Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1880-07-29

feveriSh longing Tor thursday nlgnG
which he felt in all the intervening week
was scarcely to be accounted for by his
devotion to ssthe heather Chinee," and
he never went to the mission school
without previously fortifying himself by
prayer and by writing one of the long,
improving letters to Iupiry.
The Bishop suddenly felt call
to invite him to dinner, and
Luke-being compelled by polite.
ness to accept the invitation, of
course the angelic vision at the
head of glorified dinner table. What
he ate Luke scarcely knew, and he was
conscious of talking such drivel that he
wondered why the Bishop did not make
arrangements for his immediate removal
to an asylum for the idiotic. The di-
vinity was calm and self-pos5essed, and
deeply interested in the Chinese ques-
| ton, the condition of the Methodist
church in the South, and other grave
subjects; but she had way of slowly
raising her long lashes and giving Luke
| long look out of her wonderful eyes
which looks, Luke felt, were rapidly
reducing him to utter imbecility.
After he went home that night, he
added postscript to his letter telling
Lupiry that he needed her aid and COM
partnership, and begging her not to
allow such petty consid Grafton as dress
to longer postpone their marriage. If
he had not been q man he would have
known that to call dress ga petty con-
sideration - was more likely to hope
lessly ruff1e Lupiry's temper than to
lead her to yield to his wish. She
replied with considerable asperity that
she had "proper pride " if he had mt,
but she was going to keep the school at
the South Corner, and should have
earned money enough by spring to buy
herself a decent wedding-dress. Jane
Simpson had said that Methodists we're
never genteel, even in the city, and she
would like to know if it was true. Luke
groaned, and decided that the improv-
ing letters were failure.
Sam Wa Kee was the most interesting
pupil in the mission school. 1t was not
only that, being very small of stature,
lame, and possessed of a broken nose,
he was easily distinguishable from the
others that was no small
point in his favor, as to a casual observ-
er the others all looked exactly alike,
and Luke peered at them through his
spectacles in hopelessly bewildered
way, and was continually rebuking All
Sin for the misdemeanors of Lung Wing,
and Uice versG. But Sam Wa Kee was
also bright, wide-awake and as '.'cute"
as Yankee. He showed regard for
his teachers which was especially touch
ing in contrast with the stolid indiffer-
ence Of the others, and a discernment of
spiritual things which was very encour-
aging. He was only sixteen, and all
alone, the uncle with whom he had
come to America having died. He
earned precarious livelihood by doing
errands for his fellow-countrymen who
were in the laundry business, until he
was run over by a frightened horse and
seriously injured. He displayed fran
tic terror of the hospital, being possessed
by the fancy that it was place where
they made peoples bones into umbrella
handles; and Luke, for whom he sent,
at once had him removed to his own
lodgings, and took care of him with the
greatest devotion until he recovered.
Then Miss Whitefeld suddenly discov-
cred that a Chinese servant was the one
thing necessary to make her uncle's es-
tablishment, of which she was the mis-
tress, complete, and at once installed
Sam Wa Kee therein as newer
of wood, scourer of knives and kettles,
and doer of errands, to his own delight
and Luke's rs well. For it was clearly
the latter's duty to call now and then to
see how his protege was getting on. And
he did call often. Sam Wa Kee was
apparently an unfailing source of inter-
est. The friendship throve apace, and
Lupiry received short letters instead of
the long improving ones, until suddenly
Luke's conscience awoke. He tore his
hair and clothed himself in sackcloth
and ashes, metaphorically speaking, and
went and told Una Whitefield that he
was engaged to be married to Lupiry
Hopkins.
She listened with interest and gentle
sympathy, as became her since he was
her friend; but, except for faint flush
that came and went, she showed no
trace Of any emotion.
"She doesn't care! was q vain
idiot to fancy that she would" thought
Luke, and was more miserable than be-
fore. For several weeks he did not 90
near the house, and at the mission
school he avoided her as much as posi-
BILE.
One day the Bishop told him that Una
had come to sudden determination to
go to China as missionary. She was
to sail from New York in two weeks, |
with party of missionaries who were |
returning from visit to this country.
"There is work enough for her here |
work that she is better fitted for, too,
and I told her so,'' said the Bishop. |
-" You had better come. and talk to her,
you might have more influence than l."
giving Luke sly and scrutinizing
glance.
Luke firmly resolved to be glad that
another messenger had been called to
carry the Gospel tidings to heather
lands. He also firmly resolved not to
go to see her; and he walked around
the square seven times the next day be-
fore he rang the door-bell at the Bish-
ops house. She was surrounded by
friends, and he scarcely spoke to her.
The next time that he went the same
thing happened, but on the evening be-
fore she was to leave he fingered behind
the others. She was as calm and self
possessed as ever; she even chatted
1x, I'D Lr,< ol |