The Minneapolis journal., 1903-04-04

crowd and in nearer the speaker her
voice was thready from hoarseness, yet
sweet with sympathy and tenderness. She
was telling why they had come among the
people Of Round Hill, of the work Of loce
they hoped to do, of the friendship and
help they craved. Then, with lifted eyes. |
she began to tell the story of the cruciied
and risen lover of all life.
Many in the crowd grew quiet; others
continued stirring about, scraping such
nerriment they could from the ODD
situation. Shanden listened, looking at
the girl with level, earnest eyes. To
Shandon the personality OF the speaker
was far more, than the story. Her deli
cate figure. clad in plain brown; her
pathetic, tender face, sin its frame: OF black
| bonnet and dark ribbons tied under the
chin, sent something like a cry of pity
| through his great body. Why should she
| subject herself to such publicity? Why
| should brutal people be permitted to Jeer
| at her? A tipsy brakeman few feet from
him was interrupting <the speaker with
| loud remarks and drunken gestures.
Shandon reached in and pushed him
roughly from the crowd: The girl paused,
and looked after them oddly, pittingly,I
| The crowd roared with laughter.
Shandon looked down moment at the
outline Of the fallen man. "Get up and, go
t. your boardin' e house,, he growled.
Don't you disturb the-the neetin'
again." The girl stepped down from the
hand Of her sister worker, a blonde young
woman wearing the insignia Of a cadet,
while the lieutenant mounted the box and
began speaking. ..la,ie
The little brown captain drew toward
Shandon few steps and lifted her sor-
rowfu1 eyes. Then she came nearer to
him and put out her hand He took 1t
timidly, feeling himself suddenly touched
with a kind of trembling. The face Of the
legirl, sad, though family smiling, and the
! big appealing eyes, looking out Of a shaw
owy half circle that: told of overwork and
shaken health, enthralled him. II want
) SO much to thank you,9 but I shouldn't y
she said. ut wasn't right to use the man
roughly to take him away. 1t is such as
he that Christ is seeking; poor blind soul,
he is so much to be pitied!' There was
something like tears in her voice.
The big engineer grew confused Il
didn't know didn't understand-I'm--
I'm sorry" he stammered. But, Miss, !"
with sudden clinching Of his fists, 'you
J., can't expect man to let any one dis
turb or insult you. I won't stand that;
:, faint right and proper"
. ''The Savior didn't mind such things"
> she said softly. "He loved the erring;
= =, when they. maltreated Him He strove the
y more to help them. We try to feel as
- He did"
y "Well, I'm not-not religious; I don't
, understand the feeling; faint hardly hu-
= man, seems t. me. Anyhow, no-no man
y shall break up your meetings when I'm
u 'round,'' he said, with a flame in eyes
and cheeks.
She put out her hand again, and it
10 clung a moment in his, while a gratitude
- she could not suppress shone in her eyes
~ '"Then you'll come to our meetings? God
49, bless yOu,' she said
80 IT don't know, maybe he stammered
~ ~ and hurried away toward the round house
W When he had gone a hundred feet OF
a. a. more he turned and listened instant
~, ~ The lieutenant was telling how afte1
~ years Of dissipation he had elected to enc
VI all in suicide when the Salvationist!
.oi brought him to know Gods loves ant
el that had freed and saved him. Halle
iie lujah" came the voice of the little cap
tain. and she and the cadet broke int
~ peaing song.
eed "FIallelujah-Iittle Hallelujah,' muir
~ INJURED Shandon he went onward, an
e- again, "Little Hallelujah,' tenderly, wist
'',' fully, as he crossed the main track an
.cl saw his engine steaming down toWar
ira the station. .z
nd "something wrong with Nat" 4mu
VI tered Ridley, the fireman, an hour late
= as they rolled away through the mour
hat tains. ....... r-.. ~.
or shandon's face was grave, yet with
gan kind of light in it. His griny left han
hed always on the throttle lever, seeming
the did it's work involuntarily. AS th'
or himself and looked keenly ahead al
the back at the sWaying string of CLOWN
rse. coaches. But in the long open vale
a dreamy light stole back into his fac
lad Something new had come into his"heal
te- he felt. but could not analyze it-a he
yes kind of tenderness that had the little ca
she tain and the seeming hardships of h
d life at the core of it.
90 90, When he pulled into Round Hill on
nul return trip, the following evening. he II
~ his mind made up to let the little ca
ino ain and her meetings alone. But he
,,5 not. He found the Salvationists with
:, - larger and somewhat more respect
tars audience laboring at the point Of tn
,ud first attempt. Little Hallelujah n
Iis preaching. At the end of ten minutes
10 shook himself together and went onwa
NJ, In the morning, with an odd throb of d
Nv, may, he found the little captain and
end cadet seated opposite to him at the bre*
fast table in the dining room Of his boa
nod ing-h house. Later he learned that the s
-. vationists had secured a small hall
. Main street, which was to constitute
barracks. and that the lieutenant, ik
true soldier, was bunking on the floor
the hall with no more easeful thing II
a4blanlket about him. The lassies wo
- camp there later, in a little room pa
toned off at the rear. They had come
make a campaign against sin in -Ro1
Hill. The fight promised to be lo
is When Shandon sat down at table
little captain inclined her head to him
! recognition, but was quiet and reserN
,11r only at times her big brown eyes W
~- dered to his face, leaving queer trel
or a his heart. .,.I
After that, events went quietly thrO
49, =, four evenings. Then storm of opp
md ton broke upon the heads Of the Sa
tionists. The saloon men were in a IL
the meetings of the Salvationists drew
oec | drinkers from the bars. Hired roughs
o0' gan to pelt the girl warriors and the |
emf tenant with mud and divers sorts of
fensive missiles, Shandon fought
Oh, bloody fights in the streets of Round
ia - in. their defense. 4. Barrett discharged
AN' but Superintendent JOY at once reinst
him. and Barrett resigned, only to
- that Joy would not accept his resigna1
Then came a terrible night. A 6
crowd stood in a faint mist of rain lis
80 ing to the little captains impres
(h pleading. With yearning and pity in e
gesture and tone she poured out
message of love. Shandon stood nc>
away pale and, suffering dumbly. 7
sion there came a rush of heavy feet.
lunged yelling through the crowd, pc
ING were overthrown, there was surging
4 confusion, missiles whistled through
dAu aid and the little captain suddenly top
are and fell backward from the speakers
- a bleeding wound on her forehead.
.rgV With a gasping moan in his tn
. Shandon Ieaped in and gathered the
.s=%,, figure in his arms:< He rose up. hol
III fn-1