The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1902-03-21

| Vane's invita- ton to Barbara to come
to her evening gathering. Mrs. Ward
had not yet limited at any means for
| realizing such a project,
"How much do you suppose such a
building would cost?" Mrs. Ward
asked, noting Barbara's growing in
| terest.
80, I've no real idea: Almost any
amount. It would cost good deal to
maintain it, also. The greatest diff
Guilty would be to secure proper per-
SON for superintendent
"And then the next thing would be
to get the girls to attend the house
keeping school"
81 think we could find plenty of
girls
I'm not so sanguine as you are, Bar
bara," Mrs. Ward answered, slowly.
"But Mr.. Ward and 1 are willing to
show our faith in such an attempt by
given $4,000 towards the erection of
such building"
She explained to Barbara Aunt Wal
lace's legacy, and added that Mr..
Ward had offered to put $500 more
with it to make it $4,000.
II think Mrs. Vane and some of the
other ladies in our church and society
will give something, SO that we can
Begin with a pretty good building and
have enough to equip and run it. Sup
pose you go over and see Mrs. Vane
some day this week and have a talk
with her about it,
81 WILL" said Barbara, tingling with
eagerness. Something real and tan
giLle seemed about to come to mass in
her career. She grew exci.>4 IS she
thought of possibilities. A building
of the kind she had dreamed of was
not by any means an answer to the
servant girl problem, but it was at
least real thing, and if the idea was
properly worked out it might result
in great things.
So she talked with herself as she
sung at her work that afternoon and
resolved to go over to Mrs. Vane's at
once, and yet even in the midst of her
growing excitement and her genuine
interest in her career, Barbara was
not altogether free from depression
that had its origin in the best feeling
she had ever known. This feeling
was her love for the young minister,
Mr.. Morton. Barbara no longer tried
to conceal from herself that he had
become real part of her life. The
trouble in the Ward household had all
tended indirectly to increase her adj
miration for him. With the tenderest
sympathy he had entered into the
family's grief. 1t was only natural
that in the weeks that followed Carl's
death Mr.. Morton should call fire.
quently at the house where he had
become such familiar guest in col
lege days. Scarcely day passed
when he did not drop in for meal,
or to spend part of an evening.
In one way and another Barbara
met him good deal. He was always
the same earnest, gentlemanly. kindly
speaker and listener. Gradually in
little moments of conversation when
Mrs. Ward was not able to come down,
and Mr.. Ward and Morton had lin
gered over little talk on social ques-
tons after tea, Barbara had taken an
unconscious part in the discussion
More than once she had with almost
guilty haste gone out of the sitting
room after one of those important
discussions in which she had revealed
a part of her ambitions to the young
minister and Mr.. Ward; and in the
midst of her work, as she finished
some kitchen task, she reproached
her heart for yielding to what seemed
like hopeless affection. But the
girls life was opening into full bios
som under the spell of power as old
as the human race, as divine an in
stinct, as religious hunger, as hui
manity ever knew. She was more
than dimly conscious of all this, even
in the midst of her self-reproaches.
But the consciousness of her posi-
ton as household servant and of his
position as leader in the pulpit of the
most influential church in Crawford
was sharply painful. The gulf be-
tween them was not very deep per-
sonally. She was fully as well edu-
Gated along lines of general culture.
She was almost his equal in matters
of knowledge and perception. 1t was
the social distinction that separated
them. And, as the days went by and
she felt more and more the mental
stimulus of his presence and the at
tractiveness of his manner towards
her, she shrunk from the thought of
the suffering in the future which she
was making for herself in even allow
ing his life to become part of hers.