Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1883-09-01

was taught into practical use.
Master and scholar made a stranoe
picture as they bent over their Bibles
David with his broad forehead and 70.
hned features, chastened already from
the first fires of youthful ambition and
selt-seekingg; Polly with her rough, fair
hair plastered down by water into a
frantic attempt at order, her freckled
face shining from a recent soap appli.
cation, and her earnest gray eyes now
beaming with intelligence, now clouded
over, as they confronted or conquered q
new difficulty.
Mrs. Britton did not interfere with
these arrangements, though privately
she harbored some doubts Of her lodg-
er's entire sanity. But as he was a re-
liable tenant, and not too observant of
mysterious disappearances in the way
OF cold meat or Goals, she tolerated his
philanthropic whims; especially as
Polly did not neglect her work. was
less inclined to .sanswer," and could
keep the children quiet in fractions mo-
mcnts with stories culled from MI. Con-
ways addresses.
"Rat-tat!' The sharp double knock
reached Polly's ears at once, though
she was standing with bare arms in the
back kitchen before a pile of unwashed
plates and dishes. Up the stairs she
flew, drying her hands on her apron.
and finding two letters and a newspaper
addressed to Mr.. Conway, lost no time
in carrying the plumber to his room.
"Your letters, SIR" she said, breath
ing hard after her hurried flight up
stairs, and feeling rewarded by the
smile that acknowledged her service.
The cu1ate was back again by that time
before his desk, and Polly left him un-
disturbed by another word till an hour
later, when she brought up the tray
bearing his frugal supper. Intuitively
She knew something was amiss. The
scattered papers lay UNDECIDED on the
table. David sat with his head in his
hands porting YER a ponderous account
book. He started violently when she
opened the door with the sudden Jerk
all her consideration for his comfort
had not yet taught her to control.
"Do try to turn the handle quietly"
he said, with a suspicion of irritabiiity
in his voice. Polly looked as if he had
struck her.
81 beg your pardon, sir, Tn sure,"
she answered, s.mopping up' with ads
colored handkerchief. ssBut I was born
awkward, and missus says I shall die
So"
''Well, you needn't think about that
yet" David said, smiling in spite of his
depression. Something in the girls
devotion touched him. His was an in
tensely sympathetic nature, and during
the last hour he had unconsciously re-
belled against the isolation that forced
him to brood alone over his disappoint-
ment.
II wish I could cry like you, Polly"
he said, half lightly 81 am sure I
should feel better for it. Ihave thought
so ever since you brought up the Bish-
ops letter."
Polly stared in amazement.
sit wasn't bad news, sir?" she asked,
taking in part of his meaning.
''No, not that exactly, and yet-well,
the fact is, my child. you know how
anxious I feel to have a church for nv
poor people in the court. And unfor-
tunately so many other churches are
needed in this great city that we must
wait our turn-til more money comes
in"
Polly's face was now full of sympa-
thetic comprehension. Mr.. Conway
had often intermingled this hope with
their Bible-readings, and want of
money was a grief she could readily I'M
derstand.
"Oh, sir, I am sorry" she faltered.
II wouldn't have been so quick to bring
up that letter if 1 had known-there."
''Well, we must try and see if the
funds can't be raised somehow Che
curate answered. .sOnly remember
you must not chatter about this down
stairs"
Several days passed; Mr.. Conway did
not refer again to the topic that was so
near his heart, and Polly's tact was suf-
ticiently wide awake to keep silence till
he should break it. But during the
weekly lesson she stopped abruptly in
her slow, monotonous reading, and
with her finger on the half-finished
verse asked: "sThat seems to make 1t
more comfortable, doesn't it, sir?"
David, whose thoughts had been wan
dering, bent to look at the words
'.He that spared not His own Son,
but delivered Him up for us all, how
shall He not also with Him also freely
give us all things?"
"What do you mean?" he asked, with
a dim sense that perhaps the position of
teacher and scholar were to be for a
moment changed.
:It's only what you have taught me
yourself, sir, Polly answered, looking
rather surprised at his question. "You
told me to ask our Father for what l
wanted. and He would be sure to give
me what I ought to have. And if a gen
tleman like you was to ask, and for a
church, too, which seems by rights to
belong to Him, don't you think He must
give it soon?"
David did not stop to correct the
weak points in her theology. His faith
had been clouded by overwork and
worry, and perhaps Polly's crude repe-
tition of his own teaching saved him
from another sleepless night. The
wants, physical and mental, of his peo-
ple grew on him day by day, and his
own private affairs wero weighing heav-
ily on an already overburdened mind.
Far away from these nightmare sights
..l ,o1o Sbialdad nv an easy. nrOS-