The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-04-16
CAPT. GRACE.
Everyday Scenes in tho Life Of q
Salvation Lass
She Commenced the Day with . Prayer
for Strength and Ended 1t with an
Act of Heroism-How Her
Promotion Came.
icoPYRIGHr. 1871

COPYRIGHT. 1So3
Capt. Grace threw open the window
OF her tiny room and looked out at the
bright sunshine. the blue sky, the drift
ing. feecy clouds.
Glory to God"' she murmured, what
| perfect day"
Then she set the coffee on to boil.
toasted some bits of bread and boiled
an egg. Before taking of this simple
breakfast she bent her shapely brown
head and whispered:
Give me strength, Father, for to-
day"
That was Capt. Grace's daily morning
prayer. Strength to sustain her through
each days work; to help her bear the
haunting words, the insulting laughs.
the profanity and vile language hurled
at her on her rounds; strength to up
hold her in her visits to the slums and
to push open the swinging doors OF sa-
looms and attack the devil in his very
stronghold.
Capt. Grace was a beauty. and that
fact made her life all the harder The
face that looked out from the ugly army
bonnet was the face of an angel. with
its ivory-lihe complexion IN which roses
came and went; with its clear, resolute
turquois eyes, its dimple chin, straight
little nose and soft red lips. The plain
uniform of the Salvation Army, which
renders homely woman an absolute
fright by its very severity, only en-
phasized the loneliness of the girls face
q
warrior know her charms. She heard
them discussed by men on the street
corners, in cars, before the uptown
hotels and in the downtown saloons.
What bloomin' little daisy" said
the Fourth ward bum.
What little darling!" said the
Broadway connoisseur.
Capt. Grace often wished she were as
ugly as Ensign Jerusha, who was pocl1-
marked and squint-eyed, and thus es-
capped many of Satan's javelins. But
regular life, constant exercise and occu-
patton and high, pure thoughts combined
to produce beauty which grew from
day to day, and from which the earthly
elements were fast being eliminated.
III the SlullS SUE WdS huoNu, iOScC
and blessed Her small red hands had
pressed the aching head of the suffering
and scrubbed the floors of the slattern-
" Her smiles and tears had mingled
with those of the unfortunate of earth.
Her cheering words, gracious deeds and
prayers Were a sweet SAVIOR in the nos
trils of the despairing.
ArJ ,ra+ Govt yx-,c rrir1 With
a girls love of pleasure, pretty things.
ease and comfort. She hattlei fiercely
at times with these temptations, faint
and weary with warfare, longing to
Weld, to leave the strife, to taste hap
piness and human joy. But her con-
science ever sounded a trumpet call,
and Capt Grace, obeying, sprang again
to the conflict.
Just as she took down her dark blue
bonnet from the wall there came a
knock at the door She opened 1t.
Miss Francesca Fadd stood there.
Miss Francesca Fadd was rich. pretty.
kind hearted, generous and always had
a nice hobby horse to ride.
Just now her hobby horse was the
Salvation Army.
She had attended the meetings, wept
in her lace handkerchief, subscribed
literally and confded to her dear four
hundred that she felt herself chastened
and comforted. She had hunted up the
pretty captain, whose face had attract
ed her, and had made as great pet of
the girl as the young devotee would per-
nit
Good morning, dearest" said the
caller.
Good morning, dear Francesca" re-
piled the captain. Come in"
Francesca seated herself and took
long survey of her friend.
Have you decided, Grace?"
eyes. Francesca"
'Wen. you viii come with me-give
over this hard life. live with me, be my
companion and sister. You know am