Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1882-07-27

The little wan face lighted up.
s'It's shillen caicer," she said
: proudly, gathering up the dress for Mil
licent's inspection. '.And the shoes
Just look at 'em, Miss Broom. Isn't they
lovely?''
ssMy!'' exclaimed Millicent. "Hov
perfectly elegant! Where did you ge
such fine things, Katie?''
A tender light came into the child's
eyes.
ssIt was Mr.. wen'ver,'' she said
softly, ssas Civ 'em to me.r
"Mr. Wen'verP" repeated Millicent
in puzzled way.
The child nodded. s'I've got his
name here ON a card he Civ me-" ano
she brought out one of the little Sunday
school picture cards in which children
everywhere take such mysterious de-
light. Millicent took it curiously from
her hold. On the back, in his familiar,
manly hand, were the words, 'Johr
Wendover.'
ssWhy, Katie,'' exclaimed Miss
Bruen, show did you ever know Mr..
| Wendover?'
She shook her head vaguely. In her
| eyes was far-off, uncertain look.
''I don't know, Miss she said, Al
guess the Lord sent him.. He came into
Bridget MONEYS house one day-that's
the first house from Avenue C-and want
| ed to know where the Widder Finnegan
and her six children lived. And Bridget
sent him to our tiniment. 1t was just
the time, Miss, as Mickey was sick with
the fever, and Mr.. VIEWER he nussed
him through. If it weren't for Mr..
VIEWER guess Mickey would ha' been
an angel fore this. It's Mickey as says
the Lord sent him.
But Millicent knew, if the child did
not, what had sent Jack to the widow.
It was the Lord, no doubt, but the Lord
| had seen fit to send the message
through herself. She felt humbled and
convicted, not only that he should be
| taking up what was certainly her own
untitled duty, but that he was doing it
for love of her.
"Mr. Wendover's good man, Katie, :"
she said, softly.
The child nodded. ssHe's the best
man in all the world" she declared.
smother says he makes her think of
Samson, cause he's so strong; and
Mickey says he's like Solomon, cause he
knows so much but l never think of
him, Miss, without thinking''-she hes
ltated for an instant.
" Without thinking of what, dear?"
The child's great eyes looked up with
| an awed expression; the thin little voice
sank to reverent whisper:
Without thinking, Miss-of the Lord
Jesus"
For an instant Millicent's heart stood
still. Was it not sheckingly irreligious?
Ought not the child to be rebuked? But
before Millicent could command words
Katie had gone on:
"'Cause you KNOW she said, s'he's
alters goin' about doin' good. Your folks
don't know of it. He amt the kind as
goes round blabbin' what they does;
but t'-day you'll find him in Mrs. Raj
ferty's, and t'-morrer in Mrs. Rourke's,
and the next day at the Kittendorfs';
and it's tay he'll be bringin' 'em one day
and the rint he'll be payin' the next,
and last week when the praste wouldn't
bury Mrs. Muldoon's husband, cause he
pizened hisself, it was Mr.. VIEWER as
read the sarvice and paid for the bury
in'!" The child's tongue was now
fairly loosed. ssAnd then, Miss, when
every Sunday comes there's little top
room over where Mrs. Mooney lives, and
US children all goes there and Mr.. Wen
yer he comes and teaches us, an he's
fixed it up that nice! There's melo-
jeon, and some chromos, and three or
four tixts; and we sings songs, and Mr..
VIEWER he plays on the melojeon, and
he reads us out of the Bible all about
David and Collar, and Jonah and the
whale, and the Lord Jesus, too, and
tells US what it all means. And oh,
Miss Broom! what dyer think? He's
goin' to take US on picnic?"
By this time Millicent had recovered
her thoughts. In the light of Katie's
explanation the comparison did not
seem so startling. But admitting the
comparison, where were the ideals she
had been so fondly cherishing? If peo-
pie were to be measured by Katie's
standard, what became of Sidney and
Bayard, Sir Percival and Sir Galahadp
The thought was fairly bewildering. She
looked down humbly into the child's
face, her eyes moist and her voice a lit
tie tremulous as she said: ssAnd Mr..
Wendover bought you your shoes and
dress?''
Katie nodded. "He's KEEP us out o.
the poor-house, mamma says"
1t was just what her father had told
her he had done for them; and the re-
minder was almost enough to upset
Millicent's composure. Perhaps after
all her notions of what hero ought to
be were radically wrong, and she might,
as Jack had said, fail to recognize him
when he came. Perhaps there was the
same kind of heroism in Jacks keeping
people out of the poor-house and sup.
plying their needs as in Sidney's giving
the cup of water to the dying man.
And may be both were only initiating a
higher examples pattern of heroism |
which this little child had led her to |
discover. She leaned over and kissed |
the pale little face. "Good-by, DEAR"
she said, "I'm glad you've found so
good friend.''
When the child was gone and Mill
cent was left alone, all she could do was
to 60 over the problem again; and yet
without coming to any satisfactory con-
clusion. 1t involved mental revolution
to substitute for the tall, elegant man
with brown flowing locks, Van Dyck
beard and symmetrical mustache, who