People's voice., 1900-01-04
By Charles IL Sheldon.

WIN q lev LOof6o anu iLSutS, lOI Nudl
greater miracle than a regenerated bu-
manityf The transformation Uf these
coarse, brutal, sottish lives into pray.
ing. rapturous lovers OF Jesus struck
Rachel and Virginia every time with
the feelings that people may have had
when they saw Lazarns walk out of
t're tomb. It was an experience full Of
profound excitement to them.
Rollin Page came to all the meetings.
There was no doubt Of the change that
had come over him. He was wonderful
ly quiet. It seemed as if he were think
ing all the time Certainly he was not
the same person. He talked more with
Gray than with any one else He did
not avoid Rachel, but he seemed tc
shrink from any appearance OF seeming
TO wish TO renew the old acquaintance
with her Rachel found it even difficult
to express to him her pleasure at the
new life he had begun to know. He
seamed to be waiting to adjust himself
to his previous relations before this new
life began. He had not forgotten those
relations but he was not vet ALE to
fit his consciousness into nov Cncs.
The end Of the week found the Rec
tanale struggling hard 6eeveeu two
mighty opposing forces Tie Holy
Spirit was battling with all his suru.
natural strength against the saloon
devil which had so long held a jealous
grasp on its slaves. If the Christian
people Of Raymond once couli realize
what the contest meant to the souls
newly awakened TO a new life, it did
not seem possible thai the election colld
result in the old system Of license. But
that remained yet to be seen The hor-
ror Of the daily surroundings Of many
Of the converts was slowly burning its
way into the knowledge of Virginia
and Rachel, and every night as they
went up town to their luxurious homes
they carried heavier hearts
"A good many of those poor Great
ures will go hack again" Gray would
say with a sadness too deep for tears.
"The environment does have a good
deal to do with the character It does
not stand to reason that these people
can always resist the sight and smell of
the deyilish drink all about them o
Lord, low long shall Christian people
continue to support by their silence and
their ballots the greatest form of slav-
cry now known in American"
He asked the question but did not
have much hope Of an immediate an
swer There was ray of hope in the
action Of Friday nights primary, but
what the result would be he did not
dare to anticipate. The whisky forces
were organized, alert aggressive, reused
into unusual hatred by the events of
the last week at the tent and in the
city. Would the Christian force act as
a unit against the saloon, or would it
be divided on account of its business
interests or because it was not in the
habit Of acting together, as the whisky
powers always didH That remained to
be seen. Meanwhile the saloon reared
itself about the Rectangle like some
deadly viper, Kissing and coiling, ready
to strike its poison into any unguarded
part
Saturday afternoon, as Virginia was
just stepping out of her house to go
and see Rachel to talk over her new
plans, a carriage drove up containing
three Of her fashionable friends. Vir-
ginia went out to the driveway and
stood there talking with them. They
had not come to make formal call.
but wanted Virginia to go riding with
them up on the boulevard. There was
a band concert in the park. The day
was too pleasant to be spent indoors
where have you been all this time.
Virginia2" asked one Of the girls, tap
ping her playfully on the shoulder with
a ared silk parasol I've hear that You
have gone into the show business Tell
Ms about it
Virginia colored, but after a mo
ment's hesitation shefrankly tod some
thing Of her experience at the Rectan-
gle The girls in the carriage began to
be really interested.
TEL you what, girls, let's go slum-
ming with Virginia this afternoon in.
stead Of going to the band concert! I've
never been down to the Rectangle. I've
heard it's an awful wicked place and
lots to see. Virginia will act as guide.
and it would be rear'-''fun, she was
going to say, but Virginia's look made
her substitute the word interesting. ="
Virginia was angry. At first thought
she said to herself she would never go
under any such circumstances The
other girls seemed to be of the same
mind as the speaker They chimed in
with eanestness and asked Virginia to
take them down shere.
Suddenly she sew in the idle curl
csity Of the girls an opportunity. They
had never seen the sin and misery Of
Raymond Why should they not see
them. even if their motives in going
down there were simply to PASS away
an afteTnoon2
Very well; I'll go with you. You
must obey my orders and let me take
You where you can see the most, " she
said as she entered the carriage and
took the seat beside the girl who had
first suggested the trip TO the Rectangle.
"Hadn Te better take a policeman
along. ssid one Of the girls. with a
nervous laugh. at really isn't safe