The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1895-12-19

the adjective was well applied, so
sweet was her smile, and so offender and
gentle were the soft tones of her
voice. And she was not really old.
nothing like the conventional old
maid OF rtory.book fame. She was
simply "Niiss Enid"-no longer very
young, but with past that had
brought to her gladnoss and then sor.
row, and that had taught her life.
long lesson of the tenderest, purest
sympathy in and with the smiles and
the tears of others. No one came to
Miss Enid for help and went away
comtortless; no one ever told her
some heartfelt s. " - -oriet AMI
h!sss, ana did not receive sweet
Isolation in return. Miss Enid's
great heart was ever open, ever ready
to condole with the bereaved, to smile
hopefully upon the young and the
ardent toiler, to bring message of
patience to the sick and the sorrowing
in fact, TO minister to each and
every one as they needed her sweet
hclpiuIness. And yet-and yet Miss
Enid had known sorrow, the greatest
and the deepest sorrow that can come
into woman's life and blot out for.
ever the sunshine from the pathway
And she was thinking of the past
tonight, this Christmas time, when
every one was happy in the society OF
their dear ones, and when love and
Joy were the theme of every hymn and
anthem that was sung in the great
church yonder, the church she had so
recently left. She had been twining
beautiful wreaths for pillar and pulpit
-wreaths of holly and ivy and box,
and the vicarnge children had helped
her, pricking their small fingers with
the sharp holly leaves, and tying her
string into Innumerabletangled knots.
Yet she loved them so much, the
darlings, thar she was only too happy
TO have them uear her, to hear their
little bright voices, to see their rosy
faces, and TO feel the soft touch OF
their soft hands as they hung about
her trying SO hard to help "dear Miss
Enid"
'We love you so much, you know, "
gray-eyed Angela had said, "that we
want to do all We can, and it isn't very
much, but We does our best.
And Bobby had broken in with an
account OF the Christmas card that he
meant to send Miss Enid-a very gor-
geous production from the village
shop. III the purchase of Shich and
similar treasures the children's morn,
ing had been happily spent. And
Miss Enid thanked him before and,
stopping down to kiss the bonny lit,
tie face, and assuring him that SHE
would like it very much, and would
keep it always in memory Of him.
"rhat's right, the little boy said,
heartily. "Tis quite the proper
thing to say, isn't it, Marjorie?"
And Marjorie and Angela nodded
assent as the nurse came to carry then
oil home TO the vicarage tea.
Miss Enid had declined their en-
thusiastic invitation to accompany
them-something had sent he
thoughts back to the past with sud
den rush of memory, and the seem
around seemed strangely dreamlik
and unreal. She fastened up the loni
ends of her wreath and put on he
cloak, and then, before her flight wa
noticed, she slipped away, out int
the darkness and tho stiffness of tn
winters evening. She wanted to b
alone, to think she had not had muc
time to think lately, there was alway
80 much to do and then she had bee
glad OF it before, for the memories {
Christmas time were generally 50
ones. But now she longed for quietudC
for the sympathy OF her own though
and of the dreams of that bitter swe'
past, the past that had so strangel
affected all her life.