seminarist

"Sarah Brown" was the next name, to the great surprise and delight of the little girl, who had not at all expected such good fortune.
"Sarah Brown, Miss Stanley has chosen your sample as equally well done with Anne's," said Mrs. Stanley; "and I am very much pleased that it should be so, for it shows that you try to make the best use of the instruction which has been given you." ( Read more... )

Perhaps, at some future time, we may hear how Ellen and Sarah went on as they grew older; for the present we will take leave of them. And may all who read this little story remember, that "God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the lowly!"

Miss Lucy unfolded the samplers, and showed them to her parents and sister.
"This, I think, looks best done, Lucy," said Miss Stanley, showing one to her sister.
"So I thought, Jane," replied Miss Lucy; "but look, here is another quite as nicely done."
"Whose is this?" asked Mr. Stanley, holding one up.
"That belongs to Ellen Jones," was the answer.
Ellen looked round at her companions. Now, who would have the prize? Who was right? ( Read more... )

to be continued

The children worked at their samplers; and as Miss Lucy's birthday drew near, the treat was talked of more than ever. At last the day arrived. The sun shone brightly and the sky was clear. Mrs. Brown, who loved her useful daughter very much, had newly trimmed her bonnet with a neat dark ribbon, and had washed a cotton dress for her, so that with her new shawl Sarah looked very tidy and nice. She thanked her mother; kissed her and the children; and ran away to call for her cousin. Her little sister Jane cried to go with her, and Sarah ran back to kiss the child again, and left her smiling at the thoughts of the pretty nosegay she promised to gather for her.

The evening before, Sarah had shown her sampler to her father and mother; they thought it very well marked, and her mother said she was nearly sure Sarah must get the prize. The verse marked on her sampler was this: ( Read more... )

Ellen looked round her with triumph.
"Now for my present!" said she to herself.

to be continued

But we must now hear what Ellen said when she got home. She found her mother busy finishing some work that was to be taken home the next day; but not too busy to look at the sampler, and hear of Mrs. and Miss Stanley's kindness.

"I wonder what the prize will be, mother," said Ellen; "one thing I am sure of, that I shall get it, whatever it may be."

"Why?" asked the widow.

"Because I do not think any of the girls mark half as well as I do; and then, as they are to mark the verse of a hymn, I do not believe they will be able to spell it right."

"Who are the other girls?" inquired her mother.( Read more... )
to be continued

Mrs. and Miss Stanley remained for a short time while the children sang a hymn, and then they went away; soon after which the mistress dismissed the children. Nothing was talked of all the way home but Miss Lucy's samplers and treat; and nearly every little girl went home thinking that she would be the one who would gain the prize. When Sarah reached her father's house she found one of her little sisters at the door waiting for her. The child, who could not yet talk, pulled her by the frock into the house.

"Come in, Sally," cried her father, "come in, my child; and thank you with all my heart."

"What for, father?" asked Sarah, surprised. ( Read more... )

to be continued

Meanwhile, her cousin, Ellen Jones, went to school every day, both morning and afternoon; and, being a quick child, she got on well with her book, so that at ten years old she could read and write very nicely. Mrs. Jones was very much pleased with her progress, and looked forward with pleasure to the time when Ellen should be able to turn her learning to some use. Every morning and evening she made her little girl read a chapter in the Bible to her, after which she questioned her as to the meaning of what she had read. The poor widow often said that her only comfort on earth was this child; and she was very anxious to do all that a parent could to bring her up in the right path; and, in many ways, she was rewarded for her anxiety and care.

At ten years of age, Ellen was an industrious little girl, very fond of her mother, clean, active, and desirous to do what was right. But her fault was ( Read more... )

to be continued

Ellen Jones was the only child of a poor widow, who lived in the pretty village of Rosedale. Her father died when she was quite a baby, so that she could not remember ever to have seen him. Her mother was a clean, tidy woman, and supported herself and her child by taking in washing and needlework. She had a sister living in the same village, whose husband was a blacksmith; his name was Brown.

Mrs. Brown had several children, the eldest of whom was only a year older than her cousin Ellen Jones. Sarah (for that was the name of Mrs. Brown's eldest daughter) was an active, good-tempered girl, and of great use to her mother in helping her to look after the children, and to clean the house. Her mother could not spare her to go to school, except in the afternoon, as there was plenty for her to do at home in the morning, in order to keep everything tidy and comfortable. Sarah sometimes complained, and thought it unkind of her mother to prevent her from going to school. She said one day to Mrs. Stanley, the minister's wife, that it was very hard to be obliged to stay and scrub the house when her cousin Ellen was learning to read and write. ( Read more... )

*A sampler is a rectangular piece of (usually white) cloth, on which alphabet was embroidered ('marked'), together with a motto, a short prayer or a verse, and decorated with a simple ornament. It was usually made by a girl learning needlework as a mark of her accomplishment.

to be continued

found by the present scribe in a dark corner of an old Philadelphia bookstore.

Ellen and Sarah,
or
The Sampler

In a peaceful village of Rosedale, tension grows.
Ten innocent girls were chosen.
Only one is to win the coveted prize.
Who shall it be?

She was industrious, fond of her mother, clean and active. But her fault was vanity. She resolved to overcome it. Alas! she forgot her own weakness...

A gripping tale of vanity, sin and pain. Of struggle, rivalry and bitter resentment. Of false hopes vanquished and vice crushed.

Who shall it be?

Look for the first installment shortly in this journal!