Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 64, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 March 1910 — THE OTHER SIDE. [ARTICLE]

THE OTHER SIDE.

With a look of horror and indignation on her usually placid features, Miss Cynthia Barker sat back from the window of the elevated train. The train was speeding above a congested tenement district, and looking down from the window she had seen a policeman clubbing a prisoner. There had been a crowd round him, but.the flashing speed of the traif had given her no chance to take in the details of the picture. But she did get a clear view of the policeman’s face. Of one thing she was certain; she would know the brute if she ever saw him. And another thing she had determined; she would write an indignant protest against having such men on the police force and take It to an editor with whom she was personally acquainted. That night she wrote her protest, and about noon of the next day she started down town to take it herself to her friend on the newspaper. Her way led through a public park, and as she looked ahead of her she saw a policeman sitting on one of the benches. He was surrounded by children, to whom he was telling -a story, and the picture increased Miss Cynthia’s indignation toward the policeman of the day before. This, she told herself, was what policemen should be like—big, strong and ten-der-hearted. She drew nearer, and the policeman looked up at her over the head of a curly-haired youngster perching on his knee and playing with his brass buttons. It was the same policeman. Miss Cynthia gasped. Then her step slackened. She hesitated, turned and approached the officer. Her hand was on the letter in her pocket and it gave her courage. “Officer,” she said, “may I ask you a question?” “Certainly,” said the policeman. “Are you the same man who arrested yesterday somebody down in the North End and clubbed him unmercifully?” The policeman nodded. “I don’t know about the ‘unmercifully,’ ma’am. But I did take a chap down there yesterday, and I did use the club a bit on him.” “I saw you,” said Miss Cynthia, “from the elevated. It was terrible! How can - a man who seems to loye little children treat a fellow being in that awful fashion?” . ’ : The policeman thought it over. "Did you get a good look at the rest of the crowd, ma’am?” “fto.” “Well, if you had, maybe you would have noticed that they were just ripe

to rescue him. You see, ma’am, I don’t really like to club a fellow being, as you call him, any more than you do. What I like better is to sit here in the park and tell yarns to these youngsters. But the fact is, ma’am if I hadn t used my club yesterday I wouldn’t probably be sitting here today. Hospital or cemetery. If you’d been down there on the street instead of up in the elevated—” Miss Cynthia nodded, and looked again from the man to the children impatiently waiting for him to resume the interrupted story. “I think I see,” she said, presently. —Youth’s Companion.