyman, "in all this wild behavior of yours, +does it never occur to you that you owe some gratitude to me?" + +"Oh, doctor!" cried the boy, clasping his hands in agony. "Don't say +anything like that to me!" + +"I do say it!" persisted the other. "I saved you and helped you; and now +you are causing me most terrible suffering!" + +"Doctor," protested Samuel, "I would do anything in the world for you--I +would die for you. But you ask me to be false to my duty; and how can I +do that?" + +"But does it never occur to you that older and wiser people may be +better able to judge than you are?" + +"But the facts are so plain, sir! And you have never answered me! You +simply command me to be silent!" + +The other did not reply. + +"When I came to you," went on Samuel, "you taught me about love and +brotherhood--about self-sacrifice and service. And I took you at your +word, sir. As God is my witness, I have done nothing but try to apply +what you told me! I have tried to help the poor and oppressed. And how +could I know that you did not really mean what you said?" + +"Samuel," protested the other, "you have no right to say that! I am +doing all that I can. I preach upon these things very often." + +"Yes!" exclaimed the boy, "but what do you preach? Do you tell the truth +to these rich people who come to your church? Do you say to them: 'You +are robbing the poor. You are the cause of all the misery which exists +in this town--you carry the guilt of it upon your souls. And you must +cease from robbery and oppression--you must give up this wealth that you +have taken from the people!' No--you don't say that--you know that you +don't! And can't you see what that means, Dr. Vince--it means that +the church is failing in its mission! And there will have to be a new +church--somewhere, somehow! For these things exist! They are right here +in our midst, and something must be done!" + +And the boy sprang forward in his excitement, stretching out his arms. +"The people are starving! Right here about us--here in Lockmanville! +They are starving! starving! starving! Don't you understand, Dr. Vince? +Starving!" + +The doctor wrung his hands in his agitation. "Boy," he exclaimed, "this +thing cannot go on. I cannot stand it any longer!" + +"But what am I to do, sir?" + +"You are to submit yourself to my guidance. I ask you, once for all, +Will you give up these wild courses of yours?" + +"Dr. Vince," cried Samuel, "I cannot! I cannot!" + +"Then I tell you it will be necessary for us to part. You will give up +your position, and you will leave the church." + +The tears started into Samuel's eyes. "Doctor," he cried frantically, +"don't cast me out! Don't! I beg you on my knees, sir!" + +"I have spoken," said the other, clenching his hands. + +"But think what you are doing!" protested the boy. "You are casting out +your own soul! You are turning your back upon the truth!" + +"I tell you you must go!" exclaimed the doctor. + +"But think of it! It means the end of the church. For don't you see--I +shall have to fight you! I shall have to expose you! And I shall prevail +over you, because I have the truth with me--because you have cast it +out! Think what you are doing when you cast out the truth!" + +"I will hear no more of this!" cried Dr. Vince wildly. "You are raving. +I tell you to go! I tell you to go! Go now!" + +And Samuel turned and went, sobbing meanwhile as if his heart would +break. + + + + +CHAPTER XXV + + +Samuel rushed away into the darkness. But he couldn't stay away--he +could not bring himself to believe that he was separated from St. +Matthew's forever. He turned and came back to the church, and stood +gazing at it, choking with his sobs. + +Then, as he waited, he saw an automobile draw up in front of the side +entrance, and saw Mr. Wygant step out and enter. The sight was like +a blow in the face to him. There was the proud rich man, defiant and +unpunished, seated in the place of authority; while Samuel, the Seeker, +was turned out of the door! + +A blaze of rebellion flamed up in him. No, no--they should not cast him +off! He would fight them--he would fight to the very end. The church was +not their church--it was the church of God! And he had a right to belong +to it--and to speak the truth in it, too! + +And so, just after the vestry had got settled to the consideration of +the architect's sketch for the new Nurse's Home, there came a loud knock +upon the door, and Samuel entered, wild-eyed and breathless. + +"Gentlemen!" he cried. "I demand a hearing!" + +Dr. Vince sprang to his feet in terror. "Samuel Prescott!" he exclaimed. + +"I have been ordered out of the church!" proclaimed Samuel. "And I will +not submit to it! I have spoken the truth, and I will not permit the +evil-doers in St. Matthew's to silence me!" + +Mr. Hickman had sprung up. "Boy," he commanded, "leave this room!" + +"I will not leave the room!" shouted Samuel. "I demand a hearing from +the vestry of this church. I have a right to a hearing! I have spoken +the truth, and nothing but the truth!" + +"What is the boy talking about?" demanded another of the vestrymen. This +was Mr. Hamerton, a young lawyer, whose pleasant face Samuel had often +noticed. And Samuel, seeing curiosity and interest in his look, sprang +toward him. + +"Don't let them turn me out without a hearing!" he cried. + +"Boy!" exclaimed Mr. Hickman, "I command you to leave this room." + +"You corrupted the city council!" shrilled Samuel. "You bribed it to +beat the water bill! It's true, and you know it's true, and you don't +dare to deny it!" + +Mr. Hickman was purple in the face with rage. "It's a preposterous lie!" +he roared. + +"I have talked with one of the men who got the money!" cried Samuel. +"There was two thousand dollars paid to ten of the supervisors." + +"Who is this man?" cried the other furiously. + +"I won't tell his name," said Samuel. "He told me in confidence." + +"Aha!" laughed the other. "I knew as much! It is a vile slander!" + +"It is true!" protested Samuel. "Dr. Vince, you know that I am telling +the truth. What reason would I have for making it up?" + +"I have told you, Samuel," exclaimed Dr. Vince, "that I would have +nothing to do with this matter." + +"I will take any member of this vestry to talk with that man!" declared +the boy. "Anybody can find out about these things if he wants to. Why, +Mr. Wygant told me himself that he had paid money to Slattery to get +franchises!" + +And then Mr. Wygant came into the controversy. "WHAT!" he shouted. + +"Why, of course you did!" cried Samuel in amazement. "Didn't you tell me +this very afternoon?" + +"I told you nothing of the sort!" declared the man. + +"You told me everybody did it--that there was no way to help doing it. +You called it the competition of capital!" + +"I submit that this is an outrage!" exclaimed Mr. Hickman. "Leave this +room, sir!" + +"The poor people in this town are suffering and dying!" cried Samuel. +"And they are being robbed and oppressed. And are these things to go on +forever?" + +"Samuel, this is no place to discuss the question!" broke in Dr. Vince. + +"But why not, sir? The guilty men are high in the councils of this +church. They hold the church up to disgrace before all the world. And +this is the church of Christ, sir!" + +"But yours is not the way to go about it, boy!" exclaimed Mr. +Hamerton--who was alarmed because Samuel kept looking at him. + +"Why not?" cried Samuel. "Did not Christ drive out the money-changers +from the temple with whips?" + +This was an uncomfortable saying. There was a pause after it, as if +everyone were willing to let his neighbor speak first. + +"Are we not taught to follow Christ's example, Dr. Vince?" asked the +boy. + +"Hardly in that sense, Samuel," said the terrified doctor. "Christ was +God. And we can hardly be expected--" + +"Ah, that is a subterfuge!" broke in Samuel, passionately. "You say that +Christ was God, and so you excuse yourself from doing what He tells you +to! But I don't believe that He was God in any such sense as that. He +was a man, like you and me! He was a poor man, who suffered and +starved! And the rich men of His time despised Him and spit upon Him and +crucified Him!" + +Here a new member of the vestry entered the arena. This was the +venerable Mr. Curtis, who looked like a statue of the Olympian Jove. +"Boy," he said sternly, "you object to being put out of the church--and +yet you confess to being an infidel." + +"I may be an infidel, Mr. Curtis," replied the other, quickly; "but I +never paid two hundred dollars to Slattery so that the police would let +me block the sidewalks of the town." + +And Mr. Curtis subsided and took no further part in the discussion. + +"The church cast out Jesus!" went on Samuel, taking advantage of the +confusion. "And it was the rich and powerful in the church who did it. +And he used about them language far more violent than I have ever used. +'Woe unto you, scribes and pharisees, hypocrites!' he said. 'Woe unto +you also, you lawyers!--Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye +escape the damnation of hell?' And if He were here tonight He would be +on my side--and the rich evil-doers who sit on this board would cast Him +out again! You have cast Him out already! You have shut your ears to +the cry of the oppressed--you make mockery of justice and truth! You are +crucifying Him again every day!" + +"This is outrageous!" cried Mr. Hickman. "It is blasphemy!" + +"It must stop instantly," put in Mr. Wygant. And Samuel knew that when +Mr. Wygant spoke, he meant to be obeyed. + +"Then there is no one here who will hear me?" he exclaimed. "Mr. +Hamerton, won't you help me?" + +"What do you want us to do?" demanded Mr. Hamerton. + +"I want the vestry to investigate these charges. I want you to find out +whether it is true that members of St. Matthew's have been corrupting +the government of Lockmanville. And if it is true, I want you to drive +such men from the church! They have no place in the church, sir! Men who +spend their whole time in trying to get the people's money from them! +Men who openly declare, as Mr. Wygant did to me, that it is necessary to +bribe lawmakers in order to make money! Such men degrade the church +and drag it from its mission. They are the enemies the church exists to +fight--" + +"Are we here to listen to a sermon from this boy?" shouted Mr. Hickman +furiously. + +"Samuel, leave this room!" commanded Dr. Vince. + +"Then there is no one here who will help me?" + +"I told you you could accomplish nothing by such behavior. Leave the +room!" + +"Very well, then," cried the boy wildly, "I will go. But I tell you I +will not give up without a fight. I will expose you and denounce you +to the world! The people shall know you for what you are--cowards +and hypocrites, faithless to your trust! Plunderers of the public! +Corrupters of the state!" + +"Get out of here, you young villain!" shouted Hickman, advancing with a +menace. + +And the boy, blazing with fury, pointed his finger straight into his +face. "You, Henry Hickman!" he cried. "You are the worst of them all! +You, the great lawyer--the eminent statesman! I have been among the +lowest--I have been with saloon keepers and criminals--with publicans +and harlots and thieves--but never yet have I met a man as merciless and +as hard as you! You a Christian--you might be the Roman soldier who spat +in Jesus' face!" + +And with that last thunderbolt Samuel turned and went out, slamming the +door with a terrific bang in the great lawyer's face. + +For at least a couple of hours Samuel paced the streets of Lockmanville, +to let his rage and grief subside. And then he went home, and to his +astonishment found that Sophie Stedman had been waiting up for him all +this while. + +She listened breathlessly to the story of his evening's adventures. Then +she said, "I have been trying to do something, too." + +"What have you done?" he asked. + +"I went to see little Ethel," she replied. + +"Ethel Vince!" he gasped. + +"Yes," said she. "She is your friend, you know; and I went to ask her +not to let her father turn you off." + +"And what came of it?" + +"She cried," said Sophie. "She was terribly unhappy. She said that she +knew that you were a good boy; and that she would never rest until her +father had taken you back." + +"You don't mean it!" cried Samuel in amazement. + +"Yes, Samuel; but then her mother came." + +"Oh! And what then?" + +"She scolded me! She was very angry with me. She said I had no right to +fill the child's mind with falsehoods about her uncle. And she wouldn't +listen to me--she turned me out of the house." + +There was a long silence. "I don't think I did any good at all," said +Sophie in a low voice. "We are going to have to do it all by ourselves." + + + + +CHAPTER XXVI + + +Samuel slept not a wink all that night. First he lay wrestling with the +congregation. And then his thoughts came to Miss Gladys, and what he +was going to say to her. This kindled a fire in his blood, and when the +first streaks of dawn were in the sky, he rose and went out to walk. + +Throughout all these adventures, his feelings had been mingled with +the excitement of his love for her. Samuel hardly knew what to make of +himself. He had never kissed a woman in his life before--but now desire +was awake, and from the deeps of him the most unexpected emotions came +surging, sweeping him away. He was a prey to longings and terrors. Wild +ecstasies came to him, and then followed plunges into melancholy. He +longed to see her, and other things stood in the way, and he did not +know why he should be so tormented. + +Just to be in love would have been enough. But to have been given the +love of a being like Miss Gladys--peerless and unapproachable, almost +unimaginable! + +After hours of pacing the streets, he called to see her. And she came +to him, her face alight with eager curiosity, and crying, "Tell me all +about it!" + +She listened, almost dumb with amazement. "And you said that to my +father!" she exclaimed again and again. "And to Mr. Hickman! And to old +Mr. Curtis! Samuel! Samuel!" + +"It was all true, Miss Gladys," he insisted. + +"Yes," she said--"but--to say it to them!" + +"They turned me out of the church," he went on. "Had they a right to do +that?" + +"I don't know," she answered. "Oh, my, what a time there will be!" + +"And what are you going to do now?" she asked after a pause. + +"I don't know. I wanted to talk about it with you." + +"But what do you think of doing?" + +"I must expose them to the people." + +Miss Gladys looked at him quickly. "Oh, no, Samuel," she said--"you +mustn't do that!" + +"Why not, Miss Gladys?" + +"Because--it wouldn't do." + +"But Miss Gladys--" + +"It wouldn't be decent, Samuel. And it's so much more effective to talk +with people privately, as you have been doing." + +"But who else is there to talk to?" + +"Why, I don't know. We'll have to think." + +"It's your father and Mr. Hickman I have to deal with, Miss Gladys. And +they won't listen to me any more!" + +"Perhaps not. But, then, see how much you have done already!" + +"What have I done?" + +"Think how ashamed you have made them!" + +"But what difference does that make, Miss Gladys? Don't you see they've +still got the money they've taken?" + +There was a pause. "This is something I have been thinking," said Samuel +gravely. "I've had this great burden laid upon me, and I must carry it. +I have to see the thing through to the end. And I'm afraid it will be +painful to you. You may feel that you can't possibly marry me." + +At these words Miss Gladys gave a wild start. She stared at him in +consternation. "Marry you!" she gasped. + +"Yes," he said; and then, seeing the look upon her face, he stopped. + +"Marry you!" she panted again. + +A silence followed, while they gazed at each other. + +"Why, Samuel!" she exclaimed. + +"Miss Gladys," he said in a low voice, "you told me that you loved me." + +"Yes," she said, "but surely--" And then suddenly she bit her lips +together exclaiming, "This has gone too far!" + +"Miss Gladys!" he cried. + +"Samuel," she said, "we have been two bad children; and we must not go +on in this way." + +The boy gave a gasp of amazement. + +"I had no idea that you were taking me so seriously," she continued. "It +wasn't fair to me." + +"Then--then you don't love me!" he panted. + +"Why--perhaps," she replied, "how can I tell? But one does not marry +because one loves, Samuel." + +He gazed at her, speechless. + +"I thought we were playing with each other; and I thought you understood +it. It wasn't very wise, perhaps---" + +"Playing with each other!" whispered the boy, his voice almost gone. + +"You take everything with such frightful seriousness," she protested. +"Really, I don't think you had any right---" + +"Miss Gladys!" he cried in sudden anguish; and she stopped and stared at +him, frightened. + +"Do you know what you have done to me?" he exclaimed. + +"Samuel," she said in a trembling voice, "I am very much surprised and +upset. I had no idea of such a thing; and you must stop, before it is +too late." + +"But I love you!" he cried, half beside himself. + +"Yes," she said in great agitation--"and that's very good of you. But +there are some things you must remember--" + +"You--you let me embrace you, Miss Gladys! You let me think of you so! +Why, what is a man to do? What was I to make of it? I had never loved a +woman before. And you--you led me on--" + +"Samuel, you must not talk like this!" she broke in. "I can't listen to +you. It was a misunderstanding, and you must forget it all. You must go +away. We must not meet again." + +"Miss Gladys!" he cried in horror. + +"Yes," she exclaimed, "you must go--" + +"You are going to turn me off!" he panted. "Oh, how can you say such a +thing? Why, think what you have done to me!" + +"Samuel," protested the girl angrily, "this is perfectly preposterous +behavior of you! You have no right to go on in this way. You never had +any right to--to think such things. How could you so forget your place?" + +And he started as if stung with a whip. "My place!" he gasped. + +"Yes," she said. + +"I see, I see!" he burst out. "It's my 'place' again. It's the fact that +I have no money!" + +"Why, Samuel!" she exclaimed. "What a thing to say! It's not that--" + +"It's that, and it's nothing but that! It never is