Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1917-10-02

IS An Easter Story ;
III By ETHEL HOLMES !,
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
One Easter Sunday morning q CIR
about twelve years old sailed fortt
from spick and span farmhouse Il
60 to Sunday school. On the way sha
overlook q boy about her own agt
whose forlorn appearance touched heI
heart. He was out at the elbows, on
at the knees of his trousers, and hii
toes appeared between the upper par
Of his shoes and the solea. The ex
preston on his face was In accord
with his apparel-it was one Of misery
"Aren't you going 10 Sunday schoolT
asked the girl
Sunday schoolT' the boy repeated
as though he had not heard Alright
I "Yes. This is Easter Sunday. Dfdn''
you know that all the children go te
Sunday school and all the grownups &C
| to church"
The boy looked at the girls clothes
then at his own. She was a picture OF
neatness, he a picture Of poverty.
II couldn't go to Sunday school look
ing this way, could IY' he said.
The girl looked doubtful. Then sud
denly an idea seemed to come to her.
@If you did," she said, "they would
| all look at you as if they were afraid
| you'd touch them. Come with me
| I'll show them that you're friend OF
mine"
The boy demurred, and the girl In
sisted. She took him with her to SUN
day school, but she could not get him
forward among the other children. BE
took back seat, where he was not no
ticed. But the girl sat beside him
There was an open window near them
and q draft was coming tn on them
The boy shiyered, and the girl took
of her coat and put It over his shoul.
dera
During the exercises q collection was
taken up. One Of the boys passed the
plate to where these two were sitting,
| but the girl made no move to put In
contribution. OF course her friend,
the ragged boy, he'd nothing to give
but the boy who was taking up the
collection wondered, for the girl was
tha daughter of the richest farmer
thereabout and was a liberal giyer.
That Mary Treusdail gave no Easter
Offering was indeed surprise.
When the services were over Mary
and her protege went out together,
and he insisted on hurrytng away be-
fore the others could get q view OF bis
dilapidated condition. When they came
to a fork In the road and no one was
near Mary took q five dollar bill from
her pocket.
"This was to have been my Easter
Offering at Sunday school But you
see, couldn't give so much when you
had nothing to give. It would have
made you feel ashamed. So I thought
I'd keen it for an Easter Offering for
you"
He drew back. There was that In
him which had led him to appreciate
her delicacy in avoiding hurting his
feelings. and it was this same appre-
citation that Led him to decline her gift
She understood at once.
.4Take It as loan," she said. Some
day a small amount like this will be
nothing to you and you can repay me-"
There was a hopeless look on the
boys face, q shamed look, as he per-
mitted her to thrust the bill upon him.
He said nothing, but his eyes spoke
volumes. She took bis hand in hers,
pressed it, then turned to 60 to her
home. he following her wistfully with
his sad eyes.
This was the first kindness that he
had received from stranger, Kind
ness shown him by one near his own
age. He stood, occasionally dropping
his eyes to the bill In his hand, then
raising them to the retTeating figure
Of the girl who had given 1t to him.
Then came great change In him. He
had received an incentive. It seemed
to him that an angel had been sent
from heaven to lift him out Of the
slough Of despond. A resolution came
to him to be worthy Of the donor.
With the encouragement he had re-
ceiyed 1t seemed to him that he could
move the world.
The sun rose ON another Easter morn
ing twelve years later and shone on
the same location where Mary Treus-
dali took the ragged boy to Sunday
school. Upon the hill was the Treus-
dali farmhouse, but 1t had lost It's
spick and span appearance. The farm
er had lost succession Of crops and
had died with a mortgage ON his farm.
Mary was struggling along trying to
pave the property by raising vegetables
and such other produce as she could
raise without the investment OF capt-
tai
Easter came late that year, and the
air was balmy and fragrant with
opening buds. An automobile passed
over a rise In the ground and, de-
scending a decliyity, stopped at the
fork Of the roads where Mary Treus-
dail had made her loan 10 the ragged
boy. In the car was young man.
From tha neatness Of his dress one
would not suspect he was that very
ragged boy. He looked up at the
TreusdatI farmhouse and noted it's d.
lapidated appearance. He turned his
gaza to the church where Mary had
taken him to Sunday school It had
been converted into guild room, and
n nav church had been built beside t.
This transformed ragged boy drove
M auto to q hotel In the village and
v,eistared himself az Martin Sanford.
Nev Yofx Il dist1nt ban told hfn
that q service was about to take plac'
m ths church, and he strolled fmfh p
that direction. Children wese Stag
siing intp the guild room for sunda!
echooI Sanford saw woman emsrg
| from thu Ttsusdail farmhouse and 9
tpward thu church She entered =
and Sanford followed her IN, taking
back soaE The woman Svent up on Q
n ~ -