The weekly standard., 1870-08-10

in this silent woman lay material enough for
the most ecstatic sainthood in the RomiSh
calendar
The narrow line of hair left visible by the
cap of a Shakeress was of the light, shining
brown which reminds one of amber but
the distinguishing mark of her face lay in
the eyebrows and lashes, which were OF q
deep and heavy brown, many shades darker
than her hair. Her eyes disappointed me;
they looked dull and expressionless, OF q
shade between gray and amber.
| | watched her til Sister Aurelia came to
tell us that our rooms were ready; the others
rose gladly, but was spell-bound to the vi
cinity of Sister Lois.
"Don't trouble yourself, Diana; will
look to all your matters up stairs. Sit here
and rest till l call you," said Mary Sumner.
As Diana turned to resume her seat, Sister
Lois looked at her with sudden vivid fash
in her eyes which gave the lie to my i'm
preston of dullness.
Diana drew near to her, as if by a will
foreign to her own, and stood by her chair,
watching her swift fingers.
"Do you like braiding straw?" she said
at last
"NOt more than anything else" said Sis
ter Lois, without looking up.
Why do you do it, Them
| Because it is work"
I" But you might find more agreeable
work. -
| God has given US this world to work in
| continually, and not to question whether
one thing is more agreeable than another.
He gives us work to keep us from SIM"
| Something lmpelled me to say, "Did you
always think so?
| She gave me one supercilious glance, as if
she had forgotten my existence, a look learn
cd and practiced in far different scenes, and
spoke no more except in monosyllables
Diana looked interested, and tet myself
| so much in the way that l made an excuse
to Join Mary up stairs
is Diana alone with that Sister Lois ~
was Mary's emphatic question.
Yes; that Sister Lois routed me with
| one look"
"She can't harm Diana, suppose, but 1
have heard of her before. She has only
lately come into Shakerdom, and has made
wonderful number of proselytes. A year
ago, three young girls from the best families
in Bofield ran away from home and joined
the Shakers there. The blame fell on Sister
Lois, and she found it expedient to leave
that part of the country. That's why we
have never seen her here before. In my
opinion she's Il regular Jesuit in the Shaker
uresS'
Mary hustled about and put everything to
rights IN the deft way peculiar to her, but
she sun looked ulsquieted.
Prudence, she said at last, " do wish
you would go down and tell Diana the baby
wants her."
went down to the room where had left
them, but the only trace of either was the
roll of unfinished braid hanging on Sister
Loiss chair. l knew nothing of the other
parts of the house, and we did not meet
again until We were called 10 tea. Diana
said that she had been to see the kitchen,
and was very absent minded all the evening.
Next morning Sister Lois was again braid
ing straw, rarely raising her eyes, which, by
morning light, looked duller than ever.
Mrs. Clifton sat near her, and they some
times exchanged look or word; but be
tween the Shakercss and Mary Sumner
certain mutual antagonism had sprung up
in night.
proposed to visit the school, and all
Joined ME except Diana, who murmured
something about the heat and begged Mary
to 90 with the children in her Stead. Mary
hesitated, but she could think Of no earthly
excuse for refusing, and soon reached the
little building where the boys are taught in
winter and the girls IN summer.
Ihere was something ludlcrous, and yet
deepiy pathetic, IN the company OF chiidren
oi al ages VINO rose, QUO after q, ahnt1ef, 10
rcao aiouG 'or our peneht' lhey al wore
.le s'iaisn1 sAn' anu o'oSe zap Sn.i. Gnioi uo
not improve III immature Neile oEiton IN
her iu,i muslin lrockllsnu prlsnt rloponS'
iooheu AZ !heli III Trance 0! ~onuer, una
ple u realzS 'iieif aiiini'y "''h iieiSeii aS
part a3 Oh eniidnood; r.,
30 YOU sce tua. 1 n''ie Ihe on il,e h oaoh
seus NniSpeieu Hiuis ir:i1"ou NJ. eyes,
anu saw utt'e iai,s VI GNU seuicei! ioui
years oid, VINO looheu as IL sue lau peen
GresSeo ior iun IN . ner sFdnuliotnel oIl SaP.
oule.y, " haI seen l 'lae aiptr coioreu nat
ana lne tnlck, aarA pfows oelore, anu met met
conniniatioh ~ nai tIsalni2 sanoI ine
sllik:ns LeseiiTianoe 70 o,S.ei Eois ooIlu not
W niis.ahen ~. "a,.et i tn'.i ~. 'na .. iessons
W. W. o.e.' anu tmeu sP"no - .nG n.'e one,
ia, NV "a' ~ ~ ln va "a o Irol,S .o .;Ias s
~ W .. 10 y,s1u nuseu III inso @ sLiun.o
" 'he Piiii ii'''e ''''NeiesS WIN ha' hei al
'iiai ~: ,. -,
MAJ Is toui haile, !ea' n Ma,y asheo'
III lIll1 WIZ, winning tone mnicil ail cIil''len Dc
ee,t Do '"o Su:il er.ee VI q lcIi iiIc''
| aer name Is Doicas, Saio the ei';er one;
ana 10 an our Questions sle was ready WIN
lne stfaiShtiotwaru e, ails"els tiiat one can
never niiu ia''' "i'n' though '"ey give ho
iniolliih' Sr M IT,
| ohc mau 'nc Soou-na'liieu' ' Slo,iu iacs
winch ohaker tfalninS seems 10 ae'eiop, anu
was eVlueil'iy wen urlileu III t'e part s'ie
had TO play before strangers.
we had walked on, hopeless OF learning
anything OF Dorcass history, when Marys
dress was suddenly twltched, and sweet
voice, the counterpart OF Sister Lolss, said
| Let me 60 with you, pretty lady, please
DO; III be good-good us chestauts' II you
Will;
| Dorcas, come oack, called the cider
girl.
| MY name isn't Dorcas, sald the lttle
one pettishly; my name is birdie, and
darling, and beauty, and something else that
papa calie'l me- only iorgett; let me
sec" But the elder one caught her roughly
by the arm and dragged her away, before
she could recall what mad once been her
name. name Inc agony OIL chlicisii distress II IN the
49, 49, onJ sho haa"n oonorI, 80 d;sorsa
..on, S:iu Ia Ine e. u dg ,a I;..Ia noso
folilan'io r pian ioi euiiyIps on ht.io noioaS
i lot nea ..ii..in VI os,'ah
,oIs ~, ,eaieu i''''' p'''i'ei ""'N'is o'niu'0-
!! W. 49, 80 u.s. d Di.na ,roo;oa,-
w ~ -. .''' ,rn nv '-'' P'.o'' vi,
%or S "G n of tSa solooi onI DoSoas ~ Yrhon @
satar ul ois .aTo @ Sor on@ of ,hnss sudden Td
Isl ,,ionoos ,rb;cI, baG .cto,I Iil(o n,an.
w.. -, ~, w. thn Sar Iotoro '''e
NelI;o won. stra;rbt IN hcr eide ond osk-
| ed. with the uneoualled calmncss of child
hood, sAre you little Dorcas's mother p
Sister Lois stopped to pick up bit of
straw, land 1t might have been the STOPPING