Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1897-09-10
The Discomfort of Helen.
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N'''N "puhHN bu MS knee, MIS- lace
wearing such good smile, such a
look of rest and contentment
Come, he said after supper, ''let
us sing.
We had no piano. but we got our
hymnbooks and saug together-my
father and mother had beautiful
voices, and Ada's was a correct and
musical alto; and the music and the
words We're so sweet aud tender that
II melted my heart | thought what
II that loving little choir were broken.
And | realized that we were indeed
happy; that the lines had fallen to us
in pleasant places; that | myself was
naughty and ungrateful to he discon-
tented
That night my father was taken i'll,
aud ! was startled frightened self
condemned. Especially when knew
that he was suffering great agony
that he was very sick-,hat the doc
tor sad his illness was very serious
aud dangerous one. | thought, what
If my father should die
For two or three days his case was
doubtful, an1 what sal household
was ours! The little ones were taken
to the house of kind neighbor. Mann
ma and Ada and | watched and nursed
our poor father night and day, not
knowing whether he would live or
die, cannot tell you how felt.
The house seemed so dcsolate, with
papa wing sick, aud when | went into
the rooms downstairs | thought how
happy, how contented should be in
them-how cheerful could be then
how golden aud sunshiny the whole
little dive ling would seem if papa
would get well again And | prayed,
humbly and penitently, that he might
be restored to us.
He was After one sad and anxious
week the doctor said he was mending,
aud if ever there was happy. glad
and grateful girl it was l.
went about the house like n new
creature the day he was to come down
stairs, frightened and bcautifed every.
thing about the rooms to the best of
my ability-hung the canary in the
sunshine and made the place beautiful
with blooming geraniIIms and roses
and heliOtropes and hanging vines.
And | saw that the fire in the open
CRATE burned clear and bright: that
the hearth was clean and no speck of
dust about, and papa's favorite books
lay ready to his hands, and first of all
the great Bible, out of which | myself
read aloud a psalm Of thanksgiving
for him and all of us that night.
| was so happy that mamma could
not hut see the change in me, and she
took me in her arms and kissed me
silently and, oh, so tenderly
And after that | could not aud did
not murmur any more But, instead,
l went about, daily making our before
despised little house as pleasant as |
could. until wondered to see how
beautiful and cheerful and pleasant it
really was; wondered, too, that had
never felt it before. But | knew the
reason | had been so blind was be-
cause / would not see.
Mrs Marchmont had come two or
three times while papa was i'll. She
came again, now he was down stairs,
and made long cal As she went
away she fingered al the door.
do you know, Mrs. Hammond,
she said to my mother, ''dO vou know
how | like to come here? Do YOU
know how pleasant it is here e?-such
homefeeling comes over me when |
get among you all, in this little nest,
that almost hate TO go away, 1t
looks like picture in there. And
you are all so happy.
She looked back into our little sit
ting room with smile of real pleas
ure And how pleased and happy |
was
The next week Mrs. Marchmont in
vited Ada and me TO come and take tea
with her and go with her and her hus-
the evening. When Mr.. Marchmont
came home from the store he brought
with him Henry Earle. one of his
clerks, whom | had seen before, once
at their house and once at the store,
when ! went there with message
from Mrs, Marchmont to her husband.
We all took tea and went to the lecture
together. And Mrs. Marchmont kept
Ada over night with her, but | went
home after the lecture, and Henry
went with me as far as my own door
met him at the Marchmonts' more
than once after, for he was favorite
with Mr. Marchmont and they invited
him there often, and sometimes we
went again, as on the evening | have
spoken of, to lecture or reading, and
he always waited upon me home
Presently he came to see us there.
did not exactly know why, but
could not help feeling little earnest
ness that my father and mother should
like him. | thought they ought to.
For myself, il had become pleasant
to me to meet him. | had learned to
like his gentle smile, the glance of his
kind ewes, the sound of his voice, that
seemed always, somehow, to take a
swecter tone to me than TO Others.
And | was glad when papa and mann
ma both seemed to like him very much
and asked him to come again,
''He is very sensible, very intelli
gent, very retined-a gentleman, my
dear Helen yes, | Ike him extremely,
said my father. And mamma said she
thought as he did, and that it was
quite pleasant to see Mr. Earle once in
IL l.. -