The Indianapolis journal., 1903-12-27

Es-SxFxI Sunda y-school chair and watched
49, her teacher with adoring eyes. At
home 'Melia was supposed TO lay aside her
furs as soon as she entered the Sunday
school for fear that she would not feel
them when she went out, and would catch
cold. Melia. however, knew better than
the grownups. cozy in the warm steam
heated library at home, that furs were
needed almost as much in the still chill
of that particular Methodist Sundayschool
room as on the wind blown street. The
room was in the high north wing of the
big. cold-looking church. and most sun
days in the winter the overworked janitor
forgot to turn heat into it early so that
'Melia's little pink nose found the depths
of her soft muff comforting.
The other little girls sometimes whispered
and giggled among themselves in class time.
but not 'Melia. She had a reverence for
teacher which she could not put into ade-
quate words but which shone out through
her eyes that were always grave and SOL
emn in Sunday-school session. Mrs. Ray
mond was a serious minded lady with a
gentle voice, and the big eyes and tiny
mouth and sloping shoulders that made
'Mela think of the portraits of her own
great-grandmother which she never tired
of contemplating, and of the widespread
ing ladies in the old fashioned magazines
over which she loved TO pore. 'Mela cher
ished a fond belief. unconfessed, that per-
haps when she grew up and her skirts grew
wide and spready, that her mouth would
shrink and her eyes enlarge to the proper
tions shown by those languishing ladies.
OF late too. she had cultivated a habit of
ctn ha cfn Saf N eff
to acquire the sloping shoulders belonging
to the ladies of the old prints and Mrs.
Raymond.
To-day Mrs. Raymond was talking earn
estly in her gentle voice about the evils of
dancing There are many in the church
to-day who do not hold with the old be-
liefs, she said, land there are many of
the prominent people of our own congrega-
ton who dance and let their children dance.
But there are still many of us who set our
faces against the sinful pastime. L should
be cut to the heart if l thought any of my
dear little girls would ever learn to dance
1t is not the dancing in itself that is
wicked. but it is the paths of depravity into
which it leads you that we would guard
you from
'Melia wondered vaguely how one told
path of depravity whea one came TO it. She
was thrilled, however, by the emotion that
! colOred Mrs. RaymOnd's voice. Little cold
shivers part atmosphere and part emotion
ran up and down her short spinal column as
she listened while teacher talked growing
ever more impassioned until she reached her
conclusion that dancing might mean in the
end the losing of ones soul. 'Melia shud-
dered. Paths of depravity were fearsome,
but-the loss of ones soul-whO could con-
slider that and then lightly dance.
Card playing, too, was another OF the sins
! that Mrs. Raymond besought her little girls
to keep their short skirts clear of, which
was trifle anticipatory, as no one Of her
| little girls knew one card from another.
! 'Melia listened with twinges of conscience,
for the easy-gong folks at home played
| cards almost nightly, and she not infre-
| quently leaned against fathers chair and
| played the cards for him which he picked
| out. And yet she could not think that her
own grown-ups were very wicked. Ought
| she to say so to Mrs. Raymond-or ought
| she on the other hand, try to convince
| father and mother of the error OF their
| ways. Her receptive mind hesitated be-
| tween two duties
I'm goin' to spend my fl cents for cream
| armels to-day" whispered Pauline TO
'Melia during the closing exercises. Pauline
and Melia were best friends and it was
because of Pauline that Melia, the young
| est member of an easy-going Presbyterian
household, was enrolled on the list of a
/ Methodist Sunday school. Let the child
| go where she likes" said father. Shell
end up all right where she belongs"
'Melia wiggled uneasily. Her own five
cents was deposited each Sunday in the
envelope at the back of the class book.
| She did not hold with those of the little
| girls who saved their Sunday school nickeIs
| and dimes TO be spent later at the little
candy shop in the next block. She always
went along with the little candy shop
/ throng and ate afterwards of the candy
from the little yellow paper sacks. AS she
ate she hesitated always between a de-
sire to refuse the candy because it was
wrong to buy it with Sunday school money
and a fear of hurting her playmates' feel
ings by refusal
To-day as they trotted along to the
candy shop she revolved in her mind the
feasibility of pointing out TO Pauline the
error of her ways. but before she reached
any decision in the matter Pauline dis
| turbed the trend or ner thought.
"Oh. I'm going 10 start to dancing school
this week an so are you, too-your mamma
told my mamma so. Won't it be lovely?"
'Melia's heart stood still. Dance-when
she had just learned that TO dance might
for her spell endless night. "She never-oh
say she never-Pauline," she cried, tensely
"She did. too." Pauline insisted. "I hearo
her say so yesterday. Why don't you want
| to go Melia?-I think it's just lovely"
| 'Melia grasped her arm,
"Why don't you know what Mrs Ray
mond said?" she cried. "She said maybe
we'd lose our souls If we did"
why that's wicked, 'Melia Browne, "
said Pauline severely. Sides tisn't so
cause my mammals just as good a Metho-
dist as Mrs. Raymond and 1 guess if she
! let's dance it's all right"
But 'Melias mind refused the opinion OF
lighter counselors and held TO the belief
of her beloved Sundav-school teacher Oh
course Mrs. Raymond knew-how else
could she be a Sunday-school teacher She
waited in dread for the announcement
which she felt hanging like a sword above
her innocent head. 1t came that evening
AS she sat with head bent over a book OF
fairy tales beneath the library lamp she