Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1882-10-27

the others Is the pOs,essor of the wcn-
derfu! voice.
She is still singing, and her face, of
marvellous beauty, is turned half toward
hlin. Her wide blue eyes are raised to
the clear blue of the heavens and seem
to equal it in their purity and intensity.
Her complexion is pale, with Just
touch of color on the oval cheek. She
Is not n all of the "dcad perfection"
order of girls, nor
"TIlr rose OF the rose bush Garden of girls.
! Queen lily ana rose i'll one
but Il healthfnl, natural face, with bean
tiiui eyes and regular features, framed
by golden brown hair, pushing out ann
bltlou,iy from the close bands of the
unSightly cap. Her beauty is that of
the bud, rather than the flower. Yet
| there Is certain tirmness indicated in
the only limited lines about the mouth,
AMI, instihctively, one feels that this
girl is not made of such stuff Us dreams
are made Of; but Of that stcrner clav of
which martyrs and heroineS are nodded,
and you wonder wha- lies beyond the
red ribbons of her girlhood. She is
capable of being very happy. and also
|
imagine for one moment that johanna
Rothe could ever he capable of wrong,
unwomanly act. You feel that she is
capable of great and good things, and
only capable of such.
| think it not improbable that some
such thoughts as these passed through
the mind OF the young minister, as he
| listened to the wonderful voice and
looked upon the beautiful face; and in
the days and weeks that followed the
Faster service know not how the Young
divine became acquainted with johann
ma; but, nevertheless, an acquaintance
did spring up and prosper with more
rapidity than was usual in Moravian
village at the early date of which our
story is faithful chronicle. Perhaps it
was because Bartholomew, having as
his special charge the younger men of
the Church, found it necessary to look
after Johanna's brother, who, indeed,
was not a model of Christian virtues and
who occasionally made trips to New
York, where he imbibed much of the
world sinful tastes.
However, JOhana and young Brother
Bartholomew met at 'iLove Feasts"
and religious services; and sometimes
OF sunny afternoon, when mothers
and daughters sat in their favorite places
In the graveyard for such was ever the
favorite resort of the good people of
Bethlehem), the young pastor would
pass that way; and as he came to one
little group after another he would stop
for few moments and ask after the
health of each and express some word
OF kindness and courtesy ere he passed
on; and red-letter days were those
when, among the others, he CHANGED to
meet Johanna.
PARTII.
As the summer changed to autumn,
and the September haze hung over the
far blue hills, and the katy-dids and
crickets made vocal the silent night, the
ever-watchful eye of Mrs. Rothe saw a
change in her daughter. Her eyes were
brighter and larger than of yore, and
her color came and went as she con-
versed or was silent; and, sometimes,
when her mother saw the far-away look
in the pensve face of her ir-cheeked
daughter, she would sigh softly, and,
wiping the dimness from her glasses,
murmur:
johanna, child, the Lord grant that
when the lot falls on you it may not be
for the wrong one"
| They were sitting in the graveyard,
one afternoon, when these words fell
from the mothers lips, and this time
they did not fall unnoticed by the
daughter.
"Mother," she said, turning her face
| from the glory of the western sky, while
her cheek took on the flush of the diving
day, "the disposal of the lot is with the
Lord. Why should l be concerned
about it?''
The good woman felt rebuked: yet
her heart had many misgivings in regard
to Johanna's future.
"Yes, DEAR" she replied, "perfect
love casteth out fear" Yet she sighed
again as she spoke, for she thought of
the long past, when the lot had fallen on
another Johanna, and that Johanna had
tried to think that it was the Lords
will, and had married the man she did
not love, while the one she did love
married the girl who had given her
hearts best affection to .Johanna's own
husband; and she had known it all, for
| Anna Weisser was her intimate girl
| gether about it, while the young men
went to the "Council of the Elders"
and the lots were cast. But neither Anna
nor that other Johanna had questioned
the will of the Lord. They had mar
ried men to whom the lot assigned
them, and every one said that they were
both very happily married !. nor did
| they themselves ever hint that 1t was
otherwise. Yet, nevertheless, Johanna
Rothe knew that, in marrying David
Rothe, she had missed out of her life
certain happiness which she felt was
possible and intended for every good
woman to possess; and now her whole
heart, bound up, as it was, in her
daughter, dreaded lest she, too, should
miss what the mother-heart felt was
possible and right that she should pos
sess. So. very gently and very sadly,
she added:
"'Thy ways, o Lord, are mysterious,
and no man knoweth them"
Johanna the younger made no reply,
and again turned her face to the sunset
glory, and for time both were silent;
while above them, in the branches |
among the yellow leaves, robin piped |
his farewell song, and cricket chirped |
in the grass at their feet.
"Mother!" at length exclaimed Jo-
hanna, without turning her face from |
the crimson and gold low down in the |
west, "wouid God ever let the lot fall so |
as to make people unhappy; so that, in |
obeying it, one would have to do what,
under any other circumstances, he would
not do?"
Sometimes He does," replied the
mother.
Johanna looked puzzled.
sin marriage, motherp" she asked,
with deep blush, still keeping her face
turned away.
eyes, my darling"
"Then l would not obey what men
called His WILL" the young girl an
swered, firmly, almost defiantly, turning
upon her mother flushed face and bril-
liant. flashing ewes.