The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1867-08-07
From the Sunday Magazine.
LAURA RICHMOND.
CHAPTER III.
BY JEAN INGELow.

I
a person released from servitude, or
| well-earned holiday. 1t was a COM
fort to have been useful, and Laura
had not less priced the prayers that
she knew Goody Fairdew besieged
heaven with on her behalf, because
they were offered by one who knew OF
none but the most universal needs OF
our nature, because they implored in
all simplicity for this pretty child"
that she might never want for the best
of good living, and warm bed at
night, and be washed clean from her
sins, and have happy entrance to the
better place. But she did not know
for some time what a loss the old wo--
man would be to her, for Laura, like
most other people, was in the habit of
thinking that charity was all giving
and no receiving, instead of which
real and pure charity is always both.
1t is only the false. charity that gets
no return; to the true that promise
yet holds good--"He that watereth
shall be watered also himself" Hap
PLY, however, some blessing overtake
us when we are not looking out for
them. st0e s4sFlas -
Goody Fairdew was very fond of the
parallels, and there was one in partic-
ular that she often made Laura read:
this was the parable containing our
Saviour speech-''In as much as ye
did it unto the least of these my breth-
rem we did it unto me" The old wo-
man, though not childish, was becom-
ing very childlike; her humor changed
frequently-a trife would make her
cry, and when she was. pleased she
would laugh and exult.
And that's what He'll say to you,
love-" she once exclaimed, joyfully,
when Laura had finished the sacred
speech. Lord bless you; | hope /
shall be standing nigh enough to hear
Him say it"
Laura on hearing this trembled all
over; the strange remark gave sense
of reality to the thing which she had
not attained to before
He'll never say so to me, contin-
ued the poor old creature. For you
see, love, l knew nothing about it all
till you came and laid it out as plain
as print to me- You'll shine, love, up
there, like the stars, you know, for
ever and ever" s.
20 Goody, dear, don't talk in that
way" said Laura. IT know you mean
it for kindness and love, but it fright
ems me" 80 ~
The old woman laughed strangely.
"You gentlefolks are never for hear.
ing us speak our minds" she observ-
ed TT must be alters, "Ay, ma am,
and AS We please, ma am, whatsoever
we think in our own minds; and that's
how tbs that you never know nought
about us-nought to speak of.
smile. She thought she knew good
deal. ~ .--r.sFs : -
mo, love, that we don't There's
many word as we use every day that
you never hear slip over our tongues.
You're dear innocent, and you've no
notion of many thing both concarn-
ing us and consuming the wickedness
o the world, as every child knows that
first drawed breath among US. There's
no call you should know it. But don't
you conceit when you talk to poor
folks that you know EN-.
Don't | know you, Goody dear?"
said Laura. SIS =
Well said the old woman, It'll
go as far as to say that you know so
much of me as, by the blessing of God,
you've put into me yourself
But Goody Fairdew was dead now,
with all her strange speeches and
quaint piety, and the old blind long
ing for something more to be and to do
assailed Laura again. This feeling
rose strongly in her mind when. hav-
ing shut her sisters door, she made
her little speech about cant; but
Laura was not engaged to be married,
nor likely to be. She thought as lit
tie about that as she could, but she
often thought that she could not like
to lead an idle, selfish life, that such
life would not only be damaging to
her. but would also make her misera-
BILE.
Laura lived on the outskirts of a
pretty little place. something like a
small town, more like an overgrown
village. There was neigh borhood to
visit, but there were few bachelors,
and of these some were, curates and
could not afford to marry, others ap-
peared Indifferent to the many pretty
girls about them How then could
Laura expect to attract attention, for
she was not pretty.
And unless | wait till [ am forty"
thought Laura, my fortune will not
attract either" For it so CHANGED
that the late Mr. Richmond, indepen-
IDENTIFY of the comfortable income he
had left to his widow, had left a small
fortune for each of his daughters,
which was to accumulate, and which
she Was to receive on her marriage,
whenever that took place; but if one
of his daughters died unmarried, then
her portion was to go to his only son.
For some time after Laura came