“rm-‘iiwmw‘iNocwhe-uehaiawie. .caugbt...99i!!‘2' "
a
l'
on
Miss
w searched him yet. Mind you keep
% man with the pistol made a sig-
M‘ “Ill'there in the shadow until the g
I i V 1 more than half drunk when l rung your.
"'1 i
Muhammad”!
‘ , muchmonsywttnhtmand
it“
ith.ths stake. who was
uttered an oath ad.“ %
. 3 ‘ ‘ oLchsnge baton
spam the am with the pistol
W Ild:.:'szk out his watchl
.s‘zinislit “Moll get all wscsn out of
‘ lid”;
with the stake was on the
lag hold of the chain when
sound of footsteps coming
3 ”Get belittld
the fence: We haven‘t
. if you don't want"——
' s with it. and his wru-
” pill? and pushed the bishop
.1 the alley and through a ragged
ng in the fence. The three
passed :
“Now, then, have you got the
watch!" asked the man with the pistol. :
whsrel" And the other man swore
' k A
’ “Break it. then!"
“No: don't break it." the bishop
mid. and it was the iirrt time he had
“taken. “The chain is the gift of a
‘vndofifriend. l shoild hesorry to
M9 it broken. " .
‘. . Atgth'e sound (1 me bishop's voice
man with the started as if he
been suddenly shot by his own
"03:33. With a quick movement of his .
other hand he turned the bishop's head
more What little light was shining
hunt the alleyway. at the same time
faking a step nearer. Then. to the evi-
int amsscment of his companion. he
mm 3 l
- " the watch alone. We've got ;
in . That's enough. "
‘ filming!“ Fifty cents! You don't !
ll
. we the man with the stake could
gy another word he was confronted
i th the muzzle of the pienil. turned i
m the bishop's head toward his own. .
' “Leave that won
fin, mtoo. This is the bishop we've 1
held lip—the bishop! Do you hear?"
. "M what of it? The president of I
filavnitod Btotes wouldn‘t be too good 1
to Sold up_if"—- l
"I 'fly, you put the money back. or
in five minutes 1'“ blow a hole through I
you headthst'll let in more. sense than
you have to‘spare now. " said the other. 1
For a second the man with the stake i
to hesitate at this strange turn ;
F "suit. as if measuring his compen- j
the htentfon. Then he hastily drop- I
lpnd the money back into the bishop's .
l. ”You can take your hands down“
air." The man with the weapon low-1.
«skit slowly. still keeping an eye on
the other man and speaking with rough
mt. The bishop slowly brought his
arms take 'de and looked earnestly at
the two men.- In the dim light it was
difficult todisfinglishfeaturee. Bewss
lavldsntlyfree t6 0 his way now. bui-
.hsflodtbcrs. maid no movement.
f‘Tkiaican go on. ~n§ou needn t sts
.m' 'onour scoot-at." Themau“
' who acted sssrnkcsman turned and
.ét down on a stone. The other msn
.stood viciously digging his stake into
iths
disc. just what I'm staying for."
m the bishop. Be sstdownons
lab-re that projected from the broken
in» » .
’ r “You must likeour company. It li-
hd sometimes for people to tear them-
.Iv- mfm us." the man stood
"nié'. ‘ But’that prayer stucktome all the
found for me and landed in a police sta-
. know what good it's done me. but I.
OOOOOOOOOQOOOOQOOO’Q’OO ‘V
foreman. lpro'mised‘ q‘flt’dii-nk'ififi
becausoyou ashedme 14'
“i remember it now." the bishop re-
plied gently. ”I hope you have kept
your promise. "
The nun laughed ssvsgely. Then he
struck his hand against the fence with
such sudden passion that hsdiow blood.
”Kept it! i was drunk inside of a
week. .l'vc been drlifking ever since.
but I’ve never forgotten you'or your
prayer. Do you remember. the morning
after i came to your house and after
laeakfnst. you had prayers and asked
me to come in and sit with the rest?
That got nic But my mother used to
pray. I can see her now kneeling down
by mybed when films a lad Father
came in one night drunk and kicked
her while she was kneeling there by
me. but i never forgot that prayer of
yours that morning. .Yon prayed for
no just as mother used to. and you did
not seem to take count u f the fact that
l was ragged and Aougb looking and
doorbell. My God. “but a life I've
lived! The saloon has bruised me and
horned mo and made hell on earth for
time. My promise not to drink was
broken in a thousand pieces inside of
tivo Sundays. and 1 lost tho job you
tion twa days afterward. but I non-r
forgot you or your mayor. I don‘t
hover forgot it. and I won't do any
harm to you nor let any one else. So
you're free to go. That's why. "
The bishop did not stir. Somewhere
. . ”.lrugasni admcs
. x
t V fl “’5
.liiul
'ahst' n a -- ,
. tion. ”1““!!! than!" WC! 4.. .
onghly startled by the event.
