Stephens City star. (Stephens City, Va.) 1881-1883, 1881-09-03

and lemonade made on the grounds, and
bugs and mosouitoes nd IL, f,,;t,,n.

and lemonade made on the grounds, and
bugs and mosquitoes ad intSnitum.
When the day of the picnic arrived,
Mrs. Merton, the much talked of minis
ter's wife, went. People had said that
they "didn't reckon Mrs. Merton would
60, as the church was at the bottom of
it," and when they saw her there they
said it was "just like frivolous thing
like her to 60 to every picnic"
Nevertheless, church people at l.
were like church people everywhere !;
they said good deal that they didn't
mean, and with few exceptions, blue
eyed, fair-faced Mrs. Merton was verv
cordially treated, and her friends, when
she made them, were very true to her,
and always defended her when she ran
the gauntlet of society's tongue.
The picnic seemed success gener-
ally; everybody was having "such q
splendid time;" and the mosquitoes had
voted picnics beautiful invention, and
were singing anthems of praise at the
prospect of "good square meal" when
suddenly their was splash and sufto-
eating cries, and two little forms dis
appeared under the gliding surface of
the stream that wound like huge SER
pent through the woods.
There were shrill screams of genuine
terror, and white faces stared at the
rush of waters in an agnoy as the awful
peril of the children seemed to paralyze
them. Mrs. Evans, whose little, dark
haired boy had loosened the canoe from
it's fastening to take Winnie Merton for
a ride had, while rocking it, rocked too
far and tipped it over; and now, while
her boy was almost drowning, was lying
in helpless heap on the bank of the
river. Some were beginning to recover
their self-possession and were calling
for ropes, when Mrs. Merton, stepping
out Of her slippers, poised herself
moment on the bank then the slender
figure, clad in wonderful array of
Swiss muslin and pale blue ribbons,
dropped like an arrow into the water,
and struck out with the move of an ex-
pert to where little Elmer Evan was
battling with the current, and holding
him so that his head was above water,
swan easily to shore, where many hands
lifted him to the bank and then, swim
ming back to her rebellious little step
daughter, she carried her, half suffo-
Gated with waves, back to terra firma.
Winnie, by general advice from with
out, had managed to keep an almost
continual warfare at home, although
she was naturally generous-hearted
child; and when she had recovered
from her fright, and made sure she had
not swallowed all the water in the river,
she looked gravely at her stepmother's
soiled garments and said, slowly
eff you don't care, Mrs. Merton, I'll
OuAA JOu A1uAllIn, hOWs
After that day Mrs. Merton had many
friends; for you can always reach a
mothers heart through her children,
and every woman seems mother to any
child in the hour of danger.
'She was brave and self-possessed,
and she saved my Elmer, and I don't
mean to ever say another word against
herif she never goes with the church."
That was what Mrs. Evans said at the
next meeting, and as she seldom ex-
pressed an opinion for herself, the Ia
dies for the most part agreed with her,
except Mrs. Hezekiah Winters, who
said,-
"Well, I dunno she may be all right,
but woman that could entrap man of
forty, and he minister, kind of looks
to me as though she was firt."
And Miss Sophrona Dobbs nodded
her false frizzes emphatically as she
said,-
II agree with you, Mrs. Winters.
We mustn't all be taken in by one good
act"
Well, to tell the truth, folks did, gen
orally speaking, keep an eye on her
but everything seemed satisfactory.
She did nothing that scandalized their
ideas of propriety, and they had almost
made up their minds that with proper
advice she might do for minister's
wife after all.
But the town of L. was visited one
day by travelling theatrical troupe, and
everybody was going who wasn't pill
lar in the church, and "wouldn't en-
courage no such institution OF Satan"
Mrs. Winters was especially bitter
against them. The theater, long time
ago, had led her one son from his home,
and the only sweet. sacred spot in Mrs.
Winters hard, religious life was her