Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1880-10-14
ANTaIA TH0RBuRN.

Anthia Thorburn was nearly TWEEN
ty in years, and about fifteen in feel
ing and experience. Beyond con.
tributing certain sunnlness to the
surrounding atmosphere and dong q
little sewing tor the Dercas, she did
nothing toward making the world
better for her being In it. Her mother
was dead, her father engrossed in
business, her education considered
finished, her sisters in banishment
finishing theirs, deaf aunt in charge
of the house, and staguation brood.
ing oyer the depths as well as the
shadows of existence.
Month in and month out, lfe's
every day round was varied by moth.
ing more exciting than, more or less
vapid. social gatherings, one or two
mild tllrtations, the arrival Of Butter
ick's fashions, the making up and
over of new and old garments, and
last, by no means least, an occasional
wedding
One lovely Sabbath morning, this
same Anthia Thorburn, returning
from church, avoided the short cut
past the mills. She longed to escape
companionship, and, beside, was in
no hurry to reach home.
Rev. Asa Siebeling surpassed him.
self in that mornings discourse.
Usually, the rather dull old pastor
preached from heights 50 far above
the level Of Miss Thorburn's compre.
hension she long ago despalred Of
understanding, and continued to
weary of listening. Happily, that
day he was peculiarly successful in
bringing religion and its obligations
right down to the capacity OF ordi-
nary thinkers, and within reach of
common needs.
Lord, what wilt Thou have me to
do?' This was the text. "A qaes
ton we should all ask, urged Mr..
Siebeling mot what wilt Thou have
this man do, but what shall | do?'
The sermon had taken fast hold
on one nearer at least. She wanted
TO think it over-to discover, if pos
s,ble, how she stood in regard to it.
Was it an imaginary cropping of Im.
possible duties ? Would the bright
ness of the promised reward prove
unsubstantial as the violet and misty
golden GROWING of distant hills ? Or,
was the lesson TO be applied to every
day use-to the life she was living
there and then 4?
Millville was by no means an at.
tractive place. 1t was almost entirely
given over to great buildings gis-
tening with windows and bristliug
chimneys. Everybody was more or
less interested in the business; not
many cared for anything outside of
it. 1t would have been called a
country town, although the country
veritably turned her back upon it
Even the grass crept from the dry,
sandy roads, End eoaght the fields
lying open and sunny beyond the red
mill ranges. To see 8 dandeion by
the wayside was go rare sight, Miss
ThorburR, CHANGING to spy one shin.
ing like sunshine, dropped from fairy
land, picked and placed it in her
breast knot. After appropriating the
blossom, without stopping to remove
the dust from it's yellow disk, she felt
all at once that some new, strange
influence had come into her life and
marveled ever it.
Rather q furnished ornament,
Miss Thorburn. Now, were it a
mill. weman's child instead of a dus
ty field flower, yeu would demand
that its face be washed before, under
any circumstances, you would consent
to touch it,
There was no board walk along
this road, and the dust was genuine
dust, good deal thicker than three.
ply, and soft as velvet, 1t betrayed
40 football, yet she knsw very well
whose voice addressed her on this
their pet subject of contention.
You can never forgive me for en-.
deayoring to enforce habits OF clean.
illness and order of these people, she
replied.
The gaze of Ralph Aden's dark,
deep-set eyes went beyond the ear
nest faca beside him, while the an.
swer he returned sssmed equally
wide Of the mark.
will you tell me why you chose
this roundabout way, and why you
picked that fiower?'
i came this way because | wanted
to, and picked the flower for the
same reason Anthia Thorburn
drew her skirts little mere closely,
aid held her head a trifa higher.
Pardon me- said the gentleman,
stepping back and hitting bis hat. 4
had an errand in this nsighborhood,
and made bold to join you. see !
have intruded.'
In spite of their present formality,
they had had knowledge of each 9th
or from childhood, and there had
been fittul intimacies with occasion
al arrangements ftom their youth up.
1t was not odd then, that Anthia
throwing aside caprice, should that
moment life to his a pair of melting
eyes, and seem to entreat him with
her scarlet moath.
4 was wrong she said, frankly.
4 ought not to be disagreeable after
such a sermon, so I'll tell you why /
left everybody and took this road. i
wanted to think over what we heard
this morning. To question whether
| was living as | whether
there was not something for me to
do. And picked this bit of bright
ness because the thought that It's
kinsfowers were blooming under
more favorable circumstances didn't
seem to affect it in the least. It was
doing the best it could, and somehow
/ felt that | wanted 1t TO know III 1t
appreciated the effort, and loved it.
dust and ALL
There was no change In the blue
aud gold Of that April dav, yet Ralph
Aden's face flushed as though it re-.
Elected the hues OF an unseen sunset.
Whatever bis thought, it remained
unspoken. And again the answer
returned seemed wide of the subject
in hand. Nevertheless, his compan.
ion had 4 feeling that somehow. like