Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1903-01-01
faced exactly the same situation.


England belonged to the Rartisl
church. There ought to be u service oil
some kind, with a minister. DO YOU
know one you would like to have"
"a Minister The woman turned on
him almost ficrccly. "A minister
Mighty little use they have for such
one as me! This is no mans parish"
But for the sake of Louie l can
get Mr.. Falmouth to come down. I am
so sorry for you, Mrs. Caylor. God
help you. Louie was good boy"
The woman suddenly threw her
apron over her head and burst into
torrent Of weeping 30 violent that al
first Gordon was alarmed. He brought
her chair and made her sit down
The other women in the corridor came
up, and one of them said: "She'll be ali
right now. When you can't cry, thst's
the time your heart bleeds inside
whats all this racket" cried a
voice from the room. Gordon wheeled
about and faced the man. Tommy Ran.
dali. With the instructive forewarning
of peculiarly sensitive and delicate
moral consciousness Gordon knew that
could be nothing but war from the
start. But what form it would take,
what forces the man had to draw on,
how much of hold he had on the
wretchcd lives that furnished his field
of action, John Gordon did not know.
Perhaps it was as well that he did not
know much about it. A full knowledge
of even one aspect of Tommy Randslrs
political influence might have appalled,
more courageous and hopeful mail
than John Gordon.
The boss was a man of about fOrtNs
five. Outwardly he was a short, thick.
set man, with a ford face and a re.so.
| Lutte manner. He did not show any
! signs of Incorporate living, and indeed
| it was his boast that he had no vices.
| The most noticeable characteristic OF
the man was his absolute confidence in
his own influence. 1t was not egotism
so much as a thorough faith in the 20.
litical security of his position.
There was one quality that John
Gordon possessed, however, that mada
him formidable. He was fifteen years
younger than this man, and he had
practically no experience in that world
which WAS the only world in existence
for Tommy Randall But he had
faith in God that was as profound as
the other mans political creed, and in
his love for the people he was pre-
pared in acting on that creed to 60 any
lengths that We're within human possi-
bility. If Gordon was ignorant of Tom
N RDndnll'S TN tina hnsS ~
less ignorant of this young mans inner
sources of persistent and tireless
strength that would inevitab bly, come Ia
his assistance in the struggle that was
beginning in that wretched tenement,
with childs death as witness to the
grim contest.
Il have been asking Mrs. Caylor
what arrangements have been made
for funeral service" Gordon spoke
quietly. "If no other minister has
been engaged, l think l can get Mr..
Falmouth Of Nazareth church to come
down"
Tommy Randall walked up to John
Gordon and deliberately looked him
ovef. Gordon stood perfectly still and
never moved a muscle as his eyes
looked straight into the older mans
The service has all been arranged,
young man." Randall said finally. A
sound of shutting steps was heard on
the broken stairs and along the cor
rdor, and two men appeared with q
coffin.
"Ah! There you are. Abrams! That's
more Like It, Don't try TO palm Off
another one OF your rotten boxes on
me or you'll hear from me. Ell? Put
it on the table" Then, as two chill
dren came into the room at the heels
of the two men who brought the cof-
| tin, Gordon was astonished to see Ram
dali pat them on the head kindly and
say: Now, then, lads, out of the road.
| can't stop now"
The children went out Of the room,
and Randall hustled in and out, order
ing chairs and helping place the body
Of Louie in the coffin. Gordon came
q up to the table to look at the lttlo
face, for Louie had been pa/ly do
z formed. and his face was like baby's.
= He looked down at the figure and
;. noticed that one hand was clinched
n tight. STOPPING a little lower, by tho
r dim light Gordon recognized his own
little gift when he had gone in with
, Mr.. Marsh. 1t was sample bottle OF
i, perfumery. and the child had chung to
il in the darkness. dying In the horrible
filth of his surroundings, and, as Cor
don learned some time afterward, lit
orally covered with yermin.
John Gordon's tears foll on the facs
as he felt that here was one Of God \
little ones against whom somebody
had sinned. Better for a milestone To
be hanged around his neck seemed
to hear the words of the Son of Man
than that one OF these little ones
should perish" Who was to blame
Was it the social system? Was it the
selfish wealth? Was it political dis
honesty? Was ii a definite individual
This child-weak, deformed, helpless -
did It not need the strength and beauty
| of a whole universe thrown about 1t iAI
loving protection? Instead Of that,
flung like some vile thing among the
rotting loathsome, crawling things of
the lowest physical world, 1t had gone
out of a world of black horrors. cling
ing childishly to bit of artificial
fra that Wos Dr0 ptically all tnp