The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1894-03-22
Az sbe worked in The possion .lowers

away the temptation TO buy new
spring hat or one new dress, resolving
Co make over her gray poplin once
more and have her old hat cleaned
and pressed. And, really. one must
bc eighteen, with very limited,
hard-earned wardrobe aud n strong
desire to appear attractive in the eyes
of one person, to appreciate the sacri-
flee Susie was making. Ten dollars,
with her economical habits. her skill
in sewing, woul d go SO far toward
girlish adornment
But il was 60 he her Easter Offering (,
and il there lurked thought of Mr..
Castleton's & words of praise or his grave
eyes looking approvingly upon her
tasteful gift, was she 50 very much
| TO blame?
She had finished her work before
4 sunset, and took IL home. Mrs. Stacy
was in the sitting room. where Bessie
was opening the parcel containing n
new silk suit for Easter Sunday, and
/ Susie was oelled upon to admire the
color, the style, the general effect.
''lt is dark for spring, Bessie said,
fretfully.
"You know very well yor cannot
bear light culors,' sail her mother
"iour eyes and hair are all you can
desire your teeth are good, Your fea.
lures regular and your figure is simply
perfect; hut your complexion is thick
and sallow, and always will he until
you stop eating such rich food Now.
here is Susie without one really good
feature in her face, with an insigniti-
cant figure, eyes of no color in partic.
ular, sort of BLUSH gray, but with a
complexion like miniature painting.
She can wear blue and softly tinted
fabrics, but you cannot
She might have added that Susie's
hair was the color of corn-silk and one
mass OF golden waves and soft ring
lets; that Susie's mouth was like II
baby in its tender curves and sweet
expression; that Susie's eyes were full
of Intelligence and gentle. womanly
sweetness but she forgot to mention
these points, and Susie was crushed,
as she intended her to be, in spite Of
her complexion.
But Mrs Stacey took ont her pocket.
book and from it a ten-dollar gold.
piece.
''Iou can buy n new hat, she said,
in patronizing way indescribably ir-
ritating.
"No," Susie said, quietly; "this is
to be my Easter Offering"
"Oh! And speaking of Easter,
would you mind, on your way home,
taking this linen to Mrs. Byrnes to
wash and iron. Tell her must have
it on Friday Mt the very latest !"
1t was growing dark, and Susie re-
membered that so far from being "on
her way home. Mrs. Byrne lived ut
the other end of Rosedale. but she
was to shy too refuse, and rolled the
linen up again.
MRS. BY. was nard-worfir
woman with seven chiio, - 20
husband, after subiecting her to all
the mlseries of "A drunkard's IS wife. had
released her by pitching head-tir off
the bridge below Rosedale, into the
river. Womanlike, she grieved for
him, as if he had made her life bed
OF roses, and turned to her WASN'T tubs
for living, patiently and industri-
ously. A very sunbeam of woman
she was, in spite OF her troubles. and
Sueie was amazed to find her sitting on
the Il door-steps sobbing like n child.
She rose to receive Mrs. Stacey's 's
message, aud promised to do the
work, and then, i'll answer to Susie
afraid, " her grief broke out in words.
"ivc no right to complain, miss, y
she said, ''for the Lord IS been very
good TO us since poor Tim WAS
drownded, but indeed it's chance
lost I'm fretting for"
"A chance lost?' said Susie, her
voice still full of gentle sympathy.
''lt'S Nora, miss. She's been deli
cate, miss, lver since she was born,
and the air here is bad for her in.
tirely. The docther saye her lungs is
wake, and it's II bad cough she got,
and we're too near the say here III
Roscdale. And me sister, who lives Mt
B., she's wrote she'll take Nora for
her own, an give her schooling and
Alpl lNl i'l WIN VII Nit
Shes not much of her own, hasn't t
sister Mary but she's no childer since
she put four in the church yard, and
she'll be good to Nora, an the child
just dying here by inches, for she will
help me, an sloppin' in the washing
bad for her. She coughs that bad at
night, miss, and the doctor says the
air in b would be the maxim of her. "
"But, surely, you will send her, "
said Susie.
"rhere it is, miss Mary, she can't
sind money out an out, and it costs
six dollars to so to b -. l was ur
to Mrs. Staceys, to ax the loan of it,
and work it out little Mt time on the
washin hut she told me she could moi
spare it. An she rich I'm thinkin'
miss, perhaps she'd be servin' the Lord
rs well as savin' girls life, you may