Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1902-03-01
THE CONTRARINESS OF MARY.
BY Elizabeth McCrsclsen.


| - W pH YOU uONH ann
see my garden grow" before you go
away? | know you will see how val
liable all lives are if you will just see
and know some that are different from
yours. You Judge TOO much in the
light of your own theories" ("T1e
audacity OF the boy" exclaimed the
thcorist.D You don't realize that the
poorest. smallest human life is part
of the plan OF the world. and can't be
iisregarded or forgotten
| You'll come down on Thursday
won't you? Please do. When are you
going to California;
Mary slowly put the letter in the en-
veloLe
Perhaps | haven't been very nice to
Burney. He is trying to do good. but
he IS carried away by enthusiasm.
don't know much about Stun people.
but do know how they live. They
are just like animals; they have no
higher natures. They don't have any
IDEALS
Mary pulled out Burney's letter and
read it for the second time.
IN 90 Thursday ! might as well;
and Grace wants TO hear about it,
She went upstairs to her room AMI
wrote 2 note To Burney In the POSE
script she said. Il am not yet abso-
| lutely certain that | shall go TO Cali
fcrnia. II | do it will be next week ="
| DIR. Burney Harriston's Fresh Air
Hospital for children was merely Il
large house. very near the sea and not
far from the city. and il had room for
twenty children. Interested and gen
erous friends had provided Burney
| with funds for the work. and five Or
six nurses. who expected no summer
employment mad volunteered their
services
Why. Burney." exclaimed Mary IN
Thursday morning. as they approach
ed the hospital. 1t looks like an or
dinary house
IL is an ordinary house-only witt,
more children in it than most houses
| have"
What kind of children are they
Irish?" asked Mary. mindful of her
friends questions.
Some OF them. There arc all kinds
They aren't very i'll. most of them
| They merely need little special as
sistance and good food and fresh air
Some of them would have died without
it,"
20 Burncy. wouldn't it have been
better for them if they had?" asked
..ary.
Mary. how can You ask that?" said
the young doctor rel roachfully.
1T seems better TO me. Burney. But
don't look so shocked. Show me your
hospital. Ii Is very much like a hos
| pital inside. except that the rooms
haven't so many beds: and there are
so many windows that its like being
outdoors"
That's The important part of it,
said Burney. eager to explain. You
see the children need principally al:
and they get lot this way: and il
does them so much good" Burney
fell into Marys habit of italicizing.
and Mary smiled at him more ap-
| provingly.
Now. Mary. have to go around anu
see the patients. Will you come or
will YOU wander about as you like?"
I'll wander. thank you." said Mars
1T will be more interesting"
She felt out of her element with the
nurses: they evidently looked upon
her as superfuous. and Mary was not
| accustomed 20 being viewed in any
| such light.
| She peeped into the dining-room.
smiled at the queer kitchen, examined
with interest the cots on the broad
| piazza. and finally went into one %
the cool rooms. through the door of
which she saw four little white beds.
The little children in the beds were
asleep. and Mary would have left the
room had her attention not been at
tracted by n man who sat beside the
bed in the corner. with his heavy eyes
| fixed upon the small yellow head rest
ing on the Iillow. He was. to all ap-
| pearances. a commonplace Irish lab
orer. but something in his utter alb
sorption in the child aroused Mary's
| curiosity.
She stepped lightly across the room
and looked at the small. white face.
with its pathetic mouth and dro!l.
| little turned-up nose
What a cunning little girl" she
| said to the man. resolving TO scoid
Burney for failing TO tell her the chill
| dren in the hospital were so dear.
Sure. miss. an it's thot she is. She's
me only wan. and she's the ami.ige of
| her mother. She's homely. but she's
| real cute"
why. she's pretty" said Mary. ar
| gumentatively.
An do yom think so. miss? Well
an I've seen wnsslookin' vans" He
carefully smothed the coverIet with
| his coarse red hand
she isn't very Ill. is she?" Mary
| asked
Where is her mother" she added
suddenly remembering that the man
had mentioned her.
'Ah. miss. shes dead: an me little
| aur-rl would ha' been dead. too. but
Tor Docthor Harriston. An do you
know Docthor Iiarriston. miss"
oh, yes. he is my cousin know
him very well" said Mary.
Sure it's foine man ye be
| innxvin'. a.