"
He replied, "You have earned your rest after all these years, mother."
So we happily proceeded to his cottage, where welcome awaited us. All
seemed strange to me after so many years in San Francisco where I was
known to all, yet I hoped to meet other pleasant faces and cheerfully
accepted the situation with my son and daughter and their friends.
During our conversation my daughter informed me that the ladies of the
Episcopal Guild had voted unanimously that I had been accepted as the
soloist of the choir of St. John's Church. Through their efforts I was
to receive the salary of $20 a month. The church was not more than a
beginning. The congregation worshipped in a large store on one of the
main streets which had been fitted into a comfortable chapel. Mrs.
Foster, from San Francisco, one of the many musical people there, had
settled in that city and was the organist of that church, unknown to
me, as I supposed, but when we met her greeting, "I am glad to meet
you, Charity Pecksniff," surprised me. Through her the people soon
found out who I was and I not only had the church position secured but
also eight pupils ready to begin lessons in voice when I was ready to
open my studio to them. So good or evil report follows us through our
lives and makes for us our success or failure.
I made my first appearance at the Christmas service, which had been
prepared with care, and extra voices were secured. My son had added
from his orchestra three instruments in addition to the organ for the
morning and evening services of the Christmas festival.
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