The record-union., 1899-08-28
hoods So1abhM
HZazl!2:l ! 3:lJ51nD

have been you, miss, to-day, with the
bird in his hand, and says he
But begin your pardon; you was
saying ?"-
What will you take for the bird?
she asked, not feeling quite so sure of
her cause, now she had actually
plunged into the battle.
Wouldn't sell him. miss: wouldn't
take sovereign for him, not if I was
starving"
Evelyn took out her purse and count
ed it's contents-two and sevenpence
halfpenny. She drew out two shillings,
saying in firm and superior tones: 1.-TWO
shillings; not penny more
The old man looked at her kindly, and
explained gently, as if to a child tit
was really very irritating):
mo, miss, don't want to sell him.
was sayin', you wee, it was my lad gave
me the little bird before he went to sea.
No, I'm not likely to part with him for
that, dearie." indicating the coin with
smiling contempt "Ay. and him all
the chick or child I've got left since
Dick died. 1t minds me O. my lad
when I hear him sing so bright; often
when I'm feeling lonesome and low
spirited he'll chime in so CHEEKY, and
set me thinlxin how my boys coming
soon-eh, dear! eh, dearl No, you
can't have him; but never mind, never
mind" He nodded kindly, as if to
comfort her in her disappointment.
Evelyn's patience could stand it no
longer.
DO you suppose 1 want to keep the
poor bird?" she broke forth. Il want
to buy it to give it back it's liberty, to
let it be free in the fields and the blue
sky Surely you know how very, very
cruel it is to confine a creature made
to soar and sink at the very gates Of
heaven in a. narrow cage with scarce
room to turn
This was delivered fiuently, being
verbatim quotation from her speech at
the opening meeting Of the before men
| toned society.
Poor, miserable bird!" she conclud-
ed, apostrophizing the unconscious
lark.
The cobbler, simple soull was good
deal taken aback at this convincing
trade He attempted a defense, how
ever
Nay, he's not miserable-hear to
him sing; would he sing like that if he
weren't happy?"
Yes cried Evelyn, "he sings be-
cause he longs to be free; that is the
song of despair, and not of joy"
The old fellows face fell. Her elo-
quence half convinced him. Evelyn felt
rather heated, and wanted, she didn' t
know why, to get out of the shop.
Come she said, again proffering a
coin. 1.-TWO and six, and far more
| than the wretched bird is WORTH
Nay" he said sadly, I'm not going
to sell him. He's like an old friend to
| me, and he loves me, too, that he does" !"
keep your bird, theni'' cried the an
CRY reformer; keep it, and let it die
in it's miserable prison. Some day you
will perhaps repent your wanton cruel
ty" with which grandiloquent threat
she departed, with rather more haste
than dignity.
That night, getting into bed, Evelyn
came to the conclusion that she had
| made rather poor show.
She had also a lurking idea that her
motive had not been quite SO much the
cause of righteousness as the pleasure
of reporting progress to her new So
ciety. Her passionate words kept re-
curing to her as she lay sleepless half
through the night. She wondered If
| little birds had their duty to do, as she
| had; whether, perhaps, in giving pleas
ure to a lonely old mans declining
days, the lark might not be uncon-
sciously doing it's great Makers bid
ding in the place for which He intended
| it. She was, she decided, oyeryoung 10
| judge so hastily. And, being thought
| full and conscientious girl, she bravely
resolved to go the next morning, hum
BILE her pride to the dust, and own her
| self in the wrong.
| About 9 o'clock the next morning,
walking, with rather a red face, up the
narrow street, she perceived the old
fellow standing at his door with the
empty cage in his hand; he was gazing
| toward the sky, and she saw q tear
| trickle down his wrinkled cheek. He
| turned as she approached, and smiled
mournfully in answer to her inquiring
! glance.
Maybe you was right, miss" he
| said; maybe" He passed into his
shop as a sob checked his utterance.
| Evelyn turned away abruptly. Never
| in her life had she been so much
ashamed of herself.-Sunday Magazine.
| Dentist and Christian Scientist.
| The Jovial Dentist is a scientist and
presumably a Christian, but the ways
of the Christian scientists are a mys-
| terry to him, remarks the Buffalo Eek
| press
1.-THE other day." he said, zone of the
| leading Christian scientists in Buffalo
came to me to get some work done. He
needed it badly.
"'You are a Christian scientist. are
! you not?' / asked him.
| He admitted it, thanking God that
| he was not as some other men are.
| "'Am / right I asked as I made
| ready to operate on him, in under
standing that you deny the existence OF
! disease?'
Yes he said, there is no disease
Then, my friend, why do you come
to have this tooth operated on?'
.Well, he evaded the question, said
that it was difficult to shed light on
minds that had not been touched by
grace, and intimated that his time was
| limited. So was mine and / said no
| more, but put on the forceps and did
my duty.
How he yelledl You could have
a patient in a year that made such a
fuss.
My dear SIR I asked soothingly, as
he quieted down, am l right in under
standing that in your view there is no