anything but that! +It's because I am a poor boy, and couldn't help myself! You told me that +you loved me, and I believed you. You were so beautiful, and I thought +that you must be good! Why, I worshiped the very ground you walked on. +I would have done anything in the world for you--I would have died for +you! I went about thinking about you all day--I made you into a dream +of everything that was good and perfect! And now--now--you say that you +were only playing with me! Using me for your selfish pleasure--just as +you do all the other poor people!" + +"Samuel!" she gasped. + +"Just as your father does the children in his mill! Just as your cousin +does the poor girls he seduces! Just as you do everything in life that +you touch!" + +The girl had turned scarlet with anger. "How dare you speak to me that +way?" she cried. + +"I dare to speak the truth to anyone! And that is the truth about you! +You are like all the rest of them--the members of your class. You are +parasites--vampires--you devour other people's lives! And you are the +worst, because you are a woman! You are beautiful, and you ought to be +all the things that I imagined you were! But you use your beauty for a +snare--you wreck men's lives with it--" + +"Stop, Samuel!" + +"I won't stop! You shall hear me! You drew me on deliberately--you +wanted to amuse yourself with me, to see what I would do. And you had +never a thought about me, or my rights, or the harm you might be doing +to me! And now you've got tired--and you tell me to end it! You tell +me about my 'place!' What am I in the world for, but to afford you +amusement? What are all the working people for but to save you trouble +and keep you beautiful and happy? What are the children for but to spin +clothes for you to wear? And you--what do you do for them, to pay for +their wasted lives, for all their toil and suffering?" + +"Samuel Prescott!" cried the outraged girl. "I will not hear another +word of this!" + +"Yes, that's just what your father said! And what your cousin said! And +what your clergyman said! And you can send for the butler and have me +put out--but let me tell you that will not be the end of it. We +shall find some way to get at you! The people will not always be your +slaves--they will not always give their lives to keep you in idleness +and luxury! You were born to it--you've had everything in the world that +you wanted, from the first hour of your life. And you think that will go +on forever, that nothing can ever change it! But let me tell you that it +seems different to the people underneath! We are tired of being robbed +and spit upon! And we mean to fight! We mean to fight! We don't intend +to be starved and tormented forever!" + +And then in the midst of his wild tirade, Samuel stopped, and stared +with horror in his eyes--realizing that this was Miss Gladys to whom he +was talking! And suddenly a storm of sobs rose in him; and he put his +hands to his face, and burst into tears, and turned and rushed from the +room. + +He went down the street, like a hunted animal, beside himself with +grief, and looking for some place to hide. And as he ran on, he pulled +out the faded pictures he had carried next to his heart, and tore them +into pieces and flung them to the winds. + + + + +CHAPTER XXVII + + +When Sophie came home that evening, Samuel had mastered himself. He told +her the story without a tremor in his voice. And this was well, for +he was not prepared for the paroxysm of emotion with which the child +received the news. Miss Gladys had been the last of Samuel's illusions; +but she was the only one that Sophie had ever had. The child had made +her life all over out of the joy of working for her; and now, hearing +the story of her treatment of Samuel, she was almost beside herself with +grief. + +Samuel was frightened at her violence. "Listen, Sophie," he said, +putting his arm around her. "We must not forget our duty." + +"I could never go back there again!" exclaimed the child wildly. "I +should die if I had to see her again!" + +"I don't mean that," said the other quickly--seeking to divert her +thoughts. "But you must remember what I have to do; and you must help +me." + +He went on to tell her of his plan to fight for the possession of St. +Matthew's Church. "And we must not give way to bitterness," he said; "it +would be a very wicked thing if we did it from anger." + +"But how can you help it?" she cried. + +"It is hard," said Samuel; "but I have been wrestling with myself. We +must not hate these people. They have done evil to us, but they do not +realize it--they are poor human beings like the rest of us." + +"But they are bad, selfish people!" exclaimed the child. + +"I have thought it all out," said he. "I have been walking the streets +all day, thinking about it. And I will not let myself feel anything but +pity for them. They have done me wrong, but it is nothing to the wrong +they have done themselves." + +"Oh, Samuel, you are so good!" exclaimed Sophie; and he winced--because +that was what Miss Gladys had said to him. + +"I had to settle it with myself," he explained. "I have got to carry on +a fight against them, and I have to be sure that I'm not just venting my +spite." + +"What are you going to do?" asked Sophie. + +"I am going to put the facts before the congregation of the church. If +they will do nothing, I am going to the people." + +"But how, Samuel?" + +"I am going to call a meeting. See, I have written this." + +And he took from his pocket a piece of paper, on which he had printed, +in capital letters, as follows: + +TO THE MEMBERS OF ST. MATTHEWS! + +"There is corruption in the church. Members of its vestry have bribed +the government of the town. They are robbing the people. The vestry has +refused me a hearing and turned me out of the church. I appeal to the +congregation. Next Wednesday evening, at eight o'clock, I will address +a meeting on the vacant lot opposite the church, and will tell what I +know. SAMUEL PRESCOTT." + +"And what are you going to do with that?" asked Sophie in wonder. + +"I am going to have it printed on little slips, and give them out to the +people when they are coming out of the church to-morrow morning." + +"Oh, Samuel!" gasped the child. + +"I have to do it," he said. + +"But, Samuel, everyone will come--people from all over town." + +"I can't help that," he answered. "I can't afford to hire a hall; and +they wouldn't let me speak in the church." + +"But can you get this printed so quickly?" + +"I don't know," said he. "I must find some one." + +Sophie clapped her hands suddenly. "Oh, I know just the very thing!" she +cried. "Friedrich Bremer has a printing press!" + +"What!" + +"Yes. His father used to print things. They will tell us." And so, +without stopping to eat, the two hurried off to the Bremer family; and +mother and father and all the children sat and listened in astonishment +while Samuel told his tale. Friedrich was thrilling with excitement; and +old Johann's red face grew fiery. + +"Herr Gott!" he cried. "I vas that vay myself once!" + +"And then will you help me to get them printed?" asked Samuel. + +"Sure!" replied the other. "I will do it myself. Vy did I go through the +Commune?" And so the whole family adjourned to the attic, and the little +printing outfit was dragged out from under the piles of rubbish. + +"I used it myself," said the old carpet designer. "But vhen I come here +they give me a varning, and I haf not dared. For two years I haf not +even been to the meetings of the local." + +"Of the what?" asked Samuel. + +"I am a Socialist," explained Mr. Bremer. And Samuel gave a start. +Ought he to accept any help from Socialists? But meantime Friedrich was +sorting out the type, and his father was inspecting Samuel's copy. + +"You must make it vith a plenty of paragraphs," he said; "and +exclamation points, too. Then they vill read it." + +"They'll read it!" said Friedrich grimly. + +"How shall we print it?" asked the father; and the children rushed +downstairs and came back with some sheets of writing paper, and a lot of +brown wrapping paper. They sat on the floor and folded and cut it, while +Friedrich set the type. And this was the way of the printing of Samuel's +first manifesto. + +"Can you make a speech?" Mrs. Bremer asked. "Won't you be frightened?" + +To which Samuel answered gravely: "I don't think so. I shall be thinking +about what I have to say." + +It was late at night when the two children went home, with three hundred +copies of the revolutionary document carefully wrapped up from view; +and they were so much excited by the whole affair that they had actually +forgotten about Miss Gladys! It was not until he tried to go to sleep +that her image came back to him, and all his blasted hopes arose to mock +at him. What a fool he had been! How utterly insane all his fantasies +seemed to him now! So he passed another sleepless night, and it was not +till daylight that he fell into a troubled slumber. + +He had to control his impatience until after eleven o'clock, the hour +of the service at the church. Sophie wished to go with him and share his +peril, but he would not consent to this. He would