The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-12-06
Staying Power.

Staying Power.
Delsie Downs stood on the corner of
the road at the turnpike waiting for
the four o'clock stage to pass. When
the old stage.driver reigned up his
horses to take in his passenger, look
of surprise came over his face.
AS he took Delsie's valise in his
hand, and held the stage door open for
her to get in, he asked: "Going Wis
iting, Delsie ?"
There were no other passengers that
afternoon, and, as the young girl had
known the old stage-driver all her life,
she las glad to have some one to un-
burden her troubled heart to.
II don't know Mr.. Davis, where I
shall fetch up. I've started for the
city. Pve made up my mind that 1t is
time for me to start for somewhere.
The truth is, that I cannot stand Aunt
'Mandy's aggravating ways another
hour"
The driver kept drumming on his
dashboard while Delsie was talking.
When she finished he said: "What's
your aunt MANDY going to do with
"fhat's her lookout, Mr.. Davis. She
never appreciated anything ever did
for her. didn't mind the work; I
could get on with that we'll enough ;
but she is 80 unreasonable and fussy
that she keeps me stirred up all the
while. I want to 60 and somewhere
where folks are pleasant. Many times
I've gone up stairs and picked up my
things, and said to myself: Now, I'll
90 to the city, and get situation I
won't stay and be imposed upon an
other hour But when I began to
pick up, I'd wonder what aunt Mandy
would do without me, for nobody else
would 60 there and put up with her
ways. Then I'd make up my mind to
bear it spell longer. But to-day she
tantalized me 80 much that / just
made up my mind that I'd 60, and I'm
going"
"Your anut Mandy must have took
on bad when you left, Delsie."
"She didn't know it, Mr.. Davis. I'm
so chicken-hearted that If I told her !
was really going, and she made fuss,
I'd be just foolish enough to take
off my things and stay"
"You've done first rate for the old
lady, Delsie. All the folks in town
will agree to that"
"Why didn't any of them say so
when they came in, and knew I was
so tired? When anybody Is trying to
stand up under crushing load, 1t
would tighten it a great deal, Pm
thinking, If somebody came in and
gave lift by few words of encour-
agement. If folks thought was
doing anything worthy of mention,
why didn't they tell me 80 once in q
while? 1t would have helped me to
endure it ALL"
swell, that's just what they ought
to have done, Delsie. But I suppose
they took it for granted that you knew
you were doing q good work. Folks
take too much for granted in this
world"
What q fuss folks made over Agnes
Wilcox when she came home from col
lege with the prize. And what time
there was over Lucy WhitcOmb. Mr..
Davis, when she came home visiting
after she started that dressmaker's y
shop in the city, and did 80 well. I
think, may be, If I have a chance, I
can do something, too, and come back
to this town and surprise the folks.
That man who lectured at the school
house, last winter. talked about going
to work and finding out what there Is
in US, what strength of character we've
got, and what we're capable Of doing"
"Well, now, Delsie, let me tell you
that it aint half so hard to march be-
hind the music that 1t is to drudge
along without any tune. 1t takes lots
more strength and Christian grace to
put up with an aggregatipg old body
like your aunt Mandy than 1t does to
60 out and work where other folks are
stirring about lively. We all get tum-
bled up and down in our minds some
times. John Bunyan said he did, and
he was about as good q man as we've
heard tell of. Delsie, you're running
away from the place the Lord laid out
for you. There's nobody that'll do for
your aunt Mandy as you have. Your
mother thought q sight of her--she
was her only sister-and when she
died Of the fever, your aunt MANDY
baby, and she has done the best she
infirmaties of the flesh she's got that
us be if we'd been bedridden for ten
years? 1t takes more strength OF
character and Christian grace to have
staying power than it does going pow
er, child. Hadn't you better get off
right here and run back to your work,
cross the lots. slip up the back stairs
and take off your Sunday clothes, put
on your work-a-day dress again, and
kneel down and ask that He give you
staying power? There are lots OF
folks names written up in heaven
who never made any noise In the
world-folks like you that are set off
in corners and lone places, doing some
important work for the Lord, of q
kind that don't set 'em up much, may
be, but they'll be better known by and
by. Want to get off, Delsie ?"
"Yes, Mr.. Davis, I guess I'd better
60 back and try to stick to my place d
spell longer"
pray for staying power, Delsie. I'll
bring your bag around when l come
back from the station tonight"
Two years passed. Aunt Mandy
had accomplished her warfare with the
ills of the flesh. The small amount of
property left had been willed to Delsie
but it was going to be necessary for her
to earn something to add to it. The
place was advertised to be sold at auc-
ton, and Delsie sat alone the evening
before the sale, wondering what she
was going to do. A knock at the door
caused her to look up and see the old
stage-driver standing on the thresh-
hold.