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Opposing pages with varying colouration or discolourations are filmed twice to ensure the best possible image / Les pages s'opposant ayant daa colorations variables ou des decolorations sont film^es deux fois afin d'obtenir la meilleure image □ Thia KwntofNiMdattlMradiwtfonratioelMetedbctow/ lOx 14x 18x 22x 26x 30x 12X 20x 24X I I I I I I 2tX UK. Th« copy filmed h«r« ha* batn r«produc«d thanks to tlw 9«n«rMity of: L'axamplaira filmi fut reproduit grica A la 04n4ro»it* da: National Library of Canada Mblfvthtqu* nationale du Canada Tha imagaa appaaring hara ara tha baat quality potsibla contidaring tha condition and legibility of tha original eopy and in keeping with the fHmlng eontraet ipaclfieMiofw. Original copies in printed peper covers are filmed beginning with tha front cover and ending on tha last page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, or the beck cover when appropriate. 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Les sxemplaires originaux dont la couverture en papier est imprimte sont filmte en eommen^ant par la premier plat et en terminant soit par la derniire page qui comports una empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration, soit par le second plot, selon le cas. Tous lea autras axemplaires originaux sont filmte en commandant par la pramiire page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration at an terminant par la derni4re pege qui comporte une telle ampralnta. Un das symbolas suivants tpparaitra sur la darniire image de chaque microfiche, selon le cas: la symbola — signifie "A SUIVRE". le symbola ▼ signifie "FIN". Les cartes, pienches, tableaux, etc.. peuvent itre filmte A des taux de reduction diffirsnts. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul clichi. il est filmi A partir da Tangia supArieur gauche, de gauche i droite, et de haut en bas, an prenant le nombre d'images nicessaire. I.es disgrammas suivants iiluatrant la mAthoda. 1 2 3 4 5 6 MICROCOPY RESOLUTION TEST CHAIT (ANSI ond ISO TEST CHART No. 2) THB^\Ci ^^^^^ SU^Cpij^df FAILURE TAPMAN mummo compant NSW YORK PS 3 S3 /?/3 Copyright, 191 3, by TAPMAN PUBUSHING COMPANY 1 2b tjm vAo made the writing' 4f tkU book possible CONTENTS PAGE I Tn UvraMH GmtT 7 11 Two DocTOH AMD A Nmn ... 36 III Tb« DocTon Call Upon Doiothy . 49 IV LowTH-^, THE New Appucant, mid A Cali. laoii Mm. Gonon . . 59 V FtAlfX IirSTALLID Ilf Tit* "HOMB- uvwG Place" 73 VI Doctor Rom axb DoiofBY Go 101 Theik Rob ^ VII Mrs. Arcbm Ri c o ai t iiM av Ols Friend lOj VIII An Old AcQUAiirrAWCMliiF RimnrED 118 IX Frank Keeps His ApfomnctilT WITH THE Doctor ....... tag X Mrs. Gordon's Discdvemy . . . 135 XI Mrs. Archer Bbcomm Eahhah Thompson CONTENTS CHAPTER p^QB XII Frank's Indisposition and a Tele- phone Call from Mrs. Gordon . 153 XIII Mrs. Thompson Visits Her Daughter 160 XIV A Talk with Dorothy and the Selection of Roads 177 XV Frank Enters the Hospital of the New Birth XVI Doctor Ross Keeps His Appointment WITH D0K)THY 204 XVII Dorothy Bids Doctor and Mrs. Gonx>N Fasbwell 217 XVIII The Mapsiact . . . . . . . 236 XIX Hannah Learns of the Doctor's Marriage 249 XX Mrs, Thompson Gets a Gumpse of THE "Home-living Place" . . a66 XXI Frank, Restored to Health, Leaves THE Hospital op the New Birth 380 XXII Frank Again Visits the Shack . agi The Success of Failure CHAPTER I ^ THE UNBin»N GUEST IN addition to the driving wind and the density of the night, a heavy rain was fuS&ag yrhea die last train for the day puUed into the little station of Petentown. Its only passenger, a man, alighted and made his way to where the station-agent was standing upon tiie platform, and immediately inquired of him where he could secure a conveyance to take him out to his shack, a distance of about three miles. "I'm sorry, sir," informed the agent, "but I don't know of anyone who would be willing to hitch up and drive you out on such a nig^t as this." "Then, I shall have to waOc,'* said tlw man, and he raised his hands and adjusted the collar of his eoat more securely about his neck. "Why not put up at the hotel for the night?" sug- gested the agent. "You will find little trouble in get- ting someone to drive you out in the morning." 