Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1894-03-23

her way home" Mrs Byrne lived at
the other end of Rosedale. but she was
too shy to refuse, and rolled the linen
up again.
Mrs. Byrne was Woodworking
woman with seven children. whose
husband, after subjecting her To all the
miserias OF drunkard's wife, had re-
leased her by pitching head-first off
the bridge below Rosedale into the
river. Womanlike, she grieved for
him, as if he had made her life a bed of
roses, and turned To her washtubs for
living, patiently and industriously. A
very sunbeam of woman she was, in
spite of her troubles, and Susie was
amazed to snd her sitting on the door
step sobbing ike child. She rose TO
receive Mrs Stacey's message, and
promised TO 10 the work, and then, in
answer to Susie's gentle: You must be
in trouble. | am afraid" her grief
broke out in words:
1--WE no right TO complain, miss"
she said, 'tor the Lords been very good
to us since poor Tim was drownded,
but indeed il's chance lost I'm fret
ting for"
"a chance lost?" said Susie, her voice
still full of gentle sympathy.
Its Nora, miss. She's been delicate,
miss. liver since she was born, and the
air here is lad for her intirely. The
docther says her lungs Is wake, and it's
a bad cough shes got, and we're too
near the say here in Rosedale. And me
sister, who lives at b, she's wrote
she'll take Nora for her own and
give her schooling and not let her
work till she's stronger. She's not
much of her own, hasn't Sister Mary;
but she's no ohilder since she put four
in the church yard, and she'll be good
TO Nora, an the child just dyin' here
by inches, for she will help me, and
sloppin' in tie washing's bad for her.
She coughs that bad az night, miss,
and the doctor says the cir in B
would be the mallin' of her"
But, surely, you will serd her." said
Susie
There it is. miss. Mary, she can't
sind money out an out, and it costs six
dollars to go to B. | was up TO
Mrs. Stacey's, TO AK the loan OF it, and
work it out little at time on the
washin'; but she told me she could not
spare it, An she rich! I'm thinkin',
miss, perhaps she'd be servin' the Lord as
we'll as savin' girls life, you may say,
/ instead of buyin' all this embroidered
| linen TO show off at St Marks"
The words struck Susie like a stab.
/ Was il 20 serve the Lord or for her own
vanity she wanted to give the white
cross to St Marks? Saving a human
life! The thought almost took her
/ breath
You can send Nora if you have ten
/ dollars?" she asked.
Yes, miss; but it might as well be
hundred. | can't get it"
"Yes, for will give it TO you; and you
can ask the Lord to bless my Easter
Offering"
And before the astonished woman
could reply, the shining gold piece lay
in her hand and Susie was speeding
/ homeward.
The Lord be good to her! The saints
bless her bed" cried Mrs. Byrne. AN
she t'aching for her own bread and but
ter an trudging about in all weathers
TO earn dollar"
you seem surprised at something,
Mrs. Byrne," said quiet deep voice at
her elbow, and she looked up to see Mr..
Castleton standing beside her. 81
came over to see if you could come up
TO the parsonage and help Mrs. Willis
tomorrow. She has some extra work on
hand"
"Yes, sir! I'll come and be thankful
TO you. An am surprised-jest dazed
like" And out came the whole story
from the grateful woman's lips, ending
with:
And it's workin' she is as hard as
meself in her own way, while Mrs.
Stacey, that's rollin' in money, couldn'
spare jest the loan of it, for it's not
begging I'd be!''
Easter services were over, and Mrs
Stacey had invited Mr.. Castleton to
dinner. She had told no direct lie, but
certainly had given the impression that
the lovely embroidery upon the new
linen was the work of Bessies fingers
AS they drove home she asked Mr..
Castleton, sweetly:
Don't think me impertinent, but
which of the offerings was Miss Bar
clay's?"
None, that know of"
|
lars in the collection?"
"No-a fve-dollar bill was the larg-
est"
such hypocrisy!' sneered Bessie
ut was not necessary for Miss Barclay
TO tell you, mamma, she was going to
give ten dollars for an Easter Offering,
but she need not have told falsehood
about it,
Nor did she," said Mr.. Castleton.
''IIer Easter offering was ten dollars"
But he made no further explanation;
nor did Susie, when summer time
brought her a letter, asking her to
share his life and iabors, know that
Mrs Byrne had told him the story of
her charity. Shields, in n. Y.
Ledger.
Happy Easter Bells.
oh, happy, happy Easter bellsl
From each round throat sweet music wells
This perfect Sunday morning.
Dear Bess, see her cross the street;
Irs 70 no oh typ