Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1888-07-05

would not listen to my explanation.
but, grasping my arm. she shook me
roughly and then. after box ng my
ears, showed me towards the staircase.
declaring, that rs punishment for my
ungrateful conduct, / would not be per-
United 10 speak for month except
when answering questions. | crepl up
stairs as fast as my blinded tears would
! permit. and throwing myself upon my
! bed, gave way to violent outburst of
J grief. Only fortnight before. | had.
in dumb agony listened to the clods
! rafting upon the collin-lid of my dear
father. who all my life. had shielded
me from hardship. The dear old par
sonagc. with its vine-clad porch. rose
up before me. and in its shadow | be-
! held my silver haired father doz NJ in
| lis chair. the golden ia of n sum
| mer-sunSet touching his sainted face as
with the pencil of an angel. Again.
| his gentle voice thrilled my soul us in
the days and years gone by. and IN fan
| cv the magic touch of his trembl ng
| fingers cooled the fever of my ach ny
| brow No doubt NV father intended TO
! prepare me for the shock that had
shattered my life. but the summons
! came suddenly. and while l slept the
angels carried him into the great Be-
yond. How long | would have wept
/ over my crushed hopes / cannot tell,
/ had not Aunt Phil s. shrill voice called
me back TO duty.
Take EN- white dimity curtains
| down from the window, Elsie. Like ~
not the master will spatter 'em with
terbacker JUICE" she said Then
come down and wash the dishes" l
obeyed her. promptly. but my heart
ached for Master Neville, who expect
ed to find the comforts of his refined
home in this diminutve apartment
str, pped alike of ornament and con-
venience- What different welcome
WAS my dear old father won't To give
10 the stranger within his gate!
That same evening. as | was gat Their
Ing chips for the morn ng lire. John
came Unexpectedly upon ne. and re-
newed his attack of the morning.
so. Miss Stuck-up, YOU are to he
the lady, and the servant he began
Really l feel proud OF my smart
cousin. How fortunate to have YOUR
! highness counted one of the family.
Shame on on, boy. TO torment n
girl younger than Yourself"
1t was Master Neville's voice that
started the young coward, causing HIM
| to sneak around the kitchen out If
sight. After speaking few kind
words to me. nv champion went into
the house, and up the crooked stairs
! to his chcerless room. John taunt
concerning nv kinship nerved me to
action, and from that moment | set
nv face iixedly towards gain ng IL
! place from VIII CHI he would feel honor
/ Ell in claiming me aJ one OF the fam
! lis. This resolution accounted for the
! tallow-dip burning in my bare room
long after even Master Neville had
| eXtinguished his light and sought re-
pose. Before | closed my eyes on
that first night l had marked out
regular course of study which was to
occupy every spare moment. 1t seem
| cd to me that / had grown old in the
! last two weeks. l could not realize
that | was the same happy child who
! had danced so merrilY IN and out of
the parsonage door so short time be-
! fore II | could only have staid with
Margaret, dear Margaret. who had
| taken mo when an infant from my dy-
! ing mothers arms and cared for me
! during all the fifteen years of nv life
/ She would have chung to me faithfully
had not the death of my father left
her in her old age as helpless and de-
/ pendent as myself "Deur Margaret.
will yet make home for you. and
together we will eat the bread of Jude
pendence." / cried. b tterly. Strong
| in my determination to succeed. l
gathered my school, books from the
! bottom of the old chest, and took up
! the unfinished lessons that my father
! had marked out the day before he
! died. Thanks to his thorough method
! of instruction, and the interesting
! manner in which he strove To present
the great truths he taught was not
only we'll advanced for girl of fifteen,
| but l possessed that inordinatc love
for books that makes study pleasure
instead OF n task.
Much rs / shall always despise John
for his cowardly treatment OF q friend
less orphan, cannot but feel grateful
! 10 him for uttering the singing words
that aroused me from nv stony grief,
and opened up II new source of enjoy
ment to my starving soul. Every mo-
ment could steal from aunt's watch
! full eye was devoted to my books.
One evening she happened TO come
into the pantry when | was replen-
ishng my light. Taking the old sau-
cor from my hand. she said sharply:
Seems to me. Elsie. you use a
mighty sight of tallow. Mind. it costs
like sixty. Miss Jones got seven cents
n pound for bern. There is no sense
in great girl like you havin' to carry
light upstairs every night. Betty
Robbins told me that she had seen n
light in your window all hours of the
night and that folks say you set up to
study If l catch you stealth your
time TO pour over books I'll burn 'em
every one"
She set tho Old cracked dish OH the
upper shelf. and crawled up stairs, dis
couraged but not conquered. just at
this time / was wholly absorbed in
Geometry. made it point to learn
one new theorem every day, which L
mentally worked out at night. In this
| wav I mastered the whole book re-