The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1894-03-28
SELECTED STORY.
The Child of Sin.

ton.
Tambourines clashed and comets
blared in places made bright with the
splendor of saloon lamps. Gospel
hymns were shouted in alleys where
lurking footpads counted their spoils.
Earnest, poke -bonneted women passed
quietly in and out of dives where moral
outcasts were gathered together, and
where their words of invitation and
cheer, when not drowned in blasphe-
nous execration, were hearkened to
with insulting merriment.
UnpromisiDg soil it might have
seemed to a superficial observer, but
the astute directors of the campaign
knew better; and the captain, in the
daily laconic reports to headquarters g,
had been able to place on record gain
of eighteen souls in the space of forty
five minutes-a noteworthy achieve
ment, viewing the size of the hall,
which would only accommodate hun
dred persons, and the circumstance
that during the three days succeeding
thereafter only two of all the eighteen
fell to blacksliding.
On the night that English Harry and
the Saved Fireman passed into the hall
singing-Harry bleeding from cut on
the forehead and the Fireman minus
half an ear that had just been carried
away in water front melee-on that
very night a" longshoreman, who was
utterly unknown to the Salvation band,
fought for fifty minutes with and finally
came near killing foreign sailor who
had thoughtessly aspersed the charac-
ter of the captain in his (the long
shoreman's " hearing. From which it
will be seen that the Leather Swamp's
sentiments regarding the Army !"
were not unmixed.
So far as concerned the captain, how
ever, there was practical unanimity.
At headquarters she was regarded
with conspicuous favor. Her small staff
of adjutants and the rank and file of
her corps obeyed her blindly and de-
votedly. The human derelicts with
whom she came in contact IN turn
melted under her ministrations and
trembled beneath her exhortations and
rebukes. And, as has been seen, even
disinterested onlookers could be found
unsought, to wage most bloody battles
for her sake.
The Leather Swamp had never known
woman like unto her. True, there had
been brave, well-nurtured women
whose sense of duty had called them to
the slums, and they had wrestled with
evil there; but this one was different.
She was as we'll nurtured as they, and
as pure as they-the Leather Swamp
was sure of that, albeit she spoke largely
in its own vernacular, and loved to call
herself the Child of Sin. But while
the others never penetrated beyond
their ear passages, she-the captain
marched boldly into their hearts, and
abode there. How she did it they did
not stop to inquire; nor will we. 1t
may have been mere enthusiasm. 1t
may have been genius.
Her testimony" was always brief,
as such things should be. She told all
the sins that had stained her soul, and
strove to make the stains look black.
In despair at abasing herself, she would
cry, smiling her breast:
l am the Child of SIM"
They did not understand her, and
she seemed to suffer torment at her
very impotence of confession.
Away from the tense activity of the
street parade and the febrile agitation
OF the gospel meeting, she was practi-
cal. clear sighted and very human. An
intense quality of sympathy refined her
discernment to the point of intuition.
To the fallen she was at once sister and
mother. Yet she was no Magdalen,
and her years numbered barely twenty
five.
1t was a wet night, and the meeting
was drawing near its close. English
Harry was giving his testimony, and in
doing 80 had advanced from his as
signed post at the door to the middle
OF the hall. English Harry had been a
tout for a gambling establishment up
town. An undue Partially for whiskey
had so impaired his usefulness to his
patron that he had been incontinently
thrust forth upon the world, and had
gravitated rapidly to the water front
dives, whence he had been lifted BY
the saving hand of the captain.
His closing words were impressive.
Uniting familiarity and redundancy
OF allusion to things sacred which would
CRATE upon refined susceptibilities, his
peroration is here transcribed.
Ho, dear friends! Hits more blessed
to be ERE tonight. Hup yonder in
P"iotiui lOono w GIG ntu WuIu
millions wuz carousin' and blasphemin'
God, there wuz lights, champagne, an,
heveIy kind NV good things to heat an'
drink-free to hall as 'ud serve the
devil. Ere in this little 'all there's a
blessed salvation, an 'eavenly grace
an the peace that passeth hall hunder-
standin' 'eld bout to them as'll honly
take the trouble to seek 'em. Hits a
mean, dingy little 'all, brothers, but hi
got my fust taste of true 'appiness 'ere.
There hain't no carpet on the floor, but
there's peace an love. There hain't
no champagne, but there's the water of
life. There hain't no turkey, but
there's the mama of 'eaven. There
hain't no helectric light but the light
of that there 'eaven shines down on
heach an hevery one Nv us here to-
night. Ho, my brothers an sisters,
which'll ye choose? Ye're bound to
take yer pick, an hit hain't 30 very
lard wen ye come to think it out. Hits
never too late to mend, for it hain't
long since HiDglish AIRY, the gambler
and drunkard, found hout as low hits