not be able to give +the manifesto to everyone, but he could reach enough--the others would +hear about it! So, a full hour before the end of the service, he took up +his post across the street, his heart beating furiously. He was feeling, +it must be confessed, a good deal like a dynamiter or an assassin. The +weather was warm, and the door of the church was open, so that he could +hear the booming voice of Dr. Vince. The sound of the organ brought +tears into his eyes--he loved the organ, and he was not to be allowed to +listen to it! At last came the end; the sounds of the choir receded, and +the assassin moved over to a strategic position. And then came the first +of the congregation--of all persons, the Olympian Mr. Curtis! + +"Will you take one of these, sir?" said Samuel, with his heart in +his throat. And Mr. Curtis who was mopping his forehead with his +handkerchief, started as if he had seen a ghost. "Boy, what are you +doing?" he cried; but Samuel had darted away, trying to give out the +slips of paper to the people as they came out at both doors. He was +quite right in saying that everybody would know about it. The people +took the slips and read them, and then they stopped to stare and exclaim +to one another, so that there was a regular blockade at the doors of +the church. By the time that a score of the slips had been given out +the members had had time to get their wits back, and then there was an +attempt to interfere. + +"This is an outrage!" cried Mr. Curtis, and tried to grab Samuel by the +arm; but the boy wrenched himself loose and darted around the corner, to +where a stream of people had come out of the side door. + +"Take one!" he exclaimed. "Pass it along! Let everyone know!" And so he +got rid of a score or two more of his slips. And then, keeping a wary +lookout for Mr. Curtis or any other of the vestrymen, he ran around in +front again, and circled on the edge of the rapidly gathering throng, +giving away several of the dodgers wherever a hand was held out. "Give +them to everyone!" he kept repeating in his shrill voice. + +"The evil-doers must be turned out of the church!" + +Then suddenly out of the crowd pushed Mr. Hamerton, breathless and red +in the face. "Samuel!" he cried, pouncing upon him, "this cannot go on!" + +"But it must go on!" replied the boy. "Let me go! Take your hands off +me!" And he raised his voice in a wild shriek. "There are thieves in the +church of Christ!" + +In the scuffle the dodgers were scattered on the ground; and Mr. +Hamerton stooped to pick them up. Samuel seized what he could and darted +to the side door again, where there were more people eager to take them. +And so he got rid of the last he had. And for the benefit of those whom +he still saw emerging, he raised his hands and shouted: "There are +men in the vestry of this church who have bribed the city council of +Lockmanville! I mean to expose them in a meeting across the street on +Wednesday night!" And then he turned, and dodging an outraged church +member who sought to lay hold of him, he sped like a deer down the +street. + +He had made his appeal to the congregation! + + + + +CHAPTER XXVIII + + +Samuel rushed home, breathless, to tell Sophie; and pretty soon came +the Bremers, who had been watching the scene from a distance. And the +thrilling tale had to be told all over to them. + +Then Johann made a novel announcement. "For that meeting," he said, "you +must get a permit." + +"A permit!" exclaimed Samuel. "From whom?" + +"From the police," replied the other. "You must haf it for all street +meetings." + +"And where do I get it?" + +"At the station house, I think." + +Samuel did not much fancy a visit to the station house, which he knew +far too well already; but he would have gone into a den of lions for the +sake of his cause. So, bright and early the next morning, he set out. +With Mrs. Stedman's help he had persuaded Sophie that she must return to +the Wygants, and so he walked part of the way with her. + +There was a new sergeant at the desk, an Irishman. "Please, sir," said +the boy, "is this where I get a permit?" + +"For what?" asked the other. + +"To hold a meeting on the street, sir." + +"What sort of a meeting?" + +"Why--I've just got something to say to the people, sir." + +"Something to say to the people!" echoed the other; and then, suddenly, +"What's your name?" + +"Samuel Prescott, sir." + +And the sergeant's eyes opened wide. "Oh!" he said. "You're that +fellow!" + +"What did you say?" asked Samuel. + +"The chief wants to see you," replied the other. + +And so Samuel was escorted into the private room, where Chief McCullagh, +red-faced and burly, sat at his desk. When he saw Samuel he bounded to +his feet. "So here you are!" he cried. + +To the sergeant he said, "Leave us alone." And when the man had shut the +door, he strode toward Samuel, and thrust a finger into his face. "Young +fellow," he cried, "you promised me you would get out of this town!" + +"No!" exclaimed the boy. + +"What?" roared the other. + +"No, sir! It was Charlie Swift promised you that!" + +"And what did you promise?" + +"I promised I wouldn't tell anyone about--about Master Albert, sir. And +I haven't done it." + +"I told Charlie Swift to take you out of town. And why didn't you go?" + +"He didn't--" And then Samuel stopped. He had promised to tell nothing +about Charlie. + +"Go on!" cried the chief. + +"I--I can't tell," he stammered. + +"What?" exclaimed the other. "You want to hide things from me? Don't you +suppose I know that he's still in town; and that you and him have been +doin' jobs?" + +"No--no!" cried Samuel in terror. + +"You can't lie to me!" threatened the chief. "I know you, you young +villain!" + +He stood glaring at the boy for a few moments. "And you have the nerve +to come here!" he cried. "What do you want anyway?" + +"I--I want to hold a meeting, sir." + +"Who's given you a license to make trouble in this town?" + +"Nobody's given me one yet," replied Samuel. "That's what I came for." + +"Don't you get gay with me!" snapped the chief. But Samuel was far from +the thought of getting gay with anyone--he was trembling in his boots. +The man towered over him like a huge gorilla, and his red face was +ferocious. + +"Now look here, young fellow!" he went on. "You might as well get this +straight. You'll get no permit to make any speeches in Lockmanville! +D'ye see?" + +"Yes, sir." + +"And what's more, you'll not make any speech. D'ye see?" + +"But--but--" gasped the boy. + +And McCullagh shook his finger so that it almost hit Samuel's nose. +"You'll not make any speech! You'll not make it on the street, and +you'll not make it anywheres else in town! And you might as well get +that through your nut and save yourself trouble. And if I hear of you +givin' out any more papers on the street--you'll wish you hadn't--that's +all, young fellow! D'ye see?" + +"I see," gasped Samuel. + +"All right," said the chief. "And if you take my advice, you'll get the +first train out of Lockmanville and never show your face in it again. +Now get out of here!" + +And Samuel got out, and went down the street dumb with dismay. So they +had got the police after him! + +Of course he would make his speech. He could not let himself be +stopped by such a thing as that. But he saw at once how matters were +complicated--if the police were to stop him before he had made clear +what he had to say, they might ruin all his plans. + +He must seek advice about it; and he went at once to the carpet factory, +and sought out the little room where the Bremers sat with their drawing +boards and paints. + +"So that's it!" exclaimed Johann. "They vill shut you up!" + +"Do you think they can?" asked the boy. + +"Sure they can!" cried the other. "They hafn't let the Socialists speak +on the streets for years. We should haf fought them!" + +He reached for his coat. "Come," he said. "I vill take you to see Tom +Everley." + +"Who is Tom Everley?" asked the boy. + +"He's a lawyer, and he vill tell you. He's the secretary of the local." + +"A Socialist!" exclaimed Samuel, startled. Again it was the Socialists! + +Everley sat in a little office in an out-of-the-way street. He was a +young chap, frank and boyish-looking, and Samuel's heart warmed to him +at once. "Comrade Everley," said the carpet designer, "here is a boy you +ought to help. Tell him all about it, Samuel--you can trust him." + +So Samuel told his tale once more. And the other listened with +breathless interest, and with many exclamations of incredulity and +delight. When the boy had finished, he sprang up excitedly and grasped +his hand. "Samuel Prescott," he cried, "put it there! You are a brick!" + +"Then you'll stand by me!" exclaimed Samuel, breathless with relief. + +"Stand by you?" echoed the other. "I'll stand by you until hell freezes +solid!" + +Then he sat down again, and began tapping nervously on the desk with his +pencil. "I'll call a special meeting of the local," he said. "They must +take you up. The movement's been slow in Lockmanville of late, and a +fight like this is just what the comrades need." + +"But I'm not a Socialist!" objected Samuel. + +"That's all right," replied