Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1891-05-21
A Unitarian at St. Agatha $.


BY AN EriscorAIIAN CLERGYMAN.
\ ST. Agathas was a High Church Episco-
palan School for girls, in the State of
New York. The school house wa. a large.
fine and mod, rn building. with beautiful
grounds, ana was in charge of The SIS
tiers Of ST. Agatha" The "Sl>tels" were
not exactly nuns. because they could leave
~the sisierhood il they wanted TO- and they
did not have beads To say their PRAYERS
\ with. nor many other things which the
\ nuns have; but they wore dress very like
that Of the nuns. and they were, as called
N Sisters, and the lady lin charge of them
all was called the Mother superior" They
had chosen teaching for their life-work
and thi, school had been founded and nam
ed for them, and il Was known everywhere
as st Agathas."
1 1t was Il very popular school among a
4 certain kind Of Episcopalians 1t was I'M
/ der the patronage of the bishop, for one
I thing. and he used to make beautiful adj
/ dress TO the graduating class every year
1 and then The fact that IL was in the charge
\ of the Sisters secmcd not only to hold
I out the promise of a superior education
I hut 10 invest il with religious atmos-
4 phcre Of a peculiarly safe and churchly
I
anything to the worth of the school or not
they certainly made ii fatorite school
with those who liked High Church" ideas
and who felt that in putting their daugh-
tcrs there they were securing them against
the 'heresies and schsms" which they
were accustomed to think of as the dead
liest of all sins
Gu this particular evening a dozen of the
girls were together in the school-room
just before the study hour, and il was
plain that some special subject of interest
had come before them.
| II think its the strangest thing" said
one tail, handsome girl If about seventeen
years of age. "bf course ANYBODY can
come here who wants to- as long as the
Sisters are willing; but it will be very
! queer 70 have q Unitarian at St. Agatha's :"
WHO i She. Monte. and how does she
happen to Gomez" asked Virgin Cunning
| ham, fair, Slight girl from South Caro-
lima who had just entered on her first
term.
she j. from Boston" replied Monte
''and her name Is Nellie Adams Her faith
er was q colonel in the army, and was Kill
ed in battle with the Indians somew here
and her mother has just died Her moth
er was cousin or something TO the Mother
Superior. and that's the reason her guar
dian Is going TO send her here. Sister Eu-
nice told me all abodt it,"
They say" said another Of the girls.
that nearly all the people in Boston are
| Cnitarans- 1t must be dreadful place -
| Its a hot-hed" said Virginia, "a hot
/ bed of-of something or other I've heard
/ people in Charleston talking about it. But
what Is Unitarian:''
1 There was pause at this and the girls
| looked at one another inquiringly
! My papa says that Unitarian Is only
another name for an intdel," said short,
stout girl named Bessie Martin land of
course, as he's a clergyman, he ought to
know"
Fancy :" Did you ever?" Its per
| fectly dreadful :" were some Of the excla-
nations which Bessies announcement
called out. Indeed the sudden coming of
a hawk into doves nest would not cause
greater tiutter than the reported coming
of this unknown girl from Boston caused
among the doves of St. Agathas. 1t last
ed till studyhour had begun; and when
the nine O'Clock bell struck and the glrl.
met and mingled on their way to their
rooms. each one of the earlier group be
came bearer of the tidings, until every
one of the forty girls had heard the sur
W
till dreams and sleep had come in place OF
it.
The dining room of St. Agatha's was il
the basement. II was long. narrow
room with five tables placed crosswise te
the length of it; and at each table were
seats for eight girls, presided over by on.
Of the Sisters. At the table at the enc
| etx.1 Il 81
and to be appointed to a seat at that tabl.
was regarded as an honor, indeed, but ar
honor TO be rather dreaded than otherwise
The girls agreed among themselves thai
she was wise and k nd, and gentle in he
ways,-but then she was the supreme au
thority and the arbiter of their school
girl destnies, and there was a dignity IL
her manner and (they said an awful calm
ness in her eyes which made them fea
while they respected and admired her.
When the bell rang for tea the mex
evening, the girls went downstairs laugh
Ing and chatteriDg as usual, and filed t,
their places at the different tables; and af
ter a moments silence while grace was be
ing said, the chattering of busy tongues
went on. and bread and butter and ian
and tea kept disappearing in the midst o.
it.
but all OF sudden the voices ceased, O
changed to subdned undertones. and by ;
telegraphic code, known only to girls
every one in the room knew that stran
ger was at the head table; and in the sam,
mysterious way every girl had told ever,
other that the stranger was the new schoi
ar Of whom they had been talking the da,
before.
She was rather small and slight in fig
ure, and was about eighteen years old; ant
while she could not be called pretty, al
who were seated so as to see her had set
tied 1t at once that she had "sxeet face.
Her eyes were hazel, and her brown hal
was gathered in simple knot behind
; small and well-shaped head; and thougl
her face seemed pale and somewhat sad
no doubt the plain black dress and tn
sense of being alone among stranger
would partly account for it.
The chattering soon began again, will
little breaks of laughter at some school
girl joke until tea had ended and the bel
at the head table had tinkled for ''silence
and the calm, even tones Of the Mothe
Superior were heard in the room.
Young ladies'" she said, I'VE have
new inmate of our house. take this oc
casion to present to you your new com
panion Nellie Adams; and hope that sh
will find pleasant friends among the girl
of St. Agatha's. As you are all stranger
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