Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1899-11-24


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question was becoming with her, as
with many others, habit of life.
She looked around now as she stood
close by Loreen, and the whole scene
was cruelty vivid to her. She thought
first of the girls in the carriage.
Drive on. Don wait for me. / am
going TO see my friend here home, she
said, calmly enough
The girl with the red parasol seemed
to gasp at the word "friend" when Nir-
ginia spoke it. She did not say any
thing The other girls seemed speech
less.
"Go on. l cannot go back with you,
said Virginia
The driver started the horses slowly
One of the girls leaned little out Of
the carriage.
Cant we-that is-do you want
our help2 Couldn't We
"No, not" exclaimed Virginia you
cannot be Of any use to me.
The carriage moved on, and Virginia
was alone with her charge
She looked up and around. Many
faces in the crowd We're sympathetic
They were not all cruel or brutal The
Holy Spirit had softened a good deal Of
the Rectangle.
"Where does she liver" asked Vir-
ginia.
No one answered. 1t occurred to Vir-
ginia afterward, when she had time to
think it over, that the Rectangle showed
q delicacy in its sad silence that would
have done credit to the boulevard
For the first time it flashed upon her
that the immortal being who was flung
like wreckage upon the shore of this
earthly hell called the saloon had no
place that could he called home
The girl suddenly wrenched her arm
from Virginia's grasp In doing it she
nearly threw Virginia down.
"You shall not touch mel Leave mol
Let me go to hell That 5 where | be
long The devil is waiting for me See
him!" she exclaimed hoarscly She
turned and pointed with a shaking fin
ger at the saloon keeper The crowd
laughed
Virginia stepped UP to her and put
her arm about her.
"Loreen, she said firmly, come
with me You do not belong to hell
You belong to Jesus, and he will save
you. Come.
The girl suddenly burst into tears.
She was only partly sobered by the
shock of meeting Virginia
Virginia looked around again
"Where does Mr.. Gray liver" she
asked She knew the evangelist board
ed somewhere near that tent.
A number of voices gave her the di-
rection.
Come, Loreen. / want you to 90
with me to Mrs. Cir "A she said, still
keeping her hold OF - swaying. trem
bling creature. who still moaned and
sobbed and now chung to Virginia as
before she had repulsed her
So the two moved on through the
Rectangle toward the evangelist lodg
ing place The sight seemed to impress
the Rectangle seriously. 1t never took
itself seriously when it was drunk, but
this was different. The fact that one OF
the most beautifully dressed girls in
Raymond was taking care of one of the
Rectangles most notorious characters
who reeled along under the influence Of
liquor was fact astonishing enough
to throw more or less dignity and i'm
portance about Loreen herself The
praying and talking with little group
of converts that, in the great expert
ence of their new life, chung TO the
evangelist with a pereanal helplessness
that made ii 80 impossible for him to
leave them as if they had been depend
ing upon him to save them from phys
ical death. Among these converts was
kvllin Page.
Virginia ard her uncle had gone
home about 1 o'clock, and Rachel and
Jasper Chase had gone with them as
far as the avenue where Virginia lived.
DIR. West had walked on a little way
with them to his own house. and Rachel
and Jasper had then gone on together
to her mothers
That was a little after H. II was
now striking midnight, and Jasper
Chase sat in his room staring at the pa
pers on his desk and going over the last
half hour with painful persistence.
ITo BE CONTINUED