Page:The leopard's spots - a romance of the white man's burden-1865-1900 (IA leopardsspotsrom00dixo).pdf/432

 of the multitude of souls dependent on him for bread, God only knows. It is said he has murdered the souls of many innocent girls in these mills—"

"Surely that is an exaggeration," broke in Halliday.

"On the other hand I believe the picture is far too mild. I tell you no human mind can conceive the awful brute power over the human body his millions hold under our present conditions of life."

There was a tinge of deep personal bitterness in the man's words that held Halliday in a spell while he continued,

"Under our present conditions men and women must fight one another like beasts for food and shelter. The wildest dreams of lust and cruelty under the old system of Southern slavery would be laughed at by this modern master."

He paused a moment in painful reverie.

"There lies his big yacht in the harbour now. She is just in from a cruise in the Orient. She cost half a million dollars, and carries a crew of fifty men. With them are beautiful girls hired at fancy wages connected with the stewardess' department. She ships a new crew every trip. Not one of those young faces is ever lifted again among their friends."

He paused again and a tear coursed down his face.

"I confess I am bitter. I loved one of those girls once when I was younger. She was a mere child of seventeen." His voice broke. "Yes, she came back shattered in health and ruined. I am supporting her now at a quiet country place. She is dying.

"Think of the farce of it all!" he continued passionately.

"The picture of that brute with a whip in his hand beating a negro caused the most terrible war in the history of the world. Three millions of men flew at each