St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1895-12-07

that she was easily first In the race.
In fact SO long was her list, SO perfect
her command Of her strange spiritual
wares, that the entire time usually de-
voted to the Sunday school session did
not suffice to enable her to repeat them
all She stood mp there on the plat.
form and reeled OF melancholy texts
In her even, mournful, monotonous
voice until the sun had sunk and it be-
gan to grow dark. Then the superin-
tendent advanced, aud, lifting his
hand to stop her, announced that she
had SO palpably won the prize that il
was needless to hear any of the other
aspirants or even to allow her to finish.
I'VE congratulate our little friend. !"
he said, pompously, upon her dill
gence and fine knowledge Of the Scrip
lures. and we take great pleasure, the
minister and l. in giving into her hands
this token Of our appreciation and up.
proval."
He handed her q small, shoddily-
bound scarlet-covered New Testament,
and she took it and sat down with .
swelling heart She recognized the
pomposity of the superintendent's tone,
she knew how worthless was the tri-
umph she had achieved. but she did
not care. Nothing mattered to her
now but this sweet, perfect Joy Of con-
quest. Perhaps fate. knowing how lit
tie Of triumph would fall to her share,
made this small victory the sweeter.
perhaps the God who tempers the wind
to the shorn lamb made this breeze OF
success even more bland and delight
ful than the mir Of prosperity usually
is. perhaps who can spell out the
causes of human Joy or sorrow?
She went home that day walking on
air, treading on roses. What tmattered
It that other children sneered It her
choice of subjects? What mattered 1t
that some of them had even limited
that she had won the prize unfairly? =?
What mattered It that even her mother
thought the time spent In earning her
poor little joy . little excessive? The
law of 'compensations Is . sure II
slow power, and there was bliss enough
in this one minute of success to balance
. lifetime Of failures. And this was the
purpose. apparently. Of that Sunday
school prize. It gave her the only per
feet gladness she ever knew; It fur
nished the element Of success neces-
sary In some deRrce to the completion
Of every human life.
She cherished that small, common
Testament far more than she did either
Of the gorgeous gilt and leather com
binations given her on her dreary wed
ding day; she treasured it far more
than the plain little copy OF Tenny.
sons poems which had been presented
to her on her graduation day, and
which had given her . nearer approach
- pure pleasure than usually fell to
her lot.
For the Testament represented her
share of that which is the desire Of all
human hearts-the longing TO be first
with some body, something. sometime.
The Testament was the only outward
and visible sign" Of her worldly sue
cess It was the insignia Of rank won
in the only victorious battle Of long
campaign.
And this il why she loved It; this ID
Why, when she was dead, they found
II clasped in her cold. stifRened fingers.
and pressed close to her silent heart.
o, tragedy Of the second fiddle! O,
strange, harsh, echoing minor chordl
Can it be that in some far-awsy land
where love, music and success are ~
commonplace and normal - heart
hunger. diseord and failure are (oE
seem to be) here the second fiddle may
Be promoted to the rank Of drst violin,
perchance even Of conductor? Or il Il
true that in the life which touches
ours the last shall b 6rst," and the
Arst violin Of less import than the sec
cad 6ddls-which makes . paE6ect in
tervA pussible1Chica ca9o Tribune