Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1885-03-19

eS, neT BIaHuuoluci IcpiHiuR duu up
braiding, and Lois caring for her in {
cold, mechanical way.
Then the keen New England con
science awoke. Was this the spirit oil
self sacrifice ? Had she given up her
love merely to do the work a. hired SER
want might do. and with the same feel
ings ? Was she not cheapening her
sacrifice by withholding part of the
price
So the lonely girl goaded herself un
til by prayers and tears she grew into
a softer frame of mind, and the silent
indifference with which she had borne
her grandmother's sharp speeches
changed to pity for the poor cross grain
ed nature. If Grandma Dunn noticed
the change she gave no sign but it
made life more tolerable to Lois. At
the best time dragged very slowly at
the old farm house. The mornings
were bearable, for the care of the house
kept her busy but in the long sum-
mer afternoons, when her grandmoth.
or dozed in her chair, and in the long
winter evenings, when she sat alone by
the fire, she grew to have the feeling
that they had lived in the same way for
hundred years, and would live on and
on indefinitely.
But after ten years had worn away a
new interest came into her life. One
day paper from Boston strayed up to
the red house on the hill. Lois did not
know that the paper held a high rank
in the literature Of the day, but she felt
the difference between it and their
county weekly. One little story pleas
ed her especially. 1t did not abound
in elopements, murders and highly
wrought situations, like the weekly
stories, but ran along as naturally as
one friend might talk to another. and
the thonght came to her, why couldn't
she write story ?
So one afternoon, when G randma
Dunn was safely off in her nap. Lois
sat down in the shady porch and wrote
her first story. 1t was only the story
of life which had been lived In her
own village. There was no attempt at
fine writing, no romance, no tragedy
unless the story of broken heart is
always tragedy-but the story was
told so simply and tenderly that it
seemed like quiet brook running at
twilight between banks Of fern and al.
der, until it is lost in shadow.
With many mlsgivings she sent it to
the Boston paper, and the editor,
man of quiet tastes, read it himself,
then took it home and read it to his in
valid wife and the result was that
in a few weeks Lois received a paper
addressed in strange handwriting, and
in it her little story; and not only that,
but letter came containing check
and few words of praise. With
heart lighter than it had been since her
fathers death, she took the paper and
letter to her room. She turned the
check over and over-her own money,
the first she had ever earned. and earn
ed in such delightful way ! Then
she read aud re.read her story, and
wondered how it sounded to Others.
She looked the paper over to compare
it with other stories, and familiar
name caught her eye, and there, among
the marriage notices, she read this
"In this city, on the lot b inst. by Rev.
Daniel Simpson, Mary, only daughter
of Roger LIE eonard, of this city, to Da-
vid Price, of Cleveland, Ohio.
She held the paper a few minutes,
then folded it smoothly and laid it a
way. Her brief sunshine had clouded
over.
After awhile. urged by her loneli
ness, she took up her pen again and
in all the years that followed she found
it a refuge and comfort, not only to
herself, but to others for her writ
ings, though often crude, had a simpli-
city and naturalness which touched
other hearts; and besides the modest
money return there came to her once
in awhile letter from some stranger
with words of kindly appreciation.
One day, when her grandmother was
unusually restless, Lois, to entertain
her, brought down her first story and
read it, to her. Grandma Dunn had Of
ten listened to her stories without sus-
pecting the author, and her blunt clit-
icisms were amusing and sometimes
helpful. "Hum - she said, at the end
of this one "tha woman had sorter
the same life as MISSY Peters she
that was Shepley /; only nobody
would think of putin MISSY in
story-a poor, shif'less thing. If she'd
"a had less book -larnin' and more COM
mon sense, Job Peters's folks would! "a
liked her a deal better, and she
wouldn't "a been badgered to death by
'em." Then, with sudden irrelevancy: