Smyrna times., 1882-05-10
The Open Door.

"Well, Esther. what is your dream iii
life p The question was asked half play
fully. halfseriously, by young girl as
she stole up behind school-nate and
mischcvously pulled her short black hair
Esther turned. Haven't any" she
said. shortly. and resumed her scrutiny of
, bug which she was dissecting.
=" Haven't yon. really? Why, even
have decided upon vscation for gidly
little me! Guess what it is?
Cant"
Accustomed To Esther's unpromising
answers, Lou gayly continued, :" I'm to he
i teacher. a aaodest teacher! The scene OF
ny labors is to be way down Souf,> and
I'm to have untold legiOns Of funny little
larkies under my care. You'd better
| make up your mind to assist me. If you
would personate Justice, | could temper
your rule with mercy, YOU know"
With light laugh she darted away.
! skipping along the path in a lively man
ner scarcely befitting one who was soon to
enter upon such a serious task as she had
Just indicated.
! This days setting sun closed the school
life of these two girls. On the morrow
they were TO graduate--one with her
sphere of usefulness already before her
the other with no idea whether September
lays would find her upon the shores Of
the Atlantic or of the Pacific. Two great
er opposites in character could hardly be
found. Lou Mason was full ofgirlish glet
that bubbled over even in the soberes
recitatiOns, Frightening the faces of hel
teachers, and attracting a circle of warp
friends Happy indeed would be thu
her magnetic nature
Esther was known as that queer girl.
She was tall and angular, her cranky hal
stood rampant, her eyes were mercilessl.
keen, her speech was short and crisp, he
manner abrupt. and her ways of stud.
peculiar Although an unusually fin
student her "dd ways repelled affection
and the only girl at school who reall
| ONGu HCT WAS Lou NidSOu. lie Quiet
admired, respected, and feared her.
Esther realized this fact, and made des
perate efforts to acquire the winning grac
oil her friend: but it was useless, she re
manned her old bristly SELF Yet ne
character was one of sterling worth. Sh
was an earnest Christian, well grounde
in dOctrinal truth, stcadlast in PURPOSE
conscientious in the performance Of ever
duty, and intense in her desire to brin
y others to Christ.
Even Lou has Il mission, . she though
somewhat sadly, as she stood in tn
gathering dusk and watched the mist
slowly rising over the water. " And
what can do?" No answer came to he
d from the darkening night, whose silenC
was broken only by the plaintive notes (
the whip-poor-will. Casting lngerin
glance over the scene which she had Ell
Dyed for several happy years, she turne
/. and entered the building with her usut
firm, quick step.
Esther Stirling had an original as we
as eccentric mind Her favorite studio
/, were chemistry and biology. Perhaps 81
inherited these tastes from her tathe
who was a physician. He laughingly d
clared that she did so when, at the a
vanced age of six, she pleaded to wat'
him while he dissected an animal upt
which he had experimental as a means
a medical research. She had strong nerve
and yet she was far fr0m being cruel
coldhearted. Her readiness of inventi
'es was also marvel. A neighbOr's cat on
% became sick, and its little mistress tried
,ds force some herb tea down its throat. T
cat struggled, the spoon slipped, and
medicine was all split. Fudgew 5;
Esther, who was watching the proceedin
"Give me that cat" She grasped it I
der her arm, planted an old tin funnel
its mouth, and administered the medic
in that novel manner. The result v
highly satisfactory. This is only a spC
men of her childish skill. She even
tended her practice into the domain of S
gerry. When Rover cut his foot on
moving machine, it was Esther v
carefully attended him until he co
walk upon all fours again.
Her progress in the studies mention
- was wonderful. She was continue
! o fading new specimens for her microscS
and her work in this direction was
only accurate, but original and often
liable. The professor of biology consi'
en- I'd her q genius. The other profess