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 From photograph taken by JOHN W. CARVER, Greenville, Ohio.
 
 He Would Have Me Be Brave. 
 
 A STORY TAKEN FROM LIFE. 
 
 FRANCES I. KATZENBERGER. 
 
 DAYTON, OHIO: 
 
 PRKSS ()} THK CRONKWEG PRINTING COMPANY.
 
 COPYRIGHT BY 
 FRANCES I. KATZENBERGER,
 
 Stack 
 Annex 
 
 PS 
 
 
 (S7 In 
 
 TO 
 
 MISS JOSKPHIXK WKBSTER, 
 
 To \VHOSK KINDNESS AND WORDS OK ENCOURAGEMENT 
 I O\VK Ml CH, 
 
 I APFKCTIOXATKLY DHDICATH 
 THIS HOOK.
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. AUG. 
 Would he live 9 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 How would she take it ? 17 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 The burial and search for pupils 26 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 Tommy s disclosures 40 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 The meeting of the sewing circle 59 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 The comparison 72 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 The arrival S2 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 Fred. Alton 90 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 Mary Grey relates her story 99 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 Should she be allowed to remain in Church 109 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 The ladies of the Church visit Mrs. Grey 117 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 An offer of a home 126 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 A search for rooms 135 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 The sale 140
 
 v i CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. PAGE. 
 Mrs. Grey receives an answer to her letter 146 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 Tommy s trials 1 54 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 Still trying to decide the question 17 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 Mrs. Grey s first visit to the countrv 185 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 The conversation J 9^ 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 The return to the city 208 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 Mary Grey s experience as a writer 214 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 The sleigh ride 225 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 The drive 233 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 The dream 246 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 The disappointment 253 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 Mrs. Grey s duties in the city 261 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 Mary Grey seeks employment 267 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 An hour with the dead 279 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 Mrs. Grey had gone to Europe ... 286 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 Tommy s plans 297 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 Tommy tells what he knows 317
 
 CONTEXTS. Vll 
 
 CIIAPTKR XXXII. PAGE. 
 The trip 326 
 
 CHAPTKR XXXIII. 
 The talk on deck 334 
 
 CHAPTKR XXXIV. 
 The return 342 
 
 CHAPTKR XXXV. 
 Mrs. Grey visits Cloverdale 351 
 
 CIIAPTKR XXXVI. 
 Dr. Knod s hobby 363 
 
 CIIAPTKR XXXVII. 
 Naming the baby 374 
 
 CIIAPTKR XXXVIII. 
 The conclusion 387
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 WOULD HK 1,1 VE? 
 
 THE little town of Cloverdale was naturally a quiet 
 place ; but on this bright afternoon in June it was 
 more quiet than usual. Even the bees that had strayed 
 from the surrounding clover fields ( from which the town 
 no doubt had derived its name ) had a solemn tone to 
 their naturally busy hum. And the village people with 
 curious and awe -struck faces, were gathered in little 
 groups of twos and threes, talking in subdued tones : 
 " Would he live ? " " Would he live ? " 
 
 The pastor of this little flock had suddenly been strick 
 en with a very serious if not fatal illness. It was neces 
 sary to perform a dangerous operation ; and even that 
 would only be giving him one chance of life out of ten. 
 He had been in perfect health only a few days before, 
 and the people could not comprehend the suddenness of 
 the change. 
 
 Across the bridge that spanned the swift-flowing river 
 that divided the east from the west part of the town, 
 came the gray- haired village doctor with two learned 
 physicians from the city. Yes, they were coming. They 
 could tell it was the doctors by their dignified walk and 
 self-confident air. Would the patient sufferer stand the 
 ordeal, or would he die under the surgeon s knife? His 
 chances of life and probable death had been discussed 
 over and over by those simple villagers. And now the 
 doctors were coining. Oh, what hope and fear hangs 
 upon the doctor s decision. Who has not had a loved 
 one hanging over the aw Ail precipice of death, and waited 
 with streaming eyes and heart-throbbing between hope 
 
 (9)
 
 IO HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 and fear ; waited for the doctor s coming, he whose com 
 ing so man}- times brings hopelessness and despair ? 
 
 How was it with two loving hearts in the little white 
 cottage at the west end of the shad}- village street, where, 
 in a quiet but light and airy chamber, Robert Grey s life 
 was swiftly and surely ebbing away? He was lying 
 quietly on a bed of snowy white in the center of the room, 
 and had his head slightly raised. With one hand he firm- 
 clasped the hand of his wife, who was the only other 
 occupant of the room. 
 
 " Yes, Mary," he had said, " let us have all the light 
 and sunshine that we can coax into the room." But he 
 did not add what was in his heart : " For this is the last 
 earthly sunshine that I will ever see." Not but what 
 they had looked the future in the face together, and had 
 talked calmly of his, to him, almost certain death; but 
 after he had told her that he feared he could not live, he 
 knew that she still clung to hope. Poor soul, it was well 
 for her and him that she did hope, for it was this one ray 
 of light gleaming through the darkness of her soul that 
 gave her strength. 
 
 When the young clergyman was first stricken, the doc 
 tor had hinted at a trained nurse from the neighboring 
 city, but he would hear of nothing of the kind. " You 
 will nurse me, won t you, Mary? I will try not to be 
 hard on you," he said, his eyes looking longingly into 
 hers. " Yes, Robert, I will care for you, no matter how 
 much attention you need." 
 
 After the kind-hearted old doctor, whose sympathy was 
 thoroughly aroused at the touching scene, had sent the 
 young wife out of the room on some pretended errand, 
 he turned to the bed. " I don t want to discourage you, 
 for God knows you will need all the encouragement that 
 I can give you, but don t you think you had better get a
 
 WOULD PIE LIVE? II 
 
 nurse? We can t tell what is before you, you know; it 
 might be a little hard on her, you know." 
 
 The young man looked up with a faint smile. " Yes, I 
 believe I know what to expect; but I know Mary too well 
 to think that she would leave my bedside. I will spare 
 her all I can. And if my suffering becomes too great 
 for me to bear alone, I know where to turn for aid and 
 strength. He who has been my hope and stay through 
 life certainly will not forsake me in death," he said. 
 
 His child -like faith and confidence touched the heart 
 of the listener in a way, tender as it was, that it had not 
 been touched for some time. And looking at him pathet 
 ically, the young man went on : 
 
 " And if it was not for my darling wife and the sin 
 which abounds in the world, against which I have been 
 battling in my weak way, I would be willing nay, anx 
 ious to give up this form of clay, to be numbered among 
 the blood-washed throng at God s right hand above ; to 
 exchange this world, which at best contains weariness 
 and heart-burnings, for that shining world of peace and 
 rest. Not that I complain, for it has gone better with me 
 than it has with many. You know God has promised to 
 temper the winds to the shorn lamb." 
 
 The old doctor, who, although he had seen much sor 
 row himself, had not, as is the case with some, become 
 selfish thereby ; nor had he become hardened by his con 
 stant association with pain and suffering, but instead, his 
 sympathies were so deeply aroused as to cause him incon 
 venience many times. On this occasion he did not try 
 to hide his tears, but let them course unheeded down his 
 cheek as the dying man went on : 
 
 " And now I am a shorn lamb in the full meaning of 
 the word, since my physical strength has been taken from 
 me. Do not take my wife away from me or spoil our
 
 12 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 last few days together by bringing a stranger into our 
 chamber. Let others take charge of everything else, but 
 let me have Mary to myself." 
 
 And when he sometimes grasped her hand so tight as 
 to give her pain, she did not know that it was caused by 
 his sufferings. He felt that it would have been selfishness 
 to have kept her constantly at his side had she known the 
 extent of the agony he endured ; so with superhuman 
 effort he concealed it from her loving and watchful eyes. 
 
 In the three short years of their married life, his wife 
 had been all in all to him, aside from his religious faith 
 and sincere piety. To many nay, to all except her 
 husband Mary Grey was that proud piinister s wife. 
 But to him she was everything. She could sing his soul 
 into raptures ; and sometimes, when his best efforts were 
 tolerated at best, or he could see an ill-concealed frown on 
 the face of one of the uneducated members of his con 
 gregation, and the}" would say among themselves, " No 
 religion ! Xo religion ! He could get as much religion 
 into his sermons if he took his text out of a McGuffy s 
 speller ! " and this was carried to him with zeal and very 
 often with slight additions, he would say, " Mary, let us 
 sing something." She seemed to understand him. It was 
 very seldom that he did any of the singing, except to help 
 her start the hymn. Then he would lean back in his chair 
 and listen to her sweet voice until the troubled waters of 
 his soul were stilled. 
 
 On the third morning of his sickness, the morning of 
 the day which was to bring prolonged life or sudden death 
 to the young husband, he had looked at his beloved nurse 
 with a brave smile. " Mary, sing something to me. I 
 know that would do me more good than all the doctors." 
 
 She turned her face from him to hide the gasp that was 
 wrung from her heart, but reached to a little stand by the
 
 WOULD HE LIVE? 13 
 
 window for her hymn-book. This was more from habit 
 than necessity, for she knew every one of the good old 
 songs by heart. She opened the book and began that 
 time-honored hymn, " Rock of Ages." 
 
 She sang a few lines, but the lump in her throat rose 
 higher and higher. Her husband, seeing how pale she 
 looked and how her voice trembled, laid his hand tenderly 
 over hers, saying, "There, dear, that will do. I feel better 
 already, and if it is so hard for you to sing I will not ask 
 you again until I am well." 
 
 "Until you are well, Robert? God grant that it may 
 be so, for what would I do without you ? What could I 
 do without you? Life was empty until I met you, but 
 for the three happy years we have lived together you 
 have filled my life with the fullness of love. Surely the 
 Lord whom we have worshiped together will not separate 
 us thus soon." 
 
 " Yes, dear Mary," and his hand tightened over hers as 
 a spasm of pain racked his manly form, "it will be hard 
 on you to be left alone in the world again, and for that 
 reason I would like to stay with you, if it is God s will ; 
 but if I must go and leave you, you will follow me I 
 know. I feel easy about that, Mary." 
 
 "But, Robert, how can I leave you go? If you go, 
 take me with you. Oh, if we could only go together ! " 
 and for the first time they both gave way to their feelings 
 in tears and wept as if their hearts were broken. 
 
 " Mary, pray." He was the first to speak. 
 
 And the young wife, still holding her husband s hand, 
 knelt before the bed and prayed with all the fervor of a 
 dispairing soul. She prayed for strength, and that her 
 husband s life might be spared to her, and that he should 
 be restored to health and strength, if it was the divine 
 will. And then she came to the end. " Not my will,
 
 14 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 O L,ord, but thine be done." She ended with a sob that 
 was wrung from the depth of her soul. 
 
 " There, Mary, come and sit by me ; come nearer. 
 You are a brave little woman. I should not ask so much 
 of you. It seems wrong that you should be attending to 
 my wants when I should be waiting on you. No, Mary, 
 you must not sing if it hurts you," but she had again 
 opened the book. 
 
 "I will just finish the hymn I began." She had but 
 finished " Rock of ages, cleft for me, let me hide mysell 
 in thee," and had gone to the window to replace the book, 
 when she saw the three doctors crossing the bridge. Her 
 heart turned cold within her, and turning to the bed, she 
 laid her head beside that of her husband, gently stroking 
 his hair with her soft, white hand as she pressed her 
 cheek to his. "Oh, Robert, they are coming." 
 
 " Yes, dear ; be brave," and with what strength re 
 mained in his arms he drew her to him. " We will say 
 good-by before they get here." 
 
 She raised from the bed as the three doctors came into 
 the room. One of them, noticing the look of unutterable 
 agon} depicted on her face, stepped quickly to her side. 
 " Oh, no, I need no help ; I am strong," and with one 
 lingering, dispairing look into her husband s eyes, who 
 lovingly returned the glance, she left the room, and the 
 door that closed after her separated her forever from the 
 husband of her choice ; for what took place in that cham 
 ber of suffering only the three doctors and the recording 
 angels know. The patient lingered about an hour after 
 the fatal but necessary operation, and then without re 
 gaining consciousness his spirit returned to the God who 
 gave it ; to Him whom he had so faithfully tried to serve 
 during his short sojourn on earth ; to Him who, although 
 he be the searcher of hearts, is all love and tenderness,
 
 WOULD HE LIVE: 15 
 
 and the intensity of his search is as purifying in its influ 
 ence upon the sin-stained hearts of poor erring humanity 
 as the forked and livid lightning is to the vapors arising 
 from the impurities of the earth. 
 
 Our friends, under the guise of kindly interest, very 
 often point out to us our mistakes and shortcomings; but 
 the pleasure it affords them to do so is soon discerned, 
 and instead of being profited thereby, our whole soul is 
 aroused with indignation at the injustice. We do not 
 like to have our weaknesses exposed and our disappoint 
 ments laid bare. We do not care to have our dreams and 
 fancies painted. When they are made public, or only 
 laid before us, we disown them. We feel that only those 
 whose love for us is of such a nature that the pangs it 
 causes us to have our faults laid before us is only a 
 reflection of those endured by them in discharging the 
 painful duty, have a right to approach the inner chambers 
 of our hearts, where dwell the silent motive po\vers which 
 prompt to action. And even they must enter cautiously 
 and tread lightly, lest they leave the imprint of the cruel 
 nails upon the sensitive flesh, and arouse a feeling which, 
 although we may conceal from them, and not even own 
 to our own hearts, still exists, and casts a chill upon the 
 sweet communion of soul with soul. 
 
 Robert Grey had endured the scourge of the severe 
 criticism of an over-exacting people, and, as is the case 
 with all mortals, met with discouragements which almost 
 overwhelmed him. But he had also put his trust in Him 
 from whom comes the peace that is past understanding, 
 and when the trying moment came, a bliss so placid and 
 serene filled his whole being that he was almost stifled 
 with its warmth. His earthly attachment s seemed to 
 have gone out of his heart to make room for the heavenly 
 lieht. The thought of his wife was the last to leave its
 
 1 6 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 resting place. With eyes in which love and entreaty 
 were blended he looked to heaven. " Unto thee, O Lord, 
 I commend my darling." Then with a bright smile, 
 which bespoke of heaven, he submitted to that which 
 would rob him of consciousness that consciousness that 
 he knew would only be regained in that world where the 
 wicked cease from troubling and the weary are at rest. 
 
 What mattered it to the dying man what had been the 
 last decision of the learned body of theologians as to the 
 exact locality of the abode of the souls of the redeemed? 
 What mattered it if he was to spend his happiness in a 
 place set apart, or in eternal space, so long as his heart 
 assured him that Christ, through the radiance of his love, 
 would guide him through the chilly waters of death and 
 with the angels be his companion on the other side? 
 
 So, as the different bodies of believers are swallowed 
 up in the word church, and that word is lost sight of in 
 Christ, like the streams which wend their separate ways 
 and at last all end in the sea, so the differences of faith 
 will at last all blend in the ocean of truth and reality in 
 the infinite.
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 HOW WOULD SHE TAK1C IT? 
 
 WHEN Mary Grey first realized that she was a 
 widow she was stunned. She was again left 
 alone in the world that had never been over-friendly to 
 her. She was an orphan, and when she made the 
 acquaintance of Robert Grey she was a music teacher in 
 a small town many miles from her childhood s home. 
 She had been born on a farm, where she lived until she 
 was sixteen years of age, when her father and mother 
 both died, leaving her very little of this world s goods. 
 The little that she had, she gathered together, sold it for its 
 money value, asked the advice of no one, and went to a 
 distant city to study music. Eighteen found her without 
 means, but with a fair training in her chosen profession. 
 "She had a voice that would improve wonderfully with 
 practice," her teacher had said, and practice was certainly 
 all that she needed, with both voice and instrument. 
 
 ly the Professor s kindness and influence she was 
 enabled to obtain a class in an adjoining town, where she 
 also was chosen leader of the choir. In this way she was 
 able to make a comfortable living. She was of a quiet 
 and reserved nature. Proud they called her. She 
 mingled very little with young people of her own age. 
 Had the people known how lonely and heart-hungry the 
 young girl felt at times they would have softened toward 
 and been kinder to her. 
 
 Our natures are not all alike. While some are bright 
 and cheery, others are silent and hard to understand, and 
 those are the ones that should arouse our deepest solici 
 tude; for while we may think them cold and indifferent, 
 
 ( 17)
 
 1 8 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 they may be yearning for sympathy. They are usually 
 painfully aware that they are not appreciated, and .for 
 that very reason are never at their best. We all know 
 that to do ourselves justice we should be happy, and to 
 be happy we need friends who love us and are so deeply 
 interested in us that they not only rejoice in our success, 
 but feel and regret our disappointments. Then we 
 should never neglect an opportunity to do good. Who 
 knows, one smile or kind word . may be the means of 
 arousing all that is noble and good in some heretofore 
 neglected person s soul ? For there are more people that 
 lead unhappy lives, and therefore in many cases unprofit 
 able ones, through a lack of friendly interest, than for 
 any other cause. Mary Grey belonged, in a measure, to 
 this unfortunate class. People thought because she did 
 not respond to their first attempt at friendliness she did 
 not care for friends, while it was the intensity of her 
 loneliness that was making her timid and hard to ap 
 proach. 
 
 One morning, as she was about to take her place in 
 the choir, she noticed that there was a stranger in the 
 pulpit. He was to preach a "trial sermon," they told her. 
 He was young not over twenty-five. "Poor man/ she 
 thought, he" "has a trying ordeal before him. "A trial 
 sermon!" She knew what that meant, for she remem 
 bered the time when she had gone through the same 
 kind of ordeal, when her voice had been put to the test. 
 She knew that a brave front was necessary, no matter 
 how much the heart might quake. "And he is so 
 young, too," she thought, remembering her early battles 
 with the world. 
 
 She felt herself becoming more interested in him than 
 was common for her to be in a perfect stranger. " I am 
 afraid he will fail," was her first thought, but when he
 
 HOW WOULD SHK TAKE IT? 19 
 
 took his text and entered into his discourse her doubts 
 fled. He handled his subject in such a scholarly way 
 that she could see at once that he would not fail on that 
 score. He did not fail. They were well pleased with 
 his sermon and asked him for another trial the next 
 Sunday, and on that da}- they hired him for three years. 
 Many times his heart almost failed him as he entered the 
 pulpit. "Will I succeed? Will I continue to please my 
 congregation?" He knew that his God would understand 
 and have pit}- on him, but would the people? Would 
 they be so merciful? 
 
 He soon learned to listen for and to the sweet voice of 
 the choir leader, who sang, he sometimes thought, to him 
 of hope. They soon became acquainted, and seemed to 
 be drawn together from the first. It may have been by 
 a mutual tie of loneliness. He too was alone in the 
 world, his parents having both died of a fever long before 
 he was old enough to remember them. A rich uncle had 
 taken the baby Robert into his family and done his duty 
 by him according to the dictates of his conscience. He 
 gave him the same advantages that he gave to his own, 
 but of that love and tender care that every child s 
 heart craves he knew nothing. When he grew up into 
 young manhood his uncle took him from the public 
 school and sent him to a university, where he graduated. 
 Xo longer caring to impose upon the kindness of his 
 uncle, who had a large family of his own, he had resolved 
 to henceforth battle for himself. 
 
 The spirit of independence, as well as the similarity of 
 their experience, drew those two young people together. 
 Their acquaintance soon ripened into frienship, and 
 friendship into a deeper feeling, and before the first year 
 of his pastorage was over they had married. And when 
 the heart-broken woman s first passion of grief was spent
 
 2O HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 she sat thinking of the two years of happy married life 
 they had spent there together. He got along fairly well 
 to the end of the three years. His salary, with the sum 
 that she received for her services, made them a comfort 
 able income plenty for two people with such simple 
 tastes. 
 
 At the end of his pastorage here he had received a call 
 to the Cloverdale church. " Surely," thought his hopeful 
 wife, " if he pleased those intelligent people here he can 
 not fail to satisfy the simple-minded people at Cloverdale." 
 So they had started with cheerful and willing hearts to 
 their new field of labor. But alas for human hopes ; the 
 very thing that they had thought would be in his favor 
 was against him. The people were too illiterate to com 
 prehend the depth of his logic. They pronounced his 
 notions and language too " high-fangled " for them. It 
 was not what they had been accustomed to. They had 
 had a preacher who had sometimes addressed them in the 
 same kind of language that they were accustomed to us 
 ing among themselves, which, although it was not very 
 elevating, gave them a feeling of fellowship. But he never 
 hesitated to address them as sinners. He told them that 
 he knew there was a hell, and that he was glad of it; 
 and when he sometimes, in his earnestness, acted as if 
 he would not be adverse to helping speed the journey of 
 those who disagreed with him to that dreaded place, they 
 did not mind it. It had the effect of frightening some of 
 them into trying to be good. When one of the better 
 class of his hearers remonstrated with him, he said, "That 
 is the kind of talk that people need," and declared with 
 vehemence that he believed in " calling things by their 
 right names." 
 
 " Mary," her husband had said to her after they had 
 been settled in Cloverdale about a month, " I begin to
 
 HOW WOULD SHE TAKE IT? 21 
 
 believe what a good old minister once said to me, that an 
 educated congregation, if they are a little over-exacting, 
 are not as hard to please as an ignorant one. He said : 
 It is not so hard to have your sermons criticised by 
 people who understand you, as to have them picked to 
 pieces by those who do not know when you do preach 
 them a good sermon. " 
 
 There was one class of his hearers that appreciated his 
 efforts. This was the younger members of his flock ; 
 with those the faithful young couple had labored hand in 
 hand, and they were bright enough to know that they 
 had been benefitted in many ways by their friendship 
 and companionship, and especially had they made won 
 derful improvement in their singing and music. 
 
 But now the young voice that had urged them on by 
 cheerful words of encouragement was stilled forever. 
 Silently and with sad hearts they made their \vay to his 
 former home to take a last look at the face which had 
 once shown such strength and depth of character, and 
 was now calm and serene in the coldness and stillness of 
 death. Their floral tribute, a beautiful white anchor, was 
 certainly a fitting one, for many times he would have de 
 spaired had not hope been an anchor to his soul both sure 
 and steadfast. 
 
 The day of the funeral came. " Yes," the crushed 
 young widow said, when they consulted her wishes, " I 
 will take him back to his childhood s home and lay him 
 to rest in the little church-yard on the slope of the hill of 
 which he told me so often, where he spent so many happy 
 days." 
 
 Oh, happy days of childhood ! It is well that the sim 
 ple fact that they live and have their health is enough to 
 fill their little hearts with joy. Were it not so, the orphan 
 would not have remembered his former home with such 
 keen pleasure.
 
 22 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 She would have the funeral services at the house, and 
 take his beloved form to the train directly from the little 
 home nest he had loved so well. A kind-hearted neighbor 
 and his wife offered to accompany her on her sad journey. 
 
 Everything was now ready. They had procured the 
 services of a minister from an adjoining town. The peo 
 ple came in flocks, until the little house and door-plat 
 would hold no more; some from real sympathy, and some 
 as they themselves said, "to see how she would take 
 it; to see whether grief would bend her haughty head." 
 The " she" that they referred to looked on with eyes which 
 saw not. What mattered it to her what those idle gossip- 
 ers thought ; she was thinking how soon the form of her 
 faithful husband would be hidden from her sight forever. 
 
 The few appropriate words had been said over his 
 body, and the solemn procession was passing through the 
 gate. If the idle watchers were looking for something in 
 her behavior to discuss and condemn, they certainly were 
 gratified ; for, if they expected her to come out of the 
 house leaning heavily on the arm of some good old sister 
 of the church, with her face hidden by a heavy black 
 veil, they naturally would have, as they declared, the 
 breath knocked plump out of them by seeing her walk 
 alone, with her head erect and her veil thrown back. 
 
 " No, I will walk alone ; he would have me be brave. 
 No, I could have nothing over my face ; I would die of 
 suffocation." So they let her have her way, and with one 
 hand on the coffin she walked to the carriage which was 
 in waiting. And the form of the youthful divine went 
 out of his gate to go in no more forever. 
 
 The procession wound its way sadly and slowly through 
 the shady streets, across the river bridge, past the little 
 brick church where he had been the devoted pastor for one 
 brief year, but where his earnest, appealing voice would
 
 IIOW WOULD SHE TAKE IT? 23 
 
 never again ring out strong and clear ; on past to the 
 station, where the little party were hastened into the east- 
 bound limited express. 
 
 The little group of women who were still standing at 
 the gate, discussing the sickness, death, and funeral in all 
 its details, were unanimous in declaring that if it had not 
 been for that strange look in her eyes, which had fright 
 ened them just a little, they would think " the stuck-up 
 thing did not care one whit." 
 
 "I, for one," spoke up one of them, "shall not take her 
 part by saying that she took it hard, when people ask 
 me. My daughter-in-law had to stay at home with the 
 children, but of course she will want to know all about 
 if she took it hard and everything, and I for one will not 
 take her part." 
 
 " Well," said another, who remembered the stony look 
 in her eyes and was not so emphatic in her remarks, " it 
 is not what I have been used to. When brother John 
 died I cried so hard and took on so that people could 
 hear me from the outside of the church-house. I think 
 when people have a great sorrow they will show it. I 
 know that I could not help it. People told me afterward 
 that it was real affecting ; it made them feel like they 
 had been to a real funeral. Now, I could go home this 
 blessed minute and forget in half an hour that I had 
 been to one." 
 
 "Yes, Mrs. Dalton," spoke the third, "the future will 
 tell. We will keep our eyes open. Actions speak louder 
 than words. We will see if she shows the respect that 
 Brother Grey deserved. I always did say the dear 
 brother was a deserving man." With this she cast a 
 guilty look upon the group about her, as if she expected 
 to be corrected, and then went on. " I believe in showing 
 respect for our departed friends no matter what it costs.
 
 24 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 I, for one, don t think she should wear a stitch but what 
 is black for two years, nor hardly as much as speak to a 
 single man. But we will see, we will see. He was such 
 a learned man, and preached such excellent sermons. I 
 always did say his talk made us forget things earthly and 
 caused our minds to soar to a loftier sphere." 
 
 "Yes, but she is not the kind of woman to show the 
 dear brother the respect that he ought to have. Now if 
 he had been my husband I would know how r to act," 
 spoke Miss Green, a spinster of thirty-five, with a far 
 away look in her eyes which spoke of an inexhaustible 
 store of unsolicited wifely devotion. But she was pre 
 vented from saying any more by a score or more of con 
 temptuous eyes, which said in so many different ways, 
 "What do you know 7 about such things?" and some 
 looks even went so far as to say, "Poor thing! you will 
 never know the luxury of mourning for a departed 
 husband." 
 
 " Faith, and it is rale glad that Oi am that our holy 
 father is not allowed a woife, to be a holding up her head 
 like a pacock and a domineering over us." 
 
 "Shist! shame be on to your head, Bridget O Grady. 
 It is not for the loikes of us to be talking in a light man 
 ner about the holy father s business." 
 
 But the sacriligious Bridget only emphasized her 
 last remark by a grunt and a firm step forward. "Oi 
 meant no irriverince to the holy father or the Holy 
 Mary s church, but you know, Mrs. Murphy, that if he 
 was allowed a woife she would be a-strutting about loike 
 the rest of them, niver thinking to associate or shake 
 hands with the loikes of us." 
 
 " As far as the shaking hands is concerned, she need 
 not care to," said Mrs. Murphy, looking down at her own 
 grimy hands, hardened by much toil. "Yis, it is rough
 
 IIOW WOULD SHK TAKK IT? 25 
 
 that our poor, old hands are, but it was caused by honest 
 toil, and not from sitting in the sofa-chair and acting the 
 foine lady. And very foine ladies we would make!" and 
 she laughed heartily as the picture of herself and Mrs. 
 O Grady acting the lady presented itself to her honest 
 old mind. 
 
 " And," continued she, determined to keep up her side 
 of the argument, "who is prouder than you are, Bridget 
 O Grady, when you get to putting on some of your grand 
 old Irish airs?" 
 
 " Yis, Mrs. Murphy, Oime proud of me good name and 
 me honor, as ivery dacent woman should be, and the 
 highest feather in me cap is the good old Irish blood that 
 flows in me veins. And wasn t me father overseer over 
 one of the oldest and foinest estates to be found in bonny 
 Ireland? And wasn t he allowed to have iverything his 
 own way, just as if he was the master hissilf ? Just cause 
 it is that Oi have to be proud." 
 
 And with this bit of pleasantry the crowd separated, 
 the two daughters of Krin going down separate streets to 
 their respective homes, which they declared were com 
 fortable, if not ilegant.
 
 M 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE BURIAL AND SEARCH FOR PUPILS. - 
 
 EANWHILE the train was speeding along with its 
 little band of mourners and their lifeless charge ; 
 but with all its speed it was sundown before they reach 
 ed the end of their sad journey. It being impossible to 
 make the necessary arrangements and procure the serv 
 ices of an undertaker at that late hour, the} placed the 
 remains into the hands of one, with instructions for an 
 early interment in the morning, and proceeded to find 
 lodgings for the night, which they did in a quiet part of 
 town, away from the curious gaze of strangers. 
 
 Contrary to her friends expectations Mary Grey slept 
 soundly. She slept the sleep of exhaustion, and did not 
 awaken until the sun was shining brightly in the eastern 
 sky. "The sun and birds seem to mock my sorrow," 
 she thought as she stood looking out of the window, 
 " and the dear eyes which loved them so well will never 
 see them again." 
 
 She allowed them to do what they would with her, and 
 in a very short time after she had awakened to her grief 
 they were on their way to take Robert Grey to his last 
 resting place. " This is a fitting time to lay poor Robert 
 away," she thought, " when the morning sun is shining, 
 for it surely can be said of him that his sun set while it 
 was still day; yes, while it was yet morning." 
 
 "No wonder," she thought, as she looked with stream 
 ing eyes around the quiet church-yard, after the last bit 
 of earth had been heaped upon the grave, and the words 
 had been pronounced, " From dust thou art, and to dust 
 thou shalt return," " that Robert loved the place. If he 
 
 (26)
 
 THE BURIAL, AND SEARCH FOR PUPILS. 27 
 
 only knew that he was back to the spot so dear to him. 
 But what a different home coming to the one he pictured 
 to himself, and to me sometimes. But he would be 
 pleased to have it so." 
 
 Having no time to lose, they then gave orders to be 
 driven immediately to a stone cutter, where they left 
 orders for a simple white slab to be placed upon his 
 grave ; that was all that her limited store would permit. 
 When she was asked what inscription she desired, she 
 answered by giving the man a sheet of paper with his 
 name, date of birth, and date of death, and those simple 
 words which meant so much to her, " He hath done 
 what he could." 
 
 After securing the promise of the sexton who re 
 membered the sunny-faced Robert as a little boy (his 
 uncle had long since moved to a distant city) to see that 
 the work was well done, the little women with her at 
 tendants started on their sad journey homeward. " I will 
 come back myself to plant some flowers on his grave in 
 the spring," she thought. " May his grave ever be kept 
 as fresh and green as his memory will be, enshrined in 
 my heart." 
 
 One of the most trying ordeals was still before her, the 
 coming home and entering the cottage that had been her 
 home and his home for one happy year, without him. 
 When she reached the place everything reminded her of 
 him : the wicker gate that he had entered so often with 
 bounding step ; the rose bush at the corner of the house, 
 which had been his especial charge, was just beginning 
 to bud, but the caretaker s eyes, which had watched it 
 with such keen pleasure, would not be there to gladden 
 when it would be crowned by the glory of its blossom. 
 
 The well-meaning women that had been left in charge 
 could not hide the traces from her loving eyes. Here was
 
 28 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 his favorite chair, there was the hook on which he was 
 wont to hang his hat. What would she do, what would 
 she do, what could she do without him ? She went into 
 the library and laid her hand lovingly and lingeringly on 
 one book after the other of those she knew he had used 
 last. She went to the window and dropped into his study 
 chair, looking out with eyes that were too dazed with 
 grief to see. An icy hand seemed to be closing over 
 heart and brain, when suddenly the thought came back 
 to her, " he would have me be brave ; I will do what I 
 know would please him were he here." And a thrill 
 went through her heart. Who can say that love ends with 
 death ? The thought of pleasing him was just as sweet, 
 although she knew that his pulseless heart could never 
 again give a responsive throb. Who can deny that there 
 are earthly affections so unalterable and unflinching as 
 not to desire or admit the prospect of another, even 
 though the object may lie moldering in the grave ? 
 
 " I will read his books myself, and remain here in this 
 very house. I think I will be able to secure a class in 
 music, and then I will begin the old life over again : the 
 life I led before I met Robert, only it will be a thousand 
 times worse for having known and lost him. But those 
 curious people shall not see my grief. No ; I will have 
 no one to stay with me. I am not afraid. The angel 
 spirit of my husband will hover over and protect me." 
 
 The next day was the Sabbath, and she went her way, 
 oh so sadly, toward the church she had loved so well; 
 but the one who had helped to make it so dear to her 
 would never preach from its pulpit again. The Sunday 
 previous he had been in his accustomed place, and today 
 his manly voice was hushed forever. 
 
 She walked quietly in and dropped into the nearest 
 pew. The first thing that met her gaze was the tribute
 
 THE BURIAL AND SEARCH FOR PUPILS. 2Q 
 
 of respect that the young people had paid to him, their 
 dead pastor ; the back of the pulpit was draped from 
 ceiling to floor with white and black crepe, emblematic 
 of both youth and manhood. But in place of the dear 
 form which was wont to stand in the pulpit, a stranger 
 stood instead. The chair he usually occupied during their 
 young people s meeting, of which he was the honored 
 leader, was also draped in mourning. 
 
 " A waste of bunting," said Deacon Hill to his pretty 
 daughter Bessie, who had drawn on his purse-strings for 
 a part of the extravagance. 
 
 " It is not bunting, father; it is crepe." 
 
 " A waste of bunting, I say," continued he, disregard 
 ing the correction. " You may call it what you please, 
 but it won t bring the parson back, nor will it preach us 
 the sermons which are paid for in full until the end of 
 the year." 
 
 The silent figure heard nothing. Her thoughts were 
 far away with the lonely form in the church-yard, until 
 the organ struck up for the closing hymn. Then she 
 remembered for the first time that her place had been 
 vacant in the choir. " I will never sing again; for who 
 will care to hear me now, since he is dead." But this 
 world and its realities came rushing back to her. " How 
 can I teach music if I do not sing ? I must smother my 
 grief and act as though I had no heart. I must take my 
 place in the choir next Sunday, no matter how hard it 
 will be for me ; the voice he loved so well must be the 
 means of bringing my bread and butter now. I will 
 begin my search for pupils in the morning. Some of the 
 people are abundantly able to pay for instructions, and 
 they certainly can not fail to see that the choir renders 
 much better music than it did a year ago." 
 
 So, with hope born of a conscientious determination to
 
 30 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 do her best, she began her task, which was by no means 
 an easy one. 
 
 The first place she tried, where she supposed she would 
 be most likely to secure a pupil, was at the home of one 
 of the parishioners at whose hands she and her husband 
 had always met with the greatest kindness. The lady 
 greeted her pleasantly, and talked kindly without referring 
 to her sorrow. After her caller made known her errand, 
 she said : 
 
 " I am sorry that this should be necessary so soon." 
 
 This was said with such heartfelt sympathy that in 
 stead of wounding the quivering, sensitive heart, it had a 
 soothing influence upon the gap so recently made, the 
 scar of which she would carry with her to the grave. 
 
 " But," she went on, " I don t suppose Mr. Grey s 
 salary was sufficient to save much. A young minister 
 is supposed to get along on almost nothing, and feed the 
 hungry, clothe the poor, and contribute to every benefi 
 ciary besides." 
 
 " If my husband had only lived we would never have 
 complained, but would have been content with a small 
 salary all our lives. We would have been satisfied with 
 each other and God s blessing upon our efforts," said 
 Mary Grey, sadly. " But since he was taken and I am 
 left, I must live on just the same ; and it is not only 
 necessary that I should do something at once, but it will 
 help to make life bearable." 
 
 It was an unusual thing for her to confide either her 
 interests or her sorrows to any one ; indeed, her husband 
 had been her only confidant since her parents death. 
 But she found that this bit of free intercourse did her 
 good, and the sympathy that was extended in such an 
 unpretentious, sincere way, was welcome. 
 
 " How very fortunate that you came in this morning.
 
 TIIK BURIAL AND SEARCH FOR PUPILS. 31 
 
 \Ve were talking of sending Ellen away to an academy of 
 music. Her training has been sadly neglected, owing to 
 her health. I would so much prefer to keep her with us, 
 and will be only too glad to secure your services. You 
 can choose your own time for the lessons. Any time that 
 is convenient to you will suit us." 
 
 vSo, with the name of Ellen Eerris to head her list, she 
 went on, not a little encouraged. She knew that Mrs. 
 Eerris was not one of the kind so common, who by strict 
 discipline train themselves to say kind and polite things 
 to hide a far different nature, but that everything she 
 said came from the only source of true politeness, a good 
 heart. 
 
 The next call she made was at the home of Deacon Hill, 
 who was sitting on the broad piazza with his good wife, 
 enjoying the morning air. 
 
