The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1883-05-16


or sunset, where the blue was melted In
To the first golden mellowness. star
stood suddenly. A laugh OF wild delight
Burst from her lips. and, putting up her hands,
Her simple thought broke Il nth expressively-
Father, dear father. God has made star."
Not Her Vocation.
MRS. Mary A. Denison, in Youths Companion.l
What in the world, Mat, have you been
doing with yourself2"
The girl thus addressed turned red and
shrsnk away.
"That's s6angsr" cried a little fve.year-
old, in shrill voice. "I'm going to have
some"
| "Hswi hawl 1 say, Mats seen some O.
them gals up to the new hotel, and she's
trying to copy 'em-the little fool As if she
couldi Why, they're slim an handsome,
and know how to walk and talk; but
you'll look at your hands and the trecklesl
| The idea of your settin' up for q ladyl'
| Poor Martial She never remembered
the time when that big, coarse brother of
hers had not made fun of her in all her at
tempts to improve herself. Now as she
ran TO her own room che felt deeply hurt
One glance at the glass, however, brought
her back to her better self. Yes, the bangs
made her look uglier than before. Her
eyes were ''piggy." and her nose was SCRUB
by" and her mouth was wide. There
wasn't q spot of beauty between the freckles
What, then, she asked of herself made the
differencel
To tell the truth, Mstty had not been
happy since the advent of the new hotel
and the place had bloomed into a paradise
for summer boarders. Before that she hsd
been contented to roll her hair into q knot
at the back of her head, to work in q very
ordinary, but methodicsl, fashion, to make
beds and sweep floors, bake, wash, starch
and iron, take care of the children, help il
the vegetable garden, and do any duty thai
was assigned to her without q murnur
Her voice was heard mp stairs and down
singing quaint old songs, or talking to the
little toddlers playing under the morning
glory vines about the door.
But one evil day, Amy Roberts, pretty
winsome city girl, had asked some slight IA
vor of her, and after that had made herself
agreeable in many ways; and Martha had
taken notice of the natty toilet, the delicate.
ly dressed hair, the refined maDners and
soft voice. Hands like hers she might never
have; they were hopeless. But bangs and
snowy dresses, these she could surely gain
"Bnt after all, she is go differentp poor
Martha would murmur, half despairingly
Yes, she was different. Culture, dress ,edu
cation and years of city training in the midst
of good society had made her go; while
Martha had grown up hsp-hazard, as the
saying is, burned by the sun and tanned by
the winds, and caring very little for schol.
srly graces. Amy had many accomplish.
ments, but she could not milk the cows
make bread, get up dinner, wash, iron
clear starch; but she could talk and bow and
smile sweetly, dress richly and tastefully
and bewitch people as she had bewitched
Martha, with her pretty ways and soft, low
voice.
All this made Martha dissatisfied with
her lot, and the work of the farmhouse be
came distssteful to her. Her brothers and
sisters, with their dumping faces and tow
heads, were SO many hindrances to her owl
development; there was not handsome
feature among them. Jerry Grim, her faith
or, and Maria Grim, her mother, were q
homely as they could well be, and the whole
farm seemed to her q dreary waste of ugli
ness.
Now the old homestead was a very pleas
ant one. There were smells OF Lavender
in the clean, white rooms w
stairs, and the fragrance of good
cooking and well-scoured floors below
Many and many time the farmer had had
applications from city people to take them
to board; but, as he said, he was "well
enough to do" why should he be bothered
Poor Mat sat down and had good cry
after she had pushed the straight red bangs
away from her freckled forehead.
She didn't see why she shouldn't look
nice, or why she should work from Monday
morning till Saturday night, and have no
time to cultivate the grsces. As for educa-
ton, she could write her name fairly and
Indite tolersble letter with the help of the
dictionary. But there was her mother, who
had never written q letter in her life, and
who looked SO different in her stiff black
elk dress and all her fnery, from the meth
era of those girls at the hotel, no matter
at they had on, and che said 'caow'' and
''naow," and called father "feytherr and
the children "young uns.'
At last the girl became so thoroughly un-
hsppy that her parents consented to let her
20 TO the city, at the earnest solicitation Of
8 cousin, who had found her place in the
shop where she herself worked, and where
she could earn from three to four dollars q
week. The ethyl that was the psnacea fol
all her troubles. 1t was like a glimpse OF
heaven to Martha when its roofs and spires
frat came into view, and when her cousin
met her at the depot, her cup of happiness
was full.
As for her cousin-the heart of that
young woman failed at the sight of Martha
She had not seen her for several years, and
her exceptionally awkward figure, with hel
countrihed, unpublished ways, made her re
gret the Office she had taken upon herself.
"You'll have 10 come to my boarding
house for the present." she said, as she
looked sghsst at the hat with its full-blown
roses, the red and black suit. and the many
eccentricities of toilet, and wondered
whether she could ever teach her discre.
ton.