The «and. and at Int he
himself didth realiasllist had hap
pened. Neitherdid thctwomsn. Burns
still sat with his head boiled bativssn
his hands. The man Issuing against the
fence, lookcdst tbebi witllpsfaos
is which new emotions sws,.ropsnt-
once. astonishment and s broken gleam
of joy strangled fat expression; 9
Tbs bishop no: r .
“Comamylirothasl Godis ,.
You shall stay at the ssttlnnsnt tonight.
andlwill makegood mypromisdssto
the work. " '
Tbs twomea followed tbobishopin
sikuqs. Whgn they, reached the settle-
ment. it was after 2 o'clock. Tbsbishov
let them in andlsd them to a room. At‘
thsdoor hspsussddmoment. His tall.
commanding figure stood in the door-
way. and his pale‘face. worn with his
recent or fences. was illuminated
with the vine glory.
“God bless you. my brothenl'.’ he
said. and, laying than his benediction,
he went away.
In tbs morning he almost dreaded to
face the men. but the impression of the
night had not worn sway. True to his
promise. the bishop securd work for
them. The janitor at the mttlenisnt
needed an sssistkut, owing to the growth
of the work there. So Burns was given
the place. The bishop succeeded iw
ting his companion apodtion ss ver
for a firm of warehouse dray manufac-
turers not far from the settlement.
And the Holy tipirit. struggling in
these twa darkened. sinful men. began
his marvelous work of regeneration.
It was the afternoon following that
morning when Burns was installed in
my 'ne‘twnprisifionmsunsslstenl denim
that he was cleaning of! the front steps
of the settlement when he paused a
moment and stud up to look about him.
The first thing he noticed was a beer
sign just scrum the alley. lie wold air
most touch it with his broom from
where he stood. Over the street imme-
diately opposite were two large saloons.
and a little farther down were three
more.
i ‘4“,
a church clock struck I.
put on his hat and gone back tohis m-at .
on the stone. The bishop was thinking .
‘ strong odor of beer floated up to Burns
hard.
"How long is it since you had work i" .
he asked. and the man standing up‘ . .
itigbt and began to sivccp again. He
answered for the other.
“More'n six months since either of
us did anything to tell of, union you
count holding up Work. 1 call it pretty
wearing kind of a job myself. especially
when Wu put in a night like this one
and don't make nothing. "
"Sammie I found good jobs for both ‘
h be and put back i of yon. Would you quit this and begin :
all over l' '
“What's the use?" The man on the
stone spoke siillenly. “l'vc reformed a
hundred times. Every time I go down
The devil's begun to foreclose
deeper.
on me already. It's too late.
”No!" said the bishop, and never be
fore the most entranced audience bad 1
he felt the desire. for souls burn up in
him so strongly. All the time he sat
there during the remarkable scene he"
prayed: “O Lord Jesus. give me the
«.ouls of these two for thee! I am hun-
gry for them! Give them to me!”
"Nit!" the bishop repeated. ”What
does God want of you two men? it
doesn‘t so much matter what lwant.
but he wants just' what 1 do in this
case. Yontwo men areof infinite Value
to him."
derfIIl memory came to his aid in an
appeal such as no one else on earth
among men could make undor such cir-
cumstances. He had remembered the
man‘s name in spite of the wonderfully
busy years that lay hclwecn his coming ;
lo the house and the present moment.
“Burns." be. said. and bevyearned:
over the man with an unswekable loin:-
ing for them both. "if you‘an'd your.
friend here will go home with me to
night I will find you both places of
honorable employment. 1 will believe
in you and trust you. You are both
amperatii'vly youn'unen. Wh should
God lose your it in a great ' to
win the love of the great Father. It i.-
a small thing that l simuld lovs “on.
but if you need to feel again that t etc
The man had ‘
And their the bishop's won- '
i 33‘. up .id,‘ laughing coarsely.
is love in the world you will believe
. fainted
‘ssotmmodosndfh‘sverqliynot
l... “Shut up!" exclaimed the other.
