The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1906-05-02

Oldest girl brings up the family, and often she
looks forward to the day when she can go to the
factory, or take "ofhce position" in her turn as
a blessed relief from the eternal drag of children
too heavy for her arms.
There came into the Pleasant Place the other
day little creature with gentle face. She had
not come for a book-ony to sit a while with the
other girls and look at the pictures She could
not read even the primer There had not been
time to send her to school yet.
How many children have you, Jenny?" asked
the visitor, adopting the customary form of query
of the neghborhood
-Four" said Jenny; there's Tom and Lucy and
Carrie and the baby"
And how old is the baby?"
1.-TWO weeks"
"And you take care of him?"
Eyes, ma'am, when me mudder's away at work"
"And how old are your"
"Seven years, maam."
Here's Clara's book, Miss Bogardus," said an
other GIRL ''she can't come to-day"
why not?" asked the librarian.
"She's got baby" replied the messenger
briefly and unaffectedly
Norah is character at the Pleasant Place
She entered with a whirl and slapped her book
down before the librarian with penny upon it.
Here's me book and here's me cent" said she;
me books dirty"
why Norah, how did you soil your bool1?"
Hanged if know replied the child frankly
"'Twas wrapped in a newspaper all the time.
suppose some of me kids got at it."
Having received another book, she Tipped its
leaves with practiced hand and scanned it's
pages with an eagle eye. Here's ink in de front
and leaf tored" she announced briefly When
a note had been made of these injuries. she re-
tired satisfied. She did not intend to be fined
for mischief not perpetrated by her own "kids."
The next girl with soiled book cover was not
so ready to meet her just debts. 1--WE are very
poor" she pleaded
he aft OF bar hot
in the room; at her dress, elaborate for that
neighborhood. "Im afraid I can't let you have
another book then" she replied.
The girl left the room, but just before closing
time she rushed back. Here's the cent" she
cried "my father borrowed it off man."
In the three years since the station was estab-
lished only three books have been lost and these
were promptly and uncomplainingly paid for
This is a record as to loss and payment hardly
equaled in any other quarter of the city Oc-
casonally the library lady" has to hunt up books
in families that have moved One day she went
from the roof of tenement house to that of
another, descended through dark Railways and
poked about until she found the family she
sought. She entered the room and discovered six
Syrian women, all sitting one bed, and all sew
ing on kimonos. Not of them could speak a
word of English, but all were prodigal of smiles
and bows and profuse greetings, offered presum-
ably in the choicest Arabic when the library lady
caught sight of the missing book and took pos
session of it,
The soft, pretty manners of the Syrian girls are
noticeable in contrast with the other children of
the quarter Rose, Syrian girl well known at
the Pleasant Place. has been in this country three
years. She speaks English without a trace of ac-
cent. More surprising still, her mother reads the
books she takes out. Both mother and daughter
attended the American mission school at Beirut
before coming to this country. It is hard to look
at Rose and reflect that she is part of the dread
cd al bof, l.
her skin creamy, her eyes large AMI mild, her
language gentle One would say that her parents
were intelligent people, and that Rose was a we'll
broughtup American child.