Albuquerque evening citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1905-1907, 1905-08-31

49,
song. Was it Jane she ulster sing
when she was a gal"
Jake was strangely moved. Was 1t
James voice plaintive in song? or was
it the words of Isaac Watts old hymn
that so stirred his dormant emotions?
ION flowery beds of ease" he re-
peated, as he went back to his fail.
What does she mean?'
He thought about it helplessly all
through the forenoon.
That afternoon he was left alone,
the schoolmaster having gone off with
his gun-it being Saturday-"to hunt
partri6ges,' and Jane was helping at
a quitting, so, having plenty of time
for thought and retrospectiOn, as he
sat in the kitchen chopping mangel-
wurzels to fodder the cattle, he kept
repeating "Flowe.y beds of ease.
What did she mean? l needn't "a
been quite so clOst with her. Sid "a
given her more. ST wus alwus more
Ofthand ner me. Couldn't blame her
if she was sorry fur not takin' 81.
She never said so, but l couldn't "a
blamed her eff she he'd"
1t so fell out that one day as he
went to the village alone, and called
at the postoffice for his weekly Trib-
une, the postmaster put into his hand,
along with the newspapers, a letter.
1t was addressed to his wife, and on
inspecting the envelope back and
front. and examining the stamp, Jake
discovered that it was from India. He
was hardly less anxious than Jane to
hear from "Laviny," and accordingly
hurried through his business, not stop
ping for a word of politics, and drove
home at as fast a pace as the old sor-
rel could show.
III 90 bail Laviny' herself wrote
that" he said aloud, and startled at
the unusual tone, the old sorrel halt
ed to look around at him. He even
held the letter up between his eyes
and the setting sun to see if he could
decipher any of the words within.
81 kin hardly wait until get home"
he soliloquized, as if %apologizing to
himself for the action, ito find out
what .Laviny' thought O. the $500,
ar eff she saved any O. them children
from bein' treated bad out there
with it,"
His face was quite flushed when he
entered the kitchen, and handed Jane
the letter, saying loosely Che had
jOked more of late than he had done
for years past):
open it up quick, old gal, and tell
a tellec the news"
Looking timidly at him-she had
not been able to understand her Jake
lately, and sometimes seriously Won
dered if he were going to die soon
She began shyly to tear off the end
Of th9 anVa1nnn NAmonn che haqH aR-
complished this, she drew out the en-
closure and began to cad it whisper
ingly to herself, tracing the lines
along with the front finger of the
right hand.
"Oh, old woman, let's have it;
where's the use o. secrets?" cried
Jake.
Jane looked up in surprise, keeping
the place with her finger, and stared
at Jake for a couple of seconds, then
in high-pitched, district school sing
song tone, still tracing each word with
her finger, and making short pauses
every few words, followed by sudden
rushes forward, she read the letter
aloud:
My Dear Jane: Your letter and
contents came TO hand this morning,
and hasten to tell you of the hearts
you have gladdened by your timely
gift. My heart was made mex
pressibly happy, as | was just about to
have to turn from my door for want
of means a most needy case, when in
the very nick of time your money
came. | look on it as a wonderful
providence. Surely some good angel
put it into your mead and heart, DEAF
old friend, to do that generous deed
just when you did. The case was that
of a little girl of remarkable intelli-
gence, a child widow of 9 years, frail
and beautiful, starved and i'll used,
because a man of high position, to
whom she had beer b~etrOthed, died. .
All her own family had died, and the
family of her betrothed husband were
in charge of her. Her remarkable
beauty had attracted attention, and
they were about to sell her, when to
her from this fate an old nurse
stole her away. To make a long story
short, after being carried many miles, .
she was at last brought TO my door.
My home was already nor than fun
and my purse stretched to its utmost,
and although my heart was breaking,
! was going TO be obliged TO send her
off again when your letter was put
into my hands.
"On the strength of your $500,
and with faith in God for more wnen
II was gone, / took her in and put her
in my girls school. That sum will
support her for quite a while in India,
and ! am hoping that when il is eX-
hausted, providence will send us a fur
Their supply, Sc THAT we can keep the
sweet child until she is educated and
c~hristianizied, able to take care of
herself, and perhaps be of incalculable
benefit to her suffering siste, hood in
this benighted land. Eternity alone,
Jane, can reveal the good that your
$500 may do.
"Oh, if the people only knew what a
small sum per year would keep and
educate a girl in India, in one Of our
mission schools, surely more Of them
would make sacrifices tot give It'll
Remember me to your dear hus-
band, whom l have never had the
pleasure Of meeting, but knowing Won