The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1883-04-19
THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE: wAsHNGyog D. c. THURSDAY APRIL 49, 1885,

st9fS, OILY Eftb Z II GluSe--SlS f1uSdli. SilP
good, she Is hC added, with flash of his dark
eyes into Margarets face as if she had ques-
toned the statement. Do there be boys and
girls. to play with where you liver" he asked.
Plenty of them. / had whole roomful."
Wish ] had some," unused Billy, wistfully,
resting his elbows on his knees, and settling
his chin between his small palms. "We'd
play ball-no,'' surveying his lame foot "tbey'd
play ball, and I'd tell 'em to sing"
Billy" called voice from within the
house-a voice like the woman's face, not ex-
actly harsh, but as if the wear and tear of life
had left no room for softness.
Comm, Susan" the child answered. soberly,
and hobbled away.
Sleep could comfortably occupy the night,
but what TO do with the long hours of the
forenoon was a problem that greeted Margaret
with the morning sunlight. She tried to solve
it at the breakfast table.
think | must explore your village while
| stay. Are there any places of special inter
estY"
Well, / don't know. I've heard they was
hayin' meetins every day at the little church
across the run, suggested Miss Grey, in evident
uncertainty as to what her visitor might con-
slider interesting. Then there's the hills;
some folks like to wander round over them"
Margaret decided to try the hills; but her
pleasant rambling was abruptly terminated by
a dash of rain that forced her to seek speedy
SutilST. AL iSb4dlSu Duliuf1P WIFI an open
portico was fortunately not far from her path;
but it was only when she had reached it, and
was brushing the rain-drops from her clothing,
that she discovered it to be f the little church
across the rum
j shall have the satisfaction of doing both
places of interest, then-the hills and the
'meetin she laughed softly to herself.
From beyond the half-open door came the
sound of voice rising and falling i'll regular
sinU-SOUu waV-9 SpeSaw SfVla of plopufioD
that had nothing to do with emphasis or ex-
preston, but ineXorably sent one-haf of each
sentence up, and the other half down. When
the voice sank nothing but murmur reached
the door, but as it rose the words became
audible.
Noble work2 Try Nehemiahs plan.--
Useful work? Build on Nehemiah's r'an.-
Good in the world? Follow Nehemiah plan"
At first Margaret had only smiled at the
tone, but in moment The words attracted her
attention. OF what was he talking? She
leaned forward, and caught a glimpse of thin
sallow-faced, long-haired man swaying to and
fro with movement that accorded with his
chanting tones.
Don't wander round. Take Nehemiah's
plan'
1t was odd that just those words should come
to her III such place and way. She felt fit
ting wish that she had tried the meeting ear
lier but III q few moments the service and
the brief shower ended together, and Margaret
left the portico as the people began to come out.
One after another nodded or spoke to her as
they passed. 1t seemed to be the fashion to
address any one without ceremony, and so, as
the sallow-faced minister overlook her, and
spoke as his flock had done Margaret looked
up at MIN with a sudden impulse, and asked ::
" VI hat was Nehcmiah's plan 2"
He was an Israelitish noble, and the great
leader in rebuilding Jerusalem after the cap
tiyity," replied the stranger, plunging at
once into the subject, and not manifesting
the least surprise at the question. "And his
way of rebuilding the wall was to set each
man to building before his own house. No
one spent his time running around putting in
stone here and stone there, trying to build
a little in every breach, or trying TO find an
opening that just suited him, and build there ;
bat every man took the work that was straight
before him. If you want to do good work IN
this world, try Nehemiah's plan. If you want
to build
The preacher had dropped into his chanting
tone. but just as Margaret began to realize
that she had called down the whole sermon
upon her devoted head, her foot slipped upon
wet stone in the rough steep path, and she
fell. 1t was awkward enough, she assured her
self in vexation, but the first effort to rise
proved it something far worse She grew
white, and faint with pain, and the voice of
her companion asking if she were hurt sounded
indistinct and far away. Some of the others
turned back. She scarcely noticed who came
or how they aided her. but she presently
found herself at Miss Grey's, surrounded by a
sympathizing group and strong odor of cam
phor.
A bad sprain like that is really worse than
broken bone-at least it takes longer to heal, y
announced the country practitioner an hour
later, when he had examined and prescribed
for the wounded member I" 1t viii be several
weeks before you can put that foot to the
| ground again"
Several weeks. Margaret listened to his re-
| treating steps, looked at her swollen and band
aged ankle, and then at the figure moving
busily about the room, picking up bottles and
bits of old linen.
Miss Grey what will you do with me?"
"Fll have to'do the best / can, s'pose. Here
| you air, and we can't neither of us help it.
! What can't be cured'll have TO be endured, y
answered that lady, without pausing in her
work of putting to rights.
| Having her presence accepted as an affective
! dispensation was new experience 10 Marga-
ret; she thought of home and Tom. She had
ample leisure for thinking of many things as
! the long afternoon wore away, and she began
! fully to realize the imprisonment upon which
she had enteTed-that all her planning had
| ended in this. How strangely it had hap
/ pened
The idea of leaving home just to bury my
self here!" she sighed reviewing the situa
tion. "Nehemiah's plan, indeed l shall
certainly have to build straight before me fol
the next two months if build at ALL"
Straight before her in the next room sat Mis-,
Grey, bending busly over cloth and pattern
with perplexed wrinkle in her forehead.
What is it? If i could help you" ques
TONED Margaret and hcsitated. She had
| grown interested after watching her moment
Well, you can't" said Miss Grey, dropping
her hard hands meditatively in her lap
Pm trying to MAKE over an old dress of my
! great-aunt's into new one for myself, anC
there amt enough of it. 1t seems as if
ought to be able to doit by this time, for my
whole life has just been a-maIlin' over, o
patchin' up, or turnin' best side out, of wha
somebody else has used or wasted or spoiled
before / got it. It's taken my best days to elk,
out Shortcomings and patch up blHnders. Pv,
never had anything fresh and new to star
on"
Except Billy?" ventured Margaret, as th,
child's sunny head appeared at a window
Billy! Well" Miss Grey paused Tha
little halfbrotber was dearer to her even thar
she knew, but he was perplexing also Some
thing that looked out from his dark eyes ant
spoke in his wistful tones was more Difficult
life; it did not seem to belong there. But sh
would not say SO; she was beginning already
to wonder at what she had said. With quicl
breath that would have been sigh on les
determined lips, she bent over her work again
Upon those stopped and rounded shoulder
life's burdens had fallen early. She had pait