The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1882-11-30

revenue, and now bare two days and
their children will not own foot of
their inheritance or have a roof over
their heads, 1 doubt Providence and it
drives me wild ~
"No, mother, dear" said Greta's
gentle voice, as, with her arms round
Anstice, she led her back to the house
mo, mother, dear, if we doubt Prov
idence, then all is gone, indeed"
"To think of it p' cried Anstice,
again. "You old Parson Mildredge's
daughter and my sons wife, adrift
on the world, to earn your bread or
starve And the little lads-the last
of the Purcells-with no future before
them, no clothes to their backs
Think of the Thanksgiving dinners all
this country over, and not tart will
my boys have. Other boys"
"But, indeed mother, so long as they
have bread and milk andask for no more,
we need not fret at that. Such happy
little rogues-"
Happy they'll be in the state aims
housep
at will never come to that have
pair of hands"
"Much you can do with your hands,
you as fragile as reed p
81 can work for you and the chill
dren with them. Don't fear"
eff you can get work y
81 shall see. We will go down to
one Of the great mill towns ; and it
will go hard but"
"Go down to a mill town
Down in dark, sitting alley
of a town! Away from all the
light and freedom here-the hills, t! Q
glory Of them, the strength of them !!
Oh l will die first. / had rather die -
"But we can't die, you see. And if
we doubt Providence, that is worse
than death ooh we are tried"
half. sobbed Greta. 1--WE are being
tried But somehow 1 seem to feel
] know / know that help is on the
way to us, just as much as though
heard a voice from heaven saying So"
And she went to bed and took the
shivering little mother in her arms,
and the nervous storm throbbed itself
; off iuto sleep for the weary old Anstice;
and then Greta took her turn to see
the stars slide by the window, pausing
to look solemnly in, while she thought
that, somewhere in the wide world,
they were looking down on the spot
where her husband slept. Once or
twice she rose, after Anstice had
been soothed to slumber, and
moved abCut the room. When q
great meteor went slipping by, in a
swift blaze of glory, her heart gave n
plunge; and then it seemed to be us il
the stars themselves had sent her me-
sages of comfort, and she slept.
"Ben," said little Asher, in the
morning, sitting up in bed, with the
sunshine breaking in new luster on
his pretty golden head and the color
flushing freshly up his face, "did you
ever see an angelo"
"No," said Ben. "Did you?"
"Oncc 1 did. Yes. l saw an angel
last night, Ben"
81 guess So"
81 did. Really and truly, did,
said Ash. 81 saw two of them, Ben
! I woke up in the night when it wa
. dark and the fire was out, and one was
standing by the hearth, and the stars
shone all over it. And l saw it all in
: white; and it went away. And ii
/ looked Just like the angels mother
reads about to us in the Bible"
81 guess it was mother" said Ben.
! "The other wasn't mother ~ an
| swered Ash, Indignantly. "The other
Y was real angel any way. 1t went
Z sailing by the window with great wings
I. like fire, and it left path shining be-
' hind it. And know it was the Angel
. of the Lord"
t "Do you really suppose it was, Ash ?'
, 81 know it was. And, of course, il
e came for something, you know, Ben
5 / shouldn't wonder if we were going to
e have Thanksgiving to-day, after ALL
J, 81 hope therell be raisins in it, then,
. said Ben. Il like raisins so -
e "Just hear the dariings," whispered
G Anstice, after her custom, to Greta
S I'D give my hand to get him raisins
G for the day. Going to have Thanks
l giving after all Thanksgiving fol
l being cast adrift upon the world y
l And she began to cry bitterly.
l "Come, boys" called Greta, who
= had been gently moving about
till the fires were bright in the
4 two rooms, for of wood they had
e still plenty. zone should be stir
: ring early on Thanksgiving morn
ing. Porridge is ready when you have
f said your prayers" And she sat down
' where the rose and purple Of the sun
| rise fell over her like an aureole, as the
= two little chaps came pattering out to
: the swapping fire, in their long white
2 nightgowns, and, kneeling before her,
} hid their faces in her lap while she said
| the prayer.
f One would have thought it little
2 enough that Greta Purcell had to give
| thanks for that day-husbandless,
2 homeless, portionless, and with three
helpless souls hanging on her for help.
But to one hearing the simple words
; that she offered in her morning sacri-
fee it would have seemed as though
princes had no more to be grateful
! for-as she gave her thanks for
| life, for health, for hearts not
, yet broken altogether, for the
: bright morning, the lovely earth,
| for hope of heaven, for each other.
: "Amen p said q voice at the door
None thought of fastening any door in
that unvisited country.
: The children lifted their faces as
3 they kneeled, and Greta turned heI
| head, TO see tall man standing in the
6oormaU 1yith q lopsa cloak NUrannad