Weekly Trinity journal., 1879-12-27


graph as this: "Kate is coming down
for visit; and which couple will succeed
in getting a monopoly OF the parlor re
mains to be seon. l Shall suggest stroll
ing by the light Of the neon to Jack and
Annette; though suppose wen have to
come to terms and give them chance at
the parlor every other night, while we
do the MOON"
Jack and Annette strollng by moon,
light Jack and Annette shutting out
the world from their tete-a- tetes His
Annette /! All his dear feeling Of pro
prie:orship vanished. His faith in girls
with innocent eyes and childish mouths
died. And life looked aimless enough to
him that night.
He was sufficiently desperate to snatch
ut anything that came, in the way of
comfort; and young enough to be some
what susceptible to comfort. From try,
ing ono thing after another he came
around to woman with soft eyes and Il
low voice. There was something luling
in her tones that eased his acutes. pain; {;
and she never required that one should
pay much attention to her words.
While doubling the truth of the trlest
little heart tfat ever beat, he mistoek for
genuine the tricks of an artist. A brief
engagement 70 lowed brief wooing; and
and day news came from over the ocean
to Annette that Frank was married.
She had wondered little during the
summer that he sent her no message,
and wondered great deal after the
summer was over aud he settled down
abroad. She wondered at the change IN
his plans for life; and that he said nothing
to Roger about coming home for visit.
But her love was the love Of woman,
hnd her faith was womans faith; so she
laughed when Roger suggested that fem.
inine attractions might be keeping him
away; and she never doubted that ne
would come home some day and explain
everything that had per-
picked her.
Being quite unprepared by gradual
undermining of her trust for news Of his
marriage, the blow fell with full force
and crushed her for time. 1t can
hardly he said that she rallied, or that
she took up her MANNED life cheerfully
and bravely to make the best of 1t. But
she could not throw il away because she
hated it;rand it went on week after week
in dreary round Of nights and days,
dinners, and teas. 1t was II
wretched monotone, aimless, and fear
fully long to anticipate, When she
hunted for camfort ir her Bible every,
thing she read seemed to be commen,
tary on the vanity OF earthly joys, or an
Injunction TO look beyond the narrow in.
Ierests of time, and 1t did not comfort her
TO be reminded that her joys had proved
and her interests with time we're
overwhelming, and did not know how to
grope out beyond. The only verse in
the Bible that touched her closely was:
''ln the morning thou shalt say, Would
God it were even; and at even thou shall
say, Would God it were morning :"
There was dismal satisfaction some
times in repeating that TO herself.
Her thought seemed unable to expand
to an appreciation of joys apart from
Frank in any state of being She SEEM
ed bowed down by her narrow aims, Gag
ed in with her dsappointments, and
blind to outer prospects. But she clung
without II mental protest to the knowl,
edge that whatever is in Gods DEGREES is
right; and although at first that belief
seemed Independent IN her miad from
these experiences which gave her pain,
yet it worked like leaven, slowly, but by
sweet and healing processes the
of being taken care Of by
Love sooth her whole wounded natures;
and in it she could lay her own and sleep.
And now the Bible seemed to open of
its own accord ut the words most needed
for her support and comfor.; especially
at those verses in which iove Is exalted
so that she felt divine permission to cher
ish in her heart the love which, though
bruised and balied and lacking It's nAtur,
al recompense, was still very dear.
The bare thought of seeking comfort in
a lesser human love was sacriiege 10 her
mind; and she was never tempted to ac-
cept such Offering as Jack would gladly
have made. So she sent him of TO WOO a
consoer; which in due time be found end
When that news went over to Frank
he was goaded bya revival Of his old
faith in Annette to such degree that he
copied the ischievous passages from
Rogers letters for her benefit.
Annette read, and tod nobody but the
sorrow which had been lying tame under
her touch rose in brute force, aud bad its
own way for a while.
Although she managed IL SO we'll
thenceforth that God wrought blessed
deeds through it, still it was always there
as threatening force. Although her
lite flowed quietly on in gentle charities
telling no tales to mortal sight, God
knew her foes and her conflicts. And
there were days of physical weakness
and there were Christmas days when her
father sat with her mother, Roger with
Kate, and she alone when the battle
was not to the brave.
She was twenty eight years old and
her life seemed ms hopeessly arranged as
The courses of the stars, in its course Of
benefcent out ward calm and internal al.
formations OF conflict and conquest--when
there broke into 1t the disturbing news OF
Franks freedom.
If it was awful for her to think Of him
at once as her own, for the grace Of girl