[The Friendly Road by Ray Stannard Baker]@TWC D-Link bookThe Friendly Road CHAPTER X 18/26
The world has been lagging behind in its sense of brotherhood, and we now have the Socialists knit together in a fighting friendship as fierce and narrow in its motives as Calvinism, pricking us to reform, asking the cogent question: "Are we not all brothers ?" Oh, we are going a long way with these Socialists, we are going to discover a new world of social relationships--and then, and then, like a mighty wave; will flow in upon us a renewed and more wonderful sense of the worth of the individual human soul.
A new individualism, bringing with it, perhaps, some faint realization of our dreams of a race of Supermen, lies just beyond! Its prophets, girded with rude garments and feeding upon the wild honey of poverty, are already crying in the wilderness. I think I could have remained there at the Socialist meeting all night long: there was something about it that brought a hard, dry twist to my throat.
But after a time my friend Bill Hahn, evidently quite worn out, yielded his place to another and far less clairvoyant speaker, and the crowd, among whom I now discovered quite a number of policemen, began to thin out. I made my way forward and saw Bill Hahn and several other men just leaving the platform.
I stepped up to him, but it was not until I called him by name (I knew how absent minded he was!) that he recognized me. "Well, well," he said; "you came after all!" He seized me by both arms and introduced me to several of his companions as "Brother Grayson." They all shook hands with me warmly. Although he was perspiring, Bill put on his overcoat and the old fur hat with the ears, and as he now took my arm I could feel one of his bulging pockets beating against my leg.
I had not the slightest idea where they were going, but Bill held me by the arm and presently we came, a block or so distant, to a dark, narrow stairway leading up from the street. I recall the stumbling sound of steps on the wooden boards, a laugh or two, the high voice of a woman asserting and denying.
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