 " Good morning, Sister Grey! What could have caused 
 this unexpected pleasure, that of seeing you so early ? 
 Betsy and I were just saying as how we were afraid that 
 you would just shut yourself up and pine and pine. Hut 
 young hearts are soon comforted, and this is the very 
 best thing that you could do come out among your 
 friends, who will be only too glad to comfort and cheer 
 you up a bit. 
 
 " Oh, it s music lessons that you want to give," went 
 on the querrelous old gentleman, without giving his quiet 
 wife an opportunity to say a word. " Bessie can sing 
 quite well enough now. I dare say singing won t take 
 girls to heaven, nor will it bring them a husband at 
 least, not all of them" with a quizzical look at his wife 
 and then at their visitor, which said in so many words, "If 
 one woman has sung her way into the heart of a man, it 
 is no proof that they all can." This was evidence that even 
 the old deacon and his wife were not proof against a little
 
 32 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 gossip. "It turns their heads; and besides, it would not 
 do to make song birds of them all, or they would do like 
 the feathered ones do in the autumn, which as soon as 
 they are able to find their own worms and flies, and chirp 
 a bit, fly away in flocks, to pour their sweet songs into 
 the ears of strangers, instead of staying and singing for 
 those who helped to protect them in their helplessness." 
 
 He looked at his wife in a beseeching way, as if he 
 imagined his birdling had already soared out of reach of 
 his caressing hand. 
 
 " We would rather that our nestling should never be 
 able to do more than chirp, and keep her with us, than to 
 have her turned into a lark and fly away, wouldn t we, 
 Betsy?" The moisture in his wife s eyes, which were 
 turned toward him in astonishment at his eloquence, 
 spoke louder than words. " But a little training might 
 not hurt her. Yes, you can count on Bessie." 
 
 The aged couple evidently had the fate of a daughter 
 of one of their friends in mind, who could not only rival 
 the sweetest notes of the birds, but her heart was as pure 
 and guiltless. But she deserted her home nest to sing for 
 strangers (as the old man expressed it), in order to win 
 fame for herself and support for her parents in their de 
 clining years. But like a bird lost at sea, she was soon 
 dazed and bewildered, and drawn helplessly into the mael 
 strom of sin, and came home, crushed and suffering, to 
 died in the arms of her heartbroken but forgiving parents. 
 
 No wonder that the memory of that picture was too 
 much for them. They knew that not only are the 
 chasms of iniquity gaping to swallow up the helpless 
 and unprotected girl who battles so bravely to maintain 
 herself, but there are also self-appointed guides, who, 
 with hell in their hearts, false smiles on their lips, and 
 flattering lies on their tongues, are ever on the alert to
 
 TUP: BURIAL AND SEARCH FOR PUPILS. 33 
 
 lure them into their dark depths. Then they gloat and 
 sneer over their victims for a time, then up and away to 
 new conquests, while she who sees her peril, when it is 
 too late to turn back, just as the turbulent waters are 
 closing over her head, -goes down with an agony of heart 
 too deep to find utterance even in a groan. 
 
 The hopeful woman s next venture did not prove so 
 successful. She was met at the door by a woman, upon 
 whose face wonder was plainly depicted, and seeing the 
 look, she hastened to make her business known. 
 
 " I have come to see if you would like to have your 
 daughters take lessons in music and singing." 
 
 The woman answered her with the question, " And who 
 may the person be who wants to give the lessons?" 
 
 " I am trying to obtain a class for myself." 
 
 "Oh ! " and the look of astonishment turned into one of 
 open astonishment. "I did not know that you purposed 
 remaining here. I would rather my children did not take 
 lessons from a woman. "When we hire an instructor we 
 will engage a skilled one from the city." 
 
 With her spirits on the ebb, Mary Grey rang the next 
 door-bell. This was at the home of Mrs. Green. This 
 lady had her own standard of right and propriety, and 
 woe and disaster to those whose conduct did not meet 
 the requirements which she was never loth to lay down. 
 Mrs. Grey had never found her congenial company, but 
 she must seek pupils where they were most likely to be 
 found. 
 
 She was not prepared for the fire of criticism to which 
 she had to submit, however. After looking her over, the 
 woman said: "If you have really concluded to remain 
 in Cloverdale, where you know you have nothing but 
 strangers about you no one who has any interest in 
 you I hope you will protect yourself by getting some
 
 34 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 respectable middle-aged woman to stay with you. But I 
 would think it would be advisable for you to pack up 
 and move to a place where you have relatives, or at least 
 people who know you." 
 
 "But," said the helpless woman, "I have no where else 
 to go, and so have made up my mind to remain in the 
 the house where my nusband left me. And so far as 
 staying alone is concerned, I am not afraid. I would 
 rather be alone. I would be very little company to any 
 one." 
 
 " I did not suppose that you were afraid, but it would 
 be such an impropriety for a young widow to stay alone. 
 You know people would talk, and it might even be taken 
 by the opposite sex as a sign that their attention is 
 solicited." 
 
 The look that this speech brought into the eyes of our 
 heroine should have had the power to quiet the most 
 meddlesome tongue, but her tormentor went on: "I am 
 only telling you this for your own good. We, as examples 
 of pure, virtuous womanhood, can not be too careful how 
 we conduct ourselves. We should guard our actions in 
 such a way as not to give the world a shadow of a doubt 
 of our chastity. But if you are determined to stay here, 
 I will see what can be done for you. I have a cousin 
 who would stay with you for her board and lodging. Her 
 husband spent all her money, and then died. Pity he 
 could not have died a little sooner and left her something 
 to live on. She is a good talker, and just the kind of 
 company you ought to have. I received a letter from her 
 with the good news that she was coming to see us, and 
 would in all probability remain with us a year. I am 
 perfectly delighted with the prospect, and could not think 
 of allowing her to go anywhere else, but I would give her 
 up to you at the sacrifice of my own feelings. We are not
 
 THK BURIAL AND SKARCH FOR PUPILS. 35 
 
 so much to help our fallen sisters rise as we are to keep 
 them from even the appearance of going astray. I will 
 write to her at once, and after I see how we can settle 
 this little affair we will talk about music lessons. Of 
 course, if you expect the best class of people to patronize 
 and befriend you, your manner of living must be entirely 
 beyond reproach." 
 
 " I thank you, but you need not take the trouble to 
 write to your cousin. The idea of having some one to 
 stay with me is a new one, and I must have time to 
 think. I will let you know." 
 
 At this she arose to go, while an angry look came into 
 the other woman s eyes, caused by what she termed her 
 righteous indignation at the lack of appreciation with 
 which all her good intentions were received. She arose 
 and followed her visitor to the door, drawing her robes of 
 righteousness closely about her, as if she was afraid of 
 becoming polluted by coming in contact with people who 
 did not see their duty through her eyes, with a look in 
 those orbs which said plainer than words, "I have done 
 my duty, and if you will wilfully lay yourself open to 
 suspicion after all I have put myself out to tell you, I 
 wash my hands of you." 
 
 The object of all this concern went away with a feeling 
 at her heart which was new. She had drained the cup of 
 sorrow to its dregs at the death of her husband, but in 
 that she reali/.ed the promise of Him who said, " I will be 
 a husband to the widow, and a father to the fatherless," 
 and the sweetly comforting thought came to her, "I will 
 meet him again where parting will be no more." 
 
 But what was there to compensate for this injustice, for 
 her outraged sensibilities? She could not understand it. 
 Xo one had ever talked to her in that way before. " Plow 
 dare she intimate such things to me? Is it a crime to be
 
 36 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 left a widow, that I should be punished this way? If so, 
 my retribution has come speedily. Oh, if I only could 
 have gone with him !" But the thought came to her, 
 " He would have me be brave." 
 
 The poor woman had need of all the strength those 
 words could inspire, for this was only a fair beginning of 
 what she had to endure the rest of the day. They all 
 seemed determined to help her out of town or find some 
 one to stay with her. One woman had an indigent aunt 
 who would be glad for a home, and she was of such high 
 moral character that to have her under her roof would be 
 proof against any suspicion. Another had a niece. " She 
 is not quite right in her mind, poor dear! but she is so 
 harmless and happy that it would be a comfort to you to 
 have her about." 
 
 " Well," said another, " I suppose it will be a great trial 
 to you to pack up and move, and hard work, too, the 
 weather is so warm. Moving is such a task any time of 
 the year. But of course some of us will help you. I 
 talked with my drayman this morning, and got him to 
 promise to haul your things half price. I had to do a 
 great deal of talking, but he agreed at last, since you will 
 be apt to have several loads. These draymen forget 
 themselves sometimes, and act as if they owned the goods 
 and \ve the dray. Have you decided where you will 
 make your future home? " 
 
 The poor woman, too astonished to interrupt her 
 would-be helper, robbed of her power of speech by her 
 audacity, listened to the end in dumb despair. 
 
 " Mrs. Jones, I have nowhere else to go, and since the 
 remainder of my earthry existence must be passed some 
 where, I have concluded to remain here. And why 
 should I not? I must earn my own bread again, as I did 
 before I was married. I must turn music teacher again,
 
 THE BURIAL AND SEARCH FOR PUPILS. 37 
 
 and the little that can be earned here will buy more com 
 forts than a larger income in a city. And the crowds 
 and crowds of people, with no companionship, would be 
 intolerable to me. Mrs. Jones, why should I not stay 
 here, where my husband left me?" 
 
 This question was asked without resentment or bitter 
 ness, but with a child-like simplicity that appealed some 
 what to the woman s better nature. 
 
 " Oh, I see no serious objections to your staying here; 
 but a lone woman should necessarily be very careful to 
 live above suspicion. It won t do to give people room to 
 talk, for when people once get started there is no way to 
 stop them. I don t mean that you would do anything 
 wrong, of course ; I only wanted to put you on your 
 guard. I m real glad that you told me that you intend to 
 give music lessons, so that when people ask me I can tell 
 them what you are going to do. And of course you will 
 get some respectable middle-aged lady to stay with you." 
 
 Mary Grey waited to hear no more, but started for her 
 lonely home. It was nearly sundown, and she had just 
 three names on her list. She had started out in the 
 morning determined to renew her battles with the world 
 bravely, but she returned in anything but a heroic spirit. 
 She had mingled so little with the world that she knew 
 very little of its ways. She had received her early train 
 ing from parents who held themselves aloof from all that 
 was narrow and debasing, and had always been told that 
 they who gave the necessary attention to their own busi 
 ness had no time to devote to the affairs of others, and 
 that no one should tell the faults of others unless they 
 were sure that they had none of their own. Indeed, if 
 the injunction of the Bible was strictly carried out, how 
 mute would be the tongues of faulty humanity : the com 
 mand, " L,et him who is without sin cast the first stone."
 
 38 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 One of her father s proverbs ( as she was wont to call 
 them in her happy girlhood days) stood out in bold relief 
 in the development of her own character : " Who don t 
 trust is not to be trusted." She knew that this faith in 
 humanity, which her father had manifested during his 
 whole life, had proven against him on many occasions, 
 but she did not begrudge the few dollars that she knew 
 she had lost thereby. "I would rather have had him just 
 as he was, if he had not left me a cent." 
 
 The time that passed between the death of her parents 
 and the meeting with her husband was spent in such a 
 way as not to give her an insight into the failings of those 
 with whom she came in contact. And her acquaintance 
 with her husband and marriage to him certainly did not 
 have a tendency to mar her sweet, simple trust. 
 
 She entered her own gate wean- and footsore. Oh, 
 what a hard day s work it had been ! She never had been 
 so tired either in body or in spirit, nor had she ever had 
 such a deep, dull pain at her heart. She went to his rose 
 bush, and, pinning one of the fragrant blossoms over her 
 heart, she entered the house. 
 
 " Oh, why should I be denied the one little comfort, 
 that of waiting just where he left me until the welcome 
 call shall come to join him in heaven. Oh, my husband, 
 why did you leave me so soon ? The years of separation 
 may be long oh, so long ! You came into my life when 
 my heart was famishing for some one to love. Was our 
 love too strong, that we should be separated so soon ? I 
 can love on and on ! but oh, you are so far away ! I would 
 rather have you here." 
 
 She sank on a lounge and gave w r ay to her overwrought 
 feelings in tears ; not violent ones, but deep-drawn sobs 
 which convulsed her frame. They were not only tears of 
 sorrow, but of wounded pride and womanhood. When
 
 THE BURIAL AND SEARCH FOR PUPILS. 39 
 
 she arose she was weak and faint ; her tears had only 
 served to exhaust her already overtired frame, so without 
 a thought but of her misery she went sadly to bed, and 
 after tossing wearily about for a time she fell asleep. But 
 it was the slumber which is produced by overwrought 
 minds and exhausted frames ; it \vas the sleep that 
 proves more wasting to our strength than even our wak 
 ing hours, when we in a weary but persistent routine go 
 over and over the experience of the preceding day.
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 TOMMY S DISCLOSURES. 
 
 WHEN Mrs Grey awakened the next morning she 
 was almost too lifeless to arise. The effects of 
 the experience of the previous day served as a weight to 
 hold her down. She could in no wise account for the 
 treatment she had received. She had had a dim con 
 sciousness that some of the parishioners did not like her, 
 but in her innocence she did not think that any one 
 would allow their prejudice, their petty likes and dislikes, 
 to influence their sense of justice. It was plain that 
 although she had been cast upon her own resources and 
 the mercies of this world while yet a child, she was still 
 as a stranger in a strange land, with a long, hard lesson 
 before her a problem with nothing but bitterness in the 
 process of its solution and despair at the result. 
 
 Oh, cruel fate that has made it necessary that we should 
 be aroused from this slumber of innocence and trust, 
 where, faith in mankind is only a reflection from the 
 placid lake of purity in their own soul ; for the picture 
 mirrored in a stream does not depend so much upon the 
 object as upon the clearness and purity of the water s 
 depth. But lucky are they who go through this awaken 
 ing ordeal, that is narrowing and warping the souls of 
 so many, with an unbiased mind one that is willing to 
 acknowledge people s virtues, even though they see their 
 shortcomings. There are none so good or so bad as they 
 may be supposed to be ; for while there is not a heart so 
 hard but what it could be reached if the proper means 
 were employed, there is still a latent capacity for evil in 
 every individual human heart, and the degree of its devel- 
 
 (40)
 
 TOMMY S DISCLOSURES. 41 
 
 opnient is often due to circumstances. Then thrice 
 blessed are they who, while they do not sanction or encour 
 age wrong -doing, still remember their own weaknesses 
 in a way that will inspire a feeling of charity for that of 
 others, even though the nature be different from their 
 own peculiar besetting sin. 
 
 Mary Grey had never committed an act that was not 
 prompted by a noble purpose or the depths of a true and 
 holy love. Xo wonder she thought that the interference 
 of the previous day, disagreeable as it was to her, had 
 been indulged in with her comfort and best interest in 
 view. A nature that was nearer in touch with them 
 would have formed conclusions more in accordance with 
 the truth: and even if they had made a mistake in their 
 calculations, it would have been on the other side of the 
 scale, and the facts in the case would have been mag 
 nified. 
 
 As is the case in all towns the size of Cloverdale, some 
 of the aspiring mammas had their own private reasons 
 why a young widow with a beautiful face and winning 
 manners would (oh, no, they did not say should) choose 
 some other place for her future home; while others would 
 be willing to submit to the inevitable if her stay among 
 them could be made a source of relief to them. 
 
 As she went about her morning duties she thought, 
 "God forgive me if my sorrow lias made me selfish, or if 
 I lack in love and kindly feeling, but how could I have 
 any of those women to stay with me? They would not 
 be very desirable company. That poor innocent girl 
 would be the least objectionable, and I could not bear to 
 have her about me all the time." 
 
 She had seen them with their respective relatives at 
 different times, and felt that she could not bear to have 
 her liu.^lDand s merits and demerits tried and re-tried, as 
 3
 
 42 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 if at a bar of justice, nor have her sorrows brought forth 
 from the depth of her soul, as if on parade on review day; 
 and even if it was done to the best of their understand 
 ing, and with a zealous endeavor to entertain, it would be 
 none the less unbearable. She felt that if the} would 
 only let her alone and undisturbed in her sorrow, she 
 would ask no greater favor of them, and would be so 
 grateful. " They could serve me best by simply allowing 
 me to choose for and serve myself," she thought. 
 
 What a vast deal of trouble and inconvenience it would 
 spare the human family if every member could compre 
 hend that his or her particular interference could be dis 
 pensed with without loss in most cases and with profit in 
 many ! But this was a state of perfection to which our 
 friends had not even aspired, much less attained ; for they 
 had all made up their minds that the comfort of their 
 pastor s widow, if not her very existence, depended largely 
 upon their individual solicitude. 
 
 After she had set her house to rights, she sat wondering 
 should she try again today, or should she stay at home 
 and rest ? She felt that she could not bear to undergo 
 the experience of the previous day. She felt as if she 
 had no rest since before her husband s illness. It was 
 only a week today, but, oh ! what a long and weary week. 
 Ages seemed to have passed in the brief space of seven 
 days. Enough had occurred to change from a supremely 
 happy woman to one who had her eyes fixed on death as 
 her goal, the saddest part of which was the long, weary 
 journey that she would be likely to be obliged to take to 
 reach it, since she was read}" to faint at the outset. 
 
 She had no sooner formed her decision to stay at home 
 and rest when there was a ring at the door bell. Her 
 caller was a boy, the son of Mrs. Green, who began : 
 " Mrs. Grev, mv mother sent me to tell YOU that she was
 
 TOMMY S DISCLOSURES. 43 
 
 writing a letter to her cousin, and that she would like to 
 know if you wanted her to stay with you, because she 
 can t finish her letter until she knows, and she wants to 
 send it right away, and that I must hurry back." 
 
 " Tell your mother that she had better not put any 
 thing in her letter about such an arrangement, for I will 
 stay by myself for the present. Tell her that I thank her 
 for her kindness, but that she had better not mention it. 
 
 " Well, my mother said that you would be obliged to 
 have some one, and that she was willing to do all that 
 she could to help you," said the boy, turning on his heel 
 to go ; "but she said she guessed that 3-011 was too stuck 
 up to knuckle to being helped. I think too that you are 
 proud. You look like you was, and act like it, too. But 
 is it so wrong to be proud ? I hear people say so many 
 spiteful things about it that I guess it must be worse 
 than almost any other bad thing. I never saw you do 
 anything but just walk straight, and hold up your head, 
 and not stop and talk to everybody, as almost everybody 
 else does. I guess maybe some of the old maids and 
 them are just mad because your head is a great deal 
 prettier than theirs, and they can t sing like you do," he 
 said, looking at her with a good-natured, comical smile. 
 " Hut you won t tell my mother and the girls that I told 
 you? because my sister always pulls my hair when I just 
 mention old maid ; and it makes her mad to hear any one 
 say that any other girls are nice looking. She wants to 
 be the nicest looking herself. I guess since your man 
 died you are a girl again. Sis says as how they are girls 
 until the} get married, and then I guess if their men die 
 or run away or something, it brings them to their second 
 girlhood. 
 
 " I know you look more like a girl than Sis does; but 
 if I would tell her so, she would box mv ears and not let
 
 44 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 me sit in the parlor or eat at the first table or play ball 
 with the boys for a week. Now, you never was a boy, so 
 of course you don t know how hard that would be. But 
 you won t give it away to them, will 3-011? That would 
 be different from just being proud. I heard the girls 
 talking this morning. They said as how they didn t stand 
 any kind of a show when there was an impudent widow 
 about. Then they said some more about widows caps 
 being sure to win. I know what ! I think they are just 
 afraid that you will take their beaux from them. I know 
 that they we talking about you, because I heard ma say 
 to the girls: I m glad there is some one who can make 
 her feel like an ordinary mortal. I think that I made her 
 feel yesterday that she was no better than the rest of 
 us, and that gives me comfort. She said that if a few 
 other people had the courage to give you a good, generous 
 slice of humble pie once in a while it would do you good 
 and bring you to your senses, and that you was no better 
 than other people, but I know that you are a heap nicer 
 looking." 
 
 This was all told in a way that showed that it was the 
 boy s way of avenging himself for some real or fancied 
 wrong that had been inflicted upon him by the feminine 
 portion of the household, the natural sworn enemy of 
 every refractor}" lad, who can by intuition, however, find 
 many ways original to himself to cousole his wounded 
 spirits, those injured sensibilities that stand out so prom 
 inently in the capricious mind of a boy. 
 
 "And because you are so nice, and are agoing to prom 
 ise not to tell on me, I will tell you something else that I 
 know. My ma s Cousin Sallie is just as ugly to have 
 about as can be. Our whole family is mad whenever she 
 is expecting to make us a visit. She takes snuff, and eats 
 right out loud, because I guess she enjoys her victuals
 
 TOMMY S DISCLOSURES. 45 
 
 with her teeth, tongue and lips all at once. And her 
 tongue when she bosses ma and pa around and scolds 
 the girls about powdering their faces and fri/zing their 
 hair. She says she got a mail without anything of the 
 kind pity she can t get another one now, then she 
 wouldn t be making us such long visits. I would help 
 her to get one myself if I could find some old fellow as 
 would have her. I would tell him she was perlite and 
 vertuous, and just as sweet as anything, just to fool him, 
 and then wouldn t he be just as mad as hops after he had 
 lived with her a day or two ? 
 
 " Then she scolds the girls about some other things, 
 and us boys she likes us just like pizen ! Well, we just 
 have to hold our breaths when she is around, and wish 
 she would bring her delightful visit to a close. No one 
 else has a chance to say a word when she commences. Ma 
 says she puts her in mind of a coffee-mill we just have 
 to let her grind on until she gets through with her grist. 
 But what makes the girls the maddest is, she always 
 comes into the room when they have beaux, and just sits 
 and sits, until it is too late for them to stay any longer, 
 and that just fills the girls with chuck full of righteous 
 indignation, as they call it, but I would name it just 
 common mad. 
 
 " Ma and the girls said so man}- things this morning 
 that I can t begin to remember it all ; but I heard them 
 say that they would not put up with her, because they 
 could not have a bit of fun and would just die of morti 
 fication or something, and that if you would not take her 
 ma could just tell her to stay where she is. And then 
 they laughed and said it would be such a joke if they 
 could palm her off onto you, because she would prove a 
 better watch-dog than a mastiff with a rat-terrier for com 
 pany to keep him awake. They said as how your widow s
 
 46 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 wiles or something wouldn t do you a bit of good as long 
 as she was around. I just wouldn t have her if I was you, 
 because if you do you will soon wish you hadn t. But 
 you won t tell that I told you ? Now if you would just 
 cross your heart before I go, I would know that you 
 would keep your word. I know that if you had ever been 
 a boy, with big sisters of your own, you would not think 
 of telling on me." 
 
 " I will not cross my heart, but I will promise, and that 
 will do just as well. But boys should not listen to their 
 mammas and older sisters when they talk, much less tell 
 what they say, even if it were not wrong to tell tales out 
 of school, as you call it. Boys are apt to misunderstand 
 what they hear and make mistakes in repeating them. 
 I will not tell on you, but you had better not listen the 
 next time you hear them talk about their beaux and 
 things, because I know that girls don t like to have such 
 things told, and little boys are sure to tell all they hear." 
 
 As contrary as it was to the nature of Mary Grey to 
 hear anything that was not intended for her ears, she 
 could not help enjoying the impetuous tones of the boy, 
 who was trying in all haste to unburden his mind of all 
 he had heard. Here was a genuine bit of at least human 
 boy s nature ; for a bit of news causes the small boy as 
 much uneasiness as a rat does a terrier dog, until he has 
 carried it to the ears of those whom he, in his judgment, 
 has decided ought to know it. 
 
 She could tell that the boy had been listening to what 
 had not been intended either for his or her ears, but there 
 certainly was a mistake ; they could not have been refer 
 ring to her in that unfeeling way, for she thought, with 
 the innocence and kindly feeling of her own heart : " No 
 woman would talk about me in such an unkind way in 
 my sorrow. We are certainly near enough of kin in the
 
 TOMMY S DISCLOSURES. 47 
 
 trials of this life to understand and sympathize with each 
 other." 
 
 vSo without a thought of anger or resentment, she dis 
 missed the little rebel with a reassuring smile, which 
 caused hin to forget at once all fears of being found out 
 in his departure from the paths of discretion. 
 
 " Well, she is just game ! She won t blab more than 
 nothing. I would trust her any time, because she is the 
 nicest woman I ever saw. I don t mind being scolded, as 
 long as they look as kind as she did. And to think that 
 she scolded me for telling her what they said about her. 
 Now when anybody tells our women folks such things, 
 the>- fly all to pieces and put me in mind of a kite with a 
 lot of tails and fixins in a wind-storm, but they keep on 
 asking and quizzing, just like they enjoyed getting mad ; 
 and I guess they do, because they always seem to be 
 hankering after news. But she only smiled, and I think 
 I noticed a few tears in her eyes when I talked to her 
 about her man dying ; but she looked so sweet and kind 
 that I know she wasn t crying because she was mad. 
 Well, if I hear them talk any more about her, I am ago 
 ing to tell her again." And with this resolution upper 
 most in his mind, Tommy Green hurried home. 
 
 Mary Grey spent the next few days in trying to find 
 more pupils, but without further success. Very few peo 
 ple were able or disposed to hire a music teacher; they 
 were well pleased with the improvement their daughters 
 had made under her instructions in the past year, but 
 that was free of charge and far different from paying for 
 a teacher. 
 
 There were several wealthy families living a few miles 
 from town, but how to get to them to offer her services? 
 If she wrote to them, they would wonder why she did not 
 come in person. .She was told that one of the require-
 
 4-S HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 ments of a teacher was that she come to their own homes 
 to give their children lessons ; even if she secured them 
 as pupils, she felt that she could not do that. A convey 
 ance from the stables was beyond her means, and, good 
 walker as she was, she felt that it would be too much for 
 her strength to go the distance twice. 
 
 Three pupils were better than none. They would sup 
 ply her immediate wants. But she thought, with a pang: 
 " I may have to give up this cottage. Oh, why should 
 such a sacrifice be required of me ? I think I will be able 
 to pa>- the rent one more month. At least I will not leave 
 until necessity compels me, and then I will try to be 
 brave about it. I will not act in a \vay that would grieve 
 him." 
 
 She had no doubt that her husband s spirit had as 
 sumed the character of her guardian angel, and the 
 thought of pleasing him had the power of filling her 
 heart with a sad, yearning sweetness which was absorb 
 ing in its intensity. 
 
 She went to the drawer where she had been in the 
 habit of keeping her private purse. The general store 
 had all been swalknved up by the doctor s bill and funeral 
 expenses, and it was only by the reduction that the par 
 ties interested were kind enough to make (without her 
 knowledge, however,) that the dead man s little hoard 
 would suffice to cover the expenses caused by his sick 
 ness and death. 
 
 Here were a few bills, carefully folded, that had not 
 only been earned by the sweat of his brow, according to 
 the injunction of the Bible, but also by the inspiration of 
 a soul warmly bathed in a Savior s love. She would 
 gladly have kept those as mementoes of his devotion to 
 his duty and his care for her, but she knew that such 
 luxuries would be denied her in future, and, after all, she
 
 TOMMYS DISCLOSURES. 49 
 
 needed no such a reminder. The three years they had 
 spent together had erected in her woman s heart ( the 
 place dedicated to undying love and lasting memories) a 
 monument that would withstand the ravages of time and 
 the smiles and allurements of this world that would fain 
 cause it to crumble to dust. These bills had been earned 
 and saved to buy comforts for her and for him, and now 
 she must spend them for herself. " But I know he would 
 have me use them, and would only wish that he had the 
 power to leave me more." 
 
 Then she drew her own little pocket-book from its 
 hiding-place. It was an unpretentious affair. " I had so 
 little use for a purse," she thought. She had often laugh 
 ingly told her husband that " since the poor women were 
 denied the luxury of a pocket, it was a still greater com 
 fort to have a strong, overgrown husband with plenty of 
 those conveniences about him for two. It saves us the 
 trouble of carrying and the worry of losing anything val 
 uable, so you see how willing we independent creatures 
 are to shove the responsibilities of life upon broader and 
 stronger shoulders ; how willing and glad we are to be 
 taken care of, if we can only find one who cares enough 
 for us to take the trouble." 
 
 But now she must reassume the cares of life ; so, after 
 counting the amount contained in both, she put it to 
 gether into the larger and stronger purse. " I will pay 
 the rent for one month, and then, if I live economically, 
 I may be able to remain another. I would be satisfied 
 with so little, if I could only remain here quietly and un 
 disturbed." 
 
 She had just framed her wish, when one of her neigh 
 bors stepped up to the open door. 
 
 " Good morning, Mrs. Jones," she said, pleasantly ; 
 " come in. I am triad to see vou."
 
 50 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 She had just been asking for quiet and solitude, but 
 unconsciously her heart was reaching out for sympathy 
 and companionship. How strange to a woman are the 
 workings of her own heart ! for unless she devotes a 
 goodly portion of her time to self-study, she will carry it 
 to her grave a stranger to its impulses, and even then 
 she remains to herself an enigma still unsolved. 
 
 Mrs. Jones was a self-satisfied matron of about forty- 
 five or fifty. She had married when she was quite young, 
 but had never had any children. This caused her over 
 abundance of motherly interest to be evenly distributed 
 over the entire town. Even the typical spinster. must lay 
 down her laurels to a childless married woman, when her 
 line of duty is once made clear to her, when she adopts 
 as her life work the engineering of the social and matri 
 monial machinery of the society in which she moves. 
 
 Of course half the young people of the town would 
 have been ruined had it not been for her timely interfer 
 ence ; the married people would certainly never have 
 found the suitable partners had it not been for her assist 
 ance, for which they were very grateful to her, no doubt ; 
 and some of the hasty, ill-advised marriages might have 
 resulted in total shipwreck had she not helped to steer 
 them safely through the breakers along the shore and out 
 into the broad and placid waters of married life. It was 
 with the importance of her responsibilities weighing 
 heavily upon her mind that Mrs. Jones made this morn 
 ing call, with her mind made up to discharge her duty 
 fully to her former pastor s widow. 
 
 "Good morning, Sister Grey; you have been away so 
 much lately that I did not have the opportunity to call 
 sooner. You must be very lonely since the poor brother s 
 death, so I thought I would drop over and have a long 
 talk with you and help you to forget your troubles. I
 
 TOMMYS DISCLOSURKS. 51 
 
 know when I have trouble I would just die if I did not 
 tell it to some one. Of course I always go to my husband, 
 as I suppose you did as long as yon had poor Brother 
 Grey with you, but now since he is gone you will have 
 to have some one else to make a confidant of. I tell you 
 it will never do to lock yourself up with your sorrow." 
 
 As Mary Grey said, she was glad to see her caller. Her 
 lonely heart was reaching out for nourishment and susten 
 ance. But the feeling of tenderness gave way to one of 
 leaden heaviness ; her overwrought feelings seemed to 
 rebound to her heart and congeal there. But she made a 
 brave effort to conceal this from her visitor, who seemed 
 to understand the remedy, but not the mode of applica 
 tion. 
 
 "Yes, my heart is heavy," said the poor woman; "but 
 I do not care to burden others with my sorrow that is, 
 after all, something that we each must bear for ourselves; 
 for while the heart is like a fountain in its love ever 
 gushing forth, it also has a depth in its sorrow which no 
 one canjfathom." 
 
 " It might bring comfort to you to talk to some one 
 about your plans. I am in no hurry this morning, and 
 might be able to make some suggestions that would prove 
 of great help to you. I have had so much more experi 
 ence in this world than you. It makes a woman so help 
 less to be left a widow so early in life, just when she is 
 beginning to learn what it is to have a husband to lean 
 on, and she can not be expected to be able to stand alone 
 when her prop is suddenly taken from under her. Now, 
 with older people it is different. We all find out that 
 those props, no matter how willing and strong they may 
 be, will give a little by time and overweight, and we must 
 fall back more or less upon our own strength as the years 
 go by," said the woman ; and we would add ;
 
 52 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 And happy is the woman who learns this lesson with 
 out losing faith in her spouse, for it is, after all, only his 
 nature asserting itself, in thinking that every human 
 being has enough to do to carry its own weight. This 
 may ultimately be nature s plan to prepare us for the 
 separation that must come sooner or later, for through the 
 acquired strength we are certainly better enabled to take 
 care of ourselves. 
 
 " I have no great plans to make for the present, and 
 none for the future. I have put my trust in One who has 
 left such words of comfort for the widow, and will take 
 charge of both present and future for those who are will 
 ing to take Him at his word." 
 
 "Yes, but you must live, and the Lord has only prom 
 ised to help those who are willing to help themselves," 
 wisely answered Mrs. Jones. "You must have a place to 
 stay, something to eat, and clothes to wear; and, judging 
 from the salary that your husband received, he could 
 hardly have left you much. People seem to think that a 
 minister can live on his religion. Now I think that while 
 religion will satisfy his spiritual wants, it takes just as 
 much bread and butter to keep his mortal soul and body 
 together as it does for any one else." 
 
 " Oh, I would have been content with a small salary all 
 my life, if he had only lived. As you say, he could not 
 have left me much, but I have the same means of support 
 that I had before I knew him my voice. I intend to live 
 on here and give lessons in music. I can not plan much; 
 these plans have made themselves. I have nowhere else 
 to go, nor have I any other way to earn my bread." 
 
 " But do you think it would be wise to keep this whole 
 cottage ? It would only be rent for nothing. You cer 
 tainly would not think of living here alone ? that would 
 not look well. You will get some respectable old couple
 
 TOMMY S DISCLOSURES. 53 
 
 to move in with you. A widow s actions are always 
 watched so closely, and it is always best to be on the safe 
 side. Yes, I will help you to look around, and between 
 us we will surely be able to find some one to move in 
 with you." 
 
 " Mrs. Jones, I think I will be able to pay the rent for 
 this cottage for a time, at least. I don t want any one to 
 live with me. I would so much rather stay alone as long 
 as I can afford it, at least; and as far as being safe is con 
 cerned, I have always been taught that the innocent need 
 have no fear." 
 
 Poor girl, she did not know that this very training 
 made her seem like a foreign element in the atmosphere 
 so prevalent, that of criticism and insinuations. v She did 
 not know that the influence brought to bear upon their 
 lives had made them what they were, ever reach to dis 
 cover a flaw in the conduct of friend or foe, which was 
 no sooner imagined than told and enlarged upon. As we 
 journey through this life, and go on from stage to stage, 
 unconsciously our characters are being moulded like 
 the sediments which cling to the rock, and, after a while, 
 become a part of the rock itself; so the man}- incidents of 
 life, no matter how small, are the materials employed in 
 the formation of this all-important structure. God has 
 given us our being simply as a foundation or a granary. 
 Some of us have the yearnings, and all alike the possi 
 bilities within ourselves, to fill that great storehouse with 
 the richest and choicest grain; and they who have, 
 through their own energy and effort, brought themselves 
 to know the necessary and nourishing from the unprofit 
 able food, and learned to discern the gems Irom the rub 
 bish and the grain from the chaff, have not only made an 
 important step toward success in this life, but also toward 
 a happy entrance into the life to come.
 
 54 
 
 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 " I will tell you, Mrs. Grey, how long the innocent are 
 safe : just as long as people will believe them such, and 
 that does not depend upon being able to prove themselves 
 clear in a court of justice, by any means. People used to 
 be considered innocent until proven guilty, but now the 
 order of things is changed ; now they are guilty unless 
 they can prove their innocence in a way that will remove 
 every particle of that stubborn thing, doubt. You had 
 better take the advice of a friend and not keep the whole 
 cottage, much less stay alone, for I tell you if a woman 
 once gets herself talked about, all the lawy.ers and judges 
 in New York City could not clear her in the eyes of the 
 people. And to be honest with you, I can t see myself 
 why you persist so in wanting to stay alone. We might 
 be able to find a few people in Cloverdale that would be 
 good enough to stay in the same house with you." 
 
 "It is not that, Mrs. Jones; but why should I not be 
 left alone with my sorrow until I can become so far 
 accustomed to it as to bear it patiently and in silence?" 
 she said, with a world of helpless entreaty in her eyes. 
 
 " Oh, I see ; you are too proud to let any one see your 
 grief. I don t believe people have made any mistake or 
 done you any injustice there. Have you bought all your 
 mourning yet? They are selling blacks and crepes so 
 cheap now. If I was in your place I would get all that 
 I needed while it is down. I believe black will be very 
 becoming to you, and of course you will wear nothing 
 else for at least a year and a half, then change off gradu 
 ally into modest grays. It always seems sad to me to see 
 a woman when she first begins to put off the mourning 
 that she has been wearing for her dead husband. It shows 
 that even a widow will forget, and that the memory of her 
 husband must give way to other interests. I think the 
 change of clothing is such a good outward manifestation
 
 TOMMY S DISCLOSURES. 55 
 
 of what is going on within. But such is life ; no one is 
 remembered long after they leave this world. I always 
 tell my husband that I want him to show respect for me 
 for a year that is as long as can be expected of a man ; 
 but with a woman it is different. If you buy your blacks 
 this week, the sewing society will come next week and 
 help you to make them up. You can tell me what day 
 would suit you best, and I will do all the necessary inviting, 
 for I don t believe that it would just suit you to be asking 
 favors of any one. If I let them know in good time, it 
 will give Miss Green plenty of time to get her patterns 
 ready she cuts by the system, you know." 
 