7 S The Success of Pailur* "Thank you." said tlie man, stooping over to turn up h.s trousers at each ankle, "but I am determined to reach there tonight." "We have had considerable rain and the roads, I hear are far from good. I shouldn't advise you to try ,t, and the agent shook his head dissuasively, "for it _vvc,uldnt be any fun tosing the road a night like thelt^^n^"'' ^f"Z^- ^^^^'•theless, I shall make walkM^Sr''. f T^""^ S^^"'ght the man walked off mto the darkness and lonesomeness of a country road. tiJfnrpt'*^"^ '^^'^ ''''^y ^^^^ the sta. shack nd his only reason tonight for continuing on to Peterstown was to avoid the possible mee^ of SI remembered nghtly, after ttirning the comer, was straight and level for. perhaps, a mile, when it tnmed to the left and led over two long, steep hills, and then went off to the right imothe woods This part of the road, he recalTe^X shorten their iottmey by a mile to the next town. After an hour of sttimbHng and groping in the dark he turned in at what wa. caOed tte WoX The Unbidden Guest 9 an additional five minutes' walk brought him to the gate of the little pathway leading to the shack, or roughly built bungalow. Very tired from striving with the wind and wet from the heavy rain, he pushed open the gate and walked up the path and unlocked the door. Enter- ing, he stood motionless for a number of seconds before striking a match, then carrying it he felt his way over to the mantel-piece on the side of the room opposite the door, where he found a candle-stick, in which was a small piece of candle. This he lit, and then walked back and closed the door. The dim light disclosed a large room, in which could gradually be discerned a table in the center, a couch on the side away from the door to the left, a book-case to the right and under the mantel-piece a large fire-place, in which were laid logs of .vood ready for lighting. On one side of the fire-place was a large arm-chair and on the other side a smaU rocking-chair. Standing near the door was a hat-rack, upon which oar acquaintance, Mr. Franklin Thompson, hung his hat and coat. The room was evidently one which served two purposes, that of living-room and hall. Franklin Thompson, or Frank, as we shall caU him, after hanging up his hat and coat, drew a chair, hitherto not visible, from a dark comer of the room and placed it by the table. He seated himself upon it and took from the inside pocket of his coat a small '° The Success of Failure noTnr 'V "^^^ ^ There will be no more tomorrows to follow the nights, no more Sr?!.' r """'^ facing. This time I shall succeed." thinf TJ?" r,!;" P'^™''^ ^'"'^^'^ ^his same hl f ^ ? « this room of heta^:^ ' u'' '°"^^*>' ^"^ truthfulness, he had rtated emphatically that it should be his. And ZZe Jw "^'^ surroundings to the home of his youth, a failure. His gaze leaves the bottle and travels slowlv and S rr "early *u* room. It then comes back to his folded arms restmg upon the table, and hi, h. .d slowlv^veT^^ sbwly-droops until it reaches the folded arms and there rem-s while his thoughts go baclc overThe pTst m?nv effol o ^ "f disappointments, his hasToul^?!^^'''^*'?* the battles he has fought and lost. Could he have exchanged for the practices of the world the principles under^Sng ri^ But ''J '"T' '''''' would have sS! „S^h^'"f ^""^ himself to «I1 h,8 manhood for a mess of pottage. For him to The Unbidden Guest n attain success, other than by worthy means, was out of the question, and to have accepted it at any other price would have meant failure, although of a different kind he well knew. ' How very tired, how thoroughly wearied he is of this walking in the dark these many years! The one thing now he desires most is rest; to get away from Life's continual questioning, to go to sleep rnd never wake, to be able to forget and to be forgotien. No longer does he wish for another existence, and he cares nothmg for its rewards nor its punishments. So wholly absorbed in painful recollection is he, that he hears not a gentle and persistent knocking, nor is he aroused by the opening and closing of the door, and IS totally obUvMUs to the sound of a woman's tired and faltering step and the trailii^ of her rain-soaked gar- ments as she crosses the room. She is hatless and coatless and her hair, in wet disorder, hangs over her shouWers, and in the dim candle light her face looks wan and worn. At the sight of the man, seated beside the table, a sigh of relief and satisfaction escapes her, and sitting down upon the couch she watches mtently the motionless figure upon the chair. The candle is slowly burning out, and not a sound is heard, save for the rain pattering on tlie roof and the swishing of the ram4Mitiied branches of the trees outside. The Success of