Everley, "we don't care about that." + +Samuel had not meant it that way, but he could not think how to make his +trouble clear. + +"I can get the local together to-morrow night," went on the other. +"There's no time to be lost. We must get out a lot of circulars and +cover the town." + +"But I only wanted the people of the church to come," said the boy. + +"But others will come anyway," said Everley. "And haven't the people a +right to know how they've been robbed?" + +"Yes," said Samuel, "they have." + +"And perhaps," added the other with a smile, "if the congregation has a +little pressure from outside, it will be much more apt to take action. +What we've got to do with this thing is to make a free speech fight out +of it, and open the eyes of the whole town. Otherwise the police will +nip the thing in the bud, and no one will ever know what we had." + +"You must be careful how you give out those circulars," put in Johann. +"They will nip you there, if they can." + +"That's all right," laughed Everley. "You trust the comrades for that! +We know a printer we can rely on!" + +Samuel drew a deep breath of satisfaction. Here was a man who understood +things, and took hold with conviction--a man who was really willing +to do something. It was very disconcerting that he happened to be a +Socialist! + +Everley took up a pencil and wrote the new announcement: + +PEOPLE OF LOCKMANVILLE! + +"Having made the discovery that members of the vestry of St. Matthew's +Church had been bribing the city council, I demanded an investigation, +and I was turned out of the church. + +"I called a meeting to tell the congregation about it, but I was refused +a permit to speak. Chief of Police McCullagh declared to me that I +should never make my speech in this town. + +"Will you stand by me? + +"I intend to speak on Wednesday night, at 8 P.M., at the vacant lot +opposite the church. + +"In the name of Free Speech and Civic Decency, + + "SAMUEL PRESCOTT." + +"How's that?" he asked. + +"Fine!" exclaimed Samuel in delight. + +"I'll take the risk of having it set up," added the lawyer. "And I'll +get the notices to the members of the local off in this evening's mail. +Come, we'll go to see one or two of them now and talk it over with +them." + +So they went down, and while Johann hurried back to his work, Samuel and +Everley stopped in a cigar store a couple of doors down the street, +kept by a little Russian Jew with a merry face and dancing black eyes. +"Comrade Lippman," said Everley, "this is Mr. Prescott." + +There came also "Comrade Minsky," from the rear workroom, a cigar maker, +bare-armed and very yellow and emaciated. To them Everley told briefly +the story of Samuel's adventures and what he proposed to do. The glow +of excitement with which they received the tidings left no doubt as to +their attitude. And a couple of blocks around the corner was a little +shop where a grizzled old carpenter, "Comrade Beggs," clutched Samuel's +hand in a grip like one of his vises, while he expressed his approval of +his course. And then they called on Dr. Barton, a young physician, whom +Everley declared to be one of the mainstays of the local of the town. +"He got his education abroad," he explained, "so he has none of the +narrowness of our physicians. His wife's quite a speaker, too." + +Mrs. Barton was a sweet-faced and mild-looking lady, who reminded Samuel +of the picture of his mother. All the while that Everley was telling +his story the boy was staring at her, and trying to straighten out the +tangle of perplexity that was caused in his mind by the idea of her +being a Socialist speaker! + +By and by the doctor came in, and the story had to be told yet again. +They were so much interested and excited that they begged their visitors +to remain to luncheon. They talked the whole problem out, and Samuel was +struck by the certainty with which their minds took hold of it. There +was no need of any long explanations with them--they seemed to know just +what to expect; it was as if they possessed some magic key to the inner +life of Lockmanville, enabling them to understand everyone in it, +and exactly how he felt and exactly how he would act under any given +circumstances. + +All this was an amazing experience for Samuel. A few hours ago he had +been a voice crying in the wilderness; forlorn and solitary; and now +here was a band of allies, sprung up suddenly, from the very ground, as +it seemed. Men who knew exactly what was wanted, and exactly how to +get it; who required no persuading, who set to work without wasting a +word--just as if they had been doing such things all their lives! He +was so swept away with delight that for a while he was tempted to forget +what sort of people they were. + +But it came back to him suddenly, when they had returned to Everley's +office. He sat gazing at the young lawyer with such a worried expression +on his face that the other asked, "What's the matter?" + +"Tell me, Mr. Everley," said the boy, "how can the Bartons believe in +free love?" + +"Believe in free love?" echoed Everley. "What put that into your head?" + +"But don't they believe in free love?" persisted Samuel. + +"Why, of course not. Who said they did?" + +"But they are Socialists!" + +And the other put down his work and laughed heartily. "Where did you +pick that up?" he asked. + +"Why," stammered the boy, "I've read everywhere that Socialists believe +in free love!" + +"Wait till you get well going in this reform of yours!" laughed the +young lawyer, "and then see what you read about yourself!" + +"But," gasped Samuel, aghast, "don't Socialists believe in free love?" + +"Some of them do, I suppose," was the reply. "I know one who believes in +ghosts, and one who believes in the Pope, and one who believes in Adam +and Eve. How can I help what they believe?" + +There was a pause. "You see," explained Everley, "we are a political +party; and we can't keep anybody from joining us who wants to. And +because we are an advanced party, all sorts of wild people come to us. +How can we help that?" + +"But," exclaimed Samuel, "you are against religion!" + +"We have nothing to do with religion," replied the other. "I told you we +are a political party. Some of us have found it necessary to leave the +capitalist churches--but you will hardly blame us for that!" + +"N-no," admitted the boy; then he added, "But don't you want to destroy +the Government?" + +"On the contrary, we want to strengthen it. But first we have to get it +away from the capitalists." + +"Then, what DO you believe?" asked Samuel in perplexity. + +Then the other explained that they were seeking to organize and educate +the working class, for the purpose of bringing about an economic change. +They wished to take the land and the mines, the railroads and the +factories out of the hands of the capitalists. "We believe that such +things should not belong to individuals," he said, "but to the people. +Then there will be work for everyone, and everyone will get the full +value of his labor, and no man will be able to live without working." + +There was a pause, while Samuel was getting the meaning of this into +his mind. "But," he exclaimed in amazement, "that is exactly what _I_ +believe!" + +"Of course," replied the other, "it is exactly what everyone with sense +believes." + +"But--but--" gasped the boy, "then am I a Socialist?" + +"Nine tenths of the people in the country are Socialists," replied +Everley--"only they haven't found it out yet." + +"But," cried Samuel, "you ought to teach them!" + +"We're doing our best," laughed the other. "Come and help us." + +Samuel was quite dumfounded. "But how do people come to have all these +false ideas about you?" he asked. + +"Those are the ideas that the masters want them to have." + +Samuel was clutching at the arms of his chair. "Why--it's a conspiracy!" +he cried. + +"Precisely," said the other. "A conspiracy of the ruling class. They own +the newspapers and the books, the colleges and churches and governments. +And they tell lies about us and keep us down." + +And so Samuel found himself face to face with the ultimate horror of +Capitalism. It was bad enough to own the means whereby the people lived, +and to starve and exploit their bodies. But to own their minds, and +to lead them astray! To keep them from finding out the way of their +deliverance! Surely that was the crime of crimes! + +"I can't believe it!" he panted. + +And the young lawyer answered, "Come and work with us a while and see +for yourself." + + + + +CHAPTER XXIX + + +Samuel went home and faced a surprising experience. There was a dapper +and well-dressed young man waiting to see him. "My name is Pollard," he +said, "and I'm from the Lockmanville 'Express.' I want to get a story +from you." + +"A story from me?" echoed the boy in perplexity. + +"An interview," explained the other. "I want to find out about that +meeting you're going to hold." + +And so Samuel experienced the great thrill, which comes sooner or later +to every social reformer. He sat in Mrs. Stedman's little parlor, and +told his tale yet again. Mr. Pollard was young and just out of college, +and his pencil fairly flew over