 " I have no money with which to get anything new. 
 A good quality of black material is always expensive, 
 and a cheaper grade always rubs off and would be very 
 unhealthy this warm weather. I have never worn bright 
 colors. The dresses that I have are mostly black and will 
 have to do. I can show respect for my dead husband, no 
 matter what kind of clothing I wear. Respect for the 
 dead means something far different to me than the put 
 ting on and laying aside of wearing apparel, or following 
 any set line of conduct. To me it has a higher and holier 
 meaning. It can not be assumed or laid aside at will. It 
 is a garment to be worn upon the heart ; one that never 
 fades, and need never be laid aside to give place to an 
 other, but can and should be worn until we exchange all 
 our earthly robes for those of spotless white above." 
 
 Mrs. Jones listened to this speech in amazement, as if 
 she could not comprehend the meaning of what she 
 heard. When she recovered her voice enough to speak, 
 she said : 
 
 " You don t mean to say that you are not going into 
 regular mourning? Such a thing lias never been heard 
 of here. Everybody goes into mourning for a husband
 
 56 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 or father and mother, and some have even worn veils for 
 a year for sister or brother. Why, the people would be 
 just thunderstruck to see you coming out in your old 
 clothes, without so much as a crepe veil. You had better 
 cut your expenses by renting a part of the cottage, and 
 go into regular mourning. It won t do to fly into the face 
 of public opinion ; and you know that we are not to bring 
 reproach upon religion by acting headstrong or looking 
 odd from other people." 
 
 By this last thrust she expected to gain her point, and 
 looked at Mary Grey in a way which plainly said, "There, 
 now, with all your proud, stubborn notions, you can t get 
 around that point." 
 
 "Have no fear, Mrs. Jones; religion will not suffer 
 from any such causes. It has withstood greater tests in 
 all ages. It does not depend upon the belief or conduct 
 of a person, a town, or a nation. It has outlived the com 
 bined forces of all nations and Satan himself for over 
 eighteen hundred years, and surely one poor woman will 
 not cause a doubt of genuineness by doing the best she 
 can, even if she is obliged to wear her old clothes contrary 
 to custom. I do not take that view of things ; I do not 
 feel that it would be in disregard to the memory of my 
 husband or religion. The difference in the rent that you 
 mention would buy very little. I ma}- have a long life 
 before me, and it may necessitate the greatest economy 
 to provide myself with food and clothing, but I think I 
 can remodel my old black dresses in such a way as to 
 make them last for the time that you said I would be ex 
 pected to wear them." 
 
 This was quite different from what the woman had ex 
 pected. She had anticipated the distinguished privilege 
 of helping to select and plan one or two new dresses, at 
 least ; but the important duty of attending to the making
 
 TOMMY S DISCLOSURES. 57 
 
 over of the old ones was still depending upon her, and 
 that was, after all, very absorbing in its nature. 
 
 "It is a pity that you can t get one or two new dresses. 
 It would look more like going into mourning ; but of 
 course, if you don t see fit, it not for me to say any more 
 about it, for if a woman makes up her mind that she will 
 not, it is as bad as if she could not. I will see the sewing 
 circle, and between us we may be able to make your old 
 dresses over in a way that they can be made to do fairly 
 well." 
 
 Mrs. Jones took her leave just a little disappointed. 
 vShe had not rendered Mrs. Grey near the assistance she 
 had hoped to. " I don t pretend to understand her," she 
 said to the members of the sewing circle ; " she talks as 
 if she belonged to a different earth from the rest of us. 
 She says things have a higher and holier meaning to her. 
 What she means by that I don t pretend to know. One 
 thing I do know ; that is, if any one has any respect they 
 will show it, and how is any one to do this unless well 
 unless they do it." 
 
 Xo wonder they did not understand her ; how could 
 they, iu a place where people s sorrow was measured by 
 the quantity of tears that they shed, their regard for the 
 memory of their dead by the peculiar shade of black that 
 they put on and the length of time those habiliments of 
 woe were worn. The strict observance of the rules that 
 had been laid down seemed to them to make amends for 
 any other duty in which they might have fallen short. 
 
 If any querulous; ill-mated couple made the best possi 
 ble use of their time during the whole length of their 
 natural life in rendering each other miserable, and, as 
 was sometimes the case, the husband retired from the 
 field and left the victory to his wife by dying, the people 
 would be oblivious to all her former shortcomings, and 
 4
 
 58 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 she would be regarded in the light of a heroine if she 
 manifested what they considered a due amount of remorse 
 in tears and would have the funeral otherwise conducted 
 in accordance with their judgment : and the general ver 
 dict would be: "Well, she showed respect for him, at least; 
 why, she spent her last cent to lay him away respectable." 
 Poor fellow, if he had had some of that attention shown 
 him while he was still in the flesh to be conscious of and 
 appreciate it, it would have not only added to his vanity 
 and self-esteem but his comfort and happiness as well.
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE MEETING OF THE SEWING CIRCLE. 
 
 THE days that intervened until the meeting of the 
 sewing circle Mary Grey spent in looking over her 
 wardrobe. Clothing, in affliction and out, was of such 
 secondary consideration to her that she had not given the 
 subject of what she should wear more than a thought. 
 The nature of this life, with its sins and cares, had 
 always impressed her too seriously. What does the style 
 of clothes that we wear signify, compared to the nature 
 of the food with which we fill our minds and souls ! And 
 if the parishioners did sometimes look askance at her 
 trim outfit, the appearance was due more to taste than to 
 any great exertion on her part. 
 
 " I do not like to feel ungrateful," she thought, " but I 
 \vould rather sit quietly down and do my sewing myself; 
 but since they are coming, I will have things in readiness 
 for them." 
 
 The contents of one of the closets brought to her notice 
 another task a sad one, that of laying away or disposing 
 of her husband s clothing. "I will put them all carefully 
 into his trunk and shall never part with them." So, one 
 by one, the articles of clothing that would nevermore be 
 ornamented by the manly form of their owner were laid 
 with tender care into their brief resting place. She had 
 no sooner smoothed the folds of the last dear garment 
 and tenderly, thoughtfully lowered the lid of the trunk 
 and turned the key, when the thought came to her : 
 
 " Would it not be selfish to hide those garments away 
 when they would make comfortable clothing for a whole 
 family of scantily provided lads, who would otherwise 
 
 (59)
 
 60 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 have to go pinched and shivering through the coming 
 winter." 
 
 The debate between selfishness and benevolence in her 
 mind was soon decided in favor of the boys, and so just 
 as tenderly she unpacked the trunk, and arranging its 
 contents into bundles, she sent them to a family in the 
 outskirts of the town, who had suffered from want the 
 winter before. The people had refused to render assist 
 ance because the husband and father persisted in spend 
 ing his small earnings for drink. 
 
 " It is not the poor woman s and children s fault that 
 the man spends everything for whiskey. I don t think I 
 will be upholding wrong-doing, because it is not the poor 
 helpless beings that are doing the wrong. They are no 
 more to blame for his faults than I am, and he himself 
 may be deserving of pity. It may be due to a hereditary 
 inclination or early associations. Of one thing I am 
 certain, he would turn back and redeem himself if he 
 could, but I am afraid it is too late." 
 
 She had seen the poor wretch, and noticing the helpless 
 look in his eyes she had nothing but pity in her heart 
 even for him ; and feeling certain that the loving hands 
 of the mother would fashion every garment that she sent 
 her into so many small ones to fit the sturdy forms of her 
 darling boys long before the coming winter would send 
 its herald of frosts and snows, she stifled the pangs at her 
 heart, and only wished that she had more to send to them. 
 " And even if the shivering form of the drunkard should 
 find its way into some of their warm folds, I could be 
 doing no great wrong, for since he is past redemption 
 and can no longer help himself or his family, it will only 
 be a trifle toward easing the path to the close of a hard 
 and hopeless although misspent life and to a harder and 
 more hopeless grave," she thought; "and if it were not
 
 THE MEETING OF THE SEWIXG CIRCLE. 6 I 
 
 for the mercies of God, and we had to depend on our own 
 merits for salvation, how few of us would have a right to 
 hope ? " 
 
 The day on which the sewing circle was to meet at 
 Mrs. Grey s to assist her in remodeling her wardrobe 
 came, and with it came the society, with an unusually 
 large attendance of its members. 
 
 They had never had a satisfactory insight into the life 
 of their pastor s wife ; for while she had her husband s 
 love to protect her, upheld as a shield against even a chill 
 from the outside world, to encourage her in " her inde 
 pendent and selfish spirit," as they expressed it, they had 
 stood a little in awe of her ; but now, since she had been 
 deprived of her staunch body-guard, they were determined 
 to satisfy their curiosity, and with a zest which plainly 
 said, We have been deprived too long already of our rights. 
 
 They had seen a great deal of her on different occasions 
 and under different circumstances, but to go to her in her 
 own home, in the role of helpers, would give them a right 
 not heretofore enjoyed. It would certainly open up a flow 
 of confidence that could not fail to be gratifying. So they 
 each one determined to go and see and hear for herself, 
 and not be obliged to undergo the trying and mortifying 
 ordeal of being enlightened by a second person. Each 
 one, as a self-appointed committee of one on investiga 
 tion, went early, determined on making the best of the 
 day, but with a stolid determination to hide their inquis 
 itive natures. 
 
 " She is hard to understand, but we will find out today 
 if she has anything to give her a right to hold her head 
 above the rest of us," they thought. But they were 
 doomed to disappointment, for they soon discovered that 
 either her life was not such an enigma after all or they 
 did not possess the power to solve her nature. But they
 
 62 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 did not know how correct was their first surmise. There 
 was nothing either to hide or disclose. She had only been 
 living her quiet life in her own way ; and even though 
 she was of a dignified and reserved nature, her chief 
 reason for not speaking of herself was that she did not 
 think the subject would be of sufficient importance to 
 warrant attention. 
 
 So, as the day wore on, with their eagerness somewhat 
 abated, they turned their thoughts and conversation into 
 other channels. 
 
 This society was not a church organization, as is usu 
 ally the case, but a dozen or more of the women of the 
 town who agreed to go together and help any one who 
 had more sewing than they could conveniently manage 
 themselves. An over-worked mother, with her spring or 
 fall supply of little waists and frocks ; now and then they 
 were called upon to assist some in preparing for an unex 
 pected journey, for which the necessary articles of cloth 
 ing were lacking when the summons came ; or to arrange 
 the toilets of a whole family to follow some loved form to 
 the church-yard ; and sometimes they could even recog 
 nize the faint symptoms of a wedding in the near or 
 remote future, judging from the articles entrusted to 
 their hands a fact which the blushing maiden vainly 
 thought to have disguised. Women s intuition must cer 
 tainly come to their assistance in the discovery of such 
 things, for surely there is, many times, nothing else that 
 would disclose the secret. 
 
 The last place where the society had met was at the 
 house of a struggling young physician, whose wife suc 
 ceeded in making him happy in spite of delicate health 
 and three small children. " Come," she had said to them, 
 " and we will have a good social time together." 
 
 " Dr. Pence will never get anything ahead, if I am any
 
 THE MEETING OF THE SEWING CIRCLE. 63 
 
 judge," said Mrs. Jones to Mrs. Dixon. " It s a blessing 
 that he owned that little cottage before he was married ; 
 he would never have had enough money again to buy it, 
 with a girl to manage the kitchen, and a w r ife that thinks 
 of nothing but her children and white frocks for herself 
 to wear. I don t see how he manages to make both ends 
 meet as it is." 
 
 " I would think a doctor would have sense enough to 
 choose a healthy partner, and since he did not I suppose 
 he will have to bear the consequences," said Mrs. Dixon, 
 a little meditatively. 
 
 " Healthy partner," said the other, with a contempt 
 uous sniff. 
 
 " She would have just as much strength as we to do 
 her own work, but oh, no ! she don t care to put her 
 strength to such use ; no, not she ! She would rather 
 look pretty and pleasant in the eyes of her husband and 
 his masculine friends, if the poor doctor does have to 
 strain every nerve to meet expenses. She never seems 
 to be too tired to take walks with him, and long ones, 
 too, that are a great deal harder on her than doing her 
 own work would be," said a third person. 
 
 "And to pose for his admiration! That woman would 
 go to no end of trouble to get a smile from a man. If 
 her own should be taken, she would go on posing for 
 others. It s her nature. She don t care, as long as she is 
 pleasing a man, who he might be. And she is no sort 
 of a manager, any way," went on Mrs. Jones. " I was 
 astonished when she brought out her sewing: ribbons 
 and everything of the best quality. Much cheaper lace 
 would have done just as well for her children s clothes. 
 There are a great many just as good as hers that must go 
 without any. I don t say anything against her buying 
 lace, if she thinks she must have it, but I could have
 
 6^ HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 done so much better with the same amount of money. I 
 have helped so many expectant mothers who had small 
 purses that I know just how to go about such things, and 
 that to the best advantage, too." 
 
 She looked about to see how this last insinuation would 
 be received by her listeners. But they would not have 
 had their faces change expression for the world ; it would 
 have given Mrs. Jones too much gratification to see that 
 her remark suggested anything new. But that lady 
 went on the same as if they had expressed the greatest 
 surprise : 
 
 " You may wonder, because some people never could 
 see as far as others and never will ; but those things we 
 sewed on are not all for the three babes already in the 
 world. I took the hint as soon as she told us that we 
 did not need to finish that one lot. You know she told 
 us she could put the bands and things on herself. I 
 thought as soon as I saw them that they were an odd 
 size. She may be able to fool some, but people would 
 have to be slyer even than she is to keep me in the dark 
 long." 
 
 " Three babies ! Sure enough, what are any of them 
 but babies?" said Mrs. Dixon. "I would think three 
 small ones enough at a time; but some people go on as if 
 they thought no one could bring as good children into the 
 world as they, and they had to do their best especially 
 doctors and ministers. But their children never happen 
 to turn out any better than others who do not have such 
 pious and healthy influences thrown around them." 
 
 This last sally created a hearty laugh. It savored of a 
 wit uncommon even with Mrs. Dixoii: 
 
 " If husbands were all as easy pleased as the doctor," 
 she went on to say, " we would none of us need to do 
 anything but look pretty, act sweet, and have babies.
 
 THE MKKTIXG OF THE SEWING CIRCLE. 65 
 
 They say she superintends everything from garret to 
 cellar, but I know she don t do a bit of the work or she 
 couldn t keep her hands and dress as white as she does. 
 But they do say that she never lets the doctor sit down 
 to the table until she has seen that everything is all 
 right but if she w T as obliged to cook the meal herself, I 
 will warrant you she wouldn t be so particular about the 
 exact whiteness of the table-cloth and the kind of bouquet 
 that she has on the table." 
 
 "And the kind of table she sets is enough to break up 
 a man with a larger practice than her husband has," said 
 a fourth speaker. " It was w y ell enough for her to show 
 her appreciation of our visit by giving us a good dinner, 
 but they say that she is just as particular when they are 
 alone, and always uses her best china and spoons ; but 
 some women do know how 7 to keep in the good graces of 
 the men, if they are not fit for another earthly thing." 
 
 It would appear that the women considered this last her 
 crowning fault, for which they could not \vell forgive her. 
 Poor foolish women ; they could not or would not under 
 stand that those lordly creatures could be swayed by those 
 same softnesses and small attentions usually attributed to 
 the weaker sex alone. 
 
 The society, after rendering decisions for and against 
 several others of their sex, whom they had seen fit to try 
 at their tribunal, left the house of Mrs. Grey well satisfied 
 with their day s sewing, but far from exultant over the 
 termination of various little projects that they had in 
 their several minds and which they had intended, if a 
 favorable opportunity presented itself, to propose to the 
 lady. Hut remembering the manner in which their offers 
 had been received by her before, each one resolved that 
 the rest should not see their discomfiture : so they carried 
 their plans, with which they had come abundantly sup-
 
 66 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 plied, away with them again. They felt no nearer to her 
 than they had before, and only were strengthened in the 
 belief of the haughtiness of the woman, whose quiet 
 dignity they could not understand. 
 
 " If that is all she cares about her husband," said one, 
 " no wonder that she did not want to go into mourning. 
 She would not have said a word about him all day if I 
 had not commenced three or four times, and then she 
 hardly answered me. When women don t act natural 
 about such things, especially about a husband, you may 
 make up your mind that their thoughts are pretty equally 
 divided between the dead and the living. I never saw 
 one act like her yet that did not have a beau openly in 
 six months, and one on the sly long before that. She 
 knows what is becoming to her. too. She will look rather 
 nice in those dresses, if they are only old ones made over. 
 If we had kno\vn before what we know now, we would 
 have left her do her own work ; she will only have that 
 much more time to practice her wiles." 
 
 They did not acknowledge, even to themselves, that 
 the worst trouble lay in the fact that they gained such 
 little information, to what they had expected, in exchange 
 for their day s labor. 
 
 "I feel sorry for our girls," said Mrs. Jones; "the 
 young men were scarce enough without a young widow 
 to take her pick and choice, but how will it be now? 
 They might just as well wait and see who she wants, and 
 then the rest take who are left. It comes to about that 
 when there is one of those conceited creatures about ; 
 but there is one consolation : they can none of them take 
 more than one. Some of them act as if they thought 
 they could get them all, if they were only allowed the 
 privilege." 
 
 "The next thing they will do," said Mrs. Dixon, "or
 
 THK MEETING OF THE SEWING CIRCLE. 67 
 
 would like to do at least, would be to establish a religion 
 somewhat like the Mormons, where good-looking and 
 fascinating widows would be allowed to have all the 
 husbands they could captivate by fair means or foul ones. 
 I am glad that we all have husbands, or little hope there 
 would be for us now. Oh, I had almost forgotten Miss 
 Green, but perhaps the pretty widow 7 Grey will leave one 
 for her. We will all join our hopes to that effect. Miss 
 Green, I hope you were not wickedly tempted to make 
 some miscuts on her dresses, because such thoughts 
 would be wrong, you know; but it does seem almost like 
 a pity that we could not make her look just a little round- 
 shouldered, or rainbow hipped, or her skirts to sway in 
 the back or on one side or something. I am almost sorry 
 that we did not, on the girls account. I am afraid that 
 some of them will have to die old maids now, for when a 
 pretty widow once turns the men s heads, they are more 
 exacting and capricious than ever, and they always were 
 hard enough to suit. Don t you find them just a little 
 that way, Miss Green?" 
 
 Miss Green, who had all day been the target for the 
 whole company s wit and satire, had borne it with a 
 fortitude that could only be acquired by years of experi 
 ence and the strictest discipline, but she found this last 
 thrust exasperating in the extreme. " Mrs. Dixon, to 
 hear you women talk one would think that the only 
 lucky or sensible thing any of you ever did was when 
 you managed to get husbands for yourselves ; and judg 
 ing from appearances, some had better never have broken 
 their records, for I see proof every day that there are some 
 things in this life to be borne that are even worse than 
 living a single life. But that is the way with married 
 women. They think that the simple fact that they have 
 husbands gives them a ri:ht to sneer over and insult the
 
 68 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 rest of us, even if those lucky possessions do whip them 
 six days out of seven, and make them earn the living for 
 the whole family, themselves included, where they ought 
 to look up to us with respect for our good judgment in 
 remaining single," said Miss Green, her words gaining 
 strength as she proceeded. 
 
 "Certainly," replied Mrs. Dixon, "we have an un 
 bounded regard for your good sense, especially when 
 your judgment is so in accordance \vith the essential part 
 of the programme. It is even better than yielding with 
 a good grace, when you are defeated in some earnest 
 attempt ; and that virtue, you know, is a pearl of great 
 price to which we can not all lay claim. Oh, yes, we 
 hope to be able to do you justice as superior beings, for 
 while most of us would be glad to be able to retire in a 
 self-satisfying and becoming manner when we are worst 
 ed, you are wise enough to take time by the forelock, 
 and arrange your judgment to fit the circumstances as 
 they occur ; but it is a sore pity that the members of the 
 other sex are so blind to your innate wisdom, or a bless 
 ing, I should say, for the} might realize what is slipping 
 from their grasp, and cause you, as unwilling as you 
 might be, to rearrange the whole structure of your reso 
 lutions. Indeed, Miss Green, the blindness of the fra 
 ternity is something for which you should feel thankful, 
 for it no doubt saves you no end of trouble ; and the 
 power to appreciate is necessary to a pattern of perfect 
 womanhood, which, I have no doubt, every single 
 woman is." 
 
 " Well, Mrs. Dixon, married life must have been a 
 success in your case, as a tongue-sharpening process ; 
 and it seems to be the case with most of you. Then 
 when you have succeeded in getting such an edge on 
 that member as is not even necessary for domestic pur-
 
 THE MEETING OF* THE SEWING CIRCLE. 69 
 
 poses, you try to bring them back to their normal con 
 dition by practicing them on us, and in that way we are 
 obliged to help bear the evil effects of married life, if we 
 have avoided and escaped the snare ourselves. The 
 worst feature of single life," Miss Green went on con 
 temptuously, " is the fact that ever} woman who has a 
 husband, no matter if he is what God intended such a 
 partner should be or the very poorest excuse for one, 
 looks upon us with pity, not the kind however that is 
 akin to love, but nearer akin to contempt. They think 
 that we must be pining and fretting, and they only 
 wonder that we exist at all. If you only knew how well- 
 satisfied we are, you would reserve your sympathy for a 
 more needy cause. Who ever heard of a free bird want 
 ing to get into a cage, no matter how hard those already 
 caught might try to attract it? " 
 
 "When people can tell by certain indications that the 
 bird is no longer young, there are fewer snares set for it. 
 I am glad to hear that single life is so satisfactory and 
 delightful to you, and I think you will be allowed to con 
 tinue in that serene state, if the lovely widow Grey sees 
 fit to wield her scepter. If there should be any who are 
 not so well satisfied with single blessedness, however, 
 they had better make hay while the sun shines, for they 
 will still have a few days of grace before the widow can, 
 in common decency, come into full power." 
 
 Miss Green s eyes spoke volumes, which her tongue 
 denied to utter. She never could be persuaded to make 
 a reply to any insinuation that might be indulged in 
 respecting her age that would come too near admitting 
 the facts of the remark. 
 
 "Sees fit," she said witli a sneer, "of course she sees 
 fit even now, and is only waiting for her chosen subjects 
 to see fit to come under her rule. Those davs of :race
 
 70 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 will be what people assign to her, and not what she will 
 pray for. Not but what she will want the grace ; it is the 
 days that she would gladly dispense with. Oh, of course, 
 it is nothing to me how many of those fool-hardy beings 
 she succeeds in wheedling, for I never did have any use 
 for her. I can not endure any one who acts as if they 
 thought the town was built for them, when they have 
 only been in it a year, and those who have lived in it all 
 their lives are simply there by their sufferance ; and her 
 actions carry out that idea perfectly. If those dresses 
 we made today were not becoming, we might have done 
 the day s work for nothing for all the good that she 
 would get from them. I did not want to go in the first 
 place, and when I got there I had all I could do to keep 
 my scissors from cutting the goods into anything but 
 shapely garments. The idea of her staying there alone ! 
 That proves what she is. She thinks no one is quite 
 good enough to live under the same roof with such a 
 person as she is. Mother is always sympathizing with 
 everybody, and offered her assistance in finding some 
 one, but her haughtiness replied that she had concluded 
 to stay alone, and no one need take any further trouble. 
 We shan t take any more trouble to oblige her, I know. 
 The time may come when she would be glad to have 
 some one to take her part and help her. Pride always 
 goes before a fall." 
 
 By this time the two had reached a point where they 
 separated. Miss Green went her way still tingling with 
 the vexations of the day. The fact that she had worked 
 hard all day for one whom she bore no good will was bad 
 enough, but these women had made the day almost in 
 tolerable by their taunting remarks remarks in which 
 they never failed to indulge whenever a favorable oppor 
 tunity presented itself, and without questioning their 
 rights.
 
 THE MEETING OK THE SEWING CIRCLE. 7 I 
 
 The social position of a single woman is never an 
 enviable one in a town the size of Cloverdale, after she 
 has once crossed the dividing line ( wherever the people 
 may see fit to place it) between girlhood and " old maid- 
 hood." Every child in town knew, even before it was 
 able to lisp the name, that " Tara Dreen " was an 
 "o maid." No wonder the poor girl had become sensi 
 tive on that point. She knew that the talk of the chil 
 dren was only an echo from the voices of their parents, 
 who, no matter how unfortunate their marriage proved 
 to be, never failed to apply to her the disrespectful term 
 in a disrespectful manner. They did not stop to think 
 that a dissatisfied single life was preferable to an unhappy 
 married one, and that although a single woman missed 
 some of life s joys, she also escaped many of its sorrows.
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE COMPARISON. 
 
 THE first of September found Mary Grey still occupy 
 ing the little cottage to which her heart clung so 
 fondly. After a few more futile attempts at interference, 
 the people had left her to her own inclinations. She 
 went about with a quiet dignity which, because it was 
 not understood, went still further toward hardening their 
 hearts against her. She taught her three pupils, sang in 
 the choir, and attended all the religious services ; but the 
 loneliness of her heart only her God and those w r ho have 
 had similar experience will ever know, and if those who 
 were watching her with such cold, critical eyes only knew 
 it, she carried in her bosom the most humble and contrite 
 spirit of all. 
 
 She was far from under -estimating the value of a 
 human soul, but she had seen her husband s life,- which 
 had seemed so valuable in her sight, had seemed like a 
 beacon-light along the shores of sin and folly, go sud 
 denly out, and her heart alone seemed left in darkness. 
 " Oh," she thought, sadly, " if God in his plan can so 
 easily dispense with a life like his, \vhat in comparison 
 would be the value of mine? Even though we be the 
 noblest of God s handiwork, we as individuals, are but 
 specks in his sight, for there are millions yes, multiplied 
 millions of beings like ourselves, with the same hopes, 
 fears, and aspirations thrilling their heart s blood, and 
 whose lives, no matter what their lots on earth may be, 
 are of as much importance to them as ours are to us. 
 God has only bestowed upon us this life to be held in 
 trust for the advancement of his cause and the alleviation 
 
 (72)
 
 COMPARISON. 73 
 
 of the burdens of those about us. If we do fall short 
 in our stewartship here, we can but carry it modestly 
 until He sends to us the message to lay it down. 
 
 " It will be impossible to stay here longer than this 
 month, even if I succeed in getting more pupils. I can 
 not pay for more than two rooms, with the additional 
 expense of fuel and warm clothing." 
 
 She felt more sad and lonely than usual on this bright 
 September morning. " If our marriage had only been 
 blessed with a child, what a comfort it would be. With 
 the soft, clinging arms of a babe his babe and my babe 
 about my neck, I could bear almost anything. God would 
 have provided a wa} T for me to support it. But for what ? 
 Might it not have been born to lead a lonely life, like I 
 am today? After all, the wish is a selfish one one in 
 which I will never indulge again." 
 
 She tried bravely to put the longing from her that is so 
 deeply rooted in the heart of every true woman ; for the 
 maternal instinct, which is so unmistakably evinced in 
 her infancy, develops with her years, and grows in depth 
 and strength from the time that she clasps the first tiny 
 puppet in her hands, on through her childhood, when her 
 heart overflows with love for anything that she can clasp 
 to her bosom, no matter how slight the resemblance to a 
 doll may be. The kitten, the little bantam hen, and if 
 she is reared in the country even the long-necked pump 
 kin, will come in for a share of her affections. Then, as 
 she grows from childhood into girlhood and develops into 
 womanhood, she alone knows how reluctantly those imi 
 tations are laid away ; and even after the family have 
 ceased to see them, she will steal away to their place of 
 safe-keeping to take a look at them or rearrange their 
 apparel. It is about this time that her heart s capacity is 
 such as to be able to take in all babyhood, regardless of 
 5
 
 74 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 condition or kind, and the mere sight of one of those 
 heaven-sent blessings causes such a flood of tenderness 
 to sweep over her heart as she could never express. 
 
 Then, as time goes on, a feeling will creep into her 
 heart ; yes, it is a yearning, sly at first unconscious, it 
 may be, but none the less increasing in strength and 
 earnestness to have a tiny form of her own flesh and 
 blood to press to her heart. 
 
 Oh, woman, you who can not bar your heart against 
 this longing, deign not to conceal it. It is your rightful 
 heritage. Had not God implanted this instinct and ten 
 derness in the feminine heart, sad indeed would be not 
 only the advent of those little strangers into the world 
 but thorny the paths their tiny feet must tread. 
 
 But empty, indeed, must be the heart of the woman 
 who carries this longing through life without having felt 
 the touch of those helpless little fingers upon the main 
 spring of her affections, to draw from her bosom the 
 pent-up love and strength that she feels congealing there. 
 For not only is it necessary to the happiness of a woman 
 to love and be loved, but to have some being dependant 
 upon her for comfort, some one who demands (although 
 many times unjustly) her time, strength, and attention; 
 for a woman s heart must be in bondage in order to be 
 free, and the one that must exist without will reach a 
 stunted vitality at best, then withers and dies for many 
 dead hearts lie buried in living tombs. But there is a 
 home where not only the builder and foundation but the 
 whole structure is Love and no heart will be unsatisfied. 
 Mary Grey sat thinking, the tears coursing their way 
 unheeded down her cheeks. At last she aroused herself. 
 " I must obtain more work, and stern necessity overcomes 
 all obstacles. I will write to Colonel Wilkins today ; his 
 children are all boys, and may not object to coming to
 
 THE COMPARISON. 75 
 
 town for their lessons. But I ma} be too late it has 
 been so long since I first heard of them ; but I can but 
 try. 
 
 " The poor are denied even the luxury of grief," she 
 thought, drying her tears and seating herself at her writ 
 ing desk. "If I cry too much I will spoil my voice, and 
 that is my only source of gaining a living." And a flush 
 crossed her face as she remembered a conversation that 
 she had overheard between some women in the church- 
 house. She had gone early to prayer services one 
 Wednesday evening, and when she reached there the 
 house was still in darkness. The door \vas open and she 
 went quietly in, and unobserved, for she soon found that 
 there were others before her. 
 
 " Do you think that she will stay here all winter?" 
 
 Those were the first words which attracted her atten 
 tion, but she did not know that they were speaking of 
 her until she heard one of them answer with spirit : 
 
 I for one can not see what would keep her. Brother 
 Grey has been dead over three months now, and what 
 has kept her this long I can t see. She surely can t make 
 her living by giving three lessons a week, and Sarah 
 Green says that is all the pupils that she has. She sings 
 like a nightingale. The poor man always thought that 
 she was singing to him. He quite doted on her singing. 
 It is well that he died without finding her out." 
 
 Alary Grey could hardly believe her ears. Was it pos 
 sible that they were speaking of her? Yes, there could 
 be no mistake. The next thought was : " I am listening 
 to what was not intended for my ears." She had no desire 
 to hear more, but a heavy feeling at her heart weighed 
 her down. 
 
 " I wonder if she thinks that she can sing herself into 
 the hearts of other men like she did into that of Brother
 
 76 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 Grey? Poor man, she will not always be his widow. The 
 half weeds that she is wearing for him will soon wither 
 and be cast aside," said another. 
 
 " I know what I think," she heard the familiar voice 
 of Mrs. Jones say, " and I don t believe I am mistaken, 
 either. My husband told me something the other day 
 which opened my eyes. I believe that I know why she 
 stays here and sings like a lark, but I would not be heard 
 repeating it for the world." And then there was a stir as 
 if several heads were going together, and then a whisper 
 but it was one of those peculiar sounds that are carried 
 farther than any loud talk. "They say that she has set 
 her cap straight at Squire Whitby s son ! and since it is a 
 widow s cap, it surely ought to win. You know that the 
 cottage that she lives in belongs to the aid squire, and 
 they say that he himself is losing his head about her. I 
 would not be surprised if he left her live there rent free ; 
 and they say he comes there oftener than would be neces 
 sary if he charged her double rent ! But if she is after 
 the son, the father would not get her if he left her have 
 the cottage for nothing and found her living besides but 
 there are no fools like the old ones, you know." 
 
 " The brazen thing ! " said Mrs. Dixon, who had here 
 tofore been silent. She had a daughter who was verging 
 into womanhood, and had always looked upon Frank 
 Whitby as a prize well worth winning. " She reminds 
 me of a canary that I had one spring. I had made up 
 my mind to find him a little mate. He was such a sweet 
 singer, and I wanted to raise one to learn from him before 
 he got too old. But the little hen bird sickened and died. 
 While she was ailing he seemed in sore distress, flapping 
 his little wings at her and trying to raise her with his 
 bill. It was quite touching to see him go on so. After she 
 was dead I thought to put a bit of crepe about his neck.
 
 THK COMPARISON. 77 
 
 He moped until I took the little lifeless form from the 
 cage, then flew upon his perch and sang as I had never 
 heard him sing before. Then I thought, He} 7 , my fine 
 fellow, it s little crepe that you need ; so I concluded to 
 reserve my sympathy for a more worthy object. So it 
 is with her. When Brother Grey died, I really had it in 
 my heart to pity her, but, like with my bird, I soon found 
 that she would neither need nor appreciate my sympathy, 
 but could sing as sweet as ever." 
 
 She had not stayed to hear more, but -had stole quietly 
 out and gone back home. She was not angry ; her feel 
 ings were too deep for that. " I must certainly be very 
 disagreeable to them, or they would never say such 
 things." The idea that a company of rational beings 
 could handle the good name of any so carelessly, simply 
 for the enjoyment that their remarks afforded them, had 
 never entered her mind. 
 
 " How can I act so as not to be so distasteful to the 
 people about me ? I would not have these women know 
 that I overheard their conversation. Anything would be 
 preferable to having them all meet me with half averted 
 faces, as I know they would be sure to do if they found 
 out that I had overheard their talk." 
 
 And on this morning as she sat at her desk she thought, 
 " Xo wonder that I remind Mrs. Dixon of her bird, that 
 was a good comparison," and she smiled sadly, " but I 
 am different from the canary in one respect at least, my 
 living depends upon my singing and it s did not. But 
 Robert would have me be brave, and I suppose this 
 thoughtless talk is one of the things that I will be obliged 
 to bear." 
 
 She set herself about her task of writing, and began : 
 " Colonel Wilkins, I am the widow of Robert Grey, late 
 pastor of the church of this place." But the task proved
 
 78 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 harder than she had anticipated. Before her marriage 
 she had written such letters at different times, but it was 
 different now. She had known for three brief years what 
 it was to have some one to care, think and act for her, 
 some one who had her comfort and happiness uppermost 
 in his mind. " What will I tell him ? Will I tell him 
 that I am sorely in need of employment, almost in actual 
 want ? I am afraid that would have very little influence 
 upon his decision. It is not our needs but our ability to 
 fill a position that will secure it for us. But I will soon 
 be in actual want." And allowing the thought upper 
 most in her mind to guide her hand, she went on : "And 
 since his death have been thrown upon my own resources. 
 I have been told that you wanted an instructor in music 
 for your children, a position that I would be glad to fill; 
 and hearing that your children were all boys, I thought 
 they might not object to coming to town, since I have no 
 way to come to them. Hoping that you will consider my 
 application, and let me hear from you at once, I am, very 
 respectfully yours." 
 
 She signed her name, and hastily inserted her letter. 
 Then without addressing the envelope she went for her 
 hat and started for the home of Mrs. Ferris. Ten o clock 
 was the time set for the daughter s lessons, and it only 
 lacked a few moments of that time, but there were only 
 two houses between her home and that of her pupil, and 
 she reached the door just as the clock struck the hour. 
 
 " It is hard to tell which is the best time keeper, you 
 or the clock," said Mrs. Ferris, who answered her ring. 
 " My daughter has gone for a drive to the country this 
 morning. She wanted to come past and let you know, 
 but I told her to let you come over, it is so near, and I 
 wanted to see you. Come into the parlor and we will 
 have an hour s talk, and it shall be the same as if you 
 had devoted the time to music."
 
 THK COMPARISON. 79 
 
 "Affairs have become somewhat complicated with us. 
 I will state the case to you, and then we will see if you 
 could not help me out of the difficult}" : My brother and 
 his wife always spend September and October at my 
 house. They will be here this afternoon. My sister-in- 
 law is not strong, and requires the greatest ease and quiet. 
 I had engaged the varnishers and paper hangers a month 
 ago to go over the entire house. I wanted to have it all 
 done before my company came, but the men kept putting 
 me off from time to time, and this morning sent me word 
 that they would be on hand to-morrow. It seems as 
 though I was obliged to take them in their own good 
 time, and it will take them several days. It will be a 
 week before the house will be in a condition to accommo 
 date any one in her state of health. Your house is so 
 convenient and quiet. It would be a great favor to me if 
 you could entertain them for a week or ten days. My 
 brother always waits upon his wife when he is with her. 
 I will send them their meals, and between us we will 
 manage to make it as little trouble as possible to you. I 
 would postpone the work until after their visit, but that 
 would make it too late in the season, for she stays until 
 the winter drives her southward and homeward. I would 
 be so glad if you would give them shelter for the time 
 being, and if you can make arrangements on such short 
 notice, I will have them driven directly to your house, 
 and your kindness shall not soon be forgotten." 
 
