Democratic Sentinel, Volume 16, Number 13, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 April 1892 — AN EASTER STORY. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

AN EASTER STORY.

'■*—.lN’Tthatbootiful?” " HKF Mary; as 1 f >,ea l ol th® IgStol great church organ bounded Vh ro u g h T’ the open doorwhy. “Dufflyr’fiaid'Betty, : “Let’s go in!” ffl, J “Oh, no, no! I’m YJ ’fraid! ’’ gasped litjyi tie Mary, pulling jClw ba<s. “Why> Mary, it’s a church! There are l° ts c^ldren * n N there; I saw ’em go. They won't do

toothin' to us. Come, I’m goln’.” Noiselessly the barefooted waifs climbed the stone steps and crossed the vestibule, and at last slipped inside the audience room. Awed and half dazed, they hugged the wall tightly. The church was very full, and people were standing all around the entrance. Near the children was a deep window seat, banked with the choicest flowers. Mary was the first to spy it, and she tugged at her sister’s dress, and pointed to the beautiful sight. Betty gazed in rapture, her lips formed into an “Oh!” which she dared not utter. Then sweet, far-away music, that drew nearer and nearer, claimed their attention. Soon they saw, coming through a doorway at the right of the altar, a procession of white-robed boys, singing as they came. Betty and Mary had never in all their lives heard such music before, and they were sorry when It stopped. A man in a white robe began to speak, but they‘did not understand what he was talking about, so they looked at the flowers and the people, but the flowers most of all. Their eyes rested longest on a great cross of blosWuns in -front of the altar rail, and they wished they could go near to it. After a little chairs were brought in for the people near the entrance, and a kind man gave the children a seat, which, jhey-shared between them, their arms around each other. It was a long service that Easter afternoon, but it was so beautiful to Betty -and Mary that they never thought of going. Almost the last thing that took place made these two look on with very wistful eyes. It was the taking apart of the beautiful cross of flowers. The cross was composed of small bouquets, and these were distributed among the children of the Sunday school. • At last it was all aver, the whiterobed boys had gone as they<came, and the people were going away. "•Let’s stay an’ see’’em go by!” whispered Betty, Thus it happened that .as Miss Barnard’s class of six little -girls were passing out of the ehureh they saw two ragged, barefooted -children shyly eying them 'and their flowers.« SweetJjily Stone was.ahead, .and without an inst-amt’s hesitation she placed her own bouquet in Mary’s hand. Tina Gray was elose behind; and with a smile she tendered her flowers to Betty. The other four, not to be outdone by their leaders, gave their flowers to the little strangers, and when Mies Barnard came np she found Betty and Mary with flushed, beaming faces, hardly knowing what to do or what to say. The young teacher gave her class one glance of loving approval, and then turned to the two children, who were still Angering their flowers with intense rapture. She asked their names and where they lived; she found out that their mother was ill in bed, and that their father did little to make them happy, and when she left them she promised to go and see them ebon. This promise was more than fulfilled, and Betty and Mary found in Miss Barnard one of the best and kindest friends. “Ain’t you glad we went in that Sunday?” said Mary. “Yes, I guess I am," said Betty; “and I do think, Mary, churches and church folks is iuMy.