“We'ru on the road to hell. though:
" 's screenongb. We need better
‘ ' ytlisn ourselves and the devil. "
"z "11‘ on would only allow me to be
(fury hip" The bishop spoke gen-
Iy. oven lovingly. The man oaths
' at the bishop through the
by” After nsnornent of silence be
iqiohe'flowly, like one who had finally |
'W .npan a course he hsdatilrstg
, “Do you remembel' ever was me
1"
two," ‘1] a. W- Q‘he light ill
‘hpodlookat you." i
. "Do you know me now?" The mail
ddenly took off his bat and. getting .
upfrmll the stone. walked over to the
bishop until they were near enough to .
touch each other. .
The man‘s hair was cool bkick. sx-i
Qt one spot on the top of his head’
about as large as the palm of the hand. -
which was white. ;
The pinata the bishopsaw that be,
The memory of 15 years ago i
hs—touirin him. The man helped,
8-. '
“Dart you remember one day back:
been hurnedtodssthlnsi
“Yuflhrgln torecalluow."inur-§
mused bishop lll‘
sssmsdtobsistssssted. Recesseddig-
ughisstaks inthsgrolndsndstoodl
.listeul ..
“Doyoumrsvnvinbsrhowyoutookmsi
into your on base that night sad;
spatslltkeuestbytryingtonndms.
flfihandhvwnrhcn youneceededini
Wmdfllflhaml
l
. ' 1..
me when I my. my brothers. that I love ;
you. and in the uncle of him who was.
crucified for our sins I cannot hear to
see you miss the glory of the human
life. Come! Beincn! Make another try
for it. God helping you. No nus but
God and you and myself need ever
know nnyth'in': of this tonight. Ho ho.-
im’ldven it. The minute you ask him to
you will find that true. (.‘ome! We'll
fight it out together. you two and i.
It's Worth fighting for. Everlasting life
ii. It was the sinner that (‘hrist came
to help. 1'“ do what I can fpr you. t)
God. give me the soul! of these two
men!" .
The bishop broke into a prayer to
(5:! that was a continuation of his ap-
peal it the men. llis pent up feeling
bad no other gulls-t. Before he. had
prayed mnny’inoments linm-z was pl!-
ting with his face buried in his llilllflti.
sobbing. Win-re ware his mother's
prayers nowt They were adding to the
power of tho Mslmp'l. And the other
man. harder. less moved, without s
previous knowledge of the bishop. leaned
back against the tom's. stulid at first.
but as the mayor went on he was moved
by it. What force of the Holy Spirit
swept over his dulled. tsutnl. worsened
but that same supernatural presence that
smote Paul on the road to Damascus
and through Henry Maxwell's
church the morning he asked disri
to follow in Jesus' steps and had again
Ia'oku irresistibly over the Nazareth
Avenue mummies now manifcmd
himself in this foal merof the mighty
city cud oi‘r tbs natures of the. two
“my, moron m. last to
.u on skyline of misses sad
Suddenly the door of the nearest sa-
loon opened. and a man came out. At
the some time two more went in. A
. ashe stood on the steps of the settle-
ment. Ho clutched his broom handle
had one foot on the porch and another
3 on the step just .below. fie took soother
' step down. still’s'wee'ping. Tho sweat
. stood out on his forehead. although the
;day was frosty smiths sir chill. The
5 saloon door opened again, and three or
four men came out A child went in
'u'ith 'a poll and carnoont a moment
later with squsrtof beer. The child
i wont by on the sidewalk just below him.
3 and the odor the ,beer came up to
llllfll. lie took that step down. still
swaeping desperately. His fingers were
v; purple as he clutched the handle of the
i broom. , . .
Then suddenly he pulled himself up
1 one step and swfit over the spot he had
just cleaned. He then dragged himself
by a tremendous aflort back to the floor
of the pinch and went over into the cor-
nor of it farthest from the- saloon and
began to sweep there. "0 God." he
cried. “if the bishop would only come
back!" The bishop had gone outwith
Dr. Bruce somewhere, and there was
no one about the settlement that he
knew. ' '
He sqept in the corner for two or
three minutes His face was drawn
with the agony of the conflict. Gradu-
ally he edged out again toward the steps
and began to go down them. He looked
toward the sidewalk and saw that he
had left one stepunswept. The sight
mmsd to give him a reasonable excuse
for going down there to finish his sweep
ing. He was on the sidewalk now.
sweeping the“ last step. with his face
{ toward the settlement and his back
turned partly on the saloon across the
1 alley. He swept the step a dosentimm.
