The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1910-08-11

gIkUd9 year margaret vent 10 sun
dzy-schooI, and when IL vas over 81.
walked into the church and seateG
herself in the pew. expecting the ar
rival OF the rest OF the family. Al
usual. she opened her library book
and began reading. The short win
ter afternoon drew 10 a close. and
the shadows deepened before she no
ticed that there was no familiar form
In the pulpit. that the choir seats
were vacant, and there was nobody
in any OF the pews. The solitary
child in blue frock with a little
blue coat and hat tied under her chin
was the only occupant of the church
for so absorbed had she been In her
reading that she had not missed the
organ, or the voice OF the preacher
or noticed the absence of the con
gregation. There was no service that
afternoon, but she had not heard
the announcement, and the sexton
had closed the church without seeing
the little maiden lost In a book in a
pew halfway down the church. When
she came to herself and found the
great doors shut and locked, the
child was Mortified, and called out:
Must I stay in this dreadful place
till | die?" People passing on the
street heard her, and the little pris-
| oner was released.
In Margaret's home the Lords Day
was a sacred one. Toys and books
and sewing were put aside on Satur-
day afternoon. and the clothes to be
| worn next day were laid out. Until
Margaret was eighteen 1t never oc-
CURED to her to sit by the front win
dow and look out on the street on
the Sabbath day. For Sunday read
ing her great standby during her
childhood was Matthew Henry's Com
mentary on the Bible. She would
linger over the big volumes without
finding them wearisome. The Sun
day-school library furnished her sto-
ries which were not exciting, and
some of them interested her in for
eign missions. Going to church was
a weekly festival for her. The fam
always taking fathers arm. Friends
often returned with them, for this
home was hospitable one, and there
was always an extra cup and plate.
After supper on Sunday evenings the
Shorter Catech3sm was recited. Mar
garet never dreaded the Sabbath as
dreary, for they were cheerful and
bright, though so strictly kept. Fam
lily worship was held twice every day
after breakfast, and again after
supper. A chapter from the Bible
was followed by a simple prayer,
which concluded with Our Father,
who art in heaven" recited together.
Family worship kept Margaret and
her sister and brothers from being
ignorant of the beautiful Bible, for
they heard over and over the words
of Isaiah and John. listened to the
Psalms and the Proverbs and the
Bible stories.
The genius of Margaret's childhood
home was her mother, who could do
anything in the way of housekeeping
or with her needle. But Margaret,
unlike her mother, found sewing and
household tasks almost as difficult as
arithmetic and algebra However,
the wise mother won her eldest
daughter to her needle by giving her
canvas and bright-colored woods, with
which she made samplers that were
her pride.
The little girls of to-day do not
wear aprons, but Margaret did, and
so did every well-dressed child in the
forties. At the age of eleven Mar
garet looked at herself in the glass
with pleasure and satisfaction, for
she wore red calico frock over
which was white ruff1ed apron Just
like those which the other little girls
in her school wore
Margaret was not more than twelve
when she wrote the songs for the ,,
May-day picnic, and had the pleas
ure of arranging the procession of
children who took the parts of fairies,
trolls, and elves.
a time longed for by the children
OF that day was the Fourth of July,
for then the town put on it's gala
dress, every house had its flag, and
every church and public building was
lavishly decorated with bunting. In
the morning there was a military pa
rade, when the soldiers marched to
the town hall, followed by troops of
children, the girls in white with sash /
es Of red and blue, the boys in blue
jacket on which were pinned little
American flags. After an address by
the orator of the day the Declaration
OF Independence was read and pa
triotic songs sung. All day long
there was cannonading and small ex-
plosiyes, and in the evening came
/
When Margaret was a little apple
checked maid there was much health
full comradeship with the boys who
attended the same school. Boys and
girls played and worked together,