Iron County register., 1899-11-30

by the cozy sittingroom fire ito rest q
bit" after her hard days work.
Just as she was dreaming of &
Thanksgiving long ago when she and
Jim and her brothers and sisters popped
corn and roasted apples before the
great open fire, loud knock caused he1
to jump to her feet in alarm.
''Who on earth can be coming on such
an EVENING"" she muttered drowsily,
as she groped her way through the hall
to the door.
''Why, Mr.. Stanton! what has brought
you up here in such rain as this." she
| exclaimed in surprise. Come right in. -
The cashier of the Newton bank
glanced down at his dripping mackin-
tosh and muddy boots, then at the i'm
maculate oilcloth on the hall floor.
NO. thank you, Miss Sarah,' he an
swered. 81 am in a great hurry.
Haven't you heard the news? The dam
at Watertown has broken; nearly all
the place is submerged, especially the
poorest quarters near the factories.
The people are f1ocking to Newton in
droves. Every hotel, private house and
public building is full and yet more are
coming. 1t is pitiable TO see them
drenched and shivering after walking
four miles in this dreadful rain. Many
of them have had nothing to eat since
early morning. We are trying to find
shelter for them in the nearest farm
houses, and thought, as you haven't
much family and considerable room,
you might accommodate a good num-
ber."
Aunt Sarah's eyes grew round and
her jaw dropped in dismay. At any
other time she would have made the
poor wanderers welcome enough. But
now-and, in imagination, she beheld
the groaning pantry shelves. the shin
ing floors and the beds with their fresh
lavender-scented sheets.
'Mr. Stanton" she began, family, Il
never hated so much to refuse any
thing in all my life. 1t doesn't hardly
look Christian. and under ordinary cir
cumstances | wouldn't think of refus
ing; but my cousin, that haven't seen
for years, is coming tomorrow. His
children never have had real good
Thanksgiving. and l can't think of hav-
ing everything torn up before they get
here. / am dreadful sorry
Mr.. Stanton was disappointed. yet he
went away glad that such an unexpect-
ed pleasure was coming into Aunt Sa-
rah's life. He quite understood her
feelings, though when he thought of
the miserable unsheltered creatures in
the town, he wished it might have been
otherwise.
Aunt Sarah turned from the door
with heavy heart. The brightness and
warmth of the sitting-room smote her
with deep sense of guilt. She tried to
put the matter from her mind: but
every time she looked into the glowing
flames she saw a host of cold. haggard
faces. Unable to bear it longer. she left
the room on the pretext of seeing that
all was well upstairs. She passed from
one to another of the neat bedrooms.
Never before had the old-fashioned,
high-posted beds looked so inviting. She
paused in deep thought. Suddenly her
eyes rested upon faded sampler she
had worked when a child. The long.
uneven letters in red. green and purple
silk danced before her eyes. ''Inasmuch
as We have done it unto one of the least
of these, My brethren, We have done it
unto Me-"
Done it unto Me-" the words echoed
in her ears. What if He were out in
the rain hungry and cold, would she
have treated Him thus?
She sank beside the bed and bur-
led her face in her hands.
Dear Lord" she sobbed, ''it is so
hard, when it is the only pleasure I've
had since mother died, five long years
ago. I wasn't expecting it, and it all
came so sudden like, and now to have
it spoiled. But for Thy sake, Lord. |
accept the sacrificed"
"Susie Belle" said Aunt Sarah O.