 " I would be glad to be of service to you in any way, 
 and if your brother and his wife will be satisfied with the 
 accommodations that I can give them, they will be wel 
 come to my house. I will stay where I am until the end 
 of the month, and a week will not interfere with any ar 
 rangements that will be necessary in order to make the 
 change. The hospitality that I can offer them is always
 
 80 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 in readiness, so I will be fully prepared to receive them 
 this afternoon." 
 
 " I thank you heartily for your kindness. You speak 
 of a change I was not aware of. I am sorry that 
 you find it desirable to make any change. Where you 
 live is such a nice, neat little place, that I was in hopes 
 you liked it well enough to stay. We would be sorry to 
 lose you from our neighborhood. I don t believe you 
 could do better anywhere, but I suppose you do get 
 lonely. I would have come to see you myself, and would 
 have sent Ellen many times, had I not thought that you 
 might prefer being alone. It is so hard to understand 
 each other s dispositions. If our society would have been . 
 any comfort to you I am sorry that we have been so neg 
 lectful ; but if you stay with us we will promise to be 
 kind to you." 
 
 "Yes, I expect to move the last of this month. The 
 change will be necessary. I would gladly stay where I 
 am if I could afford it, but my earnings would not pay 
 expenses when cold weather comes, and since I could 
 not keep the place long I might as well give it up at 
 once. But I will be obliged to part with some things 
 that I will regret even more than the house. If I only 
 rent two rooms I can not keep all my furniture, and will 
 be obliged to sell some. Yes, I do get very lonely at 
 times. I do not understand my own disposition, for 
 while my heart sometimes yearns for companionship, I 
 still shrink from the society of others. I never could 
 succeed in making friends with many, as some people do. 
 While I form no dislikes, I still form very few likes." 
 
 " It is only natural that you should feel that way. A 
 sore heart is not so easily soothed, and ordinary things 
 are so disappointing in their influence. But I would not 
 encourage myself in being alone too much. A little
 
 THE COMPARISON. 8 I 
 
 company will do you good. I hope we will be able to 
 keep you with us. This is such a nice neighborhood to 
 live in ; the people are so agreeable and pleasant." 
 
 " Yes, my near neighbors have shown me the greatest 
 kindness possible. The sympathy and regard shown by 
 their quiet, respectful manner, is a kindness that I shall 
 never be able to forget." 
 
 It is, after all, those attentions that are too small to bear 
 a name that arouse our hearts to the greatest thankful 
 ness. It is the evidence of a deep regard ; a regard that 
 will not allow its sacredness to be impaired by either 
 doubt or questioning.
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE ARRIVAL. 
 
 MARY GREY was nearer to feeling cheerful after 
 she had left the home of Mrs. Ferris than she had 
 been since her widowhood. She had had her interest in 
 life partially aroused. It was so long since she had met 
 any one strange that she became almost excited over the 
 prospect of having two in her own house. She wondered 
 how they would look and what they would be like. 
 Would they be pleasant ? and, what was of still greater 
 importance to her, could she succeed in making herself 
 agreeable to them ? 
 
 " My social powers are sadly in need of cultivation, 
 but it is hard to cultivate something that you are not in 
 possession of." 
 
 After dinner she set herself about getting her house in 
 readiness, doing those little things which only a true 
 housewife can find to do. 
 
 " I will have just one hour to rest," she thought, as the 
 clock struck three ; " they will not reach Cloverdale until 
 four. I will address my letter to Colonel Wilkins and 
 walk down to the office with it." 
 
 She was adjusting the stamp, preparatory to starting, 
 when Mrs. Jones walked up to the open door. 
 
 "Oh, I see you are all ready to go out. Well, I will 
 not detain you. I did not come to stay only came over 
 for a few moments to see how you was passing your time. 
 I see you have been writing a letter. I can save you the 
 trip to the office, for I am going that way and will drop it 
 for you." 
 
 " I thank you for your kind offer, but I have an errand 
 (82)
 
 THE ARRIVAL. 83 
 
 that will take me down town. But you need not hurry 
 away on that account ; I need not go for half an hour or 
 more. I will get my hat, and then we can sit down and 
 rest a while." 
 
 " Hey ! my lady," thought Mrs. Jones, as the door 
 closed after the retreating form, " I will find out who you 
 are writing to, that you need to be so careful. You will 
 carry it to the office yourself, will you ? but not before I 
 have seen who it is to, if you only stay out long enough 
 for me to find it." 
 
 But instead of having to search, the lad} was surprised 
 to see it lying on the writing desk, face upward. It was 
 an innocent enough looking letter. She hastily put on 
 her glasses and examined the signature. 
 
 " Colonel Wilkins ! " she said aloud, in her astonish 
 ment, her eyes dilating until they were nearly as large as 
 the glasses in her spectacles. She hastily turned it over. 
 It was sealed. " How I do wonder what is in that letter ! 
 If I had the time and a boiling tea-kettle, I would soon 
 find out what she is writing to him for. Still water runs 
 deep. A person never knows to what extent the impu 
 dence and sly forwardness will carry such natures as hers. 
 A person who does not understand human nature as well 
 as I do might mistake her manner for modesty, but I 
 always did know that it was nothing but pretense and 
 deceit, and she is even worse than I took her to be. The 
 idea of her writing to Colonel Wilkins ! There are not 
 enough men in town for her ; she must try to draw some 
 from the surrounding country and her husband not 
 dead four months yet ! But I suppose with a woman that 
 can t get along without a partner, one month is as good 
 as a year. They are afraid if they don"t set their traps 
 right away some other poacher will get all the game." 
 
 She was still standing with the letter in her hand,
 
 84 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 turning it over and over and examining it as if she 
 expected to find something on the envelope to disclose 
 the secret of its contents, when she heard returning foot 
 steps. She hurriedly replaced the letter, thinking in her 
 guilty haste, " What if she will know that I had it ! Oh, 
 dear, where was it laying? It was just about here. If I 
 only knew whether it was laying with the stamp up or 
 down ! " She gave it several nervous little pushes, and 
 hastily sat down in her chair by the window, feeling 
 anything but secure against detection. 
 
 Her unsatisfied curiosity was fast gaining the mastery 
 over her feeling of uneasiness when Mary Grey reentered 
 the room, and she said : 
 
 " I have had time enough to rest while you were get 
 ting ready," and she felt her courage rise at this plausible 
 assertion, " so we**might as well go." 
 
 If a guilty conscience was not such a merciless accuser 
 all her doubts might at once have fled, for the writer of 
 the letter, unlike any one who had been guilty of ques 
 tionable conduct, walked to the desk and without glancing 
 at the envelopes and papers gave them a shove with her 
 right hand, while she stood facing her visitor, and said : 
 
 " I would like to have had you sit a while, but, if you 
 must go, I am ready." 
 
 "But might she not, after all, have noticed that the 
 letter did not lay exactly as she had left it?" thought 
 Mrs. Jones. The nature that can not conceive of a spirit 
 superior to its own is a sore tormentor, for it looks upon 
 all mankind as so many enemies, who are only \vaiting 
 a favorable opportunity to strike. 
 
 The thought of any one caring to interfere with her 
 letters had never entered Mrs. Grey s upright mind, and 
 it might have lain face down or on the other end of the 
 table, and if any question had arisen it would have been
 
 THE ARRIVAL. 85 
 
 a doubt of her own memory and not of the integrity of 
 her caller. 
 
 I could have saved you this trip to the. office," said 
 Mrs. Jones, as they walked along, " but you said you had 
 another errand ; and then people don t always care for 
 others to know who they are writing to, especially when 
 it is to a gentleman." And she watched her companion 
 closely to see the effects of her words. 
 
 But the little woman had been wondering what success 
 her letter would bring her, and hardly heard what the 
 other had said, who considered her manner as so much 
 additional evidence against her. " She either don t care 
 at all or else she expects to deceive me by her brazen- 
 facedness. But she can t expect to hide such actions long. 
 It won t be long until the whole town will know how she 
 is carrying on and it will be good enough for her, too. 
 If a woman does not know how to conduct herself prop 
 erly, she must expect to bear the consequences." 
 
 Mary Grey, all unconscious of what was going on in 
 the other s mind, walked quietly by her side until they 
 came to the office door, \vhere they separated. "Come to 
 see me again soon, Mrs. Jones," she said, I shall be glad 
 to have you call at any time." 
 
 "Hey! my pretty widow," thought that personage as 
 she went her way, " it is very little that you care for our 
 calls now : but the time will soon come, if I may be 
 allowed to judge, when you would be glad to have a re 
 spectable woman to come to see you. I am afraid that 
 you will be obliged to drop that lofty air of yours. There 
 is one thing certain : if some of our citizens knew what 
 I know, they would watch your actions pretty close, and 
 I have no doubt that a great many unbecoming things 
 would be seen. If she wanted to get acquainted with 
 Colonel Wilkins she might have told me. I could have
 
 86 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 managed it for her so nicely, and without casting any re 
 flections upon her womanhood, for after all I suppose a 
 woman has a right to get acquainted with a man if she 
 wants to, as long as she does not want them all and goes 
 about it in the right way. Now, I gave her all the chance 
 in the world to tell me about that letter. If she had con 
 fided in me as one woman should in another, I would 
 have helped her even now and without saying a word to 
 a soul. I believe she would have told me, too, if it had 
 been anything of the right sort. It is never a good sign 
 for women to make too free with men, and it is not the 
 exact thing to do, even if they mean no real harm 
 because it will give men reason to misjudge them." 
 
 She did not stop to think that with those men that are 
 ever ready to misinterpret a woman s conduct, it is only 
 the natural outcome of their own vile nature, and that 
 they are ever reaching out for any evidence that would 
 place all womankind on a low plane with themselves; 
 and that they were after all only judges for time and not 
 for eternity. 
 
 Mary Grey dropped her letter and then hurried along 
 to the store to make some small purchases. The place 
 was filled with customers and she had to wait so long for 
 her turn to be waited upon, that the clock struck four 
 before she started toward her home, which she reached 
 just as a carriage drove up to the gate. 
 
 Mrs. Ferris was the first to alight, and then she knew 
 that her guests had arrived. She hastily unlocked the 
 parlor door, threw down her parcels and hat, and went out 
 to meet them. She reached the side of the carriage just 
 as a powerful masculine figure was taking a slender girl 
 ish form into his arms and carrying her through the gate 
 into the yard. One glance was enough to show that this 
 was not a necessity, but from a jolly good feeling and 
 tender care.
 
 THE ARRIVAL. 87 
 
 "There, puss," he said, putting her down on the grass, 
 "I have carried you just half the way; I am going to 
 make you walk the rest." 
 
 "As if I could not have walked all the way. See, 
 sister Josephine, Fred is just as big a tease as ever. If I 
 would let him have his way I would soon become entirely 
 helpless." 
 
 "Well, if you two frolicsome children can assume your 
 dignity long enough," said Mrs. Ferris, " I will introduce 
 you to this lady, who has kindly consented to take you 
 off my hands for a short time. This is my brother and 
 his wife, Mr. and Mrs. Alton, Mrs. Grey. This lady s 
 husband was our pastor." 
 
 The} r each offered her their hand with a cordial bow. 
 The words "was our pastor" and the black garments 
 caused the two city people to take in the situation at a 
 glance, and they thought "What a pity," and she in turn 
 stood regarding the strangers earnestly, thinking what a 
 contrast. 
 
 The man that stood before her was six feet tall, broad- 
 shouldered, vigorous and youthful, with a genial face and 
 ruddy cheeks. He had dark hair, which was combed in 
 the most boyish fashion ; blue eyes and a heavy mustache 
 which failed to conceal the smile which was continually 
 lurking in the corners of his mouth. His face was large. 
 He was an excellent picture of joyous and sturdy man 
 hood. He weighed about one hundred and eighty pounds 
 and was about thirty-five years of age. 
 
 His wife, who was standing by his side and leaning on 
 his arm, more from habit than for support, was not above 
 medium height, slender to thinness, with a face of the 
 most delicate chiseling and color, light hair and blue 
 eyes large soulful eyes that had a habit of looking up 
 at her husband with such utter confidence and trust that
 
 88 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 they reflected nothing but love and a spirit of content 
 ment. Here was a picture of frail womanhood depend 
 ing upon strong manhood for support. 
 
 While the three were thus politely regarding each other, 
 Mrs. Ferris was looking from one of the women to the 
 other, with the same thought: "What a contrast." 
 While her sister-in-law was a picture of such dainty 
 trustful helplessness, Mrs. Grey was one of such self-reli 
 ance as was good to look upon. She was no taller than 
 the other woman, but her form was well knit and per 
 fectly rounded, with small hands and feet. She had a 
 round face with a healthy coloring that sorrow had failed 
 to dim; a broad forehead; a mouth that was small but 
 firm ; a rather large but well formed nose, auburn hair 
 and hazel eyes. 
 
 After the new acquaintances had taken this momentary 
 mental survey of each other, the hostess led the way into 
 the cottage, where the two who were to be her temporary 
 guests soon succeeded in making themselves at home. 
 
 Mrs. Ferris bustled about until nearly dark, hardly 
 knowing upon which to bestow the most attention ; the 
 black-robed figure in whom she took such an interest, or 
 her brother and his delicate wife. 
 
 "Well," she said as she started to go home, "I have 
 stayed with you long enough for the strange feeling to 
 wear off, and to give you a chance to make up and be 
 friends. Mrs. Grey is not accustomed to having children 
 about," she called back, "so you two must not become 
 incorrigible. If they get too noisy you can send them 
 over to my house a while each day, long enough to give 
 you time to rest ; but they had better not become too 
 boisterous, because I really would not have time to bother 
 with them when I am so busy. You know that trouble 
 some children and house-cleaning are sworn enemies to
 
 THE ARRIVAL. 89 
 
 each other." With this she bade them good-night and 
 left. 
 
 Had she been given the power to foretell results she 
 would rather have left her house unpapered and unvar 
 nished until the day of her death, than for those two who 
 were so near to her by the ties of nature, to be left in the 
 house of not only her pastor s widow, but her dear and 
 favorite friend. But she was unable to foresee the play 
 and final act of the drama of which she had just wit 
 nessed the opening scene.
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 FRED. ALTON. 
 
 FRED. ALTON was a young man well suited to the 
 life of ease into which he was born. Endowed by 
 nature with an extraordinary degree of health and manly 
 beauty, added to this was one of the tenderest of hearts, 
 which manifested itself in a nature that was full of hap 
 piness but withal a kind solicitude for the whole human 
 family. He had had the best educational advantages that 
 wealth and leisure could procure. He had always had a 
 fair standing in his classes, but had never made a remark 
 able record for himself. 
 
 " You are not the kind to set the world on fire," said 
 his father. " I don t believe that you \vould succeed in 
 any of the professions. I don t know why such natures 
 were born into this world, unless it was to take life easy 
 and exert their social powers ; and I am afraid that I will 
 have to take even that back, for if you hadn t been born 
 with those gifts well matured you would not take much 
 trouble to cultivate even them." 
 
 "No, father; I can not say that I am tormented with 
 any particular desire to set the world on fire, or change it 
 in any other way. It is a good enough place for me as it 
 is in fact, the best world that we have any assurance of. 
 As for the professions, I don t think they are in need of 
 any additions to the ranks of those already enlisted in 
 their cause. The army of pettifoggers has been so ex 
 tended lately that there are not only enough to mete out 
 the decrees of justice in regulation order to the public, 
 but quite a host left over, who are obliged to devote their 
 time to dietetics while waiting for some one to get into 
 
 (90)
 
 FRED. ALTON. 91 
 
 such trouble as would necessitate a call upon their 
 superior judgment. And from the number of doctors 
 signs one is greeted with on every hand, a person would 
 be led to think that one-half of the world had turned out 
 with the determination to impair the digestion of the 
 other half not but what many a poor devil would be 
 glad to have those clamorous organs of himself and fam 
 ily kept within reasonable bounds, if it could be done 
 without disastrous results. As for the ministry, I don t 
 think that I would like to be called upon to decide to the 
 satisfaction of all my hearers as to the exact destination of 
 their departed friends ; nor would I like to think that it 
 was through my instrumentality that so many ill-assorted 
 couples were legalized to live together and fight it out. 
 No ; I would have too much conscience to be a minister. 
 An addition to the clergy now and then might prove a 
 boon to the stationer who supplies them with paper on 
 which to write their Sunday morning sermons. I have 
 too much conscience to disgrace any of the professions. 
 Those who have no natural ability in any particular line 
 need not aspire to success, for there are too many who 
 are endowed with genius to outstrip them in the race." 
 
 So at the age of twenty-five his father had taken him 
 as junior partner, saying: "It takes more brains to 
 succeed in business than in any of the professions but 
 what else am I to do with you?" So the firm which 
 had so long read "Alton & Co." now appeared "Alton 
 & Son." Xot that it had made any material difference 
 in the management of the business or the life of the 
 young man ; for he had gone on being agreeable and 
 taking life easy. His good looks, together with his amia 
 ble disposition, and his father s financial standing, had 
 made him quite a favorite in society. His herculean 
 strength and natural sunny temperament caused him to
 
 92 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 assume an air of patronage which was quite acceptable 
 to the independent and self-asserting, as well as to the 
 timid and clinging maiden ; for many masks of independ 
 ence are put on not only to hide a faint and shrinking 
 heart, but as a challenge to protection from those upon 
 whom providence has imposed the duty of assuming the 
 right. 
 
 Owing to the attraction of opposites, Fred. Alton was 
 naturally drawn to the more effeminate of his acquaint 
 ances ; and after he had allowed his truant thoughts to 
 wander with a view to matrimony, they did not soar 
 among the wealthy and intellectual, but he soon found 
 them centered in a delicate, blue-eyed figure in his father s 
 counting-room. This little lady had a moderate degree 
 of intellect and originality, but not enough to make of her 
 mind her kingdom ; but since her duties did not require 
 any superior intellectual ability, she attended to them 
 conscientiously; and since she did not have the pluck and 
 energy necessary to a more ambitious person to arouse 
 her or ruffle her temper, she was a favorite among her 
 circle of acquaintances. There was not a clerk or cashier 
 about the place but who would have risked almost any 
 thing for a look from her eyes. 
 
 For a while after the young man had been taken as 
 partner into his father s business he had found the store, 
 or rather the office, a very attractive place, and devoted 
 himself assiduously to the task of making love to the little 
 type-writer, something to which she did not prove averse. 
 The muscular form of the son of her employer was always 
 welcome to her side, while he had been made captive the 
 first time that those wonderful orbs of hers were raised 
 to his face those eyes which seemed to say, " Be kind to 
 me/ an unuttered entreaty to which the young man at 
 once responded.
 
 FRKD. ALTON. 93 
 
 " A \voman with a remarkable depth of thought would 
 become tiresome to me. Such surely can not fail to be 
 troublesome. I would rather have a clinging, womanly 
 woman for a wife. I could conceive of nothing more ex 
 hilarating to the senses than to have such a creature look 
 up to me for support and strength. I certainly am strong 
 enough for two," he said, stretching his arms to their full 
 length and viewing himself in the looking-glass; "and the 
 man must be a brute, indeed, who would not be willing 
 to share even less with such a being as she is to keep her 
 from toiling for her own bread ; to think, act, and live for 
 her. I would be willing to work for her all my life, and 
 ask for no other return than a look from those glorious 
 eyes." 
 
 So he had taken matters into his own hands, as was his 
 custom ; and one evening, after she had completed her 
 tasks for the day, he met her at the outer door and walked 
 with her to her own home, where he waited in the parlor 
 for her to exchange her working dress for a holiday attire. 
 It was plainly to be seen that she belonged to the better 
 class of toilers. The house in which they "lived was large 
 and comfortable and was owned by her father. They were 
 surrounded bv many of the luxuries of life, the expenses 
 of which, however, partly fell upon her slender shoulders. 
 The parlor was a familiar place to him oh, yes, he had 
 been there many times before ; so he sat about making 
 himself comfortable until she appeared, which was not 
 long. And then, without asking the advice or consent of 
 any one, they went in quest of a clergyman ( the necessary 
 origin, let it be for weal or woe ), and were married. 
 
 They found the minister in his study. He had received 
 a letter that day asking him to be there, as his services 
 would possibly be required. He was not long in pro 
 nouncing the words that made those two young people 
 supremely happy.
 
 94 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 So instead of filling her old place at the desk, the happy 
 little woman was soon established in one of her father-in- 
 law s handsome houses as mistress. And from this time 
 the store saw as little of the husband as it did of the wife. 
 The old merchant had remonstrated at first at his son s 
 lack of interest in the business ; but it was to no avail, 
 and he was soon left to spend his time, as he always had 
 done, in the way which afforded him the most ease and 
 enjoyment. This life of self-indulgence might have 
 proved disastrous to many a stronger nature, in which 
 power and impetuous impulse are so closely blended ; but 
 so far he had steered his sturdy bark of life free from the 
 shoals and breakers that were making wrecks of many 
 a promising life about him, and had sailed leisurely and 
 serenely upon the placid waters of contentment and 
 domestic felicity. Nothing had had the power to lure 
 him from the side of his wi fe or the paths of right. But 
 those dormant forces are sometimes like a slow, smoul 
 dering fire, gathering strength for the conflagration ; or 
 like a lowering, murky cloud on a sultry summer day, 
 which seemed to have gained irresistible force by having 
 been delayed. 
 
 Up to this time Fred. Alton had not been led to compare 
 his wife with other women. She had been all that he 
 asked for. She was loving and tender, with a loyal devo 
 tion that was humble worship. She had no existence or 
 individuality aside from him. 
 
 This had pleased and satisfied him, and he was happy. 
 The thought that he would ever hold her up to scrutiny 
 had never entered his devoted head. But alas, that to 
 all mankind should come the awakening. There is no 
 sky so clear that it will not admit the possibility of a 
 storm ; there is no honor so closely guarded that it could 
 not be assailed ; no soul so exalted that it will not be
 
 FKRD. ALTON. 95 
 
 tried, and it is not the most important of the trials of this 
 life that are taken into the courts. The hardest are those 
 which are enacted in our solitary walks, or when we are 
 alone with our thoughts, let it be in the seclusion of our 
 chambers, or in the busy thoroughfare, with human na 
 ture as our adversary, conscience ever pleading for the 
 right, and in which our stubborn hearts will ever be falli 
 ble judges unless we look to a divine power for guidance. 
 
 After Mrs. Ferris had gone, leaving the three together, 
 the young man unconsciously took up the thought where 
 she had left off. What a contrast ! While his wife was 
 a personification of ease, grace and beauty, here was a 
 pattern of humanity of such an entirely different type 
 that she might have belonged to a different planet ; and 
 he was surprised to find her none the less interesting. 
 
 He began by wondering how long her husband had 
 been dead, and what he had been like ; how much they 
 had been to each other. Had he loved her as he did his 
 wife? Was she heartbroken over his death, and how 
 long would she mourn for him? 
 
 Xor did his interest decrease as days went by ; but she 
 was as a book to him, the pages of which had not yet 
 been cut. They found her a kind and pleasant hostess, 
 who tried in a quiet, unassuming way to make their stay 
 with her as happy as possible, and by hiding her grief 
 and assuming an air of cheerfulness, sought to add to 
 their enjoyment. 
 
 She played and sang for them. " I must exercise 
 this means of entertaining you, or you would find it dull 
 indeed," she said. But the masculine eyes that were 
 watching her could see (for men ever have and ever will 
 pride themselves upon their insight of woman s nature) 
 that even though there were, at times, songs upon her 
 lips, the sorrow was never absent Irom her heart. It was
 
 96 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 a strange revelation to him, that a woman could hide her 
 grief shut it up in her bosom, and act outwardly as if 
 she did not know the meaning of the word, simply for 
 the comfort of others. This was a phase of woman s 
 nature that was new to him. He looked at his wife. 
 Nothing had ever disturbed that little heart that did not 
 reach to the surface in her eyes. Not a cloud had ever 
 flitted over her horizon that was not reflected in their 
 clear depths. " How would she ever get along without 
 me to cling to ? What would she do if I should be taken 
 first? for she is strong in nothing but her love for me." 
 
 This thought filled his heart with a warmth and tender 
 ness, and he clasped her to his breast, the delicate form 
 that looked up to him so trustingly for sustenance. " My 
 delicate little blossom. You shall never languish for the 
 love and care that are the chief essentials to your exist 
 ence," he thought. And she looked up to him as if she 
 understood, and was satisfied. 
 
 The two women were much together, and as time went 
 on became warm friends, while the difference grew more 
 apparent. While one was the embodiment of a quiet 
 dignity, strength, and self-reliance, despite her tenderness 
 and the momentary helplessness that came into her eyes, 
 the other was too helpless to raise a hand in the shaping 
 of her own future, but was dependent entirely upon 
 others for her happiness. 
 
 While Fred. Alton s wife reminded him of the most 
 tender of vines, with no power with which to support her 
 self, Mary Grey reminded him of a sturdy little shrub, 
 with confidence enough in her own strength to plant her 
 self ready to uphold those clinging tendrils. 
 
 " But it is due to her will more than to any superior 
 muscular strength. It is remarkable how her bravery 
 and courage help her to face the world ; and I can not see
 
 FRKD. ALTON. 97 
 
 that the future holds much in store for her. I would 
 think fate rather cruel if it had decreed that I should 
 earn my own living. Then how must it be for a woman, 
 and one with a proud, sensitive nature like hers ? But 
 she may marry again. It is to be hoped that she will not 
 drag out a lonely existence for a man that is dead and 
 gone to heaven. I believe that is where ministers are 
 supposed to go. I wonder if he could spare the time 
 from his flock to love her half well enough while he was 
 here? I doubt it. They usually have their minds so 
 fixedly upon what heaven has in store for them that they 
 do not stop to appreciate their earthly blessings. In my 
 opinion the whole clique of them should be treated like 
 the priests ( the Catholics are right on that point, at least), 
 and be denied the right to have a wife, if they don t know 
 how to treat them. And I don t believe there is one of 
 the cloth that could do a woman like her half justice. 
 There is a depth to her nature that would be well worth 
 solving. What a pleasant problem it would be to one 
 who was free to take to himself the task? And what a 
 devoted little wife she would make for some man that 
 was worthy of her ? Not that she would be so lavish 
 with her affections, but one look of love from her would 
 mean much. I am almost inclined to envy the man who 
 will, one day, inspire in her breast, the love of which she 
 is capable. Her love for a man would have a greater 
 depth, even though she did not look up to him in such 
 an humble, helpless way. It would be like two trees 
 that grow so near together that their branches interlace, 
 and although each has an independent life their shadow 
 is cast as one. While her lofty spirit would never look 
 up to a husband, he would not be the loser, for he would 
 have no occasion to look down." 
 
 The young man did not reali/e that he was uncon-
 
 98 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 sciously assuming the right to penetrate, if possible, the 
 inner life of the woman who had been a stranger to him 
 only a few days before, so he went on contrasting her 
 with his wife in a way that was not always flattering to 
 that little woman ; but she, unconscious of it all, returned 
 caress for caress when he went to her in his usual way. 
 She did not know that the profusion of her endearments 
 would decrease their value in her husband s eyes, and 
 that he even now compared their effect to the rapture 
 that he felt sure the love of another would bring to him.
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 MARY GREY RELATES HER STORY. 
 
 MARY GREY did not know what was going on in 
 the mind of the man she had taken into her home. 
 She had taken the couple as a favor to her friend. She had 
 thought that the most difficult part that she was to play 
 would be the hiding of her sorrow so as to make their 
 stay pleasant; but she had found them so genial although 
 well bred and deferential, that she forgot herself in her 
 duty to her guests, while in their presence. She saw in 
 them two people that were wholly devoted to each other. 
 
 "He certainly loves his beautiful wife," she thought, 
 " and it is well that he does. Life is empty enough to 
 me, but what would it be for her if she did not have her 
 husband s love to exist upon, for it certainly is the very 
 mainspring of her life ? Oh, if I can only hold out while 
 they are here ! Every soul has trouble enough of its own, 
 without having those of others intruded upon them. Oh, 
 if I could only creep away to the silent church-yard and 
 lay myself by his side or, better still, die and be 
 buried there ! Oh, how can it be sinful to long for heaven 
 and those w r ho have preceded you there, when they are 
 all that you had on earth to love? There are few dis 
 solutions of soul and body caused by broken hearts, but 
 the living deaths are countless deaths that must some 
 times be carried through a long and weary life ! 
 
 " But he would have me be brave. His God and my 
 God will take me to Himself and to him in his own good 
 time." And she resolved to carry out her life, might it 
 be long or short, in a way that would meet with her hus 
 band s fullest approbation. 
 
 (99)
 
 IOO HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 But the lone woman had this battle to fight over and 
 over again. Not that she swerved from her purpose, nor 
 that she was losing hold on her religious faith. But we 
 must, after all, deal with our frail earthly beings and our 
 earthly environments. Our spirits may soar above them 
 at times. The promises that are held out in the Bible to 
 the finally faithful, and the assurance in our own hearts 
 that we are heirs to those promises, may carry our souls 
 on the wings of peace. Then comes the reaction, and 
 with a dull consciousness of pain we are brought back to 
 earth, with all its cares, needs, and responsibilities, and 
 we realize that though our eyes may be fixed ever so 
 firmly upon heaven, that we have requirements while here 
 which can not be neglected and sorrows that refuse to be 
 soothed. And even though we recognize through it all 
 the hand of God drawing us nearer to Himself, there are 
 times when we are bordering upon despair and the adver 
 sary of our souls would fain say, "There is no God, for if 
 there Avas one He would never treat you thus." 
 
 Although Mary Grey was above some of the petty fail 
 ings of life, she was not an exalted being, and would have 
 expressed herself as very w 7 eak indeed. We are, after all, 
 the best witness to our own weakness. The thought of 
 her heart quaking, instead of being proud and haughty, 
 never entered the minds of the people of Cloverdale. But 
 such she was. There was one who had discerned her 
 secret, and that was the man beneath her roof. 
 
 She went about her duties the same as before their 
 arrival. She taught her pupils, attended to her house 
 hold duties, and gave such of her society to her guests as 
 she thought would add to their enjoyment. 
 
 " I know they would rather be alone w r hen together, 
 sometimes. That is only natural for two people who love 
 each other." But when the husband would leave his wife
 
 MARY GRKY RELATES HER STORY. IOI 
 
 for a time, the two women would sit together and talk 
 and read as pleased them best. 
 
 " I will not go out, either to walk or drive, until we go 
 up to Mr. Alton s sister s. I will reserve my strength, or 
 I would not be able to meet the people that \vill be sure 
 to call on hie," said Mrs. Alton to her hostess on Sunday 
 morning, when she had asked if she and her husband 
 would accompany her to morning services. 
 
 " It is not far, and the walk might do you good. 
 Nothing revives me so much when I am tired and de 
 pressed." 
 
 "I am neither tired nor depressed," said the other, "but 
 I simply have not the strength. I wish I had your strength 
 or will-power, or whatever it is that you have that I have 
 not. I envy you. I am surprised to hear you talk of 
 weariness or depression. I would never have guessed it. 
 Do you know it makes me ashamed of myself every time 
 I look at you, and makes me think that my weakness 
 may, after all, be due to a lack of energy. But I have 
 been so happy since I am married. My husband has 
 spoiled me. He is so strong, and persists in taking care 
 of me as if I were a helpless child. I tell him that he 
 does that to keep his strength from running riot ; but I 
 am such an indolent creature that I do not care to have it 
 otherwise. Oh, no," laughed the happy little woman, " I 
 am more than satisfied as it is." 
 
 She received no answer, and not noticing the tears that 
 were welling up in the eyes of her companion, she went 
 on : 
 
 " Do you know, I am so well satisfied with my hus 
 band s company that I could almost dispense with all 
 others. It seems that if all well-assorted people could be 
 left to themselves to enjoy each other s society, we would 
 be a much happier people. Among the many burden-
 
 102 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 some things that the so-called social world has decreed, 
 the one that is most tiresome to me is the making of 
 formal calls. Which do you find the most burdensome, 
 Mrs. Grey?" 
 
 " My experience of fashionable city life is limited, but 
 the word formal always suggests something hollow or 
 unreal to me. It has never been my good fortune to 
 make acquaintances or friends readily, and I am afraid 
 pretences would be anything but becoming to me. My 
 social powers would be sadly deficient if I should try to 
 extend them beyond a very few 7 friends. You spoke of 
 indolence. I lay claim to a full share of that quality, or 
 lack of quality, and you will not wonder when I tell you 
 that I do not even care to exert myself to be agreeable. 
 Not that I lack in kindly interest or but what I try to avoid 
 being disagreeable, but I am too indifferent to act in a 
 way that would help me to form lasting acquaintances. 
 L,ife has been too real, too earnest, to act anything but 
 my own natural part, and the question to me is, do such 
 things, after all, add to our happiness? Has the power 
 been given to any of us to be so lavish and far-reaching 
 with our attentions and friendship with any degree of 
 genuineness? Since it has been denied to me, I find it 
 not only more satisfying to my conscience, but equally 
 more in accordance with my idle tastes, to reserve my 
 civilities for the few that might possibly be benefitted or 
 made happier by them, even if in so doing I must neces 
 sarily deny myself a wider circle of acquaintances." 
 
 " It certainly could not fail to be a happier, world if we 
 were all more considerate of the feelings of those with 
 whom we are closely associated, but too many sacrifice 
 even the happiness of those who love them to widen .their 
 social influence. Too many people who are not even en 
 dowed with the power, or do not care to make their own
 
 MARY GREY RELATES HER STORY. 103 
 
 families happy, carry their influence into a wider circle, 
 where their sincerity will not be questioned. In so-called 
 society people do not even ask for, much less expect, sin 
 cerity, and if you have never been called upon to take part 
 in the formalities that are robbing so many homes of their 
 sacredness by denying the heart all that makes life worth 
 living out-spoken, heart-felt sympathy and love you 
 have been far more fortunate than you know. The dic 
 tates of fashion have so frowned upon the manifestation 
 of any inward feeling that would suggest the presence of 
 a heart, that it could not fail to make life an empty farce. 
 I tell my husband that we can never become truly fash 
 ionable, because I can never quite succeed in hiding my 
 love for him ; and since you have been shut up in a little 
 world of your own, and have been too indifferent (as you 
 express it) to explore its wider areas, I will let you into a 
 few of its secrets. So-called society will bring content 
 ment, much less happiness, to none, and it is only aston 
 ishing to see how many are keeping up the farce. People 
 with the bitterest enmity in their hearts will smile and 
 fawn upon each other when they meet, or, what is still 
 worse, will seek each other out only, the next moment, if 
 an opportunity presents itself, to strike them a blow from 
 which they or their good name may never recover, or at 
 best drop their mask of smiles with their farewell courtesy 
 and clinch their fists and stamp their feet if the lady upon 
 whom they have called seems to be trore fortunate in the 
 possession of this world s goods ; but at their next meet 
 ing the mask is again in its place." 
 
 " I am afraid," said Mary Grey, " that I would be a sad 
 failure in this world of etiquette, for my training has been 
 contrary to its requirements. My parents taught me to 
 abhor the shams of life, and I am afraid that I have done 
 such credit to their teachings that I do not even possess
 
 104 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 the charity that I should for the failings of others, and I 
 fear that is even a greater fault, for so long as we have 
 shortcomings of our own we should make ample allow 
 ance for those of others. Circumstances also have much 
 to do with the forming of our characters. I have always 
 been too busy with the serious problems of life to pay 
 much attention to non-essentials. After being surrounded 
 by the strictest home discipline until I was sixteen, my 
 parents died. Luckily, they left me sufficient means to 
 take such training in music as enabled me to earn my 
 living in that way, even if the fashionable world would 
 be too busy to receive their attentions. I taught music 
 until I was married, and then, although my husband 
 would no longer allow me to give lessons, I was still 
 leader of the choir, and gave the young people all the 
 assistance I could in the improvement of their voices. 
 And then there were so many ways in which I could be 
 of assistance to my husband that the three years of my 
 married life were really the busiest of all. I tell you 
 this that you may know that life to me has been no idle 
 dream, but an earnest reality. The time that my husband 
 and myself could spare from our labors and duties we 
 devoted to each other but if he had only been spared to 
 me, I would willingly sacrifice every moment of my life 
 for the good of others ! He was so grandly good and 
 noble, and we wtre so happy ! " 
 
 This was the first time that Mary Grey had mentioned 
 her married life or her husband to her guest. It was a 
 revelation to her. Could this quiet, submissive creature 
 be suffering so intensely ? Her loving little heart went 
 out to her hostess with a bound, and before that lady 
 had completed her pathetic story her arms were tightly 
 clasped about her neck. She drew her sorrowing head 
 into her lap, and sat caressingly stroking her brown hair.
 
