The Republican journal., 1901-02-28

happy hearted child, Ii" WHOSE NE .
new and beautiful world had dawned.
10 Myrtle, Grace was motner, s1ste r,
companion, and the one Irieno 10 who m
her heart could entrust all the joys and
SORROWS that the coming years might
bring. They had shared eacn oIners SYM
pathy when death had TAKEN from them
| the strong support that each felt in the
noble heart and life of Patience Reed,
and while Grace took up the unfinished
work that Patience had left to her in
MYRTLE. her own childhood seemed to
come back again from the dead past
| It is needless to say there were hours of
disbursement. Grace had formerly
boarded with private family, but
when she knew Myrtle was to share her
home. she rented little cottage on a
| quiet but pleasant street that gradually
| descended toward the water. The
many beautiful homes adjoining were
occupied chiefly by wealthy, retired sea
captains and their families. There
were evergreen hedges and ornamental
| trees. and it was now nearing the time
when the gardener was to commence
work arranging mounds for flowers on
either side of the walks leading to the
green and nicely kept lawns in front of
palatial residences.
Grace, assisted by Myrtle, made circu-
lar mounds for flowers around the trees
in front of their cottage and Woodbine
and honeysuckle to Irvine around the
pillars in front of the little porch, and
where the first beams of the morning
sun peeped in at the window to waken
Myrtle from her nights slumber she
planted sweet peas and morning glories
whose fragrance and beauty first greet
| ed her with the morning sunshine.
Across the street was an elegant
home whose luxurious surroundings be-
tokened wealth and culture, but with
in was sad and lonely widow, whose
family, one by one, had been laid to
rest in the village cemetery, and the
white sentinelS that so faithfully guard
ed her dead she watched with teal
dimmed eyes from her favorite seat by
window that overlooked the silent
city. Her life, ere the death angel had
entered her home, was one of the few
that knew no blight or shadow. Now,
| how changed When the cottage across
! the way was opened she began to watch
with increasing interest the little Myr-
| tie as with the birds and bees she fitted
among the flowers She thought she
, had never seen so beautiful a child.
Her sunny curls were floating at the
mercy of every breeze, her broad hat
hanging from her shoulders by blue
! ribbon tied under her dimpled chin and
matching the blue of her laughing eyes.
Between Grace and the lonely widow
there was dawning a lifelong friend
ship. The summer was speeding away,
and with it the brightest vacation Grace
had known since she parted from Pa
tience. A small portion of each day
was spent by Myrtle in study, in which
Grace assisted her, but with the begin
ming of the term her real school life
/ was to begin.
! Five years have passed, and each
/ swiftly rolling season, that often brings
so much more Of sorrow than joy in an
! earthly pilgrimage, to Grace and Myrtle
seemed only freighted with blessings.
To Grace something to work and care
for had brought happiness, and now as
they sit in the coy study, by the open
fire, you could hardly recognize in the
rounded form and rosy, dimpled face,
every feature, the pale, sad-eyed little
! Myrtle, who five years before sobbed
her last good-by to the graves that COW
cred all that made life bright and happy.
The two weeks vacation between the
winter and spring terms have nearly
closed 1t is Myrtle's Junior year and
her class are competing for the prize
offered for the best essay. With par
donable pride Grace looks upon her
young charge as with one plump hand
she supports her finely formed head,
glistening with its wealth of shining
curls. The fixed and thoughtful ex-
preston of her earnest eyes shows that
her whole soul is wrapped in deep con-
centrated thought. At length with a
graceful gesture, that reveals to Grace
that her thoughts are now embodied in
language, she brushes back from her
thoughtful brow the ringlets that have
fallen through her rosy fingers, and
Selling her pen dashed off the sentences
that are to complete her essay. 'There.
aunty Grace" she exclaimed, as she
rises, the thoughtful expression, far be-
yond her years, giving place to the bril-
liant sparkle of youth and happiness,
''NoW will read it to you, and | want
you to tell me if you think | will get
the prize" As the clear, sweet tones so
earnestly and expressively brought out
the pure, deep thought, Grace felt the
emotions that true lover OF music eX
touched the keys and poured out his
soul in song. She knew that in Myrtle s
pen lay her richest gift, yet she repress-
ed the happy tears that would betray
deep feeling and raise hopes that might
be cruelty crushed, so when the music
of Myrtle's voice ceased, she replied as
she arose and lovingly caressed her
shining curls, There is chance for
you, Myrtle, dear but you know there
are older girls in your class, who are
fine scholars, and you must not expect
too much"
Almost every New England village
has it's John Smith, its Tom Brown and
Bill Jones, nor was the little village of
B lacking in these dignitaries It was
stormy day following that in which
the distribution of the junior prizes
were announced and, as usual, there
was great deal of talk and not little
dissatisfaction. A party of loafers was
assembled in the village grocery store,
smoking, splitting and chewing with
their usual vigor John Smith, how
ever, did not expend his energies upon
either, but seated in his usual corner
was whetting his jack-knife preparing
to white. Suddenly raising his eyes
and resting a moment from his work,
he exclaimed, 'Say, boys! hain't that
little girl that took the first prize a
beauty. They du say that when the
money was put inter her hand she re-
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