The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-03-10
The Euening Story
Her Lenten Sacrifice.
(By John Darling.

Then that's the thing for you to do,
my dear; that ought to be your sack
cloth and ashes this Lent said Miss
Craft, spinster, and Sunday school
teacher of Geraldine Bonner and 9TH
er girls not yet old enough to vote.
What is it?"
'Darning! 1 hate to darn stock
ingsi"
Miss Craft almost smiled, but her
| thin lips set themselves again before
they had entirely committed such a
friVolity. Il thought that might be
it. my dear. And now, let me tell you
that if you would do your whole duty
this Lenten tiGe you would go out
darning by the hour and put away the
money you receive for this work for
your Easter offering. 1t is no sacri-
flee for girl like you to save a part
of your allowance; you should make
! yourself do something you do not like
to do and earn money thereby. l am
a firm believer in teaching the young
women what sacrifice means-a firm
! believer
Geraldine looked respectfully inter
ested in what Miss Craft was saying,
but she was not at all sure that il
was her duty to carry out her teach
er's wishes.
But the subject occurred to her
again, and for some reason or other
it kept thrusting itself into her
thoughts. How true it was that she
had no cross to bear; that she sell
dom had a sacrifice to make; that
her world went along in a singularly
smooth path. Perhaps Miss Craft
was right when she said darning
would show her how to do something
gracefully that she did not want TO
do. 1t might help her after all. She
did not want to be selfish; this might
develop her character.
Before the beginning of Lent she
had decided to darn stockings for any
one who would pay her 20 cents an
hour all through the penitential sea-
son. and to this end she wrote little
notes to her friends and placed a tiny
card of advertisement in the church
leaflet. She hoped, down in her soul,
that she would not find much work to
do, but she had determined to take
whatever came her way.
One family after another engaged
her services for one or two or three
or even five or six hours a week, and
had given up nearly all of her own
time. This in itself was great sac
rifice, for the skating was good and
she loved to skate. Her little box of
Easter offering, was getting heavy.
The family in which Geraldine
found the most darning to do was
family of father, mother, four sons
and a small daughter. The mother
kept no servant and had eyes that
would not admit of her darning or
doing close work at night. Hence,
Geraldine's newly established profess
sion fitted in conveniently with the
schemes of the family need
Each week when Geraldine left the
quiet little home on refined street
of the town she left a neat row of
stockings ready for the mother to
put away. As she began to catch up
with the darning in that home her
hours of work grew less, and Geral-
dine was sorry. There was only a
small part of Lent remaining and
then she would be free again.
The week before Easter Geraldine
felt that she could do the darning for
the Foster family in less that two
hours, and on the day on which she
was to go to that home she had
planned to have an afternoons skat-
ing.
To her surprise and disappointment
when she arrived in the cheerful sew
ing room, Mrs. Foster showed her
basketful of socks.
MY son James has come home for
Easter. and when he comes he always
brings his mending and I have it done
for him. 1t is FORTUNATE for me that
you are here, Miss Bonner"
Geraldine tried to smile, but the
smile was only surface deep. She
could see her skating disappearing
with all the other days of sport she
had planned. But in trying to smile
and in attacking her work cheerfully
Geraldine could not help feeling that
she was strengthening her own will
power.
I'll try to get them all done for
you, Mrs. Foster she said, cheer |
fully This is my last week, you
know"
II do know ito my sorrow" re-
piled Mrs. Foster. "Oh, James, come |
in. Miss Bonner, this is my son who
has loaded you down with extra work. |
helping me for few weeks with the |
James Foster 1et his eyes dwell |
longer than was necessary on the love |
ly face of Geraldine Bonner she sat |
in the sunlight in his mothers tiny |
sewing room. He stepped over to her |
low rocker and put out his hand. II |
am glad to have the pleasure of meet |
you more work. he said, his frank,
pleasant smile accompanying his |
words.
"Oh-don't mind the work. II
well, I'll tell you how much good it
has done me, some day, perhaps"
Geraldine answered.
you're fond of darning?" asked |
James, sitting down on the edge of |
the machine. He was tall, and the |
edge of it made not uncomfortable |
seat for him.
''Fond of it?" asked Geraldine. eff
| were 1 shouldn't be doing it as a
Lenten sacrifice, should 2" she
laughed.
"Hardly-would she, mother?"
Mrs. Foster shook her head. mo,
son, l guess not. But I'll say for Miss
Bonner right here and now that she
might love the work dearly, for she
has never been anything but cheerful
and happy over it, and it has been
pleasure to have her here
Geraldine made bow over her
work and Mrs. Foster hurried off to
attend to numerous duties. James.
being at home on a visit, could think
of no pieasanter way of spending that
time than in sitting in his
mothers sewing room watching the