Warren sheaf., 1917-12-05

work among the erring has an amusing
ending. A bishop and minister make
strange acQuaintances.
The Serenade.
A subject that never failed to arouse
the sarcasm and the ire of Fairy was
that Of the Slaughter-house quartet.
This was composed Of four young
men-men quite outside the pale as
far as the parsonage was concerned
the disreputable characters Of the COM
munity, familiar IN the local Jail for
frequent bursts of intoxication. They
slouched, they smoked, they lounged,
they leered. The churches knew them
not. They were the slum element, the
Bowery Of Mount Mark, Iowa.
Prudence, in her day, had passed
them by with shy, slight nod and
a glance-of tender pity. Fairy and
Lark, and even Connie, sailed by with
high heads and scornful eyes
naughty, proud, icily removed. But
Carol, by some weird and inexplicable
fancy, 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 Break.
fast is ready, papa y
This was the one subject Of dispute
between the twins.
"Oh, please don't, Carol, it does
make me so ashamed" Lark entreated.
''You mustn't be narrow-minded,
Larkie," Carol argued. ''We're minis.
ter's girls, and we've got to be good
tnfluence-an encouragement to the
er, weak and erring, you know. Maybe
my smiles will be an inspiration to
hem.''
And on this point Carol stood firm
even against the tears of her precious
twin.
One evening at the dinner table
Fairy said, with mocking smile,
"How are your Slaughter-house friends
Today, Carol? I'see by last nights pa.
per that Guy Fleisher is just out after
his last thirty days up Did he find
his incarceration trying?''
II didn't discuss it with him." Carol
said Indignantly. II never talk to them.
I 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 OF
posts for support, bleary-eyed, dissi.
pated, swaggery, staggery. Carol mods
and smiles as only Carol can, Good
morning, boys! Isn't this lovely dayi
Are you feeling well7' And they grin
at her and sway ingratiatingly 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 Slaughter house quartet
auntie, because whenever they are
sober enough to walk without police
assistance, they wander through the
streets slaughtering the peace and Sc
renity of the quiet town with thei1
rendition Of all the late, disgracefu
sentimental ditties. They are in many
ways striking characters. do mo-
wholly misunderstood their attraction
for romantic Carol. They are some
thing like the troubadours Of old
only more so.'
Carols face was crimson. 81 dom
like them,' she cried, ''but I'm sorry
for them. / want to show them tina
the decent element, we Christians, ar,
sorry for them and want to make then
better
Carol wants to be an influence
Fairy continued. "Of course It is !,
little embarrassing for the rest Of ii
to have her on such friendly term
with the most unmentionab1e charac
4efs In all Mount Mark. But Carol 9
Ike SO many refor1ners in the pres
iience of one great truth she has eye
Tor 1t only, ignoring q thousand other
greater truths .s5
7 am sorry for them, Carol repeat
ed, more weakly, abashed by the pres
!ence Of the united family. Fairy's dis
lsertatiOns on this subject had usual,
occurred in private.
i Mr.. Starr mentally resolved that b,
would talk this over with Carol whel
the others were not present, for h
knew from her face and her voic,
that she was really sensitive on th.