The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1894-04-03

fretfully
You know very well you cannot
bear light colors," said her mother.
Your eyes and hair are all you Can
desire; your teeth are good. your
features regular and your figure Is
simply perfect; but your complexion is
thick and sallow. and always will be
until you stop eating such rich food.
Now, here is Susie without one really
good feature in her face, with an insig-
nlficant figure, eyes of no color In par
ticular, a sort of blush gray, but with
Il complexion like a 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
Of golden waves and soft ringlets;
that Susie's mouth was like a baby's in
It's tender curves and sweet expression /;
that Susie's eyes were full of IntelIi-
gence and gentle, womanly sweetness;
but she forgot L mention these points,
and Susie was crushed, as she intended
her to be, in spite of her complexion.
But Mrs Stacey took out her pocket
book and from it a ten dollar gold
piece.
You a buy a new hat" she said,
in a patronizing way indescribably
irritating.
No." Susie said quietly; "this>is to
be my Easter Offering"
'OhI And speaking of Easter, would
you mind, on your way home, taking
this linen to Mrs. Byrne's to wash and
iron. Tell her 1 must have it on Fri
day at the very latestI"
1t was growing dark. and Susie re-
membered that so far from being ION
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 a Woodworking VIC
man with seven children, whose hus
band, after ~subjecting her to all the
miseries of a drunkard's wife, had re-
least d her by pitching head first off the
bridge below R3sedale, into the river.
Woman like she grieved for him, as if
he had made her life a bed of roses, and
turned TO her wash tubs for a living,
patiently and industriously. A very
sunbeam of a oma she was. in spite
of her troubles, and Susie was amazed
to find her sitting on the door steps
sobbing like a child. She ros to re-
ceive Mrs. Stacey's message, and
promised to do the work, and then, in
answer t % Susie's gentle, You are in
trouble, I am afraid" her grief broke
out in words.
I've no right to complain, miss"
she said, for the Lords been very
good to us since poor Tim was drowned,
but indeed it's a chance lost I'm fret
ting for"
"A chance lostH" said Susie, her voice
still full of gentle sympathy.
It's Nora, Mics. She's been delicate,
Miss. liver since she was born, and the
air here is bad for her entirely. The
docther says her lungs is wake, and it's
a bad cough she's 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, an 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
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's bad for her. She coughs
that bad at night. Miss, and the doctor
says the air b would be the maxim
of her"
But, surely, you will send her"
said Susie.
There it is, Missl Mary, she can't
sind money out an out, and it costs
six dollars to go to B.. l was up to
Mrs. Stacey's, to ak the loan of it, and
work it out a little at a time on the
washin'; but she told me she could not
spare it. An she richI I'm thinkin',
Miss. perhaps she'd be servin' the Lord
as we'll as savin' a girls life, you may
say, instead of buyin' all this embroid-
cred linen to show of at ST. Marks"
The words struck Susie like a stab.
Was it to serve the Lord or for her
own vanity she wanted to give the
white cross to st. Mark'si Saving a
human lifel The thought almost took
her breath.
You can send Nora if you have ten
dollarsI' she asked.
eyes. Miss; but it might al well be a