Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1902-01-11
The Lady or
the Gospel ~
By GEORGE sEARDsLEx.
copyrighted By Daily story Pab. Co.,

TTHERE is girl could love-I'n
bet / could. And I'll bet 1
never saw another girl in all my life
that really could love, though I've
thought I've have many time"
1t was Silver T. Sly, the young
gambler-bachelor editor OF the Platte
vile News, who silently formulated
the foregoing propositions. He sat
in church, In the back row. The girl,
with blue ribbon tied exquisitely
round her throat, was at the little or
gan playing Onward, Christian Sol
diers."
These meetings" said the fat
preacher, "will continue for two
weeks, God willing, and we have great
hopes that many of you who have
come tonight as strangers and our
guests will be moved to come again
and again, and that before the end of
the series you will come as one with
us. We hope this crystalline Febru-
airy weather will continue, that we
may make hay for the Lord and His
Gospel, that the spirit OF the com
munity may experience q new birth,
and that righteousness may run down
our streets. We viii sing Onward,
Christian Soldiers and those who do
not care to remain for the after serv-
ice may pass out during the singing"
TIE little editor fingered, his eyes
upon the organist, until the final
verse. Then he heard his name whis-
pered from behind:
"Sly, come along to Fps"
No. wo;oo al a.
editor slipped out OF the pew and
Joined his pals.
"What'd you think of the preach
er, Sliver?" asked one. The new ed
itor was SO short and slight that the
boys had transposed two letters in
his name and dubbed him Silver.
"The preaeher?' echoed the editor,
absently. Truth to tell, he had not
followed two consecutive sentences
of the exhortation. He made an
equivocal answer:
Must have been good" said he;
seemed awfully short"
''Shorti Why, we thought he'd de-
cided to preach the week out at q
sittin'. It's one o'clock"
Silver Sly was desperate to find out
the name of the little organist and
all about her. But he thought not
for an instant of asking that crowd.
he felt an impulse to slip away from
them, and started off, declaring he
had some writing to do. They knew
that was improbable; he had never
before hesitated to join their Sunday
game in the three weeks since he
came to Platteville.
What's the matter with you,
Sliver?" cried one, impatiently.
Don't pike on the procession, old
man." said Doe, the editors best
friend.
Sly reluctantly yielded. All that
glorious afternoon and nearly all
that moonlight night the five young
fellows sat round the table at
Epanetries, with hats drawn down
over tense: inserutable faces, playing
poker.
Monday evening they all went to
the revival meeting again. Don't i'm
agine they went to scoff; they went
quietly and respectfully, to be enter
tanned. The hymn singing, the light
and warmth, the faces, interested
them as much a. they did the deacon
and the Sunday school superintend-
emit.
Just as line of young men had
fled into a pew near the door a bevy
Of young women passed up the aisle
and one Of them wore q blue ribbon
at her throat.
"Bess looks sweet as ever" said
one of the fellows.
Sly, the editor, heard, and drew a
quick breath. He had heard "Bess
Swing" spoken of from time to time,
just az he had heard of half q dozen
other girls. But he only knew ons
or two Of them by sight. He regard.
ed himself rather blase on the girl
subject, and had not been able to
take any interest in the Platteville
rosebuds, who all seemed quite toe
young for him. This evening, when
he heard that remark: "Bess looks
sweet as ever" something told him
It was the organist who was referred
For she In the only sweet girl
bunch" he reflected. "Rui