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2o TH
The Family (
A TRYST.
Psalms 41:1,3.
I shall soon be over yonder,
But it isn't so far away?
Just across a shining threshold.
into a origin ana gionous aay.
I
1 have treasures over yonder,
Treasures rich and rare.
Culled from many a crossroad,
Where life was bleak and bare.
- ' 1
1 can hear the angel voices,
And I know it will not be long
Until 1 too can sing with rapture
The glorious glory song.
i
It was joy to work in his vineyard;
"Twill be joy to work over there,
At whatever task ne appoints me
iu me opirmana so iair.
But, no; I am stronger ihis morning;'
I shall work a while longer right here.
Where so mar.y bodies need ciothing,
Where so many hearts need cheer.
Oh, the world is so full of beauty.
So much joy and sunshine to spare.
That if we but half did our duty,
We would scatter it everywhere.
Oh, the poor have many a heartache;
They are hungrier for love than for
bread;
They'd rather have a good, hearty
handshake
Than clothes made of golden thread.
And oh! the joy in the gloaming.
To lay all at his blessed feet!
The failure I made in the morning.
The success 1 found later so sweet!
t
The words of love that were spoken
In his name reached the tender place;
Bruised hearts that were all but broken
Were healed with his infinite grace.
Oh, the joy! the joy in the gloaming!
Our Saviour to meet face to face, .
.*' %
And draw fresh strength for the morning
|
To fill in the world ear place.
i
Ah, as frail, empty vessels, he'll fill
us,
urimful sf his spirit of leve;
Nay,^ we 11 overflow with fhe spiatt *f
Jesus,
Aid that will draw souls up abovs.
A spul! Oh, the heartbeats come'
fdster!
Chere is joy in heaves unfeelU.
A soul! A soul for the -Master!
A soul sheltered safe ia the fold!
The Joy?oh, the Joy, hi the gloaming!
A soul to lay at his feet!
flescued by your toil of the moraing.
The Joy?oh, the Joy Is aomplete!
Susanna,
* ,
E PRESBYTERIAN OF THE SOUT
AUNT GRAIDY; A CHARACTER
SKETCH.
Aunt Graidy was certainly a singular
person. It was probably because she
had lived so much alone. People are
not born singular, they grow so, I believe.
Aunt Graidy had become morbid
and self-centered, at least, that is what
people snid.
Down in her heart she had a store of
loving affeetionateness, which, if you
think about it, is better than affection.
She had a good many friends that loved
her and even leaned on her, but?she
was not a pleasant person to live with,
and the saddest thing about it was that
she knew it!
I am n'.t sure that she could tell you
just when she began to find it out, but
it was in God's own time. He never
teaches us all of a lesson at one time.
He is too wise and too patient for that,
but the time came when Aunt Graidy
needed to find it out so that she might
take up the work which the Master had
appointed her.
She had gone on as heedlessly as a
vnnnur nprann for o Inn or whilo WhoM
she saw any one, especially- one she
cared for, doing' what she believed
wrong, she did not hesitate to say so.
You see, she had very positive ideas of
right and wrong, and about the proprieties?she
was raised that way.
Well, after awhile she began to notice
one and another that she thought cared
for her behaving as the priest and the
Levite did to the poor fellow that had
fallen among thieves?they passed her
by on the other -side.
* It set Aunt Graidy to thinking, and
her thoughts were troubled thoughts, for
she loved to be cared for and petted as
much as she did when she was young?
maybe more?and so she began to ask
herself, Why is this? What is the matter?
What can I do?
Then she took this trouble where she
had learned to carry all of her burdens,
and she asked for light, for wisdom to
see where she was wrong and for love
enough in her heart to win back henfriends
if God was willing.
Now, AnHt Graidy was very human all
this time. She had to fight pride, for,
oh, how ft hurt to be left out ef so many
things, and it was very hard to keep
from Rnenkins- of th? mnttop
Jest about this juncture she received
a letter fqom a friend far away, who
wrote her what a Joy and comfort her
letters had been and how. she thanked
Cod tor them.
Poor old Aumt Gratdy was quite overcome.
She leaned her head on the table
by which she was sitting and shed tears
of jay. "Why," she said to Mbrself,
"maybe the Master means me te cheer
and help others by letters rather thau
#y talking. I talk too much when I g?t
a ehance. Letters are safer than speaking
anyhow. If you write what yon
think, there's time for you bo read it
over and In tear it up; but if you speak,
nil P?n ?nt Ko/?lr -
^ ? W QVV vuv 0|n/ncil nuiUD,
no matter how sorry you are. It would
be well for me to hare a bandage over
both eyes and mouth, especially in. the
H. August ii, 1909.
home circle."
Then she recalled a quaint old prayer
she had read somewhere:
"Oh, that mine eyes might closed be
To what concerns me not to see;
That deafness m'.ght possess mine ear
To what concerns me not to hear;
That love my tongue might always tie
h'rom ever speaking foolishly!
kui wnat are wisnes: Lord, mine eye
On thee is fixed. To thee I cry.
Wash, Lord, and purify my heart
And make it clean in every part;
And when 'tis clean, Lord, keep it, too,
For that is more than I can' do."
Acting upon this convictioli, Aunt
Graidy, by the grace of God. began to
close her eyes to the friends who passed
her by and busied herself with the
friends who seemed to need her, for she
was sure now that the friend who
wanted her was the friend she wanted.
The first thing she did was to make
a list of people who might be cheered
and comforted/by ner letters. She had
time for this work, for sh<r did not keep
house, and by shortening her visiting
list, leaving only those who were sick
nr In tonnkla ?.V.~ ~.?l~ '
w. nt nuu utt, otic; iimuc uns lime fclSliy.
Then she began to find that she was
spared a good deal of gossip in this
way, and do you know that This singular
old woman began, loo, to be happier
than she had ever been in her life? She
did not need to observe the eternal vigilance
as to her tongue that she had once
found necessary and which, alas! had so
often failed.
On several occasions, when she had
found it particularly hard to be prudent,
she had tried binding a handkerchief
across her mouth, or keeping her eyes
closed, when to open them was to see
things that it pained her to see; but
these performances only passed for
samples of Aunt Graidy's eccentricities.
"Aunt Graidy always was inclined to
be eccentric," some one would say, with
a laugh and a shrug of the shoulder.
"Yes, and gets more and moj-e so,"
would be the reply; 'but she lets us
laugh and does not seem to care."
auiii urmuy minaea it more tnan her
p#tle would let her show. She had tried
very hard never to do or say anything
that might help to fasten that opprobrious
term upon her. She had never
minded being called an old maid, for the
condition had been a matter of choice,
and she knew she was old, and that settled
the matter; but to be called "ecesntric"!
Ihat hart, because it seeme^d te
set Her apart from the people around
bar.
She had been rajpcd to thferic that the
true woman must pass through life as in
the Bible?"great, but hidden."
Poor old lady! She was really griewed
for awhile over this matter, hut only for
a while. Hev common sense, under 6od,
came to her rescue, and she became
busied again with her letters, and, as
the days passed, she fyund her time se
full of nlpssftnf wnrlr Uial alia ??oU"
get that Mrs. So-and-So, or Miss Thtsand-So,
or her old friend, Mr. Other One,
had not asked for her when calling, and
with the swiftly flying hours filled with
little opportunities to do for others, and