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18 THE I
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The Family
"THE LORD WALKED IN THE
GARDEN."
(Washerwoman's Hymn.)
He walked in de gyarden in de cool o de
day?
O Lord, whar kin dat gyarden be?
I'd turn my weary foots dat way
An' pray Thee cool de day for nie.
Lord, Lord, walkin' in de gyarden,
Open de gate to me!
I'd nuver be afeard o' de flaniin-' sword,
Ef I could walk \vi' Thee.
He wanted 111 ae gyaruen in ue cooi o ue
day;
He sa'ntered 'mongs' de shrubbery;
He nuver turned aroun' to look dat way?
I wusht He'd watched dat apple tree.
Lord, Lord, trouble in de gyarden!
Ev'ry-bod-y knows
Dat sins begins wid needles an' pins
An' de scan'lous need o' clo'es.
He walked in de gyarden in de cool o' de
day?
My bleacbin'-grass ain't tittin' tor Thee;
But dat Bible gyarden's so far away.
So, Lord, come bless my fiel' for me!
I/ord, Lord,"come into my gyarden!
Ev'ry-bod-y knows
How Eve's mistake when she listened to
de shnake
Still keeps me washin' clo'es.
He walked in de gyarden in de cool o' de
uay?
Ef I could stand an' see Him pass,
Wid de n'eye o' faith, as de scripture
saith,
I'd shout heah on my bleacbin'-grass.
Lord, Ix>rd, my little gyarden
Ain't no place for Thee!
But come an' shine wid a light divine
An' fix my faith for me!
Gl'ry, glory, hallehijah!
Peter, James au' John,
Behol' de light an' de rainment
white!
Yo wisdom 's passin' on!
?Ruth McEnery Stuart in the September
Century.
ONE WOMAN'S QUIET HOUR.
The minister's wife mechanically trotted
the baby on her knee and held aloft
the magazine to keep it out of the reach
of his little straying, grasping hands as
she read. She laid the magazine, face
down upon a chair when he cried out in
exasperation and quieted him with coos
and baby talk, but all the time her brown
eye3 were Densive. When at last the
baby snuggled his warm little face up
against her own and slept, she hugged
him tightly and mused as she rocked
gently back and forth. She wasn't thinking
about that baby, she wasn't even
conscious of his soft, embracing arms
about her neck?it was so much a habit
to hold him so.
"When science and the church arrive
at the same conclusion, even if it is by
different routes," said the minister's wife
PRESBYTERIAN OF THE SOUT
to herself, "that conclusion is pretty likely
to be correct. Our church organized
its Quiet Hour League two years ago,
and here is this scientific article telling
of the poise and calm and strength one
will surely gather by 'going into the
silence' for even fifteen minutes each
morning. I need poise and calm and
strength, goodness knows. ! made a perfect
goose of myself at that prayer service
yesterday, standing up there crying
and sobbing instead of telling what the
lx>rd has done for me, as the others did.
I'd have had beautiful words, too, if 1
only could have taken time to think
things over."
Baby straightened his back and wiggled.
"There, there, my sweetheart," she cooed,
and didn't know it, nor was she aware of
her softly patting hand on his plump
shoulders. "I'm going to do it?I will
have my quiet hour each morning. I
c an, Just after the children all get off to
school and while baby has his nap after
his bath."
She eased the little body down into the
cradle, and with a half reluctant look
about her at the room not yet tidied, took
up a Bible from the table.
"I'd hate for anybody to find out how
little I read this of late." She was rapidly
turning; the pages. "Where are the
Bsalms?yes?now, I want the ninetyfirst?it
always make me think of glorious
organ music?'He that dwelleth in
the secret place'?O baby, can't you get
to sleep?" She bent over and patted him
into stillness and then hurried to the
bathroom to investigate the ominous
sound of running water that proceeded
thence. Charles junior had a proclivity
for bathing in running water and he had
left the faucet open and the plug in the
basin. The water was flowing over on to
the floor and had to be wiped up at once
lest it leak through to the ceiling below
and cause the sisters to rrv thlmru nhnnt
the parsonage being abused. This only
required a few minutes, and soon she
was back by the cradle with the Bible on
her knee. She read a few verses, closed
her eyes and leaned back to meditate.
