Activate Javascript or update your browser for the full Digital Library experience.
Previous Page
–
Next Page
OCR
Hattie occ dino
smiling till
4 Novemper 10, 1917.
under a weight of anxiety, but no one inquired ,
hom:
if she had had bad news from h
Emily had always been a girl of tnoods. It
had never occurred to her to make an effort
to look cheerful when she felt otherwise, or
to fight against unreasonable depression. She
had allowed her moods to control her instead
of attempting to control them, and had made
no attempt to spare her associates the gloom
that temporarily overshadowed her own spir-
its. But she had never realized till now how
much of the time she went about wrapped in
her own thoughts.
to smile did not attract the least attention
was significant of itself. But it was doubly
so contrasted with the excitement which had
been aroused by Enid’s forgetting to smile
for a few hours.
Another day and yet another went by.
Emily. was beginning to feel that she could
never smile again. It seemed to her that
her face had setfled into lugubrious lines,_
The muscles fairly ached for relaxation in
a broad grin. She listened to ‘the jokes of
her schoolmates with an expression suggest-
ing the deaf-and-dumb man Mark Twain once
vainly tried to arouse to enthusiasm. She
took part in the sports of the playground with
a demeanor suggesting that hope was dead,
still not a look of sympathy greeted her.” *”
one asked what was the matter,
It was the afternoon of the fourth day
when she happened to run across’ Enid in the
upper hall. Enid passed her with a. smile
and by gay little speech, then turned bac!
way,” she sai “ there’s nothing
trovlting you, is there, Emily? T was notic-
ing you in the French class this morning, and
it secmed to me you looked worried.”
Emily's answer was a burst of. texrs, and
then to Enid’s alarm, she broke into help-
less laughter, even while the tears ran down
her cheeks. She elutched Enid’s. arm, and
held her fast as she struggled for self-control.
When she had quieted she explained.
“It was funny—awfully funny. I just
thought they made so much fuss over your
not smiling, I would stop smiling and see if
they noticed it.
“ And you really haven’t smiled since ‘Mon-
day noon? I don’t know how you've stood
it” For all her sympathy there was a puz-
zled look in Enid's eyes. In spite of Emily’s
efforts she had not quite succeeded in ex-
plaining the impulse which had led her to
this experiment.
u know that day you didn’t smile,” said
Emily. ‘abruptly, “the day you were so wor-
ricd about. your brother? Well, everybody
noticed it. Everybody was sure right sway
that something was wrong.”
Enid did not. reply, .
“T° couldn't understand,” Emily went on,
“why everybody: made so much of your not
smiling. I thought I’d try it and see how
long it would be before anybody noticed: me,
and I was beginning to think that nobedy
would aay a word if I never smiled again.”
t know what we were thinking of,” -
excla! med Enid. “I'm ashamed of myself.”
““ Well,” said Emily, “ you haven't any rea-
son to’ be ashamed, have. When a
girl <oes about looking so down-in-the-mouth
fhe people get to think that’s her natural
xpression, she’s the one to be ashamed. Now
that I ean smile-again, I'm going to improve
my ©>portunities. I'm going to smile so much
th: ype I forget it, people will take notice.
A hat resolution has kept as
faith? huis as fhe kept the resolution of not
je was asked the reason.
—__
_ Your Own Smile.
““The first use of the smile.” says a writ-
er, “is to express affectionate good-will:
the second, to express mirth.” Terhaps
we have never stopped to think what a
won erful thing it is that each human be-
ing is born into the world with his own
smile. The mouth, nose, and eyes, may be
commouplace features, and look much like
those of everybody else, but smiles differ.
Observe in the most casual way, the variety
ene sees every day and it will soon be no-
tice!
what individuality they possess. It
‘med that there are but two honest
s, those on little children’s faces and
thos» among the honest-hearted peasants.
But « genial smile is like magical sunlight.
Even little children understand it and smile
back in answer.
—-—.
Life’s Small Change.
