A PAGE FOR Y's.

White Ribbon, Volume 20, Issue 234, 18 December 1914, Page 10

A PAGE FOR Y 's.

A GIRL’S INFLUENCE. By Annie M. Vail. (Continued). Mabel was her own mistress, l’len ty of people would have been happy to interfere with her affairs through her orphanage, but no occasion ever presented. She had always seemed naturally inclined to do the most desirable thing. She had chosen the best schools, she had exquisite taste in dress, housekeeping, literature and art; she was a delightful girl and a very devout and conscientious one. Her guardian managed her property. Her grandparents were her guests; nobody had entertained an anxious thought about her for years. Alice Santly experienced the very first one. She was several years Mabel’s senior .ind h* r great resource. Only a strip of lawn separated their homes. Neuralgia had prevented her seeing much of the revival meetings; exhaustion from long-continued religious exalta tion kept Mabel rather quiet; she had 3 cen her friend every day, but Alice had guests, and there was no opportunity for being confidential, otherwise the very first mistaken move would have been analysed for her. Mabel greeted her warmh when she came in for the first time for several days, and wondered how she would manage to tell her news. ‘*l am better, dear. 1 felt like put ting you on your guard a little about young Clifford. I’m afraid of his getting too much .interested in you. When these young scapegraces set out to reform they always expect everybody to stand around and admire, and the firsi thing most of them do is to offer exclusive attention to the nicest girl at hand when they have no business to embarrass any girl with special devotion until they make a record. Of course this seems perfectly preposterous,” she ran on, wondering why she did not feel entirely at ease; “but the less does not comprehend the greater, you know ; he does not perceive his own deficient ies and he wouldn't naturally comprehend the hopelessness of the idea.” Mabel did not look up. “Don’t you think he has a nice face, Alice?” she asked, her friend thought a little irrelevantly. “Well, yes, that is, it might be,” she answered slowly; “if there was

more behind it—intellect —ambition, and so on, as it is, it is a kind of beaute de diable, bears marks of dissipation, his tastes are low, he likes vile company. 1, myself, have often seen him with —what makes you look at me that way, Mabel?” “Oh, Alice, you don’t know how Inis changed,” she said, “how manly and earnest he is since he has L on trying to be a Christian. He turned to me from the very first. Along every step of the way I was the onh one who could understand and help him; he has risen from -u< h depths he must be helped and held he de pends on me he says if 1 fail him he will be lost. 1 believe it has been given to me to stand by him and with him always!” Alice listened aghast. “Mabel Ar mitage !” “Alice, 1 have been so plainly led. I look ba< k and cannot see any mis take, nor any point where I could h. ve done differently.” Alice groaned. “1 can,” she said. “Just when that flattering sense of special influence and ownership began —that was the place, lie depends on you—that is hi» religion, not Christ, and sweet and dear as you are, it will not do.” “God uses human means,” she said serenely. “But, Mabel, it is not a fit alliance if he is eve r so sincere. You can’t be happy with him he doesn’t know the fir-t thing about the subjects which in terests you he’s illiterate you will be ashamed of him.” “1 have always thought,” said Mabel, sweetly, “that 1 could lay all at the foot of the cross; if the sacrifice is to be my pride of intellect, I can make it. It will be made enough for me to understand the language of the Kingdom.” Alice could endure no more; she went home dismayed. Neither did she worry Mabel with any more attempts to change her determination. It was too late for her counsel to be any use. But relatives and friends of the family did their whole duty There was no halo of interest about Kd Clifford in their eyes. Grandfather and Grandmother were fairly broken-hearted. Her guardian tried to remonstrate. Aunts and I'licles made her extremely uncomfortable, but, if anything, more determined. Even the minister tried to undeceive her, but she pretty nearly convinced him against his judge-

ment. It was too late for anything but a special providence. Through the influence of a wealthy member of the church, Clifford was offered the position of freight conductor by the company which had discharged him for drinking and misconduct. He was loath to leave the scene of his cnc hantment, but he could not gainsay his mother’s logic. “She had slaved to maintain him in dissipation and idleness- —now, if he had turned over a new leaf, he would show it by doing something to help along. Going with a rich girl was not earning a living.” His “day off’’ gave him every third evening, and Mabel looked forward to his coming. His beauty and tenderness were pleasing to her. He was so worshipful and presumed so little, and everybody else was finding fault with her. It was strange how little apparent to Mabel had been her lover’s mental and educational deficiencies, but the language of passion and religious fervor has an eloquence of its own, and they talked ot little else. When she led off beyond his depth his tac t did not f.iil him. lie would say with perfect frankness, “I don’t understand much about that, Mabel, you will have to be my teacher as well as my safeguard,” and then it was easy to glide back to the theme on whic h he could be eloquent, her goodness and all she was to him. An occasional fault of diction made her wince, ft r she was nice and critical, but >he told herself she was glad she had a sacrifice to make. She began to understand pretty clearly the narrowness of their mutual ground, but she had not tired of it. There were flowers along the path of duty, if time- had been given for it to grow an older story she might have haled release, but so long as she believed in her divine commission she never would have faltered. Clifford’s train was due on the afternoon of the last day of the year. They were to go together to “watch-meet-ing” and “see the old year out.” He had talked of the new year holding a different meaning from any other of his life —said that his life had grown so full of joy he thought his heart would burst with it, and then—if such inconceivable folly wire not an everyday affair, if we did not continually see men sacrifice everything of value to a vicious impulse, wh.it happened would be an incredible thing to relate. (To be concluded).