She gladly, hurriedly changed her attire, and soon appeared, heavily veiled.

"Why are you veiled, B----?" I asked.

"I don"t suppose you will want to be seen walking on the street with me, Mother Roberts," she replied.

With my own hands I removed the veil whilst the tears of tender, humble appreciation and love, gathered and flowed down her cheeks. We were soon at J----"s place, where B---- knocked at a side door, because of the noise of carousal in the front of the house. A beautiful but greatly intoxicated young woman opened the door and began upbraiding B---- for bringing me. But B---- marched right in, pulling me after her.

"We"ll go into your bedroom if no one"s there, J----," she said, and forthwith proceeded to do so.

"B----, you shouldn"t have done this. I"m drunk. I don"t want a lady like this one to see me in such a beastly state. You shouldn"t have done it, B----," said poor J----.

Such a noise of rowdyism was proceeding from the front room that presently she said: "I"ll stop that!" and to me, "Please excuse me a moment."

There was a hush and then sounds of several footsteps. She threw her door wide open, marched them all in, turned the key in the lock, and put the key in her pocket. What did this mean? I soon found out.

"Talk to them, too. They all need it as much as I," she said.

They surely did. All told, there were nine, not including B---- and me.

Four were mere lads, who were so ashamed that they tried to hide their features by pulling their hats as far over their faces as possible. I sang a song; they called for another, and still another. During the singing of the third one, J----, with her beautiful hair streaming about her face and shoulders suddenly threw herself lengthwise on the floor, crying out, and calling on G.o.d for mercy. Mary Magdalene, prostrate at the Master"s feet, was being reenacted once more. I quickly knelt, put my arms around her, and prayed and prayed and prayed. Before I finished, every boy and girl in that bedroom was kneeling.

Some of them I again met, though never in such a place. As for J----, she immediately disappeared, and I have never heard of her since. B---- went East and became a trained nurse, one who spiritually administers to the patients in her charge.

CHAPTER XXIV.

THE SUICIDE OF L----. ITS AFTER-EFFECT.

After much effort and following repeated calls with "not at home"

responses, I at last was able to meet one Miss Blank. Seated in her private reception room, I listened respectfully to her recital of vindication because of her present position, and then told her the nature of my errand.

The door was partially open. A beautiful, very beautiful blonde girl attired in pale blue stepped partly in, saying as she did so, "May I come in. Miss Blank?" "No, not just now," was the answer. "I"m engaged for the next few minutes." At her request I sang.

I sang a song ent.i.tled "My Mother"s Voice." I was sitting where I had a view of a portion of the stairway, and, as I sang, I saw a little blue slipper and part of a dress. That girl sat there listening.

I soon left. Before doing so I asked if I might call again, and received permission.

The following Sunday evening, after I had addressed a large audience in the Presbyterian church and just as the meeting closed, two ladies hastened forward and thus excitedly addressed the pastor (Reverend S----) and me:

"Oh! we thought the meeting would never end. Do you know a girl shot herself just now in Miss Blank"s house? She may be living yet. Hurry!

You may be able to get there in time to save her soul before she dies."

I ran, without even my hat, the pastor quickly following. When we rang the bell, Miss Blank came to the door and, throwing herself into my arms, exclaimed:

"Oh! if I had only let her in! if I had only let her in! Mrs. Roberts, it"s the girl who asked to come in the other day when you were calling on me."

"Is she living yet? Quick! let me see her. This is the Rev. Mr. S---- who accompanies me," I said.

"Too late! Mrs. Roberts, too late! She died in awful agony about twenty minutes ago. Those two men in the hall whom you saw as you came in are the coroner and the doctor. Oh! my G.o.d! my G.o.d! Pray, please pray for her soul," wailed poor Miss Blank.

"Miss Blank, she"s gone, never to return. We want to pray for your precious soul," pleaded Brother S----.

"No, no, oh! no," wept Miss Blank, and nothing we could say or do would induce her to kneel with us. She only clung the closer to me, and wept and mourned piteously.

It was early morning before we left.

All that was mortal of beautiful unfortunate L---- had been removed to the morgue, and, the name and address of her parents having been discovered, the following telegram had been sent: "Daughter L---- died suddenly. What disposition of remains?" As quickly as possible came this reply: "Embalm. Leave for Eureka immediately."

(Father"s name.)

On Monday afternoon I was once more with Miss Blank, now sufficiently calmed to relate this:

"L---- was taken with a spell of despondency Sat.u.r.day. [I was there Friday afternoon.] It wasn"t like her, for she usually was the life of the house. She didn"t get up all day Sunday. I went up after dinner to try to jolly her up, and soon left her, as I thought, more cheerful.

Presently we all were startled by the firing of a pistol, followed by some one screaming: "Oh! my G.o.d, my G.o.d! what have I done? Help me, please, for G.o.d"s sake help me!" But she was soon past all earthly aid.

All of us were paralyzed with fear, as you may readily understand."

Then she wept, as few weep, whilst I also in tears sought to comfort her and to point her to the merciful Savior, but she would have none of him. All I could do was to wait patiently and pray.

I went to the undertaker"s to view the remains. He and his wife remarked that they had handled many a corpse, but none so beautiful as this one. But I was grieving for the lost soul. Where, oh! where was it now? Where, where were the others going?

The steamer arrived, and on it not alone the father but also the mother of beautiful L----. No one had expected the mother. To me was a.s.signed the painful task of breaking the news to her. I believe I was the most burdened woman on earth at that hour and time. Rev. S---- introduced me to the stricken father in the hotel office, who presently took us up to their room. To my dying day I shall see that scene. After the introduction to the mother, the father and Brother S---- retired to another room. I was standing there alone with the mother, who leaned against the dressing-case, her hands behind her back, gripping the woodwork. She was a magnificent, majestic-looking lady; the father also was a tall fine-looking man. It was easy to discover whence the daughter had inherited her beauty.

"Who are you?" she gasped.

I explained.

"Tell me, did you know my darling girl?" she inquired.

"No, dear lady, not in life, although I had seen her," I replied.

"Where? where had you seen her?" she next interrogated.

"In the house where she boarded," I answered.

"Was her husband with her?" she inquired.

"No, not that I heard of," was my reply

Next came that dreadful, dreadful question. She shrieked it:

"Tell me, madam, was--it--all--right--with--my--baby--girl?"...

My tongue clove to the roof of my mouth. I tried to answer. Not one word could I utter. The mother with the exclamation. "O my G.o.d!" went down in a heap on the floor and I with her. For a long time the silence remained unbroken. She was the first to speak:

"It is so kind of you to come; so kind to help me in my terrible trouble. G.o.d will reward you. I never can. Now, dear, I must have particulars, if its kills me. To help get them, I must tell you this: My L---- was my youngest, my petted, spoilt, baby girl. Her every wish was gratified from the time she drew her first breath. Nothing was too good for her, and no expense spared. We sent her to Europe to complete her education. Did you ever hear her sing?"...