There are times when to have only a
fifty-Collar bill in one’s purse is the next
thing, as far as inconvenience is concerned,
ta being without money. Small change is
ecessary to carrying on the little, _every=
day financial transactions. “And al life,
too, needs small change. A love which does
not snanifest itself except in some emerg-
ency, is like a big bill which we cannot get
broken so as to supply our everyday needs.
The little kindnesses and courtesiex
are I'fe's small change. are essential to its
comfort.
The fact that her refusal.
which®
THE GIRLS’ COMPANION.
“CHAPTER VI.
ILERE was an element of suppressed
I excitement. in being marooned on
Hog Back in the dense fog, and Mary
+ for-a time enjoyed the experience, which
the regular clang of the bell could not
dampen. It was a mournful- toll that
pealed out of the white mist to warn any
approaching vessel of danger, but it was
not nearly as dismal-and up¢anny as a fog-
horn or siren.- After all there is some-
thing friendly and companionable about a
-bell, and in the intense silence its monoto-
nous ring soon became welcome.
The white tower
of the lighthouse
blended so softly
into the mist that
it was absolutely
invisible two
yards away. Stand-
ing out as a con-
spicuous landmark
in the daytime. the
white shaft now’
faded away as if it
was composed of
nothing more sub-
stantial than mist.
“What do we do
next?” Mary asked
eagerly when
bell had
started ringing.
“Nothing but
watch and wait.”
her sis re?
smiling. “Ww hat
else can we do?”
“y thought—”
Mary said. show-
ing a little disap-
pointment. Then
she stopped and
smiled as
caught ~
t
see what a lonely
life a keeper must
lead. Of. course. I
always thought of ~
the exciting part of
it. when passing,
ships hailed the
watcher, or the sea
cast its wreckage
at its base. But
it is largely made
up of watching
and waiting.”
“Yes.” was. the
slow response, “it
takes an infinite
amount of pat’ence—and trust. Of conrse,
the moment of excitement may com* once
a year, or in two years, but the stretches
between are mostly monotonous watching
and waiting.” .
During the early morning hours a distant
whistle of a passing steamer broke the in-
tense silence. Mary was instantly alert
and- expectant. but Bessie shook her head.
“Tt won't come any nearer,” she said.
“It's far outside, and if it comes in close
enough to hear our bell it will immediately
lay its course farther out.” *
_ Mary was not immediately convinced,
and listened and waited for a long time,
hoping. that the sound of the whistle, re-
peated every minute or two, would grow
louder and nearer: but it gradually grew
fainter, and finally died away. A look of
disappointment showed in her face.
“There'll be others before night,” Bessie
remarked cheerfully, seeing the expression
on the other’s face: “Sometimes a dozen
steamers pass this way in a single day,
Listen! Isn't that another one?”
They craned their heads forward and
listened intently, A deeper and thicker
whistle this time cams from somewhere out
of the blanket of fog. Fach blast was
louder and clearer than the first.
dessie Wildm ane
int Reef of Lighthous
=
“in eight che “chepters
“Leung me a hand,
<a
=>
i
\
“That must be one of the big liners,”
Tesi remarked. “I can almost tell: some
their names by their whistles.”
eT he en it won’t come much: nearer?”
“No, it’s about abreast of the shoals
now. It will soon disappear, and we'll
have to wait’ forthe next one.
, They spent the early hours: of the morn~
ing listening ‘to the loud blasts of steamers
creeping up and down the coast in the
fog. Once two ships going in opposite
directions approached each other, and the
sharper shrieks of their whistles indicated
they were feeling their way past each other
SEN ee
pant
Mary.”
with extreme caution. Then after a while
the warning toots came less frequently as
the ships separated.
“It's really exciting, Bess,” Mary re-
marked toward noon, “even if we haven't
anything to do.”
“OW ave a good deal to do,” smiled
Bessie, “ but it’s in a quiet way. If w
didn’t keep our fog bell going there’d prob-
ably be a wreck here. Those steamers
heard our bell in passing, and it gave them
their correct position at sea. They knew
they were abreast the Point of Reef Light.
1 should say we were a very important
part of the whole thing.”
