The Lamar register., 1900-12-12


elbows on the toilet table and dropped
her white chin into them.
All the evening her thoughts had
been back with her mother-remem-
bering her sorrows and sufferings-
and yet there kept running in her mind
also the words she had just read.
Love your enemies" All how i'm
possible 1t seemed to how many more
than poor little Mollie has it appeared
too hard a precept to follow! But
she struggled for it, asking help from
above to forgive Leonard Barlowe, and
endeavor to live in peace with her
relatives, returning good for evil.
A hasty rafting at the door handle,
Kate's voice screaming. reused her,
and, running to open it. the child al
most fell against her. her thin little
face colorless, her tiny hands grasping.
as IL for dear life. at the folds of her
dressing gown.
Let me stay with you. dear. dear
Mollie!" she sobbed and sighed. II
cannot-cannot stop alone; l should
die!"
1t was terrible to see the nervous
excitement. the fear that shook the
child from head to foot. and as Mollie
caught her up she only remembered
that she was her mothers baby, the
little sister she had tried to love. Shut
ting the door. she carried her to the
window. pausing to wrap rug round
her. for she was in her small night
f,,ot ho hoA f,yur
bed. and shivering violently.
Yes. yes. you shall stay with me-"
she said soothingly. in her round. soft
voice. But what is the matter?
Where are Jane and Harriet?"
Jane has gone; she said she was
not going to stay in this house to-
night for anything we could offer her.
She Just got the gardeners boy to take
her box after dark, and went. I don't
know what Aunt Clare will say. and
harriet will not sleep in my room
without her."
What! they both slept there?"
"Yes, because of the strange noises
and-and things. woke up and called
out. and when I got up and felt Har-
riet was not there, and her blankets
were gone. my heart seemed to stop
beating-I could not breathe. All I
thought of was you; | should be safe
II could get to you. Something passed
me in the passage; l felt 1t brushing
against me. 1t was ghost. wasn't
it," And she covered down into Mol
lies arms, pitiable object indeed.
Kate was almost beside herself, and
it was long ere Mollie could calm her
agitation. Inwardly the sisters heart
burned with wrath against the two
maids, who in their own ignorant fear
had left this highly-strung child alone
at such a time, after the shock OF the
preceding year. Seriously alarmed.
she rubbed the Icy little hands and
eeet. talking cheerfully the while, and
then rocked to and fro until the
breathing grew quieter. and the fiaxen
head lay still on her shoulder. while
she hummed the old lullaby which had
sounded in her own drowsy ears when
she was a little child.
Mother sang that" Kate said sud-
denly locking up with faint smile.
when / found was alone, | said all
could remember of my prayers-'Our
Father over and over again"
Il am glad Of that" replied Mollie
simply. 81 feared you did not, Kate"
Il am a Freethinker in the daytime;
but at night in the dark, when l am
frightened. | always say all can
think Of" said the child, with quaint
innocence, all the self-importance
knocked out of her for the moment
by terror.
She listened very quietly when Mol
lie tried to show her that this was
wrong, and then her thoughts went
back to the last Easter eve, and she
spoke of her father
"It was very cold-oh, very!" she
said reflectively. He took me out in
the dogcart, and l cried with the cold,
so he was cross. / did not know he
was going to die, you see. or l would
have tried not to-"
But you loved him, Kate?"
Pretty well,' she responded truth
fully, for she had not words to ex-
press what she was sharp enough to
know-that her father had cared for
her for what she had represented to
him. when | went to the study to
say good night to him, he called out
he was busy. SO l went away. Next