The evening times., 1896-01-13
brought 1t to a close as suon as could
by telling her had to go 10 place
10 see about work In the AFTERNOON.

by telling her 1 had to go TO place
70 see about work In the AFTERNOON.
RENTING HER ROOM.
We locked up the little house and went
down the street to a corner where there
was saloon with public pump In. front
of it. A woman carrying a paii OF water
and stopping the freezing fluid lser her
shoes straggied away from 1t as we came
| along. She had sha WI half over her head;
calico skirt swished in the wind
She looked at US with vacant stare.
We crossed diagoDally this street aud en-
tered a court. 1t was narrow. lane Of red
| brick houses about block long built iu
| the rear OF another row. At Que end it
led into a livery barn, at the other into a
wall.
IL was called Gordon's avenue. didn't
see why 1t wasn't termed boulevard aud
done with it. The rear door Of the livery
barn was open. and a corpulent man and
stoIid looking woman loafed in the door
way watching u coiored boy trot sick horse
up and down the alley.
Children, with stockings down and hatless,
ran in and out of the doors along the
court. Cur dogs skulked about looking for
possible bones. mau with his hands in
slouched sullenly toward the saloon on the
corner. 1 was searching eagerly for the
picturesque. 7
There was a sort Of Zolalstic atmosphere
round about, that might have been COLI
verted into something literary. To me it
was squalor. Here 1 was going to be
incarnated as a pauper, and felt at once
the horrors OF environment acing upon ne.
We paused before one'of the doors and
knocked. A clamor within was squashed,
and after pa use the door was thrown open
by a big, slovenIy woman. She had rag
ged, dirty hair twisted up in knot ON her
head, thick, protruding lips, With suIlen.
sensual. snarling look about them, bulging
eyes, that looked like dissipation.
She invited us in ungraciously, and told
us to sit down. She was about as ungra-
cious woman as / ever saw, considering
the fact that my missionary was helping
her right along, and regarded ber as a
worthy case. She was even ungracious
when she learned what we were after.
THERE WAS NO BED
She said'she didn't have a room; that
might have the room we were i'll, but there
was 10 bed. The room we were in opened
directly OH the street. 1t had the dirtiest
carpet on it that it has ever been my fate to
see.
There was a table In the room, with a
filthy rag of spread on it. There was a
very comfortablc-looking lounge and some
chairs. On the walls were cheap pic
lures and some framed portraits. The
lounge was piled full of a miscellany that
could not analyze. - 4
1t was not an inviting room, and 1 was
not sorry there was no bed in it. The
clamor which had been silenced for mo-
ment Oh our entrance, and which bad been
followed by continuation of peeps through
the door into the kitcbcn-peeps which
elected howls from the lady of the house.
and which closed with precipitous bangs Of
the donr-this clamor rose ever and anon
and bore upon its waves of sound fra agments
OF shrieks and howis, poundings On a boiler
or dishpan, raspings OF some sharp surface
across some metal. These sounds were SO
distracting that it was rather bard for
me to pay attention tothis lady's tale Of woe.
While she talked the door was burst open
and girl of about twelve came In from
the street. She had a fierce air of busi-
ness, her hair was braided in little stump,
her dress was too short a nd was composed
OF various heterogeneous garments.
She had the general appearance of having
great cares on her shoulders and rather |
liking the responsibility. She backed up |
against the door TO shut it, and then stop
ping TO snuffle minute and take in the |
situation as best she could al a glance, re-
her part Of geDeralship and, hav-
ing shouted some Intelligence to her moth |
er. tore Violently out to the kitchen and |
proceeded to right matters according. TO |
her comprehension out there.
The poor little woman seemed to have |
vigor enough for a regiment. 1t seems |
great pity that she should be growing up |