Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-02-15
-ery small sacrifice if she had faith in

/
| that 1 could be guilty of such an atrOcity.
| 1t is asking a great deal and you owe me
nothiag-but | am content to abase my
+ self so far as to accept such generosity.
Constance, you hold help in y0ar hands;
Will you give it to mep
Wv Ould father have wished III"
For a moment the minister kept q
panied silence.
II do not know" he said, at length,
quickly. as if fleeing temptation.
"TOu know that if you asked me that
now no consideration IN the world would
cause me to cOnSentY'
'sYes, | know that"
You understand that if promise it is
because l have implicit faith that you will
never put me to the test?p
II understand"
s'Then, Mr.. KeatOr, 1 shall be very glad
to lo it for YOU" she said, in low
voice.
'.For how long shall it beg''
''ShGll we say year - she sugges ted,
kindly.
You are extraordinarily generous"
said he; ga shorter time would serVe."
mo, we will say a year: and, now that
that is quite settled, she went on, lightly,
'Swill YOU let me trouble you about some
of my difficulties? You know, Dir. kea-
tor" she said, with sudden melancholy,
Il am what would be called rich. Dear
father left me everything. OF course he
wished something 10 60 to the church, but
he said he preferred that as il was to come
from my portion, ( should decide how
much and how it should be applied. bis
his delIcacy,' p she ended, shyly, ''puts
it in my power to show the church that l
have the best Will toward it."
''lt was not needed. but we shall be
very glad of any thing that you may choose
to do" returned he formally.
Then, If you will let me suggest, l
have thought that / should like to deposit
with your Board OF Missions, or whatever
you cali it, a sum that would produce
from year to year enough to sustain an
additional missionary at your station in
the West Indies. Does that seem practi-
cal! Is it foolish. is it absurd? Tell me,
Mr.. KeatOr. l don't know. | only know
what Mr.. March has told me-" Mr..
KeatOr paled. "He says the poor
people there are in a wretched
way. only suggest that be-
cause / feel kind of acquaintance and
sympathy with them from what he has
said. But If there is anything else-if
you know something more urgent 1t
was strange to see her defer so to him;
a woman feels that she can afford to be
generous after putting a man in her debt.
"NO, no, there is nothing else,' inter-
posed he hastily; shat is a worthy oh.
ject," he added quantity in the pulpit
phrase.
and then" she went on calmly, not
noting his agitation, 81 wish to build a
new hospital here in Judea as memorial
Of father, designed especially for the
women of the society,"
THAT would be costly. You probably
do not know how costly. We could not
accept such gift"
Nevertheless l shall build the hospi-
tai"
''Ab, wellv'
"And l shall trust to your judgement
and experience to teach me the best way
to do it. Shall it be built IN separate cot
tages, or in single structure; shall it be
stone or wood, shall we put a gambrel or
a single gable roof on it? What rooms
shall we reserve for the nurses; how
shall the wards be arranged?' she ques-
toned with a kind of sober gaiety.
''Those are the things l want to talk over
with you.''
you have considered everything, moth
ing is left" he said, with u yielding smile.
mo; | have only considered tue con-
sideratiOns | am going 10 ask you to de-
eide" They fell into a talk about archi-
lecture, in which they relied, perhaps,
rather upon their taste than knowledge,
and finally, when there still seemed lit
tie left TO say and the subject therefore
went away suddenly" remarked Con
stance.
Eyes, did you not knOw?" returned Dir.
Keatnr in the easy tone of fellowship into
which they had fallen. 'His brother was
seriously i'll and his mother pTOstrated by
it. He had letter and felt he must go at
once to catch the packet sailing first.
He would not disturb you in your grief to
say 'gOOd-bye,V Constance turned away
wit Il "a al huh NJ
yet learned to conquer, and rising
after moment went outside
and thoughtfully plucked rose
from the richly DlOssomed bush that
climbed the albOr. "He had a feeling,
too, l SUPPOSE" pursued the minister,
keeping his place, "abOut receiving your
thanks He commissioned me to say all
that was proper, and especially to thank
you for your hospitality, on which he SEEM
ed to think he had trespassed. l have not
seen you since. | was near forgetting
it," She made no comment, but stood
with her scentless rose to her nOstriIs
looking up at the prOfuse crimson bloom
on which the refracted light Of the van
ished sun fell coldly. AS he came out to
heT-Mr. KeatOr, there is one thing, the
chief thing l have wished to ask you
about" She still observed the bush al
sently.
"Well,'' said he kindly.
cts net easy to say or explain" She
paused to control herself. EMr. KeatOr,"
ste burst out suddenly, lean you imagine
that-that all that has happened; not only
poor fathers death, though that, Of
course, first but the-the occurrence in
the church-and all, have helped me to
new view Of some things, have given me
certain new wishes - She paused, but
she did not seem to desire an answer and
the minister kept silence as she looked
unseeing out toward the family lighted
west. 81 would like to be good" she
said, shat is all-goOd as my dear father
was good, as you are good, MIR. keatOr."
''YOu know what l would say" ex-
claimed he, with controlled passion.
Eyes. | know" answered she, sOberly,
but that is not true. In the church sense
l am not good, and what shall do; that
is what l wish to ask yOup' she con-
cluded, calmly.
MIR. keatOr, If it may be so phrased, was
staggered a little. "What should you
say 9'' asked he, as helplessly as if he had
never ministered to one in like trouble.
''Why, want to know if l had not bet
ter enter the convent at Ephrata?'
She spoke of it with an innocent refer
ence singularly unlike her treatment OF
other things.
monastery and was the refuge Of a scanty
sect not unlike the MoraYians.
my poor girl! what do you meanY'
SIS it so impossibleP She shifted the
rose family.
''Not impossible; but foolish, If you
will let me say it of an intention springing
from so good and cOmmendable a wish.
You have some theory of remorse about
your father that you did not join the
church during his life, that it found Oc-
casiOn to reprOve yOu-those things. You
do not deny thatp'
"NO,'' said she, staring again at the
roses with the sad remote look that the
mention of these things always brought
into her face.
''And for that you would shut up your
life to the pursuit of futilitye Ny dear
girl, the cOnventual life is a fanaticism
leading to doubtful personal good and not
justifying itself in labors for the good of
others. l sometimes think the convent
wall selfish fence, enabling a skulkIng
from duty to ones neighbour
"But the vows there are not binding.
l could come out when l chose"
"MY child, why should you ever enter5
No! If you think that you are not good
enough-and, of COURSE" he told her
with a smile, 81 am bound to teach that
you are unregenerate-dO good. Surely
do something if you build this hospital
and endow the missionary. And after
that, in this sOrrO wful world, there is
always enough suffering to cure, If you
will -