Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1904-08-25
Her Word of Cheer


-~o~~-~~~-o-~--N~
Mn ARION SCHUYLER bent
JMl slightly forward in her faith
er's pew as the door from the
pastors study into the auditorium Of
st. Margaret's Church opened and
closed. Then she leaned back with a
little sigh.
This made the sixteenth candidate
for the pulpit since the resigna ton of
Rev. Emmanuel Boyce. They had
ranged all the way from the young
collegian, with his sleek. dark head.
clean shaven jaws and palpably built
ont shoulders to this
| Her eyes went to the nervous hands
arranging the papers on the reading
desk-hands which. in some unac-
cOuntable way. spoke OF failure and
isappOntment-to the well-brushed,
threadbare coat, with its carefully
darned triangular tear on the sleeve
She felt suddenly sorry for Rev. John
Tinsdale
Possibly she was the only one who
even tried to follow him as he plowed
his near-sighted. nervous way through
page after page Of manuscript.
And possibly, also, three months be-
| fore she might not have done so. but
the song of the springtime was singing
itself in Marion Schueers heart, and
the abundance of her happiness over
flowed in pity for those less blessed
than herself.
| When the service was over John
Tinsdale left the platform and stood
with clasped hands in front Of It, He
had no need to uncasp them Not one
person out OF that vast congregation
came forward to speak to him. And
no one suspected that the young man
was slowly but surely drinking the
dregs Of very bitter cup.
For IA year past the thought that his
ministry was a failure had haunted
him night and day. And he had made
of this service test He would preach
In strange church to a strange peo-
pie.
No one would be biased for or
against him. If anyone. even ,..le
; child. said afterward that he had help
ed him he would keep on. II not
His eyes grew hard and bright with
bitter certainty as the people moved
slowly out. Then he became suddenly
aware that someone stood beside him.
1t might have gone hard with John
Tinsdale just then If 10 years Of love
.,Il
not run like bright thread through
his life for the girl who had come for
ward to speak to him was the very EN-
bodiment of beauty and happiness.
MIR. Tinsdale." she sal eagerly, II
want to thank you SO much for what
you said this morning really think
you were sent here to save me from
becoming seltiShly absorbed in-my
own-ioy."
John TinSdale took the hand she
held out. though he hardly saw her
face for the mist which had suddenly
risen to his eyes The quick revusion
of feeling left him dizzy for mo
ment. He was to keep on.
When she ran down the rear stairs
of the church to speak to the janitor
upon the following Sunday. a figure
stood at the foot which looked sadly
out of place within the fashionable pre-
cincts Of st. Margaret's.
AT another time Marion might have
wondered why women with colorlesS
hair and eyes always affected neutral
tints in dress. But something beauti-
full in the pale face. something which
unwittingly told the story Of years Of
!. cheerful self -sacrfice. held her mind
!, from other thoughts.
Miss Schueler?" The girl in drab
advanced slightly. with her eyes fixed
intently on Marion's face.
The latter bowed, her dark eyebrows
raising themselves slightly in vague
surprise.
Il came here from Carson Centre
on purpose to see you"
"Indecd?"
Miss Schueler smiled, and the other
girl WINGED at the new beauty it added
to her face.
"He-he has never ceased talking
: about you since last sunday" she
broke out, chokingly.
He, WhO?"
"John-John Tinsdale o. don't
wonder-now that I've seen you
Marion opened the door Of the ladies'
parlor hastily and drew the other wo-
man aside. Gently she forced her into
chair and. dra wing another before
it, took the cold, ifeless hands in her
own.
Now" she said. steadily. tell lne
q who you are. Not his wife,"
II mo, but-we have been engaged for
eight years"