Failure An hour, or more, has pasied. and she is sriU watch- mg rhen, with a groan, he raises his head and outs out h. hand for the bottle. His fingers ctse upo' and he proc*«ds to draw out the cork, still unmSu of the sUent %«re which now rises and moves qu" e iv o h,s s.de. He raises the botUe to his lips anS n a few moments what he has come here to ^^nLl been done; but as he is about to pour its contTnts inln and unbidden guest, and with authority she draws it down until his arm rests with the other upon the teWe and the vial, released from the now tremS^ finZl:' falls to the ground, spilling its contents. ^ ^ ' u "^^^^ sputters and goes out It is the hour before dawn and afl is in darLss. The rain has ceased, and all that can be heard i. u- , the wind through the treT * ^ "^'^'"^^ Surprised, and not a little alarmed, by this interfer o"? the"^^ 'TTT '^^'^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Of the room, fully alive to the fact that he is not alonp Someone is here, but who? He is not hyly m^. o hhtS '^iiV°*t r'^; controftheS;^ whoivSn^hu 7 '"^ ^'^"^ ^^^^ foot is whoHy incapable of commanding his voice. After mak mg many vain attempts to speak, he is muTh reiiTxtl when the voice of the woman, iow-tcnS^" breaks the silence, and she says : ^ The Unbiddtn Gnm 13 "You are greaUy agitated; be quiet and do not try to talk. As briefly as possible I wiU explain my pres- ence here. An important errand called me out tonight and I was caught in the storm. From the road I saw the feeble light of the candle shining through the win- dow and, being unable to proceed further, I turned into the path leading to the door, upon which I knocked many times but received no answer. Encouraged by the silence within I opened the door and entered." When she had finished speaking, Frank with a long, shuddering sigh settled back in his chair without utter- ing a word. Was he sorry, he questioned, that he had been prevented from carrying out the purpose of his visit to the shack? He did not know. Was he glad? He did not know. That he was still here, when he ex- pected to be he krow not where, was evident. He shivered, and for the first time that night he began to feel the cold dampness of the room . My, but he was cold! Then he remembered his unbidden guest; she must be cold, also, for her clothes, like his, were rain- soaked. Turning his head in the ifoectkm from which her voice had come, he said unsteadily : "You, I am sure, must be suffering from the coki and dampness of the night." "Yes," she replied, shivering, "I am cold." Without saying another word, Frank stretched out '4 The Success ef FaUme a much bestiflFened leg and put his hand in a pocket of Ins trousers and brought out a box of matches. Strik- mg one upon its side, he rose shakUy to his feet and walking slowly carried it carefully over to the fire- place and applied it to the paper and loose bark that was under the wood. A bright blaze which lit up the room was the result, and he saw, seated upon the couch, a young woman about whose age one could not be H^l* '^''''^ ^"'■"^^ "P to him was ghastly pale and infinitely sad. Her dress was wet. the aCrr'f^:[ '^"^ ^" ^'^^ '^''y V turned away and walked over to the window and hght of anodw day was breaking through the clouds The night had passed and the day from asleep was awakening. He stood there looking out, and a war of conflicting emotions raged within him. Somcthine irreater and stronger than he had hitherto known was t7l T?'"*^, gasped, gassed and struggled, as it fought for supremacy. On and on, as the minutes passed, it strove, beating back and crushing out all resisting force. . It won^e no longer resisted ; he submitted. As the strife ceased, he «ined his head wearily against the window frame, and hirjlt, °^!ri^^"» * commanding silence, bidding him be still, and for ti« first time in his Hfe he rested The Unbidden Guest 15 Then there rose up within him a great longing to be Mid to do, and was as a man awakened from a long, long sleep, refreshed and strengthened. It was daylight when Frank raised his head and apin looked out of the window. The sun had raised his head from the soft pillow of gray and was bathing the sky with bright rays of golden red. The trees unaffected by the storm, stoM as proudly erect as ever' and the earth, clad in her mantle of green. looked marvelously fresh and young. Nature was singing her morning hymn in magnificent silence. When Frank at last turned away from the window he found