The Omaha guide., 1932-09-10

Of a voice, a mans voice, melodlous
and clear.
ooh, let me GO in with Noah. -
And then the full-throated an
Iswer of a thousand shouting souls:
Tin with Noah, Lord!'
The song went on and on, end
lesSly. the rhythmic claShing of
cymbals and shutting Of feet pro-
viding accompaniment. Linda lis
tened entranced. AS her eyes grew
more accustomed to the dim light
she perceived that the singing and
the shouting emanated from a
tent, a huge and well-equipped
structure directly across the street
from her window. Across the front,
in flashing mazdas, was the sign,
1.-THE GOSPEL TRAIN"
whats going on. anyway?" AL
Cooper grunted
The Ace laughed. There's a
bunch .; crazy people over there
getting religion. Listen to 'em
Shout" Then his expression
changed. THAT guy-that evange-
list who leads 'em, though-heis due
for a nice, long ride, believe me-"
"Robbing you of business?" AL
WANTED to know.
1.-TWO waysl" the Ace exploded.
First he draws half the people
who would come here over to that
confounded tent of his, and then
The breaches to 'em and tells 'em
to stay out of place. like this. He's
lgot a drive on agai st all the dance
halls and cabarets in town-callS
'em dens of sin and iniquity and
anything else he happens to think
iof. He gonna drive 'em out-gon-
ma clean up this town. Well, we'll
lsee who gets cleaned up first"
AL laughed. That's a hot one!"
The Said.
Linda didn't laugh. She stood at
the window, motionless, until the
singing lulled. Come on, let's go
lover there for a minute or two" she
suggested.
II got some business with Bill
Norris" the Ace parted, pulling out
his watch. I'm late now"
I'm 60 long" said AL.
The Aces face clouded. "Busi-
mess can watt" he said. Come on,
Linda, I'll take you over there"
We'll all go along together"
Linda suggested. well have to
leave before twelve. I have to
dress for the act"
She took one man on each arm
land Leo them across the street,
lguiding them through one of the
doors of the big tent, down an
laisle and to one of the few vacant
iseatS.
The music started once more;
the choir doomed out, followed by
the full-throated voice of the
throng:
"Oh, happy land, Jerusalem,
When shall / come to thee?
When shall my sorrows have an
end?
Thy joys, when shall I see?"
And then the clear, rich voice Of
the great evangelist rang out above
Jail the rest:
"Oh, happy harbor of Gods
saints,
Oh, sweet and pleasant oil;
In thee no sorrow can be found,
Nor grief, nor care, nor toll"
Linda Allen sat transfixed as the
lcrowd began to sway, chanting in
delirious abandon, shouting and
lclapping hands end swaying to the
beat of the primitive music.
"And we shall meet, we shall meet
on that beautiful shore. 80"
There was something vaguely ia
miliar about all this. 1t brought
back memories of the early years
she had spent on a plantation in
the South. Here was the gospel
train, going up to glory, going t.
the Lord. And these men, these
women, these children rocking to
the rocking of the train were 60
ing up to glory with it, going up to
the Lord.
And there was something ia
miliar, too, in the kindly-faced,
lyoungish man who RAJ the leader
of them all, the evangelist. She
studied his face and thought that