his notebook. "Gosh!" he exclaimed. "But +this is hot stuff!" + +To Samuel it was an extraordinary revelation. He was surprised that +the idea had not occurred to him before. What was the use of holding +meetings and making speeches, when one could have things printed in +the papers? In the papers everyone would read it; and they would get it +straight--there would be no chance of error. Moreover, they would read +it at their leisure, and have time to think it all over! + +And after Mr. Pollard had gone, he rushed off in great excitement to +tell Everley about it. "You won't need to print those circulars," he +said. "For I told him where the meeting was to be." + +But Everley only smiled at this. "We'll get out our stuff just the +same," he said. "You'd better wait until you've seen what the 'Express' +prints." + +"What do you mean?" asked the boy. But Everley would not explain--he +merely told Samuel to wait. He did not seem to be as much excited as he +should have been. + +Samuel went home again. And later on in the afternoon, while Mrs. +Stedman had gone out to the grocer's, there came a knock on the door, +and he opened it, and to his amazement found himself confronted by Billy +Finnegan. + +"Hello, young fellow!" said Finnegan. + +"Hello!" said Samuel. + +"What's this I hear about your making a speech?" asked Finnegan. + +"I'm going to," was the reply. "But how did you know?" + +"I got it from Callahan. Slattery told him." + +"Slattery! Has he heard about it?" + +"Gee, young fellow! What do you think he's boss for?" + +And Finnegan gazed around the room, to make sure that they were alone. + +"Sammy," he said, "I've come to give you a friendly tip; I hope you'll +have sense enough to take it." + +"What is it?" asked the other. + +"Don't try to make any speech." + +"Why not?" + +"Because you ain't a-going to be let to make it, Sammy." + +"But how can they stop me?" + +"I dunno, Sammy. But they ain't a-going to let you." + +There was a pause. + +"It's a crazy thing you're tryin' to do," said the other. "And take my +word for it--somethin' will happen to you if you go on." + +"What will happen?" + +"I dunno, my boy--maybe you'll fall into the river." + +"Fall into the river!" + +"Yes; or else run your head into a slungshot some night, in a dark +alley. I can't tell you what--only you won't make the speech." + +Samuel was dumfounded. "You can't mean such things!" he gasped. + +"Sure I mean them," was the reply. "Why not?" + +Samuel did not respond. "I don't know why you're tryin' to do this +thing," went on the other, "nor who's backing you. But from what I can +make out, you've got the goods, and you've got them on most everybody in +the town. You've got Slattery, and you've got Pat McCullagh, and +you've got the machine. You've got Wygant and Hickman--you've even got +something on Bertie Lockman, haven't you?" + +"I suppose I have," said Samuel. "But I'm not going to tell that." + +"Well, they don't know what you're going to tell, and they won't take +any chances. They won't let you tell anything." + +"But can such things be done?" panted the boy. + +"They're done all the time," said the other. "Why, see--it stands to +reason. Wouldn't folks be finding out things like this, and wouldn't +they be tellin' them?" + +"To be sure," said Samuel. "That's what puzzled me." + +"Well," said the bartender, "they ain't let to. Don't you see?" + +"I see," whispered the boy. + +"There's a crowd that runs this town, Sammy; and they mean to go on +runnin' it. And don't you think they can't find ways of shuttin' up a +kid like you!" + +"But Mr. Finnegan, it would be murder!" + +"Well, they wouldn't have to do it themselves, would they? When Henry +Hickman wants a chicken for dinner, he don't have to wring its neck with +his own hands." + +Samuel could find nothing to reply to that. He sat dumb with horror. + +"You see," continued Finnegan after a bit, "I know about this game, and +I'm givin' you a friendly word. What the hell does a kid like you want +to be reformin' things for anyway?" + +"What else can I do?" asked Samuel. + +To which the other answered, "Do? Get yourself a decent job, and find +some girl you like and settle down. You'll never know what there is in +life, Sammy, till you've got a baby." + +But Samuel only shook his head. The plan did not appeal to him. "I'll +try to keep out of trouble," he said, "but I MUST make that speech!" + +So Finnegan went out, shaking his head and grumbling to himself. And +Samuel hurried off to see his lawyer friend again. The result of the +visit was that Everley exacted from him a solemn promise that he would +not go out of the house after dark. + +"I know what was done in this town during the strike," said the other, +"and I don't want to take any chances. Now that they have finished the +unions, there's nobody left but us." + +So Samuel stayed at home, and told Sophie and her mother all about his +various experiences, and about the people he had met. The child was +almost beside herself with delight. + +"Oh, I knew that help would come!" she kept saying, "I knew that help +would come!" + +Worn out as he was, the young reformer could hardly sleep that night, +for all the excitement. And early in the morning he was up and out +hunting for a copy of the "Express." + +He stood on the street-corner and opened it. He glanced at the first +page--there was nothing there. He glanced at the back page, and then +at one page after another, seeking for the one that was given up to the +story. But there was no such page. And then he went back and read over +the headings of each column--and still he did not find it. And then +he began a third time, reading carefully each tiny item. And so, +after nearly an hour's search, when he found himself lost in a maze of +advertisements, he brought himself to realize that there was not a line +of the story in the paper! + +When Everley arrived at his office that morning, Samuel was waiting for +him on the steps. Seeing the paper in the other's hand, the young lawyer +laughed. "You found out, have you?" he said. + +"It's not here!" cried Samuel. + +"I knew just what would happen," said the other. "But I thought I'd let +you see for yourself." + +"But what does it mean?" demanded the boy. + +"It means," was the answer, "that the Lockman estate has a mortgage of +one hundred thousand dollars on the Express." + +And Samuel's jaw fell, and he stood staring at his friend. + +"Now you see what it is to be a Socialist!" laughed Everley. + +And Samuel saw. + + + + +CHAPTER XXX + + +After supper that evening came Everley with Friederich Bremer, to take +Samuel to the meeting of the local, where he was to tell his story. + +The "local" met in an obscure hall, over a grocery shop. There were +present those whom Samuel had met the night before, and about a score +of others. Most of them were working-men, but there were several who +appeared to be well-to-do shopkeepers and clerks. Samuel noticed that +they all called one another "comrade"; and several of them addressed +him thus, which gave him a queer feeling. Also he noted that there were +women present, and that one of them presided at the meeting. + +Everley made a speech, reading Samuel's manifesto, and telling how it +had been given out. Then he called upon Samuel. The boy stood upon his +feet--and suddenly a deadly terror seized hold upon him. Suppose he +should not be able to make a speech after all! Suppose he should be +nervous! What would they think of him? But he clenched his hands--what +did it matter what they thought of him? The poor were suffering, and the +truth was crying out for vindication! He would tell these men what had +happened to him. + +So he began. He told how he had been robbed, and how he had sought in +vain for work, and how he had been arrested. And because he saw that +these were people who understood, he found himself a case, and thinking +no longer about himself. He talked for nearly half an hour, and there +was quite a sensation when he finished. + +Then Everley rose to his feet again. "Comrades," he said, "for the past +year I have been urging that the local must make a fight for free speech +in this town. And it seems to me that the occasion has now come. If we +do not take up this fight, we might just as well give up." + +"That's right," cried Beggs, the old carpenter. + +"I took the liberty of ordering circulars," continued Everley. "There +was no time to be lost, and I felt sure that the comrades would back me. +I now move that the local take charge of the meeting to-morrow evening, +and that the two thousand circulars I have here be given out secretly +to-night." + +"I second that motion," said Mrs. Barton. + +"It must be understood," added Everley, "that we can't expect help from +the papers. And our people ought to hear this story, as well as the +members of the church." + +And then he read the circulars, and the motion was put, and carried +unanimously. + +"Now," said Everley, "I suggest that the local make this the occasion of +a contest for the right to hold street meetings in Lockmanville. As you +know, the police have refused permits ever since the strike. And I move +that beginning with Thursday