The Two Old Sisters of Salem Court.

T was one of those dismal days, partly heavy fog and partly sticking cold, when, if there can ever be an excuse for cross despondency, one might be excused for feeling what some folks call "down in the dumps;" and it was in one of those

鮮海鮮

T was a fine summer afternoon; the sun, which had been shining all the morning with unusual brightness upon the little watering-place called Stoney Bay, had lost some of its fervour, and the visitors, and those of the townspeople who could afford the time, were enjoying the cool sea breeze as they walked the Parade or sauntered on the pier. The passenger steamer had landed its living freight, and those who had come by her had already dispersed, leaving only one of their number on the landing pier. For some time this solitary passenger walked about the pier as though expecting to meet someone whom he knew; but at length he seemed to grow weary of waiting, and giving his luggage to a porter, he directed his steps to the nearest hotel.

"There is no way of getting there unless you hire a carriage, sir, or else walk," said the waiter, in answer to a question the stranger put to him, respecting the possibility of reaching a village some miles inland.

"Then I shall wait till to-morrow," he answered.

It is not my intention to weary the reader with a description of Stoney Bay, nor of the fashionable visitors who were just then enjoying its beauties; it will be enough to say that it was the resort, not only of pleasure-seekers, but of many who sought health and vigour in the bracing sea air ; and that on such a day as that of which I am writing, the long stretch of beautiful yellow sand which skirted the sea presented an animated scene. It was to these sands that Mr. Banks, for that was the stranger's name, bent his steps, after having made arrangements to stay at the hotel till the next day, and he soon became interested in watching the busy throng upon them. Here was a group of merry children, building their tiny castles, or digging with their little spades with a vigour that seemed dauntless; there a band of musicians was hard at work with flute and cornet, whilst persons of all ages and descriptions were strolling about or lounging on the numerous seats provided for them, and passing from group to group, or from one person to another, were a number of hawkers of pebbles, fossils, or shells, trying to obtain customers for their wares. One of these approached Mr. Banks, and offered for sale a pretty little basket of delicately-tinted shells.

"It is very cheap, sir, indeed it is," said the young hawker, and she looked eagerly at Mr. Banks, as though she thought he must agree with her.

"It may be cheap, my maid," he answered; "but if I don't want it, it would be dear at any price."

"Can't you take it, sir? It is very pretty, and all the shells were found here, sir."

Mr. Banks was about to decline purchasing the toy, but something about the child made him feel disinclined to do so. "Have you any smaller ones ?” he asked.

"Not here, sir; but we have some at home."

"And where is that?" Mr. Banks inquired.

"Not far, sir. Will you come and see what we've got at home ?"

when we can put one body's faith against the other's want of faith, a shocking bad trick!"

"I can't trust myself," dolefully said Meggy.

"And you are not wanted to, either; that's the booty of it. If you was, you would only have rottenness to trust to; but now you've got what the Bible calls 'A sure word of promise'1 to depend on, and what can any poor sinner want more?"

Keturah well knew that, through all her poor sister's weak and peace-destroying despondency in temporal matters, her soul was safe and sound. Safe, because her feet were firmly fixed on The Rock. Sound, because, whatsoever her mistrustful thoughts about her poor perishing body, she could look to Christ alone for salvation, having been taught by the Holy Spirit to feel, as well as say, "There is none other name under heaven given among men whereby" I can be saved."2 No one knew better than herself this infirmity of temper, which made her often so unhappy, and so dismal a companion to her bright and cheery sister. In her more thoughtful moments she struggled against these murmurings, and felt as though they were amongst "the hay, straw, and stubble" which would be destroyed, yet it would be vastly for the comfort of both if she could take a leaf out of Keturah's bright book of expectations, and from it learn also to expect good, and not evil, all the days of her life. She felt, if she were taken first, that a great weight of care would be removed from her amiable sister. But if she were left!-Oh! the poor old woman would weep even to think of such a calamity. But she had no need to think of it. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitied poor faithless old Meggy. One morning, not long after the before-recorded conversation, Keturah was surprised by a voice bidding her "Good-bye, and may the Lord bless you!" The voice was Meggy's, but death-struck and so altered, that her sister thought a stranger must have entered unheard. True; one had entered; but that

1 2 Sam. xxiii. 5, with Psa. xxiii. 6.

2 Acts iv. 12.

somehow your little girl found a soft place in my heart, and I didn't like to refuse her."

“Thank you, sir, very much for your custom, whatever it was that brought you here."

"Why, it was your little girl that brought me here, without doubt," said Mr. Banks, smiling.

"She led the way, sir; but I do believe it was God that made you come. Don't think me over bold, sir; but I really do think it was Him that made you buy those things."

"Well, but my good man, it was the greatest chance possible that I was in the town at all; if I had been met at the boat, as I expected, I should have been miles away from here before now."

"Would you really, sir; then that only makes it more wonderful that God should have chosen you to be the one to help me out of my trouble, for if I hadn't made up my rent to-day I must have turned out of the old place that has been my home for years."

"Then, do you mean to say you think I was kept in Stoney Bay this evening through an accident or a misunderstanding, just to enable me to help you? That would be rather a roundabout way of giving you assistance. I don't want to shock your feelings, but I think if Providence had intended helping you it might have been done without spoiling my journey."

"I don't know much about Providence, sir, but I know that God has promised to help His people; and this day I laid the matter of the rent before Him, and so did Fanny. We both of us asked Him to help us to pay it, and we believed He would hear us, and He has."

There was something very earnest in the way the poor man spoke, and Mr. Banks was impressed by what he said.

"I do think," the old man continued, after a slight pause, "I do think, sir, that we haven't half faith enough. If we could only remember that we have our heavenly Father's word for it that He will never leave us nor forsake us, we should be much happier than we are."