Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1899-09-28
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NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.,
IN HIS STEPS.
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copyrighted and published in book form bu the
Adtnrce Publishing Co. of Chicago.

own changed with look of utter hor
Tor. The girls in the carriage were
smitten into helpless astonishment. The
saloon keeper had come to the door Of
the saloon and was standing there look
ing on, with his hands on his hips, anG
the Rectangle from its windows, it.
saloon steps, its filthy sidewalk, gutter
and roadway paused and with undis
gulsed wonder stared at the two girls
Over the scene the warm sun of spring
poured its mellow light. A faint breath
of music from the band stand in thu
park fioated into the Rectangle. The
concert had begun. and the fashion ant
wealth of Raymond were displaying
themselves up town on the boulevards.
When Virginia left the carriage and
went to Loreen, she had no definite idet
as to what she would do or what The
result of her action would be. She sim
ply saw a soul that had tasted of the
JOY of better life slipping back agar
into its old hell of shame and death
! and before she had touched the drunken
girls arm she had asked only one ques
ton. "What would Jesus dor" THAI
question was becoming with her, a.
with many others, a habit of life.
She looked around now as she STOOD
close by Loreen, and the whole scene
was cruelty vivid to her. She though
first of the girls in the carriage.
n sc Drive or, Tor, ~ xr,o;< e., ~
going to see my friend here home. I" sh,
said, calmly enough
The girl with the red parasol seemed
to gasp at the word friend, when Vir
GINA spoke it. She did not say any
thing. The other girls seemed speech
less.
go on. I cannot go back with you, >
said Virginia.
The driver started the horses slowly
One of the girls leaned little out O
the carriage.
Cant we-that is-do you wan
our help9 Couldn't we
mo, nol exclaimed Virginia. OF
cannot be Of any use to me. -
The carriage moved on. and Virgin.
was alone with her charge. 4
She looked up and around. Man,
faces in the crowd were sympathetic
They were not all cruel or brutal. TIL,
Holy Spirit had softened a good deal O
the Rectangle.
where does she liver asked vir
ginia.
| No one answered. 1t occurred to Vir
ginia afterward, when she had time t,
think it over, that the Rectangle showed
delicacy in its sad silence that would
have done credit to the boulevard.
For the first time it flashed upon he,
that the immortal being who was flung
like wreckage upon the shore of Thu
earthly shell called the saloon had n,
place that could be called home.
[ The girl suddenly wrenched her arm
from Virginia's grasp In doing it sh,
nearly threw Virginia down.
''You shall not touch mel Leave me
Let me go to hell That's where 1 be
Ilongi The devil is waiting for mel Sc,
himl' she exclaimed hoarsely. Sh,
turned and pointed with shaking fin
ger at the saloon keeper. The Grove
laughed.
] Virginia stepped up to her and pu
her arm about her.
"Loreen, !" she said firmly. "com'
with me. You do not belong to hell
You belong to Jesus. and he will saw,
| you. Come.
The girl suddenly burst into tears
She was only partly sobered by tn,
shock of meeting Virginia.
Virginia looked around again
Where does Mr.. Gray liver" sh,
asked She knew the evangelist board
cd somewhere near that tent.
A number of voices gave her the di
Eection.
HCome, Loreen. want you to n
with me to Mrs Gray's, she said, still
keeping her hold of the swaying. trem
bling creature. who still moaned ant
tobbed and now chung to Virginia a.
before she had repulsed her
So the two moved on through the
Rectangle toward the evangelist's lodg
sng place. The sight seemed to impress.
the Rectangle seriously. 1t never tool
itself seriously when it was drunk, bu1
this was different. The fact that one Of
the most beautifully dressed girls il
Raymond was taking care of one of the
Rectangls's most notorious characters
who reeled along under the influence Of
liquor, was D fact astonishing enough
to throw more or less dignity and i'm
portance about Loreen herself The
event Of Loreen stumbling through tn,
gutter dead drunk always made tn,
Rectangle laugh and jest, but Loree1
staggering along with a young lady
from the society circles sup town sup
porting her was another thing TIL,
Rectangle viewed it with soberness ant
more or less wondering admiration.
When they reached Mr.. Gray s board
ing place, the woman who answered
Virginia's knock said that both Mr.. ant
Mrs. Gray were out somewhere AMI
would not be back until o'clock.
Virginia had not planned anythin,
further than a possible appeal to th
Grays either to take charge Of Loreel
for awhile or find some safe place 70
sher until she was sober again. She stoo'