: The sweat rolled over his face and drop:
: peddown at his feet. By degrees he felt
:that he was drawn over toward that
E end of the step nearest the salon. He
lcould .smell the beer and rum now as
‘ the fumes rose around him. It was” like
the internal sulphur of the lowest hell.
~
I and yet it dragged him. as by s giant's
hand. nearer its source.
He was down in the. middleof the
‘ sidewalk now. still swearing. He clear-
! ed the space in front of the settlement
1 and even went out into the gutter and
"Vs-pt that. He tookofl his hat and rub-
bed‘his sleeve over his face. His lips
‘ were palid. and his teeth cluttered lie
trembled all over like a misled. man
and staggerud hack and forth. as if he
were already drunk Bis soul shook
within him.
4, lls bad cursed! over the little piece of
. atono flagging that measured the width.
of the alley. and now he stood in front
' of the salovm. looking at the sign and
staring into the window at the pile of
' whisky and beer bottles arranged in s
' great pyramid inside. lie moistened his
lips with his tongue and took a step
’ forward. looking around him stealthily.
he door suddenly tanned spin. and
‘ some “one came mt. Again the hot.
[e-netrsting smell of the liquor swept
out 'into the cold air. and he took an-
step toward the saloon door.
which had shut behind the customer.
As be laid his dust-spa the door handle
a tall e cams around the mass. It
was tbs bishtip.
o, Desslseanrnsbythearnianddrsg-
. 1 him back upon the sidewalk. The
mated man. now, mad for drink.
shriekedont scum sndstvnck stthe
mishap ssvsgely. It is doubtful if he
:rsslly knew at first who was matching
him swayfrusubis ruin. Theblow fell
nponthe bishop's face sndcut sgssh
.inhischeek. \
! lie nevus uttered a word. but over
.hisfacoslookof misstiosorrovnwept.
Kspickodllurnsnpssifhshadhma
inhild and actuallycarvig hiynapzh!‘
. ,. . .. .1
1'11”, 39.“ v"
fig. . W‘
hymn wt fiction. slw
Wu s slight built man and had not
been a great weight for one of the
bishop's str tp carry. The bishop
was moved ii iii unspeakable pity.
"Pray. Burns—pray as you never
prayed beforsl .Nothing else will save
you!" -
“0 God! Pray with mel White!
Ob. save mo: from my bell!“ cried
Burns. and t kussled by him
in the ball a . y as onlyhs could.
After that .arose. and Burns
went into his . He came out of it
that evening a humble child.and
the bishop w 'his way. older from
that criterion . bearing on his body
the marks of th Jesus Truly he
was learning. tomsthing of what it
means to walk in his steps
But the Islooal lt stood there. and
all the others. lined the street like so
many traps set for Burns. How long
would the man be able to resist the
suiollof thsdamnablsstudt The bishop
was out on the porch. The air of the
whole city scorned to be impregnated
with the odor of be“. “How long. 0
God. how lan’gt"’ths'hlsbop prayed.
Dr. Bruce came out. and the two
friends talked over Burns and his temp-
mioe . .
"Did you ever make any inquiries
about the ownership of this property
adjoining act" the bishop asked -
"No; Ilniven't taken time for it. X
will now if you think it would be worth
while. But what' can we do. Edward.
against the submit in this great city? It.
is as firmly established as the churches
or politics What power can ever rc-
move it?" -
"(ind will do it in time. as he re-
umvwl slavery-.- 5 3. “replied,“ ll!!! ....l’l'h0l’
gravely. "Meanwhile [think we have“
at right tnknow who controls this salow
so near the settlement."
"l'll find out." said Dr. Bruce.
TWo days later he walked into the
business office of one of the. members of.-
Ndkareth Avenue church and asked to
tea him a few moments. He was cor-
dially received by his old parishioner.
who welcomed him into his room and
urged him to take all the time he
wanted.
”I called to not! you about that prop-
erty next to the settlement. where the
,Abisbop and myself now are. you know.
I am going to. speak plainly. because
life is too short and too serious for us
both to have any fixilish hesitation
about this matter: Clayton. do you
think it ‘u wraptthat property
[of it Illil 1'“; Y A >
Dr. B ce's
and uncomprr
ii to be. The effect of it on his old pa-
rishioncr wand ntaueaos
The hot blood mountiil to the face of
the man who sat tbdre. a picture of
business activity in a great city. Then
l“. grew pink; d his head on his
hands. on whonzzzaiscd it again Dr.
