Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1895-09-25
e'1t is dark for spring." Bessie said

L.
desire; your teeth are good, your fes
tures regular and your figure is simpl
perfect; but your complexion is thic
and sallow, and always will be unit
you stop eating such rich food. Nov
here is Susie without one really goo
feature in her face, with an insignif
cant figure, eyes of no color in partic
ular, . sort of BLUSH gray, but with
complexion like Q miniature painting
She can wear blue and softly tinte,
fabrics, but you cannot"
She might have adde. d that Susie
hair was the color of corn-silk and on
mass of golden waves and soft ring
let's; that Susie's mouth was like .
babys in its tender curves and swee
expression; that Susie's eyes were ful
of intelligence and gentle. womauly
sweetness; but she forgot to mention
these points, and Susie was crushed,
AS she intended her to be. in spite O
her complexion.
But Mrs. Stacey took ont her pocket
book and from it q ten-dollar gold
piece.
"You can buy a new hat" she said
in patronizing way indescribably ir
ritating.
"No," Susie said, quietly; "this i.
to be my Easter Offering"
"Ohl And speaking Of Easter.
would you mind, on your way home,
taking this linen to Mrs. Byrne's tc
wash and iron. Tell her must have
it on Friday at the very latest!'
1t was growing dark, and Susie re-
membered that SO far from being .'or
her way home" Mrs. Byrne lived al
the other end of Rosedale, but she
was to shy too refuse, and rolled the
linen up again.
| Mrs. Byrne was a hard-workin,
woman with seven children, whose
husband, after subjecting her to all
the miseries of drunkard's wife, had
released her by pitching head-tirst of
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 wash-tubi
for a living, patiently and industri
ously. A very sunbeam of v-maI
she was, in spite of her troubles, ano
Sueie was amazed to find her sitting on
The door-steps sobbing like a child.
She rose to receive Mrs. Stacey's
message, aud promised to do the
work, and then, in answer to Susie e
gentle, ''You are in trouble, 1 am
afraid, her grief broke out in words
'1've no right to complain, miss, "
,he said, "for the Lord s been very
good to us since poor Tim was
irownded, but indeed it's chance
lost I'm fretting for"
ga chance lostF said Susie, her
voice still full of gentle sympathy.
'1t's Nora, miss. She's been deli
cate, miss, lver since she was born.
and the air here is bad for her in.
, sirely. The docther saye 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
lust dying here by inches, for she will
help me, an sloppin' in the washing's
Dad 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."
,aid Susie.
"There it is, miss! Mary. she can,
~ nd v,,Dnav ONT ONT opI ooo{s
ix dollars to go to B -. I was up
20 Mrs. Stacey's, to AK the loan of it,
md work it out little at time on the
xashin' but she told me she could not
,pare it. An she richl I'm thinkin',
miss, perhaps she'd be servin' the Lord
IS we'll as savin' girls life, you may
say, instead of buyin' all this embroid-
cred linen to show off at st. Marks"
The words struck Susie like /. stab.
Was it to serve the Lord or for her
own vanity she wanted to give the
white cross to St. Msrk'sq Saving
human life! The thought almost took
ler breath.
'You can send Nora if you have tel
lollars?" she asked.
''Yes, miss; but it might as we'll b.
Il hundred. l can't get it."
"Yes, for will give it to you; and
Tou can ask the Lord to bless my
Caster Offering"
And before the astonished woman
.ould reply, the shining gold piece lay
n her hand and Susie was speeding
lomeward.
''The Lord be good to herl The
iaints bless her bed !" cried Mrs. Byrne.
AN she t'sching for her own bread
md butter an trudging about in all
xeathers to earn a dollar"
''You seem surprised at something,
Mrs. Byrne," said quiet, deep voic,
Mt her elbow, and she looked up to see
Mr.. Castleton standing beside her. SO
came over to see if you could come uE
to the parsonage and help Mrs. Willn
tomorrow. She has some extra worl
on hand"
''Yes, sirl I'll come, and be thank.
full to you, An am surprised-just
dszed like" And out came the whole
story from the grateful woman's lips
ending with:
"And it's workin' she is as hard a
meself in her own way, while Mrs
Stacey, that's rollin' in money COULDN'T
spare jest the loan of it, for it's not
begging I'd bel''
Easter services were over, and Mrs.
Stacey had invited Mr.. Castleton te
dinner. She had told no direct lie.
but certainly had given the impression
that the lovely embroidery upon the
new linen was the work of Bessie's fin.
gers. AS they drove home, she asked
Mr.. Castleton sweetly.
'Don't think me impertinent, bm
which of the offerings was Miss Ban
clay's?"
''None that know Off
"Was there one offering OF ten dol.
lars in the collection?"
''No-a five-dollar bill was the lar.