Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1883-08-28

L
seems like begging, but shall try and
think it for the best"
"Yes. Hugh, it must be so, for !
know you have done all you could, and
are ye not of more value than many
sparrows:
AT that moment Mary Ann came into
the sitting room with the tea, and Bobby
called, "Come, supper, now, right off,
COZ | helped do it, mother. / made the
toast, an I'm most starved. Let me
help roll mothers chair out
In a moment, Bobby" said Mr..
Darling, and he turned to the window
to clear from his face all traces of emo
ton, and there sat True as still as
statue.
"Why, True | did not know you
were here-or have you been sailing
away to Egypt or the Indies on yolr mag
ic carpet =
mo, father" she said, and looking
down into her frank eyes he knew what
she knew.
That night True lay for hours with
wide open eyes, looking out at the stars
and thinking, thinking, and saying with
in her heart of hearts. Father in heaven
teach me. do not know the way"
By-and-by she slept. and she dreamed
that as she lay there in the starlight she
saw Bobby walking away to river to
find fish, for they were all poverty poor
and BJbby had no shoes on his feet, and
he was walking over the wheat stubble,
and while she was wondering what she
could do she saw star moving toward
her from out Of the sky, nearer, nearer,
brighter, brighter. until the whole room
was filled with It's radiance and voice
the spirit of the star said, The time has
come work, True Darling - -
At the sound OF the voice True sat up
and rubbed her eyes. There lay Bobby,
asleep in his bed, as his copper-toed
shoes stood against the wall, all comfort
able and shiny. and the next thing she
saw her tin savings bank upon the man
tel, with CLINT of the sunrise upon it.
"Oh," True said, "how odd new
er though, Of the bank" and she reached
up and took it down upon the bed, and
began to shake it carefully, and picked
the coins with pin.
"Perhaps this is one way" she thought
'and God let his sun shine just there on
the bank 80 | would remember. An
other the dream sail was to work its
funny mother said when the true time
came would know it, and do"
When she had shaken the last coin
out upon the counterpane she counted
them over. There were five dollars, all
silver. She put them in box and
wrote on slip Of paper these words,
"For Hicks.
When True went down stairs that
morning, she found Mary Ann in trou-
ble her mother was taken very i'll with
rheumatism; and Mary did not know
how to leave the Saturdays work, but
True was sure she could make the bread
and bake the meat for Sunday, and her
mother said she might try. So Mary
Ann went to her mother, and Mr.. Darl-
ing to the shop; but before he had gone
True slipped the box into his hand, and
said he was not to open it until he had
turned the corner.
While True was moulding the bread
into the tins, May Rivers drove up in
her phaeton and True ran out to speak
with her +; and some way, hardly know
how it happened. but instead of True, it
was True's mother who rode with May
that day, and when she came back again
with just faint tinse Of color in her
cheeks, True was more glad than she
could tell. After she and May and Bob.
by had helped the invalid into the house,
and she had lain down to rest, the two
girls shut themselves in the kitchen, and
while True watched the baking of the
bread she helped May with her sums for
a whole hour. When May had gone
home she went about getting dinner.
She made the soup, as she had seen her
mother do, and when the potatoes were
nearly done she left Bobby to see that
the things did not burn, and went down
to the shop to call her father. She stood
in the doorway watching her father at
the anvil, and only said very quietly
when he looked up, Dinners ready"
He left his work then and came out
to the sunlight, and putting his hand on
her head he said, "My little true woman,
you have helped your father, God bless
you"
"Oh, do you say sos Then l am so
glad. l thought before l was just good