Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1899-12-21

her by messenger and then went down
stairs again and told her mother that
she and Virginia were going down 70
the Ractangle that evening TO see Mr..
and Mrs Gray. the evangelisr
Virginia uncle. DIR. West Will 20
with rs if abe goes. / have asked her TO
call him up by telephone and go with
us The doctor is rriend Of the Grays
and attended some of the meetings last
winter 80
Mrs Winslow did lot say anything
Her manner showed her complete dis
approval Of Rachel's course. and Rachel
felt her unsYoken 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-
ous 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
geSsfd 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 aetempt 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
ha1 never really done anything to make
tle Rectangle any less a 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
pitched a good sized tent and begun
meetings. 1t was the spring Of the year.
and the evenings were beginning to be
pleasant. The evangelists had asked FOX
the help of Christian people and had
received more than the usual amount
of encouragement. but they felt a great
need of more ard better music During
the meetings on the Sunday just gone
the assistant at the organ had been
taken ILL The volunteers from the city
were few and the voices OF ordinary
quality.
There will be small meeting to-
night, John. said his wife as they en-
tered the tent little after O'Clock
and began TO arrange the chairs and
light up.
Yes; l think 80 Mr.. Gray was a
small. energetic man, with Pheasant
voice and the courage Of a 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 a car at the corner Of the Rec
tangle. but as he neared il he was
aroused by 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 n
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
sacrifcial and he could not yet say
what he would do in the matter.
Hark What was she singingf How
did Rachel Winslow happen to be down
here2 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
happier in her life She never had sung
like that in the First church 1t was a
marvellous voice What was il 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 VIII 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 ints new
life a. the song. as pure as the sur
roundings were vile. foated ont into
saloon and den and foul lodging. Some
one stumbling hastily by Alexander
Powers said in answer to a question:
1.-The tents beginning To run over to
night That's what the talent calls
music, eh 2''
The superintendent turned toward
the tent Then he stopped. and after
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
Rachel's voice he knew that he had set
tied for himself the question Of what
Jesus would do.
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