Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1891-08-15

failed to receive either, so at last she
left off going altogether.
In the large boarding house which
she called "home," Sunday was dis
tinguishable from the other days in
being by far the most noisy. At
breakfast the morning paper was al
ternately devoured with the tough
beefsteak and the latest baseball
news, theatrical announcements, and
kindred subjects were discussed with
an avidity that at first was shocking
to Elinor, coming as she had from
q home where the sabbath was
remembered" But before long she
found herself drifting with the cur
rent, spending the day like her COM
panions-in idleness-in tidying
up her room-and, at last, in novel
reading, until unconsciously, she was
fast approaching the level of those
around her. Emerson says: $50
with mean people and you think life
s mean" OF most of us can it be
truly said: Live in an atmosphere of
worldiness and you soon become
worldly.
So, tonight, as she neared the mar
row street, with its dingy brick dwell
lings, life looked to her very dark.
1t was such a selfish world. Was
there anyone in this big city who
cared a fig for his neighbor?
She fitted her latch-key into the
door just as the loud dinner bell
changed through the hall. She was
half disposed not to go down; she
shrunk from meeting anyone in her
present frame of mind, but common
sense soon got the better of inclina-
ton.
At the door of the long dining room
she stopped. The delicate fragrance
of trailing arbutus greeted her so
overpOweringly that for the moment
ii seemed that she must be back
again in the little sitting-rOOm at
home, where the sweet flowers were
always abundant in their season.
How many times she had come in
from the woods, with her hands and
apron full.
Five seconds would probably have
covered the time that it took her to
reach her seat, but in that time the
memories of years came crowding
into her mind. Memories of the
dear mother and the sweet home
life, terminated so suddenly by the
death messenger. Her eyes grew sc
misty that it was some time befoIt
she discovered that at her plate-a
every plate in fact-lay the secret o
this sweet perfume--a dainty bou
quet. Surely it was not "chance'
that caused her to find on the care
attached to hers the words: sin thC
day of my trouble l will call upor
thee, for thou wilt answer me-
This written message from God'
Word, and the silent messages Of hi
sprinGtime flowers, brought the past
in such sharp contrast to the present
so wildly before her, that she felt /
lump rising in her throat, and sh,
abruptly pushed back her chair anC
, hurried from the room.
t Perhaps it was the change in he
inner life that was uppermost in he
} mind just then. She saw plainly t,
t what she was slowy tending. One
t in her room, she fell on her knee
, and prayed God to forgive hertz
r help her-to direct her. When sh
5 rose she felt strengthened; she woult
2 trust for the future.
Soon there came knock at tn
f door. Nora, one of the table-girlS
: had come up to see "if Miss Adam
was sick, she left the table so sudden
| like"
Pm not feeling very well tonight
- Nora, thank you," said Elinor, trul
: grateful for the girls interest, an
then she asked:
D ooh, Nora, how came the flower
e at the plates?"
o "Oh! Miss, haven't you heard?
e asked the girl, glad of the opportuni
: ty of telling. "Why, you see, Mis-
: Durand, the matron Of the Workin
Y Girls Home across the way, cam
s over with the flowers late in the a
f ternOon, askin' if we wouldn't pu
o 'em to the boarders' plates. She ha
a great box full sent to her TIL
n mornin', and there was more tina
;, enough to go round over there, so sh
e thought our folks might like 'em, al