The mountain sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1844-1853, 1849-10-18
CHAPTER V.

me ETGctac0L ana LHe0retlcG! Christian
Why what have you done with Nelly
to-day?' asked Mrs. Humphreys of her
washerwoman, who came every Monday
morning, regularly attended by little rag
ged, half starved girl of four years old
whose province it was TO pick up the
clothesnids, drive the hens of the bleach.
and keep the kittens from scalding their
frskey tails-receiVed for her eward a
thin slice of bread and butted, or maybe, if
all things went right, and no thundersqualls
brewed, or sudden hurricanes swept over
the close-fold a piece of gingerbread or
cooky.
what, say, haze you done with little
Nelly?'
%, ma'am, she has gone to school
only thick of it, my poor Nelly has gone
to school! 1t does SEEM continued Mrs.
White, resting her arms on the tub, and
holding suspended by her two hands a
well patched shirt Of the deacon's, lit
does seem as if the Lord had SEM that
Mrs. Norton here, to be blessing to the
poor
'Humph!' calculated Mrs. Humphreys,
spitelully rattling the dishes.
Only think continued Mrs. White,
'she has given up one whole room in her
house to Miss Grace, who has been round
and got all the children that can't go to
school because their parents are too poor
TO send them, and just teaches them for
nothing! God bless Ter | sayr ex-
claimed the washerwoman, strenously,
her tears mingling with the soap-suds in
to which she now plunged her two arms
Io.b bo
to the ceiling.
Mrs. Humphreys was at once surprised
and angry. She could not conceive why
lady like Mrs. Norton should do such a
thing as keep ragged school, and that too
without pay or profit. She had forgotten
the words of our blessed Lord, sTtIho shall
receiUe one such title child IN ney name,
rece,ueth me- or 'Laasnauch as ye haze
doRe 1t unto me- Charity alone, she
urged on her selfish nature, could not have
influenced Mrs. Norton to put herself TO
SO much trouble for troop of noisy, dir
ty half clothed children. No, there must
be some deeper motive-some secterian
object, perhaps, to be gained; and impress
ed with this idea, she said tartly.
i think it is a pretty piece of presump-
ton in Mrs. Norton to come here and SET
herself up in this way, telling US as il
were of her duty. She is a stranger and
what business is it of hers, | should like
to know, whether the children go to school
or not!'
80, Mrs. Humphreys. indeed think the
spirit of the Lord guides herI' said Mrs
White. Miss Grace came and asked me
so humbly Ike, i'll would let her teach my
Nelly, and then kissed the little fatherless
child so, so-that-that-O, [ could have
worshiped her!' and fresh tears streamed
down the cheeks of the washerwoman.
Worship fiddle stickn exclaimed
Mrs. Humphreys out of all patinece, q
know what she wants-an artful creature;
yes, she wants to make Nelly to go to hel
meeting
Poor Mrs. White could not help smil-
| ing at the idea of attempting to form the
religious creed of child scarce four years
old.
We'll, if she will only make her as good
as she is, don't carer she answered, for
the Bible says, by their fruit shall ye
knoao Me,nf
Mrs. Humphreys was more shocked al
this. She whispered it to Mrs. Smith
who whispered it to Mrs. Jones, who told
Mrs. Brown, who told all the society, tha
the Nortons were wicked, designing people
come to the village to stir up schism in tht
church! Yet all sensible persons, aPplau
ded the good deed Of the widow, ant
cheerfully aided her efforts. The little