The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1892-01-15

81 do not see how that is to change
things III the least" said Stephen.
so, it is just this way with Eleanor,
Stephen, she is all smiles and sunshine
when other girls brothers are around,
but when it comes to her own-anything
is good enough for him. Our Eleanor is
a Kings Daughter, you must know, a
genuine princess, and you ought to see
the airs she can put on. She belongs to
the 'Lend-a- Hand Ten,' and it is wonder
full the number of hauds she has to lend
to folks who have no claim upon her.
She won the hundred dollar prize for
best scholarship when she graduated,
you know, and now she is off tomorrow
TO spend it, having a good jolly time
among her friends at Chautauqua. She
does not seem to notice how old and
thin mother has grown, tOiling and saw
ing to educate her, neither does she APP
pear to realize that the dear woman
wears very shabby garments, consider
ing she is the mother Of princess-an
out ard out queen. I'm u gOod-for-
nothing, | know, and | am aware | am
no credit to the family, but l actually
expected something very different from
the selfish EieanOr-in the young lady
who carried oil the frs hOnOrs of her
class I'm afraid the King she serves is
rather q hard taskmaster, that is, if she
is a fair sample OF his loyal subjects"
"But am not a fair sample of his sub
jects," Eleanor gaSped, moving away
from the open window where she had
been an unwilling listener to CONVERSE
ton not intended for her ears.
81 am selfish and nsisterly-and-and
i have woefully neglected my parents
who have denied themselves SO many
comforts that | might be prepared for
the position in life longed to fill. Is it
any wonder that Ben has grown Skepti-
cal concerning the religion of such an
unfaithful Daughter of the King? If he
only knew it, his own evil course has
something to do with the grey hairs in
mothers head, but he does not profess
to serve my King, and | have not lived
so as to reflect Jesus in my daily life. II
will be hard to give up all my cherished
plans, to tear self from the citadel i'll my
heart, but it must be done" she said, as
she locked Che door of her room, and sat
down to review the mistah eS of her life
time. 1t was hours before she came out
of that room again-a hard battle had
been fought, but she had not been van
quished in the fray; instead she had
come out victorious, with garments
clean and white, and with her enemy.
seltshness, utterly routed. Before she
ventured down stairs her trunk was UNI
packed, and letter written to Minnie
Quay, telling her that she had given up
the trip to Chautauqua. and was going
to study the art of cooking in her moth
er's kitchen at home.
After tea she had long talk with hel
mother, and when they separated, as the
evening shadows deepened into night
they understood each other better than
ever before.
Ben was surprised the next day to find
the princess in the kitchen, deep in the
mysteries of bread-making, instead OF
waving farewell from the car window
as she hurried away on a round of pleas
ure. The other members of the family
were surprised too, but as day by day
went by, and Eleanor worked while the
tired mother rested, they concluded that
they had all misjudged her, that they
never knew before what a treasure they
possessed IN one in every way worthy to
be princess.
Ben had no longer an excuse to seek
companions out of the home circle, for
Eleanor proved capital hand at enter
tanning the young people when she threw
her whole soul into the work. Part of
that prize money was spent for interest
ing books, u few dollars went for new
music and entertaining games, and after
little the tired, OverwOrked mother
was rugged out III new outfit, and sent
off for a visit to the home of her child
hood-the dear old place that her eyes
had not looked upon for nearly score
of years. The prematurely old father
had pleasant trip to the city ont of that
hundred dollars too, qnd-well, Eleanor
expended very little of it upon herself,
but she got ten-fold more pleasure out of
it than if she had spent the whole six
weeks feasting her eyes an brain
upon the good things to be enjoyed at
Chautauqua. Kittie and the younger
boys agreed that there never was such a
darling sister as their own Eleanor. and
months aftcrward, when Ben had found
that friend who stickcth closer than Il
brother, he acknowledged to Stephen
Laurence that this sister of his was a
loyal subject Of the best of Masters, and
that as Daughter of the King, she had
learned to lend hand whenever human
help was needed.
Eleanor's heart was very glad in those
days, but though her brothers often
wondered why she treated them with
more courtesy, if possible, than other
girls brothers, no one but her mother
held the secret that had transformed her
from selfish, cXactlng girl into a GENT
inc princess--a daughter of the King of
heaven, --BeIc i. Chisholm, il the Pres
byteridn.