The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-05-20

revelry that was -rioting at the far end
OF the room, where sailors and women
were dancing, drinking and brawiing. Be-
fore the child stood John Allen, and the
boy, with a marvellous beauty of voice,
was declaiming bits of poetry from
Burns: Mr.. Allen turned and came for
ward to greet me-
Is your name Jim? asked Chester of
me, and then quickly, I like YOU
somewhat self-reliant though I was,
l could say nothing in reply. Then, with
sic and shutting feet, oaths and hideous
ribaldry at the further end Of the room,
That sweet fond child, stood near the
great Bible and repeated Portals ad-
The quality of mercy is not strained
was burned into my very soul.
1t ffalleth like the gentle rain from
heaven
Upon the place beneath
was thrust into my ear never to be for
gotten, and I looked at the drunken, dan
cling sa1lofs-Sand the painted, polluted
women, and, for the first time possibly in
all my life came serious thoughts. Who
shall judge them? Shall this child lead
them?
with light laugh and a curious smile
OF affection little Chester Rugged Allen as
he lifted the boy from the table, and l
hurried away on the plea of being com
PEELED to do extra work at the store.
If Jim Wardner had been of the kind
OF man who would let such an experience
as that count merely as an interesting
item in varied life, he never would have
become so famous as to have to write a
book and have-it reviewed. 1t was in the
man to turn the incident to practical use.
One of the New York papers wrote up
Allen as ''The Wickedest Man in New
York" Says Wardner:
Instantly he was famous, and for some
reason had come to consider ME as his
closest friend. Some time previous to this
the Young Mems Christian association
had been making persistent and success
full efforts at retaining the denizenS OF
Water street. Much to my establishment
1 found that Allen had suddenly become
a convert. ALIENS Place was removed
from over the entrance, and IN its stead
was a huge sign, Young Mems Christian
Association Here, in place of drunken
ness, robbery and the lowest vices, sud
denly there were hymns, prayers and ser
mons. Nightly the place. was thronged
with the lowest types of the 1nhumantty
of the slums John Allen became the
most effective and apparently the most
honest ard earnest eXhorter among those
who addressed the crowds. He was
powerful man and a powerful speaker.
Shameless women cried at his words OF
warning and beseeching, and hardened
criminals became frequenters or the
meeting and protested reformation. Ches-
ter was a factor in all this. and Alien
used the child's talents to advantage.
Il saw the effect upon the general pub
lie OF Allen and Chester, and one day L
said to Allen:
II will put my time against a little
of your money. Mr.. Allen, and Will guar
antee to make a thousand dollars or TWO
within month.
" tHoM?t
q Come. with me and see; we must have
Chester with U.S..
"'Ali right, Jim, it's a pleasant day,
and I don't mind a walk, anyway.
I'VE went to a photograher's and IN
side Of half an hour had made arrange
ments to have a number of thousands of
photographs Of Allen and Chester ready
for delivery upon a stated date. One
beautiful ..1E3i May morning Pnoto%gr ai r 81
the child Chester were on sale all over
the city The result was that in few
days Allen and 1 divided $500 In cash
over and above all expenses, and l pos,
SeSsed the largest. sum of money L had
ever owned up to that date.
'After a little ALLEN tried to raise the
rent of his place to the association, and
It's officers became suspicious that his al
legged conversion was sham.
F" OF course, sWardner noticed that the
newspaper stories and the pictures had
made Allen famous, and that whenever
Allen spoke people crowded to near MIN.
So the young business man from the
West surprised Allen one day by saying
9. sse@Yoll are aTls older man than am, Mr.,
Allen but I have got a plan that can be
carried out, and one that will make us
both rich It viii beat the photograph
racket all to pieces n
"tWhat is it my boy"
You are now the best advertised man
in the United States I replied. 1 pro
pose that you advance money enough 10
pay preliminary expenses will make all
the arrangements for halls and adyerts-
ing, and you; with Chester as 6, side at.
traction will deliver ten lectures in ten OF
the largest cities of the state. There WIN
be a lot OF money in 1T, and we will divide
up the net receipts
ALLEN at once appreciated the sltua-
ton, ands we Immediately made par
gain Z quit <the drug store, went 60
Troy, engaged the opera house there ana
billed the town for the first lecture or
The Wiclzedest Man in New York. NOW,
Aliens besetting sin was love or ana
capacity for whisky. He and Chester
came on to Troy at the appointed time;
The evening of the lecture arrived, ana
with it a crowd that not only packed the
opera house, but filed the neighboring
sidewalks A thousand dollars had been
taken in, at the box office |. waited I'm
patiently for Allen. Hours passed, but
Y he ala not appear Then I announced
1flfat7 the, money. swoNld be refunded at the
box soffice, and the. great crowd passed
out Allen. drunk was found before
morning. It was his last debauch. In
. three DAYS he died. 1 took. Chester back
to New York, and he was taken IN charge
by the Young Mems Christian associa-
ton. { I ;have never heard Of Chester from
that day to this.