Western Kansas world., 1886-04-17

L l.
were made tender as well as my own
This knowledge only tended to enhance
the effect on myself. could bear it nc
longer. My eyes were already overflow
ing. 1 leaned my elbow on my desk
and dropped my face in my hands, while
the big drops fell in little, pitiful pool
at my feet.
was not conscious OF the lapse of
time till soft hand was laid on my head
and her voice-that divinely inspired
voice said with thrilling earnestness:
"'And as He saw Matthew sitting at
the receipt of custom, and said unto him,
follow Me. And he arose and followed
Him. BE as ready, my boy, as thy name
sake of old to follow the Master
Ii she is living anywhere in the wide
world and reads this story, 1 would like
her to know that date my first call to
an evangelistic life to her timely drop
ping of those words. 1t was seed sown
in good ground, and / am thankful to
know that it has borne some fruit. ''Paul
may plant and Apollus may water, but it
is God that giveth the increase"
She passed SO quietly and SO gently
from one to another, saying just the right
word in the right place, talking little of
books, but much of what was, oh, SO
wonderful, interesting and instructive
that the forenoon slipped away almost
before we knew it.
81 see it is high noon," she said, look
ing at her watch-a tiny affair as though
made expressly for her. ''Now We'll ad-
journ to that mobiles ycamore yonder and
have picnic together. Nataan," turn
ing on Nat Green face like sunbeam.
She invariably called us by our right
names, and it was always mystery how
she knew so much about us from the
start; but 1 knew now that on that day
of the meeting father in few words ex-
planned to her where the difficulty lay.
Being gifted with wonderful intuitive
powers and strange, but vital mag
netism, she was mistress OF the situation
from the moment we came within her
presence. Father was keenly observant
and must have detected this, for he gave
her to understand also that day that she
was to make our house her home as long
as she remained, which she always did.
"Nathan will you be good enough to
assist me with this basket?'
1t was a large one, and filed to the
brim, as we could see from the bulging
lids.
Nat looked embarrassed, but pleased
with the Difference showed him, took the
basket from her hand and led the way.
Well! we had feast fit or queen that
noon from the substantial down to the
most toothsome French caramels And
all the time she kept up runing flow of
anecdote and story, both humorous and
pathetic. "Isn't she just splendid" ?" was
the verdict of all when she had withdrawn
and left us to ourselves. Even Nat Green
was so far drawn out of himself as to eX-
claim with some show of enthusiasm: 'It
isn't in feller to fight wee thing like
her nohow, an specially when she's SO
jolly, too"
In the afternoon classes were organized
and the terms work outlined; the whole
was seasoned with more interesting talk,
and when the first school day closed we
were all agreed that we had never spent
a happier day in our lives. The three
outlaws skulked home; but the next
morning they were punctually on time,
and under her wise management they be-
came not only the best behaved boys, but
the best scholars in school.
Before the term was half out the new
teacher was known far and near as little
Miss Joyce, and there was not boy
among us that wouldn't have fought for
her as zealously and died for her, if need
be, with as chivalrous a devotion as
knights of old in the lists. st. Clair's
summing up of the day to mother con-
tanned the root of the whole matter.
"She ies' looked and talked an we got
gooder and gooder an didn't want to do
nothin' bad"
Just before the close of the term an
event occurred which lifted Miss Joyce
at once to the front rank of heroines and
canonized her, at least in our family.
Father had been absent several days on
business and came home about dark one
evening with several thousand dollars in
his possession, which he locked up in
the safe. He intended to go to town the
next morning and deposit it in bank.
Between and 10 o'clock the same even
ing mother was summoned by telegram
to the bedside of dying sister in a dis
tant state. 1t was necessary to leave
home by daybreak to reach the station in
time for the early morning train. Father
decided to go with mother, as he disliked
to have her travel so far alone. To do
this he would be obliged to leave the
money in the safe at home until his re-
turn. He was not, however, a man to
borrow trouble. There had been no rob-
berry of any consequence committed in
the county for several years. 1t was not
likely such a visitation would occur now.
We had good girl in the kitchen, and
Miss Joyce had promised to take moth
er's place as far as possible. With the
exception of st. Clair, we we're all up to
see them off. Mother would not allow
him to be disturbed; she kissed his rosy
face still wrapped in slumber and quickly
drew down her veil.
The day was clear and bright till al
most noon; then the air grew turbulent
and the sky murky and threatening.
Later heavy black masses of clouds
piled themselves into formidable bank,
out of which came angry rumblings and
fitful lurid flashes, and augured brew
ing storm close at hand. Miss Joyce
| clocod schoo1 early and We reached home