The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-05-03

Ry Mary E. Bamford.

Ry Mary E Bamford.
Addie stood with her back to ths
Others and looked out of the window
She must 90 straight home. She
had only ruu over to Mrs. Hastings I'd
return tiat-iron, aud there were the
three Hastings young folRs, twoy
brothers and a sister, the boys heipi9gv
do up the housewOrk, Fred with bucket
and broom, 80 that Eta could have
more time to make ready for q socia-
BILE. Addie had no brothers who would
help her. She went home to the
sweepping.
"Oh, don't talk any more! ] don't
want to hear another word J!
That was what Addie said In wardly,
not out loud. She wanted to say It to
her mother, which made matters worse
still. :,
Addie had been sweeping the two
bedrooms upstairs. She was wiping
with a damp cloth the steps Of the
steep, narrow staircase, and her moth.
er, In the dining room below, had
opened the stair door and talked lit.
tie about an investment she thought OF
making. There was nothing In the
words to cause Adde'S ill.humor.
She did not know herself why she was
cross.
That morning, when her little sister
had begun to help about setting the
table, Addie had stopped her with
"Oh, do 90 out of this Kitchen and let
me alone! Getting breakfast is my
work, and I don't want your help"
Some way, the remembrance ~ of
those hasty words had troubled Addie
all the morning. The little sister was
not Christian. Would she be won TO
Jesus by Adde'S example?
Little things irritated Addie 30 to-
day. She had felt impatient because
the tablecloth did not 60 on smoothly
as she intended, aud because a chair
was not pushed close to the table. She
had given the chair jerk, and one OF
the chair legs had gone through ruffie
in the bottom of her dress, and II there
was one thing above another that Ad.
die hated, 1t was sewing.
"Oh, what makes me 30 cross?
What makes me?' she groaned, in-
wardly, as she wiped out the narrow,
yellow-painted steps. II wish could
feel differently"
She remembered that Last Sunday
the primary class had lacked Its usual
teacher, and the assistant superintend-
ent had spied her and put her to work.
There were thirty-6ve little scholars
in the class, but they had separate
room, and it was review sunday, go
that by means Of the large cotored
pictures of tie quarter she had man
aged to get along very we'll. In speak
Ing of one of the pictures, she used
the word "Jesus' disciple" and then
fearing that the little oDes might not
understand the expression, she asked
il any one of them could tell her what
a disciple was. A little boy raised his
hand. ....-
"What was disciple" questioned
Addie.
His man." answered the little boy.
"And are you trying to be his boy?"
she questioned, gently. II guess that
little boy wouldn't think I was trying
to he Jesus disciple If he could look
at me aud see just how cross am and
have been." thought Addie, sarcastic
cally, as she wiped the last step. "A
person who can't keep her temper any
better than can through the week
hasn't any business to be teaching on
Sundays"
She went to the faucet and wrung
out her damp cloth. She hung 1t In
the back hall to dry, and taking an-
other cloth and duster, she went up
stairs again. .:.. ...
She remembered something else
about last Sunday. A minister had
talked to the people about those prom
ises in Revelation to "him that over
cometh,n and had used one expression,
that had fixed itself in Adde'S mind
"an overcomer." Addie had prayed
that she might be one. ~.
"I don't believe can ever, ever con-
quer my temper" she said to herself.
"No one knows how hard try"
Addie came downstairs to set things
to rights. She found some mud on
the parlor carpet and by the hall door.
"it's Victer and that ether boy that
was in 10 see him about that debate
last night" she said. ''I'd just like 10
know if that boy's never going to learn
TO wine his feet clean"
Then che stopped. She went and
got cloth and dust pan. AS she knelt
in the parlor, brushing the dry mud
into the dustpan, those two words
came back to her-''an overcomer."
"Oh, but the Bible could It mean
such little bits of things! Such things
as brushing mud, and pushing chairs,
and twitcliing table cloths straight J!
At supper, there came most unex-
pected trial. The chief thing for sup
per was squash pie, and the little SIS
Ter, Jennie, put this over the small
coal-oil stove TO warm, but made the
unfortunate mistake Of putting it on
an old pie tin that had a few minute
holes in it. The smoke penetrated
these holes holes, and Addie found 1t
permeated with coal oil smoke. The
pie was ruined.
Oh, how much Overcoming" it did
take to quietly put that spoiled pie
aside and 60 to making Jelly cake
Jennie looked at Addie wOnderingly.
"What makes her not scold" "' the
younger sister questioned, inwardly:
II thought you'd scold me awfully,"
sighed the repentant child, when the
Jelly cake, brown and warm, sat on
the table ready for supper.
Dear Lord" she prayed earnestly,
before she slept that night, "help me
in the little things. Do make me one
of thy overcomers."
cai1ieri prns.har