Fireside Stories for Girls in Their Teens

gone, there had crept into the heart of the girl a loneliness that would not be forced down, a longing that she could not stifle, a dissatisfaction that grew with the days. How could she pass the long winter nights that were ahead? How could she stay away from the friends who were gathering at the college? How could she live without her piano? How could she keep a smile so that the dear ones at home would not see how unhappy she was becoming? The house seemed so big and bare; the trees in the yard seemed to sigh instead of sing; the way ahead seemed full of blackness. She longed for all that had gone; she longed for her friends, especially the one who had been her ideal during her college days; she longed to run back to him for always. But on this October morning, she had risen early to keep the quiet hour before the rest were up. Usually 18 she read in the gospels, but this morning her Bible opened to the Psalms and she read, “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord who made heaven and earth.” She stopped and looked from the window at Mt. Kearsarge in the distance. Then she read again, “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help.” “Ah!” said the girl, “I need help. God knows I need help. I wonder if there is any help for me. ‘I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help.’ Perhaps if I should go out into the hills for the day, God would help me. I think I will try it.” To the mother she had said, “I think I should like to go for a long walk to-day if you do not mind. I feel like having a tramp,” and then with lunch box in hand and book under her arm, she had started. As long as father and mother could see, she had smiled and waved to them, but when the turn in the road had come, the light faded from her eyes and her problem was still before her. The night before had been endless, yet there were longer ones to come. No wonder she saw no sunshine, heard no bird and saw no…