The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1878-03-20
CROOKED TRACKS.
BY N. E. WINSLOW.

What was Alice thinking about, IS she
stood gsziug over the brood expanse ofsnOwy
meadow acrOss the river, and to the distant
mountain-tops in the yellow sunset Of that
still New Years eve? The boys were skat-
ing merrily on the little cleared ice patch
above the dam, bat the days had passed when
such sight had attractions for her, nor had
those yet come when she could live over again
in another generation the joys of her own
recent childhood. Yet to some extent her
thoughts were with the boys, or rather with
the crooked tracks they had made with their
sleds over the pure and otherwise uOruflad
surface of the snow.
Just like my life, she though. 0le year
sgO-ean it be year ?-I stood az this same
window, looking out over the new year with
its twelve unsulIed months IS pure and beau
tiful as this untrodjen snow. How beautiful
and pure l intended then to be How good
meant to be, how useful, how efficient, how
deserving Of praise! l meant to study so
faithfully, to attend to every home duty, to
be the support of mother, the light of fathers
eyes; such q true friend, such an example
to Sunday-scholars and companions. meant
to live and do and DO more than any girl had
ever lived and done and been before, and to
leave such shining footprints on tho sands
of time;" and now, as look backward, Oh,
what crooked tracks That year had been
an era in Alice's history. Just emancipated
from school, she had returned to her country
home to commence life with Inflated ideas OF
what strong will and good purpose can &C.
eOmplisb, and it had only needed this one
year to show the utter futility Of al such
hopes. .
Her first efforts had been directed to the
education Of her younger brothers and sisters;
but the lessons had come to grief in few
weeks, since the little folks positively refused
to submit 70 a delegated suthori'y, which,
failing to control lis oTn temper, could not
command their respect. Household duties
had been essayed, but Ahee's careless for
getfulnes5 80 annoyed her hOuse8ifely moth
er, that after several reprimsnds received
with no very good grace, that lady resumed
with a sigh that part Of her burdens which
she had looked forward 50 anxiously TO shsr,
ing with her daughter.
Then the care Of her fathers books, pa
pers, and accounts fell into Alice's hands,
but matters were still worse here: faacinat-
ing passage Of some poem or story would SO
e0gross her that at too end Of hours spent as
in dream she would wake up to find her
days work not commenced. The accounts,
too, fell into such Wild confusion, that ere
long her father was forced to recall the as
sistans whose salary be had hoped to save,
and Alice was free TO follow her own sweet
will in outside woIk if she would. And she
did try this, in all lines opened to Der. The
reading clubs, the sewiDg.society, the Sun
day School, ETC., each in turn claimed her
attention, but the same difficulties followed
her here. Inclination rather than duty in
PEELED her choice; an uncontrolled temper
brought her constantly into collision with
others, while carelessnees and neglect spoiled
every piece of work which she undertook
And 50, as she looked back along all these
avenues of the year, she saw only crooked
tracks. Yet Alice was not a bad girl: she