Part 5 (1/2)

How?

”Finding every effort unavailing,” said the missionary, ”I changed my tactics. I was busy one morning in the workshop, laying out work, when I cast my eye towards the open door, and there saw Wild Maggie, waiting for a word upon which she might retort. Without seeming to notice her, I said, loud enough for her to hear, 'Oh, how I wish I had some one to help me lay out this work.' There was a look of intelligence spreading over her face, which seemed to say as plainly as looks could say, 'I could do that.'

”'Will you?' I said; she started as though I was mentally replying to her pa.s.sing thoughts.

”She did not say, 'Yes,' but she thought it. I had touched a chord.

”'Maggie,' said I, with all the tone and looks of kindness I could command, 'Maggie, my girl, come in; you can help me; I know you are smart, come, I will give you sixpence if you will help me a little while.' She stepped into the door, looked behind it suspiciously, and started back. She remembered the trap. 'No, I won't. You want to catch me and send me to the Island. I know you, you old Protestant. Old Kate told me yesterday, that you had sent off Liz. Smith, Nance Hastings, and hump-backed Lize, and a lot of girls.'

”'So I have, but not to the Island. They have all got good places where they are contented and happy. But I don't send anybody away that don't want to go. I won't send you away, nor won't keep you if you don't want to stay.'

”'Will you let me come out again, if I come in, when I am a mind to?'

”'Yes, certainly, my dear child.'

”My dear child!” Where has she ever heard those words? In former days, before her father and mother had sunk so low, as they now are, when she used to go to school, to church, and sabbath-school, and wear clothes, such as she was not ashamed of. Want of clothing will sink the highest to the lowest state of rags, and dirt, and misery.

”'Will you swear, that you will let me come out, and you won't beat me.

Limping Bill and one-eyed Luce, his woman, says, you licked little Sappy till she died.'

”'They are great liars.'

”'So they say you are. That you preach nothing but lies.'

”'Well, I won't lie to you, Maggie, and I won't whip you, but I won't swear. Did you ever know any good man swear?'

”She thought a moment, and replied, 'Well, I don't know--I know them that swear the most will lie. Will you let the door stand open? If you will I will come in?'

”'Yes,' and in she came.

”'Now, what do you want I should do?'

”'There, do you look at me. I am laying out s.h.i.+rts for the women to sew.

That pile, there, that is the body; this, the sleeves; that, the collar; these, the wristbands; these, the gussets; here are six b.u.t.tons, and here is the thread to make it, and then it will be a s.h.i.+rt when made.

Now we roll it up and tie a string around it; now it is ready to give out. Now, you can do that just as well as I can, and you don't know how much it will help me.'

”'Yes, I can, and I can beat you.'

So she could. She was just as quick at work as she was at play and mischief, and the piles disappeared under her nimble fingers much more rapidly than they did under his, and so he told her. Who had ever praised her work before, though all had ”her deviltry?”

The spirit of reformation had already commenced its glorious work.

”When that job was finished, she turned her sweet blue eyes upon me, with an expression which said as plain as eyes can speak, 'I am sorry that job is done. I like that, can't you give me another?'

”There was no other which she could do just then, but she said, 'What shall I do now?'”

”Well, Maggie, I have no more work for you to-day, but here is your sixpence, I promised you, and here are some cakes; come again to-morrow, you can help me every day. I like your help.”

She did not want to go. She had tasted of a fruit which had opened her eyes, and she would fain clothe herself in fig leaves, so they hid the deformity of dirt, and rags, and sin. Wild as the fawn, as easily as the fawn subdued. At the approach of man, that timid animal bounds into the thickest brake and hides away; but once in the hands of man, it turns and follows him to his home, licking his hand as though it were with its own dam. So was Wild Maggie tamed.