The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-01-23


each other, an odd air of embarrass-
ment pcrvading.
Day by day their work grows harder
Day by day the foe grows stronger,
fiercer, mere all conqucring, ard day by
day, fighting side by side against it,
John Ingerfcld and Anne, his wife, draw
closer TO each other. On the battlefield
of life we learn the worth of strength
Anne feels it good, when growing
weary, to glance up and find him near
her; feels 1T good, amid the troubled
babel round her, to hear the deep,
strong music of his voice.
And John, watching Anne's fair fig
ure moving to and fro among the strick-
Ell and the mourning watching her
fair, fiuttering hands, busy with their
holy work, her deep, soul haunting
eyes, changeful with the light and shade
of tenderness, listening to her sweet,
clear voice, laughing with the joyous,
comforting the comfortless, gently COM
handing, softly pleading, finds creeping
into his brain strange, new thoughts,
concerning mountaineering this one
woman i'll particular.
One day, rummaging over an old chest,
he comes across colored picture book
of Bible stories. He turns the torn pages
fondly, remembering the Sunday after
moons of long ago. At one picture,
wherein are represented many angels,
he pauses, for in one Of the younger
angels of the group-one not quite so
severe Of feature as her sisters - he
fancies he can trace resemblance to
Anne. He fingers long over it. Sudden
ly there rushes though his brain the
thought, How good to stoop and kiss the
sweet feet of such woman! And,
thinking it, he bushes.
So from the soil of human suffering
spring the flowers of human love and
joy, and from the flowers there fall the
seeds of infinite pity for human pain,
God shaping all things to his ends
Thinking of Anne, Johns face grows
gentler, his hand kinder. Dreaming of
him, her heart grows stronger, deeper,
fuller. Every available room in the
warehouse has been turned into a ward
and the little hospital is open free to all,
for John and Anne feel that the whole
world are their people. The piled up
casks are gone-shipped to Woolwich
and Gravesend, bundled anywhere out
of the way, as though oil and tallow
and the gold they can be stirred into
were matters of small moment in this
world, not; to be thought of beside such
thing as the helping of a human broth
er in sore straight.
All the labor of the day seems light
to them, looking forward to the hour
when they sit together in Johns old
shabby dining room above the counting
house. Yet locker on might imagine
such times dull to them, for they are
strangely shy of one another, strangely
sparing of words-fearful of opening
the flood gates Of speech, feeling the
pressure of the pent up thought.
One evening John, throwing out
words, not as a sop to the necessity fol-
talk, but as bait to catch Anne s voice,
mentions griddlecakes, remembers that
his old housekeeper used to be famou:
for the making of them, and wonders il
she has forgotten the art
Anne, answering TREMENDOUSLY, as
though griddlecakes were somewhat
delicate topic, claims to be a successful
amateur of them herself John, having
been given always to understand that
the talent for them was exceedingly
rare, and one usually hereditary. re-
spectfully doubts Anne's capabilities,
deferentially suggests that she is think.
ing of scones Anne Indignantly repudi
ates the insinuation, knows quite well
the difference between griddlecalles and
scenes, offers to prove her powers by de-
scending into the kitchen and making
some then and there if John will accom-
pany her and find the things for her.
John accepts the challenge, and guild
ing Anne with one shy, awkward hand,
while holding aloft candle in the 9th
er, leads the way. 1t is past 10 O'Clock,
and the old housekeeper is in bed. Al
each creaking stair they pause to lister
if the noise has awoke her; then, find
ing all silent, creep forward again, with
suppressed laughter, wondering witt
alarm. half feigned. half real, what the
prime, methodical dame would say were
she to come down and catch them.
They reach the kitchen, thanks more
to the suggestions of a friendly cat thar
to Johns acquaintanceship with the
geography of his own house, and Anne
rakes together the fire and clears thu
table for her work. What possible us'
John is to her-what need there wal
for her STIMULATING that he should ac
company her-Anne might find it diff
cult if examined to satisfactorily eX
plain. AS for his ''finding the things
/ for her, he has not the faintest notion
where they are, and possesses no nat
ural aptitude for discovery. Told tt
find -four he industriously searches fol
| it in the dresser drawers; sent for thu
rolling pin-the nature and characters
tics of rolling pins being described tt
him for his guidance-he returns aftel
prolonged absence with the copper
stick. Anne laughs at him, but really
it would seem as though she herself
were almost as stupid, for not until hel
. Ia, H., -