The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1903-04-08

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DtJdiL 20 t<It1.-
4 ORDON went back
Ii to the doorway,
III - where Mrs Caylor
N was standing. She
| was fearless and
| apparently stolid.
s- ''What arrange
ments have been made for service,
Mrs. Caylor:?" Gordon asked, and his
heart was sore at the sight Of the
wretched mother, whose fearless atu-
tude touched him more than if she had
shown a passion of grief.
'Alr. Randall is seeing to it," she said
indiferently.
seBut don't you want a minister"
Gordon was bewildered. BE had never
faced exactly the same situation.
81 don't care. Mr.. Randall
"You are not a Catholic? I remem-
Der you said to me your people IN Ne"
England belonged to the Baptist
church. There ought to be service OF
some kind, with q minister. Do you
know one you would ike to have?
"a minister" The woman turned on
him almost hercely. "a minister!
Mighty little use they have for such
one as me! This is no mans parish!
"But for the sake Of Louie! can
get Mr. Falmouth to come down. / 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 so violent that at
first Gordon was alarmed. He brought
her q chair and made her sit down.
The other women in the corridor came
I'D, and one Of them said: She'll be al
right now. When you can't cry, that's
the time your heart bleeds inside"
whats all this racket" cried
voice from the room. Gordon wheeled
about and faced the man, Tommy Ran
dali. With the instructive forewarnlns
Of q peculiarly sensitive and delicate
moral consciousness Gordon knew that
between this man and himself there
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 a hold he had on the
wretched 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 Randalrs
political influence might have appalled,
a more coura ageous and hopeful man
than John Gordon.
The boss was q man Of about forty
five. Outwardly he was short thick
set man, with forid face and reso-
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 ID
his own influence. It was not egotism
so much as a thorough faith in the po-
litical security of his position.
There was one quality that John
Gordon possessed, however, that made
him fornidabl 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 a
faith in God that was as profound as
the other mans political creed, and In
his love for the people be was pre-
pared in acting on that creed to go any
lengths that were within human posi-
bility. If Gordon was ignorant Of Tom
my Randall's strength, the boss was no
less ignorant of this young mans inner
sources Of persistent and treless
strength that would inevitably come to
his assistance in the struggle that was
beginning in that wretched tenement,
with. a child's death as witness to the
grim contest.
81 have been asking Mrs. Caylor
what arrangements have been made
for funeral service Gordon spoke
quietly. IF no other minister has
been engaged, I think I can get Mr.
Falmouth Of Nazareth church to come
down"
Tommy Randall walked up to John
Gordon and deliberately looked him
ovcc. Gordon stood perfectly still and
never moved q 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
ridor, and two men appeared with a
coffin.
"Ah! There you are, Abrams! That's
more like it. Don't try to palm OF
another one Of your rotten boxes Oh
me or you'll hear from me, eh? 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-
fin, Gordon was astonisheG to see Ran
dali pat them on the head kindly and
say: ''Now, then, lads, out Of the road.
I 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
I'D to ti,e table to look at the little
face, for Louie had been partly de-
formed, and his face was like baby's.
He looked down at the figure and
noticed that one hand was clinched
tight STOPPING little lower, by the
dim light Gordon recognized his own
little gift .Shen he had gone in with
Mr.. Marsh 1t was sample bottle of
perfumery, and the child had clung to
it in the darkness, dying in the horrible
G141, oe bis e,,rrn,,nGinnS ond ns Car