Bruce waa drained 0 see a tear roll
om his parishioner's face.
_“Doctor. did you know that I took
tbil. Pledge than-morning with the oth-
tilil" ‘ '
.“Yes. lrcmcrnbcr.“
"But you net'er knew how I have
been tormented over my failure to keep
it in this instance. That saloon prop-
erty has been .the temptation of the
devil to me. , it is the best paying in-
vestment alt 'llhlcnt That i have. and
yet it was only. a minute before you
came in here that l was in an agony of
remorse tothiak how [was letting a
little earthly gain tempt me into denial
of the very Christ I had promised to
follow. 1 know well enough that he
would never rent property for such a
purpose. There is no need. dear doctor.
for you to say a word mire." Gsytoa
held out his hand. and Dr. Bruce grasped
it and shook it hard. After a little he
went away. but it was a long time aft-
erward that he learned all the truth
about the struggle that Clayton had
known. It was only a part of the his~
tory that belonged to Nazareth Avenue
church since that memorable morning
when the lioly‘ilpirit uncapped the
('hristlike pledge. Not even the bishop
and Dr. Bruce. moving as they now did
in the very presence itself of divine im-
pulses. knew yet that over the whole
sinful city the spirit was brooding with
mighty eagerneni. waiting for the dis-
tbe call of sacridce sud
suflering. touch ng hearts long dull and
cold. making business men and money
makers uneasy in their absorptioii by
the one great snuggle for more wealth
and stirring through the church as
never in all the city's history the church
had been moved. The bishop and Dr.
Bruce had slresdy,ssen some wonderful
things in their brief life at the settle-
ment. They were to see for greater
soon. more astonishing revelations of
the Divine power than they had sup
poled pndble in this age of the world
Within a month the saloon next the
settlement was closed. The saloon keep
or's lease had aspired. and Clayton not
only closed the "minty to the whisky
mm, but offered the use of the building
to the bishop and Dr. Bruce for the set.
tlement work. which had now grown so
large that the building was not ruffl-
clsnt for the diluent industries that
were planned One of the most impor-
tsltof thcsswssthspureforvldspart-
not suggested by Felicia It was not
a month sffer Clayton turned tbcrslocn
over to the svttlemsn .thst
e do found ”itself installed the
very room wberssonlsbsd beeniostss
head of a department not only «(cook--
tag. but of a worse of housekeeping!"
girls who wished to goon: to sarvice.
like was now a resident of the settle-
ment and found a home with In
knee and thomher young women from
the city who were residents Martha.
ciples to arise
org...
' depravity.
“Well. labsvs.‘ lit at the
hired girl blots." said Felicia. with
ansirofw mthatmadslraBrnce
smile as shs looked at the enthusiastic.
vital beauty of this young girl, trans-
formed into a new creature by the
ice shebsd made to llvp the Cloist-
e. We. "pad lfhsvo r bedosl'tsin
conclusions in regard to t that you
men are nht yet able to fathom. but
Hrs Bruce herewill understand me."
"We acknowledge our infancy. Fe-
licia Goon." ssld the bishophambly.
"Then this is what I propose to do:
The old saloon building is large enough
to smugslnto a suit of rooms that
will amount an ordinary. house. My
plan is to have it so arranged and then
teach hon keeping sndcooking togirls
who will forward go out to servlco.
The course will be six months long. in
that time I will teach plain cooking.
nestnrss. quickness and a love of good
work."
“Hold on, Felicia!" the bishop inter-
rupted f‘This is not an age of mira-
cles. " .
“Then i will make it‘ one." replied
Felicia. “i know this seems like an im-
possibility, but i want to try it. l know
a score of girls already who will take
the course, and if wo'csn once establish
something like an esprit do corps among
the girls themselves 4 am sure it will
boot greetvslus to them i know sl-
rosdy that the pure food is working a
revolution in many families. "
“Felicia. ‘if you can scumplish half
of what you propose to do. it will him
this whole community," said Mrs.
