The true northerner., 1899-11-15

bers of his parish had been driven to
their Enees in prayer than during all
: the previous term of his pas5orate.
When she rose. her beautiful face
was wet with tears. She sat thought
fully little while and then wrote
note to Virginia Page. She sent it to
her by messenger and then went down
| stairs again and told her mother that
she and Virginia were going down to
the Rectangle that evening TO see Mr..
and Mrs Gray, the evangelists.
"Virginia's $ uncle, DIR. West will go
with us if she goes l have asked her TO
call him up by telephone and go with
us. The doctor is friend of the Grays
and attended some of the meetings last
winter ="
Mrs Winslow did not say anything.
Her manner showed her complete dis
approval of Rachel course, and Rachel
felt her unspoken bitterness.
About clock the doctor and Vir-
ginia appeared, and together the three
started for the scene of the White Cross
meetings.
The Rectangle was the most notori-
GUS district in all Raymond. 1t was in
the territory close by the great railroad
shops and the packing houses. The slum
and tenement district of Raymond con-
gested its most wretched elements about
the Rectangle. This was barren field
used in the summer by circus COM
panies and wandering showmen. 1t
was shut in by rows of saloons, gam
bling hells and cheap, dirty boarding
and lodging houses.
The First church of Raymond had
never touched the Rectangle problem.
1t was too dirty, too coarse, too sinful,
too awful, for close contact. Let us be
honest. There had been an attempt to
cleanse this sore spot by sending down
an occasional committee of singers, of
Sunday school teachers or gospel Wis
| itors from various churches, but the
church of Raymond as an institution
had never really done anything to make
| the Rectangle any less stronghold OF
| the devil as the years went by.
Into this heart of the coarse part of
the sin of Raymond the travelling evan
gelist and his brave little wife had
meetings. 1t was the spring of the year.
and the evenings were beginning to be
| pleasant. The evangelists had asked for
the help of Christian people and had
received more than the usual amount
of encouragement, but they felt great
need of more and better music. During
the meetings on the Sunday just gone
the assistant at the organ had been
taken i'll. The volunteers from the city
were few and the voices of ordinary
quality.
There will be small meeting to-
night. John a." said his wife as they en-
tered the tent little after o'clock
and began TO arrange the chairs and
light up.
''Yes: / think so. Mr.. Gray was a
small. energetic man, with pleasant
voice and the courage of highborn
| fighter. He had already made friends
in the neighborhood and one of his
converts. a heavy faced man. who had
| just come in. began to help in the ar
rangement of the seats
1t was after o'clock when Alexan-
der Powers opened the door of his Office
and started to go home. He was going
to take car at the corner of the Rec
tangle. but as he neared it he was
aroused by a voice coming from the
| tent.
1t was the voice of Rachel Winslow.
| 1t struck through his consciousness of
struggle over his own question that had
sent him into the Divine presence for
an answer. He had not yet reached a
conclusion. He was troubled with un-
certainty. His whole previous course of
action as a railroad man was the poor
est possible preparation for anything
ss.rificial, and he could not yet say
what he would do in the matter.
Harkl What was she singingH How
did Rachel Winslow happen to be down
hereY Several windows near by went
up. Some men quarreling in a saloon
stopped and listened. Other figures
were walking rapidly in the direction
of the Rectangle and the tent.
Surely Rachel Winslow never was
ha, pier in her life She never had sung
like that in the First church. 1t was
marvellous voice. What was it she was
singing2 Again Alexander Powers, su
perintendent of the machine shops,
paused and listened.
"where he leads me will follow,
| Where he leads me | will follow,
| Where he leads me will follow.
| I'll go with him, with him all the way"
The brutal stolid, coarse, impure life
of the Rectangle stirred itself into new
life as the song, as pure as the sur
roundings were vile, floated out into
saloon and den and foul lodging. Some
one stumbling hastily by Alexander
Powers said in answer to question:
1.-THE tents beginning to run over to-
night. That's what the talent calls
music, eh %
The superintendent turned toward
the tent. Then he stopped, and after a
moment of indecision he went on to the
corner and took the car for his home,
but before he was out of the sound Of
RachePs voice he knew that he had set
| t1ad For bi,ncalf tho ouaofio,, of xrba 4