Sister Derry wore rubber heels on her
shoes so she made no sound as she
ascended the stairs.
"(Jot a headache, honey?" she inquired
at. sight of the pose of the minister's
wife.
"Oh, not at all," the mistress of the
manse made haste to protest with a sur
prisea start.
"I just imagined"?Sister Derry glanced
over the room. "No, I can't sit down. I
Just ran over to see if I might use your
telephone."
It was rather hard to meditate successfully
while a brisk one-sided conversation
was going on in the hall just outside the
door, so instead the minister's, wife
prayed a little silent prayer for patience,
and remembered something she had read
once atjout cuanging me " a to a capital
"H," so that "disappointment" would
lead "His appointment"
"Thank you, Sister Hadlow." The
neighbor hung up the receiver and peered
in. "It is such a convenience to have the
H. November 3, 1909.
privilege of your 'phone."
"It is eleven o'clock and you haven't
told me a thing to tlx for dinner." It was
black Minnie at the door this time.
"Baked hash from yesterday's roast.
wm*m orar fho ?
..M. vi iuc |?oiuiuco aim uiaKt; n
crumb pudding." Her voice was as
abstracted as her gaze, for again she was
praying for patience and trying to spell
disappointment the new way; but when
Minnie had gone downstairs the minister's
wife closed her door and locked it.
She read her Psalm, and then went on
down the page to the ninety-second. "It
is a good thing to give thanks unto the
Lord"?her eyes fell upon the little rosy
sleeper in the cyadle. "Indeed it is.
Robin, you sweetest thing in the world."
she said in her heart. "When the others
were talking so beautifully of their blessings
yesterday, I just kept thinking.
'Robin, Ilobin, Robin!' Yet there were
some people who actually had the audacity
to pity me when they heard there
was another baby at the parsonage."
She smiled, and began recounting other
causes for gratitude.
Ting-a-ling-ling-ling-ling! Not even a
closed and locked door can shut out the
peremptory summons of a telephone. It
woke Robin, and he began to fret, so that
his mother was in a fidget when she took
the receiver from its hook.
"No, I wasn't busy. . . . Oh, no! I
didn't have to come upstairs?I was in my
room. . . . Yes, I have time to talk a
bit. . . . The dress Edith wore yester
day? Yes, that was a bought pattern. . .
Yes, I'll be glad to lend It to you. . . .
Lead the missionary meeting? Why, I
think you'd better ask some one else. I
have baby, you know, and I can't get
time to prepare anything. . . . Yes I
know it. A minister's wife ought to be
prepared always, and it is a shame that
I am not. t . . Well, I'll do the best
I can. . . . Thank you. Good-bye."
She hurried back to comfort Robin.
There was a bottle to be fixed, and when
he clasped it in both chubby hands she
gave the clock a glance. "I can take ten
more minutes. I am so flustered, though.
I'll have to read again. 'Lord, thou hast
been our dwelling place in all generations!'"
The book dropped to her knee.
Dwelling place?home?a place where
one stays and lives?why, one can get so
used to a home as scarcely to think of it,
and yet be enjoying its comfort and
sweetness and shelter all the while. And
David calls our (lod a dwelling place?
home?dwelling place! I wonder"?
"Katie! O Katie!" It was the minister's
voice this time. "Where are you.
my dear? Still upstairs at this time or
day? There will be some visiting brethren
here to dinner."
He was talking awnv nil Hmo Ho.
whs running upstairs, but he stopped in
the doorway and smile*} a great happy,
smile at sight of the Bible on his wife's,
knee.
"O, my dearie!" he cried. "I'm glad, so
glad to see that! I've been a little afraid
lately that you were neglecting the better
part?that you wefe in danger of becoming
a Martha."
"Visiting brethren, Charles! And we