Katie's Influence [pp. 332-337]

THE LADIES' REPOSITOR r.
tempted her out, and the voice singing so gayly
over the way seemed to point the direction of
her walk. "It is n't here as it is in the city,"
she thought; "she may not be here when Flora
comes, and it will do no harm to be polite. If
I do n't like her she's easily dropped."
So she put on her pretty Fall suit and crossed
the street. The young lady herself opened the
door, looking very pretty in her calico, though
the flour on the front showed the work she had
left. The introduction which Sadie had dreaded
a little was over almost before she had time to
think, and she was sitting in the little parlor
hearing the same silver, sweet voice that had so
charmed her in the morning. Uttered by those
tones the merest commonplaces would have
been charming in a certain degree, and Sadie
never stopped to think of any fresh grace of
expression or thought that made their discussion
of the weather so pleasant.
" You sing, do you not?" she said after a little
glancing at the small old-fashioned melodeon in
the corner.
"A little. Do you like music?"
"Very much. I heard you this morning.
Do you know what a lovely voice you have?"
Sadie went on, hardly knowing what she was
saying. "I fairly envy you. I should like so
much to hear you now."
"I'm glad you like my singing," Kate said
simply as she sat down. "It relieves me from
the fear of not pleasing you," and then she sang
two or three songs, and would have given more
if Sadie had not been ashamed to ask more, for
simple Kate Thorne, so long as she gave pleasure, was willing to use her voice a great deal.
It was a long call. Once launched into conversation the girls talked as if they had known
each other for years. Once interrupting one of
Kate's sentences came a feeble call from the
room adjoining.
"Aunty is better now," Kate said as she returned from the call, "but she is still quite weak
and a little fretful."
"Do you like taking care of the sick?" Sadie
asked, remembering how she hated her mother's
bad days.
"Not very much. I'm not a natural nurse, I
suppose. But I have done a good deal of it,
and have found that, like some other things, it
is pleasant if you only think so."
* On the table lay some beautiful sewing. Sadie
glancing at it said, "Do n't you use a machine?
I think hand sewing so tiresome."
"It is, rather. I sometimes wish aunty
were n't so prejudiced against machine work.
I have one at home, but aunty insists that all
her sewing shall be done by hand."
Sadie, conscious that if she were doing some
one else's sewing she would not treat a prejudice so tenderly, said nothing, only looked at
the girl before her and wondered in what her
charm lay. Not certainly in her face, unless it
might be her eyes-brown, deep, luminous, with
a certain serenity and peace in them that made
them very beautiful. It was that and the voice,
she thoughlt, as, after urgent invitations for her
to visit her, she went home.
" How bright you look, dear," her mother said
as she came in. "Did you enjoy your call?
You have been gone a long time."
"She's real nice, mamma. I can't think
where she learned her manners, for she says
she lives on a farm twenty miles front here, and
has never been from home except to this uncle.
I should n't think it very nice to visit to take
care of a sick aunt and two or three children,
but she seems perfectly happy. And she has
read a good deal, I should think. I am to lend
her some books. I hope she will call soon."
"Really," laughed her mother, "you have
fallen in love with this little country girl."
"She is making an Autumn wreath, motherthe prettiest thing I ever saw. She says I can
find beautiful leaves and mosses in the woods
two miles from here, and she will show me
how."
"You could n't walk that far, dear."
"0O yes, mamma, with her. Do you know
she made me forget all about myself-being
tired and sick, I mean; made me feel as if it
were wicked to grumble when I have so, so
many blessings."
Mrs. Richards said nothing, and Sadie began
humming over one of Katie's songs as she sat
down at the machine with the piece of work
that had bothered her so before her call. She
did not know why Katie's unconscious influence
had rebuked her selfish idleness; why she felt
like helping her mother that afternoon-like
reading and playing to her father that evening.When she went to her room she heard from
over the way children's voices singing the old,
old,
"Glory to Thee, my God, this night,"
Katie's voice sustaining the children's trio.
Half unconsciously she opened her Bible, for
the first time in weeks, and reading, "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father
is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in
their affliction, and to keep herself unspotted
from the world," wondered if that was the
secret of Katie's happiness.
Ten days later, one lovely morning, the girls
started together for a day in the woods. In a
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