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? (150) ~ * T H E P
. Our Boys
11
THE LEADER.
BY FRANK WAYLB.
Tie came in rather earlier than usual, for he
was not only a member of the society, but
it was his first night to lead. Indeed, it. was
to be the first attempt of his life to speak to
an audience. Even during his few monilis a: the
public scho'.l he had never spoken a piece or taken
part in an entertainment.
Ilalf way across the room he hesitated and
looked at the seat near the door, into which he
had been accustomed to slip, but the same feeling
of duty which had made him consent when a
lookout c\ mniittee .iskn.l him to lrad, and which
had kept him from yielding to the impulse to
remain away this evening, now carried him to
the chair behind the leader's table.
Not more than a half dozen members were in
the roum; bnt presently others began to come in,
singly and in pairs and in groups, whispering in
low voices and glancing curiously at the shrinking
fi?nre behind the table. Two or three nodded
to him: one spoke.
Tie had been thinking for some dayB of what
he wonld say: but it was all gone from him now.
even the idea. From time to time his eyes tried
to lift themselves from a too persistent gaze at
bp table, but his self-consciousness was too acute,
and each time they fell back powerless.
.And yet be saw everyone who entered the
room. Most of them were strangers to him;
hieh school girls and boys, probably, with a few
visitors, and r sprinkling of representatives from
the wealthy families up town. There was the .
daughter of the man who owned the factory in
which he worked, and with her was the daughter
of the superintendent. Two of the office young
men passed in front of his table toward their
customary seats; one of 1hem nodded to him.
Several boys who worked in stores in which he
had been, also nodded. The one who spoke was
a boy from the spinning-room in the same fae
lory, with whom ho was a orpin in ted. Apparently '
he was the only other mill-hoy present.
At lenjrlh nn nnnntnral atillness apprised lnm
that the onieinl moment had eome. Bnt it seemed
as t bench weight a were holdintr him to the
chair. ITe placed his hnmls nnon the table and
rose alowlv. with a eurions feeling that this could
net renlly he himself. His Bible lav open npon
Ihe tnh'e. and he picked it. not once risking a
glance at hi* audience.
In spite of hi* few month* at school. he was a
fairly good reader, for he made a practice of
studying evenings, and he had attended writing
and reading classes gotten up for the mill help;
hut now he did not recognize his own voice.
When he laid the llihle down and lifted his eyes
desperately to the faces in front of ldm.' his
lips were parched and his limbs trembling. What
would these bright high school girl* and hoys
think f Of course they were laughing.
"Nov* and girls." he began. changing it hur
riedly to "Dear friends, I m?in. T?T?ire
should /ill of ns try to?to," a long, lonff pause,
durinpr which the color flamed up to liis face and
his eyes became almost piteous in their appeal.
"We should all of us try to?to?you understand
how it is," breaking off suddenly and adr
dressinir them with desperate apology, "No. youdon't;
yon see how it is. I've never trteJ to
speak to people before, and T-?I find I've made-a
mistake ' Ytm must he easy with me " Then
I
RE8BTTERUN OF THE 8C
and Girls
? 'I
commencing once more, "We should all of us try
to?to build up from a safe foundation. Every
day is a stone, and every action the mortar that
is to make it secure, that?that." another long
pause, at the end of which a little girl in the
front seat lisped "Thing 204."
When the last strain of the hymn died away,
it found Ihc leader still standing. lie had a
feeling that should he sit down he would not be
able to rise again; and he realized how weak?
how pitifully weak?it was to give up like this.
Was the feeling which had made him consent to
lead, which had made him conquer his inclination
to stay away, to falter at the mere tlfought
of how the girls and boys might look, of what
thev might think t Was there not a higher motive
for him to consider!
Put the moral strength was not equal to the
subjugation of the diffident self-consciousness as
yet: and when the members looked toward him
expectantly, he shook his head.
"The meeting is now open for any one to
speak," he said. "I?T'm not quite ready yet.
I'll try to say something afttr a while."
TY? 1 If a _ 1 a. _ 1 * - -
iie rmu exF,Kt"ie? i" nrar Rome uttering, to see
some of the girls' handkerchiefs raised to their
faces; but no, they all regarded him with the
same attentive consideration; he even fancied
that there was a spirit of sympathy in the air,
and he felt stronger.
Some one over in a comer rose and said a few
words earnestly then a girl talked for three or
four minutes; after that there was more singing.
The feeling of " waiting for somebody else to
begin" was now over, and members arose rapidly,
one after another, some taking a few min
utes, out more reacting verses from their Bibles
or extracts suited to the occasion from books or
periodicals. And between every two or three
speakers, some one suggested a hymn, in the
singing of which all joined heartily.