evening, we hold a meeting on the corner of +Market and Main streets, and tell this story to the public. And that +we continue to hold a meeting every night thereafter until we have made +good our right." + +Samuel could see from the faces of the men what a serious proposition +this was to them. Everley launched into an impassioned speech. The +workingmen of the town had lost their last hope in the unions; they were +suffering from the hard times; and now, if ever, was the time to open +their eyes to the remedy. And the Socialists were powerless, because +they had permitted the police to frighten them. Now they must make a +stand. + +"You realize that it will mean going to jail?" asked Dr. Barton. + +"I realize it," said Everley. "We shall probably have to go several +times. But if we make up our minds from the beginning, we can win; +we shall have the sympathy of the people--and also we can break the +conspiracy of silence of the newspapers." + +"That is the thing we must think of," said the woman in the chair. + +"I am ready to do what I can," added the lawyer. "I will give my +services free to defend the speakers, or I will be the first man to be +arrested--whichever the comrades prefer." + + +"We will lose our jobs," said some one in the rear of the room. + +"Yes," said Everley, "that is something you will have to consider. You +know well enough how much I have lost already." + +Samuel listened in breathless excitement to this discussion. Here were +poor people, people with no more resources than he, and at the mercy of +the same forces which had been crushing him. Here was one man who had +lost an eye in the glass works, and another, a railroad brakeman, who +was just out of the hospital after losing a leg. Here were men pale and +haggard from hunger, men with wives and children dependent upon them; +yet they were giving their time and their money--risking their very +existence--in the cause of human freedom! Had he ever met a group of men +like this before? Had he ever dreamed that such men were living? + +He had thought that he was alone, that he had all the burdens of +humanity upon his own shoulders! And now here were people who were ready +to hold up his hands; and from the discussion he gathered that they were +part of a vast organization, that there existed such "locals" in every +city and town in the country. They made their own nominations and +voted for their own candidates at every election; they published many +newspapers and magazines and books. And they were part of an army of men +who were banded together in every civilized nation. Wherever Capitalism +had come, there men were uniting against it; and every day their power +grew--there was nothing that could stop them. + +These men had seen the vision of the new time that was coming, and there +burned in them a fire of conviction. Suddenly Samuel realized the import +of that word "comrade" which they gave one another; they were men bound +together by the memory of persecutions, and by the presence of ruthless +enemies. They knew what they were facing at this moment; not only Chief +McCullagh with his policemen and their clubs; not only the subsidized +"Express" with its falsehoods and ridicule: but all the political and +business power of the Hickmans and Wygants. They were facing arrest and +imprisonment, humiliation and disgrace--perhaps ruin and starvation. +Only in this way could they reach the ears of the people. + +"Comrades," the young lawyer was saying, "every step that has been taken +in the progress of humanity has been taken because men have been willing +to give their lives. Everywhere that our movement has grown, it has +been in the face of persecution. And sooner or later we must make up +our minds to it--we may wait for years, but nothing can be accomplished +until we have faced this issue. And so I ask you to join with me in +taking this pledge--that we will speak on the streets of Lockmanville +next Saturday night, and that we will continue to speak there as often +as need be until we have vindicated our rights as American citizens." + +There was a solemn hush when he finished; one by one the men and women +arose and offered themselves. + +"I have been out of work for four months," said one, "and I have been +promised a job next week. If I am arrested, I know that I will not get +it. But still I will speak." + +"And I am in Wygant's cotton mill," said another. "And I'm not young, +and when I'm turned out, it will not be easy for me. But I will help." + +"And I, too," put in Lippman, the cigar store keeper; "my wife can tend +the shop!" There was a general laugh at this. + +And then Friedrich Bremer sprang up. "My father has been warned!" he +cried. "But I will speak also!" + +"And I!" exclaimed Samuel. "I think I am going to be a Socialist. Will +you let me help?" + +"No one's help will be refused in a crisis like this," said Everley. "We +must stand by our guns, for if they can crush us this time, it may be +years before we can be heard." + +And then, somewhere in the hall, a voice began to sing. Others took it +up, until the walls of the building shook with a mighty chant. "What is +it?" whispered Samuel to Friedrich. + +"It is called 'The Red Flag,'" replied Friedrich. + +And Samuel sat spellbound, listening while they sang: + + +Hark to the thunder, hark to the tramp--a myriad army comes! + +An army sprung from a hundred lands, speaking a hundred tongues! + +And overhead a portent new, a blood-red banner see! + +The nations gather in affright to ask what the sign may be. + +Banner of crimson, banner bright, banner flaunting the sky! + +What is the word that ye bring to men, the hope that ye hold on high? + +We come from the fields, we come from the forge, we come from the land +and sea-- + +We come in the right of our new-born might to set the people free! + +Masters, we left you a world to make, the planning was yours to do-- + +We were the toilers, humble and sad, we gave our faith to you. + +And now with a dread in our hearts we stand and gaze at the work of the +years-- + +We have builded a temple with pillars white, ye have stained it with +blood and tears! + +For our little ones with their teeming hopes ye have roofed the +sweatshop den, + +And our daughters fair ye have prisoned in the reeking brothel's pen! + +And so for the sign of our murdered hopes our blood-red banner see-- + +We come in the right of our new-born might to set the people free! + +Tremble, oh masters--tremble all who live by others' toil-- + +We come your dungeon walls to raze, your citadel to spoil! + +Yours is the power of club and jail, yours is the axe and fire-- + +But ours is the hope of human hearts and the strength of the soul's +desire! + +Ours is the blazing banner, sweeping the sky along! + +Ours the host, the marching host--hark to our battle song! + +Chanting of brotherhood, chanting of freedom, dreaming the world to be-- + +We come in the right of our new-born might to set the people free! + + + + +CHAPTER XXXI + + +While the other members of the local scattered to distribute the +circulars, Everley and Friedrich escorted Samuel home, and saw him +safely in, and the door locked. They had supplied him with some +Socialist papers and pamphlets, and he spent most of the next day +devouring these. They spread a picture of the whole wonderful movement +before him; they explained to him all the mechanism of the cruel system, +in the cogs of which he had been caught. + +It was all so very obvious that Samuel found himself in a state of +exasperation with the people who did not yet understand it, and spent +his time wrestling in imagination with all those he had ever known: with +his brothers, and with Finnegan, and with Charlie Swift, with Master +Albert and Mr. Wygant, with Professor Stewart and Dr. Vince. Most of all +he labored with Miss Gladys; and he pictured how it would be after the +Revolution, when he would be famous and she would be poor, and he might +magnanimously forgive her! + +And when Sophie came home, he explained it all to her. It did not +take much to make a revolutionist out of Sophie. She had become quite +thoroughly what the Socialists called "class-conscious." + +The members of the local had been anxious about Samuel all day. Everley +had come in twice in the afternoon, to make sure that he was safe; and +he came over again after supper, and said that Beggs and Lippman and the +Bartons and himself were coming to act as a body guard to take Samuel to +the meeting. The circulars had created a tremendous sensation--the whole +town was talking about it, and the police were furious at the way they +had been outwitted. + +So the hour of the meeting drew near. It was as if a great shadow were +gathering over them. They were nervous and restless--Samuel pacing the +room, wandering about here and there. + +His speech was seething within him. He saw before him the eager +multitude, and he was laying bare to them the picture of their wrongs. +So much depended upon this speech! If he failed now, he failed in +everything--all that he had done before has gone for nothing! Ah! if +only one had a voice that could reach the whole world--that could shout +these things into the ears of the oppressed! + +His friends had said they would come at a quarter to eight. But they +came at half past seven, and sat round and waited. It was thought best +that they should not arrive until the precise minute of the meeting; and +meantime they outlined to Samuel the plan of campaign they had formed. + +Dr. Barton was to make the opening speech, introducing Samuel; and by +way of outwitting the police, he was to be particularly careful to get +into this "introduction" all the essential facts which it was desired to +lay before the people. He was to tell about the twenty thousand dollars +which Hickman paid to Slattery, and about the acknowledgment which +Wygant had made to Samuel, and about how the boy had been turned out of +St. Matthew's Church. If the police attempted to interfere with this, +the doctor was to persist until he had been actually placed under +arrest; and then others were to take up the attempt in different places, +until six had been arrested. In this case Samuel was to make no attempt +to speak at all; they would "save" him for an out-door meeting--and also +Everley, who was to defend them in court. More circulars would be given +out the next afternoon, and another attempt to speak would be made that +evening. + +All this was duly impressed upon the boy, and then the little company +set forth. Dr. Barton walked on one side of him, and Everley on the +other; Mrs. Barton, Mrs. Stedman and Sophie came next, and Beggs and +Lippman brought up the rear. So they marched along; they kept their eyes +open, and every time they had to pass a man they gave him a wide berth. + +So they came to the place of the meeting. At the corner were the Bremers +and half a dozen others, who formed a ring about them. There was a +huge crowd, they said--the lot was thronged, and the people extended to +streets on every side. There was a score of policemen scattered about, +and no doubt there were many detectives. + +Promptly on the minute of eight the little group approached. There was +a murmur of excitement among the waiting crowd, as they started to force +their way through. Samuel's heart was thumping like mad, and his knees +were trembling so that he could hardly walk. The people gave way, and +they found themselves in the center, where several of the Socialists +stood guard over the half dozen boxes from which the speaking was to be +done. + +Without a moment's delay, Dr. Barton mounted up. + +"Fellow citizens," he called in a clear, ringing voice; and instantly a +hush fell upon the crowd, and a thousand faces were turned toward him. + +"We are here," he began, "for a very important purpose--" + +Instantly a policeman pushed his way toward him. + +"Have you a permit for this meeting?" he demanded. + +"We have been refused a permit!" proclaimed Dr. Barton to the crowd. "We +are here as law-abiding citizens, demanding our right to free speech!" + +"You cannot speak," declared the policeman. + +"There has been bribery of the city council of Lockmanville," shouted +the doctor. + +"You cannot speak!" cried the policeman sharply. + +"Henry Hickman paid twenty thousand dollars to the city council to +prevent the passage of the water bill!" cried the speaker. + +"Come down from there!" commanded the officer, and made a grab at him. + +"I will not stop until I am arrested!" declared the doctor. "I am here +to protest against bribery!" + +"Come down and shut up!" shouted the other. + +"For shame! For shame!" said voices in the crowd. "Let him speak!" + +"That charge was made before the vestry of the St. Matthew's Church! +And the vestry refused to investigate it, and turned out a member of the +church! And we are here--" + +And so, still shouting, the doctor was dragged off the box and collared +by the policeman. + +"An outrage!" cried people in the audience. "Let him go on!" And yet +others shouted, "Arrest him!" The throng was in a turmoil; and in +the midst of it, Lippman, who was the second victim appointed for the +sacrifice, sprang upon the stump of an old tree, a little at one side, +and shrieked at the top of his lungs: + +"Henry Hickman paid twenty thousand dollars to Slattery to beat the +water bill; and now he and the Lockman estate are making ten thousand +dollars a month out of it! And Wygant confessed to our speaker that he +ran the city government to get franchise favors--" + +And then Lippman was seized by an officer and dragged off his perch, +and choked into silence--surrounded meanwhile by a crowd of indignantly +protesting citizens. It was quite clear by this time that the crowd had +come to hear Samuel's speech, and was angry at being balked. There was a +general shout of protest that made the policemen glad of their numbers. + +Of these exciting events Samuel and Everley had been witnesses from the +vantage point of a soap box. Now suddenly the boy caught his friend's +arm and pointed, crying, "Who's that man?" + +Near the outskirts of the thrown was a big burly individual, who had +been roaring in a furious voice, "For shame! Go on!" and waving his +fists in the air. + +"I don't know," said Everley. "I never saw him before." + +"An outrage!" yelled the man. "Kill the police! Smash them! Drive them +away!" + +And Everley caught the boy's arm, crying excitedly, "He's been sent +here, I'll wager! They want to provoke trouble!" + +And even as he spoke, the two saw the man stoop, and pick up a +brick-bat, and fling it into the center of the crowd, where the police +were massing. + +"Arrest that man!" shouted Everley indignantly, and leaped forward and +plunged through the throng to reach him. + +There was a roar from the crowd, and Samuel saw that several men had +grappled with the bully; he saw, also, that the police in the center of +the throng had drawn their clubs, and were beginning to strike at the +people. A burly sergeant was commanding them, and forcing back the crowd +by jabbing men in the stomachs. + +Meantime the next speaker, a woman, had mounted upon a box, and was +crying in a shrill voice: "We are Socialists! We are the only political +party which dares to speak for the working class of Lockmanville! We +protest against this outrage! We demand free speech! There has been +bribery in our city council!" + +Then suddenly the boy heard a disturbance behind him, and turned, just +in the nick of time. A fellow had thrust his way through the crowd +toward him, a rowdy with a brutal, half-drunken face. And Samuel saw him +raise his hand, with some dark object in it, and aim a smashing blow at +his head. + +The boy ducked and raised his arm. He felt a sharp, agonizing pain, and +his arm dropped helpless at his side. Something struck him across the +forehead, cutting a gash, out of which hot blood spurted, blinding him. +He heard Beggs, who was beside him, give a shout--"Down!" And realizing +that his life was aimed at, he dropped like a flash, and put his head +under him, covering it with one arm as well as he could. + +There was a struggle going on over him. Men were pushing and +shouting--and some one kicked him savagely upon the leg. He crawled on +a little way, still keeping his head down, underneath the feet of the +contendents. He heard Beggs shouting for help, and heard the Bremers +answering; he heard the roar of the throng all about, the sharp commands +of the police sergeant, and the crack of clubs, falling upon the heads +of men and women. And then he swooned, and lay there, his face in a pool +of his own blood. + +Meanwhile, one by one, three more speakers rose and made their attempts, +and were arrested, while the indignant people voiced their helpless +protests. Then suddenly, somewhere in the crowd, a woman began to sing. +Others took up the song--it swelled louder, until it rang above all +the uproar. It was the hymn that Samuel had heard at the meeting of the +local--The Red Flag! + +It took hold of the crowd--men followed the melody, even though they did +not know the words. They continued to sing while the police were leading +away their prisoners; they followed, all the way to the station house, +with shouts of protest, and of encouragement for the victims. + +And so the throng moved on, and the uproar died away. There was left +upon the scene a little group of frightened people, gathered about +two who lay upon the ground. One of them was Samuel, unconscious and +bleeding; and the other was Sophie, clinging to him and sobbing upon his +bosom, frantic with grief and fear. And meanwhile, in the distance one +could still hear the melody ringing: + +Yours is the power of club and jail, yours is the axe and fire, + +But ours is the hope of human hearts and the strength of the soul's +desire! + + + + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Samuel the Seeker, by Upton Sinclair + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SAMUEL THE SEEKER *** + +***** This file should be named 5961.txt or 5961.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/5/9/6/5961/ + +Produced by Charles Franks, Charles Aldarondo, and the +Online Distributed Proofreading Team + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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