The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1889-03-08
miscellaneous.
Mystery in the Best Bed Room.

"Well, am surprised"
Aunt Hester came down from her upstairs
sweeping with a face which showed that
what she said was strictly true.
"What is it, Hester?" asked grandma.
"The looking glass in the best room is
broken"
"You don't say sol" Grandma's face
heightened itself TO keep company with
Aunt Hester's.
Yes, indeed And no telling how it came
so, either. Susy, have you been in that
room :"
Not since Sunday, Aunt Hester, just be-
fore went TO Sunday school,
And went in just before | went TO
church, and it wasn't done then. Are you
sure you haven't been there since, Susy?"
Eyes, Aunt Hester"
Aunt Hester went to the kitchen and soon
came back saying:
i've been asking Jane Ann, and she says
she doesn't know anything about it. And
everybody knows that Jane Ann never tells
anything but the whole, clean truth"
What was there in these words of her
aunts that caused poor little Susy to flush
up to the very roots of her pretty curly hair,
and to bring the tears 10 her eyes2 1t could
not because Jane Ann was known to be
a truthful girl. All, me- it was the sad old
story of sin which left not only an
ugly blot on Susys heart, but it's memory on
the minds of others. On one dreadful day
away last summer, Susy had told lie. 1t
had been done all In minute, as SO many
wrong things may be, but the poor child had
often wondered with very sore heart how
many days and weeks and months it takes
for people to be done thinking of it. For
ever since, when Susy was asked about any
thing Aunt Hester would look sharply and
grandma half sorrowfully at her, as if doubt
tul whether she were really telling the truth.
And if the matter was very perplexing, in
deed, Aunt Hester would say
"Ifyou had never been known to tell an
untruth, Susan, of course every one would
believe your first word
Nothing, though, had ever looked so much
against Susy as this breaking of the looking
glass in the best bed room.
"Ilow do you swing the glass so you can
look into it when you go in there?" asked
Aunt Hester.
Sometimes take the hair brush and tip.
toe up and push it back" said Susy.
THE break is higher up than she could
make with the brush" said grandma, who
had been to look.
Sometimes take the long buster that
hangs in the corner and push ii back with
that" said Susy.
THAT wouldn't do it," said Aunt Hester.
"But l didn't do it, Aunt Hester" re-
peated Susy, with fresh burst of tears, II
didn't-l didn't. | haven't been there since
Sunday morning"
III believe the child is telling the truth"
said grandma, SO DEAR" she said, putting a
loving arm around Susy, eff only she never
had told lie y
~, - u 4
her head and setting her lips together. "Tbe
lOoking-glass could not have broken itself,
you know, mother. 1t couldn't have been
broken without hands"
Nobody could dispute this. Iftears could
wash away wroug-doing OF remembrance,
surely Susys lie would never have been
thought of again. But how many of us have
sadly found that all the tears in the world can
not do that.
Susy went up to see the dreadful, queer
looking round hole. There it was, just above
the reflection of her tear-stained face as she
looked in. She had never seen her face look
so before. She scarcely ever saw it in that
glass except when she went in on Sunday
morning. Her face had then looked very
different, in its contentment with her Sunday
clothes.
She had worn a straw hat with wreath
of daisies and blue ribbon, white dress
with full waist little short and three lucks
in the skirt. Around the waist was a blue
sush tied in a bow behind, which Aunt Hes
ter always made with very short loops and
very long ends. This glass in the best bed
room was the only one in which she could
see down to the ends of the sash and to the
button boots which Uncle George had
brought her from the city, the first she had
ever had, her pride and joy. Now, if she
should ever stand up to the glass 80 rs to see
them, it would bring her face just where the
dreadful hole was. But Susy felt sure she
should never look into it again. There seem.
ed no prospect of finding out how 1t had
been broken and no one would ever believe
she was telling the truth about it.
When grandpa wished her goodnight he
said, "Id rather every glass in the house
was broken than that my little girl should dc
wrong"
That was bad enough, but 1t fairly broke
her heart when grandma came to her bedside
and talked to her about her mother who was
know. Grandma begged she would confess
her fault, promising that every one would
forgive her at once. And when she wen
away at last Susy could feel the hot tears or
her dear face and felt half wild as she turned
on her pillow.
"rd better say..I did it," she sobbed to herself
"TEen it would be over sometime. But oh
that would be telling real lie."
She lay thinking about the bitter punish
ment she was suffering. 1t seemed too hare
for even such dreadful thing as lie Blu
then she remembered hearing some one Say
that we are not permitted to choose or t
measure our punishments, that we mus tleavt
that in the hands of our Father who deal
with us always in tenderest love. And the
thought came like a message of peace t
her poor little heart that she might please
Him by bearing patiently this hard punish
ment. With this reflection, after lying awake
what she thought must be nearly all night
but was really only about half an hour, sh'
went to sleep.
1t was very gloomy week which follow
ed. 1t was hard to bear the stern lool
which Aunt Hester put on whenever sht
came near her, but that was nothing L
grandma's sorrowful face and grandpa
never taking her on his lap, or waiting fol
her TO run out TO tho big gate for ride il
when he came home from anywhere. Blu
one morning Susy's heart gave leap whel
she heard that Uncle George was coming
that day. He was always very kind to he