THE BRIDAL TRIP.
With a roll of statistics in hand and Ruth on his arm Ralph proceeded to
the Golden Rule President's office the next morning after the marriage.
As they entered the hall they heard some one singing in a deep, melodious
voice.
"That's the President," whispered Ralph, crushing Ruth's arm to his side.
"It's his morning matin. I think he composes it as he goes along.
Sometimes he sings the Golden Rule mayor's songs."
"Did you ever hear anything so quaint and touching, Ralph?"
"Never, Ruth, outside of '_Friends' Meeting_,' where I used to go with
Grandma when I was a kid. They sang their sermons and sometimes they were
very touching."
"O, listen! He's singing plainer now, Ralph!"
"As long as you please, dear," said Ralph. The rascal was only too glad to
listen, with Ruth's pretty head leaning against his shoulder and her fair
cheek within kissing distance, while the following words came rolling
forth in a heartful voice:
"Co-workers with God! What a mission for men.
What a promise! What glory awaits us then,
When once we awake and our destiny see!
The angels I'm sure might envious be.
All hail to God's workers! Our race they will save
From the foul name of 'master,' or 'idler' or 'slave.'"
"O, I like that, Ralph," whispered Ruth, after the singing had ceased. "It
sounds so hearty and helpful--better than cathedral music for poor mortals
like ourselves. I know he will help us. Let us go in now."
Ralph was in no hurry; but Ruth pressed him eagerly forward. She would not
wait even for the proffered kiss. She rapped at the door.
"No need of ceremony here," laughed Ralph. He opened the door and they
walked in.
The President was at his desk swinging his pen as vigorously as he had
been using his voice a moment before. He did not stop until he came to a
period. Then he arose quickly and extended both hands.
"Glad to see you, Norwood, and twice glad to see--"
"My wife," stammered Ralph--the words were new to him and the sound was
new to Ruth. They both blushed and the President asked as he shook a hand
of each:
"How long since, Norwood? I didn't know you were married. It must be
newly. I see you haven't gotten used to saying '_my wife_?'"
"Only since last evening," replied Ralph.
"And you brought her to see me early this morning," said the President,
slapping his shoulder while he retained Ruth's little hand in his powerful
grasp. "Bless you! You are a good fellow, Norwood. You are giving me a
rare treat. It's seldom a man brings his wife to call on me and never a
newly-wedded one. I like the idea, though. It shows you are thinking of
others' pleasure as well as your own. That's the right kind of love to
have even in the beginning."
"She chose it for her wedding trip," laughed Ralph confusedly. Then he
recovered himself and added seriously: "She was very anxious to see you
and speak with you, and she would not wait a moment longer."
"Come and sit down," said the President. "We will talk. We will reason
together if need be."
After they were seated Ruth took a little miniature from her pocket and
handed it to him.
"Please look at the picture so you will understand exactly how I feel and
why I appeal to you," said Ruth.
"That's right! just right! People don't half understand each other. That's
the reason why they often seem so hard and unsympathetic." Then he put on
his glasses and looked at the picture.
"What a beautiful face! How spiritual! It almost seems as though I had
seen one that looked a little like it." He gave her a keen glance.
[Illustration: GOING TO VISIT THE PRESIDENT.]
She shook her head. "You never saw him surely--my beautiful little brother
Laurens Cornwallis. He died seven years ago this Fourth of July--Papa and
Ralph and Dr. Muelenberg found him lying alone in the woods on the river
bank, all torn and mangled with fireworks. It was a dreadful sight and an
awful mystery! but probably you never heard of it."
"I was abroad then but it strikes me that I read of some such accident.
Probably an outline of it and that there was something wrong about it; but
I want to hear more. I want to hear all about the wrong things that have
been, or are being done in this town. My belief is that private wrongs are
too often hushed up. They ought to be talked about in the open, as a rule,
and even where they are of a private nature they should be talked of in
the right way and to the right persons."
Thus encouraged, Ruth told more fully than she had ever done before, the
effect of her brother's death on herself--of the visions she had when the
brain fever was at its height--of the colossal shadow of Millionaire
Schwarmer looming into the sky scattering implements of death and
destruction everywhere--of the white-winged figure of her brother flying
along with the upward look, toward a pit of writhing, fiery, serpents--how
she fancied that she ran after him and really did call and call for him
to come back; and how Ralph came instead and made her think he was Laurens
and the delusion saved her.
"And so you have married your delusion. Bless your heart, you have done
just right," laughed the President, but there was a suspicion of tears in
his eyes and Ruth went on:
"I was only eleven years old then. My brain was saved, but I was a
physical wreck. Year after year for seven years papa and mamma took me to
Canada to save me from the horror of our National Day! Only think of that.
Flying away from it and trying to hide my fears of it. You are right about
'_speaking out_.' I think now if I had been encouraged to speak of it
freely and do something to remedy it, I need not to have gone away, at
least, so many times; but poor mamma and papa! They were so broken down
they couldn't bear to talk about it--papa especially; but I know now that
it would have been better for him if he had. His hair was a beautiful
brown when little Laurens died, but now it's as white as snow! And there
are others that ought to speak out plainly. There have been a great many
accidents here since Mr. Schwarmer's advent. None of them have been quite
so bad and mysterious as my little brother's, but they have been too bad
to pass by and have been increasing every year. Ralph will show you that
it is so."
After the statistics were read and commented upon, Ruth broke out: "It's
coming again. It's almost here. We know dreadful things will happen if we
don't watch and watch and do everything we can to prevent them and stir
everybody up to do the same. You can help us, I know you can."
"Bless your heart! That's just what I'm here for, to help everybody. I can
help you stir up the people. I will call a mass meeting for this very
evening, and you and your delusion will be there in the front row--and the
curtains will all be torn away from this beastly Fourth of July business.
He will read the figures and you will tell your story and encourage every
hurt soul to do likewise. This is what I believe in. What I don't believe
in, is _forcing_ people to do things. But I _do_ believe in warming them
up to do right things. I don't believe in masterings, bossings, tie-ups or
hold-ups; but I do believe in explainings, urgings and entreatings."
"The Rev. Dr. Normander tried the gentler method with Schwarmer at the
time of Lauren's death," said Ralph, "and he declared that Independence
Day was a sacred day and that he had as good a right to distribute free
fireworks on that day as a minister had to distribute free religious
tracts on the Lord's Day, or words to that effect."
"O the idiot!" exclaimed the President. "I would _not_ punch his head and
make more of an idiot of him; but if I could get my eye on his free
fireworks I would destroy them as I would a nest of rattlesnakes. I would
let him see that I know the difference between good and evil--between God
and the devil, by an illustrative example."