The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-04-12
The Girl with Que Talent.

Bishop Vincent, in his "Studies in
Young Life" gives the following
sketch of girl deficient in many
things, but with one talent, of which
she made use.
Let us review her resour-
ces. We take an inventory, as
merchants say. Self-knowledge: As
to arithmetic and algebra-miHus; geo.
graphy and history-moderate; ortho'
graphy, rhetoric, and ielocution-defi-
cient; no voice, no music, no CONVEX
sational power; artistic skill at the
minimum; no commercial ability. A
girl with q father and mother, with
brothers and sisters and one talent.
What Laura's one talent is we set
ourselves to find out.
Laura slep soundly. The pillow was
welcome at night, and the parting was
hard in the morning. When the first
bell rang she wished she could pull
the tongue out oft and hide the bra
zen disturber of her piece beyond all
power of finding. She thought it
would be SO delightful to sleep for two
hours more, or one hour, or thirty
minutes, or fifteen minutes. But
scarcely had the echo Of the bell died
away before Laura had summoned
herself and commanded herself, and in
due time-without too much speed to
prevent the well-doing of all that had
to- be done, and without too much
slowness to break the morning order
of the household below stairs-she re-
ported herself for duty, wherever that
morning the line of duty had been
cast. She always came in with a
cheerful smile and a hearty salutation.
The girl in the kitchen used to say:
"When Miss Laura comes in a mornIn'
I shield my poor eyes from the bright
ness.u 1t was Bridget's blarney, but
when you know Laura you will excuse
Bridget's extravaganza. Usually one or
two Of the ch ildren had to be buttoned
or hooked, combed or coddled, and
who could do it 30 well as Laura, who
greeted chance of that kind as she
would q streak of sunshine or Whit OF
air from fields Of new mown hay?
'::They love it, and I love it," she
said.
A greeting, a kiss, a playful sally, a
lively question, were ready for father
and mother. The voice that could not
sing was music itself in home speech,
and if its owner could not talk at
breakfast about Gladstone's policy, or
the definition of beauty given by the
last nights lecturer in Osmond Hall,
she could ask questions enough to
keep everybody talking, each in the
line of his liking; land without know
ing how wise and strong she was,
Laura One-talent used her love and
common se,,se and tact in keeping
| peace at the table, repressing uncom-
Portable topics, drawing out people
according to their bent and ability,
and too "stupid" to say much herself,
she was sagacious enough to play the
general with the wit and wisdom of
all the rest. And if they-the ''all the
rest" of the household-had a good
time, Laura was happy, When break
fast and prayers were over, If there
were not problems in algebra to be
solved, O. selections from Liszt or Bach
to be practised, or an essay for q Shake
spearean club to be written land she
was always excused from such servlce),
there was something to do with moth
or or for mother, with Bridget or in
Bridget,s stead; something for father
or the boys; something for the little
girls; something in bedroom, kitchen.
parlor, or cellar; sweeping, busting,
bed-making, cooking, stitching, watch
ing, errand-going, calling-always
something that needed to be done tor
the good order and gond feeling of the
household; and Laura, who could not
do great things to make the world
wonder, did her share, and was glad to
do more than her share, of little things,
which in the doing and in the spirit OF
the doing made "society girls" wonder
at Laura's goodness and patience, and
all which made other mothers envious
of Laura's mother, and which more
over, pleased the King on the throne
in the central chamber of Laura's
heart.