 MARY GREY RELATES HER STORY. 105 
 
 " Oh. why sliould human hands be so powerless in the 
 alleviation ot pain and suffering? What would I not 
 give at this moment for the power to sooth you? Hut I 
 know that if I were in your place words would only be a 
 mockery. But believe me, my heart is bleeding for you," 
 she said, tenderly. 
 
 " Mrs. Grey, you are a better Christian than I am. 
 Promise to help me pray daily that God may spare me 
 the pain of such an ordeal. Help me to pray that I may 
 be taken first. Think what I would be were I in your 
 place. I would never be able to bear up as you do." 
 
 By this time the blue eyes had a look in them that 
 could only be more despairing were her husband really 
 to be taken from her, and it would have been hard to tell 
 which was shedding the most tears, they or the brown 
 ones. 
 
 Fred. Alton found them crying in each other s arms 
 when he opened the door from an adjoining room. He 
 had overheard their talk from the very beginning. At 
 first he listened with indifference. He heard his wife 
 speak of her weakness. That was a familiar subject to 
 him, but for the first time it fretted him just a little to 
 hear her refer to it, and he thought, " What would I not 
 give at this moment to have you strong, more like some 
 one else." Then he heard her speak of her affection for 
 him. "Another familiar subject," he thought; but at this 
 his heart went out to her in answering love. "Dear little 
 heart," he said to himself, "the man would be a hound 
 indeed who would wilfully cause you one pain." Then 
 came her views upon society. He never had heard her 
 express herself so strongly upon any subject, and he 
 wondered. " I would never ask for her oath to convince 
 me that she enjoyed my society more than any one s else." 
 Then he heard Mary Grey answer, and in doing so give 
 7
 
 106 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 some of her views of life. He felt his interest aroused. 
 This was what he had been wishing for : an opportunity 
 to find out something about her nature, and here he could 
 judge from her own words. She expressed herself in 
 such a simple, straightforward way that his admiration 
 increased with his wonder. "The fact that the so-called 
 world has had little to do with the formation of your 
 character is your chief attraction," he thought. " Xo ; 
 pretenses would not be very becoming to you. Poor little 
 woman ; a person seldom finds such modesty combined 
 with courage and bravery like hers. If that minister had 
 known what he would miss in this world by. leaving it, he 
 would have been sorry to go, even if it were to a better 
 place, and w r ould have prayed for permission to stay, if 
 for no other reason than to keep some one else from step 
 ping into his shoes a thing some fellow is bound to do." 
 
 Then he heard more in his wife s voice. " No need of 
 your distressing yourself upon that subject, my little pet; 
 you certainly have never been slack in your duty to me, and 
 always showed your attachment at the risk of ridicule." 
 
 He smiled good-humoredly when she offered to let the 
 other into the secrets of her life. " I will bet that new cigar 
 case of mine that Mary Grey has more practical knowledge 
 of life now than that little wife of mine has or ever will 
 have." But he was still more surprised as she went on. 
 " So you think all other society but that of your husband 
 is composed of deceit? Well, it is to be hoped that will 
 never play a part in his attentions to you." 
 
 Then came the story of Mary Grey s early life, and he 
 drank in every word eagerly. " Not a very easy life ; and 
 just as I thought, that devout Christian did not lessen her 
 burdens, but only added to them. I can see that plain 
 enough, even if she does imagine that he made her happy." 
 
 " So my wife has turned comforter," he thought, when
 
 MARY GREY RELATES HER STORY. 107 
 
 he heard her kind Yoice. " Well, she is not so bad at it, 
 after all." But soon a broad smile spread over his face, 
 when he heard her appeal to the woman in trouble to help 
 her pray that she might never have a similar trial. Had 
 it not been that his own heart was touched, he would have 
 laughed outright ; but instead, he walked in and feigned 
 a polite degree of surprise. 
 
 Mary Grey drew herself gently from the arms of her 
 friend, and with a whispered " Thank you " and a grateful 
 look in her eyes she left the room, and was soon on her 
 way to church, and, as the woman had expressed it, to 
 sing like a nightingale. 
 
 After the door had closed upon her retreating form, the 
 young man drew his tearful wife tenderly to his side and 
 teasingly said : "So the little woman turned consoler? 
 But a sorry one she would make, as long as she tries to 
 cheer the hearts of others by drawing their minds to the 
 possibility of a similar catastrophe in her own life. What 
 a great philosopher she is, after all ! " 
 
 " Fred. Alton, how dared you listen to a story that was 
 not intended for your ears ? You know very well that 
 she never would have told the story she did had she 
 known that you were listening. I would be ashamed, if 
 I were you I " 
 
 " Yes, but I have heard two stories, and since I figured 
 somewhat in the one, I think 1 had a right to hear it 
 even if it was not such a great revelation to me." 
 
 " But if you go on eavesdropping and persist in teasing 
 me, I may feel called upon to take some of it back. The 
 fact that a woman loves a man when she thinks him all 
 that she would have him to be, is no assurance, you know, 
 that she can not change when she discovers him to be 
 otherwise." 
 
 " So I will have to be on my good behavior or 1 will
 
 108 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 forfeit the good opinion of my little wife ! I did not 
 know she was so exacting. But that was not such a bad 
 conversation to hear. It proved to me that one little 
 woman has a tender heart. As if I needed any such 
 proof!" he went on, caressingly. "But if you promise 
 me a lofty and lasting place in your esteem, I in turn will 
 promise to do better in future. But do not tell Mrs. Grey 
 that I heard her. It really was not very manly, and she 
 would not be pleased; she is so reserved, and is not one 
 to hold up her life before the eyes of others, neither to 
 win sympathy nor for any other cause. But it is needless 
 to mention this ; my little wife s judgment is not amiss 
 respecting the feelings of others, and she has never yet 
 betrayed any of her husband s bad traits." 
 
 " The reason she has not made known your faults is 
 because she has not discovered them or not until today, 
 at least ; but you had better be careful how you reveal 
 them to her, or she might prove to be a mor* effective 
 traitor than consoler," and she looked up at him archly. 
 
 " The idea of my little pet turning traitress against her 
 husband ! " and he laughed heartily. 
 
 So they talked on, like two happy children, while their 
 hostess was wending her way slowly toward the place of 
 worship.
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 SHOULD SI-IK HE ALLOWKD TO REMAIN IN CHURCH. 
 
 MARY GREY delayed her footsteps so that the cool 
 morning air might soothe her swollen eyes, and 
 that she might be enabled to quiet her emotions. " I 
 should not have given way this morning," she thought. 
 " I don t know how I will be able to sing, but I could not 
 help it and it would have been all the same had I ruined 
 my voice. Their happiness keeps the memory of my 
 own married life constantly before me. Yes, I will join 
 my prayers to her s that she may never be left a widow 
 as I am, with her heart shorn of its love and its life." 
 
 By this time she had reached the church, and without 
 noticing the eyes that were turned upon her she took her 
 place in the choir, and soon her voice had helped to fill 
 the little chapel with sacred music. 
 
 Like the notes of the bird that thrill so sweetly while 
 the little songster is mourning for its mate, so the music 
 made by human lips is not always a token of a light and 
 care-free heart, but song sometimes seems as if it took 
 the weight from our hearts and carried it away on its 
 notes, and left hope and comfort in its stead. 
 
 So by the time that the services were concluded the 
 feeling of sorrow and weariness had given place in her 
 heart to one of peace and rest. vShe did not stop to talk 
 to any one, but walked quickly down the aisle and out 
 into the open sunshine. A spirit of gladness and thank 
 fulness came over her that flooded her whole being with 
 its light. Youthful life was after all in itself a pleasure. 
 There was much to be thankful for, and was it not after 
 all a part of her duty to her God, not only to bear sub- 
 
 (.109)
 
 110 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 missively the bereavement that He had seen fit to send 
 upon her, but also to enjoy life and the many blessings 
 that she received from His hand ? 
 
 She thought about her guests as she hurried home. 
 " I am so glad that they are happy ; I am so glad that 
 there is much happiness in the world after all. I must 
 not shut myself up because I have no joys of my own, 
 but must take comfort from those of others. But oh," 
 and all the sad memories came rushing back, " if only my 
 husband had been allowed to stay with me ! what would I 
 not have been willing to bear ? I am so helpless and so 
 cheerless alone. O death, thou art so hard, so cruel and 
 relentless ! " 
 
 She did not know that there is a bereavement even 
 worse than death ; when the affections reach out with all 
 their strength and power and no longer excite an answer 
 ing throb ; when the love of that one who has sworn 
 allegiance has grown cold or gone out to another, and the 
 heart is allowed to famish although surrounded by those 
 who should furnish its sustenance. And how many there 
 are who might well cry out, "Oh, the extreme nothing 
 ness of nothing!" for there are thousands who are born 
 a loveless birth, live a loveless life, and die a loveless 
 death, who have never had a kindness or attention shown 
 them from the cradle to the grave, only such as are actu 
 ated by a sense of duty or of gain. What is a barren 
 waste or the desert of Sahara compared to such a life ? 
 
 Had Mary Grey s mind been such as would have made 
 it possible for one thought to enter that she might be the 
 cause of one strong man to fight the battle of right and 
 wrong; that she might arouse in him a feeling the depth 
 of which had never yet been fathomed by his beautiful, 
 trusting wife, she would have fled to the ends of the earth 
 rather than to remain and permit it. But, alas, we are
 
 SHOULD SHE BE ALLOWED TO REMAIN IN CHURCH. I I I 
 
 none given the power to penetrate the future, and she went 
 back to the man who was a creature of boyish impulse, 
 and had never known the denial of a wish. Had she 
 known that he had overheard their conversation, her own 
 high sense of honor, together with her innate reserve, 
 might have caused her to avoid him, but unconscious 
 of the fact she joined them at once, and he had an oppor 
 tunity to keep up the study which was becoming more 
 and more agreeable. 
 
 " What a remarkable woman she is," he thought ; " I 
 know that she sang this morning, and it would have 
 taken most women with a lesser grief longer than that to 
 quiet their sobs and dry their tears." 
 
 The most of the congregation followed Mrs. Grey s ex 
 ample by filing quietly out and starting for their homes, 
 but there were three who seemed to have something on 
 their minds and appeared to be waiting for each other. 
 I will have to take my readers back over the events of 
 the preceding chapter to explain the cause of their per 
 turbation. 
 
 The next morning after the strangers had arrived at 
 the home of Mrs. Grey, Mrs. Jones had called upon Mrs. 
 Dixon in great excitement, and when invited to be seated 
 exclaimed : 
 
 "Oh, no! I have not a minute to spare; but my mind 
 is so disturbed that I thought I would just have to run 
 over! I can t think of anything else! What is this 
 world coming to, when a widow, and a minister s widow 
 at that one whose husband is hardly cold in his grave, 
 and whose tracks could still be found in the door-yard 
 acts like she does? I say it is a disgrace to the town, to 
 society, and to the church ! " 
 
 " Well, how will I know what to think unless you tell 
 me what you mean? What has the broken-hearted widow
 
 I 1 2 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 been guilty of now ? I would not be surprised if she had 
 taken her pick and choice of all the good-looking men in 
 town and made good her escape with him." 
 
 " Oh, no; no such good news as her making her escape ! 
 She will be the cause of a big scandal before she leaves 
 us. There is a strange man hanging around her house 
 now ! My husband saw him last night as he was passing. 
 He said he saw him come out of the door as unconcerned 
 as you please. He looked around, and went in again 
 before his very eyes ; and as much as he could see in the 
 dark, he was a large, nice-looking man. And he had no 
 sooner gone back into the house than my lady was sing 
 ing to him ! " 
 
 " I will warrant that he would have to be nice-looking; 
 she would have no other kind," said Mrs. Dixon. "And 
 as for her singing, I always did think that her voice was 
 a power from the evil one ; but to think that she would 
 use it one day to lure men into her web, and then the 
 next day have the audacity to sing in our choir ! " 
 
 " Well, that is exactly what I was thinking about. I 
 was so worried about it that I could not think to stop to 
 do any of my morning s work, but came right over. I 
 think it is our duty as members of the church to notify 
 the official board and have some strenuous measures 
 taken at once. One such a woman is enough to pollute 
 a whole congregation, and we can not afford to risk our 
 daughters to her influence. Here comes Sarah Green 
 don t say a word, and we will see if she has heard the 
 news ; but trust her to know everything that is going." 
 
 " Good morning," said that young lady ; " what a lovely 
 morning ! What a pity it is to have so much sin going 
 on in our midst on such a day as this. Can it be pos 
 sible that you have not heard the shameful news?" 
 she went on, as the two wary matrons persisted in clis-
 
 SHOULD SHE BK ALLOWED TO REMAIN IX CHURCH. 113 
 
 cussing their last canning experience. " There was a man 
 at Mrs. Grey s last night. He stayed there until after 
 eleven o clock, and must have been there all night, for 
 no one saw him come away. If no one else investigates 
 this matter, I will take it into my own hands. I will see 
 if she sings in the choir, holds up her head above respect 
 able, virtuous people, and harbors men in the dead of 
 night at the same time ! I think that when there is such 
 proof of guilt, it is high time for the church to rid itself 
 of such a character ! " 
 
 " Oh, yes, Miss Green, we know 7 there was a man at the 
 bewitching widow s house last night," said Mrs. Dixon, in 
 her old provoking way ; " but he was such a nice-looking 
 one, large and handsome, such a one as even you would 
 hardly be proof against, and really, we should consider 
 all the facts in the case before we pass sentence." 
 
 " I don t know what the man s looks has to do with the 
 woman s shameful conduct ! " exclaimed Miss Green, in 
 dignantly. " If I was not so accustomed to your insults 
 I would never come near you. If you persist in defend 
 ing a character of that sort, it is nothing to me ; but I 
 know that I never could be induced to attend services in 
 the same house with her, and if she is allowed to continue 
 going there I shall stop at once." 
 
 " We agree with you," said Mrs. Dixon ; " her conduct 
 must he looked into, but as a kindness to you we married 
 ladies will take it upon ourselves. People might say that 
 you was jealous if they were to hear you say anything 
 about widows and their beaux. Mrs. Jones and I will 
 ferret this thing out, and if the widow can be gotten rid 
 of, away she goes and it would be to the satisfaction, no 
 doubt, of every g irl or single woman in town." 
 
 " Yes," said Mrs. Jones, " it is our duty to society and 
 to the church to help keep them free from all demorali/-
 
 114 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 ing influences ; but we had better not take any decided 
 step until after next Sabbath. We had better wait and 
 see how she conducts herself, or if she comes to services 
 at all, and that will give us a chance to watch her house 
 the next four days. Since Miss Green has acquaintances 
 in the neighborhood, she might be excellent help to us. 
 She can manage to get herself invited to spend a night 
 at their house, and then watch the doors and windows of 
 the whilom widow Grey. She will be apt to be pretty 
 cautious, and may take close watching. Your friends 
 need not know that you went to watch any one," she 
 said, turning to Miss Green. 
 
 " I can t see what more proof you want. You say your 
 husband saw the man go in and out of her door ; but I 
 will watch. She can never say that he was a brother or 
 a relative, for there would be a dozen witnesses that she 
 said she had no relatives living. We would never accept 
 the cousin dodge." 
 
 So after Miss Green had been appointed and acceptea 
 the duties of sentinel, she and Mrs. Jones took their 
 leave. They had all three agreed to await further devel 
 opments, watch her face closely Sunday morning, and 
 compare impressions and discoveries after services. 
 
 So on that day, after they had joined each other, they 
 walked slowly down the street together. Miss Green, 
 who could not control her outraged sensibilities until the 
 crowd \vere out of hearing, whispered : 
 
 " Now, what do you think of that for brazen impu 
 dence ? I saw the man with my own eyes ; and then she 
 dares to show her face among a God-fearing people and 
 in his own house ! Did you notice that guilty look on her 
 face ? I have no doubt in my mind that the man is still 
 there, and that she is hurrying home to him." 
 
 "So you leally saw him! I winder who he is and
 
 SHOULD SHE BE ALLOWED TO REMAIN IN CHURCH. 115 
 
 where he is from. Some old beau, no doubt ; but I don t 
 care who he is, he is there for no good. Was he so very 
 good-looking ? But I don t suppose you have ever paid 
 enough attention to the other sex to notice that there is 
 any difference in them, have you, Miss Green ? " 
 
 " Mrs. Dixon, if I were you I would try to stop my in 
 sinuations long enough to use my tongue for a sensible 
 purpose once in a while ! Are you ready now to notify 
 the official board, or do you still want more proof of her 
 disgraceful doings? " 
 
 " I for one," said Mrs. Jones, " believe we had better 
 appoint ourselves as a grievance committee of three and 
 go and talk to her. We might be better able to point out 
 to her the sinfulness of her ways. Those official boards 
 never do know how to deal with a female sinner, and I 
 don t believe in throwing the weak masculine sex into 
 temptation s \\ay. Even those old gray-haired pillars of 
 the church might not be proof against being smitten by 
 her charms. In endeavoring to discharge my duty, I have 
 come in contact with so man} kinds of people that I think 
 I will be able to deal with this case of misdemeanor." 
 
 "A capital idea!" replied Mrs. Jones. "I never thought 
 of that; but you are always so far-sighted that I am proud 
 of you. But when will we call on her to discharge this 
 duty? The sooner we attend to it the better it will be 
 for the morals of the whole town and how cautious we 
 should be of the very appearance of evil ! What do you 
 say to tomorrow forenoon ? We will be apt to find her at 
 home then. We usually wash on Monday, but I can put 
 that off until Tuesday when a duty stares me in the face." 
 
 After deciding upon Monday as the time for their visit, 
 they separated, Mrs. Jones highly pleased with herself 
 and the world. The honor of being crowned sovereign 
 appeared as nothing in comparison to being considered a
 
 H6 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 wise counselor in the small affairs of her neighbors. The 
 comfort that she derived from this source was gratifying 
 in the extreme, and from the weight of her position she 
 felt called upon to be very severe at times in her judgment. 
 She felt that her wisdom should not be questioned owing 
 to any leniency that she would show in this case. She 
 felt that the w T oman had been guilty of wrong-doing, and 
 she would pronounce her verdict unhesitatingly. 
 
 Had those worldly-wise women acted upon their first 
 conclusion and laid the matter before the official board, it 
 might have made the duty which they had taken upon 
 themselves so unflinchingly entirely unnecessary. Mr. 
 Ferris was a member of that august bod} , and would 
 have been able to give a satisfactory answer to any ques 
 tions that they might feel called upon to ask regarding 
 the propriety of Mrs. Grey s visitor. 
 
 But they had decided otherwise. They thought that if 
 they took her unawares and told her plainly that they 
 knew her guilt, she would certainly be led into making a 
 confession, and they even went so far as to picture her 
 down on her knees begging for mercy. But they would 
 be unflinching. She had done wrong, and could not avoid 
 the consequences. She must at once drop out of the choir 
 and out of the church. The fact that her husband had 
 been pastor there once would not help her, and she had 
 better go some place w r here she was not known and begin 
 life over again. And Mrs. Jones had decided upon quite 
 a number of edifying and admonitory phrases to deliver 
 for the spiritual good of the culprit.
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 THE LADIES OF THE CHURCH VISIT MRS. GREY. 
 
 THLS part of the program might have been carried out 
 admirably had it not been for a pair of small ears 
 that were ever on the alert ears that had been listening 
 eagerly ever since his visit to the home of Mrs. Grey, 
 when he had been sent there to deliver his mother s mes 
 sage, and that lady had captivated his boyish heart by her 
 sweetness. 
 
 " I promised that I would tell her if I heard them talk 
 ing about her again. I am so glad that I listened last 
 night when the} thought I had gone to bed. Never mind, 
 my lady, if you are an expert at boxing boy s ears and 
 carry the key to the pantry in your pocket, we have a 
 chance to get even once in a while. When we boys have 
 any secrets to talk over or any plans to lay, we can go to 
 the stable mow or sit on the back alley fence. Now, that 
 would not be becoming to your dignity and might be hard 
 on your frocks. I am so glad that the style for boy s to 
 wear pants never changes, or we would have to be so stiff 
 and careful, and do all our talking on the parlor sofa on 
 Sunday evenings, where our sisters could hear everything. 
 I don t think it would be worth while to be a boy if they 
 heard all we say. We catch it often enough as it is, but 
 laws how mad they would be if they heard us read their 
 pedigrees sometimes. But we go where no one can hear 
 us but Billy and vSooky, and they belong to the respect 
 able class that don t gossip nor tell tales. 
 
 "Aha, Miss Sis, I was thinking about that last time 
 you boxed my ears after I had gone to bed, when I was 
 listening under the parlor window. So you may know I 
 
 (117)
 
 Il8 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 took in about all that you said, and I think I will be able 
 to tell Mrs. Grey the gist of the conversation. I will tell 
 her that you expect to call on her about 10 A. M. Then 
 she can prepare for your visit by hiding herself or lock 
 ing the door, if she don t care to be at home to you." 
 
 So after much soliloquizing the boy presented himself 
 at Mrs. Grey s door at an early hour, and on being invited 
 to enter he stepped in, hat in hand. He was eager to take 
 revenge on his sister for exercising her authority over 
 him in a manner not congenial to his comfort or peace of 
 mind. Then who had a better right to know things about 
 people than they did themselves? But when he stood 
 before the lady to whom he had so much to impart, his 
 ideas w r ere all in such a jumble that he did not know 
 where to begin his story, so he said : 
 
 " I heard my sister say that her, Mrs. Jones and Mrs. 
 Dixon were coming to see you this forenoon , so I thought 
 I would come and tell you, because most people like to 
 know when they are going to have company, and if I 
 was in your place I would hide before they got here, be 
 cause I heard them say as how they will be able to make 
 you cringe. They say that a man has been seen about 
 your house. Mr. Jones saw 7 him first, then my sister 
 watched and saw him, too, and they have made up their 
 minds that it is their Christian duty to come and tell you 
 that it is not becoming for a woman who has no male 
 protector to harbor a man in her house in the dead hours 
 of the night. The} said that you had better have your 
 mind on the poor dead man that is laid away in the lone 
 cemetery, than to be disgracing your sex with your con 
 duct. My sister said that if you did not step down and out 
 of the choir and out of the church she \vould do so herself. 
 Oh, they will make you feel awful bad if they get a 
 chance ! So if I was in your place I wouldn t let them
 
 THE LADIES OF THE CHURCH VISIT MRS. GREY. 119 
 
 in, I wouldn t care if it was the truth or not. I promised 
 that I would tell you if I heard people say things about 
 you, but this was the first time I had a chance to hear 
 them, so I came and told you ; but I don t believe a word 
 they said." 
 
 " It gets little boys into no end of trouble to listen when 
 big folks are talking and then tell what they hear, so you 
 had better not risk it again. But what you heard them 
 say is true ; there has been a man staying here for nearly 
 a w r eek. Mr. Alton and his wife are boarding with me. 
 Mr. Alton is Mrs. Ferris brother. His wife is not strong 
 and does not go about, so of course people have had no 
 chance to see her." 
 
 The boy s eyes opened with surprise ; then a thought 
 seemed to strike him. " But if his \vife is with him it is 
 safe and sound to have him about, and all proper and 
 right and no harm done. 
 
 " No, Tommy, there is no harm done ; but it is a pity 
 that people were led into making the mistake. You can 
 tell them how 7 it is, then they need not take the trouble 
 to call this morning, unless they care to. You will tell 
 them, won t you ? " 
 
 "Oh, yes; of course I will tell them/ he thought, as 
 he left the house, after catching a glimpse of the strangers 
 through an open door. " It will be better than any other 
 kind of good time to get to tell them. Won t they be 
 mad when they find out through me that there is no use 
 for that visit, and won t I tell how genteel they are and 
 that they are from the city ? 
 
 " But if I tell them they will know that I was there. I 
 guess maybe I had better not tell, after all. It would be 
 running risks, but I could tell them that I was passing 
 and saw them through the window or out in the yard." 
 
 As he was trying to decide what line of action would
 
 120 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 insure him the greatest safety (to hide his own actions 
 seemed of the greatest importance just then) a new thought 
 seemed to come to him : 
 
 " I won t tell them at all, but just let them go there 
 and find out for themselves. It will make them feel pretty 
 mean and sneaking, but it will serve them right. Let 
 them mind their own business, and mebby it will be a 
 lesson that will stick, as Sis says to me sometimes." 
 He could have hugged himself with delight at the 
 thought. " It will be enough to take the sass out of Sis 
 for a month. If I would only dare to tell her then that I 
 knew all about it ! I wish I was little enough to hide in 
 a crack somewhere, so I could see and hear the whole 
 performance. I think if I was in their place I would step 
 down and out of existence if I made such a fool of my 
 self. I am so glad that some others besides boys get 
 themselves into scrapes sometimes." 
 
 His jubilant spirits knew no bounds when, from his 
 perch on the alley fence, he saw the trio depart a few 
 hours later. 
 
 "I am so glad," said Mrs. Jones, "that I happened to 
 think of us going to see her ourselves. I believe in dis 
 posing of any one like her as quietly as possible, and I 
 think that I will be directed to talk to her in a way that 
 might yet help her to turn back ; but she will have to go 
 where she is not known, for when a woman once gets 
 herself talked about she is gone, even if there is no truth 
 in the stories and I guess there is no lack of evidence 
 in this case. My mind is made up on one thing : she 
 will have to leave this town ; and if there are too many 
 attractions here for her to leave willingly, we will manage 
 or I will see to it that she goes anyway. I do not believe 
 in performing a duty or doing anything by halves. But 
 I hope we won t have any trouble with her. It would be
 
 THE LADIES OF THE CHURCH VISIT MRS. GREY. 121 
 
 too bad if we did, since she is our dead pastor s widow. 
 Oh, no ! of course we could not afford to make any allow 
 ance on that account. It would not be becoming to us 
 sisters of the church if we did not perform our dutj 1 to 
 the letter, no matter how much unprofessors may shirk 
 their responsibilities." 
 
 By this time they had reached their destination, Mrs. 
 Jones, as village oracle, taking the lead. She succeeded 
 admirably in concealing what degree of trepidation she 
 may have felt, and after assuming the air of bravery and 
 fortitude that she thought the occasion demanded, she 
 stepped to the door and rang the bell. 
 
 Mrs. Grey, somewhat surprised, admitted them. She 
 had hoped that Tommy s story would prevent their 
 coming. What would her guests think if they knew that 
 she was suspected of wrong-doing? Might it not cast a 
 reflection upon her former conduct ? She recoiled with 
 repugnance from the very thought of being either watched 
 or mistrusted by any one ; but the thought of those pleas 
 ant strangers hearing of it sent a thrill of horror through 
 her heart, and she only hoped to be able to get rid of her 
 callers without any of their talk being overheard. 
 
 But Mrs. Jones had determined that if there was a man 
 in the house, as she fully believed, he should also get the 
 benefit of her superior wisdom and excellent judgment ; 
 and after all, he needed to be admonished and warned as 
 well as she. Of course he was not to blame, but no, she 
 would not even spare him. She would talk loud enough 
 so that he could not fail to hear her. So she began in a 
 high-pitched voice, which penetrated to every part of the 
 little cottage : 
 
 " Mrs. Grey, it is in discharge of a very painful duty 
 that we are here this morning, and I devoutly hope that 
 we may not be too late ; that you may still 
 8
 
 122 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 But how she would have further delivered herself will 
 never be known, for at that moment the parlor door 
 opened and the stalwart form of a man yes, it was a 
 man, sure enough stepped into the room ; but by his 
 side was a beautiful lady. The man, after looking from 
 one to the other of the grievance committee with an eye 
 that bid fair to quell stronger hearts than they possessed, 
 turned kindly toward Mrs. Grey, saying : 
 
 " I hope you will forgive me when I tell you that I 
 overheard what took place in this room this morning. I 
 could not well avoid it. I heard every word that the boy 
 said. Yes," he said to the women, " we were made aware 
 of your intended visit and the nature thereof." Then 
 turning to Mrs. Grey again, he went on : "I was only 
 withheld from coming in and choking the youngster by 
 my desire to find out to what depth human nature will 
 drag those who give themselves up to its weaknesses, 
 and I hope," he went on kindly, " that you will also 
 pardon the liberty I am taking now." 
 
 To the nonplussed and now thoroughly uncomfortable 
 women he said : " My wife and I have been waiting for 
 your arrival, and only hoped that you would not forego 
 your visit, that we might have the opportunity to make 
 an explanation one that would be justified by even your 
 strict sense of propriety and thereby spare our kind 
 hostess an interview that could not fail to be as painful 
 and humiliating to her as it would be shameful and de 
 grading to you. My wife and I are boarding with Mrs. 
 Grey; have been for nearly a week. I am a brother of 
 Mrs. Ferris. She is having some remodeling done on 
 her premises, and this lady, who is a very dear friend of 
 my sister s, has kindly consented to take us in until her 
 house shall be in a condition for her to entertain my wife, 
 who is not strong ; and hoping that this explanation will
 
 THE LADIES OF THE CHURCH VISIT MRS. GREY. 123 
 
 prove satisfactory to your righteous minds, we will all bid 
 you good morning." 
 
 It would be utterly useless to try to describe the feel 
 ings of the would-be counselors as the}* took their leave 
 with shame and indignation blended on their faces. 
 They had been coolly bidden to depart without having 
 the opportunity to say one word that might justify their 
 conduct in the eyes of her whom the}- had wronged. 
 They had been brow-beaten by the very man whom Mrs. 
 Jones had hoped to condemn by his own conduct. But 
 their feeling of shame soon gave way to that of resent 
 ment, and Mrs. Jones began in a voice in which there 
 was a perceptible decrease of self-confidence, a fact which 
 her bravado failed to conceal. 
 
 " I don t care, it is good enough for her ! It is her own 
 fault ! " 
 
 Oh, no ! they would not admit, not even to themselves, 
 that they were the objects of commiseration, that they 
 were worsted in the combat, but she went on, coaxing as 
 much of the spirit of genuineness into her voice as pos 
 sible : 
 
 " If she had acted as any woman ought, as a sister of 
 the church should, she would have told me that she was 
 about to take some boarders. Why, I was there the very 
 afternoon they came, and she did not even tell me. It 
 would have saved all this mistrust and all this trouble to 
 us. It is no small matter to me to take the burden of the 
 wrong-doing of the church upon my shoulders. What a 
 lot of trouble it would save, and how much better people 
 would understand each other, if they were not so selfish. 
 A little confidence now and then would be such an 
 insurance against wrong impressions. I don t mean that 
 people should tell their affairs to everybody, but only to 
 such as they could trust and who might be able to advise
 
 124 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 them. She might have told me that morning that she 
 was expecting strangers, just as well as not ; then we 
 would have known that it was all right, and might be at 
 home attending to our home duties, instead of bothering 
 ourselves in trying to benefit others." 
 
 That withheld confidence, upon the part of Mrs. Grey, 
 was an insult to Mrs. Jones to which she could not well 
 resign her wounded sensibilities ; a deep-rooted wrong 
 of that sort she could not reconcile herself to. 
 
 " He was a splendid-looking man," said Mrs. Dixon to 
 Miss Green, after they had been left alone together. "I 
 am almost sorry that Mr. Alton has a wife, although it 
 would be the ruin of Mrs. Grey if he had not. I am so 
 thoughtful for you, my dear, that I would almost see 
 people s good name sacrificed on your account. I know 
 that if he was a single man, he could not fail to succumb 
 to your girlish charms. I know if I were a man I should 
 not be long in discovering them." 
 
 " Mrs. Dixon, don t talk to me about the men ! The 
 whole lot of them are brutes ! Don t talk to me about a 
 man that would stand up and treat well-meaning ladies 
 like that one did us ! What right had he to act with such 
 authority in her house if there is nothing between them ? 
 I would like to see a man assume the right to insult my 
 friends in my own house, and that man the husband of 
 another ! The simple fact that he has a wife makes 
 matters appear all the worse in my eyes ! " 
 
 "And," she continued under her breath, " the fact that 
 we failed to catch her this time makes me all the more 
 determined to hound her down." 
 
 Nothing but the direst revenge would appease the 
 wrath caused by the humiliation to which she had been 
 subjected. It had all been so different from what she 
 had expected. She had thought to get rid of the woman,
 
 THE LADIES OE THE CHURCH VISIT MRS. GREY. 125 
 
 whom she now thoroughly hated, and instead a stranger 
 had insulted her, and in defense of that despised person. 
 
 " Mrs. Dixon," and she turned almost fiercely to her 
 companion, " I wonder who told them that we were com 
 ing ! I shall find out if it costs my very life, and then the 
 little wretch shall suffer, I don t care \vho he is, not 
 only for carrying the news to her, but for not telling us 
 the truth, for he certainly must have found out before he 
 left who her boarders are." 
 
 But not wishing that Mrs. Dixon should see any greater 
 manifestation of her temper, she left her and entered her 
 home, now thoroughlv aroused.
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 AN OFFER OF A HOME. 
 
 AFTER the departure of the three women Fred. Alton 
 stood for a moment quietly regarding the face of 
 Mrs. Grey, upon which was depicted such utter humilia 
 tion, but this look gave place to one of gratitude as she 
 looked from him to his wife a look of gratitude blended 
 with pain. 
 
 He began, " Mrs. Grey, do not think for a moment that 
 we do not realize the extent of the liberty that we have 
 taken. I say we, for I found a ready accomplice in this 
 little woman. But w r e were made unwilling listeners this 
 morning, the door leading from the parlor to the veranda 
 being open. We w T ould have closed it, but the boy had 
 only said a few w r ords until it was plain that you were in 
 trouble, and that we were the cause of it, and remember 
 ing the circumstances under which you took us into your 
 home, we did not think it a violation of principle to listen 
 to the end and see in what way we might be able to spare 
 you. Believe me, it was only through the depth of the 
 regard that we feel for you that we were led to do what 
 must appear to you to be dishonorable in the extreme. 
 
 "For our present conduct I will offer no excuse, but 
 will make a confession instead. It was a conspiracy 
 what the courts call a premeditated offense so of course 
 we can hope for no leniency. I will own ( although it is 
 not a tribute to human nature ) that it afforded me a great 
 deal of personal satisfaction to have the opportunity to 
 administer to those women what they justly deserved." 
 
 "You must not blame my husband for what he has just 
 done," said Mrs. Alton. "It was my fault. I planned 
 
 (126)
 
 AX OFFER OF A HOMK. 127 
 
 this little drama, in which he obliged me by kindly con 
 senting to take the leading part. Believe me, we did it 
 through consideration for you, and if we have acted un 
 wisely I hope you will forgive us. The head will some 
 times err, even though the heart be in the right. Say 
 that you will forgive us, and we will not be sorry that we 
 were the means of terminating their visit in a way that 
 they will not soon be able to forget." 
 
 " I can not but feel the deepest sorrow that this should 
 have happened," said Mrs. Grey with a look of despair 
 in her eyes ; "that you should be annoyed by an occur 
 rence of this kind while guests under my roof. I would 
 rather have spared you all knowledge of it, had it been 
 in my power, but I do not question your motive and only 
 hope that I fully appreciate your kindness, for which you 
 have my heartfelt thanks. I am poor defense in trials of 
 this kind, but I must ask you not to be too severe in your 
 judgment of those women. They no doubt thought it to 
 be a duty, and I am only sorry that I did not avoid this 
 by telling Mrs. Jones that you were coming. She had 
 only been gone a short time when you arrived. I may 
 be at fault by being so reticent, but it is my nature, if 
 that is an) excuse." 
 
 " I have no doubt," said Mr. Alton, " that some women, 
 and men too, as far as that is concerned, train themselves 
 into the belief that it is in discharge of duty that they 
 cause so much misery in this world by their restless 
 tongues, but it is a libel upon the face of God s truth to 
 say that duty calls upon any one to do aught but attend 
 strictly to their own business. God never intended us to 
 be each other s keeper, and we cannot attempt to do this 
 in the slightest degree without violating His laws, (or 
 which offense no judgment or punishment would be 
 too severe in mv eves. Do not blame yourself for vour
 
 128 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 reticence. It is only natural for well-bred people to be 
 as quiet about their own affairs as they are indifferent 
 about those of others, no matter how much natures of a 
 certain kind may clamor for a close account of private 
 proceedings." 
 
 The genuine sympathy of her guests took the poisoned 
 sting out of Mary Grey s heart, but the wound to her 
 pride remained. Her friends, whose regard she held in 
 highest esteeem, had felt it their duty to come to her 
 assistance. They had been led to act in a way that could 
 not have been otherwise than distasteful to them, even 
 though Mr. Alton s gallantry had prompted him to try to 
 make it appear otherwise. She had been mistrusted of 
 wrong doing. How r she recoiled from the thought ! 
 She had rested in the belief that a good character and a 
 clear conscience would serve as a sort of shield against 
 unjust implications, but she had found that the} served 
 as naught in the common verdict, and that no matter 
 how unimpeachable a life had been, there was an under 
 current sentiment that was willing to drag it, upon the 
 least pretext, upon the scales of their opinion. 
 
