The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1875-03-04

| FOf love Is q legsii belueI.
-LitIe Corporal.
Deacon OSgOOd's Help.
BY MARY B. COLBY -
The new minister was spending the
afternoon at Deacon OsgOod's. He
came to LyntOn, q small town in
Pennsylvania, in February, and now
it was June, and this was the first
afternoon be had spent with the
Deacon and his family.
1 Della OsgoOd looked very pretty IN q
drsb mohair with a tiny bouquet of
violets at the throat, and Mrs. OsgOOd
looks very motherly and pleasant in
her black alpaca and ruffied white
apron, and Johnny Osgood (aged five)
| tried to-fOOk as q deacon's son should,
and the minister oaght to have passed
a very pleasant afternoon there, but
ne did not. .--,
The first Sunday he preached in
Lynton, and every sunday since, he
had seen some one in the Deacen's
pew whom he did not see in the Dea-
DhAlOIa EJuC WAS a lOduk W.
man with sad eyes and face where
on lie had never seen a smile. He
had tried all the afternoon to find out
who she was, without seeming curious
(he was young and unmarried, you
know and had failed. This was why
he had not enjoyed his visit as he
ought to have done.
At five o'clock Mrs. 0sgOod left the
room, and soon after called Della out
to help her get tea, and the minister
was alone there with Johnny.
$50 you are Johnny Osgood, are
you ?" said the minister. won't
you come here and see me ?"
"I can see you from here" replied
Johnny.
al hope you are a good little boy"
said the minister, smiling. "You
ought to be, for you have good faith
er and mother. Don'tyou think so?''
"Oh, I don't know, L want to run
away, but they won't let me. My
pap talks as if he never was a little
boy. What do you think This af-
ternoOn fore you come, he told. me if
/ said bully while you was here he'd
fog me. Was you ever a little boy g'
"Oh, yes" answered the minister.
"Hain't my sister Della pretty ?''
was the next question.
"Very," said the minister.
t'But she's the dumbest thing The
other night I wanted her to do my
sums in division for me, and she
could not do one of 'em, do YOU be-
lieve. / made Melissa do 'em ?p
"Who is Melissa ?''
1Why, she is our help. You've seen
her. She sits in our seat in church,
next to pap. There's the bell, Pm
going to git,n and Johnny disappear.
ell through the open door, and was not
seen again until after the blessing
was asked at the well-filled table.
After tea the Deacon turned to the
minister and said
"AIr. Ridgely, it is our custom ito
have family worship Immediately af-
Ter tea / shall be glad to. have you
conduct it tonight" @
The minister assented, and the Dea-
con raised his voice and called:
"Melissa T'
rJust then Johnny was seen going
slyly to the window.
Johnny !' said his mother, reprov-
HJohn," J" said his father, "where are
you going, sir ?''
"pm going to git" answered john
ny, as be slid quickly out of the win
dow, and rolled over on the fresh,
green grass. Then Melissa entered,
and the Deacon Introduced her to the
minister.
'tMr. Ridgely,n he said, "this is our
-ahem this is Miss Melissa Perry !;
Melissa, this is Mr.. Ridgely."
The minister held the little, hard,
brown hand in his a moment and
looked at the sweet, pale face, meek
like the Masters, and as clearly pale
as white morning-glory, and into
the sad blue eyes. Then be motioned
her to ehsir next to him, and open
ed the Bible. He read few verses of
one of the "sweet old chapters" and
then they sang a hymn. Melissa did
not sing. She SIT very still and lis
tened, but she only heard two lines I:
ssBreathe, o, breathe Thy living spirit
Into every aching breast"
Then the minister prayed, and
when they arose from their knees the
room was dusky with shadows, but
he was certain that there were tears
on Melissa's cheeks, and somehow his
heart ached for her. o.
"Surely they treat her kindly" he
thought, as they went from the din
ing-room to the parlor "they are a
Christian family.n He was puzzled,
and when a few minutes later he
heard the rafting of china and glass
in the next room, he involuntarily
looked at Della's hands they were
too white, too soft to be pretty, he
thought.
Melissa cleared the table in the dark
aud wept quietly all the time. Poor
child She was SO disappointed. She
had been in a little tremor of happiness
all the morning, for she thought Mrs.
Osgood would certainly invite her into
the parlOr for few moments to get
acquainted with the minister, and
after dinner she went to her room and
put on q delicate muslin dress, with q
| tiny lace frill in the neck and sleeves;
but at three o'clock Mrs. Osgood came
into the kitchen and told her to go
and put on dark calico, for she must
mix biscuits for supper, and she would
spoil the muslin. course'there was
no parlor for her after that, and she
was rather surprised when they called
her in to prayers. rt
While she was washing the dishes
Johnny came stealing into the kitch-
en- on tip-toe. -ENFFf
''Are they through praying vet,
Melissa? What are you crying
'bOut2 Did you break dish ?''
Johnny sympathized with any one
who was so unfortunate as to break a
dish. He had broken one or two HIM
self. % teJ .-
mo, Johnny" she answered.
ibid you burn your finger ?5 he
asked anxiOusIy, with his little, fat
face turned up to hers. 'If you did
I'lI wash the dishes, every one of Tenn,
and YOU can wipe iem, Melissa
She declined his offer of help. but
he staid with her until the minister
went away and by steady coaxing
i found out why she wept.
Mr.. Ridgely walked slowly home
from the Deacon's. He boarded with
an aged widow, and he knew by the
dim light burning in the psrlor when
be reached there, that she had re-
tired. He was too restless to study or
sleep, so he walked up and down the
/ little garden in the starlight, with his
hands clasped behind him in a style
peculiar to ministers in thought.
There were a great many roses bloom
ing in the widows garden. The soft
night air was laden with their per-
fume, and they made him think of
Melissa, OF course there was no re-
semblance between the flowers and
Deacon OsgoOd's ''help," Tor she was
white and dropping like a lily, and
they were in full rich bloom 4 but she
was pure like them, and sweet like
their breath, and they made him
think of her. With thought of her
came q memory of what bis old Aunt
had said to him the night before he