The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1881-12-14
MISCELLANY.
HOW THE PASTORS no Use WAS
SAVED.

] a III
| There was tronble Id the minister's family.
A stranger would have known it by the way
his voice tre,nbled in the prayer that morn
ing, but even the children and black Dinal
knew what the matter was, for this father and
mother believed that il was right for the
children to share ia both the joys and the sor-
rows of the household. So, when, the night
before, a letter came, written III strange
hand, saying that the house which they had
lived in so loag was not really theirs, but be-
lenged TO man in New York. who said he
held mortgage on it which was given long
before the minister bought it, when the letter
came the minister read 1t aloud before them
all. and they talked it over together.
There seemed no help, for the stranger had
enclosed copy of the mortgage, and when
the minister went TO hook at the town records
he found It Was true one There was no
help. Unless he cou Id raise The So, 900 within
three months, they must give up their home.
lie might have hired a lawyer to try to pick a
flaw in the paper, but ne had no money to pay
lawyers fees, and then, TOO, he would not
have thought IL right to try to avoid paying
what he believed was an honest claim, and
even though the burden Of it had by some
ones carelessness fallen npon him who had
never had any advantage of the money.
His parish was large, but his people were
poor and he knew that. although they loved
him and his work, they had given all that they
could when they had paid him his little salary.
The money which he had paid for his honse
had been the savings of good many years,
added to a little bequest which his wife had
received from distant relative.
All this the older children knew as we'll MS
their parents, and even little Tom and Elsie,
the ten-year old twins, had a vague idea that
their house had mortgage on it, and that if
they did not get 50, 600 in some way they
would have TO 60 away and live out of-coors,
or perhaps in ient.--they were not very sure
which it would be.
Tom and Elsie talked it all over as they
went to school that morning, hand in hand.
Tom thought they might ask the man TO wait
awhile until he could earn enough to pay the
81, 900, and at first Elsie thought so, too; but
when they remembered that almost all the
money Tom had ever earned came from his
father, who paid him for wedding thu garden
beds aud for shoveling the paths in winter,
they knew HAT this wohd not do, FOR their
father would not have any money to give Tom
now, or else he would pay the man in New
! York himself
Then Elsie remembered that she, with some
other girls, had Jnce given children's fair
for sick girl in hospital, and had earned
sec, and she thought they might earn some
money in that way but she had forgotten
that they were more than three months get
ting ready to give it, She and Tom sat down
on big rock just before the turn ia the road
that led to the school house, and talked about
tile fair They were very hopeful at first !;
but suddenly Tom remarked
ssWhy Elsie, you made $40, and that would
be only $50 year, if You gave four fairs y
els it?p said Elsie, half choking.
Eyes, it is, said Tom; and Ii would take
twenty-five years before We could pay the
man.
twenty-five years ~ echoed Elsie. F" And
we should be thirty five years old.
Yes" said Tom; "and | should be an
old man, and you'd have to wear a cap like
grandma s. am sure grandma must be as
much as thirty five years old
They were badly disappointed, and Elsie
wanted to cry, but she was ashamed to do so
before her brother and as for Tom yell, he
found it necessary to tie his shoe, aud 1t took
him so long that Elsie was afraid they would
be late. She never thought that perhaps Tom
might want to cry, too. Then they hurried
on to school, for it was almost o'clock
They did not have very good lessons that day.
but this so rarely happened that their teacher
did not find any fault, but only looked at them
little anxiousy aud said to Elsie, care you
sure that you are feeling quite well this morn
ing?'
AT last it was noon-time, and they went out
under the great beech tree to eat their dinner,
for the school house was so far away that they
did not 60 home at noon. Some way things
did not taste as good as their mothers nice
cooking usually did, and Tom began to rest
lessly crumbie bit Of bread, and when that
was gone he took piece of newspaper that
the wind had blown under the tree and began
to tear it into little pieces.
"Tom, said Elsie, :" father always said
that God loved us aud was taking care of US.
Dent you suppose He could send Us the money
if He wanted TO-? .
II suppose He could, said Tom. eff He
wonldn't do it for father, don't believe lie
! would do it for rs"
How nice il would be If we could find 1t
right beside that rock or under that piece Of
paper, said Elsie, looking very wistfully and
balf-expectantlya at torn scrap Of paper which
Tom had thrown down
well, 1t isn't there, anyway said he, as
no half-abscntly took up the paper and twisted