“Come to my room this afternoon, Kathie, if
you have nothing special to do; I have more questions
for you.”
Katherine said she would, and, as soon as the meal
was over, hastened away to prepare for church.
It was a beautiful day, and she decided to walk instead
of taking a car, as usual. She reached the hall
just in season to slip into a seat before the opening
hymn was given out.
When she arose with the congregation to sing, she
glanced around to see if there was anyone near her
whom she knew. Her astonishment may be imagined
when her eye fell upon Jennie Wild, just across the
aisle from her.
The girl had also espied her and nodded a smiling
and half-defiant recognition, which Katherine gravely
returned.
The story of A stray waif.
For a moment Katherine felt as if she were being made
the target for the arrows of error from every quarter;
for here was another lawless girl on her hands, and
another infraction of rules which threatened to involve
her in disagreeable complications.
But, after silently declaring that “evil could
not make her its channel, either directly or indirectly,”
she resolutely put disturbing thoughts away, determined
that her mind should not be distracted from the lesson.
She did observe, however, that Jennie paid the strictest
attention throughout the service, joining in the Lord’s
Prayer, and in the hymns with a vigor which indicated
thorough enjoyment of that portion of it.
The moment the benediction was pronounced she came
directly to her and greeted her with a half-deprecatory
air, but with a roguish gleam in her saucy eyes.
Katherine lingered a little to speak to some acquaintances,
and also introduced her companion; then they passed
out of the hall together.
“Did you have Prof. Seabrook’s permission
to come here this morning, Jennie?” Katherine
inquired, when they were on the street, but feeling
confident of receiving a negative reply.
Jennie took refuge in one of her comical grimaces
and shrugged her plump shoulders.
“Ask me no questions and I will tell you no—stories,”
she laughingly rejoined.
“I am answered,” Katherine gravely observed.
“I don’t care. I wanted to come,
and I knew it wouldn’t do to ask the professor,
after what he said to you about Christian Science,”
said the girl, in self-justification, but flushing
consciously beneath the look of disapproval in her
companion’s eyes. “I think the service
was just lovely,” she went on, glibly. “How
happy all those people seemed—as if there
wasn’t a thing in the world to trouble them.
And that ’silent prayer’!—it
just made me think of Elijah and the ‘still
small voice,’ after the tempest and the earthquake.
I was sorry when it was over.”
“I am glad you enjoyed the services, Jennie.
They are always very restful to me, and Sunday is
my day to be marked with a ’white stone’
for that reason,” and there was a look of peace
in the soft, brown eyes that assured Jennie of the
truth of her words.