 What should she do? How should she act in future? 
 As stoutly as her heart had always rebelled against the 
 thought of their rights as critics, she felt that she must 
 in safety to herself guide her actions in such a manner as 
 to keep them within the limits of their laws. Poor soul, 
 it is well that she did not know how utterly impossible 
 this was, or her courage would have failed her that 
 courage which was to be so sorely tried. She would not 
 keep the cottage, would not even try to keep it any 
 longer. What pleasure would there be in so doing if she 
 was to be watched like a convict out on parole ? And 
 then she had as yet received no answer to her letter of 
 application to Colonel Wilkins, and even if that should
 
 AX OFFKR Or A HOMK. 1 29 
 
 prove iii her favor, it was necessary to lay something by 
 for the Inture. " I can not always go on this way. The 
 time may come when I will not be able to work and still 
 have to live. Yes, I will live in two rooms and save all 
 I can, but I will have to begin to look about this very 
 afternoon. I will consult Mrs. Ferris about it before I 
 begin. She is acquainted with the people. I could never 
 live with those who would think it necessary to w 7 atch 
 my actions as a precaution against possible evil to them 
 selves. I must be very careful. To live in an air of mis 
 trust would be unendurable. 
 
 " Oh, what a bitter lesson the last few days have been 
 to me, when I always have felt that a change of manner 
 after an inspection of character or of a life was evidence 
 of irregularity, or even an admission of guilt. Now my 
 whole mind seems intent upon trying to escape those 
 scrutinies, if it does necessitate a change." 
 
 A few days before the time arrived for her guests to 
 make the change to the house of Mrs. Ferris, Mrs. Grey 
 went to that lady, told her plans and asked her advice. 
 "You are better acquainted than I am with the ways of the 
 world, tell me what will be best and I will do whatever you 
 advise. Have you ever thought what helpless creatures 
 we women are ? \Ye may think that we are capable of 
 taking care of ourselves until the test comes, and then 
 we find that we are sadly wanting in courage." And then 
 she related the experience that she had passed through. 
 " I feel that I would rather deny myself almost anything 
 than to have such a thing happen again. I believe it 
 would make me look and even feel guilty if I thought 
 my every act was tested to find what was the motive that 
 prompted it." 
 
 Mrs. Ferris, who had heard the story from her brother 
 and his wife (but only on promise of the strictest secrecy),
 
 130 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 had given Mrs. Grey s future some earnest thought, and 
 had even formed some plans for her, should they meet 
 with her approval, but wisely concealing her own thoughts 
 she waited for Mrs. Grey to complete her story, and then 
 she said kindly: 
 
 " I thank you for your confidence in my judgment. I 
 consider that as a compliment from one like you. I am 
 glad for my own sake, as well as yours, that you came to 
 me, for I think that I will be able to help you. It is in 
 a way that I know would be a pleasure to me, at least. 
 I have some rooms that have never been of any service 
 to me, but have only come in for a cleaning twice a year, 
 and if you think my society would be agreeable to you I 
 would be pleased to have you come and take possession 
 of them." 
 
 " Oh, no, Mrs. Ferris ; as desirable as such a change 
 would be, I could never bring myself to take advantage 
 of your kindly interest in me. I could not permit you to 
 empty your well-furnished rooms. The rent that I could 
 afford to pay would not justify you in making such a 
 sacrifice. My present income would not admit the paying 
 of the real price of your rooms, and I could not permit a 
 reduction." 
 
 " If you refuse I will think that you object to me, and 
 in that case I will not insist, for I have tried every means 
 in my power to win your approval and friendship, and if 
 you do not come I will know that I have failed to make 
 a favorable impression regarding the desirability of my 
 society." 
 
 " Mrs. Ferris, I know you mean well, and I thank you 
 from the depth of my heart for your kindness ; but you 
 are thinking of my good alone. It could not fail to be 
 come tiresome to have a stranger under vour roof, even
 
 AX OFFER OF A HOME. 131 
 
 if I could afford to pay you well, a thing that you know 
 is beyond my power." 
 
 " Mrs. Grey, I know that you can not afford to pay 
 high rent, and for that very reason I want you to come to 
 me, and I hope that you appreciate my good intentions 
 enough to let me do this much for you. Those rooms 
 are not in use. They are furnished, it is true ; but we 
 have a large garret, and can soon store the goods that are 
 in them, and there is also room for such things as you 
 would like to store. You might want to keep more than 
 it would take to furnish your apartments. I hardly know 
 how to proceed, but I hope that you will not be offended 
 when I tell you what I have on my mind." 
 
 There was a certain reserve about this little woman 
 which even the kind and wealthy Mrs. Ferris had failed 
 to penetrate. So it was with the greatest reluctance that 
 she approached this part of the subject. 
 
 " Be assured," she went on, "that it is only the appre 
 ciation of your genuine \vorth and the desire to be a 
 friend that causes me to say this to you. I know how 
 necessary it is for you to save some of your earnings. 
 We have an abundance." She saw the color rise in the 
 tace of the other, and hurried desperately into her subject 
 before she could have time to interrupt. " You have 
 saved us quite a sum by giving our daughter such excel 
 lent instructions here at home ; you have saved us the 
 expense of sending her away to an academy of music, 
 which would not be a small one, and \ve would gladly 
 give you a home, if you would only accept it." 
 
 " Oh, no, Mrs. Ferris ! I know that to you I look like 
 a person in need, but I could never live upon the charity 
 or benevolence of another. My pride would suffer a blow 
 from which it would never recover. I know that I am 
 poor, but I would never accept the value of a penny
 
 132 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 without a fair return. I know that you mean it for my 
 good, but please say no more about it ; I really could not 
 bear it." 
 
 Mrs. Ferris crossed the room, took a seat by Mary 
 Grey s side, and threw her arms protectingly about her. 
 " If you would only let me be a mother to you, how 
 happy it would make me. You are sadly in need of a 
 friend and protector. Come to me and I will endeavor, 
 as far as lies within my power, to take your dead mother s 
 place. I could not hope to take her place in your affec 
 tions, but I could be much to you, and you would be so 
 much company to us all ; so say no more about being a 
 stranger under our roof." 
 
 " Please do not try to tempt me, Mrs. Ferris. I know 
 that you \vould be very kind and that I could not fail to 
 be happy with you ; but it is beyond my means, and so .1 
 would rather go where I can pay my way according to 
 my conscience." 
 
 " I will be candid with you. I had made up my mind 
 for some time to have you live with us, and can not well 
 give up ; and if you are so determined upon earning your 
 way, I will give you an opportunity to do so here. We 
 have a great many small duties that are not very hard, 
 and still too much for me since Ellen is not strong 
 enough to be much help. You can come to us and live 
 as one of the family, and help me with such tasks as I 
 may impose upon you. I will try to find enough for you 
 to do to ease your conscience, since that seems to be 
 a source of such trouble to you. You could sell your 
 household goods, invest your money where it will draw 
 interest and add to it such as you can earn, and live with 
 us in quiet and contentment, and by the time that you 
 are tired of us and anxious to get away you will have 
 saved something to depend upon. Please let me help you
 
 AX OFFER OF A HOME. 133 
 
 do this, and we will endeavor to make such a pleasant 
 home for you that you need never regret the step." 
 
 " Mrs. Ferris, I am very grateful to you. Believe me, 
 but I can not accept your kind offer at least not at once. 
 I must have time to think. Give me a few days in which 
 to look about, and if at the end of that time I have found 
 no rooms I will consider your offer. But, believe me, 
 under no consideration will I accept your kindness unless 
 I can make myself worthy in a practical way. Since self- 
 sustenance seems to be my only hope in future, I can not 
 be particular as to the means. But give me time. This 
 is a matter of no small importance to me." 
 
 " Xor is it of any less importance to me, but not from 
 your point of view. My greatest anxiety is that you let 
 me be such a friend to you as no human soul can well 
 do without one who has your interest and happiness at 
 heart." 
 
 But she did not tell her that her chief object was to 
 get her where she thought she would be safe from the 
 vigilant eyes and busy tongues of her enemies. Kven 
 Mrs. Ferris, with all her experience with the world, did 
 not at that time reali/e the fruitlessness of such an 
 attempt. 
 
 Try as she would, she could get no further promise 
 from her ; could not dissuade her from her purpose of 
 looking elsewhere. Had she known what this quest held 
 in store for her young friend, she would have plead with 
 her from the depth of her heart. But ignorant of this, 
 she was obliged to let Mary Grey go and find out for 
 herself what this world of ours holds in store for those 
 women who must fight life s battles alone ; that the world 
 did not mete out its judgments according to merits and 
 deserts, but that superior worth and capabilities were 
 more often sources of aggravation to envy and malice.
 
 134 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 She had thought the experience of the last week bitter, 
 but she was yet to learn the lesson that was to leave its 
 impression upon her heart in letters of flame ; the lesson 
 that is learned by unsuspecting humanity every day : 
 that no*matter how false a report had been proven, that 
 did not interfere with its circulation and eager acceptance 
 by groveling minds.
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 A SKARCH FOR ROOMS. 
 
 SO all unconscious of the treatment that she was about 
 to receive she started on her fruitless search fruit 
 less in all but hopelessness and despair. She tried first 
 at some of the more fashionable houses, where she had 
 been told the people had found it expedient to let a few 
 rooms to desirable parties. For she thought, it is those 
 who are most worried over the cares and necessaries of 
 life that become narrow and envious. 
 
 But she soon found that the fact that the better .class 
 did not condescend to take part in any scandal, did not 
 always prevent them from hearing of it. Yes, they had 
 heard the talk about Mrs. Grey, and it had come through 
 people of her own church too. And since those very 
 people had not corrected the mistake the} had made, the} 
 did not find it desirable to run any risks. So they told 
 her politely, but coldly, that their apartments would be 
 more suitable for gentlemen, or man and wife. 
 
 The truth dawned slowly and painfully upon the poor 
 woman s mind as she met with the same firm refusal at 
 all the most desirable places. But she continued her 
 search, growing less and less exacting as she went from 
 one to the other of the less spacious but comfortable 
 looking houses. Here she was received in a way that 
 could not well be misunderstood. Their steady strife 
 with the world, to meet its demands, had led them to 
 think that to insure safety and success to themselves 
 necessitated the closest watch of all who might come 
 under their eyes; and, as is usually the case, their vigil 
 ance had become such a predominant feature that con-
 
 136 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 cealment was next to impossible. So they each met her 
 in a way according to what they thought the occasion 
 demanded, but with open disapproval on all sides. They 
 did not think that she looked exactly like such a very 
 great sinner, but the news had come through people of 
 her own church; and where there was so much smoke 
 there must be a little fire, and it was always best to be 
 on the safe side. 
 
 One who found it hard to decide between caution and 
 a desire to rent her rooms, began to make overtures by 
 saying, " It is so hard for women to keep themselves 
 above suspicion. They have to be very careful how they 
 act. If you came to room with me, I should have to ask 
 you not to have any gentlemen callers. Xot that I care, 
 but I would not like to get myself talked about, and if 
 men were seen coming here, people might think they 
 were coming to see me ; and then I could not afford to 
 have anything wrong go on in my house any way. And 
 after a woman once gets herself talked about, everybody 
 who associates with, her get themselves watched as close 
 ly as she does." 
 
 " You need have no fear," said the now almost desper 
 ate woman; "I will have no gentlemen callers, for who 
 would there be to call on me?" 
 
 And then she recollected herself. " But I may have 
 some young men in my class. You know I support my 
 self by giving music lessons, and in case young men 
 should ask me to give them instructions, I could not 
 refuse them." 
 
 "Oh, of course," said the woman, " there would be 
 nothing wrong about that ; but the music might not be 
 agreeable to my husband. And I have heard of two 
 young ladies that want -my rooms. They are sisters, and 
 such lovely girls, they say. So I guess I had better not
 
 A SKAKCII FOR ROOMS. 137 
 
 rent them at present. Rooms are quite in demand, they 
 say." 
 
 What should she do next? What could she do? But 
 she was more determined than ever to secure rooms. If 
 she was mistrusted on all sides like this, how could she 
 bring herself to take advantage of her friend s offer, who 
 was, no doubt, aware of all this, and was led through her 
 kindness and solicitude alone to make her this offer of 
 shelter and protection. She would go among the women 
 who worked for their living. She felt that she no longer 
 could be a chooser, but must be satisfied with whatever 
 might be obtainable, regardless of locality or kind. 
 
 "Ah, Mrs. Grey, it s rooms that ye are in search of," 
 said Mrs. O Grady, when the weary house hunter pre 
 sented herself at the home of Mrs. Murphy, where the 
 two friends were spending the afternoon in earnest con 
 versation and excited altercations by turn. " Faith, and 
 did ye/ think that it was an intilligence office that me 
 frind here is kapin ? It is no such lofty occupation that 
 we are engaged in. Now, if it was a laundress that ye 
 was afther, I would recommind the good Mrs. Murphy 
 hersilf, for all the belles and beaux, and aven the gintry 
 itsilf, owe their smart appearance to her illigant skill." 
 
 " Mrs. O Grady, it is the proi/e that ye would take for 
 kissin of the blarney stone ! If Oi were ye, Oi would 
 enter the contist for it. It would be aiser imploymint for 
 ye/ than to be earnin your wealth with suds and soap 
 and foine starch. It might prove fatiguing to your aisy 
 tongue, but it would be savin of your hands and might 
 be the manes of makin a foine lady of ye/ yet," said 
 Mrs. Murphy. 
 
 " Mrs. Murphy," said Mrs. Grey, " I came in to see if 
 you had any rooms to let." 
 
 " And who would be afther occupyin of the rooms if 
 9
 
 138 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 Oi had ? A man or a woman ? Oi could not be afther 
 lettin rooms to a woman who would set up her tub and 
 board and purloin me business out of me hands. Rooms 
 for yoursilf, did yez say? " And she opened her eyes and 
 held up her hands in true Irish fashion, with many such 
 profuse exclamations and ejaculations as are peculiar to 
 their tongue. " Oi have no rooms for the loikes of ye, at 
 all, at all. Why don t yez go among the gintility, where 
 yez belong? It is no one but the common laborin class 
 loike mesilf that Oi would take into me humble home. 
 No one could be holdin up thimsilves and their illigant 
 manners above me under the shelter of me own rooftree. 
 Oi say let the gintlefolks kape to thimsilves, and not be 
 burdenin common folks with their grand ways. Go back 
 among the handsome houses where your lady face and 
 white hands belong and will not look so out of place." 
 
 " Mrs. Murphy, I have tried all day, and have been 
 everywhere. If you could let me have two rooms, I 
 would be, oh, so glad. I belong to the class that must earn 
 their own living, and would be thankful for the accom 
 modations you could give me." 
 
 " Ye may be laborin for your bread and butter, but it 
 is not to the laborin class that yez belong. Ye would 
 look loike a posy in a bed of thorns, and sonje big hulk 
 of a fellow would be afther a-pluckin you to wear on the 
 lapil of his coat. It is a sad accompanimint that me 
 playin on the washboard would make to your illigant 
 music. And thin Murphy and mesilf could niver fale at 
 home and aisy loike to have sich a grand thing as a 
 pianny in our house." 
 
 The two women went on expostulating, as only the 
 true daughters of Erin know how, against her thinking 
 of associating with " the loikes of thim," commenting ex 
 travagantly upon her beauty and "illigance," until, seeing 
 how futile would be any further attempt, she took her
 
 A SEARCH FOR ROOMS. 139 
 
 leave. She was scarcely out of hearing when Mrs. 
 O Grady changed her tone in a way that was suggestive 
 of extensive cultivation on that particular scale in the 
 voice of our friend. 
 
 " Faith, and it s no dacint woman that would have to 
 be runnin about loike that to foind a shilter for her head. 
 And what are foine ways whin there is no character to 
 back them up with ? And from the tales that are floatin 
 about, it s not a very good name that she has, nohow ; 
 and it came through thini as should be able to judge. 
 Small thanks to her, to come and try to be intrudin her- 
 silf upon thim as have nothin but their good names to 
 kape their heads above the water, after she has been re 
 fused at ivery other dacint place in the town. But it is 
 not mesilf that is to be caught nappin , me foine lady." 
 
 Mary Grey had begun her search with a quiet deter 
 mination. She felt that two rooms with desirable people 
 in a quiet locality would be best for her, no matter how 
 alluring the home of her friend might seem. But as she 
 w r ent on, her resolve grew into desperation. She must 
 have a place that she could call her own. And her re 
 peated failures only added fuel to the flames, as she went 
 from one to the other of the places which she had 
 slighted on her first round ; and in her eagerness she 
 almost lost sight of her friend s offer entirely, and would 
 have engaged rooms among the poorest and most lowly 
 had she only been able to do so. 
 
 We all know that when we are undergoing some great 
 mental strain, even though the fates seem against us and 
 all seems dark and hopeless, it is well that we fail in our 
 attempts, or else, when the reaction came, we would be 
 led to regret our ill-made choice ; and many may well 
 attribute their success in life to a Providence which leads 
 them on, through failures in small things, into the voca 
 tion for which they were peculiarly fitted.
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 THE SALE. 
 
 THE tide of Mary Grey s feelings had reached the 
 lowest ebb ; then, as if to verify the old saying that 
 " the darkest hour comes just before the dawn," the cloud 
 of despondency was suddenly lifted. Might it not, after 
 all, be best that she failed? What would a home be 
 among people who took no interest in her, only to mis 
 trust and watch her every action ? 
 
 "I suppose," she thought, " this hard lesson was neces 
 sary to teach me to appreciate the good things of this 
 life. I should certainly be thankful that such a home has 
 been offered to me. How very ungrateful Mrs. Ferris 
 must think me, but there will still be time to manifest 
 my appreciation. I certainly do not lack in that. I will 
 go to her and if I try hard enough I ought to be able to 
 make myself worthy of her kindness." 
 
 This earnest resolve to do her best proved a great com 
 fort to her by clearing away the small clouds of doubt 
 and fear from her mind. Her face was a study to her two 
 guests when she reached home ; she had not told them 
 her mission when she left in the morning, but Mrs. Ferris 
 had been there during her absence and had laid the whole 
 matter before them in all its details. 
 
 She said : " Mrs. Grey is a woman who certainly has 
 my deepest sympathy and highest regard. I know that 
 she is thoroughly capable of taking care of herself, but 
 she is still sorely in need of a true friend a role that I 
 would gladly assume if she would only give me the right, 
 but she is so independent in spirit and with all so sensi 
 tive that one must approach her with the utmost care lest 
 
 ( 140)
 
 THE SALE. 141 
 
 they repulse her. I think, with winter coming on and 
 her limited means of support, the best thing for her to 
 do would be to come to us ; but from the look of deter 
 mination that she had on her face this morning, I know 
 that she will leave no means untried to find a house. It 
 may be best that she does not know the power of those 
 ill-disposed people, but she might spare herself much 
 pain and mortification by avoiding them if she knew 
 their natures. She will not be likely to confide her 
 troubles to you, but if she should give you an oppor 
 tunity try to influence her to make her home with us. 
 She would certainly be a welcome addition to our house 
 hold, for she would be both friend and helper." 
 
 The effect of the kind lady s words was to thoroughly 
 arouse the interest of her brother and his wife ; not that 
 the story contained anything strange, for in the city the 
 brave-hearted women who were courageously trying to 
 support themselves ( and many, some more helpless ones 
 who were depending upon them) and protect their honor 
 were legion, and they also knew that the guardian angels 
 of such must redouble their vigilance to keep them under 
 their protecting wing. 
 
 But while Mrs. Alton resolved that something must be 
 done to place Mrs. Grey beyond pecuniary need and the 
 idle talk of the town, the man who had listened so 
 attentively to the recital of her trials took a view of the 
 matter peculiar to himself; not that he had associated her 
 helplessness in any degree with his own future, but he 
 had seen many pure, high-minded women, when driven 
 to the wall, accept benefactions from those who wore a 
 thinner guise and had a worse purpose than he. Could 
 his thoughts have been analy/.ed there might have been 
 found even a secret hope that her proud spirit might be 
 driven to the sorest straits. But even then, could he
 
 142 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 succeed in winning her confidence in such a way that she 
 would accept assistance from him ? He knew that those 
 who are led through their own high sense of honor to 
 place implicit confidence in all mankind are the ones 
 who will flee from betrayed confidence as from the evil 
 one ; but after all, that was the only kind worth befriend 
 ing and why should he not befriend her ? She certainly 
 was in need of a protector, and the fact that one woman 
 had a legal claim to him need not stand in the way. 
 
 " I am rich, and am constantly called upon in behalf of 
 charitable purposes. Would it not be an act of benevo 
 lence to keep one poor woman from toiling for her bread, 
 even if she is a young and beautiful one instead of those 
 old and ugly ones in whose aid I am solicited almost 
 every day? " 
 
 Thus reasoned the man who had come so bravely to the 
 front in the defense of a woman against her petty fem 
 inine antagonists. His manly nature had been aroused 
 to the height of indignation at their dastardly attempt to 
 crush her pride and good name, but he himself would 
 invade the fortress of her soul by deliberately depriving 
 her of her self-esteem. He would dismiss conscience 
 without a hearing, drag her down from her own high 
 standard, simply to cater to his own vanity and conceit. 
 And after all, if he succeeded in bringing her down on a 
 common level with the rest of humanity, it would be 
 through no fault of his, but because she could not with 
 stand the adversary of her soul, and no question would 
 arise to disturb the serenity of his mind. 
 
 Thus, no matter how cunningly conjtrived and gilded 
 the web may be, if the unwary and innocent fly can be 
 lured into its meshes, the lordly spider has the undisputed 
 right to keep it a helpless prisoner in his toils, and then, 
 when wearied by its struggling and futile attempts to 
 extricate itself, crush it to the death.
 
 Tine SALE. 143 
 
 Fred. Alton covertly watched the face of their hostess. 
 vShe looked so cheerful and bright. This to most onlook 
 ers would have seemed an unmistakable sign of success, 
 but he was not so certain. Mis-unbounded opinion of his 
 insight of woman s nature had undergone a great change 
 in the last week. There was, after all, more in a woman 
 than that which lay on the surface (or at least with sqme), 
 if that one is like an open book with large print. " I used 
 to look upon that as the greatest charm that the sex is in 
 possession of." 
 
 He studied her simply for the interest that it afforded 
 him, and not that it made any material difference to him if 
 she went to the house of his sister or to rooms of her own. 
 In case she went to the former he would have an earlier 
 opportunity to win his way into her good graces, while in 
 the latter case she would the sooner lose that wondi-rful 
 self-confidence and consequently be more like the rest of 
 her sex. 
 
 She gave them no opportunity to influence her, and it 
 was from Mrs. Ferris that they heard, a few days later, 
 that she was still to be sheltered under the same root 
 with themselves. She remained at the cottage only long 
 enough after their departure to make her final arrange 
 ments for this, to her, great change. 
 
 " I will not burden you or encumber your house with 
 unnecessary articles of furniture," she said to her friend, 
 " but will sell everything. Since I am forced to give up 
 the old life, I might as well resign myself to an entire 
 change." 
 
 So if her still bleeding heart was wrung almost beyond 
 endurance when the day for the private sale arrived, she 
 made no sign, and the set look on her face was attributed 
 to stolid indifference, as one after the other ol the articles 
 that had been so closclv associated with her husband as
 
 144 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 to almost seem to speak to her of him were brought out 
 for the inspection of the idle crowd. 
 
 Many had come without so much as a thought of buy 
 ing ; others with a vigilant and wide-awake eye to clutch 
 at the opportunity to buy such things as might be under 
 sold. With such characters, as is usually the case, the 
 sale abounded. They stood just outside of the bidding 
 ring, with an assumed air of indifference. Oh, no ; they 
 did not care to bid on that article they really could make 
 no use of it if they had it ! But at the same time their 
 sense of gain was keenly on the alert, and when the bids, 
 which had started so briskly at the outset, were beginning 
 to lag, and the article was just about to go to the highest 
 bidder, and the crier would hold his hammer for a moment 
 suspended in the air preparatory to bringing it down, 
 they would with a sudden thrust add a nickel, and some 
 times even as much as a dime, and then unexpected to 
 everybody but themselves were in proud possession of 
 something which, according to their verdict, was worth 
 twice the amount which they had given for it and just 
 the thing they wanted. 
 
 The once proud and happy woman watched until the 
 last piece of furniture had been removed from the prem 
 ises and the crowd of buyers and non-buyers had left, 
 but not without many side glances, gesticulations, and 
 remarks. Then she turned to her friends with a sad, 
 sweet smile, saying: "There goes the last thing that I 
 had which would have reminded me of the old life. It 
 was much harder than any of you know to part with 
 them, but since I can not recall my husband to share 
 them with me, I thought it best (no matter what the sac 
 rifice might prove to be) to part with all that might keep 
 the happy past, beside which the uncertain future would 
 prove such a painful contrast before my eyes."
 
 THK SAI.K. 145 
 
 She then gave orders to the drayman to have her per 
 sonal effects transferred to the home of her friend, or in 
 other words her own future home ( but for how long no 
 one was able to foresee), and then, without so much as a 
 glance at the empty cottage, walked with the rest toward 
 the Ferris residence. They did not attempt to break in 
 upon her thoughts, but allowed her to walk along undis 
 turbed by their side. 
 
 But one pair of eyes had been upon her all day, and 
 w r ere still watching her. Not a look of pain had crossed 
 her face unobserved by him. He marveled at the brave 
 look on her sad face. " Most women would have shed 
 oceans of tears," was his mental observation, " and would 
 have spoiled their bright eyes for days to come," (and his 
 eyes were drawn involuntarily toward the face of his 
 wife) " and if for no other reason than that it was expected 
 of them and their duty to their departed. It is more 
 satisfactory than I know to see that they are not all so 
 weak."
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 MRS. GREY RECEIVES AN ANSWER TO HER LETTER. 
 
 ARY GREY was unconscious of the close scrutiny 
 that she was undergoing, but was busy with her 
 own sad thoughts instead. Today reminded her of a 
 similar experience through which she had passed some 
 ten years before, when she had sold the household effects 
 that had been used by her parents during their happy 
 married life. Her cup of sorrow had indeed been full 
 and had seemed more than she could bear ; but what are 
 the passionate griefs and loves of youth compared to the 
 deeper sorrows and riper affections of maturer years? 
 The sorrows of the last few months had burned them 
 selves into her soul, and the memory of this day, with a 
 few others, would remain pictured in her heart with all 
 its keenness. 
 
 The first few days after our heroine had been estab 
 lished in her new quarters her friends left her much to 
 herself. The excitement had been hard on her, even 
 though she made every attempt to conceal its effects. 
 She went aimlessly about, but on the third day her 
 languor disappeared, and her usual health and spirits 
 returned. She received an answer to the letter which 
 she had written to Colonel Wilkins about two weeks 
 before. Her letter had been mislaid, and had only 
 reached the Colonel a few days before. He wrote that 
 he would be pleased to secure a good music teacher for 
 his boys, they, however, were partial to their own instru 
 ment, and he would prefer to have them receive their 
 lessons at home. 
 
 "But that need not interfere with our securing your 
 (146)
 
 MRS. GRKY RECKIVEvS AN ANSWER TO HER LETTER. 147 
 
 services," he went on. " My horses are growing fat in 
 the stables, too fat for use, just for lack of exercise. 
 They with the carriage would be at your disposal. I 
 have no doubt of your ability to please us, for I have 
 heard of you. I will call on you at your convenience, 
 and if we can come to an agreement my sons can fetch 
 you and take you back ; an arrangement that can not 
 fail to meet your approval after you have once seen the 
 country over which you will pass. We think there is 
 none more beautiful." 
 
 The recipient of the letter did not know that the 
 Ferrises and Colonel \Vilkins were old friends and that 
 it was Mr. Ferris who had recommended her as a teacher, 
 and that the kindness shown in the letter of the country 
 gentleman was due as much to his influence as to the 
 noble spirit of the writer. Her letter had reached him 
 just a few days after the two men had had their conver 
 sation. 
 
 After she herself had glanced her letter over, she gave 
 it to Mrs. Ferris to read. " I am very glad," said that 
 lady. " that you have met with such good fortune. They 
 are excellent people. Our families have been friends for 
 years since long before Mrs. Wilkins death. A little 
 forethought might have secured the sons for you as pupils 
 some time ago. Miss Kccluir, the Colonel s sister, is a 
 noble woman. She has never been married, but instead 
 of being soured and prudish and having the qualities 
 usually attributed to single women, she is sweet and lov 
 able and just such a lady as is good for any one to know. 
 How fortunate that they do prefer their own instrument. 
 A drive to the country once a week will do you more good 
 than anything else that your best friends could suggest 
 or the most skillful physician could prescribe. I am so 
 glad for you. I am looking forward to a pleasant winter
 
 148 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 for us all. You will then have five pupils, and will be 
 able to lay something away for future use. If I were in 
 your place, I would content myself with those and not 
 try to get any more this winter." 
 
 " Oh, no, Mrs. Ferris ; I will only have four. Do not 
 think for a moment that I will accept pay for your 
 daughter s lessons. You know that would only be mak 
 ing matters worse for me ; even if I exert all my powers 
 I can hardly repay you for your kindness, and you know 
 that it is a greater trial for some to realize that they are 
 not earning what they receive than it is for others to 
 know that they do not get what they deserve. Now you 
 would not want me to exercise my mind night and day 
 to contrive a way to make myself worthy of what I am 
 receiving at your hands." And she looked up at her 
 friend with an arch smile. 
 
 " Well," said that lad}-, with an answering smile, " you 
 do put things in an odd way. I do not pretend to under 
 stand your way of reasoning ; but you had better not 
 form your conclusions too rapidly, or before you get 
 through you may think that you belong to the kind that 
 do not get what they earn. You have only been here 
 such a short time that you do not know how exacting 
 and tyranical I can be. But we will wait and see about 
 the pay." And she gave a look of tender and motherly 
 patronage to the face that was so innocent and girlish, 
 yet so earnest and thoughtful, and then went on : " You 
 may even join the ranks of the dissatisfied wage-workers 
 before we are together long. It is said that people 
 know little or nothing about each other unless they live 
 together. We are doing that now, and according to the 
 adage will have an opportunity to find each other out, 
 to make wonderful discoveries in each other s natures." 
 
 " Well," said Mary Grey, laughing, " if that is the only
 
 MRS. GRKY KHCKIVKS AX AXSWKR TO IIKR I.HTTKR. 149 
 
 possible way for two to find each other out, people do 
 indeed make a leap in the dark when they marry, and we 
 should not be too severe in our judgment of those who 
 fail to agree. Since there is a way provided for me to 
 reach Colonel Wilkins ," she said, resuming her subject, 
 " I am also glad that they prefer taking their lessons at 
 home, for since my piano went with the rest of the 
 household goods I can only take such pupils as have their 
 own instruments. Sometimes I almost wish that I had 
 kept mine, but I did not care to encumber your house 
 with it, since you have one." 
 
 " Had I known that you especially cared for yours you 
 should not have sold it. I would gladly have made room 
 for it; but, as you say, there is one here, and it is at your 
 service the same as if it were your own, and if any of 
 your pupils care to come here to take their lessons you are 
 at perfect liberty to have them do so," said Mrs. Ferris. 
 
 " I have none such now, but I thank you heartily for 
 your kind offer," was Mary Grey s answer. 
 
 " Colonel Wilkins speaks in his letter of meeting you 
 at your own convenience; that would necessitate another 
 letter. He and his sister come for a drive almost every 
 week. The huh" makes her stopping place here while 
 in town. Then he comes for her when he is ready to go 
 home. They usually come on Thursday, so we can expect 
 them today. You can talk to them, and, if you suit each 
 other and can come to an understanding, there need be 
 no further trouble," said the kind lady, thoughtfully. 
 
 " I think that 1 am as near happy as I will ever be 
 again. I certainly have much to be thankful for," thought 
 the appreciative little woman. " I will have work enough 
 to save something; I will have a pleasant home, and they 
 are all so kind to me. Mrs. Ferris is almost like a mother, 
 while her daughter and Mrs. Alton are kindness itself. As
 
 150 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 for the men, I don t see how they could possibly show me 
 more courtesy. I never had a brother, but if I had he 
 could not be more watchful of my comfort than Mr. Alton 
 is. He certainly must be a kind-hearted man, judging 
 from the way that he takes care of his wife. How fortunate 
 she is to have such a husband, since she has no existence 
 apart from him. Robert was just as kind to me, but I 
 did not need the petting and attention that she does. I 
 was always well ; I never had a day s sickness in my 
 whole life. I am so glad, because a busy man like my 
 husband should never be burdened with a puny wife. I 
 am so glad that I was always strong enough to share his 
 duties instead of adding to his cares ; but I am also glad 
 that there are some men who have the time and means 
 to take care of the helpless, clinging women, for the 
 world seems full of them." 
 
 With her limited knowledge of the ways of men and 
 her lack of opportunity to study their natures, she did 
 not know that providence had been scant in its distribu 
 tion of patience among their sex and that none of them 
 had been endowed with any extraordinary degree of that 
 virtue, and that sooner or later the chains which make 
 them willing slaves for a time to puny and exacting wives 
 (even though the links be golden) will corrode and 
 become tiresome ; and that even now the very man in 
 question was beginning to hold up the woman whom he 
 had helped to encourage into utter helplessness by his 
 lavish attentions before his critical view, and that, no 
 matter if he was partially to blame, her constant demand 
 for his attention was growing just a little irksome. She 
 did not know that the beautiful, willowy form of the wife 
 was held in disparaging contrast to her own well-rounded 
 figure, and that the husband was thinking daily, " How 
 different would be my journey through this life, in which
 
 MRS. GREY RKCKIVKS AX ANSWER TO HER LETTER. 151 
 
 I have so far been called upon to exercise the strength 
 and mind for two, had I chosen for a traveling companion 
 a sturdy little partner who would walk courageously by 
 my side, and even lend to me a helping hand if the occa 
 sion required it ; and the fact that she might not be so 
 demonstrative and lavish with her affections would cause 
 the interest to be all the more lasting." 
 
 Since it is human to err, and the best of us sometimes 
 surprise ourselves with thoughts that are not in strict 
 accordance with right and would only bring pain some 
 times to our dearest friends were they known, it may be 
 well that there is a secret chamber to our natures and 
 that we have the power to conceal our unworthy reflec 
 tions from human eyes. At least, were it not so, there 
 would be such revelations daily and hourly as would 
 flood this earth with unavailing tears, and many a loyal 
 heart might well pray to be spared the painful disclosures. 
 
 Had Mary Grey ever been led to compare herself with 
 Mrs. Alton, it would have been in a way disparaging to 
 herself. How commonplace she felt beside that beautiful 
 woman. So, all unconscious of the influence she was 
 wielding, she went about her duties with a degree of 
 cheerfulness. 
 
 When Colonel Wilkins and his sister came, true to the 
 expectations of Mrs. Ferris, she was as pleased with them 
 as they were with her. The business part of the meeting 
 between the three people was soon disposed of. They 
 were to come for her once a week and take her to their 
 country home. She was to receive the highest price paid 
 for such services, but she would be required to give them 
 a whole day of her time as often as possible. They said 
 that they were fond of music, and would demand that as 
 apart of the return for the salary that she was to receive, 
 and would take no denial. They would come for her in 
 the morning and bring her back in the evening.
 
 152 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 The keen-witted woman was not deceived by this ruse. 
 She knew that the arrangement had been planed by Mrs. 
 Ferris with her happiness in view, and her heart swelled 
 with thankfulness. She felt that she had more real friends 
 than she could ever claim at any one time in her life be 
 fore, and she felt that they would be true friends, too, as 
 long as she would prove herself worthy of their esteem. 
 
 The two people left, promising to come for her on the 
 following Tuesday. This was Thursday. She was sur 
 prised to find herself looking forward with a childish de 
 light to the drive in the country the dear old country. 
 She had seen very little of it since the death of her 
 parents. Her life had been so busy since then that she 
 had had little or no time for pleasure. All those things 
 which are necessary to most people s enjoyment had been 
 denied her, and she had had no recreation during the 
 three years of her married life. But the earnest discharge 
 of her duties had been a source of true happiness, and 
 she had been more than satisfied. 
 
 Indeed to her the woman who must necessarily seek 
 outside of her own home for enjoyment seemed an object 
 of the deepest solicitude. She must surely have mistaken 
 her own heart in choosing, if her happiness depended in 
 the slightest degree upon others or their society. Noth 
 ing but necessity or duty ever tempted her from her 
 home or the side of her husband, and now she wondered 
 that even that sometimes had the power. 
 
 But the source of her happiness lay far away in the 
 quiet church-yard on the slope of the hill, and she must 
 be content for the rest of her life with minor joys. She 
 must smile and seem glad, as is the case with thousands, 
 a countless number who we meet daily and in every walk 
 of life, and it is only a wonder that so many are able to 
 carry out their part to the end. But the most skillful
 
 MRS. GREY RECKIVES AX ANSWER TO HER LETTER. 153 
 
 acting has never been \vitnessecl from behind gilded foot 
 lights, nor has it been produced in answer to the most 
 persistent encore, but instead we are invariably the un 
 conscious witnesses of such deep-wrought playing upon 
 the stage of life as would try the ingenuity of a Garrick 
 or a Quin, and could the lives of man}- be produced in a 
 panoramic vision before them, they would be surprised at 
 their own power. 
 
