The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-09-02
CHAPTER III.
"sHE HATH DONE WHAT SHE COULD.

"sHE HATH DONE WHAT SHE COULD" !"
What beautiful character was Mrs.
Marksdale's! She had realized Agurs'
prayer, in that she was neither
rich nor poor. She owned farm Of
two or three hundred acrcs-lived SIM
ply and leisurely-and always had
some homeless one beneath her blessed
roof The grave had closed over her
husband and her only child long years
ago, and this loving Christian woman
had consecrated herself 10 the task Of
wiping away rs many tears from as
many little faces as possible. One OF
her children, as she always called
them, had reached womanhood and
flown away to u dear little nest of her
own. She never taught her little ones
to call her mother-nOne but the an
gel boy who had gone to join the SER
aphim and cherubim before the Great
White Throne over the Sea of Glass
must ever call her by that sweet
name. So it was "Aunt Lou" with the
children, and quite generally with her
friends also. And in this quiet, bless
ed, sheltered home, our little Sidney
grew and waXed strong with the conf
ing and the going Of summers and
winters. Prosperity and adversity
came to his kind motherly guardian
two or three crop failures, unmanage-
able labor, sharp practices OF renters,
caused mortgage to be given which
small at first, grew apace, and caused a
look Of anxiety to creep into Aunt
LOUIS CHEEKY brown eyes.
Sidney had gone to the little log
school-house when there was teacher.
He was bright child, all earnest, om-
nivorous reader-over the books and
files of old newspapers left by his fa-
ther, he pored in the long winter
nights and summer days. History
and romance, fact and fiction, prose
and poetry-all were eagerly read.
Sidney was thoughtful and practical
far beyond his years, and he soon real
lied that affairs were on the down
grade. TO think, was to act with this
child, who had lived in world of his
own-with warriors and martyrs, with
poets and sages. and the wise ones OF
earth.
At twelve he told Aunt Lou he
would stay at home and run the farm:
Aunt Lou was proud Of her boy, proud
of his accomplishments, of his singing,
of his correct speech, his refined
manner-desperately proud of his
handwriting even, and it tuggcd a,
her very heart-strings for this boy to
be deprived of even the scant prlVll-
eges of Miss Bcek's not ovcr-etlicicnt
teaching at the public school. Aunt
Lou had spoken TO this lady once
about the lack of discipline in the
school as shown in the fact that little
Beatrice had come home with Il huge
ink mustachc daubed on her chubby
face, and her bonnet had been thrown
into the ever-cOnvcnicnt mudpuddle.
The teacher had replied with q breezy
frankness that she need not fret about
the discipline, that little Bee would
learn anywhere, order or no order
she "could not" and she raised her OBJ
liuue eyes to heaven, 'just could not
punish Toby Snodgrass, who did all
the mischief, because he was u preach
er's son, although only Il local, how
could she punish Toby aud have the
fac. to 60 to church, and," simpcring,
"hear dear Mr.. Snodgrass preach"
Aunt Lou didn't say pointed things.
that l., not often, but now she looked
over her spcrtaclcs and said, "No dear,
especially as Mr.. Snod@raSS is wild
over" which gentle thrust only
made Miss Beeks laugh in Il pleased
and hilarious style.
Sidney Insisted so firmly about stay
! ing ut home that Aunt Leu lcluctant
ly consentcd-hc had said 81 vii
study ut home, auntie, besides Mrs
Smith says I've got enough "hooi
larniu" now. She always asks mt
what's in the paper this week ? An'
that is why Pm late on Thursdays il
getting home from the postnllice.
feel sorry for her boys and girls. Al
that cotton stored in out houses aut