Smyrna times., 1882-03-22
How Heaven Helped Her.

O-h. neCNSn hPlP me. VII. " Hat
shall do?~
Ii was a small, hot, cross, and tired girl
OF thirteen who uttered this pitiful cry.
She stood in the middle of the kitchcn-lIoor,
which was wet from recent scrubbing. .
Her skirts were drabbled, face flushed and T
a her feet lay broken lamp. from which .
was oo2ing and spreading Il stream Of oil .
Poor Rob- Ne wonder she called to .
Heaven TO help her II was one of those /
cases in which She WAS quite powrress to /
help herself.
Rob had been left to finish up the work
that afternoon. Her new mother was
going to have company: and when the
cake was frosted, and the biscuit set to
rise, and the silver rubbed, and the berries
hulled, the new mother had said
Now, Robna, you may finish up the
work, while l make the beds ard clear out
the bureau-drawers in the sparc-room."
And Rob had moped the floor with
great deal of water, aud polished the stove
with a great deal of backing. and was con
graduating herself that She was through
and should have plenty OF time 10 dress
herself, and run up to the Top Of the hill TO
watch for her father, who had gone To the
depot TO bring the company. his wife's
sister aud hertWo little girls. NDbina had
never seen these relations. !!cr G,lher
had only been married 10 ihi- ney mother
L few months, and none of hcr folks had
been to see her yet: and, though -hr
didn't care much about Ler fathers wife.
perhaps hecauV- she n;t~Nl p-rd To Il
/ mother. still she set great sa,ry Upon The
i Thought Of the little girl VINO were com
/ ing TO see her
/ so She stood tired aHd smutJ> aud wet,
but not unhappy, picking splinter out of
her thumb, when her mother opened the
kitchen door
Did you think To trina the lamp this
morning Robina?7
No, Robina hadn't thought to do that
She never did think. 50 her ncw mother
said; that is, didn't think Of iilling the
lamps, and shutting the nilk-room door.
and wiping the knives dry, and such things
as were supposed to come within the
sphere OF her responsibility.
No, didn't She said rather aullcniy
We'll, wish you would do it right
away. then. The rose leave, you spread
to dry III the spa% chamber blew all oven
the floor and I've had 10 swcepit. They1
be here now, expect before can get
dressed"
Il want to get dressed too. muttrrc,
Rob
1t makes no difference about you,
said Mrs, Vickers, rather sharply. The,
won't think strange ifthcy don't see yo,
till tea time
Rob's lips moved indistinctly.
d" wish yon to mind me, Rohna. Wei
not talk any more about it,
Mrs Eickers had taught school bcfor
her marriage, and knew all about discir
line. She had been feeling for some tim
that she and Robina must settle the ques
ton Of authority before long, and now tbs
her sister was coming, she wanted to b
prepared to show that she was mistress
the house.
She left the kitchen, and Rob stood sti
for just five minutes by the clear-face
clock
You might have trimmed the lamps
this time, RObina,n said her mother, con
ing in from the yard, where she had bee
to cut some honeysuckle and roses for IL
parlor vases.
Robina moved sullenly to the she
jerked down the three lamps, one aft
another, twitched the cork out of the ker
senc can, tipping it spasmodically,
- hasten the flow. Then she CHANGED
glance out of the window, and there.
the summit Of the bill, quarter of a mi
. away, she saw the wagon and the parasC
Of and the little girls blue dresses. S
caught the small lamps in one hand al
the big lamp in the other and started
go across the floor; and first si.. kn'
;. one of the pair lay in fragment at h
p& feet and the oil was spreading and &prea
ing.
IN Mrs. NickCrs came at the crash, in /
JN act of fastening a blue bow in her bro,
ker hair. Robina!' she said, in stingi
y tone, what have you been doing?"
- "Oh! 1 didn't mean to-" cried I
~ frightened girl
- "Mean to? AS if that were amy
cuse." Mrs. Vickers paused an insta
She had an excellent self-control evt
one said of her. "You may get the Sc
nS. and sand and scour that spot until moth
-, can be seen of it. You might rs well lie;
right here that these bursts of tenn
ally don't pay"
oh! I'll wipe it up clean and scow
in the morning. Please let me. They
coming!' cried Rob,
- you'll do just as have said" repl
Mrs. Vickers, quietly.
- The calm tone quclled Roh's frig
,'T She glared defantly at her mother.
!. : . l won't scrub that floor to-nightn'
i Z said, doggedly.
;. Mrs. Nickers trembled slightly msi
J. "You can obey me, Robina, you 81
----- not 60 one step to the picnic Saturda
And she left the kitchen.
: Rob stood dazed. Not to go to the
mic! Why, her hat had been trimm
and her muslin dress done up, and
r r sash pressed on purpose for the pic-ni
the great event Ofthc year in Valley Bro
a Her imagination could hardly grasp 81
-- disappointment as not to so to