The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1903-01-30

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pressed nearer and The real horror of
the place began to make itself felt.
The gentleman who sang bass was
with John Gordon and was looking at
him with look of intense indignation,
as if he were the real cause of bringing
the party into the place
do you wish to go back? You can
Ii you WISH" Falmouth said quietly.
mo, no; but this is horrible. 1t is
| past all belief. Is it safe for the ladies
Will they be able
| Perfectly safe, ladies'" John Gordon
spoke with touch of grimness. "Peo-
pie are born and live and die here.
Safe enough, assure you
He led the way promptly. asking the
| people to give them room. How the
| quartet ever lived to get up that stair
case where Mr.. Marsh nearly tainted
no one can tell except themselves. The
| soprano said afterward that it was a
miracle that any of them ever came
out of it alive. And her indignation at
the Rev. Paul Falmouth was SO deep
| that nothing but financial considera-
| tons could induce her to sing in the
Rev. Falmouth's church again.
The corridor in front of Mrs. Caylor's
| was packed almost solid with IN
washed humanity, although everybody
| was dressed in the best garments he
possessed. Tommy Randall was on
hand as general manager. He was OBJ
sequious and even seemingly fawning
| to the Rev. Paul Falmouth He spoke
good naturally to Gordon and gave
everybody the impression that the
| whole arrangement was of his own
planning. And in fact that night when
Gordon ran over all the incidents of
that remarkable day he almost smiled
to think that Tommy Randall had
scored triumph with Louie's funeral
as the background
The quartet sat out in the corridor.
| and the minister stood in the doorway
where he could be heard by the crowd
| in the rooms and outside. The three
rooms were damned with promiscu-
Gus mob that was packed into every
conceivable corner and left the under
taker and Tommy Randall merely room
enough to squeeze themselves In close
up by the coffin. Gordon was assigned
place by Mrs. Caylor. Out on the
roofs that commanded view Of the
minister and the singers motley
crowd Of children, boys, young men
and old women and babies was clus-
tered in various degrees Of more or less
noisy interest, which quieted down to
an intense stiffness when the quartet
rose to sing the first selection.
The singers had evidently made up
their minds to make the best Of a
very bad situation. They were tech
nically skillful, and from a variety
Of reasons they sang with a power
that probably astonished themselves.
The unwonted surroundings, the very
squalor and inhuman aspect Of every
repulsive physical thing, the staring
white faces that grow up in tenement
atmosphere until they become types
that can be fitted on to any other tene
ment house grown person, all this act
ed with a definite measure of excite
ment upon the quartet, and as mat
ter of fact Rev. Paul Falmouth said to
himself he had never heard them sing
with more expression or real feeling
on any occasion.
When the song ceased, a sigh went
up through the rooms, and out on the
roofs a movement could be heard that
was like applause Falmouth stood up
and began to talk. He was not at all
afraid or seemingly conscious Of his
unusual situation. He talked of eter-
nal life, how it began, what it was
worth, how it could be distinguished
from physical life.
The people understood him. Mrs
Caylor, who had sobbed all through
the singing, was perfectly quiet while
Falmouth talked and afterward, when
he prayed for her and for all mothers
who had lost children.
Then the quartet sang again. When
they ended, there was unmistakable
applause from the roofs. The soprano
turned red, the alto looked confused,
the tenor scowled and the bass seemed
uncertain whether to smile or frown.
Gordon came to the rescue by rising
and helping Mrs. Caylor as she took a
last look at the poor figure in the coffin.
She shrieked and flung up her arms
until the undertaken somewhat rough
ly, but, as Gordon knew afterward
with no real intention of being so,
thrust the sliding cover Of the coffin
up in its groove, covering the body
from sight. Tommy Randall took one
end of the coffin, the undertaken took
the other end, and the brief procession
made its way unceremoniously out of
the room and down to the wagon
which was in waiting on Bowen street.
Falmouth went in and spoke few
words of comfort to the mother, who
seemed, now that it was all over, to
have resigned herself to her usual apa-
thy. When the minister came out Cor
don and the singers were grouped to-
gether watching the crowd disperse
from the roofs and back staircases, so
as TO get out OH the street and see the
coffin loaded into the wagon.
This is horrible-horrible Let us get
out as soon as possible!' the soprano
murmured. She was holding a fine
scented handkerchief to her face. The
smoke from the chimneys Of the house
below was drifting in heavy masses
IN through tho corridor nnd info the
rooms or an the apartments that OPEN
ed on it as the only outlet
IT. he Continued