The fog did not clear up by noon, and
the sun struggling to penetrate the blanket
o
3
Bessie lighted the big revolving
and its blazing
dense.
lamp earlier than usual,
light played queer, fantastic tricks with
the fog. <A million sparkling diamonds
seemed to fill the air, spreading out fan-
shape and disappearing in the distance.
“The light isn’t really of much use in a
fog like this,” Bessie explained. “I don't
suppose it can be seen a mile away, but we
must keep it burning. The fog bell is
worth two lights a night like this.”
“low far can the bell be heard?”
“It’s supposed to carry five miles, but in
thick ‘weather it cam be heard farther.”
Shortly after lighting the big lamp one
of those strange phenomena of the sea sud-
denly drew Mary’s attention from the
passing ships. A piercing cry near by burst
out of the fog; followed almost immediately
“by others.
“What is it?” she gasped, catching her
sister's hand.
“The sea birds. They’re lost in the fog,
and the light is attracting them.
In a few moments a few \black spots ap-
peared. whirling around the revolving lamp,
following the flashing streak of light as it
slowly shifted around the circle. ‘Shrill,
bigh cries and loud raucous croaks of the
bigger birds soon filled the air with a
medley of sounds, ‘The lost birds dashed
-toward the welcome rays of light. but in-
of mist was completely routed. Discouraged °
and sullen, it vanished completely from view,
and the fog settled down thicker than ever.
“L['m afraid we won't get home to-day,
Mary,” Bess decided, studying the weather,
“But, of course, mother understands, and
she won't worry
“So Tong's “the fog bell keeps ringing
she'll know all's well with us, ‘That's the
way I used to think when you and Uncle
Ben were out here nights.”
“Yes, it must be company for her.”
When night approached the. fog was still
stead of finding relief they became more’
confused. ©The light blinded them, and
some dashed against the glass globe with
such force that they were thrown to the
platform below. .
Xess picked up some of the wounded
birds and carried them inside, but others
were soft, fluffy balls of warm flesh from
which the life had been completely dashed.
“Tt's a terrible pit Sess said se
“but I don't know what we can
prevent it. They seem like foolish
but they don’t know any better.”
Tor an hour the flock of lost birds made
the air ring with their wild cries, but in
time they disappeared almost as mysteri-
ously as they bad come. Their leaders,
having learned from experience the danger
of the light, had evidently succeeded in
leading their followers away, and had
either found safety on the land or flown out
to sea again
Shortly after the birds left, Bess was
leaning over the railing of the high plat:
form, her eyes scanning the blanket of
mist for any sign of a star.
“Tlear that whistle, Mary! It's been
coming nearer all the time, I believe the
ship's trying to make port.” .
“Then she'll come close to us?”
“T hope not. She'd run on the shoals if
she did. There’ the whistle again. It's
nearer than it was.”
The two girls listened intently for a mo-
ment, and for a time heard nothing else.
vere oblivious to all near-by sounds
hts until Bessie suddenly caught
s'arm in a fierce little grasp.
he bell!” she gasped. “ When did it
birds, .
ring’
“OW hy—I don't know—only a few mo-
ments ago.”
Are you sure?” demanded Bessie anx-
o, I'm not. I was listening for the
whistle, and—and—”
Mary stopped, for her sister was count:
ing one, two, three, four, five, six,
seven—" She was counting the seconds
slowly as a clock would tick them off.
When she had counted up to sixty, the
blast of the whistle offshore broke in upon
her words. She started and missed a
count, but resolutely continued from the
point of interruption. Mary was a little
puzzled, and was on the point of asking
for information when her sister gave a lit-
tle gasp of dismay.
“ Something's the matter with the bell,
Mary,” she said. “It's missed a stroke.
Come with me, quick!”
She turned like a flash and raced down
.the long spiral stairs so rapidly that Mary
was left far in the rear, When the latter
reached the bottom, she found Bessie with
a lantern in her hand climbing up the
framework of the big bell,
end me a hand, Mary,” she cried.
“T must get up there. The bell hasn't
rung for—for—”
With a spring she was up on the top of
the framework. Mary climbed the short
iron ladder after her, and handed up the
lantern, There was no need of her going
vers
