The Advocate and news., 1898-11-23

life at Stone Lodge went monotonously
round like a piece Of machinery which
discouraged human interference, and be-
cause of the prohibition relative to Sis
sy's past career-that they were still al
most strangers. Sissy, with her dark
eyes wonderingly directed to Louisa's
face, was uncertain whether to say more
or to remain silent.
"You are useful to my mother and
more pleasant to her than can ever
be-" Louisa resumed. "You are pleas
anter to yourself than l am to myself"
But, If you please, Miss Louisa" Sissy
pleaded, II am-O, so stupid"
Louisa, with brighter laugh than
usual, told her she would be wiser by
and by.
"YOu don't know" said Sissy, half
crying, what stupid girl am. All
through school hours make mistakes
Mr.. and Mrs. MChoakumchlld call me
up, over and over again, regularly to
make mistakes. can't help them. They
seem to come natural to me-"
"Mr. and Mrs. M'Choakumchild never
make any mistakes themselves, / sup
pose, sissy"
20, MOI" she eagerly returned. "They
know everything"
"Tell me some of your mistakes"
II am almost ashamed" said Sissy
with reluctance. But to-day, for in
stance. Mr.. M'Choakumchild was ex-
planning to us about Natural Prosperity"
National, think it must have been"
observed Louisa.
eyes, 1t was. But isn't it the same?'
she timidly asked.
''You had better say National, as he
said sc" returned Louisa, with her dry
reserve.
National prosperity. And he said:
Now, this sChoolrOom is Nation. And
in this Nation there are fifty millions of
money. Isn't this a prosperous nation?
Girl number twenty, isn't this a prosper
GUS Nation, and ant you in thriving
state?"
What did you say?" asked Louisa.
Miss Louisa, / said / didn't know.
| thought couldn't know whether it was
prosperous nation or not, and whether
| was in a thriving state or not, unless
/ knew who had got the money, and
had nothing to do with it. It was not in
the figures at ALL" said Sissy, wiping
her eyes.
THAT was a great mistake Of yours"
observed Louisa.
eyes, Miss Louisa, know it was, now.
Then Mr.. M'Choakumchild said he would
try me again. And he said: This school
room Is an immense town, and in 1t
there are million of inhabitants, and
only tiVe-and-twenty are starved to death
in the streets in the course of a year.
What is your remark on that proper
ton? And my remark was-fOr / could
not think Of better one-that thought
1t must be just as hard upon those who
were starved, whether the others were
million or a million million. And that
was wrong, too"
'Of course 1t was"
"Then Mr.. M'Choakumchild said he
would try me once more. And he said,
Here are the stutterings-'"
Statistics" said Louisa.
"Yes, Miss Louisa--they always re-
mind me Of stutterings, and that's an
other Of my mistakes-'of accidents upon
the sea. And find (Mr. MChoakum-
child said) that in given time hun
dred thousand persons went to sea on
long voyages, and only five hundred of
them were drowned or burnt to death.
What is the percentage?' And l said,
Miss" here Sissy fairly sobbed as con-
Tossing with extreme contrition to her
greatest error, "I said it was nothing"
Nothing, Sissy?"
Nothing, Miss-to the relations and
friends Of the people who were killed.
l shall never learn" said Sissy.