 The pain and humiliation in the mind and heart of 
 Mary Grey had begun to lose their keenness. She was 
 conscious of furtive glances that were cast upon her from 
 all sides, but she felt that sheltered as she was, under the 
 protecting care of her friends, their conduct toward her 
 could do no harm. "Oh, why and how did I occasion 
 their ill will? Surely if I pay no heed to their thought 
 lessness, treat them as before when I meet them, and live 
 my own quiet life without interfering with any of them, 
 they will, if not relent, at least become so far indifferent 
 as to make no more attacks upon my character and good 
 name." 
 
 Was she correct in her conclusions ? We will see.
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 TOMMY S TRIALS. 
 
 ONLY those who have been boys themselves, been 
 in boys scrapes, and had boys consciences to con 
 tend with, and in the end had boys punishment meted 
 out to them, know the mingled remorse and boyish anger 
 that had been filling the heart and brain of Tommy Green 
 since we parted with him on the back alley fence, watch 
 ing the grievance committee wending their solemn way 
 on their important visit to Mrs. Grey. He had taken 
 great satisfaction in seeing them depart. He knew that 
 this was a matter of no ordinary importance, even to 
 people who were as accustomed as they to making the 
 small doings of their neighbors their own personal affairs. 
 He could not foresee just what the outcome of the visit 
 would be. If he could only turn himself into a mouse 
 or a cricket, or he would not object to exchanging forms 
 with a flea for a short time, if he could only hide in 
 some convenient fold of their garments and witness the 
 call which he knew would prove so disastrous to these 
 women s good and exalted opinion of themselves, for one 
 short while at least. 
 
 "Cracky! I would rather lay in a whole nest of fleas, 
 and have a whole hive of mosquitoes with a band at 
 their head to keep time for the Quickstep of the Fleas 
 about my ears, than to be in them two women s and that 
 girl s " ( he made a grimace when he came to girl " She s 
 a lovely girl ! ") " shoes for the next half hour. But it will 
 serve them right ! If I had planned the whole scrape for 
 Sis, I couldn t have done it to suit me any better. Well, 
 this is just game ! " And he threw his hat into the air 
 
 (154)
 
 TOMMYS TRIALS. 155 
 
 as he hopped clown from the fence, after watching them 
 until they had turned the corner and were out of sight. 
 
 It was too good to keep to himself any longer. He 
 would just explode if he did not tell it to some one. 
 But it was too important to tell before the whole crowd ; 
 he would only tell it to his dearest chum. So that favored 
 personage was led off to the mow or other equally secret 
 place, while the less highly privileged crowd was left to 
 cast envious eyes after them, until one of them happened 
 to think of something he knew. Oh, yes ; it was just as 
 good and a great deal better. So they went off together 
 in search of a suitable place ( since they had been barred 
 out of their common rendezvous ) to make and Jiear the 
 disclosure, which was a weight} matter, indeed. 
 
 Meanwhile Tommy was regaling the ears of his hearer 
 with what he had heard under the parlor window the 
 night before his visit to Mrs. Grey s. "You know I had 
 promised her, and I wanted to get even with Sis," he 
 said in explanation. Then he told of the discovery he 
 had made, and that his sister and others had watched 
 Mrs. Grey s house, and they had all gone to an immense 
 amount of trouble, all for nothing. And now he declared 
 they were putting on the top sheaf by going over there. 
 
 "Oh, won t they feel like ninnies? This will take the 
 dander out of Sis for one while. How I would like to 
 throw it up to her ! Gee ! but wouldn t she be mad, and 
 wouldn t I catch it, though? But I will try my best to 
 hide it ; she will never catch me. But," and a look of 
 serious doubt came over his boyish face, " what if it 
 should leak out some other way?" And he went on in 
 a droll way, " It were better if a mill-stone be hanged 
 about my neck and I be thrown into yonder mud-hole. 
 Well, Sis would make it hot for me, that s sure; but if 
 she does she will wish she hadn t. If women do think
 
 156 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 they re smart, there s lots of things we boys can do to 
 pay them back that is against etiquette and would not 
 look genteel of them and might spoil their chances to get 
 a man." 
 
 But for a small boy who finds himself in an uncertain 
 position with the feminine portion of the family, a con 
 science is a worse thing to have than a pebble in his shoe 
 or a thorn hidden away in his coat sleeve or trousers leg. 
 So when he was called in to dinner he watched his sister s 
 face anxiously, but, as he supposed, unknown to her. 
 But her vigilance was none the less keen. She was con 
 fident that he was the culprit ; but how to prove it ? She 
 knew that she must contrive to get him to own his guilt, 
 for she could never be induced to go to the only other 
 three people who knew anything about the matter for 
 proof. But how was she to go about it ? She knew from 
 past experience that an eel was nothing in comparison, 
 for slipperiness, to a boy who was bending all his energy 
 toward acquiring that rare accomplishment. She could 
 think of no other motive for his conduct only a feeling of 
 revenge and spite toward her. She did not know that it 
 was an act of chivalry toward Mrs. Grey. He felt that 
 he owed her some return for her kind and pleasant man 
 ner, and repaid her according to his boyish understanding. 
 Had she understood him better, and made some assertion 
 detrimental to Mrs. Grey s good name, character, or even 
 her looks, he would have arisen in her defense and might 
 have been led to disclose himself. But boys never did 
 get credit for their good points something that they 
 certainly are in possession of, even though their faulty 
 judgment sometimes makes the deed disastrous to their 
 good intentions. So, through her limited insight into 
 boy s nature, she ignored the only weapon that she had 
 in her possession, under whose charge he would have
 
 TOMMY S TRIALS. 157 
 
 fallen an easy prey, and set about studying other tactics 
 by which to entrap him. She resolved to try kindness. 
 If she won his confidence he might be led to tell her 
 something through which she might be able to make out 
 a clear case against him. 
 
 But the boy, whose defensive powers had constantly 
 been called upon in his daily combats with his sister, was 
 well versed in intrigue and warfare. He accepted her 
 kindness and unusual attention with a sly smile. He 
 could see by her manner that she was in possession of a 
 part of the truth ; but he had had time to rally his cour 
 age and confidence in himself, and he felt himself equal 
 to any of her " maneuvers," as he called them. 
 
 " Aha, Miss Sis, I am onto that ! You may think your 
 self smart, but you will never catch me that way. I 
 know that sweetness is all put on. That visit you made 
 this morning would never have turned you into a sugar- 
 pie. It would much quicker turn you into vinegar or a 
 crab apple, I should say, for all vinegar is made out of 
 something sweet in the start, so of course you would 
 never make any of that valuable article. But you do 
 pretty well to help others to reach the biting point. 
 Mother don t know what made that last barrel turn sour 
 so quick. I heard some women as ought to know say 
 that a good receipt to make vinegar over was to write the 
 names of three sour-looking women on a piece of cat 
 paper and drop it into it while it was undergoing fer 
 mentation. I knew that one sour old maid as was not 
 satisfied with her condition was equal to two women, so 
 I scratched off her name in big letters on a slip of brown 
 sugar paper and dropped her in. I never told them, 
 because it s best for boys to keep some things to them 
 selves, if they do turn out well. 
 
 " I wont act as if I thought of a thing, but had forgot-
 
 158 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 ten everything, and would be ever so easy to catch. As 
 long as she baits her trap with good things, I will take 
 all she gives me and act all the time as if it would just 
 take a little more to make sure of me. But I am on to 
 your scheme. You will never catch me that way," and 
 he gave a comical pat to his stomach, which was even 
 now exulting in an extra piece of custard pie. He could 
 hold out a long while on custards. 
 
 When he got out of his sister s sight he threw his hat 
 into the air, turned a double handspring and went off to 
 tell his chum how he was living on the fat of the land, 
 and that if he was sure things would always turn out to 
 his taste like this, and that he could keep his sister in 
 hot water, he would not mind being in a little danger 
 himself. 
 
 But as days went on, the woman who was tingling for 
 revenge was tiring of her plan with her wary little broth 
 er. Even if she could succeed in the end it was becom 
 ing expensive. The calls upon her purse-strings were 
 becoming too frequent, and the nickles and dimes that 
 had gone for marbles, and butterscotch, and what not, 
 had been not a few, to say nothing of the taffy that she 
 had been called upon to serve to the whole crowd, for the 
 youngsters, knowing that it was only temporary, had 
 been making hay while the sun shone. And now he 
 wanted enough money to go to the circus himself, and 
 some to help his chum, who did not have quite enough. 
 It was wonderful what a close intimacy had sprung up 
 between those two boys lately. This was to be the last 
 show of the season, and the boy who did not get to go 
 had better never been born into this world of disappoint 
 ments. 
 
 Tommy was a little surprised when his sister promised 
 him the necessary amount. With a keen intuition pecu-
 
 TOMMY S TRIALS. 159 
 
 liar to boys, he was beginning to see that his good times 
 were fast coming to an end. It was still three days until 
 the show. He would much rather have the money now, 
 but since he had hinted so much repeatedly, and had been 
 put off every time, he would have to be content with the 
 promise, unstable as he began to think it. 
 
 She told him that she would not give it to him now for 
 fear he would spend it for something else, and that it 
 would be too bad for him to miss the show, since all the 
 boys were going and this was to be the last one. She 
 showed him the money, but said she would take care of 
 it until the time came. This reassured him somewhat, 
 and he looked forward, as only a boy knows how, to the 
 coming day the day of wonderful sights and heartfelt 
 delights to the hearts of youth. 
 
 It was now the sister s turn to smile, if such a thing 
 were possible in her frame of mind. She had overheard 
 Tommy say that he was working Sis for all there was in 
 it. It made her stamp her foot in anger to know that 
 she had not only been worsted, but that the little sly 
 antagonist had been laughing at her all the time. But she 
 had laid her plans ; she would have revenge, yes double 
 revenge. She would assume the same role that he had 
 been playing lately, that of innocence. She would act 
 toward him as before, promise him the money, then when 
 the time came she would see. He should not go if she 
 had to tie him hands and feet. Her promise would keep 
 him from trying to earn the money for himself. She had 
 talked to the rest of the family until she knew that his 
 appeal to them would be useless. And even if he should 
 get the means from some other source, there were more 
 ways than one to keep him at home. She knew that to 
 miss this great event would break the boy s heart and 
 spoil his enjoyment for days and -weeks to come, but that
 
 160 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 was exactly what she was waiting for. She wanted to 
 strike a blow where it would reach a vital point ; she 
 wanted to get even with him and at the . -ame time teach 
 him a lesson that he would not soon forget. 
 
 The evening before the day, which according to the 
 posters was to display all that this world contained that 
 was worth seeing in one great parade, and afterward 
 deposit them under one great tent for the closer inspec 
 tion of the lucky town, had arrived, and Tommy had 
 gone to bed, when the lateness of the hour compelled 
 even boys who were to see a circus on the next day to do 
 so, with a happy heart. 
 
 His sister had changed her plan of proceduie, and had 
 given him the money, and, after he had carried the good 
 news to the sharer of all his good fortune of the last few 
 days, he went to his room, and making sure for the 
 hundredth time that the money would be sufficient, and 
 that it was safe in his trouser s pocket, he went to bed, 
 but not before he had tried to lock the door. But his 
 sister had been before him in this little matter, and al 
 though the key was there the spring refused to perform 
 its accustomed part : and since there was not an article of 
 furniture in the room that could be moved against the 
 door, he had to content himself by resolving not to sleep 
 very soundly. He would not dare to do that any way, or 
 he might not get awake as early as he would like to ; for 
 how would a town ever be gotten in readiness in time 
 for a circus parade if the boys were not all up in time to 
 see to things? 
 
 But Tommy, in spite of his resolutions and the wonders 
 that were in store for him, was soon sound asleep, dream 
 ing no doubt that his father had bought him one of those 
 ponies that were running such wonderful races on the 
 side of every convenient shed for miles about town, or
 
 TOMMY S TRIALS. 161 
 
 even a pair of them, or his dreams might even have 
 transformed him into the proprietor of the whole wonder 
 ful exhibition. 
 
 But, alas, that our dreams should sometimes come to 
 an end. When Tommy awoke, just as the first faint 
 streaks of dawn were brightening the eastern horizon, 
 the show was still a thing of the future, no matter if it 
 was near. But there would only be a few more hours. 
 Yes, they would soon be here. Why they must be here 
 now. He could not mistake that sound of confusion ; 
 the sound of command and of hurrying to and fro, and 
 the many things that were necessary in the preparation 
 for so great an event. 
 
 The first sound that reached his ear had an electrifying 
 effect upon every fiber of his being, and he was out of 
 he d in what would be called quick time even for boys on 
 show days. He made a grab at the bedpost, where he 
 had hung his pantaloons, but there was nothing there. 
 He felt around on the floor, where they might have fallen. 
 They were not there. He struck a match. There on the 
 table lay the silver half-dollar that his sister had given 
 him but where were his trousers? Then an idea dawned 
 upon him that struck consternation to his heart! He 
 Hew to the closet where he kept the rest of his wardrobe. 
 The shelves and hooks were bare ; all his clothes had 
 been taken away while he was asleep ! He could not 
 even as much as leave his room, much less go on the 
 street or to the show. The door was open, but he was 
 as much a prisoner as he could possibly have been under 
 the combined strength of a do/.en locks and keys. He 
 knew that lie was caught, and he knew by whom. His 
 whole trouble had lain in the fear that she would not 
 give him the promised money, but he had expected 
 nothing of this kind.
 
 1 62 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 There lay the money to add to his distress. His father 
 and mother had been called from town the evening 
 before, and his sister s power over the rest of the family 
 was such that he knew his doom to be sealed. He must 
 stay in his room all day and hear the distant sound of 
 boys voices, the band, and many other things peculiar to 
 such days, and be shut off from every bit of it. Had 
 ever such punishment been meted out to a refractory lad ? 
 Had all the forces of retribution been at work to repay 
 him for his many boyish faults and mistakes, they could 
 have contrived no better plan. 
 
 He knew that to coax his sister would be useless, and 
 he understood her well enough to know that it \vould add 
 to her enjoyment of the situation, and that he was deter 
 mined not to do. So he went back to bed and pretended 
 to be sound asleep when his tormentress came up with his 
 breakfast. Everything was just as she had left them, but 
 he could not deceive her, so she said: " I am surprised at 
 your sleeping so long on show da}*." But she received 
 no answer. 
 
 Then she gave him a vigorous push. " Get up, or you 
 will be too late for the parade ! " At which he gave a 
 sleepy answer : 
 
 " I guess I run around too much yesterday ; anyhow I 
 am awful tired. I would rather sleep than to see six 
 shows all in one. My head aches. I bumped it yester 
 day. I know the noise would make it worse, so I guess I 
 will stay in bed." 
 
 In spite of his power to affect such submissive tones, 
 his heart was almost bursting with boyish indignation. 
 
 No sooner had his sister taken her leave than his chum 
 came in search of him. He had waited in vain about the 
 streets, and when he had inquired for him down-stairs, his 
 sister, thinking it would add to Tommy s punishment, 
 told him he could find his friend up-stairs in bed.
 
 TOMMY S TRIALS. 163 
 
 Tommy knew that his chum would sympathize with 
 him, but sympathy, like the half-dollar, would avail him 
 nothing as long as he had no clothes to put on. 
 
 " Never mind, Tom," said that young hopeful ; " I will 
 get you a pair of my pants." And without giving the 
 other a chance to reply, he was gone, and in what even 
 seemed a short time to the waiting boy, was back. His 
 \vardrobe was limited, but he had found a pair of pants 
 that he had outgrown (forgetting in his excitement that 
 he was the smaller of the two) and a coat of his much 
 larger brother, which articles he triumphantly held up 
 before his waiting friend. 
 
 After laboring for some time, Tommy succeeded in 
 forcing his chubby form into the small trousers, while 
 every stitch was making a separate threat to give way, 
 and it was at the utmost risk that he made a step. He 
 then slipped into the coat. This was much too large, but 
 he must put it on to hide his dirty shirt, for the clean 
 ones had gone in company with the rest of the clothes. 
 Even his shoes, ties, and hats were gone, and it began to 
 look as if another trip would be necessary. But he would 
 see first if he could find a hat and a pair of shoes in his 
 father s room. Even if they w T ere a little large, it would 
 not matter. He found the necessary articles, but the 
 shoes were twice the si/.e of his feet, and the hat also 
 told a plain story of borrowed plumage. 
 
 But what are small impediments to boys with a show 
 in view ? So the two slipped quietly down the stairs and 
 out on the street. 
 
 Poor Tommy ! The first sound that met his ears was, 
 " Where did you get that hat:*" He paid no heed to 
 this; but when they walked up to a crowd oi boys, he 
 all the time trying to act as if everything was all right 
 and his whole outfit had just been bought from the
 
 164 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 tailor on special order, one of the little fellows, over 
 whom the two had been lording it lately, remarked : 
 
 " Tom, if your head was as big as that hat, I would 
 think you had the swelled head, sure." 
 
 " If it wasn t for the tight fit of his pants," said another, 
 " I d think he had shrunk. A hard puff of wind would 
 blow all his other duds off." 
 
 But his exasperation did not get the best of him until 
 they began to march in a circle around him, squinting 
 first one eye at him and then the other. Then when they 
 lifted the flap of his coat to make a closer inspection, the 
 bump of antagonism developed into full size ; and his 
 right fist went out in a way that brought blood to one 
 small nose at once, and caused a sound as of ripping in 
 the seat of his pants. 
 
 But since his force was in the minority, the crowd soon 
 had them rolling in the dust, and when they finally made 
 their escape they looked much the worse for the warfare, 
 and Tommy had to return and enter his home with even 
 greater secrecy than he had left it ; and by the time he 
 reached his room every seam in his pants had parted 
 company and there was nothing left for him to do but to 
 go back to bed. 
 
 " Jim, you take the money and go anyway. Keep what 
 is left until I get my clothes again. If I would keep it 
 here, Sis might try to take it back but she would have 
 to fight pretty hard to get it; I would swallow it or throw 
 it down a rat-hole first ! " 
 
 So saying, he offered his precious half-dollar to his 
 friend, half hoping that he would refuse to take it and 
 offer to stay with him. But that was not in accordance 
 with boyish nature, and he took the money, saying : 
 
 " I will have to hurry or I will be too late for the 
 parade. But I won t spend any more of your money
 
 TOMMY S TRIALS. 165 
 
 than just enough to take me into the show." He said 
 this in a reassuring tone, which he intended should be a 
 great comfort to his friend. 
 
 But the poor boy was no sooner left alone when he 
 burst into a passion of weeping. Every bit of brightness 
 seemed to have gone out of his boyish life. 
 
 Hark ! he heard music. The show had begun its parade 
 of the streets. He listened a moment, then jumped up. 
 It might possibly come past their house, and he would 
 get to see that much after all. It was on their street, and 
 seemed to be coming nearer and nearer. He was almost 
 sure now that he would get to see it. There was only 
 one more cross street, and if they did not turn there 
 they would come past. He pressed his face against the 
 window, but lo, he could only see the glint of one of the 
 wagons now and then. They were turning the corner. 
 
 This was too great a punishment for even a boy who 
 deserved it, and his grief knew no bounds ; and he chaffed 
 and fretted all day as only a lad of his age knows how 
 when his dearest hopes have been frustrated. 
 
 The boy who was enjoying the sights at his expense 
 did not come near him again all day, nor did any one else 
 until toward evening, when the author of this day s woes 
 again made her appearance. 
 
 " I did not bring you any dinner, because if you had 
 the neadache bad enough to keep you in bed on circus 
 day, you would not want to be disturbed. I thought 
 you might possibly sleep it off, so you would be able to 
 go this evening. I saw you go out this morning, and 
 thought you were better ; but when yon came back so 
 soon, I knew that it was no common case of headache." 
 
 She % had seen Jim go slyly up the stairs with a bundle 
 under his arm, and thought he might possibly outwit her 
 yet; but when she saw him steal down stairs she only
 
 166 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. ^ 
 
 laughed at the grotesque figure he made, thinking, " He 
 will never reach the show-ground in that outfit." 
 
 He had hoped she did not see him, and when she 
 looked at him so tauntingly he dropped the role of in 
 valid, which he had assumed, and his pent-up anger found 
 vent in the next half hour s exchange of words. 
 
 " I would rather have the headache and stay away from 
 the show both, than to be a sour old maid like you, that 
 is just mad at everybody because she can t find a man." 
 
 "And I would rather live single all my life than to be 
 the mother of such a boy as you. I would never want it 
 on my conscience that I raised such a boy." 
 
 " Well, I would pity your little boys ! But it would not 
 be respectable for you to have any, and that is a blessing; 
 and you know that if you would do anything that is not 
 virtuous and proper the sisters of the church might call 
 on you. If I could get down town I would have the 
 policeman after you for stealing my clothes." 
 
 " The next time I catch you carrying news I will do 
 worse than steal your clothes. I will lock you up for a 
 month, and not even give you enough bread and water, 
 and thrash you within an inch of your life every day 
 besides." 
 
 " Thrash me ? I would like to see you do it ! You re 
 not able ! It would take a half-dozen girls like you. % I 
 guess it s because you are too young. But you treated 
 me so nice the last week, me and the boys were beginning 
 to think we would listen to everything you said, and post 
 bills or start a newspaper if it pleased you, so that you 
 would give us money to buy good things whenever we 
 wanted it, make us taffy, and even give us money to go 
 to the show." 
 
 This last remark proved that the boy was forgetting 
 himself in his excitement, and he would have given
 
 TOMMY S TRIALS. 167 
 
 much to be able to recall it when his sister said triumph 
 antly : 
 
 " \Vhy didn t you go to the show? Yes, I was good to 
 you ; but I guess I am even with you now. I got the 
 worth of my money today ; and if you ever carry any 
 more stories to Mrs. Grey, or to any one else, I will have 
 you sent to the reform farm. There s where you belong." 
 
 " I thought from the way that you three women started 
 out that morning that you was expecting to reform the 
 whole town and the whole world, so that there would be no 
 use for such places an} more ; but you had better stay at 
 home and reform your tempers and your tongues. It is 
 a wonder your tongues don t get tired and hang out like 
 a horse s when he has been doing too much and is tired. 
 Mebby it s because you are only doing your duty," and 
 he laughed heartily. 
 
 The disappointment of the day was fast wearing away 
 during this display of boyish sarcasm and spirit. He 
 knew that she felt the humiliation of that day keenly, 
 and he determined on making the best of it, and went on 
 mockingly: 
 
 " I hope the three between you were able to make 
 Mrs. Grey see the error of her ways, as you were laying 
 such plans to do, and that she may be influenced through 
 your timely admonition to turn back to the paths of virtue 
 and henceforth not even dare to set her cap for a good- 
 looking man that the rest of you are after." 
 
 She made a grab for him, but he only curled himself 
 closer into the farthest corner under his bed, where he 
 had taken refuge when she first came up. The bed was 
 too heavy to move and too low to crawl under, so he was 
 safe just out of reach of her itching palms. 
 
 " It must have been just game for your grievance com 
 mittee to be caught in the midst of your good work.
 
 1 68 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 Mebby it made you feel the error of your way. If I only 
 had seen it all I wouldn t care if I did miss the show to 
 day. It must have been just game." And he made such 
 demonstration of his rejoicing as was possible in his 
 cramped position. 
 
 " Say, Sis, if you tell me just exactly how you were 
 caught I will forgive you for hiding my pants, and never 
 play another trick on you in my life, anyhow not until 
 the next one, and pay you back the half dollar, and all 
 the rest of the money that you gave us boys, just as soon 
 as I can get dressed and get out to earn it. I ll cross my 
 heart that I will do it. Tell me, Sis, will you ? I know 
 it would be more interesting than Paradise Lost or 
 Robinson Crusoe." 
 
 But his sister knew that when Tommy got into one of 
 those sarcastic moods he was past being hurt by any of 
 her thrusts, and not feeling sure that she even now had 
 the best of him, she stole quietly out and left him talk 
 ing. The last thing she heard him say was, " Say, Sis, 
 mebby if you would send a petition to congress, or some 
 thing, they would make a law that would make it highly 
 proper for you to have children. Then you could teach 
 people how to bring them up in the way that they should 
 go. It might be a little hard on the kids, but you would 
 be doing a noble duty." 
 
 " If Sis thinks this will square things up," he said to 
 himself, after he had found out that he was alone, " she 
 will get an eye opener before she gets much older ; that 
 is, if she did get older, but she is younger now than she 
 was the first time that I heard her tell her age. I won 
 der what she thinks us boys go to school for and study 
 the multiplication table until we get dizzy headed, if it is 
 not to learn how to add up old maids ages and things. 
 If she had not tore the leaf out of the Bible that had her
 
 TOMMY S TRIALS. 169 
 
 age or I could tell exactly, but she will find out that 
 there are some worse things in the world than just for 
 boys to know how old she is. She don t know me very 
 well if she thinks that I would blab such a thing as that, 
 that is, if it would spoil her matrimonial chances, because 
 a boy would be foolish if he did anything that would 
 work straight against himself. 
 
 " I wonder if she did not think that she was doing 
 things up brown when she hid my pants so I could not 
 go to the show ? If I had only thought that she would 
 cut such a caper I would have sneaked my clothes into 
 the stable mow or kept them on in bed. Well, she did 
 hit me hard, that is sure. She could not have treated me 
 any worse, but I ll get even with her if I have to wait 
 till I m a man to do it. I won t wait that long though, 
 because she might give me the slip. 
 
 " Oh, I ll even things up about right, if I have to get all 
 the boys in town to help me. Before I get through with 
 the process she will wish old maids had never been born, 
 or else had a husband to take their spite out on. Oh no, 
 Sissy dear, we ll not smoke the pipe of peace yet awhile." 
 
 With this conclusive ejaculation he peeped out to make 
 sure of the absolute safety of such a venture, then hur 
 ried out from his retreat and back to bed.
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 STILL TRYING TO DECIDE THE QUESTION. 
 
 A LTHOUGH the object of it was all unconscious of 
 f\ it, the excitement in the Cloverdale Church was 
 still at fever heat. Should they leave her remain in the 
 church ? Should they allow their daughters to sing with 
 one whose voice led in holy worship on Sunday and dur 
 ing the week was engaged in luring unsuspecting victims 
 into the paths of wrong ? For she had often been heard 
 singing while that man was seen about the house. She 
 had been heard by different persons, and respectable 
 people, w 7 hose word could not be doubted. 
 
 It was evident that the three women, who had taken it 
 upon themselves to lighten the duties of the official board 
 and perchance keep those dignitaries out of temptation s 
 power, had not given the sisterhood the benefit of their 
 discover) . The fact of their visit leaked out, as such 
 things have a way of doing, in a way shrouded in mys 
 tery. But when they were plied with questions by the 
 daring or more privileged ones, they were very reticent 
 about the matter. Aside from the fact that there was a 
 man there, and that they had seen him, they could be 
 prevailed upon to say nothing ; but from their manner 
 and a certain air they assumed, \vhenever the subject was 
 introduced, it was plainly to be seen that everj thing was 
 not as it should be at the Grey cottage. 
 
 So they were all left to form their own conclusions, 
 and varied and numerous they were, according to the 
 thickness of the film that had formed over the narrow 
 windows of their souls. The each one resolved herself
 
 STILL TRYING TO DECIDE THE QUESTION. 171 
 
 into a committee of ways and means to find out all about 
 the woman under surveillance. 
 
 They began by watching her, not so much for the gen 
 eral good as for the satisfaction of their own individual 
 curiosity ; but they nevertheless compared notes and cast 
 their theories and surmises into the general stock of 
 evidence collected against her. 
 
 The man had been seen about the house at different 
 times for about ten days, and then he was seen no more. 
 Xo one had seen him -close enough to know him should 
 they see him again. Of course any one of them would 
 have felt highly scandali/ed to have been seen near the 
 house after that. If she would only stay away from 
 church the\- would not worry themselves about her buV 
 how to get her to do this, was the question. The unsat 
 isfactory conduct of the three who had gone to her house 
 to advise her had the effect of driving all such thoughts 
 as that from their minds. 
 
 Then when the weekly paper came out, announcing 
 that all the household goods of Mrs. Mary Grey would 
 be sold by the town crier on a certain day, their endur 
 ance had reached its utmost limit. Why should they be 
 kept in such suspense ? What was she going to do now ? 
 each one inquired of the other ; but no one seemed to be 
 enlightened on the subject. 
 
 Mrs. Ferris was seen going and coining from the cot 
 tage, but no one would ever think of asking her any 
 questions ; not but what she was pleasant and kind, but 
 there was an air about her which forbade any approach 
 to familiarity. They knew that Mrs. Grey was giving 
 the daughter lessons, but they marveled greatly at the 
 friendly intercourse between the two women, and only 
 attributed it to Mrs. Ferris ignorance of the facts in the 
 case. Hut the same feeling that kept them from ({ties-
 
 172 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 tioning also checked any desire they might otherwise 
 have entertained. 
 
 Could it be possible that the man had honorable inten 
 tions toward Tier and was going to marry her ? She may, 
 after all, only have been hunting rooms for a blind. If they 
 were going to marry, they did not wonder that she pre 
 ferred to follow him (which they had not the slightest 
 doubt she would do) and marry among strangers, rather 
 than to commit such an outrage to the dead pastor and 
 society right in their midst. 
 
 Or worse still horror of horrors ! could she be going 
 to follow him to lead such a life as would even cast a 
 reflection upon their judgment, if not upon their charac 
 ters, for ever having trusted her? Xo wonder there 
 was such an air of secrecy about her ! Xo wonder she 
 would not brave their righteous indignation ! 
 
 Luckily the sale would soon be here. That might give 
 them an opportunity to make some discoveries if they 
 watched and listened closely ; which they did, when the 
 time came, and in such a way that some of them may 
 even have lost a bargain by not attending strictly to their 
 bidding. 
 
 The sale went on. She sold everything, even such 
 things as they would think any true wife would have 
 kept in remembrance of her dead husband. But what 
 did she care ! She did not want anything that would 
 remind her of him. Her conscience would be clearer if 
 she could forget him entirely and she would do that, 
 too, sooner than any of them could if any of their hus 
 band s died. But it was wrong to compare such women 
 as her to themselves. She could not be expected to feel 
 like they did. 
 
 In spite of sacrificed bargains and the utmost watch 
 fulness on their part, the sale came to an end without the 
 vigilants being any the wiser.
 
 STILL TRYING TO DECIDE THE QUESTION. I 73 
 
 It had not been generally known that Mrs. Ferris 
 brother and his wife had come from the city, but one or 
 two of the company had seen them drive away from Mrs. 
 Grey s gate in the Ferris carriage, and knew they must 
 have been here two weeks, at least. Mrs. Ferris had 
 been cleaning house ; that was the reason the} had not 
 seen more of them. They had been at the sale from the 
 very beginning, and either Mr. Alton, his wife, or sister 
 had kept at Mrs. Grey s side during the w r hole time. 
 And when the last article had been sold, the gentleman 
 stepped to the edge of the porch and said, in a tone that 
 a few in the company had heard on a previous occasion : 
 " It would greatly oblige Mrs. Grey if you would remove 
 your purchases at once, as the lady wishes to secure the 
 house and gates before she leaves, and it is growing late." 
 
 The tone of dismissal could not well be misunderstood, 
 and the transfer was in active service for a time. Some 
 of them left carrying the small articles of furniture that 
 they had bought with them, and in a remarkably short 
 time the cottage and yard was cleared ; but not without 
 many hurried whispers and mysterious shakes of the 
 head that meant well, what might they not have meant .* 
 They certainly were suggestive of much. 
 
 " Well," said one, " Mrs. Grey may not be as black as 
 she is painted, but it always looks suspicious to me when 
 the men are all ready to stand up for a woman. They 
 are not such angels that they will do such things without 
 some return. It is always a bad sign for a woman to 
 stand in too great favor with them." 
 
 " It seems to serve Mrs. Grey a good purpose," said 
 Mrs. Dixon, with a meaning look at Miss Green. Those 
 two, with Mrs. Jones, could not have been prevailed upon 
 to stay away from the sale ; so they had come, trying to 
 avoid being seen by keeping at a respectable but what
 
 174 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 proved to them an uncomfortable distance from Mrs. Grey 
 and her friends. We all know that their position could 
 not have been an enviable one. Who has not, some 
 time during their life, had a similar experience, and tried 
 to avoid being seen if for no other reason than to avoid 
 being seen ; and know how futile is the attempt to keep 
 in a comfortable frame of mind, no matter what persuasive 
 powers we try upon ourselves ? 
 
 " And she takes it, too, as if it was no more than her 
 due that the men should all assume an air of protection 
 toward her." 
 
 " Air of protection ! " said Miss Green, with a contempt 
 uous sniff. " Air of protection ! I call that an air of 
 proprietorship ! I would think that even he would have 
 had the common decency to hide that air before a crowd 
 of respectable people. I would have preferred doing my 
 own talking and giving of orders ; but a widow is never 
 satisfied unless she is receiving the marked attention of 
 some fool man." 
 
 " Yes," said Mrs. Dixon ; " it is a pity that some women 
 receive their lordly attention, when there are others that 
 would be thankful for ever so little." 
 
 " Well, I am very glad that I am able to take care of 
 myself," said Miss Green, hotly. " I would rather be able 
 to do that than to have the best man living, and, as far 
 as I am able to judge, none of you have been able to 
 secure him." 
 
 Mrs. Dixon had told her husband some much plainer 
 facts many times herself, and she knew that Miss Green 
 was thinking of an altercation that she had overheard 
 between them when they did not know that she or any 
 one else was near ; but she only said, with one of her 
 tantalizing looks : 
 
 " I am glad for you that you are able to row your own
 
 STILL TRYING TO DECIDE THE QUESTION. 175 
 
 boat, and it is one thing that you have to be thankful for. 
 If it does run woefully to one side sometimes, it is 
 something to be grateful for that you can keep it sailing 
 without any help, since no one feels equal to handling 
 the other oar. The best man living ?" she went on. 
 "That may mean much or little, according to the way he 
 is handled. For even the best is not a saint, or we could 
 not hope to keep him, for he would not be doomed to 
 remain long on earth. I know that the best husband in 
 the world does not mean a perfect being that it is in our 
 power to secure and hold, but it means a constant effort 
 on the part of the wife. It means a cheerful face, a tidy 
 house, ready meals, and a wonderful skill at hiding any 
 effort that it may cost, on her part, to keep everything in 
 accordance with his tastes. But since we can only win 
 and hold a man s affections and appreciation by minis 
 tering to the needs of the inner man according to the 
 dictates of his palate, the outer according to the nicety 
 of his tastes, and gratifying his vanity by affecting a 
 cheerful air of homage, we might as well submit our 
 selves to the inevitable and make the best of life. And 
 it is to our loss, if not discredit, if more of us do not 
 have the best man in the world. And after all, we 
 could in no better way do credit to our alleged cunning 
 than by securing for ourselves the best and most desira 
 ble of all this world holds in store for those only who are 
 wise enough to lay hold of their rightful inheritance. 
 So you see, Miss Green, according to the best reasoning 
 that I am capable of, it will be in your power to make 
 the coming man comfortable and self-satisfied, and he in 
 turn will repay yon by being the best husband in the 
 world, and I can t see why you should not be happy when 
 he once makes his appearance." 
 
 "That is a wonderful speech that you have just deliv-
 
 176 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 ered yourself of. If I understood short-hand I would 
 have taken it down, and we all hope that it may accom 
 plish that for which it was sent. It certainly could not 
 fail to do so." 
 
 "A word to the wise is sufficient," said Mrs. Dixon 
 sweetly. 
 
 " Especially when it comes from the wise," said Miss 
 Green, sarcastically. 
 
 " Well, I think we had better all show our wisdom by 
 leaving, since we have been invited by the authoritative 
 power to do so. 
 
 "Well I for one am not going to leave, or not go out 
 of sight at least, until I see where she goes," said Miss 
 Green, crossing the street and entering the house of her 
 friend, where she took up her watch behind the lace 
 curtain at the front window where she could see, herself, 
 unseen. 
 
 While the above conversation was taking place, Mrs. 
 Jones was in another part of the yard, regaling a privil- 
 edged few with the knowledge that her superior insight 
 into human nature gave her, regarding not only Mrs. 
 Grey s conduct from the time that she and her husbind 
 had come so full of hope among them, down to the pres 
 ent moment, but also her unalterable future and doom, 
 should she not learn wisdom and confide in some one 
 older and more experienced than herself and ask for 
 guidance. For aught she knew she might even now 
 regain the respect and confidence of the sisterhood, at 
 least if she would only select some suitable person a 
 suitable person, mind and explain x to her her conduct, 
 and get her to make a satisfactory explanation to the 
 rest ot the justly dissatisfied members of the church, 
 she knew that she, with her willingness to make the 
 best of everything and tact to hide what should not be
 
 STILL TRYING TO DECIDE THE QUESTION. 177 
 
 known, could prove of invaluable service to her. She 
 could have been a great help from the very start, when 
 she first came a stranger among them. But instead of 
 making a wise choice from among the older ladies of the 
 church, she had acted from the beginning as if she not 
 only expected to take the town, but intended to do it 
 alone. But she never did see a young person that was 
 too conceited to respect the friendship and advice of 
 well-meaning older people come to a good end. Why, 
 the very fact that she ignored their well-meant overtures 
 was plain enough proof to her that there was something 
 about her that she knew would not do to disclose to peo 
 ple of their high moral standard. Where such secrecy 
 was necessary all could not be right. 
 
