Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1871-08-17
ALTHEA'S BIRTHDAY.
BY AMANDA L. IONES-

Let me see," said Althea Day; "there
are Mary Simpson and Arthur, her brother
| Ellen Horton, the three King girls and
their brothers, Tommie Strang, j ulia Lacy
Maria Hubbard, and Allen Bartoo; they
make twelve, and that will be about as
many as can enjoy themselves think j
don't want my birthday party to be a
mob 7" .'..-. : = =. :
You have forgotten Josephine Mills
suggested her mother quietly.
Il have no intention of inviting her.
Besides, presume she couldn't come, for
1t Is Saturday, and on that day she keeps
| up stairs while her mother washes out all
the dress she has in the world 50 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, l suppose" she thought, " though 1
think conversation is more digniied; and
III practice all my music tonight. Per.
haps Marsh King will bring his clarionet
Ill speak to him about il" -..-..-.
Just then Allie raised her eyes aid saw
Josephine Mills leading her little deformed
brother toward the school-house.
How good she is to him." thought
Allie. at he was my brother should be
so mortified They say his father struck
him in drunken Mt with a great stick of
wood, and nearly bioke his back I'm sure
I'm 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 a dull life
she must lead. l wonder if she ever wen
to party in all her life. 1 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 ironed
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.
Not line of it all did she hear-so full
was her mind of the evening party-till by
chance she looked toward the teacher and
caught the words:
when thou makest dinner or a SUD-
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"
|
is true" thought she, that I selected the
very girls to help me eat my birthday
dinner who will be sure to invite me to
see them when they have party. Thai
would be a recompense. surely: and bo
Ileve should have been quite willing tC
have invited Josephine if l hadn't known
she could never invite me In turn. 'Ths
poor, the MANNED, the lame and the blind
How Ellen Horton and Julia Lacy would
laugh if 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 fol
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 crying
and ran nome across the field, rather than
hear them ridicule him.
The King girls laughed too-hsteful
thingsl I presume If should really in.
vite Josey all the rest would snub her just
as they do in school; that could be agreea.
blef" -
-"The poor, the MANNED, the blind p
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 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 mors
she liked her; and when school was out a
night she astonished the drunkard':
daughter by walking with her and sctuall,
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
cree k 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 fence and struck off through the
woods, pleasantly chatting, as school-g girls
will. 1t surprised Allie 20 find how lady
like and agreeable Josey was All hel
shyness and timidity vanished, and She
had so many interesting things to say
that Allie nearly forgot what they haf
come for.
"Here we are at the Twenty" said vii
lie, at last, meaning the Twenty Mile
Creek" "Now l want some berries"
| There was a charming waterfall, thirty
feet down from where they were stand
ing, and the long rays of the evening SUI
glanced over its silveIy mists and strucf
them into wonG erful shimmering rainbows
All, those rainbowsi Allie had Just step
ped to the edge of the steep bank, wher'
two or three raspberry bushes grew ou
of cleft in the rocks; when she caugh
sight of them she leaned a little farther tC
see them more clearly, slipped on the DIR,
moss, caught at the thorny boughs, SWUNG
clear of the bank, and fell halfway dow
to the foot of the fall, dragging the busl
with her. She just heard Josey's grea
cry of fright and then knew nothing NOR
till she came to her senses, when Jose,
was carry ing her up the bank little wa,
down the creek.
A very hard struggle had Josey jus
then. Her small, round arms were strain
| ed with their burden, and her breath cam
in short, quick gasps, as if feather
weight more had been too much.
"Put me down." said Allie; 81 ca
walk" and then tainted again. Step b.
step, rod by rod, did Josey toll along wit
, her burden. 1t was a weary half mile +
i Mr.. Days, but she reached there just a
, the last red ray flashed through the top
the great elm at the gate.
Mrs. Day ran out into the yard TO mee
} her, and took Allie in her arms; but sh
7 turned back, as she saw her daughter ope
her eyes and smile, TO kiss Josey, with a
/. a mothers gratitude shining in her swee
' ewes. That kiss would have paid for eve
e greater service, Josey thought, and wer
y home. not altogether heavy OF hear
/ &Io& -