The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1900-04-13


East. He was looking for health in
the mountains, and she, in spite of
deadly inconsistencies, would not leave
him alone among strangers.
The train ran up to the mine, pass
ed the switch, and then moved back
again to the station. Here the engine
and some of the passengers abandon
ed the cars, leaving those who OBJ
1ected to the high altitude to wait in
patience. Among the latter were the
Lawrences. The invalid was tired,
and tried to rest with his head on a
shawl of his sisters, in spite of the
shrill call of "Speciments!" which
seemed to come from all sides of the
train. After while, the noisy little
vendors grew tired or discouraged and
quieted down; then suddenly Miss
Lawrence started and listened intent
ly. The little song was wonderfully
sweet and fresh and true and the
voices might have been those of birds
themselves. Everybody turned to the
windows and waited expectantly. This
time 1t was q quaint old hymn for
children.
Miss Lawrence looked out of her
window, and saw Hiram, Nettie, and
Tony standing three in a row." the
blue eyes and the brown looking up
wistfully, half-pleadingly. at the faces
above them. A minutes pause-and
then pennies. nickels, and even dimes
rained down around them. There
was an ecstatic shout from Tony, and
a hasty scramble on the part of all
three for the money. Their hearts
beating fast with excitement and graf
itude, the children drew into line
again, and, with a word from Hiram,
began their sweetest song, Anywhere
with Jesus" Something in the words
and the surroundings went straight to
the heart of the stranger lady just
above them, and when there came the
refrain,
Anywhere with Jesus it is home,
sweet home,
her eyes brimmed over and she turn
ed hastily away, that her brother
might not see.
"The lady wants to speak to you,
Nettie; go on" said Hiram, pushing
his sister before him, like the coward
he was.
81 was so pleased to hear you sing"
said Miss Lawrence, smiling down in
to the eyes under the pink sunbonnet.
won't you tell me where you live and
what you are going to do with so
much money!"
Nettie looked up shyly, but search
ingly, into this different" face from
any of her acquaintance, then bent
her eyes on the ground and told the
whole story of their need and their
experiment.
"My boy" she said, earnestly, 81
should like to see your mother and do
some little thing for her. Will you let
your sister and the little boy take me
to her, and will you go somewhere
and get the steak and some other
things which I'll mark down.
Bring the things I've marked" she
said, "and tell him to send the others.
Take this money"-she handed him a
bill, with a brief, questioning look in
to his eyes-"pay what he asks and
bring back the rest. Go to the best
place you know, and hurry"
Miss Lawrence paused to whisper
to the little girl Can you make a
nice, bright fire in your cook-stove?
Well fix up something nice to eat,
when your brother gets back" Then
she went in to Nettie's mother.
The little girl busted herself about
the fire, trying to clean up little for
the lady, while Tony sat in awe
stricken silence, swinging his short
legs from his fathers chair, and all
the time the children could hear the
sweet, low tones of the stranger lady
as she talked to the sick woman.
Nettie often wondered afterward what
she could have said to make her
mother always refer to her as "tnat
angel" But when Hiram came back,
bringing tea, nice sweet butter, lnd
small tenderloin steak, and when the
lady came out and prepared Il dainty
lunch, such as the children had never
even imagined, and when presently
the market-boy appeared with his
arms full of additional bundles, then
Nettie Hiram, and Tony whispered to-
gether and wondered whether God
sent Miss Lawrence, or whether she
only came because she was good
Just then the stranger pulled out
a wonderful little gold watch and
uttered an exclamation. 81 must go
at once" she said: 'the train goes in
ten minutes" One moment she spent
in taking the address of the market
man, another in saying good-by in the
little bedroom, the next she was fit
ting away down the path to the sta
ton, from which the children present
ly saw the train moving down into the
canyon.
The little group in the cabin never
saw Miss Lawrence again, but many
pleasant reminders of her came to
them by way of the market-man, and
they dated their happier life from the
day when, three in row., they sang
their first song to the passengers on
the tourists train.
"Why, Amy" said the brother, when
the young lady stepped into the car,
where have you been? You look
more like yourself than | have seen
you since we came to Denver. I don't
believe you are homesick to-day"
mo, and won't be any more" with
a mysterious smile. And then Miss
Lawrence settled down silently by the
window and took in all the wonderful
beauty of that descending ride through
the canyon. The strange surround
ings, the unfamiliar sights, no longer
oppressed her, for she seemed still to
hear the sound OF childish voices as
they sang,
Anywhere with Jesus 1t Is home,
sweet homo.
The singers had found their mis-
sion, and she had found hers, and I'M
drea1Red of blessing had come to all
in the finding.-TleC ongregationalist
Expensive.
"How much" inquired the stranger
in the Board of Trade gallery, does
IL cost to belong to this institution 2"