Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1898-09-22
Continued.

SOulluUSC.
mo, indeed" said Esperance, look
! ing up more brightly, Il have only
| been thinking. This morning when
you were all at church, and I sat out
| here On the lawn, it reminded me
so much of the Sundays at the cha
teau; you know in the summer when
! there was 30 pasteur who could come
| TO US, papa used always to hold serv-
: ice, and We used to sit on the terrace
under he great cedar. 1t was so
| beautiful-better than a cathedral l
| think-and when one got tired, enc
could lCok up through the branches
| to the blue sky, or down the hill to
the village, where all the chimneys
! were sending up blue smoke because
Of the Sunday-dinners that were cook
| ing, or right across the valley to the
! mountains. Some one, one Of the pas
teurs I think. tod me it was not right
! to look about in service time, 50 after
| that I tried not to look at the viii
lage, but I thought it could not be
wrong to look at the mountains. be-
cause you know in the Bible it says.
! 4 will lift up mine eyes unto the
hills"
Frances could not help smiling.
And did you have many people
at your services?"
! mo, not many; just ourselves and
about four or five families from cot
tages near us, and Old Jacques Bon
nier and his wife, and Marie his
! daughter-they had been servants Of
papa's once, or of his fathers, think.
! Well, one Sunday, | remember quite
WELL We were all under the cedar, and
it was very hot; papa was reading a
sermon by Monsieur Adolphe Monod,
and somehow it seemed very triste.
1t was about one of the very sad
psalms-the eighty-eighth, I think; it
spoke Of living without any ray of
! comfort in the midst Of troubles and.
as l had no troubles at all then, L
! thought it would not matter if I did
not listen, so I just looked away a lit
tie. But just then I heard one SEN
tence VIII Oh somehow. stayed in my
head just because it puzzled me s..
ever we may be surrounded by the
gifts Of God, and however we may be
blessed in holy or soul, something
/ is wanting to enable Gods love to
find its way to our hearts, and that
is-suffer ng.' I could no. understa = d
this at all, and talked to papa about
it afterWard, but he said he thought
it was quite true, and that I should,
too, when I was older. Well. I re
membered this when you were ali out
this morning. and Frances, [ an really
afraid that my life has been all
wrong, for l have b5en trying how
much happiness I could possibly get,
and feeling so miserable when fresh
troubles came"
1T can not be wrong to wish TO
happiness, and one must NATURAL
skrink from troubles" said Frances;
'Fbut I fancy, ma ME, like most of
us, you are rather apt to think that
happiness is the great object Of life. .
Esperance T'Ised in silence. then
said, Yes, just now l am sure my
object in life is to be careful and
saving, so that Gaspard and I may
live together again-to be happy, that
is, in the future"
And that is quite a right object,
but know you will not live through
these three years without any other
motive. You see we were not put into
the world simply to be happy, but to
do something. You will say that is a
truism; but it is one we often lose
sight off,
Il feel as if everything had ended
now Gaspard has gone; there is moth
ing but just to live on at the dean
cry"
But just living on is rather "a
serious business" said Frances, quiet
Iy. ''It is not easy to throw ourselves
into the lives Of others, to help them
and sympathize with them, and love
them. I think there is a good dea
for you to do
81 should like it to be nice doing
said Esperance, "and that is so hard
If one could only choose ones work.
ct would be much more risky, and
we should lose the discipline. All
| I see the corners of your mouth turn
| down at that quotation from youl
| Soeur Therese, but we should be poor
| creatures if we were always allowed
| our own way"
"But still, I do not quite see tha
suffering does so very much for one,
said Esperance, a little impatiently
land surely 1t doesn't please Goi?"
81 think patient endurance does,
said Frances; land He knows wha
suffering is best for u.s. You ma,
talk against it, ma ME, but I thinl
If you remember last autumn and wha
!, you said of it then, you will see tina
suffering has done something for yor
don't think it is good to dwell to
much on such personal experience
but I cannot help remembering som
rather bitter words that Heard tina
day about the impossibility Of lovin
anybody. I think the love is grow
ing"
fYou were very good to bear wit
me: I was dreadful that day, and S
miserable. Yes, I think you and pap
and Monsieur Monod are right-life !
very different now to what it was las
year. and it is not lack of pain tina
has made. me happier"
Frances looked down at the pal'
shadowy face, and felt that indeed
was not but there was something il