Bruce. “1 don't see how you can do it,
but I say “God bless you!’ as you try. "
"So say we all!" cried Dr. Bruce and
the bishop. and Felicia plunged into the
working coauthor plan with the en-.
thnsiasm of .bmdidipic’shipf-wslen" V“
at! My stew me .sedawlii‘l'l‘liel
and serviceable. , . . i '
It must be said here that Felicia's
plsn anccfl‘dul beyond aberpfitatione
She developed wondu'fnl powers of per-
suasion and taught her girls with aston-
ishing rapidity to do all m of house-
work. In time the graduate-so! Felicia's
cooking school came to be priced by
housekeepers all over the city. But that
is anticipating our story. The history
of the settlement has never yet been
written. When it in; Felicia's part will
be found of very great importance.
The depth of winter found Chicago
presenting. as ever great city of the
world presents. to s eyes of Christch-
dom that marked contrast between
riches and poverty. between culture.
refinement. in ‘7‘ ' . use and ignorance.
itntion and the bitter
struggle for bread It was a hard win-
ter. but a gay winter. Never had there
been such a successionof parties. recep-
tions. balls. dinners, banquets. fates.
gayetiee; never had theopers and the
theater been a; crowded with fashion-
able undivided; never had there been
such a lavish dilplaf‘il‘f jewels and fine
drersves and oanipsges. and. on the oth-
or hand. never had the deep want and
scarring been -so cruel, so sharp. so
murderous; 11er had the winds blown
so chilling 0v. the-lake and through
the thin shells of tenements in the
neighborhood of the settlement: never
had the pressure for food and fuel and
clothes been so urgently thrust up
against the people of the city in their
most importunate and ghastly form.
Night after night the bishop and Dr.
Brace. with their helpers. went out and
helped to save men and Women and
children from the torture of physical
privation. Vast quantities of food and
clothing and large sums of money were
donated by the churches. the charitable
societies. the civic authoritieshnd the
benevolent smociations. but thefpersonal
touch of the Christian disciple was very
hard to secure for personal work.
Where was the discmip that was
obeying the Master’s . apd togo it-
self to the sum-ring and give itself with
its gift. in order to make s gift of
value in time to mine}!!! The bishop
found his heart sink wl lithium; he
fans) this an madden any other.
Men would ve money whb'would not
think of giving themselves. and the
money they gave did not represent any
’reel sacrifice because they did not miss
it. They gave what was the easiest to
give. what hurt them the feast. Where
did the sacrifice come in? Was this fol-
lowing Jews! Was this going with
him all the way! He had been to many
members of his own wealthy and aria-
tocratic. congregation and was appalled
to find how few men and women of that
luxurious clam iu'the churches would
really suffer any genuine inconvenience
for the sake of suffering humanity.
is charity the giving of wornout gar-
ments? Is it a ten dollar bill given to a
paid visitor or secretary of some he-
nevolent organisation in the church?
shallthemanncvergomidgive his
gift himself? Shall the woman never
deny hes-self her reception or her party
or her musical and go and actually
touch the foul, sinful sore of diseased
humanity.” it fosters in the great mt
trnpolisf Mil charity he mnveniently
and easily done through nonworganiss-
tionl Is it panible to organize the sf-
fcctious so‘ that love shall ‘work dis-
agreeable things by proxy?
All this the bishop asked as he plunged
deeperintotbe sinsnd sorrowof that
bitter winter. He was hearing his cross
with 107.1!“ he burnedisnd fought
within ova the shifting of personal
lovsbythemsnynpon thehesrtsof the
low. And still. silently. powerfully. re~
my. the My fiplrh was moving
through the church upon even the aris-
tocratic. wealthy. sass loving members.
who shunned the tsrrusof the social
problsmuthsy would shunscon-
hglous dhsssn ‘
This fact was traps-d upon
sndths ssttlsnsat workers
W 0|. "If".
lowsdtbsplsdgsiodoss
Nil. brakfsst hour sttks 'ssttlcment
was the one hour in tbs day when the
whole resident family found a little
'brssthiag specs to fat owship together.
was a great deal of good natured re-
snd much rssl wit and solo sblp
n at this hour. The bishop to d his
best stories. Dr. Bruce was at his best
in anecdote. This company of disciples
was healthily humorous in spite of the
atnimpbero of sorrow that constantly
surrounded them. In fact. the bishop
often said that the faculty of humor
was as God given, as any other. and in
his own case it was the only safety
valve he had for the tremendous press-
ure put upon him.
' This particular morning the bishop
was reading extracts from a morning
paper for the benefit of the others. Bad-
denly he paused. and his face instantly
grswsternsndssd. Therest kicked
up. and a hash fell over the table.
“Shot and killed while taking a lump
of coal from a car. His family was
freosing. and be had had no work for
six months His six children and nwlfe
all packed into a cabin with three
rooms on the west side. (he child wrap-
ped in rags in s cluiet."