his guest of the night standing on the rug before the fire. He wondered how long she had been standing there Gliding himself for his remissness, he stepped quickly over to the hat-rack and from behind it he drew a large folded reclining chair. This he opener' and placed at a comfortable distance from the fire, and said : ' "Won't you sit down here and rest?" Jhank you," she replied, seating herself in the chair Picking up tiie poker Frank stirred up the burning logs of wood and then went out through a door which led into the kitchen, returning shortly carrying in his arms more logs. Three he placed upon the fire and the remaining two he laid upon the rug After replenishing the fire, Frank turned to his guest i6 The Success of Failure and was about to ask her if she found the chair com- fortable and if she felt at all rested, when, to his sur- prise, b* found she had fallen asleep. It was now his turn to watch. Whp could she be? he queried as he sat down in the arm-chair a short distance away. What errand could have taken her out so late at night in the storm? As he sat there, his eyes travelled over her face and noted the broad, white forehead, fn»n which tiie hair in a damp, dark mass fell back, the prettily curved eye-brows, the closed lids, the well-shaped nose, the HKnith which was neither small nor large, and the firmly rounded chin. As she slefrt the lines of care left her face and into its paleness Acre crept a faint pink. The sun had been up an hour and was pouring his warm rays Arough the window when she awoke. Frank had not stirred from his seat at the comer of the fire-place. Sitting up she regarded him out of a pair of dark-brown eyes with a look of mournful in- terrogation, and asked : "How long have I been asleep?" "About an hour," answered Frank, looidng at his watch as he ro«e from his chair. "It is now six o'clock." "It is late," she said, "and my work is not yet done." "She sto^ d up and her hair, with which the wind The UnbiddeH Guest ,7 and rain had played havoc, fell down her back in a Ttt T ? ''f^' P^"^ ^''^'^^h had held . to her head shrped out upon the floor. Stooping down she picked them up .nd with her h^d! laTked •'What a diflFerence the condition of the weather makes m our appreciation of the outside world. laS night, we, anxious to escape from the*howling. drivh^ shelfer"'™ "i"' ^ s h.!^ u ^^^'^ *y » '^^^'^ and the earth IS baskmg m the warm rays of the sun. The storm is forgotten and nature is aglee." "That is true of the country, I think," replied Frank r««mi«g his seat, "but in the large cities' whh heir' many conveniences I am not k» st« that it r^ say that a clear sky ,s not preferable to clouds nor that wither. But-take transportation, for instance-there ZT"^' ,7^' -^^-t a large dty For the wealthy and the not so wealthy there Z thetlbwf • "^'"^^^ workin/class^h^^^ t the subways the elevated, surface cars and bus lines notCJ m/" the weather dc^s not materially affect dty people.'* i8 The Success of Failure "Why do you say 'the ordinary working-class'?" she uked, regarding Frank curiously. "I have been Uught to regard all human beings as extraordinary." "Evidently the knowledge imparted to you by your teachers was not acquired in a large city with an ex- cess populatkm of working people," said Frank, laugh- ing, "or you would readily understand why I use that phrase." "What makes them ordinary?" she asked, sitting down in her chair. "Well, I don't know, but I suppose one would say their position in life." Slowly raising her eyes she regarded him wonder- ingly, and said : "Life is an unbidden guest and knows no degree, and with it is endowed every member of the human family. Its source may only be found m the Greater Life. How then can members belonginp' to that family have different positions in life ? There is only the one.'' "Tbey have, just the same," stubbornly replied Frank. "An^ bitter is the war waged between indi- viduals for tL positions." ' Is not thai i singular situation, the fighting of humanity against itself?" she asked wonderingly. ^'Humanity does not regard it as such." "Is the result of the warfare satisfoctoryr "Taking it as a whole, I axn sorry to say, it is iK>t Tkt Unbiditn Gmtt ,p The weak are forced to give place to the strong, drop- pmg o«t one by one. from the ranks, and little; if anyi hing ,s known of them themfter. The ttnmg who take the,r place m time become weak and are. fa turn replaced by others more vigorous. And so it goes on' Uron^^ ^ it iiot r *