The Black Creek Stopping-House by Nellie L. McClung
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page 4 of 165 (02%)
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attending lay in a perfectly legitimate desire to see for himself what
it was all about, he being happily possessed of an open mind. Mr. Corbett would do anything once, and if he liked it he would do it again. In the case of the Salvation Army meeting, he liked it. He liked the music, and the good fellowship, and the swing and the zip of it all. More still, he liked the blue-eyed Irish girl who sold _War Crys_ at the door. When he went in he bought one; when he came out he bought all she had left. The next night Mr. Corbett was again at the meeting. On his way in he bought all the _War Crys_ the blue-eyed Irish girl had. Every minute he liked her better, and when the meeting was over and an invitation was given to the anxious ones to "tarry awhile," Mr. Corbett tarried. When the other cases had been dismissed Mr. Corbett had a long talk with the captain in charge. Mr. Corbett was a gentleman of private means, though he was accustomed to explain his manner of making a livelihood, when questioned by magistrates and other interested persons, by saying he was employed in a livery stable. When further pressed by these insatiably curious people as to what his duties in the livery stable were, he always described his position as that of "chamber maid." Here the magistrates and other questioners thought that Mr. Corbett was disposed to be facetious, but he was perfectly sincere, and he had described his work more accurately than they gave him credit for. It might have been more illuminative if he had said that in the livery stable of Pacer and Kelly he did the "upstairs" work. It was a small but well appointed room in which Mr. Corbett worked. It |
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