These wore headlines that the bishop
read slowly. He then went on and read
the detailed account of the shooting and
the visit of the reporter to the tenement
where the family lived.
lie finished. and there was silence
sround the table. The humor of the
hour was swept out of existence by this
bit of human tragedv. The great city
roared about the settlement. The awful
current of human life was flowing in a
great stream past the settlement house.
and those who had work were hurrying
torit in a vast throng. but thousands
were going down in the midst of that
current. clutching at last hopes, dying.
literally in a land of plenty, because
7?: boon of physical toil was denied
Pin
There various comments on the
part of th dents One of the new-
comers. a young man preparing for the
ministry, said: "Why didn't the man
apply to one of the charity organiza-
tions for help or to the city? it certain-
ly is not true that. even at its worst,
this city full of Christian people would
knowingly allow any one to go without
food or fuel."
“No: I don‘t believe that it would."
replied Dr. Bruce. "But we don't know
the hisniry of that man's case. He may
have asked for help so often before that
dually. in a momgit of desperation. be
determined to help himself. I have
known such cases this winter. " '
“That is not the terrible fact in this
case," said the bishop. ”The awful
thing about it is the fact that the man
had not had any work for six months "
"Why don't such people go out into
the country l" asked the divinity stu-
dent.
Some one at the table who had made
a srwcial study of the opportunities for
work in the country answered the ques-
tion. According to the investigator. the
places that were possible for work in
the country were exceedingly few for
steady employment. and in almost ev-
ery case they were offered only to men
without families Suppose a man’s wife
and children were ill. How could he
move or get into the country? How
could he pay even the meager sum nip-
canny to move his few goods? There
were a thousand reasons probably why
this particular men did not go else-
where.
“Meanwhile there are the wife and
childrrnl" said Mrs Bruce. "BOW aw-
ful! Where is the place. did you say t"
The bishop tmk up the paper.
._ “Why, it's only three blocks from
here. This is the Pennies district. I be
lieve Penrosc himself owns half of the
houses in that block. They are among
the worst houses in this part of the
city. and Pcuross is achurch member."
“Yes: he belongs to the Nazareth Av.
enue church." replied Dr. Bruce in a
low voice.
The bishoprose from the table the
very figure of divine wrath. He had
opened his lips to say what seldom
came from him in the way «denuncia-
tion when the bell rang and one of the
residents went to the door.
“Tell Dr. Bruce and the bishop I
want to see them. Penmse is the name
—-Clarence Penrose. Dr. Bruce knows
me. "
The family at the breakfast table
heard every word. The bishop exchanged
a significant look with Dr. Bruce. and
the two men instantly left the table
and went out into the hall.
"Come in here, Penman." said Dr.
Bruce. and he and the bishop ushered
the visitor into the reception room
They closed the door and were alone.
Clarence Pcnrose was one of the most
elegant looking men in Chicago He
came from an aristocratic family of
great wealth and social distinction. He
was exceedingly wealthy and had large
property holdings in different parts of
the city. He had been a member of Dr.
Bruce's church all his life.
This man faced the bishop and his
former pastor with a , look of agitation
on his 'fimntenance that showed plainly
the mark of some unusual experience.
He was very pale. and his lip trembled
as he spoke) When had Clarence Pen-
rosssver before yielded to such a strange
motion of feelingt
“This aflairof the shooting-you un-
derstand. You have read it. The family
lived in oneofmy houses. Itisa terri-
bleevent. But that is not the primary
cause of my visit" Bastsmmued and
looked anxiously into the facesof the
other two men The bishop still locked
m He could not help feeling that
fits elegant man of leisure could have
dunes grsstdesl toslleviatethe hor-
rors in his tenauents, podbly have pre-
vsntedthistnsodydfhehadsaaiflecd
W oaadi the people in
assist. ' ‘
Paro- turusd to Dr. Enos.
“ “M" h sushi-ad. and
r.’
”333.3% 5
it was an hour of relaxation. Tbsrs .
