The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1886-11-06

Ni'' S'b 49,
she had reached the room my cheeks
were scarlet and my whole heart in a
tumult of rebellion. looked up, but
grandma lifted her finger and | did
not dare move.
"Oh, I'm so ~sorry!" exclaimed Fan.
ME, bursting into the room; "are you
suffering much, Bess; when did it be-
gin to hurt you?'
But grandma interrupted: 81 am sor-
nv. too, dear, itisn'ta tooth hurting her,
but a very bad temper and an unruly
tongue. l am trying to cure her with
the Badge of Silence. She will be glad
to see you another day
With a pcrplcxcd face Fannie re-
tired, and mortified lest some one else
might discover me | turned from the
window.
Only a little later, when the rain hac
| quite ceased, Aunt Grace came dash
ing up in her pretty carriage; she had
come to take me out to the florist two
miles in the country to buy plants.
But ''no." said grandma very positive
ly. "She is wearing the Badge OF Sill
ence; she would hardly like to go with
it about her head. You remember the
day your brother John wore it. do yor
not. Grace?"
Aunt Grace asscntcd, and there was
an odd, suspicious look about the cor
ners of her lips, but she fastened away.
The dinncr-bcll rang, and mine was
brought on a tray by a mischievous
listle serv ant, who giggled outrigh
when she saw me. l did o taste n
thing, and sat in sullen silcns during
the whole afternoon. At last the twi-
light came, the boys were playing in
the yard, and l quite alone in the dark
| encd. chamber; l heard their merry
voices and the low hum of %grandma's
voice in conversation with q visitor on
the piazza.
Oh, what a lonely, desolate place the
world seemed to me that night, but !
began to think. Why was it-how did
my trouble come-why was l not with
the boys laughing away the perfumed
twilight? Alas, l began to realize it
was all my own fault. The trouble was
the result of my own sin, and the boys
were probably happier without than
with me.
When these thoughts at last made
their way through my brain, a torrent
of tears came with them. bowed my
head on my arms IN the broad win.
dow seat and quivercd under the storm
Of grief, contrition and modification
which swept yer me.
| did not remember ever in all the
eleven years of MY life to have felt so
before, and doubtless the long, silen,
day had much TO do with it. l recog.
nized for the first time that sin will
surely bring its own punishment,
sooner or later. II we are unkind, dis
agreeable and selfish, the time will
come when we will miss the love that
our own conduct has hanishcd. Ii we
ART cross and uncharitablc in converse.
ton the time will come when we will
sit silent in our home. needing com.
p~anionship. 1t is no small ambition
to aim at winning the love Of all about
US, for this will be only a stepping.
stone to tho love of our Heavenly
Father, At last, when my tears had
spent themselves, | felt a cool, sof,
hand on my tear-stained cheek. l did
not . until grandma drew a chair
to my side--thcn l threw my arms
about her neck and humbly begged
her forgiveness.
l will not tell you all her gentle
words. but when 1 lay down that night
in my own little bed there was a new
feeling in my heart, a new life and
ambition. never wore the Badge OF
Silence again, but for a long time il
was frequently brought to my mind,
and ] assure you l needed the re.
hinder. My hot temper and un
reasonable impotence would some.
times get the better of me, and J
needed to recall the pain OF that sac
day and the better thoughts and rcso.
lutions of the twilight hour. Perhap.
this little story may lead some children
to think more of the love that sur.
rounds them, and try to win it by
gentlcness and goodness, rather thar
turn it away by unkindness and il
temper. -- Annah II. Watson, N N. J..
Observer.