Twice the leader essayed to speak; the first
lime in a voice audible to himself, and speedily
hashed by the singing; the second time heard by
the first few rows but ending with the second
sentence.
As the meeting approached its conclusion he
bad a growing conviction that it was no use. He
could not speak. They would not be likely to
H?k him again; but If they did he would refuse.
Indeed, it might be well to stay away altogether.
1 f he could.not take part, he would be only a useless
member.
At length the president arose and took a slip
of paper from his pocket.
"I am very sory to say," he began, "that we
have a had report of one of our members. lie
has hern seen under the influence of liquor, and
spends his Sundays in bicycling and playing
baseball. lie ban not boon to our mpptincrci in
two months. I move we drop the name of tlames
Binny from onr roll.. "We cannot afford to carry
such members." .
"I second the motion," came from a boy in
1he next scat.
"It is moved and seconded?" But the presi
dent stopped there, for the shrinking, solf-eonscions
figure whicli had been leaning against the
table all this time, now stood erect, his eyes
flashing and hi* right arm raised in the air. Tie
had forgotten himself, his clothes,-which were tso
small and long, since worn shiny, and even the
high school girls and hoys who were waking for
U T H ITMwnxry 19. 1M8
him to apeak. Rather h? waa thinking of a
..i; i- i i i i> _
nuuug, sru-tcniuii. uuy wiau wurseu n?ar unit in
the carding room, a boy who had lifted himself
from the very depth of mire toward something
he longed for but imperfectly understood.
"I object," he cried, his voice ringing into
every corner of the large room, "James Binny is
a l>oy everybody ought to be proud to know, even
the members here. Tie has been drunk, ves; I
saw him myself tipon the street, and he was ridden
a bicycle on Sunday which one of the office
boys loaned him, and has played ball. But you
do not understand, you couldn't. Jim has never
Von to school a day in his life: hut he picked up
his letters somehow, and has learned to read and
write nnd to know a pood many other things
nhont hooks. His people are all ignorant and
shiftless, nnd T suppose had; and the place where
he lives i,s the very worst part of the town. Jim
has tried to raise himself ahove it all, and has
heen laughed nt and jeered. Tie joined this society
because its members were like what he
wnnted to he. and he thought he could watch
them nnd talk with them nnd may be learn their
ways. The first three Sundays he was here only
two spoke to him, a boy who is clerk in a store
and one of the office young men. The fourth
Sunday some remark was made about him which
he overheard, and which hurt him pretty bad.
for that night he said he shouldn't come any
more. The next day he was under the influence
of liquor. It was the only time I ever heard of
his drinking. I think he was discouraged: he
had been trying for years to raise himself above
Ins surroundings, and now he thought the people
he wanted to be like wouldn't have him.
"But I am not blaming you," the leader went
on. his voice softening; "you don't understand
what we mill-boys have around us; you can't.
And?it seems to me that a society like this ought
to be lifting folks up, and not for folks who are
already up. or most up. If you were willing to
persuade Jim to come back, and could convince
liirn that you wanted him back. I believe you
could help him to make a strong, noble man.
Jim's got more in him than most boys." lie
paused and looked from one face to another.
eagerly, appealingly. The president was on his
feet almost instantly.
441 apologize," lie said; 44and hope we will all
join together in an earnest effort to bring Jim
bnek. Suppose we appoint our leader to talk
with him."
44No, that wouldn't be the right way,' 'the
leader objected; 4,I am a mill-boy like Jim, and
he would think 1 didn't understand. Some of you
could do better."
44 Very well," the president consented; 44I will
be glnd lo go for one. and 1 know there are others
who will he just a* glad to go with me. If we
don't onvince Jim that we do want him it will
be because ho isn't in a convincible mood."
"I want to thank you for your splendid talk,"
lie said, cordially; "it has done us all good."
Then others came up and spoke and grasped
Ilia liniwl mnnntr (hum ?'?m numn nf llm
...... p w " v i v f'lug VI l?IV gll 19.
The daughter of the mill i>.vner lingered a few
moments.
"There's something I want to speak to yon
about,".she began, after most of the members
had passed out; "I was thinking of it while yon
were talking. I have plenty of time and plenty
of room, and I would like to do something for
boys like Jim. Ilnw would it do to have a lot
of them at my house, say once a week, to play
games and hove a good timet Wo eonld hdve a
little music and some refreshments, and I have a
J l. t.. 1 1.1 .4
miuiy uu<mn anu [muuiict iu?"(y hmuu uhw m.
Do yon think they would like itt Of eonrse," hastily,
"we want them to understand it wasn't,
to be any stiff missionary or charitAhle scheme.
i