Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1916-10-03

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slouched, they smoked, they lounged,
they leered. The churches knew them
not They were the slum element, the
Bowery Of Mount Mark. Iowa.
i Prudence, in her day, had passed
them by with shy slight nod and q
glance Of tender pity. Fairy and Lark,
, and even Connie, sailed by with high
heads and scornful eyes-haughty,
proud, icily removed. But Carol, by
some weird and inexplicable fancy,
i treated them with sweet and gracious
solicitude, quite friendly. Her smile
as she passed was as sweet as for her
dearest friend. Her Good morning
isn't this glorious weather." was as
affably cordial as her Breakfast is
ready, papa!"
This was the one subject of dispute
between the twins.
"Oh, please don't, Carol, 1t does
make me SO ashamed" Lark entreat-
ed.
"You mustn't be narrow minded.
Larkie," Carol argued. We're minis
ter's girls and we've got to be good
influence-an encouragement to the
err, weak and erring, you know. Maybe
my smiles will be an inspiration to
them"
And on this point Carol stood firm
even against the tears of her precious
twin.
/ One evening at the dinner table
Fairy said, with hooking smile,
How are your Slaughterhouse friends
| today, Carol? When>I was at the den
lists saw you coming along, beaming
at them in your own inimitable way"
| ooh, they seemed all right" Carol
answered, with deprecating glance
| toward her father and her aunt.
II see by last nights paper that Guy
i Fleisher is just out after his last thirty
days up" Fairy continued solicitously.
/ did he find his incarceration trying"
I; Il didn't discuss it with him." Carol
said Indignantly. Il never talk to
them. just say Good morning in
Christian charity
| Aunt Grace's eyes were smiling as
always, but for the first time Carol
! felt that the smiles were at, instead
of with, her.
"You would laugh to see her, Aunt
Grace" Fairy explained "They are
generally half intoxicated, sometimes
wholly. And Carol trips by, clean,
white and shining. They are always
lounging against the store windows or
posts for support, bleary eyed, dissi-
pated, swaggery, staggery. Carol mods
and smiles as only Carol can, Good
morning. Ooys! Isn't IL lovely day?
Are you feeling well?' And they grin
at her and sway overwhelmingly against
one another and say, 'Mornin', Carol
Carol is the only really decent person
| in town that has anything to do with
them
Carol means all right declared
Lark angrily.
Eyes, indeed" assented Fairy. "They
! call them the Slaughterhouse quartet,
auntie, because whenever they are So
Der enough to walk without police as
sistance. they wander through the
streets slaughtering the peace and se-
renity Of the quiet town with their
rendition of all the late. disgraceful
sentimental ditties. They are in many
ways striking characters. l do not
wholly misunderstood their attraction
for romantic Carol. They are some
thing like the troubadoursi Of old
only more So"
Carols face was crimson. II don't
like them" she cried, "but I'm sorry
for them. I think maybe l can make
them see the difference between us,
me so nice and respectable you know,
and them so-animalish! 1t may
arouse their better natures-l suppose
they have better natures. want to
show them that the decent element, we
Christians, are sorry for them and
want to make them better"
| Carol wants to be an influence"
Fairy continued "Of course, 1t Is a
little embarrassing for the rest OF us
to have her on such friendly terms
with the most uncomfortable charac-
tiers in all Mount Mark. But Carol is
! like so many reformers-in the pres
ence of one great truth she has eyes
| for it only, ignoring thousand other.
greater truths"
81 am sorry for them" Carol repeat
ed, more weakly, abashed by the pres
ence of the united family. Fairy's dis
sertations on this subject had usually
occurred i'm private.
| Mr.. Starr mentally resolved that he
would talk this over with Carol when
the others were not present, for he
knew from her face and her voice that
she was really sensitive on the sub
ject And he knew, too, that 1t is diff
! fcult to explain to the very young that
the finest of ideas are not applicable
| to all cases by all people. But it hap
| pened that he was spared the neces-
sity of dealing with Carol privately,
| for matters adjusted themselves with
out his assistance.
The second night following was an
eventful one in the parsonage. One
of the bishops of the church was in
! Mount Mark for business conference
with the religious leaders, and was to
spend the night at the parsonage. The
meeting was called for eight-thirty for
| the convenience of the business men
concerned. and was to be held in the