Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1901-06-26

.quieted, she said: Il always meant to
talk TO you about your name, Pen, dear,
but was waiting until you were little
older. regret did not do it sooner but
had no idea what my little daughter
was bearing.
You know your father and | lived in
England years before you were bora.
Your brother. whom You never saw, hes
i'm a green church yard there. We were
poor, and life was pretty hard for us, so
we decided to try our fortune ia the
United States. Everything prospered
with us after we came here. Your faith
er found constant work. and We were
very happy. | suppose that is the reason
why he became so devoted to his adopted
country. He used TO say he was the
best kind of an American citizen others
We're born so, but he was one from choice.
Then the Civil War broke out and could
see he was uneasy thinking he ought to
enlist, but he would not do so until he had
saved enough money to keep me comfort
ably, and so matters went On until the
second year of the war. / remember il
was the Goth of March previous to your
birthday. The last think he whispered
TO me was: If baby comes call it indie
pendence That name win answer for
boy or girl and it fits so well on Day
II partly believe he meant it for a joke
to make me smile instead of cry, but
there was no time to explain. for the next
minute he had kissed me and was gone.
l need not tell you how lonely and anx-
ious | was. The time went on to those
dreadful days in the first week of July.
1868. Yes, your father was at Gettys-
burg. How anxiously | watched the pa
pers and on the third-that's nine years
ago t0-day-the evening paper brought
the terrible news to me. as to many an
other woman. There was the list of the
dead, and taere was his regiment; there
was his company and there was his name
James Day. No other man named Day
in that company; there could be no mis-
take He had been killed in the first of
the fighting. / can see those fearful let
tiers now when | shut my eyes"
Here Mrs. Day broke down. and little
Pen could not say h word, only stroked
her mothers hand silently. After min
ute Mrs. Day controlled herself next
morning. the morning of July 4, you
came, my darling. my comforter, and this
is the reason you are Independence Day
are your fathers own ehild-his hair, his
eyes, even his intense nature, are yours.
Now that she knows, l am sure my little
daughter will be as brave as he was, and
proud of her name because of him. Re
member always. dear, not a boy of them
would laugh if they knew the real story"
So it happened that when Miss indie
pendence Day went to school on the
morning of July 3. there was a certain
new dignity in the childs bearing: when
roll call came her voice had lost its petu-
lance and had gained an unknown sweet
ness, withal ring that reminded one Of
a clear toned bell. Something in her air
said, You may tease me as much as you
like, shan't mind. for I've got a secret"
and we all know that when boys find
teasing does not tease they stop. This
is not all, however, nor even the best part
of the story. One day before her tor
mentors had grown tired of stirring her
up as they called it she CHANGED TO wear
a string Of coral beads. Jack Lyman,
the would-be wit OF the school, snatched
at it ru6ely. calling out, Here's Indies
coral srauR~ Seeing her look Of per
piexity he added mockingly: IF yer don't
know what hat means. better jine a
girls missionary s'ciety.
Stung by the contempt in his voice,
resoiute little Independence made up her
mind she would know what it meant. OF
course she asked brr mother, and, though
Mrs. Day was nor over wise on mission
airy topics, she had heard Bishop Heber's
grand old hymn and explained its mean
ing as best she could. The story took
hold Of the child with a strong fascina-
ton. She never would put on those beads
again. but she often took them out Of
their box and looked at them with some
thing like affection. repeating softly 10
herself, Indies coral strand" She al
ways said Indies. not midas, as IL IL
were a personal possession.
God sometimes uses small means 10 ac-
complish great purposes. By such little
things the girls interest IN missions was
awakened. II grew as she grew to wom-