Part 35 (1/2)

While he was resting in the park bounded by Fifth, Sixth, Olive, and Hill Streets, a middle-aged man of good dress and appearance seated himself on the same bench and, disregarding conventionalities, began to make himself agreeable, first commenting on the weather and then gradually leading up to the subject in which he was most interested.

Presently he inquired if my young friend was occupied in business, and received the reply, ”No; not at present, but I am on the lookout for something that will be worth while.” As one word always leads to another, the stranger soon inquired if the young man could dance.

Receiving an affirmative answer, he remarked:

”Good! I notice you are a swell dresser also, and a pleasant conversationalist; in fact, have all the requirements if I'm not mistaken.”

”What requirements?” asked my young friend.

”Say, young man,” the stranger answered, ”I can put you wise to something that will bring you the quickest returns for the least labor you ever struck, but _'mums the word.'_”

”Fire ahead,” replied my young friend; ”'mums the word.'”

”First, I note that you are agreeable, educated, well dressed, and a dancer, all of which takes with the majority of girls, at least the girls we have to reach. Next, I need you in the ballrooms. Perhaps you may occasionally require an automobile. To be sure, that is expensive, but...”

”What is he driving at?” silently wondered my young friend. ”Guess I will hear him through. Here's something out of the ordinary.”

”Girls will be girls,” the man continued. ”It's dead easy to win some, harder with others; but there's big money in it for each new supply you can furnish.”

”Furnish for what?” inquired my young friend.

_”The necessary evil, my boy, the necessary evil, of course,”_ was the startling answer.

Trembling with indignation, my young friend quickly arose and unhesitatingly shouted:

”Police! Police!”

The procurer disappeared so suddenly that no one of the small crowd which quickly gathered knew what was the matter until too late to arrest the scoundrel.

Is that stranger the only procurer? Common sense answers, ”No!” My reader, there are thousands. Therefore if nothing else, no other reason --and they are many--should cause young ladies to refrain from a practise which means compromise or ruin, often eternal d.a.m.nation, surely this ill.u.s.tration should be sufficient.

Permit me to mention another reason, one I am also able to verify, for it came from one s.h.i.+pwrecked at the age of twenty-two, and now pa.s.sed into eternity, but then lying in one of the wards of the county hospital. To be brief, he was a dancer. Honor, however, forbade his making any improper advances to his girl partners, but the effects of their close proximity were fatal. All the evil of his nature was stirred, and it would not be suppressed. He yielded; visited places whose thresholds he would never otherwise have crossed; then followed depravity, disease, and an untimely death. Who was responsible for this? _The unharmed girls with whom he danced._ Surely a word to the wise is sufficient. If dancing causes my brother to err, I will dance no longer.

CHAPTER XLIV.

SARAH.

Whilst doing a house-to-house work in one of our large coast towns, also filling various pulpits whenever opportunity permitted, I was on one occasion cordially invited to enter the lodging of a girl, who, when I was seated, quickly turned the key in the lock, remarking as she did so: ”You're just the kind of a person I have been hoping this long time to meet. Excuse me for locking you in, but I don't want to be disturbed while you are here, where I'm truly ashamed to have you find me. I want to tell you my situation and see if you can not immediately get me out of this awful predicament.”

Calling attention to the fact that there was no odor of liquor, no signs of cigarettes about, and stating that in consequence she was unpopular with the habitues of the other lodgings in the immediate vicinity, she inquired:

”Do I look like a hardened sinner?”

”You certainly do not,” was my reply.

”Oh! I'm so relieved,” she rejoined, ”so relieved to hear you say so, because I want to get away from this life, and I am sure you can help me.”