Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1915-03-12
COMMUNICATIONS.
THE OXALIS.
BY james NJ. Hubbard.

bard's Bread Loaf friends. The story
is none the worse for having a moral
which is applicable to many. Mr.. Hub
bard, it will be remembered, is on the
editorial staff of the Youths Compan-
ion. Editor.
Mary Smith lived on a farm three
miles from the village and half a mile
from the nearest neighbor The family
consisted of her father and mother and
a younger brother and sister. Her
mother was not strong and could do
but little, so most of the household
cares fell upon Mary. She was up very
early to get the breakfast, and all day
she was busy mending, washing and
ironing. sewing and doing all of the
hundred things the careful housekeep r
has to do. And she did them we'll
The house was neat and clean. The
meals were good. The children infu-
enced by her example We're careful
about their rooms and clothes, and
helped sister in every possible way
For an hour or so every afternoon
Mary read aloud to her mother, who
sat all day long knitting in rocking
chair by the kitchen stove in winter, in
the summer by the window. In the
evening she did her best to entertain
her father after the long days work on
the farm
Notwithstanding all this dlligent and
loving service for tho-e who were dear
to her she was not happy. She read to
her mother about women who left
home and all they loved to work as
missionary in some heathen land, where
everything was dreadful, but who were
HAPPY because of the good work they
were doing. Or it was about nurses in
the hospitals or about those who gave
their whole lives to bringing light into
dark Stun dwellings and who started
the boys and girls in it TO lead a ~ ho.
some, useful life. Mary thought as she
read and afterwards when he was get
ting the supper, "Oh. if | could only
have work to do like that wouldn't
be happy, for then should be of some
use 1t never entered into her mind
to think of leaving her home to become
a missionary, for she knew that her
duty was plainly marked out for her.
But she did wish that it could have
been different, for she did want to be
of use in the world.
The attitude of the other young
women in the village church towards
her was such as to add TO her convic-
ton that She was leading a useless life
as compared with those nurses. Stun
workers and missionaries. As she lived
so far from the village she could not
get regularly to the meetings of the
Girls Friendly society, nor take an
active part in the church work. She
was often absent from meeting or sun
day School and had to refuse to take "a
class. That three-mile ride up and
down the mountain was often impos-'-
bic especially in white. So they
thought and spoke of her as one who
had little or na interest in church wolk
ana was lea.'ha a" 'H..' USELESS life.
" D"' ''.' 7a'd came i' be-. cans ana
7He aHi.'a WIN jA'. ur' That it was
am ''.' .' "D' comparatively
useless one. h'i' ""- Tie one nar1-
cd OUT ior "er ana she cou.dn change
Ill., anu so She worked on faithfully, but
more ana more the cloud rested on her
as snt thought what she would like to
90 ana be-
one summer afternoon she took a
stfoi IN 'oe woods beyond the pasture.
IL was the half hour or SO in the day