West Virginia freeman. (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 1881-1886, 1882-10-18

sic sang the beautiful hymn. us
there trouble anywhere?" came
floating softly upward, and then
the refrain again, with its lesson of
taking everything to God in pray
err
Mrs. De Mennie sat up, her face
was better. The tooth, with that
abruptness characteristic of dis
eased teeth, had suddenly ceased to
hurt in the least, and she hoped it
would not begin again that day.
She reached for her Bible from the
stand, flush stealing over her
cheek, as conscience whispered she
had not studied it in these days of
anxious care, as she had been used
to, when everything was plain be-
fore her. Now she opened it to the
Sermon on the Mount, and read
these words of our Lord, take no
thought for your life, what we shall
eat, or what we shall put on. Is
not the life more than meat, and
the body than raiment. Behold
the fowls of the air, for they SOW
not, neither do they reap, nor gath
er into barns, vet your heavenly
Father feedeth them. Are we not
much better than they ?"
And SO on to the end of the
sixth chapter of Matthew, closing
with the admonition, Sufficient
unto the day is the evil thereof"
The rent, and Freddie's shoes,
and Lucy's grammar and geogra-
ply, rose one by one, and stalked
in procession before Mrs. De Men
ME. And Rubine came flying in
to the room, brown eyes flashing,
dimples chasing each other, golden
hair all a shining, shimmering tan
gle, saying, mamma, the Spen-
Ger girls have called to take me to
the park. Their governess is going
and may 60 too, may I not p"
Nothing ever checked the flow
of Rubine's spirits. She had
dropped dismayed tear or two,
over the broken vase yesterday, but
in an hour had been as light-heart-
ed as ever, though mother and sis
ter had chided her for her careless
ness.
go, DEAR" said the mother, "I
hope you'll have a lovely time"
Then thoughtful Elsie had APP
peared to say that all the bread
was used, but she had made corn
cake for luncheon, and perhaps that
would do till papa came.
owe must make it do" said Mrs.
De Mennie, "for Ihave no money in
the house"
81 wish we were as we'll off as
other people" said Lucy, lifting her
pale face from her French exer-
cises.
But Elsie went down again,
singing the same strain. The
mother went away to remote
hall room, knelt down, and just
poured the whole, simple, pitiful
story of need and .wantand discour-
agement into the ear of the Savior.
When she joined the children again
there was new sense of peace in
her heart, though nothing had
happened, and nothing was altered
for the better, to the outward view.
Meanwhile her husband had met
disappointment everywhere. He
had been doing little commission
business for an old friend, and had
been informed that there would
hereafter be no occasion for his SER
vices. A tenant gave notice of
quitting and he had been q chief
dependence, taking the largest por-
ton of the house, which in an old
fashioned obscure neighborhood,
was rented to several plain fami-
lies. Mr.. De Mennie felt as if
things were slipping down hill fast
er than ever.
81 wish Lizzie would consent to
our moving into Allen street our
selves" he said to himself. Yet as
he thought of the thronged streets,
where tenements elbowed and
crowded each other, of the lager
beer saloons on the corners and the
loafers about, the bare-armed wo-
men, screaming babies and men
with pipes in their mouths, who
composed the residents of the local