Middletown transcript., 1916-01-01
CHAPTER XV-continued.

The wide-set sanitary policeman
paused in his survey long enough to
wag thick forefnger at the outraged
householder.
Don't start anything" he advised.
There's some tough mugs in this
block, but you go down to the places
I've been, and you'll find that they're
all clean"
With these few simple remarks, he
turned his back indifferently to Mr..
Rogers, and, catching hold of the car
pet in the corner with his fingers,
he lifted it up by the roots.
There's no use buckin' the govern
ment," Mr.. Rogers decided, after a
critical study of the sanitary police
mans back, which was extremely i'm
pressive. IT'S a government of the
rich for the rich. Has a poor man
got any show? I'm a capable station
ary engineer. All 1 ask is a chance
to work-at my trade" This by an
afterthought. "If you'll give me two
dollars to tide me over"
Rev. Smith Boyd stepped out of the
way of the sanitary policeman, and
then stepped out of the door.
"And you call yourself a minister of
the Gospel" Mr.. Rogers yelled after
him.
That was a sample of the mornings
work, and Rev. Smith Boyd felt more
and more, as he neared luncheon time,
that he merited some consideration, if
only for the weight of the cross he
bore. There were worse incidents
than the abuse of men like Rogers;
there were the hideous sick to see,
and the genuinely distressed to COM
fort, and depthless misery to relieve;
and any day in Vedder court was a
terrific drain, both upon his sympa-
thies and his personal pocket.
He felt that this was an exception
ally long day.
Home in a hurry at twelve-th thirty A
scrub, a complete change of every
thing, and a general feeling that he
should have been sterilized and baked
as well. Luncheon with the mother
who saw what a long day this was,
then a far different type of calls; in
a sedate black car this time, up along
the avenue. and in and out of the
clean side streets, where there was
little danger of having a tire pune
tured by a wanton knife, as so often
happened in Vedder csurt.
VTo55or oo,,rA
missing his car at the door of Temple
mission, and walking inside, out of
range of the leers of those senile old
buildings, but not out of the range of
the peculiar spirit of Vedder court,
which manifested itself most clearly
to the olfactory sense.
The organ was playing when he en-
tered, and the benches were half filled
by battered old human remnants, who
pretended conversion in order to pick
up the crumbs which fell from the
table Of Market Square church. Child
ing himself for weariness of the spirit,
and comforting himself with the
thought that one greater than he had
faltered on the way to Golgotha, he
sat on the little platform, with hymn
book in his hand, and, when the prel-
ude was finished, he devoted his won
derful voice to the blasphemy.
The organist, volunteer, a little
old man who kept a shoemakers shop
around the corner, and who played
sincerely in the name of helpfulness,
was pure of heart.
The men with the rough-hewn coun-
tenance, unfortunately not here today,
vas also sincere in an entirely un-
spiritual way; but, with these excep-
lions, and himself, of course, the rec
zor knew positively that there was not
another uncalIoused creature in the
room, not one who could be reached
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