Evening star., 1909-06-06

precOclouS, three -vear-old plccanlnny Slnce
that time she had never had any associa-
tions with her own race Yet her brain was
a breeding place from which trooped out all
the barbaric supernaturalism, the witch and
ghost tales, of her people. Did she Obtain
them by some subtle law of inheritance, or did
she lust draw them direct from the invisible
world of thought?
However they came Roxie's ghost tales
were always sufficiently varied from their mod
els to reflect her own keen personality And
they were uncanny and gruesome enough to
have that effect upon the children that Roxle
loved They grew big eyed and crowded close
about her in alright, yet hung upon her every
word and gesture in fearful fascination. into
this world of enchantment where Roxe, like the
Pied Piper led the children, she like that
legendary charmer, remained with them when
the magic gates changed to She believed IN
her own ghosts.
POXIES love for the members of the Law
~ renee family never weakened however
widely she might be separated from them And
now she and Mrs Lawrence spent many hours
in anxious consultation about Elizabeth. Mrs.
Lawrence had lived such tranquil life in the
old Colonial homestead, where every afternoon,
as she sat on her pillared veranda, her eyes
rested on the peaceful but lnettably bcau-
tiful sweep of wheat and corn fields or rolling
meadows that Elzabeths wanderlngs IN Tor
eign lands seemed fraught with peril.
Now if | was jeS' ovah thah with Miss
'Lizabeth, you wouldn't need to worry ovah
huh, Miss Jennie" said RoXie one day
"Roxie oh Roxie, you can go to Elizabeth
lack can take YOU with him when he goes back.
Why have we never thought of that beforeF'
A Nd thus it was that, when the American
a Baby sailed his fairy bark into the World
port Roxie was the first one to welcome him to
land. On her broad bosom he first dropped OIL
to sumber to the sound OF that sweetest OF
lullabies quavers and trills and minor
chords, rich with mystic melody.
c1a larl1r
An dream NV de shinin' angels an de blessed
paradise!
Oh. dream Nv de blood red roses, an de birds
on snowy wing
Oh. dream Nv de fallin' wattahs. an de never
endn' spring."
The little foreign born baby soon supplanted
in Roxies will the last home keeping infant.
His history seemed to her so romantic, his sur
roundings SO extraordinary. that this foster
child took a hold on her vivid African magma
ton that no one of her home born babies could
rival The talk of Kings and Queens that she
heard in London thrilled her lover OF pomp and
authority as she was, like all OF her race. In
some vague way her little charges birth IN the
land of monarchy gave him for her touch OF
imperialism
He is the mos aristocratical of all my chill
lun" she would say. Il loves all my chIllun; 1;
but co'se les materially am boun to put this
'un befo' all de res an leave him all my prop'ty,
cause YOU know he's roy'lty
ELIZABETH had never been SO deeply happy
- in all her life Whatever romance may
teach or poetry may sing, it is not loves young
dream wedding bells, nor honeymoon days,
that bring to a woman her joys crown of joys:
that reveal to her the innermost heart OF
bliss but those first days of first motherhood.
with their guarded quietude and sweet relief
from care. and great thankfulness to One who
knows how to give good and perfect gifts. !.
She did not wish to talk or to see people
She was too deciously content. lying in the
hushed rooms where roses and lilies and violets,
sent bv friends nodded their bright congratu-
lations to her. where the trained nurse and
Roxie walked on tptoes and spoke under their
breaths for fear of disturbing the slumbers of
one precious mite of a babe. Baby's long hours
of sleep that was the time that Elizabeth spent
in dreaming planning, hoping,-yes, praying.
She filled with happy humility to be in
trusted with the guardianship of the soul for
which had been fashioned this exquisite doll
body. She loved to muse she rested her pale
cheek the pillow, about the soul that would
find SO much use for this dear little body in the
days to come,-those days inevitably to come
when this soul would no longer be content to
stay in her Eden
When Baby was awake. however. Elizabeth
found no time for thinking She was all eyes