, 1891-12-01

MISS KELLARD.
whether the tea Will be good tonight, or
whether the doctor will remember your
bad cough. or whether your neighbor
will be waking you mp during the night
screaming for her child, that child which
will never come to her again All this
and a thousand more sad things you see
when You 20 to where the incurables
are kept at the expense of the city of
New York.
There are thousands of women in New
York who spend enough money on soda
water to give pleasure to one of these
miserable wretches. To these, half blind,
half crazy, there seem to be very few
who ever think of them. One of these
thoughtful persons is a young girl. rich,
pretty, and with everything about her
i'll her own home that money can get.
Yet twice every week she visits the hos
pital, taking with her a store of the little
daintics that the old people like. Pack
ages of tea with Jumps of sugar packed
in, fruit, jelly, buns, and, funnily enough,
n little candy, because there are some of
the old women who say they like to
have il.
Long before it is time for the boat ply
ing between New York and the island on
which the hospital is situated to arrive
some of the old women and old men are
eagerly watching for it, and have come
way down the road that they may walk
up to the hospital with their friend, call
ing on her head so many God bless
yous' that certainly the bread that she
cast upon the waters must return TO her.
In she goes among all the sick people.
people who you know will never be we'll:
Just remember how long that word
never" is-it means until deathcomes."
They tell her their sorrows and their
joys. One old lady is grieved to the
heart because a member of some church
association wouldn't give her n pear be
cause she didn't belong to the right
church, and another begs her to tell
her truthfully when her boy will come
home-he went away such a long time
ago, and when the news came that he
had been drowned the poor mothers
wits went from her and she believes he
is still alive and is coming to her. Could
you tell her that he wasn't? Certainly
not. And SO the good Samaritan pats
the poor old woman on the shoulder,
" llSlFAH 5blllt wins VI ROOu ilttI anu
gives her u package that has in it tea,
sugar, buns and a great big pear so rosy
on one side that the poor creature de-
lightedly looks at it for an hour. Now,
this girl who is working for Gods own
people belongs to Gods own church,
You may be n Baptist. a Presbyterian,
a Methodist, or whatever church You
have chosen to serve God in, but no
matter what your belief may be, May
kellard never asks one question except,
What can | do for you, my friendY'
And then she not only hears and marks
down in her little book what you want,
but she is certain never to forget. Her
promises are not written in sand, and
ever these poor semi-idiots know it.
After the feast is all over then
another cheerful time. Something bright
is read, and then the word goes around
hat Miss Kellard is going to sing"
There she stands with her hands folded,
with ne grand notes to accompany her
except the ones sung by the angels in
heaven, and she sings what they ask
her.
Sometimes its a hymn, sometimes it's
a merry little song, sometimes its a pa
thetic ballad, but always at the last
it is one song. A poor cripple, all
drawn out Of shape, says something that
nobody can make out except Miss KEEL
lard and then sweet and clear the notes
go out of Home, Sweet Home" And L,
who stand there looking and listening,
wonder if those poor creatures will not
soon be taken to that everlasting home
where there Is no suffering, and whether
already there is not written in the great
golden Book of Life the name of May
Kellard, and opposite is craven, "As ye
have done it unto the least of these ye
have done it unto me-"
ISABEL A. MALLoN