The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1907-11-29

about this room was the silence of the
| girls A few talked languidly in whis
! pers, but most Of them sat apart an6
alone in silence; two or three, laid full
| length upon their backs on the sofas
seemed contented simply to be at rest
! these were the cashiers of shops who
! have to stand all day; others sat back
| In their chairs leaning their heads upon
| their clasped hands-an attitude which
| betokens complete physical exhaustion
[ Nobody was reading, nobody was
| laughing, nobody was singing. The
general depression was not due at all
!! to the regula tions of the home; it had
| nothing to do with the committee; the
| girls We're not in the least longing to be
out after 9.30 nor were they pining for
| the society of young men. They were
| simply tired.
1t was about a quarter to 9 when the
door opened and another girl came in.
She was a tall and beautiful girl-you
have already seen her-with light curly
hair and gray eyes and face full of
sweetness; made for love-if that
means anything, because nearly every
girls face shows the same benevolent
intention Of nature. Now, alas! her
face was full of trouble. The other
girls faces showed the depression
which comes of fatigue and monotonous
work, but there was trouble of another
kind on Katharine's face. When she
appeared, one or two of them looked at
her inquiringly, and read the answer to
their question in her eyes.
She sat down beside another girl,
Evidently they were friends, these two.
"Is there news?" she whispered.
Katharine shook her head.
Lily, the other girl, pressed her hand
in silent sympathy. She was dark
| haired, swarthy, low-browed girl, with
deep-set eyes, black eyebrows which
met, and Spanish features, though her
name was Lily, and she ought to have
been fair and dressed in white. Lilly
| would have looked well in mantilla
! and in black velvet and diamond
coronet. She was born for black vel
vet, yet by one Of natures mistakes
she had to wear black stuff.
"There never will be any news, Lily.
| Don't speak to me just yet, dear"
At this moment the two old ladies'
| by the fire rose from their chairs, and
| the elder, generally known as Miss
| Augusta, went to the piano and be-
gan to play. She always played every
evening. because she thought that mu-
sic is good for the soul and for the tem-
| per and for the tired limbs, and the
irritated brain. But the music must
| be good, and therefore she played
| Mendelsohn's "Songs Without Words" p"
which 60 straight to the heart in a
way hardly achieved by any other
music. She played in a quiet, old
fashioned way, with the emphasis
which belonged to the time-it was a
| sentimental time-when she was
young.
The other old lady, her sister, Miss
Beatrice, began to walk about the
| room and talk to the residents. 1t was
| her opinion that young persons can be
greatly helped by sympathy and kind
ness, and that, being an old person
| herself, she might perhaps administer
words of comfort and peace while her
sister was moving their hearts by the
! power of music. And, indeed, there
| were times when the atmosphere was
| heavy with dependency.
First, she sat down beside the woman
| who was so fercely working.
"My dear" she said, "you have been
working at you business all day. Your
| cheeks are flushed and your hand is
J burning. Cannot you put away your
| work for a single EVENING""
'No-no. 1 must work. 1 must work.
The others may rest, but must work.
I must work"
| "Why must work. dear? You are
so much better off than the rest of US.
| You have such a handsome salary.
Why must you work?"
| 1t was known that this person had a
salary of three pounds a week-actu-
ally three pounds! AS much as is
| given to a curate, and yet there was
no evening except Sunday when she
did not work fercely. until the last
! DelOIG ku6 gas WdAe tuIhcu
out.
"You are a Christian?" the worker
asked, in reply.
"Surely," said Miss Beatrice. 'Oh.
my dear, that is a strange question.
What other comfort is there for a
poor woman, and what other hope?'
"For those who are His, He is cru
CITED. Those who are not His-must
be crucified by themselves"
/ It was a strange answer to be made
in a respectable home where the
fiercer emotions, including despair, are
supposed not to enter. They are ex-
| cluded-with the young men.
"My dear, my dear"-the poor lady
| trembled at the mere strength of the
words-"you terrify me. do not un.
| derstand what you mean" ;.
Go be continuad).' i,