The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1890-11-14
''oUB Stone

ana girls trooped oat, some OF them as
careless and merry as usual, a few of them
quiet and thoughtful.
Among these were two girls who pre-
santly turned in a side street ard went ou
alone together.
Il wish We hadn't promised, . declared
the brown-eyed one, after a few minutes Of
troubled silence.
Il don't know what made me say I
would, I'm sure / cant. There's 10 one to
talkto but papa, and lie doesn't believe
any of these things. You know Miss
Chambers told US to begin by telling this
story how about how the great stone vas
rolled away from the, door of the cave,
without anybody touching it, and Jesus,
who had been dead So many hours, just
walked out and began living again, But,
| can't say anything about it to papa. III
should he wonld just laugh with all his
might, and say it was surprising that a
girl so intelligent as could believe such
nonsense. l tell you, Alice, it is dreadful
to have a papa that doesen't believe in the
Bible
a great sigh seemed to be the only
answer Alice had for her friend.
1t last she said, at must be very hard
to be laughed at, but, after all, don't you
believe it would be worse if you were
really afraid SO say anything?"
What if you had a father who was
cross almost all the time, and who didn't
like to hear you talk at all?"
ooh, N.Y. said Jennie, and stopped. She
did not like to be laughed at, but she Ger
tainly was not afraid of her father.
After a little silence Alice spoke again
in q tone OF almost hopeless gravity.
1T is the brandy, you know, Jennie.
Everybody knows that my father drinks,
SO l may as well say it right ont. | can
remember when he used to take me on his
lap and ask me about where l had been,
and what had happened; he used to like 10
have me tell him everything. But that
was before we had any saloons. III should
try TO tell him Of four Saturday meetings
and he found that we talked about alcohol
aud had a pledge. I don't believe he would
let me go any more. Don't you think I
will have to tell Miss Chambers that |
can't tell the story to papae''
Il don't know" said Jennie. her brown
eyes looked troubled. I'VE promised, you
see, and we haven't anybody else to tell.
Maybe
She did not finish her sentence, for just
as they turned into tue lane to go home by
the short road, they met Sa rah West with
her hands full of brogn-col ored flowers.
Her sin-bonnet was pushed back from a
pleasant freckled face,
aren't they pretty?:" she said, holding
up the flowers. "AIiss Palmer gave them
to me. I'm going to take them home,
mother likes flowers so much.
Both girls looked at Ter wistfully. Sarah
lived in a dingy little brown house just the
other side of the lane, ard had a homely
fysckled face, and was poor, and wore
llomely common dresses, hnt she had a
mother to take iiowers to. and the homes
OF both these other girls were motherless.
You didn'teome to the elasss" Jennie
said presently in an an inquiring tone. 1t
vas her way of asking why not?r
one" said Sarah, "mothsr had the
~serubbing to do and couldn't spare me,
Johnny is so mischievious When she scrubs.
What did you dc?"
Then began the story of the hour. teld
by both girls, each furnishing in turn an
item. From it Sarah learned that the
Bible lesson had been on the words $50
tell" and the scholars had pledged them
selves to find the person nearest home who
did not know Jesus Christ, and talk about
his power aud love.
I'VE promised with the Others" Jennie
said; "basnow we almost wish we hadn't.
We don't snow how to tell it, nor what
good it will do. We think there is a great
big stone in our way too"
The sentence closed with a little laugh.
bat Sarah had an answer ready. She
knew the story of the resurrection very
we'll indeed, if she had not been to the
Saturday class.
They found the stone rolled away when
they got there, she said quickly. ''Fhey
worried about it, you know, but when they
reached the spot it was gone
Jennie and Alice looked at one another.
"Ours won't be, said Jennie Significantly.
Il know what I'll DO" said Sarah, I'm
tell Tir&my aboutit. He is MOVING the lot
right next to our house, and I'm going over
to the meadow just below to pick straw
berries, I've often wanted to say some
thing to Jimmy, now l know how to
begin. | think Miss Chambers has a splen-
did way Of showing folks how t, bagIn
things
"But you didn't promise" said both
girls at once.
Sarah seemed surprised,
No. sue said slowly, but that is be-
cause | wasn't there. And it Isl way to
help along, yog know
The two listeners looked at each other
again, but this time they said nothing.
They walked IN presently, quite still, until
Jennie was nearly home. Then she said,
sssarah saan,S tn think she l. hound IN