The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1886-07-05
ONLY a LITTLE THING.


disturbed.
81 am afraid this wind is going to blow our
hair all rough" said Madge.
'They always have brush and comb
there" said Ollie, with superior remem-
brance of having had a picture taken long
ago.
81 know shall laugh" said Jessie.
"You mustn't" said Madge, very positive
ly "Of all things in the world do hate to
see smirk on photograph"
"You must try think of something sol
emn," said Ollie. "Thats the way l always
do"
81 shall be scared l know" said little Kit
ty.
"Then you'd better think of something
funny" said Ollie. 'We must look exactly
as we always do, or it won't look natural
Cheerful, you know"
Then there was pause during which each
little girl tried to fix her face exactly as 1t
always was, and in doing so managed to look
as unlike herself as possible.
"How shall we fix our hands?"
ooh. the man will fix them the right way"
said Ollie "And our heads too; they are
screwed up in queer kind of thing to keep
them still"
Kitty felt still more sure of being scared,
and her face took on q doleful look which
promised poorly for a cheerful picture
The day was the first bright one after
number of cloudy ones, and they found sew
eral sitters before them. Others followed,
and they waited for an hour or more, among
them a queer, awkward looking fellow, they
thought. very bashful and i'll at ease. He
fdgeted and fused as if waiting was very
hard work for him; and at last he spoke a
few words to the busy artist, who turned to
those who waited for sitting, and said;
"Here is young gentleman who wants his
picture taken and cannot wait Is any one
willing to give up their sitting to him and
wait longerY
No one seemed ready to do so. A farmer,
who had his family there, said something
about its being hard for him to get them all
into town. and one opctwe others spoke OF
their time being valuable. So the man beck
oned to Madge, and she went to take her
place behind the screen, saying to her sis
ters. "Of course we couldn't wait"
"No indeed" said Ollie, 1--WE can only
come on Saturday, and, as were going 10
spend the day with Aunt Annie, it would
make up too late.'
s'But am sorry for that poor boy" said
Jessie. looking towards him as he prepared
to 90. HE seems to feel so badly about it.
Looki there are tears in his eyes"
pooh! Such great fellow to cry about
little thing like that! Look, Jessie, the man
wants you next"
But Jessie remembered some things she
had heard about Christ's little ones denying
themselves in order to do a kindness to 9TH
ers The four had looked forward for some
time to this thing of having their pictures
taken. It would be something of trial to
wait. But she felt sure the boy must have
some much more serious reason for desiring
haste. So, when Ollie gave her little push,
she called to him as he was going out OF the
door. "Stop! you can take my turn.
"Jessie. what do you mean?" said Ollie
impatiently, as the boy with very bright
look of gratitude towards her, went in to
take his sitting Don't you know that you
can't have your picture taken till next SAT
urday?"
"Yes, l know it, but never mind.
sAnd after Bridget took such trouble do
ing up your best dressesW said Madge. And
yours won't be nice and fresh then," SAID
Ollie.
Jessie could not help feeling that the sac
r,soa was sarious one but in few minutes
the boy came to her and spoke word or
two of thanks so very earnestly, and in
manner so much more gentlemanly than
might have been expected from one so bash
full looking, that she could not regret what
she had done. A
Ollie and Kittie took thsAstlrns and then
the little party went on to &eft Annie's
''Oh, Aunt ANNIE" said Madge, 1--WE have
ALL had our pictures taken''-'E Except Jes
sic" interrupted Ollie; "and she might just
as well as not. only there was boy there
who wanted his taken frst and Jessie let
him have her turn"
'And next week we shall send you all our
pictures except Jessie's, and we don't know
when she can have hers taken now"
sBut the boy wanted his so badly" SAID
poor little Jessie in an appealing tone, quite
overcome at being found so much fault with.
Aunt Annie asked few questions about
it, and then drew Jessie very tenderly to her
side. 81 am sure" she said, "that when l
do get Jessies picture it will show the face
of DEAR unselfsh little girl, who has the
true Christ-like spirit of pleasing others be-
fore herself"
And Jessie was fully comforted.
Winter. spring, summer, nearly year had
passed when orr four little girls found them
selves at picnic, at which nearly all the
members of large church and Sunday
school were gathered besides few stran-
gers.
81 wonder who that boy is," said Madge.
'Tm sure have seen him before, but lcan't
remember where"
$50 have l." said Ollie, "and he's been
looking over this way as if he knew who we
was''
Look said Jessie, "he's coming this
way. ALL know who he is"
The boy came near with very sweet
faced lady, who took Jessie's hand and
looked into her face.
.r7ssEdward tells me that this is the little girl
who gave up her turn at the photographers
last summer, in order to let him have like
ness taken first. l have message for you."
ssFor ,pe9" Jessie looked up with Won
dering smile.
The boy, as if feeling that some sort OF an
Introduction was expected of him, managed
to say, "This is my aunt-Mrs. Vernon"
''Let us sit down on the grass" said Mrs.
Vernon, "while l tell you why Edward was
in such hurry that day. His father is
missionary on a South Sea island, many,
many thousand miles away. Edward had
Just arrived in this country, having been
sent here to be educated. He left his mother
in poor health, and one of her latest requests
was that he should send her his likeness as
soon as possible.
On the day he met you he was on his way
to us, under appointment to meet us at
country railroad station long distance from
here. 1t was his only chance to secure
picture, and he knew that if it were not sent
by a vessel which was to sail soon, there
might be no other opportunity for months,
for no regular line touches at their Island
Bnt. thanks to you, the pictures were mn.
sshed and sent to us from the artist In time,
and reached that far-off shore to be an I'M
speakable comfort to his mother-before she
died"
a lump came into Jessie's throat as she
thought of that poor woman longing for
sight of the face of her son.
II sent letter with the pictures, con-
tinued Mrs Vernon, telling her how it had
been obtained through the kindness OF q
little girl whose name, even, we did not
know And she sent mes sage OF love ana