The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-07-17

3 tile cIiu OF TieT StOry. Sucn IS my meth
3D.
Grace and Mrs. Russell had been talk
ing about what they called cycle" Ct
songs, and Grace said she would sing
some of them for Mrs. Russell, and she
did. | was sitting by the window look
ing out on the whirling eddies of feath-
cry flakes, that were coming down just
as hard as they could, and was wonder
ing how / could best occupy the few re-
naming years that lie before me- For
of course | realize that | shall not live
long. You know how it was with Keats
and Shelley and Charlotte Bronte. The
true artist always gives his beautiful
message to the world and then fades
away young. I was thinking how sad it
was, and remembering how easily / take
cold, and wondering whether it would be
consumption, when all of a sudden some
words Grace was singing caught my at
tention. They were German, but papa IS
very particular about having me study
the modern languages, SO / understood
them. They were about some beautiful
Sister in a convent, and little child was
asked which was the most beautiful of
all the Sisters. and he cried, cts r.
mingarde.' The music is lovely just as
he says this. You feel your heart turn
right straight over as you listen. /
jumped up and asked Grace what the
song was, and she looked fustered and
began to talk about something else very
fast, and later | heard her say to Mrs.
Russell in a low voice that she had for
gotten that child was round. Then [
knew she meant me, and | rose and
swept haughtily out of the room. But
all the same | was interested and | re-
mernbered the sweet sad strain of the
music, and began to think of our own
Sister Irmingarde at St. Catharine's, and
a great revelation came to me- just as if
you turned on an electric light in
dark room / knew what was the matter
with me. [ knew | loved Sister Irrnin-
garde, and that the reason | wanted to
go back to school was because l missed
her.
1t surprised me so and it stirred my
whole nature so profoundly that l sat
right down on the floor in the hall to
think it over. Grace was singing again
and the music came to me plainly, but
| could not hear any more words. Every
thing | thought of made it clearer and
more convincing. | could remember the
littlest things about our Sister Irrnin-
garde-I mean even the things that were
not important. / could see just how her
eyes loolled-she has blue ones with the
dearest twinkle in them. And she smiles
a great deal, though you can see that she
tries not to, for she thinks Sister
mustn't. Then she's very serious and
dignifed for quite a while afterwards.
Often she smiles at something we girls
think is not funny at all We don't al
ways understand quite what she is smil-
ing at Then, sometimes when we are
very much amused, she isn't-but this |
have noticed in all too many grown-up
people. My father and mother frequent
ly laugh at things I know are serious
and vital; and even Grace does it, too, |
sometimes.
Well, Just sat there and let Memory |
paint her beautiful pictures on the wall, |
as the poet says, and they all had Sister |
Irmingarde in them. / recalled the time |
last month when she kept me after the |
others to tell me she was afraid my liter |
airy ambitions were distracting my mind |
from my other studies, and she talked to |
me beautifully about how | needed the |
other things too. It impressed me so |
much that l went right straight off and |
studied all my lessons, and when Maudie |
Joyce and Mabel Blossom came and rap |
ped at my door turned my ear coldly |
from their siren songs. That means |
didn't open the door. They were mad, |
too, and didn't give me any of the cake {
Mabels aunt had sent her, and they ate
it all and it made them sick. But that !
is not part of this story. so | will pass |
on without saying any Of the |
things I could say right in here if |
wished. Then there was the time Sister |
Irmingarde let me walk to the gate with |
her. | hadn't realized then what it was
TO me, but / did now, and l got right up |
that minute and wrote it in my diary. !
And | added these words:
December 2z.-Love came into my
life this day"
For you see I never had really cared
for any one before ia that strange, up-
lifting way The other girls had, and !
talked about it. and it was rather annoy
ing sometimes to Maudie and Mabel and
me, because it always made them want
to be so much better and nobler that they
Often it lasted for months and they
they missed things, but now | know
better. Love is indeed the great in
structor Now I could understand
Mabel Muriei Murphy if she told me
again that she once cried all night be-
cause she must graduate in four years
and leave the buildings that sheltered
Sister Edna Forgive me. Mabel Muriel,
for laughing at you on that sad occasion.
Perhaps I should not put that in here,
put papa says the time to confess a mis-
AXE is when you know you have made 1t.
l will now explain very carefully in
deed the difference between the love I
felt for Sister Irmingarde and what l
felt for Maudie Joyce and Mabel Bios
som: and I am sure I hope it will not
1urt their feelings if Sister Irningarde
reads this story aloud to the class.
In the first place, Mabel and Maudie