“How can you utter such cruel and untrue words,” Edith exclaimed with angry excitement. “Never has the thought entered my mind that your feelings toward me, your friend for over ten years, were anything but brotherly affection”.
“It is time to end this conversation”, interposed Dr. Leete, “after the explanations given, Mr. Fest undoubtedly feels, that our relations can not be continued”.
“Of course, our relations can not be continued”, cried Mr. Fest in a rage. “I leave you now, and give you, now and here, fair warning that I shall not enter your house again as a friend. If I ever come again, it will be as an enemy to be avenged for the destruction of my happiness and the peace of my heart. Beware of that day”!
The reckless manner in which this man addressed Edith and her father aroused my anger, and, entering the room I said; “Please save your cheap pathos for amateur theatricals and leave this room at once”.
The man before me was about six feet and three inches tall, with broad shoulders and two heavy fists. He looked down upon me with an ironical glance and said: “I will spare you this time, old man, but the next occasion that you indulge in impudent language, I will put you in a bag and dump you into Massachusetts Bay”.
Before I could answer this pleasing threat, Mr. Fest had left the room and the house.
“Who is this man?” I asked, turning to Dr. Leete, with no attempt to conceal my displeasure.
“He is a machinist, a very able man in his trade and a captain in the industrial army”, explained the doctor. “His parents lived next door and when he was a boy, he used to play with Edith”.
“If I were to judge the social manners of the officers of the industrial army, by the experience of this hour, I should have to say that civilization has moved very slowly and rather backward than ahead”, I remarked.
“It is an extraordinary case of atavism”, said Dr. Leete. “Such hotheadedness is very rare in our days”.