w in Marsh and Maxwell two of the leaders in the
election contest which had perhaps robbed them of their beloved
saloon.
"Down with the aristocrats!" shouted a shrill voice, more like a
woman's than a man's. A shower of mud and stones followed. Rachel
remembered afterwards that Rollin jumped directly in front of her
and received on his head and chest a number of blows that would
probably have struck her if he had not shielded her from them.
And just then, before the police reached them, Loreen darted forward
in front of Virginia and pushed her aside, looking up and screaming.
It was so sudden that no one had time to catch the face of the one
who did it. But out of the upper window of a room, over the very
saloon where Loreen had come out a week before, someone had thrown a
heavy bottle. It struck Loreen on the head and she fell to the
ground. Virginia turned and instantly kneeled down by her. The
police officers by that time had reached the little company.
President Marsh raised his arm and shouted over the howl that was
beginning to rise from the wild beast in the mob.
"Stop! You've killed a woman!" The announcement partly sobered the
crowd.
"Is it true?" Maxwell asked it, as Dr. West kneeled on the other
side of Loreen, supporting her.
"She's dying!" said Dr. West briefly.
Loreen opened her eyes and smiled at Virginia, who wiped the blood
from her face and then bent over and kissed her. Loreen smiled
again, and the next minute her soul was in Paradise.
Chapter Fifteen
"He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness."
THE body of Loreen lay in state at the Page mansion on the avenue.
It was Sunday morning and the clear sweet spring air, just beginning
to breathe over the city the perfume of early blossoms in the woods
and fields, swept over the casket from one of the open windows at
the end of the grand hall. The church bells were ringing and people
on the avenue going by to service turned curious, inquiring looks up
at the great house and then went on, talking of the recent events
which had so strangely entered into and made history in the city.
At the First Church, Mr. Maxwell, bearing on his face marks of the
scene he had been through, confronted an immense congregation, and
spoke to it with a passion and a power that came so naturally out of
the profound experiences of the day before that his people felt for
him something of the old feeling of pride they once had in his
dramatic
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