Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1890-05-23
A SNterhOOd.


1t was a warm afternoon in eariy May,
snd as the north bound train drew up
at a small station. and then quietly per
United itself to be side-tracked, with
the prospect OF a half-hour's wait, many
faces expressed WEAKNESS and dissatis-
faction; but two young girls in the for
ward car appeared to be unconscious of
the stop, 50 earnestly were they talking.
You don't understand, Alma; you
can't understand" one was saying i'm
patiently, II have thought Of it and
dreamed over it aver since / was a child.
want to give myself up wholly, to
show, by the beautifully simple uniform
which the Sisters of st. Elizabeth's
wear, that l have renowned the world,
and become a servant of God and His
poor. / can't see|why mamma will not
permit it. With three daughters, she
surely might spare one to God"
But you know you are the oldest,
Jo,"7 replied the other, gently, and
Alma needs your help"
"a servant could do all that 1 do" re-
piled "Jo," impatiently, land 1 wish
you'd stop calling me that ridiculous
aame; we're not babies any longer"
Il keep forgetting" apologized Alma:
but she said no more, for her cousin had
drawn a small book from her pocket,
and evidently meant to be absorbed in
It. Alma looked intently from the win
dow for a moment, and then rose and
left the car. A tired-looking woman,
IN a washed-out calico, was at the ticket
window, and on the shelf stood an
~earthenware jug, with a tin cup beside
It.
rs that water, and may I have some?"
asked the young girl, pleasantly; and
then, somehow, in a few minutes the
two were chatting easily together,
and the woman was pouring out her
troubles.
"He" was "down with chills," and if
she did not come every day to open the
station at train time, III" would lose
his place; and their money was almost
gone, and there'd be a doctors bill a
mile long-"and I've just about give
up!"
"You mustn't do that ever!" said
Alma, resolutely. "See here! Why
can't you make a batch of doughnuts
like that lovely II you've Just given
and cookies, and gingerbread, and
sandwiches just q few at first, till you
see how it works, you know-and sell
them to these poor switched people
every day? Oh! and lemonade-and
buttermilk.
Will you try?" she went on, eagerly,
and will you just take this, to buy the
first sugar and things? Tn so sorry it's
not more, but it's all + can spare Just
now"
She slipped a dollar into the thin
hand, closing her own warm, plump
fingers over it as she did 80. The
woman looked up, her face full of the
light Of hope.
Il declared" she exclaimed, TIN
dumb az a beetle or I'd have thought of
IT myself! For sur l will; and I won't
let myself think no more that God don't
take care of folks. 1t seems kind of
foolish just to say thank you"
She stopped abruptly, with O choking
sound in her throat, and at that moment
came q long whistle from the down
train. Alma sprang up, hesitated a mo-
ment, and then as the woman Joined her
in the outer room, kissed the pale, plain
face and was gone.
She never heard the sequel to the
scrap Of a life-story which she had
helped to make. She passed that way
but once"
Only a few OF us are so free from the
usual ties Of life that we can with JUS
tice ignore them; to these few be all
honor for their lives of s%elf-denial. But
He who has made of one blood all ma
tons of men" knows how we are dealing,
in our daily lives, with His children,
our brothers and sisters.-Youth's
Companion.