The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1882-09-29
MISSION OR NO MISSION I

MISSION OR NO MISsIONl
'.What IS the use of such ugly things
do YOU tiiink. Ben?'' And Fam,
Browns Esce was pale with fright rs she
drew her dainty little foot away from :
large spotted toad she had nearly stepped
upon. s-s.sa~ rs
why, no use.aof course, said Ben
''only to scare silly girls; and they are
needed Tor Htat. because girls viii
screceh and sFmlT enough to startle the
man instise moon, il thcy@only see theiI
own shadow; 50 they are of no use fol
anythinc.rr sees tsei - ~ =
ayes; but Ben. mother says every
thing has a mission; aud this toad is a
thing, so 1t must have ones
so, bah, Mother is mighty smart
and good woman. but she saws herself
she doesn't know everything; and it's
my opinion that on this particular
points as Squire James would say, she
IS mstasen.- She. islerazy on the sub
ject of uiissionsI Butfthis toadE hasn't
any, know. And l believe good
many people are just like it-of no use
under the sun; don't vet, FamP'' -A
Il do, IL Fan doesn't. And am one
OF them: q great ..awkward c creature that
has never acsomplished anything hut to
fill up aud mar a space that some one
else would have adorned | guess Ben
Is right.5 and belong to the class, of
people Ike the toad-of. no. use Under
the sun" And a bitter expression. sad
TO see on SO young & face, settled in the
dark eyes and around the thin lips of
their eldest sister, Sue, as, sitting by a
window. hidden by the dark green
leaves of large lilac bush, she had been
listening to the children's prattle.
Poor Sue OF a naturally sensitive
and rather nelancholy dispositions, she
had, unfortunately. in her early girlhood
heard a thonghtleSs visitor remark that
in a large family OF chiIdrensof remark
able beauty, she was the only ugly one
And her mirror seemed to- her to verify
the statement for the great black eyes,
straight, raven-black hair, dark COM
plexion and thin lips, We're a striking
contrast to the other fair faces, with their
DSm(' hair -t tlat daily surrnlsnsled.
49, u q. DE Il l3lI = -! M . Her
disposition. too, was unique. and
unlike all by whom she was surrounded.
She had lived an almost isolated life.
though in large family of brothers and
sisters The brother next in age to her
self had died in infancy. and the twins,
Nellie and Dellie, four years younger
two gay, bright creatures, as much alike
in nature rs in names and age-had no
need of any company or sharer in their
mutual objects of interest, while Fanny
and Ben were as inseparable rs sub
stance and shadow. Wandering through
the grove in search of nuts or berries,
pouFings over the same lesson or story
books telling to each other all their hopes
and plans. or forming themselves into
a seh-appointed& scommittees for the
purpose, thew criticised and discussed
the merits and dement's of the Brown
family as freely rs if they themselves
had no part nor lot in it. So, left to her.
self. she had found companionship in
books, whose dear old authors never al
luded to or reminded her of her ''unfort-
unatee ugliness. as she termed il. And
while Nelly and Dellie were crimping
and frizzlng their hair and arranging
their fiounces and ruffies for party or
picnic she. incareless tattire, with hair
drawn back any way to. keep it out of her
eyes, was reyeling in the, scenes, of an !
cient history romnirig with Agnes of
Sorrento through orange groves; fol-
lowing David Copperfielri'' through
his weary childhoods or wandering with !
'.Evangeljne' insher hopeless search for 4
the loved and lost. But to-day strange
feeling of unrest had taken possession of
her -anervous dissatisfaction with her.
self and abby which she was surround
cd. Turning with restless fingers the
leaves of her favorite poet, Eongfellow,
the psalm of Life net her eye, with
its 1sl-
Lives of great men alI Iremind us
We can make our lives sublime, /.
And. dcpartine. leave betind us
Footprints on the sands of time"
- dom believe it : There is no sub
Unity o'be made of my life. and will
never make any footprints on the sands
OF time that any one seeing, may take
heart again. And. with rudeness
and silap, Which might have startled It's.
author fr6ma quietsnap in his tchestndts
chair, she. thrust the volume in the book
case and -Sauptered down stairs, where,
she arrived irst Ia time to see Nelly and
Dellie, radiant in reshmuslin. with rib
bons to MATCH, embarking for a picnic.
of which she had not even heard, The
father and mother gone to the city on
them, and she had the great, quiet house
II wonder if those butterflies will
make any footprints on the sands of
timeP !" size said, as she watched, the
eNho ehfPDih- Saitf uONh tic Walk. dllu
caught the merry ripple of their laughter
as they disappeared from sight ..Well,
may be tits better to be a butterfly out in
the sunlight than a dreary black cricket
up in the attic, y and she seated herself
at.the window just. in time to hear Fan.
and Ben's conversation. Though she
hail herself answered -Ren's question.
she leaned forward b hear Fanny's re-
joi1deft Which came.elear and quick;
s1Eo motller IS righk Everybodx has
n mission. You know mission means
worh, a1da1 c51z work some way.',
Well Fan as you seem to know so
mpfh about it, let s play You are . ms
sionafy sert Of i woman preacher, you
kndE~seqd " he pHkhenfh fho,1ers and in
the course of your remarks INFORM your
benighted audience what greatgmission-
Qfkty dther Brown has Sayyyou be-
gin at The head OF the family. and take
us all in order down to the baby There
is a lptpfr rRyowas and rmaybe the con-
version or the 5cnq queringof the world.
delf7nIs upon our family. y s''~
We'll. to begin.' said, Fannie, moth
ing daunted blythe task assigned her,
though, like many another speaker, shei
was altogether, unprepared, rthere is
father, and lnother-but, Ben, what does
mtft9age mesn2 heard father tell
mother this morning that he would have
70 mortgage the place TO raise money to
pas Of some debt and they seemed in