AUNT KATE'S INVITATION by Lillie Barr

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Mountain View, California · Mar 21, 1906

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 32, No. 12.

AUNT KATE'S INVITATION.

By Lillie Barr

[Lillie Barr, in Christian Weekly.]

CLIP, clip, clip, went Gerty's scissors; and that was the only answer Rachel got, altho she was calling "Gerty" at the tip-top of her voice.

"I am not going to be bothered with you, miss," said Gerty to herself; "you are always wanting something. It is 'Gerty, Gerty, Gerty,' morning, noon, and night, and I am quite tired of it."

"O! Ger-ty! Mama says you are to take me for a walk," called Rachel again.

Gerty settled herself still more comfortably behind the curtains, and the snip, snip of her scissors was the only answer she made to Rachel's request. But somehow the lovely green silk basque, trimmed with rose-colored satin, which she was making, did not fit Mirinda half so well after this, and Gerty's conscience felt as if it was turned wrong side out, and it pricked her all over.

"There! if Rachel had not bothered me I should not have put this sleeve in wrong. I do wish—"

But here the door opened, and mama and eldest sister came into the nursery.

"Are you going to let Gerty go to Aunt Kate's, mother?" asked her sister Jessie as she slowly paced up and down with baby, who was almost asleep.

"That will depend on how she behaves this week; she has been very cross and impatient with the children lately."

"Will you tell her about Aunt Kate's invitation?"

"No; I shall watch her behavior this week; on Friday evening it will be time enough to tell her."

"I do hope she will be good, for the peaches are all ripe, and it will disappoint both Bob and Rachel if she can not go."

Just here callers were announced, and mama and Jessie went softly out.

Clip, clip, clip, went Gerty's scissors as she heard the door close.

"I'll be good this week," said she, as she bit off her thread, "and what is more, I will begin right now."

So Mirinda and the green silk basque were put away, and it was wonderful what lots of things she found to do. The hearth needed brushing up; Bobbie's and Rachel's toys were all over the room. The nursery was soon set to rights, and then Gerty remembered how untidy her bureau drawers were, and she began with desperate zeal to separate stockings and neck ribbons, gloves and doll pieces. This took some time, and when it was finished conscience reminded her—not for the first time, either—that the tissue paper which ought to be folded about her best hat was all crumpled up in a corner of the box. This was soon set right, and then Rachel's and Bob's voices, in long, doleful howls with little gasps between, called her hurriedly to the garden. There she discovered that Bob had got a splinter in his finger, and that Rachel was crying in sympathy.

"Just 'cause Bob was trying to climb on the woodpile," sobbed Rachel.

"Don't cry any more; I will take it out and then we will have a lovely walk," said Gertie soothingly, and Gerty kept her word.

The week passed swiftly by, and Friday afternoon came. Gerty was darning her stockings, but there were several little lines down the middle of her forehead, and a very troubled expression about the corners of her mouth.

"Miss Gerty, your mama says you are to go to the parlor; your Aunt Kate is there," said Gretchen, looking into the nursery.

Gerty rose, gathering her stockings up in her apron and hastening down-stairs.

"Well, Gerty dear, you see I am come for you. Are you ready to go back to the farm with me?" said Aunt Kate, stooping to kiss the little girl.

"I meant to give her a surprise, sister Kate," said Gerty's mother, smiling, "so I did not tell her anything about your invitation. But she has been such a good girl this week that it gives me real pleasure to let her go with you now."

"O mama! I must not go, if you please; I ought not to go, indeed I ought not!"

"What for?" cried mama and Aunt Kate both together.

"Because—because I was in the nursery behind the curtain when you and Jessie spoke about Aunt Kate's invitation, and I have not been good to help you, or because it was right to be good, but only because I wanted to go to Aunt Kate's. It was not real goodness, mama," sobbed poor Gerty, dropping all her stockings, and hiding her face in her apron.

"But, Gerty, you are sorry for your fault, and it will be such a disappointment to Bob and Rachel," said sister Jessie, with tears in her eyes.

"No, no; I can't go, Jessie; you please go with them. I will mind baby, and help mama all I can."

"That is quite right, Gerty," said mama gently, "and I am very glad she sees her fault so plainly."

Gertie could bear it no longer; she fled to her favorite corner behind the nursery curtains, and there she remained until she saw old John and Billy trotting down the avenue, and heard Jessie, Bob, and Rachel calling, "Good-by."

Then she went softly down-stairs and made her little confession over again in mama's arms, and received the kiss of forgiveness from her dear, loving lips.

It was a great disappointment to Gerty, but it was also a good lesson, for ever since she has tried to avoid that mean goodness which does the right thing only because of some selfish reason.