THE BEND IN THE ROAD

During my life I have retained a very vivid recollection. of the first bend in the road, how it filled my childish mind with awe and wonderment. I wanted to see what was around the bend, all the beautiful trees and the hills. But the more I insisted on going on, then, the more roughly I was hindered by some big person who shook me and beat me until I was terrified. That is why it is indelibly printed in my memory.

That incident happened many, many years ago. I am still traveling on the road of life, but not far ahead of me there is a bend in the road and no one can hinder me, even if they wished, from going on, from seeing around the bend into the GREAT BEYOND.

"Heaven-O tranquillizing word:

Thy music now my heart with rapture fills,
And fans to a flame my Faith, as I

Look toward the Heavenly Hills

That which lies beyond: not for my eyes or ears.
But there is one I know who keeps

In trust for me-a glad surprise."

A great thinker and writer said, "every child born into the world is a New Thought of GOD, an ever fresh and radiant Possibility." I have watched the rising of a small stream of water after a hard rain. I noticed how the force of water brought big sticks, little sticks, leaves, straw and all kinds of debris. The rush of water made eddys and whirlpools, into which the lighter or weaker debris would be caught and their journey hindered. Or perhaps big sticks or logs would crush them.

Just so it is with children born into this world. If you take opportunity from them, you take their life blood. The big thing in life is - going on.

In the vegetable kingdom, you will notice that the onion will start to grow without soil or water. This proves also that there is more in cultivation,-than in birth. True an onion is an onion, regardless of where it is planted. But if planted in soil adapted to onion growth the gardener will be delighted with success. Any child is more or less visionary. Actions are the expressions of the vision in terms of life.

The child's mind will unfold and develop; through action mould into reality. These facts make reason declare, absolutely there should be no under-privileged children.

WHAT I KNOW ABOUT MYSELF

I know nothing of the circumstances that led my Father to leave or place me in the care of this family-The Hills. As far as I remember he visited me just two times before he went somewhere further in the east. After I could read, sometimes there would be a letter given me signedFather. This would mean nothing to me, as the occasion of my remembering him at all was in learning, "Our Lord's Prayer." He insisted on saying "trespasses"; instead Mr. Hill always said "debtors". My Father would tap his foot on the floor and say, "No, no, not debtors trespasses."

When I was about nine years old a letter came to me from my Father, telling me that he was a very sick man, and that the doctor had told him he would die very soon. Then I never heard from him again.

This last letter contained some good advice to a girl. He told me to keep the letter, so I could read the letter and understand the advice, for he knew at that age I could not. The advice was, "Beware of the deceitful, flattering tongues of men." Also with this last letter came a signet ring, but my initials were not on the ring. Was this fact because he was uncertain about my adoption by this family? He should have known, for he was a capable person, a school teacher; he should have seen to it that "his child" had proper care. It may be Mrs. Hill impressed him, as she aimed to impress the public-that I was adopted.

This incident proves that. It was Sunday morning, we were ready to get into the springwagon when Mother, (Mrs. Hill) said, in her positive manner, "Now Ellen, we are going to Beech Run, to a quarterly meeting, and if anyone asks you who's little girl you are, you say, 'I'm Mrs. Hill's little adopted girl'."

A country Church with all day service. During the recess on the grounds many of the congregation asked me, "Oh,

who's little girl are you?" And of course I answered, "Mrs. Hill's little adopted daughter." although the meaning was vague to me. Every three months we would go to a quarterly meeting held in one of the Churches in the district, as they were all in the country, and always following my instructions at each place. I, in part at least, fulfilled her purpose.

I was not legally adopted. But this was a clever idea best known to herself.

THE TURKEY EGGS

One of the duties that I learned to perform while a very small child was to gather the eggs. On the farm in that day hens were not confined in or to space as they are today in the modern way. They were privileged to make their nests in the barn, hay lofts, or mangers, and even out in the meadows. I was given very positive instructions, that if a hen was on a nest, I was not to disturb her nor scare her off the nest; she was a setting hen.

The turkey hen has a trait or habit that I learned also. If I had been told, I could and would have remembered it without a whipping. But that was long, long ago, and I am alive to write the story.

The Morgan Farm joined the Hill Farm, and the Morgan Home was a half mile down the country road. One day Mrs. Hill gave me a note, telling me to take it to the Morgan Home, and to be sure to give it to Mrs. Morgan and, obeying her, I did. Also she told me to come home through the clearing (that was land where the big trees were taken out and nothing but saplings and brush were growing.) I started home immediately after I had given the note to Mrs. Morgan. Just as I had been told to do, I started home through the clearing, and I soon came to a turkey's nest. I had heard Mrs. Hill tell about the turkey's mean habit of straying off from home to make their nests, but I did not know that as long as anyone was in sight a turkeyhen would not leave her nest. But I learned it that day.

A turkey hen was on her nest, and I suppose I shouldn't shoo her off her nest, just the same as a chicken hen. So I bent over a sapling and climbed on pretending it was a horse while waiting for the turkey hen to come off her nest. But she didn't come off her nest. Mrs. Hill came to the clearing after me, and told me then what she