The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1895-04-23
A MINISTERING ANGEL.

she was very commonplace sort of fly,
who buzzcd about n good deal, now
and then stung q little, and was some
what tircsomc whether she buzzcd or
stung.
But i'll her own opinion she was a
butterfly" fitting about among the
perfumes and pleasures of life, careless
of the morrow. She liked to think
that women of the moro serious sort
dcspiscd her; it made her feel so fcmi-
nine. The circumstances of her life
occasionally threw her into the COM
pany OF busy women, vigorous girl
journalists, or enthusiastic Young art
students, and these she would ALWAYS
beg to crafty her with little con
tempt. I'm such frivolous, trifling
little thing" she would say Il am,
quite sure you must despisc me" She
was quite annoyed when She was met
by courteous. Not at ALL" or dis
concerning, "Why?"
At last, one Sunday Mt church, the
clergyman had such an unfortunately
penetrating voice that all her pleasant
planning of new frocks was Dispersed
There is no time on earth SO suitable
to the planning of new frocks rs
sermon time in church; q moro exciting
topic, could one be found, might dis
turb the meaningless rcposc of features
proper to the OCCASION; any less cxct-
ing would become unintercstinr; but
that earnest preacher simply preached
plating and rainbow chiffon
out Of Lilith's head. She went home
with her mind fixed on the success she
might make in an utterly different role
Here i'll London, in this vast city
teeming with wealth and learning,
there were thousands of hopeless Door,
blindly treadinG the way lowell
the wrong way, with no one to set
them right; and here WAS She, who
might be ministering angel of light,
wasting her time in vain pleasures and
admiration-wcll, not quite so much
admiration as she deserved, perhaps
say, in pursuit of pleasure and admira-
ton. How much better, rather than
spending her time in hot, crowded ball
rooms, where the suppers were fire.
qucntly poor, and there were never
quite enough partners to go round
among the girls, to seek n higher pleas
ure in doing good, to he tho central
figure in crowded back streets, fol-
AONtd, llulcSSl-iiS IL WcTe-Wl u the
blessings of the blind and struggling
to whom she brought light and guild
anco.
She would begin at once-thut very
afternoon, instead of going to sleep
after lunch. AS she went upstairs to
dress She felt supremacy pleased with
herself. In the intervals of arranging
her hair and complexion she paused
several times to strike souls awaken
ing" attitudes in the glass and think
how we'll they became her.
She felt she ought to take something
in the way OF q spiritual weapon, tracts
| or soup-syInpathy for the poor and
crrinG would naturally run to tracts or
| soup-but there were certainly no
! tracts in the house, and, though there
was probably plenty of soup, it was an
awkward thing to carry; it would be
sure to get split over her frocl1 and
mixed up with the long ends of her
! cocks feather boa. After n consulta-
ton with the cook she started out with
an Untidy parcel of stale cakes, the
lcavings of Fridays lat home" and
| took cab down to Iiammersmith.
She wandered off the main road,
| found q slun-an ideal slum, for it
sinclt acknowledgement had no outlet at
the further end. Children in all the
auilinc hidcousncss of their Sunday
apparel were playing in the gutter,
with certain reserve, it is true, on ac-
count of the aforesaid Sunday froclSs,
but, still, actually playing in the gut
ter, sailing paper boats in it.
| One or two swnrthy men, who had
! p2lpably not been to church, were
making Sunday day of rest by sleep
ing in the warm spring sunlight, with
| gorgeous abandonment to the delight
OF leisure. their backs straight IN
against the wall, their legs stretched
| full length across the path. Lilith
had to step gingcrly over Il pair or two,
on her way down the alley. One I'M
shaven giant laZily opened Il corner OF
onccyc as She passed in. In her char
actcr Of benevolent angel, she said POI
litcly: Il hope l don't disturb YOU,
| bat it was obvious she did not disturb
him il the least. He just shut the
! corner of his eye again, and took no
account of her whatever. She had Just
sufficient tact to avoid the houses where
the hostess, with bare arms laid on the
windowsill, was entertaining her
friends outside, and passed on, study
| ing the windows One in an upper
story had clean white starchcd cur
| tains. That seemed promising. So
Lilith mounted the riclfety, evil-smcll-
| ing wooden steps that led to the door
corresponding to it, and knocked.
y thin voice called: Como in" and
| she entered. The room was faultlessly
clean, and severely tidy. a figured
tablccloth on the table should have