The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1905-12-29

IN HER PLACE SAT a GIRL1sH FIGURE.
from any DINER dwellings, and lighted
by one small lamp which sent its rays
through the narrow window, lie fol
lowed the men through the door into
barely furnished room. On Il cot
in the corner lay a child, small ana
wasted. marked with deaths stamp,
and beside her sat the weeping moth
er Some strange mystery haunted
the ROOM What were these poverty
stricken people trying to conceal: The
clergyman shook Off the feeling and
opened his prayer book ut the bap-
tismal service
Having performed his mission, ac-
companied by the two men. he was
passing a clump Of trees on his way
home when one of them stopped sud
denly and, pulling long bladed knife
from his pocket, flashed it before the
young rector's face and instantly point
ed it toward his heart. He uttered
piercing shrek.
Ugh" said John Hare as the sound
of his own voice Weakened him and he
sat up in bed what an ugly night
marev Then. with a look at his watch
ut is high time | was up anyway,
with fifty parOchial visits before me-
l must make sure that not single
family has a cheerless Christmas to-
morrow"
His eye caught the picture of a girls
face, gentle eyed, yet CHEEKY, hanging
in frame on his wall. And if there's
any persuasion in John Hare's poor
eloquence he won't have cheerless
nor a lonely Christmas the next 25th
of December"
This young rector had come to
Spottsfeld, a rising manufacturing
city, three years before, after serving
as curate in large city parish. He
had transformed his new congregation
from a disgruntled, quarreling com
munity composed of a few rich and
many poor to Il great family interested
in each other ana respecting his Christ
like principles. And incidentally his
strict resolution for a busy bachelor
hood had been somewhat disturbed by
a pair of interested. laughing eyes
which belonged to the daughter of a
factory owner.
This energetic. but rather shy, young
woman was famed and loved among
the poor and sick of Spottsfield for her
/ gentle and unpretentious way of help
ing when and where she was needed
Though of different faiths, she and
John Hare met often while on excur-
sions of mercy. He had seen her, too,
at her fathers home, where he was
popular as dinner guest because of
his appreciation of a good cigar and
his broad, forceful views ON Christian
! ity.
As he dressed that morning before
! The festive holiday he realized that the
, human heart cannot be denied its sus-
: tenance one beating in touch and
! sympathy with it - and that one fair
girl had woven her charms about him
so completely that he could no longer
refrain front telling her Of it, even
! though of late she had rather seemed
! to avoid him when he crossed her path
and was even chary of her conversa-
ton when he dined at her house
During the long busy day she was
constantly brought to his mind in the
homes he visited \ forlorn old wom-
an told of the coming of Miss Ruth
with yarn for the next years knitting
and a box of sweets. A grateful moth
er told Of the nights Miss Ruth had
stayed and nursed the baby back to
life In the poorer homes he heard OF
the baskets of Christmas goodies she
j had brought, with toys and warm nit
tens for the children.
1t was 10 O'Clock before the rector
had finished the days task, and when
he reached home he threw himself,
quite worn out on the couch in the IL
brary. Not ten minutes seemed to
have elapsed when the sound "Br-r-r-rl'
through his sleep Weakened him sud-
denly to the realization that some one
was ringing the bell with the evident
intention Of rousing be entire house
hold. and as lie steppqd into the hall TO