South-eastern Independent. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1871-1871, 1871-08-18
4ALPHEA's BIRTHDAY.
fhBY AMANDA t. JONES.

-sG BY AMANDA t. JONES'
".Let me see,Y said ,Althea Day; there
are Mary Simpson and Arthur, her brother.
Ellen Horton, the three King girls and
their brothers, Tommie Strang, Julia Lacy,
Maria Hubbard, and. Allen Bartoo; they
make,twelve, and that will be about as
many as can enjoy themselves l think. 1
don't want my birthday party to be a
mob"
"You have forgotten Josephine Mills" !"
suggested her mother quietly.
Il have no intention of inviting her.
Besides, presume she couldn't come, for
it is Saturday, and on that day she keeps
up stairs while her mother washes out all
the dress she has in the world SO she can
go to Sunday school. Nobody makes any
thing of Josey, though she's good enough
in her way" So Allie Day put her bon
net over her brown curls and went to
school, thinking all the way about her
party of twelve and the grand dinner her
mother would prepare. "We will have
games, suppose" she thought, though |
think conversation is more dignifed; and
I'll practice all my music tonight Per
haps Marsh King will bring his claTionet.
III speak to him about il" -.-.-ar. J
Just then Allie raised her eyes aud saw
Josephine Mills leading her little deformed
brother toward the school house.
allow good she is to him." thought
Allie "If he was my brother should be
so mortified They say his father struck
him in drunken fit with great stick of
wood, and nearly bloke his back. I'm sure
Pm sorry for him, but he is as fretful as he
can BE- All the same, Josey takes care Of
him by night and day. What dull life
she must lead. Iwonder if she ever wen
to party in all her life. am sure she
never did, and very likely never will. "
A little thought crept into Allies mind
that Josey might receive an invitation to
one party at least, but she tried to excuse
herself by thinking that the only dress
could not be possibly washed and irened
in time for that birthday feast.
Miss Morton opened the Bible as the
last scholar settled himself in his place,
and read the fourteenth chapter of Luke.
was her mind of the evening party-till by
caught the words:
"When thou makest dinner or a sup
per call not thy friends, nor thy brethren,
nor thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbors
Lest they also bid thee again and recon-
pense be made.
"But when thou makest feast call the
poor, the MANNED, the lame, and the
blind"
The color flew all over Allies face. at
is true" thought she, "that selected the
very girls to help me eat my birthday
dinner VINO will be sure to invite me to
see them when they have party. That
would be recompense, surely; and / be-
lieve l should have been quite willing to
have invited Josephine if hadn't known
she could never invite me In turn. The
Door, the manned, the lame and the blind.
How Ellen Horton and Julia Lacy would
laugh if l should ask Josey and her de.
formed brother, and Peter Henry, the one
legged Scotch boy, and Mark Livermore,
who has only one eye, and saws wood for
a living Pshawl what birthday party
that would bel"
Allie took up her reader and went into
the class. JOsey stood next to her, and
she could not help but notice how pale
and tired the poor girl looked. know"
thought Allie, "her father staggered home
last night Just as we were leaving school,
and all the boys laughed to see him.
remember now that JOsey burst out tcrying,
and ran home across the field, rather than
hear them ridicule him.
The King girls laughed too-hateful
thinesl presume if should really in
vite Josey all the rest would snub her just
as they do in school; that ScOuId be agrees
blep
"The poor, the MANNED, the blindr
How these words followed Althea Day
from class to class, from study to play,
and back again to study. For some rea-
son her invitations, which she had meant
10 give at a recess, remained untendered.
1t is four days to Saturday." she thought;
"and there is really no hurry"
What 1t was 1 cannot say, but the more
Allie looked at Josey that day the more
she liked her; and when school was out at
night she astOnished the drunkard's
daughter by walking with her and actually
taking the other hand of Willie, the little
deformed boy. ''-
at is too pleasant to go right home"
said Allie; "let's go to the bank of the
creek and get some raspberries." ..-- ..-
al am afraid mother will need me-, said
Josey; but Willie was so pleased with the
idea that she yielded, and the three
climbed a fence and struck off through the
woods, pleasantly chatting, as schoolgirls
will, 1t surprised Allie TO ind how lady
like and agreeable JOsey was. All her
slyness and tinidity vanished, and she
had so many interesting things to say
that Allie nearly forgot what they had
come for.
"Here we are at the Twenty" said vii
lie, at last, meaning the "Twenty Mile
Creek" "Now want some berries"
There was charming waterfall, thirty
feet down from where they were stand
ing, and the long rays of the evening sun
glanced over its silvery mists and struck
them into wonderful shimmering rainbows.
All, those rainbowsl Allie had just step
ped to the edge of the steep bank, where
two or three raspberry bushes grew out
of cleft in the rocks; when she caught
sight of them she leaned a little farther to
see them more clearly, slipped on the dry
moss. caught at the thorny boughs, swung
clear of the bank, and fell halfway down
to the foot of the fall, dragging the bush
with her She Just heard Josey's great
cry of fright, and then knew nothing more
till she came to her senses, when Josey
was carrying her UP the bank little way
down the creek ---..
A very hard struggle had Josey just
then. Her small, round arms were strain
ed with their burden, and her breath came
in short, quick gasps, as if feathers
weight more had been too much.
"Put me down." said Allie; "I can
walk" and then tainted again. Step by
step. rod by rod, did Josey toll along with
her burden. 1t was a weary half mile to
Mr.. Days, but she reached there just as
the last red ray flashed through the top Of
the great elm at the gate.
Mrs. Day ran out into the yard to meet
her, and took Allie in her arms; but she
turned back, as she saw her daughter open
her eyes and smile, to kiss Josey, with all
mothers gratitude shining in her sweet
eyes. That kiss would have paid for even
a greater service, Josey thought, and went
home not altogether heavy of heart,
though she knew that her young friend