The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1892-03-16
WHAT SARA MEANT TO BE.

But she choose q Bad Time.
The fall sunshine sifted through the
leaves of naples and elms, in Uncle
Toms big back yard, and picked olN
several curly heads it found there to
shine on. There had been visitation
going on at Uncle Toms, what he called
"a gathering of the CLAM" that is, all
the brothers and sisters, and sample
| of all their families, had meet at Arb
rowwood for a weeks talk about old
times. &
| The party was going to break up to-
morrow, and even the small fry felt a
wee bit sober about it, and INDUCED in
some very grown-up talk, out under the
naples and elms.
What are you goin' to be, Tom Tin
ker, when you grow up?"
Tom Tinker was Uncle Toms boy.
and he had to be called something else
besides Tom to show which Tom you
meant. /.
"a grand master at the lodge" re-
piled Tom, promptly. He had recently
seen an "odd fellows" show, This
seemed to the little company such a
bold ambition that it checked imagina-
ton for awhile.
'I's goin' to keep store" spoke up
Ben Miley, Aunt Jenny's seventh boy.
A great boy he was, too, sturdy of limb
and strong of will. 'They store men
mus have lots of candy, mustn't they?"
OF course, Ben was laughed at, but,
of course, he didn't mind Ben always
enjoyed the jokes on himself. "
| And so the little company divided
out, preachers and circus-riders getting
the largest following. Nobody h 4
asked the girls whit they rheaftrto ~
and the pretty little white-froclsed girls
seemed to be listening in silence, with
subsection, according to ST. Paul's pat
tern for them, when suddenly the quiet
est of the lot piped up loud and clear.
"I'm going to be hero" said Sara
Finney. Sara was a pale, plain child,
with white hair and white eyebrows,
and I-don't-belong" look. 81 don't
know how Jenny ever came to have
such an ugly little kid" said one
brother to the other; ''she looks as if
she was washed out"
but she amt" said Uncle Tom,
shrewdly; "she's washed in. She'sgot
more sand in her craw than anyone of
the grandchildren"
This was Sara, who was going to be
hero!
Then all the children laughed again.
Laughing at Ben made it easier to
laugh again.
"You mean heroine!" shouted Tom
Tinker, doubling up and starting off
afresh. :
mo, DON'T" said Sara, angrily--
wherever she had found her hero there
had been no heroine alongside. 'I'm
going to be hero"
Poor Sara. Her heroism did not take
the form of Indifference to being made
fun Of She went off in huff, with
: two bright red spots on her pale little
cheeks.
"Wheres Sara?" asked Aunt Jenny
at supper time-"bread-and-b butter
, roll-call," as Uncle Tom dubbed it.
! Why, they had forgotten all about
Sara! Where was she, sure enought
Nobody knew, and nobody seemed
, able to find out. Aunt Jen
nys cheeks got as pale as
= Sara's; and though Uncle Tom blus
| tered, and called the missing child hi
, little rapscallion, and more names ik,
that, we all knew, by the time the bi
of silver moon shone low on the hori
, zon, that he was as unhappy as any
, body.
what made her GO off, you whop
a ping nuisances?" he asked the rest
t Then came the story of Sara's want
( ing to be hero, and half of us laughed
while the other half cried.
Of course, she was found, or sh
wouldn't have led the Westover higl
school in all her classes last year. Blu
; where, do you think? She had foun
! negro girl, about twice her own size
crying in field, and had undertakes
the case. "Cassv" had come from
neighboring village with company G
berry-pickers, who had trooped bach
9 forgetting her; and now Classy was tel
;, rified at being alone, at shutdown, on
big, strange farm.
1t wasn't with any idea of being
y hero, but just because she was Away
!. brave, kind, erterprising little CIR
= that Sara at once undertook the part
Good Samaritan. And maybe yo
: won't believe it, but she actually lie
). Classy the three miles to Trexam. an
:, walked back alone.
. "Now, Sara, said Uncle Tom solemn
ly, after she had been kissed and erie
| over, you keep right on being her
It's the kind of life to lead; but, chill
pick broad daylight for it next time
9 Elizabeth p. Allen, in S. S. Times.
l. When you find yourself in dang
e of back-sliding, sit down and try
= count up the mercies of God,-Rar