Christian thing.
my abundance to
ity..lnsvssgsvsnysslftocost
suffering. lhsvs been living in
feet hell of contradictions "er
m “WW 3:: it: u in.
you ,. 4
she has bssu asking me “a
great many questions lately about the
pcovpcopls sad “'21.:th lind- l "I
obliged to answer her. Twoof hcrques-
tions last nkht touched-my-sce. Didi
own any house where those
lived! Were they nice and warm lb
oust Yosknowbows skildwill Ink
questions like these. 1 wsntto bsd‘tol-
mated with what lucwkiiowto be
the divine ssrowsof ’ ., I could
not sleep. l seemed tosk‘ judgment
day. I was placed before the Judge. I
was asked to give account of mydseds
done in the body. How many sinful
soulshad Ivisited in prison? ththad
i done with my stewardship? How
about those tenements where 980910
from in winter and stifled in suminert
Did I give any thought to than, except
to receive the rentals from them?
Where did my suffering come int
Would Jesus have done ss 1 had done
and was doing? Bad I broken my
pledge? £10wa I used the moneysnd
the culture and the social influence 1
possessedtliadlusedthemtoble.
humanity. to relieve the suffering. to
bring joy to the distressed and hope to
the desponding'! I had received much.
How much had 1 given?
“All this came to me in a waking
vision as distinctly as I see you Itwo
men and myself now. 1 was unable to
see the end of the Vision. I had a con-
fused pictnro in my mind of the suffer-
ing Christ pointing a condemning finger
at me. and the rest was shut out by
mist and darkness 1 have not had sleep
for 24 hours. The first thing i saw this
morning was the account of the shoot-
ing at the coalyards I read the account
with a feeling of borrorl have not been
able to shake 03. I am a guilty creature
before God. " -
Penroee paused suddenly. The two
men looked at him solemnly. 'What
power of the Holy Spirit moved the
soul of this hitherto self satisfied. ele-
gant. cultured man who belonged to
the social life that was accustomed to
go its way. placidly unmlndful of the
great sorrows of a great city and prse "
tically ignorant of what it means to
suder for Jesus' sakel
Into that room came a breath such as
before swept over Henry Maxwell's
church and through Nazareth Avenue.
and the bishop laid his hand" on the
shoulder of Psnrose and said: “My
brother. God has been very near to you.
Let us thank him. ”
“Yin. yes." sobbed Penrcas. Ho nit
down on a chair and covered his face.
The bishop prr red. Then Pearose quiet-
ly said. “Will you go with me to that
house 1" . .
For answer both Dr. Bruce andvthe
bishop put on their overcoats and went
out with him to the home of the dead
man's family. This was the beginning
of a new and strange life for Clarence
Penroso From the moment he stepped
into that wretched hovel of a home and
faced for the first time in his life a (10-,
spair and suffering such as he had read
of. but did not know by personal oon- ‘
tact. be dated a new life. It would be
ence to his pledge. he began to the with
his tenement property as he knewfiJcsus
would do. What would Jesus do with
tenement property if he owned it in
Chicago or any other great city of the
world? Any man who can imagine any
true answer. to this question can easily
tell what Clarence Penrose began to do.’
Now. before that winter reached its
bitter climax many things occurred in
the city that concerned the lives of all
the characters in this historyof the dis-
ciples who promised towalk a hlsetqie.
It chanced. by one of those remark-
able coincidences thst seem to occur
preternaturally. that one afternoon. just
as Felicia came out of the settlement.
with a basket which she was going u:
leave as a samplewith abakerintho
Penrose dish-let; Stephen Clyde opened
the door of the carpenter shop in the
basement and came out of the lower,
door in time to meet Felicia as she
reached the sidewalk. ,
"Let me carry your basket. plea"
he said ";
"Why do you say 'pleasef' ""ashnd
Felicia. handing over the basket.
“I would like to saysomet . ng nlse,".
replied Stephen. glancing at her shyly
and yet with a boldnasdhat frightened
him, .for be had been xloving Felicia
more every day sincet be first saw her.
and especially since shsstepped intothe
shop that day with.the bishop. and for
weeks now they had been in many ways
thrown into each other"s company.
"What else t" asked Felicia innocent-
ly. falling intodhe trap. . .
"Why." said 8tsphen..-turning ht
fair. noble fees full toward. her and
eying bet with thé look of one who
would have tbebedofall tiring-in the
universe. "lwouldlihsvto ssy.‘ ‘lot ms
. door 1' ' ”
-
sometimssgu. Finallyshst
mid shyly. whflo‘hsr face grow my
M 5" qss tsndsr.-“Whydon‘t you
"le ht. 0|. “1 pail-t":
"Why. 1 wouldn'tmnszythlng
forsllthsworld. “6;..5
another long story to tell how. in obodi- .
Norwalk Chronicler