Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-04-10
T h e E aste +
Sacrifice
BY Frances Harmer.

Il don't think shall have my spring
hat for two weeks after Easter" said
Mabel, with the slightest emphasis on
the word spring
Not have new hat for Easter!
Why thought'-Lucy spoke very
warmly, and then stopped abruptly.
Mabel laughed.
Il do believe that you were going to
say, L thought that was what Easter
was for'!" she replied merrily.
II believe | was,"-Lucy joined in
the laugh against herself but OF
course I know better. Easter stands
for-for"-
For the risen life" Mabel's face
lighted with enthusiasm, for the
burying of all the faults we can bury.
and the looking beyond them. Some
Christians believe more than others
about this, but at least Easter stands
for something to do with the sOul-not
clothes"
when you come to Sunday school
with your lessons all pat, sometimes
envy you, having a minister for your
father" remarked Lucy, but If you
have to have kind of Sunday school
going on in your head all the time, !
don Know tnat 40.
Mabel smiled.
I'm afraid I'm not more Sunday
schooly than any of the rest OF you"
she answered, "but mother-not father,
you see-has always reminded us that
Easter, and new clothes have no real
connection"
"Oh, but they have!" cried Lucy.
Easter comes from word-German.
isn't it?-that means spring."
"Oh, no. replied the more we'll
informed Mabel, Easter comes from
Eos, the Dawn! 1t is Lent which means
spring"
80 it u.s." Lucy remembered, "but,
even supposing there is no rule about
it, think it's kind of-of compli-
ment to Easter to be fresh and nice
and new for It,"
''Just SO far your new clothes mean
that Mabel paused, for now she
stood on her own doorstep. II dare
say even mother would agree with you.
But when it comes to turning the
church into a kind of emporium,
there's no compliment to Easter in
that"
"N-no," agreed Lucy.
Wont you come in?" Mabel asked
Hospitality.
"No, dear, thank you. I'm to meet
mother at Gray's"
ITO chOOse-spring clothes?
Easter clothes" laughed Lucy. She
and Mabel always had good natured
struggle for the last word. "Good-by."
But as she went on her way Lucy
thought about Mabel's words. She re-
membered that not only the minister.
but some grown-ups to whom she lis
tened when they came to take supper
or dinner at her home. had spoken
very seriously over the subject OF
Easter clothes" had deplored the
turning of religious festival into a
Spring exhibition
She threw herself almost whole
heartcdly into the choice of her spring
suit and hat, and saw with satisfaction
the purchase Of gloves. hosiery, and
shoes in accordance with the color
scheme selected by herself and endor-
sed by her mother.
"Ill try not to think about them any
more" she told herself as she went
home Zone must have clothes, and
what can be the harm Of having them
for Eastern"
Joyce Grand and Isabel Wynne
came round to see her that evening.
They. like herself, had spent the after
noon in the buying of spring raiment.
To them Lucy retailed part of her
talk with Mabel.
z"Oh, poor Mabel" cried Joyce.
Don't you know it's Hobson's choice
with her? Her fathers salary is 80
small = ministers always are, it
seems to me = that she Is probably
going to wear her last years things
till the summer sales begin. That's
what she generally does, and her
mother, too"
s"It seems a shame because Of
course she'd like new Easter things
as we'll as the rest Of US, chimed in
Isabel.
"Oh," Lucy was sincerely sorry for
her friend 81 - - wish we could
do something"
81 don't think the Greens would
like it," Joyce threw cold water on
the project, at once. "They wouldn't
hear Of donation party, you remem-
ber."
"Still," Mabels loyal friend said,
II one COulQ uO IL uiCcly t
F"You couldn't offer Mr.. or Mrs.
Green anything SO nicely that they'd
like It," Joyce declared positively
But Lucy, that night, took her
mother into her confidence. Her
mother talked the next day with Mrs.
Grant, who called on Mrs. Wynne in
the evening. Joyce opposed the sug-
gestions resulting from these for a
time, but yielded in the end. That is
to say, she gladly contributed the
time and small share of money asked
Of her, which in her case, as in theirs.
involved sacrifice. Her convictions
remained the same.
"The man that's led against
his will
Is of the same opinion stilE"
However, when she saw the box
that the other girls were lovingly
packing on Easter Eve, she said very
warmly,
at hone she'll like it," Is