Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-09-03
The Gift
Supreme
BY
George Allan England
Author OF
Darkness and Dawn"
1.-THE AIibi," etc.
CHAPTER XVII.

An unusual profusion OF light cast
by big oil lamps with tin reflectors
hanging from the ceiling. also the
presence of tobacco smoke. also an
entire absence OF platform, benches
and bible texts, convinced Meiny at
first glance that Dams information
had been correct and that the Little
Haven was no ordinary gospel
dump" Corrobo,ative evidence of
this fact came from the clink OF
dishes and the smell of hot coffee
and good cooking that drifted in thru
a swinging door at the rear of the
main room.
/ Defiantly Meiny stood there In the
entrance, blinking about him with
red-lidded eyes. his pimpled face
sneering disapproval. Meiny always
disapproved OF anything he failed to
understand. He doubly disapproved
IL that thing had the slightest pre-
tense to respectabilits. His sheer
had every raison d'etre as he now
surveyed the cheerful interior OF this
new establishment.
1t all displeased him very much In
prehensive and detailed objection.
The cleanness OF the room, the ex-
cellent yet not too high brow pie
. lures on the walls, the fresh white
saw dust on the floor, the broad
table st-ewn with magazines and pa.
pers, the comfortable chairs--includ-
& Ing even a rocker or two--and the
men sitting In those chairs, reading,
smoking. talking, playing checkers
1 or cnrds, or even writing letters, all
ruffled Meiny's delicate sensibilities.
Everything there, every aspect of
the new venture, connected helpful
ness and decency; and to Nleiny
these qualities were as flame to a
toad. No signs here of rum, graft,
or exhortation. Meiny made a wry
face as he turned to Dan and COM
mented. soto vocs. behind his mot
tied hand:
.sWhat the He'll kind Of dive Is
I this anyhow? ItNain't mission
Z that's cinch! It amt doss-
1 house: there ain't recruftin' poster
B or "a beware Of Pickpockets' sign In
sight. What's the lay. an where's
1.-The stiff that runs it?"
Search met" Dan gave his stereo-
typed answer. Brace somebody.
ef?"
With increasing shakiness and
nervousness Dan peered about him.
Acting on the hint, Meiny advanced
toward the reading table. His puz-
zled eyes tried to size up the men
before him, but could not quite
''make" them. Poor folk they were
or four boys among them
{ but not one of them was dirty, as
/ the usual Inhabitants of doss- houses
and cheap dumps are dirty. Every
one seemed to have made recent ac-
duairltance with soap. No scraggly,
untrimmed boards, and no ragged
clothes could Meiny see None Of the
usual reekt OF the back eddies OF So
ciety infected the room,
Metny sensed very real and
tangible difference between these
people and the usual clientele Of low
Il lodging places and ranting missions
InstiIlctively he felt himself in an
unfamiliar and hostile environment
Not the ghost Of show. he realized,
existed for any business" in a place
like thisl
"fIumph!- he grcwled In his p,iffed
throat IF I'd known n sissy place
like this was goin' to be started
round here. I'd Of grabbed 1t at the
4 kiclx-t,ffm
He advanced kowArd the table
One or two men peercd at him in
quirinsly. A boy looked up, too--a
wixen.sd little boy, thin-faced and
4 milk pale. but washed even behind
tito flaps Of his big ears, which con-
stitutes the extreme limit OF Juvenile
I lustration. Against tho arm OF his
chair rested crutches. Meiny saw
) that one Of the boys legs, withered
and shortened. was held in an iron
brace, . he demanded:
.'eay, Hd, where's tho main guy Of
this 1ointt"
.sMr. Brown asked the boy in q
thin treble. IS
= don't know his monnike-. The
head push. mean
I'm there"
The boy pointed a frail. bloodless
/ finger 1t the swinging door whence
Issued sounds and scents OF eating
Without even the civility OF thanks
1 16elny growled: "Come on, DAM"
hand thrust thru the door, followed by
4 his blinking henchman.
Ho issued into a fair-sized, low
- - ~ -.