Litchfield enquirer., 1873-11-13
I want to feed you myself, my

yourself. Iwant to feed you myself, my robin"
 Ellen laughed. q think I do look very much like young robin" she said;
 ''I looked in the glass yesterday
 "We shall have you full grown and fledged soon," said Abby. "Your plu- mage is all growing for you"
 'sI don't see it, said Ellen.
 ''No, of course you can't; it's growing in another room. Madeline came to sew for me, and thought I'd rather give her your measure than mine. 1 can't be run ming out to be fitted and leaving you alone. She has your wrapper done, and is busy with full travelling suit.''
 Ellen looked such utter, blank amaze ment, Abby laughed.
 s'Why, oH the robins have grown their feathers for the first chill; but how could you be expected to replenish yourself un- der the fell swoop of such fever? There are limits to the capacity of robin, and of a woman, too. Nonsense! don't thank me- Do you suppose I would sit here and feed you like baby if you were ca- pablo of ascending Vesuvius?"
 ''I'm not good for much, that's fact said Ellen, smiling; and then after little with the yearning, pathetic look in her eyes, fOh, l se need new strength, re- plenishing in every department of being, building up in every power and faculty"
 'You ambitious creature!' said Mrs. Maitland. ''Your aspirations are alto- gether too much for you"
 ''Abby, I'll reduce them all to you. I want to be replenished in the power of loving. Then all the rest will come. Love is might. Abby, sometimes think IL 4I,o& ;, loro1 =. made to grow to glorious stature But women are so weak. May l tell you, Ab- -by?"
 The look in the deep eyes was so like that of a hunted creature looking for shell ter, that Abby, although she feared the excitement, felt it would be better for he1 to ease the burden through expres- sion.
 ''Yes. tell me, dear" she said. "Let me hold you in my arms, so; while you think 1t out. l can't help you only by supporting you while you help yourself. You can reach where I cannot"
 T feel so frightened sometimes, so afraid of myself; afraid that I shall stop loying,' said Ellen, with detached, abrupt utterance. ''That is the very worst thing 8 woman can do. In our very nature we must love on forever or lose all
 ''One may be unjust to ones self some times as we'll as to another said Abby. ''Some natures exact too much of them selves They are often untrue to them selves by loving what is unlovely and ig- noble, thus distorting their own souls."
 70 Abby, do not tell me that" speak ing with evident pain. ''Do not tell me that. They must go to greater heights, they must descend to lower depths than the plane of self The must love from the Christ principle. There was mean ing in those uncommisioned women be- ing so near the Incarnate God in his min- istry and sufferings on earth. Uncom- missioned still, in their homes and by the way, they are by angelic vision recogniz- ed as being close beside Him still in the redemption of Humanity as it is being carried forward. Oh, and briaht smile glad as child's irradiated her features, Sit is not hard to stand in our place when we think of it ill that way"
 Throughout the conversation that fol- lowed Ellen never mentioned her hus- land. She did not know hoy 1nucn sns had revealed il her deliEam. Abby's hnnaan love and sympathy kWere like platform pIaced beneath thS feet while I she confirmed and strengthened herself. She slept long and sweetly when their talk was done
 As the holidays approached, Mrs. Abby Maitland received letter from Ellen, with whom she was in constant correspondence. The following is an extract:
 "Hardly day passes, Abby, without some mention by Jacob of your generous hospitality. So much has grown out of it, that it seems as though Providence sent us to you. I can hardly realize that this is the same home that left so dispirited have 1io words in which to tell you what you did for us all. My husband says he never knew before how much our home lacked that 1t might have had So many little things said and done he says went into him, as he expresses it, with thud. You know could tell no one else but you. I just wanted to speak out once your care and trouble. your beautiful un- wearied patience and devotion wrought spiritual fruit. Your sweetness and chiv- alric love to me Jacob cannot forget.
 ''You remember my surprise and delight at finding, on my return home, a piano and copies of those pictures of yours that liked SO much. l was startled lest my husband had suddenly become insane; but he says the information MT. Maitland | gave him regarding some agricultural | enterprises, and the new ideas he got | from some agricultural works in your library, have been worth great deal to to him from pecuniary point of view.
 My dear friend, the care of all my little ones, with my long illness, must | have tried you sorely sometimes during those weeks, but it has been joy to me | ever since to entertain as wisely as I | might, guests who have come to me. Your warm, loving welcome and your kindness, which seemed more than the l kindness of woman-it was angelic in | it's ministry-has brought to my mind | anew the Apostolic injunction, Use hospi- | ta1ity one to another without grudging.' I was hungry for sympathy and your fed | me. You took me not only into your house but into your heart; you ministered | to me in my sickness; you clothed me; you loved me into health and strength | and better performance of my duty to- wards others. wish I was more truly | one of the Masters own, that you might | claim with fullest abundance the divine | rewarda for ministering to 'one of the | least
 Abby read the sweet, full letter with it's little word picture of homo life and | pIOJSCtS CO C4OSCS WdEIu happy | tears fell upon it's fair pages crowded with l the dainty, clearly-defned characters Jessie, with her radaint face, stole into | the room like sunbeam at the same mo- ment.
 ;. = ''My daughter was her mothers teach CT, "said Mrs. Maitland, mentally. .'We l must teach our children seed truths care fully that they in their simplicity may teach us back again. My little Golden | Hair it was that turned the current 1 through her simple action. I should l have lost my new, thankful appreciation of my own rich blessings; should have foregone the blessed sweetness of enter taining an angel unaware, if my mentor had not been at hand to illustrate her mothers teaching. Oh, I think that Ellen did me far more good than I did her. She left me in possession of larger spiritual territory than when she found me. Dear Ellen, I hope never to lose
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