Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1898-03-04
MISS FAITHS ADVICE,

very gentle, even endearing, and her
look of content AZ she held IL up and
noted its effect as whole seemed vast
ly out Of proportion to the cause Miss
Faith was still pretty, with the pathetic
beauty held as fiotsam from the wreck
Of years Her hair was prettier as silver
than it had ever been as brown, and her
eyes, though they had lost their vivid
glow and eagerness, had gained kindly
sympathy Her tenderness had even OK
tended to the crocheting in her hand
and impaired something to that usually
very impersonal object that her fancy
had fretted into thinking II response,
She passed her hand affectionately over
it now, rs the figure Of pineapple,
much conventionalized, repeating itself
like history again and again, fell In seal
lops to the floor Its most done, " she
thought 81 can go back to the oak leaf
pretty soon.
A change In the crochet pattern was
the chief diversion of Faiths life, that
ran on as monotonously to the observer
played upon only one string. To an ant
the coming Of stick or stone may be
great event. 1t is not hard to under
stand how life that consists In taking
infinite pains with many little things
may get its sips of excitement, interest
and novelty from change in pattern
Of crochet The examination of the work
~ to lao uatiufantnVxr aud Eofth
laid it on the table at her side. This ia
BILE was devoted to the uses of her art,
nor was ever profaned by the presence
of any irrelevant substance. There were
rows of spools upon it. drawn up in
lines like soldiers ready to receive an
attack, hooks Of various sizes lying like
weapons by their side and various rolls
of lace, the finished product Of their
warfare Faith regarded them with ap
prevail but her hand that had lain upon
the table fell away from the accustomed
task, and she sat idle, watching the red
coal, the shadoVs the lamplight threw
upon tho carpet and listening to tho
olatter that Mary, her maid Of all work.
was making as part of the dishwash
ing
Its kind of jugglery she goes
through with those dishes. thought
Faith regretfully, "a sleight Of hand
performance, to SEQ how many tricks
she can do before one Of them will
break. But her face did not cloud, for
she had learned resignation. She had
surrendered to Mary the dishes and all
La - kh., hpuuahnlI AiufniNiaa that
she bad served so deity and carefully
for years that she might be more at lei
sure to while away her time in her own
innocent fashion
She wondered AZ she sat staring
DULY at the blaze, how the crocheting
had come to mean 80 much to her and
could not think for the instant, then
half remembered, saddened little, lost
the thread of memory again, recovered
it and fell to musing, her elbow resting
on the table, her cheek in her palm.
She could hardly believe now that
certain few years Of her life had ever
really happened They must have be-
longed to some other and wandered
willfully into her own, for there was
no home for them in hers or likeness
unto anything they brought Was 1t SOP
They had gone 80 utterly, 80 complete
ly, and she was happy now in her own
harmless way, far inland, out Of all
reach Of storm and reef She was still
looking vaguely, half wistfully, at the
fire when her doorbell rang and some
one had entered tho room and was hur-
rying to her side
Aunt Faith" said girlish, tremu-
Ions voice, I've come to ask you to
help me Mother said you had suffered
like this once and you had learned to
forget, and thought perhaps you could
show me the way.
Faith looked down upon tho slight
figure crouched there, sobbing, and laid
her hand gently upon the brown head,
but she did not understand about the
suffering
What il it, Grace2" she asked.
"Oh, it's Phil" she cried. HE
doesn I care for me any more. He's TAX
ing Jennie Thompson now, and can I
bear it Mother said other women had
to bear such things, but she'd always
been happy, and could come to you.
You could help me, she said, looking
up appealingly "You could teach me
TO forget.
YES, said Faith slowly.
Then it came back to her, all her own
little story, and u dim, broken memory
Of the first heartache and her own long
ing to forget
Poor little girl, whispered Faith
stroking the beautiful mass Of tangled
hair How was it learned to forget
Let me think Yes, | remember now
Wait "a minute, dear will show you.
Faith slipped out Of the room and sooI
returned, bringing three rolls Of yer.
broad crocheted lace.
"Can you crochet, Grace2"
mot very much. said Grace, won
deringly
"Well, | will teach you. This IL th
way learned to. forget. The needl
slips in and out, and the sunlight AM
freight shine on IL, and the lace grow
and is so pretty, and it brings comfort
When began, couldn I zee the needl
oh, how long ago that isl--for tn
tears That was when knew he woul
never come again, and had my wed
ding dress all ready-it's grown yello'
in a chest In the garrett But afts
awhile the lace took up my troubl
drop by drop till 1t was gone, and
couldn't tell you today where 1t is s
I'll teach you, dear. These are the thr'
rolls did In the three years, one 4
each. They're yellow now, you see.
Faith opened one and spread 1t on
II was an intricate pattern. very broa
IT'S hard to do" she said, but tn
IL all the better for the forgetting.
I'd been u man, should have go
away to Africa. I've often thought