 "Do not ask me about that call that those two ladies 
 and myself were led through the goodness of our hearts 
 and the interests of the church to make. Had I known 
 before what I do now, all my interest in poor erring 
 humanity could not have induced me to neglect my home 
 duties and sacrifice my own peace of mind as I did. 
 Here, again, had she confided in me beforehand, I could 
 have made an explanation that might have satisfied the 
 minds of some, and she might have escaped having the 
 church to appoint some one to watch her conduct. It is 
 every person s duty to avoid making trouble for others, 
 even if they don t mind risking their own standing in 
 the opinion of those who can hold themselves blameless 
 before the world. I don t suppose that a soul, unless it 
 is those Ferris people ( and they are too mole-eyed to be 
 any judges in such or any other matters), know a thing 
 about what she intends to do. Xo\v, had she acted as 
 she should, and told me some one I might have been 
 able to get people to take a quite different view of it by 
 saving: What if she did intend to marrv again? If her
 
 178 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 friends and those whose advice she had asked could see 
 nothing against it, I didn t see why others that had not 
 been called upon need bother themselves about the mat 
 ter, even if the parson had not been dead six months ; 
 and that if he was as good as he pretended to be, he 
 would rather see her married to some man as would 
 support her, than to see her struggle for her own living ; 
 and that I did not blame her for wanting to move away 
 from a place where everybody was trying to pry into her 
 business. But as it is she will leave this town under 
 a shadow a shadow, I am afraid, that will iollow her 
 wherever she goes." 
 
 Mrs. Jones had talked in such confident tones about 
 Mrs. Grey s marriage and removal from the town that her 
 hearers marveled at her power to foretell, since she her 
 self acknowledged that Mrs. Grey had made the great 
 mistake of not confiding in her. But since this was by no 
 means the first evidence of her foresight, they accepted 
 the points in the case as conclusive, only wondering where 
 the man came from, and, if he married her at all, where 
 he would take her to, and how she had contrived to catch 
 him so soon, even if a widow s cap was a trap from which 
 escape was next to impossible. 
 
 Mrs. Jones had no doubt that Mrs. Grey would leave 
 town. What else would she do? She was leaving her 
 cottage, and she had taken care to find out that she had 
 not succeeded in finding rooms. Neither had she any 
 doubts that she would, at some future time, marry again. 
 Hence her air of assurance. If she only married in a 
 year or two, her guarded remarks might even be made to 
 extend over that length of time, and her superior wisdom 
 might still go unquestioned as before. 
 
 Miss Green waited until she saw the transfer deposit 
 Mrs. Grey s belongings at the home of Mrs. Ferris, and
 
 STILL TRYING TO DECIDK THK OUKSTION. 179 
 
 saw the four people follow in the wagon s wake and enter 
 the house together. 
 
 " I might have known that she would go there, if she 
 received the least encouragement. If a man once shows 
 the least attention to a widow, she is worse to get rid of 
 than a life-long habit. I might have known that she 
 would contrive to be invited to a place where there is a 
 handsome young man. What matters it to her whether 
 he is married or single, as long as he is willing to play 
 the gallant to her? If Mrs. Ferris had any eyes in her 
 head she could see that there is something wrong between 
 the two or if there isn t now, there is sure to be soon. 
 I wish I could arouse the suspicions of that young \vife. 
 That would be the best way to get the spiteful thing into 
 hot water and pa} her back for all her airs. And I will 
 do it, too, that is, if she stays there any length of time, 
 for her stay, after all, may only be temporary. I wish I 
 knew. I did not learn much by watching, because I 
 might have known that she would go there tonight. It 
 is hard to find out anything about such sly characters : 
 but if we don t catch her in something, or pretend we 
 caught her, which will amount to the same, she will stay 
 here and have the best time of us all. There are enough 
 young minxes here to turn up their noses at a sensible 
 woman who prefers to live a single life, without a widow 
 to encourage and help them along. Hut I think I will 
 be able to make her feel that some other town would be 
 a more suitable locality for her wiles." 
 
 In this highly exalted frame of mind Miss Green 
 reached her home, more determined than ever to have 
 revenge. 
 
 vSuch a problem had not been presented to the minds 
 of the Cloverdale people for some time. Would even the 
 united efforts of the sisterhood be able to bring it to a
 
 l8o HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 satisfactory solution ? They were at work upon it, indi 
 vidually and collectively. If it were not that Mrs. Grey 
 was just the woman she is, they could not be induced to 
 trouble themselves about her ; they would let her go to 
 the bad if she wanted to. But if she wanted to stay in 
 their town and hold the position of their dead pastor s 
 widow, her conduct must not only be above suspicion, 
 but open, so that her actions could be understood ; they 
 would never tolerate an enigma in their midst. Upon 
 this point they were firmly decided. It was not in accord 
 ance with the high moral standard of the town. 
 
 The discoveries of the next few days were varied, but 
 mostly unsatisfactory. They were made known at the 
 next meeting of the sewing circle. It was now generally 
 known that Mrs. Grey was making her home with Mrs. 
 Ferris ; but how, would they still regard her as a friend, 
 or would she be there in the capacity of an upper servant? 
 They sincerely hoped the latter was the case. It would 
 be such a good lesson to her pride to be obliged to content 
 herself with making eyes at the milkman and vegetable 
 peddler and curtain hanger. Would she be able to go on 
 with her music? Would her hands not become too stiff? 
 and besides, would people care to have their daughters 
 take any kind of lessons from a woman who did kitchen 
 work the rest of the day ? They would not call on her, 
 that was sure ; the}- might be directed to the side entrance 
 if they did. Well, they were glad she was going to stay 
 in town, if that was what she was going to do. They 
 would have an opportunity to get even. They would 
 show her plainly that a servant was not good enough to 
 be noticed by them, if she was a minister s widow. 
 
 " You talk," said Mrs. Dixon, " as if you had Mrs. Grey 
 in the basement, and had the key in your own hand, with 
 the power to turn the lock upon her ; but if my eyes
 
 STILL TRYING TO DECIDE THE QUESTION. l8l 
 
 (which are usually good) serve me right, that great 
 pleasure will be denied you, for, depend upon it, she will 
 reign supreme, not only in the parlor but in the hearts of 
 her admirers. I saw them together several times, and 
 they acted as if she was the sun around which the rest of 
 humanity revolves. And she not only goes out in the 
 Ferris carriage, but I even saw her in Colonel Wilkins 
 turnout. vSo you see the milk and vegetable men will 
 have to look elsewhere for smiles." 
 
 " Yes," said Mrs. Jones, who had been reserving her 
 knowledge for one great effort ; " Mr. Alton told my hus 
 band (you know he comes here every fall, and the two 
 men are quite well acquainted ) that Mrs. Grey was to 
 have a home with his sister as long as she cared to, and 
 that the time could not be too long to suit any of them, 
 and that she was to be regarded by all of them as a sister 
 or very dear friend. He said that she was to keep her 
 pupils, so as to be able to lay up something for herself, 
 since she seemed to think that so necessary." 
 
 As far as her riding in the Wilkins carriage was con 
 cerned, there was nothing strange about that. She was 
 going to give lessons to his two sons. That was nothing 
 new to her. Why, she was at Mrs. Grey s when she 
 wrote the letter of application, and that was several 
 weeks ago. Why, she went to the office with her when 
 she posted it ; but she always was able to keep things 
 until the proper time came for them to be told. 
 
 " But I still have grave fears for vSister Grey. I am 
 afraid all is not as it should be. I still have serious 
 doubts whether her influence in our church will be ele 
 vating to our young people. If she would only open up 
 her heart to one of us older, more experienced women, 
 we might even now be able to help her." 
 
 " But what has become of the man that was seen about
 
 1 82 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 her house ? I thought he might possibly be going to take 
 her away," said a listener. 
 
 " I will tell you," said Miss Green, " why the man that 
 was seen by so many reliable people at her house, and at 
 all hours, does not take her unto himself. It is because 
 he is not free to do so, since he is a married man, and is 
 none other than Mr. Alton himself! I have concealed the 
 truth as long as I intend to, and will do so no longer." 
 
 At this the voices of the whole company arose : " Do 
 tell ! What is this world coming to ? If this world is 
 growing wiser or not, it is certainly growing more sinful 
 and weaker ! His wife ought to be told ! Mrs. Ferris 
 ought to know it ! " 
 
 " It would do no good to go to an}" of them with it. 
 They would not thank you for your pains," said Miss 
 Green, sneeringly. 
 
 This was rather a bold stroke on the part of Miss 
 Green, but she knew that Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Dixon 
 would not correct the mistake that the women were led 
 to make, as they would necessarily be obliged to tell 
 more than they cared to have known. So she only gave 
 them a look which said plainer than words, " Tell the 
 rest if you care to it will make you objects of ridicule 
 as well as myself." 
 
 As Miss Green supposed, there was no danger. They 
 \vould rather give to their tender consciences what might 
 prove their death-blow than to lay themselves open to 
 ridicule. And after all, Miss Green had told nothing but 
 the truth, even though she had not told it all : that was 
 no fault of theirs. 
 
 " Well," said another, who was beginning to feel that 
 she was falling behind in general knowledge, " I have 
 seen some things myself, although I have never said 
 anything. I never did believe in talking too quick."
 
 STILL TRYING TO DECIDE THE QUESTION. 183 
 
 " I have never told more myself than what I felt to 
 be my Christian duty. I never interfere with any one 
 only as duty calls me. But the supreme question is, 
 shall we allow this woman to go on in our midst ? The 
 question for us to decide is, would it prove a detriment 
 to the church or would it not ? The only proper way for 
 us to do is to consult together as sensible women, and 
 then act as seems best ; and if we should feel called upon 
 to pass severe sentence upon the erring sister, we should 
 do it in a Christian spirit." 
 
 The sister who had had her duty so plainly mapped 
 out to her, and who had felt the reproof, could no longer 
 refrain from adding her evidence, especially when a dozen 
 pair of eyes were turned upon her in a questioning way. 
 
 She began to feel that all she knew would hardly have 
 the power to send any one to the state s prison, but de 
 termined to make the best of it. So she began.: " Well, 
 they meet a little too often for me to think that it is acci 
 dental. Why, just the other day I was going toward the 
 post-office. Before I got near I saw her go in. She was 
 no sooner in than he came from another direction and 
 followed her. And that same afternoon, as I was coming 
 along on their street on the other side, I saw them meet 
 again at the gate. Some might call such things chance, 
 but I am certain that they are just the kind of chances 
 that she is looking for." 
 
 This had the effect of calling out several others. One 
 thought she had seen them turn the corner of their street 
 together. She had gone to the window, but was too late 
 to get a good view of them, but she did not believe that 
 it was his wife that was with him. Another was certain 
 that she never took her eyes off him while she was sing 
 ing the Sunday before. 
 
 " The only pity," said Mrs. Dixon, " is that since the
 
 1 84 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 widow is not to be gotten rid of, and there is no law to 
 keep her from using her eyes as she pleases, that those 
 who have been, less favored by Dame Nature haven t a 
 right to spoil their beauty by throwing cayenne pepper 
 or vitriol into them. I think the old Dame need not 
 have been so partial in her distribution of charms," (with 
 a side glance at Miss Green). 
 
 " I think a dose of some kind on your tongue might 
 not prove amiss," said that young lady, with as little 
 show of temper as possible. " I am not good looking, 
 but I am aware of it, and I have seen some that were no 
 beauties and did not even have sense enough to know it. 
 But perhaps it was yourself that you meant would like 
 to throw the vitriol." 
 
 " If I did, it would be for your sake, my dear. I may 
 suffer some by the contrast, but aside from that I have 
 nothing <to gain or lose by her beauty, since my facial 
 defects did not prove objectionable to the good Mr. 
 Dixon." 
 
 " Since there is no law in this country against staying 
 single, you need not allow your interest in me to lead 
 you into running any risks." 
 
 " Well, that would be a show of wisdom on the law 
 makers part, to attempt to deal with a case that a woman 
 like you has been trying to manage for well, a few short 
 years at least. That would be trying a woman a little 
 too hard to punish her for what she is trying her utmost 
 to overcome. With all their powers of oppression men 
 will never bring the law to that."
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 MRS. T, RICV S FIRST VISIT TO THE COUNTRY. 
 
 OX Tuesday morning at an early hour, the Wilkins 
 carriage was at the gate, waiting to take Mrs. Grey 
 out to make her acquaintance with the country adjoining 
 Cloverdale, and to give her first lesson in that home 
 which was to be such an important feature in her after 
 life. The two boys had been sent for her. They were 
 handsome lads, John aged fifteen, William, seventeen, 
 lads in whom the consciousness of approaching manhood 
 was carried with a quiet dignity, rather than in a self- 
 asserting way. They had been sent for their teacher to 
 give them an opportunity to overcome any shyness that 
 they might feel in her presence. 
 
 They stood before her with an air in which modesty 
 and deference were blended, an air that was the reflection 
 of a regard, such as only a noble spirit can hold. They 
 had been living in an atmosphere in which an unworthy 
 sentiment, unless a very stubborn weed, would hardly 
 have room to exist. This was due not only to a father s 
 life and training, but to a mother s influence an influence 
 which was as a living presence about them, although 
 their recollections of that gentle parent were faint. She 
 had been dead for twelve years. They had only a 
 dreamy remembrance of a sweet, patient face bending 
 over them, and of a bosom upon which their baby sor 
 rows were soothed. But that would have been all ; and 
 even that might have faded from their youthful minds 
 had not their father ever kept her image before them in 
 such a way as could not fail to leave its impression there. 
 
 Xothing had so far hindered him from taking them 
 
 12 (l8 5 )
 
 1 86 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 once a week to the place which was so sacred to him, a 
 quiet place in the village church-yard where lay all that 
 was once his honored wife and the mother of his boys. 
 Here he would bring them to talk to them of her. This, 
 together with his own manner, implanted in their hearts 
 a deep-rooted respect for her memory that would be a 
 guiding star through life, and would ever be reflected in 
 their bearing toward others. 
 
 " My sons," he would say while standing with them 
 beside that silent grave, " whenever you are about to 
 forget yourself in the presence of a lady, remember your 
 mother, and even though you may meet some who are 
 not worthy of the regard that she w r as, never treat any in 
 a way that would grieve her heart." 
 
 This training, which was after all only the outcome of 
 the ruling sentiment in his own life, that of a deep re 
 gard for all womankind, soon manifested itself in the 
 boys treatment of their little girl playmates. They 
 knew that if they had a little sister they would have to 
 act about right toward her, as they expressed it, and, un 
 like many of their associates, acted accordingly. 
 
 Mrs. Grey could not fail to appreciate their manner to 
 ward her, not but what this was her native element, but 
 if you want not only the act, but alike the motive appre 
 ciated, show a kindness toward a worthy object. 
 
 After the two boys stood by hats in hand until their 
 future teacher had time to enter the carriage and take 
 the back seat, they seated themselves before, and soon 
 the horses, which were a little restive in spite of their 
 accumulated flesh, were speeding along. The road over 
 which they passed was almost level, but to the right 
 there was a downward slope which led to the river. This 
 was so far from the highway that only here and there the 
 water could be seen glittering through the trees and
 
 MRS. GREY S FIRST VISIT TO THE COUNTRY. 187 
 
 shrubbery, which had just changed their robes of sober 
 green for the gayer tints of autumn. The equinoxial 
 winds were trying vainly to rob them of their variegated 
 splendor, but they, like so many well trained matrons, 
 bowed and courtesied at the storm king s lavish atten 
 tion, but clung tenaciously to their beautiful colored ap 
 parel, which could not have failed to please the heart of 
 madam tree. 
 
 Nature had indeed been unstinted in its distribution of 
 hues and shades, and the oak, maple and butternuts were 
 resplendent in all their glory, while here and there a 
 giant sycamore lifted up its ghost -like trunk, which 
 seemed a fit parent to the leaves which even the smiles 
 of Indian summer could not coax into a rosier hue. 
 
 Across the river the slope was not so gradual after it 
 had extended a half mile from the lowest point, but rose 
 in such an abrupt manner that the eye could reach across 
 the tops of waving trees and see green fields beyond, and 
 still farther on another stretch of many-colored timber 
 land. On a slight prominence the eye could extend over 
 a wide area of country, over which were spread the fields 
 upon which could be seen not only the fruits of this 
 year s labor, cut and neatly shocked, but a fair outlook 
 for next year s crop. And these were interspersed by 
 groups of gay sentinels of the forest. 
 
 Mary Grey not only drank in great draughts of pure 
 morning air but every foot of the beautiful scenery. 
 Nestled among the trees was a mill. This was almost 
 concealed from the eyes of the passer-by, but it had been 
 built so far from the water s edge that in order to supply 
 the wheel with the necessary water to turn it, an artificial 
 lake had been formed by forcing the water from the river 
 into a basin. This was plainly visible. Upon its surface 
 a drove of swan-necked geese were sailing along in all
 
 1 88 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 their majestic pride, while a flock of more active Pekin 
 ducks were manifesting not only their industrious habits 
 but alike their love for their natural element by diving 
 here and there beneath its surface (upon \vhich the sun 
 was shining so brightly as to almost dazzle the eyes of 
 the beholder), and then raise their graceful necks in such 
 a way as to cause the \vater to flow down over their 
 glossy backs, raise themselves only to immediately go 
 under again. 
 
 The boys slackened the speed of the horses so as to 
 give Mrs. Grey ample time to enjoy the scene. A little 
 distance from here the river, in its serpentine course, 
 flowed quite near the road, as if to coquette with the 
 passers-by, and then off and away to the north even far 
 ther than before. 
 
 After passing all the scenery that could possibly be 
 crowded into three miles of country road anywhere, they 
 arrived at their destination. This was much too soon to 
 suit one of the occupants of the carriage, at least. The 
 rarity of such a pleasure, added to her natural love of the 
 country (or a place where nature has room and oppor 
 tunity to exhibit the products of her wonderful genius), 
 gave her a pleasure whose keenness is seldom afforded to 
 a more worldly mind. But the drive was over, and she 
 almost sighed as the carriage stopped at a large iron gate. 
 Her attention, however, was soon fixed upon the grounds 
 that they were entering. The gate opened into a grav 
 eled drive, which wound its crooked course around one 
 side of the house, and then down the slope to the stables 
 beyond. The house was a large gray stone structure, 
 with white stone steps leading to a small verandah. The 
 windows were high and small, which plainly showed that 
 the house had never been modernized ; which only served 
 to lend to the house an added charm in the eyes of this 
 anything but modern little ladv.
 
 MRS. GREY S FIRST VISIT TO THE COUNTRY. 189 
 
 The younger of the two boys assisted her in alighting 
 from the carriage, and then conducted her along a short 
 footpath and up the stone steps to the door, which 
 opened into a spacious hall. There they were met by 
 " Aunt Minnie," as the boys were wont to call her, one 
 who could not long be spared by either of the boys. 
 Thus relieved of his charge, the sunny-faced boy went to 
 help his older and graver brother to put away the horses, 
 which had lost much of their superfluous life and spirits 
 and were glad to get back to the stable. 
 
 " I like her," said impulsive John, "and know that I 
 will learn more from her than I did from that cross old 
 Herr Professor, who always had his pencil ready to rap 
 us across the knuckles." 
 
 " She seems very nice and 1 have no doubt that I shall 
 like her very well, but my learning will depend more 
 upon her playing and skill as a teacher," said the older 
 brother. 
 
 They found her trying the piano when they entered the 
 parlor, but she soon announced herself as ready for the 
 lessons. Before the two hours were over, although not 
 quite so enthusiastic, Will was as certain as Johnny that 
 their father had been fortunate in securing Mrs. Grey. 
 
 After dinner, a meal which consisted of such things as 
 a country gentleman knows how to produce on a well- 
 tilled farm, Mr. YVilkins said, with an affectionate look at 
 his baby son : 
 
 " Johnny, if Mrs. Grey does not object to a little walk, 
 you might take her down into the ravine; and then, if 
 she cares to go further, you can take her on down to the 
 river. Most people seem to think the ravine worth see 
 ing, and if you are sure-footed and do not object to a 
 little careful climbing, you do not need to walk so far to 
 reach the bottom," he said, turning to Mrs. Grey.
 
 1 90 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 " I shall be delighted to go," was her grateful answer, 
 " and am neither afraid of walking or climbing." And 
 soon she with her sturdy champion were on their way ; 
 but not before she heard Mr. Wilkins caution the little 
 guide to be very careful of his charge, and not to keep 
 her out until she became too tired, but to turn back when 
 she began to show signs of fatigue. She was not long in 
 discovering that this advice had hardly been necessary, 
 for although he possessed the untiring feet of a boy of 
 that age, he was far from judging her power of endurance 
 by his own, but instead was considerate far beyond his 
 years. 
 
 The ravine, as they called it, was on the west side of 
 the house ; but the word was somewhat of a misnomer, 
 for it was one of nature s excavations in the level earth, 
 and began with a perpendicular wall about fifty feet deep 
 and was at this end one hundred feet across. The end 
 and the sides for two hundred feet were overhung with 
 shelving rocks, over which the water trickled here and 
 there in musical little streams. Wherever the water did 
 not reach, and vegetation could possibly gain a foothold, 
 ferns and lichen clung to the rocks in luxuriant profusion. 
 The bottom near the walls was covered with loose, moss- 
 grown rocks, but in the center the earth was covered 
 with turf and a variety of mosses, with here and there a 
 shrub, and a few stunted trees, whose tops reached just 
 above the level of the earth above and seemed to be wav 
 ing their arms for help, to interest some one in their be 
 half to help raise them from their low estate, so that they 
 might be enabled to hold up their heads among their 
 sister trees. But some of them had grown old in their 
 vain attempt to extricate themselves from the depths in 
 which they had lived, and, from the decayed condition 
 of their trunks, it was plainly to be seen that old Father
 
 MRS. GREY S FIRST VISIT TO THE COUNTRY. 191 
 
 Time was swiftly preparing them for not a higher station, 
 but for that change which writes " finis " over many a 
 higher aim and nobler ambition than was ever enter 
 tained in tree life. The depth of the ravine grew less as 
 the earth above sloped gently to the river, which flowed 
 about a quarter of a mile to the north of the house, and 
 before it reached that point the whole slope came down 
 to the level of the bottom of the ravine. 
 
 The two pleasure seekers went down the hill to where 
 the weeds and underbrush began to grow along the sides 
 of the steep descent. Here Mary Grey expressed herself 
 as ready to climb down. Her companion would have 
 taken her to an easier if not a safer place, but was none 
 the less pleased when she said : " Oh, no ; I like to do 
 things in which I must exert myself to the utmost, and 
 you know that climbing must be a little dangerous to be 
 interesting." 
 
 The little fellow walked ahead, only now and then 
 turning to help his companion over some particularly 
 steep place or loose rock. Kven this would have been 
 unnecessary had he known how sturdy and adapted to 
 climbing she was. His hand was offered in such a con 
 fident way that she accepted it more as an appreciation 
 of his manliness. She could see that his dignity was not 
 assumed, but innate; and as such it was the manifestation 
 of the spirit that was inspired in his heart by his father s 
 words: "My sons, when you are about to lorget your 
 selves in your conduct toward a lady, remember your 
 mother." This would not only have the effect to make 
 him curb his boisterous nature when in their presence 
 while a boy, but would make him kind and attentive to 
 the sex to which his mother belonged during his whole 
 after life. That this was not one of the tits of attentive- 
 ness to which all boys are subject those spasmodic
 
 192 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 attacks which are so soon superseded by one of total ab 
 straction and indifference was evident to his companion, 
 and she thought: " He must not only be endowed with 
 a noble nature, but must have been reared in an air of 
 thoughtfulness and affection." 
 
 When they had reached terra firma, they went back to 
 the southern terminus of the w T rinkle which nature in 
 one of its savage moods had indented upon the visage of 
 old Mother Earth, and stood for some time watching the 
 water trickle down the sides, over the loosely hanging 
 rocks. Those minute streams all collected into a pool 
 against the southern wall, and this \vith the earth, that 
 was blue in some sections and chalky white in others, 
 and crumbled out from under the shelves of rocks, formed 
 a bed of ooze the consistency of mortar. 
 
 The rocks here were very slippery and necessitated the 
 greatest caution in approaching the slough ; but they 
 were repaid by any risk that they might have run, for 
 just as they were dra \ving near a mass of loose earth and 
 small stones came crumbling down the blue side and fell 
 into the yielding mass. The boy took a stick and began 
 to turn over the stones, when an exclamation of delight 
 fell from his lips. He stooped and picked out a round 
 form about the size of a shelled walnut, and wiped off 
 the slime and dirt with such grass and leaves as he could 
 reach from where he stood. 
 
 " I have been hunting for trilobites all summer," he 
 said, "but this is the first time that I have been lucky 
 enough to find one." 
 
 Thus encouraged, he began to look further, but there 
 were no mo^ to be found ; so he had to be content with 
 one of those little creatures, which only the ravages of 
 time succeed in bringing from their sepulchre, where 
 they have lain for countless ages undisturbed. But after
 
 MRS. GREY S FIRST VISIT TO THK COUNTRY. 193 
 
 the vast lapse of time they are brought forth with a 
 power of resistance such as they never* enjoyed during 
 their lives. Thus God has preserved the records (to be 
 discovered in his own good time ) of the innumerable rev 
 olutions that this earth of ours has undergone records 
 that are intelligible to those who seek after truth. 
 
 After the two had made sure that there was nothing 
 more of interest to be found at this point, they made 
 their way slowly toward the river, stopping here and 
 there to pluck a fern or gather a bit of the moss, which 
 was not only beautifying the rocks and trees but the 
 solid ground as well. So that by the time they had 
 reached the level ground they had not only filled the 
 basket that the boy had brought along for that purpose, 
 but his pockets and hands as well, besides a large bunch 
 of ferns and autumn leaves which Mary Grey persisted 
 in carrying in spite of his protestations. 
 
 They walked along the bank of the river for some dis 
 tance and watched the swiftly flowing stream, and then 
 started toward the house on a new route. This was 
 across the beautiful wooded pasture land which extended 
 from one end of the Colonel s land to the other and from 
 the stables to the water s edge. Here the gentle, mild- 
 eyed Jerseys, which were his especial pride, were con 
 tentedly feeding upon the crisp, new grass which the late 
 autumn rains had encouraged into luxuriance, and were 
 la/.ily switching the flies. 
 
 I have scarcely touched a cow since I left my country 
 home, when I was just sixteen years of age," said Mrs. 
 Grey. " I must give that beautiful creature one pat." 
 Hut she was far from being satisfied witjjppne touch of 
 the silken hide, and stood stroking and fondling her 
 while she manifested her approval by rubbing her black 
 and yellow nose against her sleeve.
 
 IQ4 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 By this time the sun in its western course gave warn 
 ing that the already much shortened afternoon was 
 several hours old, and they hastened their steps for the 
 remainder of the distance ; but by the time that the}* had 
 reached the house it was already four o clock, so after 
 partaking of a hurried lunch the carriage was brought to 
 the door and the boys were preparing to take their guest 
 back to the village. 
 
 " Oh, Mrs. Grey, I had almost forgotten our trilobite. 
 Is it not a perfect one ? " said Johnny, going down into 
 his pocket and producing the little mollusk for inspection. 
 
 "It is about the best one that we have found on the 
 place," said his father, returning it to him. " You may 
 give it to Mrs. Grey as a souvenir of her first visit to our 
 place," he went on, turning kindly toward that lady as he 
 spoke. 
 
 " I intended that it should be hers ; I was only carry 
 ing it to the house for her," said the boy, laying the relic 
 into Mrs. Grey s hand. " You are welcome. It was just 
 as much yours as mine, anyway," he said as she thanked 
 him. 
 
 " You have all been so kind to me, and I have passed 
 the day so happily," she said, turning to the little group 
 with a world of gratitude in her eyes, " that I hardly 
 know how to express my thanks." 
 
 " The only demonstration of gratitude that we ask for 
 on your part, is that you enjoy yourself to the utmost on 
 every visit that you make to our place," said Aunt Min 
 nie. " I wish you a pleasant drive back to town." 
 
 " You need not drive back over the same road by 
 which you c^jie this morning, boys," said Colonel Wil- 
 kins. "You can give the lady an opportunity to see the 
 country from the other side of the river." 
 
 " O no ; I believe that I would rather go back by the
 
 MRS. GREY S FIRST VISIT TO THE COUNTRY. 195 
 
 same road over which we came. I do not believe that I 
 would ever care to go any other," said Mrs. Grey enthu 
 siastically. 
 
 " The way you came," said Colonel Wilkins, " is the 
 short cut, and you can go over it many times yet," and 
 he smiled at her earnest face, " and I do not believe that 
 you will be disappointed if you do go the other way." 
 
 She offered no further resistance, and soon they were 
 on their way along the north road. They viewed the 
 same landscape that they had seen in the morning, only 
 from a different point of view, but it was none the less 
 interesting and beautiful. The sun in its Indian summer 
 splendor was Hearing the horizon, and its rays were slant 
 ing over the tops of the red and yellow trees, and was 
 making them look like a vast bed of quivering coals. 
 Farther down was a dark line which marked the river, 
 which was mostly in the shadows of the big sycamores 
 that lined the banks and grew to the water s edge. 
 About midway between the highway and the river there 
 was a tremendous commotion in the tree tops, where the 
 blackbirds were holding one of their annual series of 
 meetings, and seemed to be in their most garrulous man 
 ner discussing pro and con the advisability of starting 
 immediately for quarters where the weather could be 
 relied upon. They appeared to be doing all their voting 
 by acclamation, and most of the sly chaps succeeded in 
 getting in three, four or a half dozen votes apiece. When 
 this was discovered, each one seemed to be taking it upon 
 himself to restore order and decorum, and since what is 
 everybody s business is nobody s business, they presented 
 a very noisy meeting. After vainly trying to decide the 
 weight} matter under consideration at once, the} voted 
 an adjournment, the assembly to meet in another part of 
 the woods later on, where they could no doubt come to a
 
 196 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 much speedier agreement. After they had dismissed 
 themselves, they flew away together, but there were 
 nevertheless man}- expressions of dissatisfaction and vex 
 ation as they went. They flew across the road and di 
 rectly over the heads of our friends, and there seemed to 
 be no end to the now thoroughly boistrous medley, who 
 seemed to be trying to fully determine the next place of 
 meeting as they went, and from all appearances this was 
 no easy matter. 
 
 " It \vould be hard to tell which view is the most beau 
 tiful," said Mary Grey in answer to a question from one 
 of the boys. " No wonder that your father was confident 
 that I would enjoy this drive, but I believe that I like the 
 south road best after all, where there is a nearer view of 
 the river. Distance may lend enchantment to some, but 
 there are so many things just out of reach and sight in 
 this world. Do you know that I sometimes wish we 
 could get a sight of heaven to encourage us when we 
 grow weary? And then it would guide us to take the 
 only safe and sure way. If we had not Christ s love to 
 illuminate our journey we would indeed be groping in 
 the dark." 
 
 This was said more to herself than to her listeners, 
 and consequently called for no answer. The drive was 
 soon over. Oh, what a happy, care-free day it had been- 
 Her friends noticed the color on her cheeks, and the 
 brightness of her eyes, and were pleased. 
 
 " It works like a charm," they thought. " Some of 
 her sadness \vill wear away in time, and she will be 
 happy in a degree." They asked her to play and sing, a 
 request with which she complied at once, but she soon 
 excused herself and went to her own room. Her exer 
 cise in climbing and walking, and the drive through the 
 bracing autumn air, were beginning to tell upon her, and 
 the drowsy god was fast gaining the mastery.
 
 MRS. GREY S FIRST VISIT TO TIIK COUNTRY. 197 
 
 The experience of the day had had the effect to dispel 
 all weariness of heart and brain, and had left in its stead 
 only a physical weariness, such as. is only known to a 
 healthy body. But the most perfect health demands the 
 most profound rest, and usually asserts its claims in such 
 a way as to compel acquiesence. So after placing her 
 self in the hands of her God in a simple petition, she 
 soon had her head upon her pillow. 
 
 " I know that Robert would be glad to know how well 
 I enjoyed this day," she thought, and then dropped into 
 such a sleep of restfullness and peace as many sin- 
 hardened, care-burdened soul would give worlds to enjoy. 
 
 Beautiful thought, that the path of rectitude will in 
 sure for us, through a clear conscience, such rare jewels 
 as ail the combined wealth of the world fail to buy.
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 THE CONVERSATION. 
 
 WINTER was here. The old storm king had come 
 on his trip from the North and brought with him 
 his usual array of attendants, and the cortege had brought 
 death and destruction in its train. Jack Frost had played 
 sad havoc among the smaller vegetation. He had greet 
 ed them coldly, and there were none so bold that they 
 could long bear up under his icy manner, but hung their 
 heads in humble submission to his will, and were soon 
 withered by his scorn. Then when young whirlwind 
 could stop long enough in his gambols among the tree 
 tops, where he was without ceremony robbing them 
 branch and twig of their vestage and scattering the 
 leaves in total abandon to the ground, to bestow his ex 
 alted attention upon anything that grew so near the 
 earth, he gathered the blackened and forsaken flora in 
 his arms sublime, and tossed them unfeelingly upon an 
 unseemly pile, or in a winrow along some unpretentious 
 fence. Then the merciless sleet descended until the 
 grass and flowers, which had so recently been the pride 
 of the eye, were soaked to the heart, then frozen into a 
 solid mass, there to lie, so that by the time the next sum 
 mer s sun has softened it with its rays, it has undergone 
 the process of change which nature has decreed and again 
 adds to the renewed splendor of the earth s verdure. 
 
 Now and then a belated bird, one that the great army 
 of summer songsters had left behind them in their south 
 ward flight, would twitter faintly or pipe shrilly, as if in 
 distress, to show that one of the forces of that giant from 
 
 (198)
 
 THE CONVERSATION. 199 
 
 the snowbound regions had been brought to play upon 
 them, and had tried to penetrate their coats of down. 
 
 And from the number of great coats, furs and mufflers 
 that had been brought from their summer quarters, one 
 would be led to judge that God s highest type of fauna, 
 the genus homo, was not exempt from his majesty s 
 chilling influence, but the greatest precaution was no bar 
 against his strenuous efforts, and the November blasts 
 went piercing through the thickest apparel, on through 
 the shivering flesh to the very bone. Could it ever have 
 been so penetrating in the dead of winter? It must surely 
 be colder than the thermometer registers. So the people 
 hurried along to the more congenial clime of their hearth 
 stone. 
 
 Fred. Alton knew that further delay was out of the 
 question. He had been putting off their return to the 
 city until there was not a remnant of an excuse left. His 
 wife was visibly affected by the cold and damp, but yet 
 he was loth to go. 
 
 They were to go on Thursday evening, and it was al 
 ready Tuesday evening. They had all been out to Col 
 onel \Vilkins beautiful country house that da}-, and the 
 Colonel, his sister, and his two sons were to return the 
 visit by spending the next day in town. The young man 
 had not enjoyed the day, and wished that he could avoid 
 meeting the country gentleman on the next. He did not 
 like the keen, penetrating ga/.e of those earnest eyes. 
 He never had enjoyed his society so little on his previous 
 visits, but today he had been a source of irritation to him. 
 He could not see what the ladies had seen about him to 
 admire, that they should have been so enthusiastic on 
 their way home. He had entertained them as only a 
 thorough gentleman knows how, but it seemed that those 
 calm, far-sighted eves were ever following him. He was
 
 200 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 sitting alone, with his heart at war with the fates, when 
 he heard the sound of music. He was soon in the parlor 
 and standing beside the player, and when the plump but 
 skillful fingers had touched the last key he put up his 
 hand in an authoritative way and pulled the cover over 
 the piano. 
 
 " I thought that you liked music," said Mar} 7 Grey, 
 looking up with some surprise at his unusual manner. 
 
 " Oh, it will do as a makeshift for people who have 
 nothing to say ; but I think, for people with mind and 
 intelligence, conversation is much more interesting." 
 
 " Do you mean to say that you have been simply tol 
 erating all this playing that we have been doing? Then 
 it was wrong to pretend to enjoy it to the last." 
 
 " Oh, it is nothing to be so serious about," he said, 
 laughing at her earnestness. " I did enjoy it. Of course, 
 I always did prefer. some women s music to their conver 
 sation. Indeed, I thought that that gift was nature s 
 apology for their lack of conversational powers." 
 
 " If you had not come in and disturbed me, I would be 
 playing still," she said, quickly. 
 
 " I was just about to say that with you it is different. 
 Your music, no doubt, is good, but your talk is much 
 better; but I feel too cross tonight for music or talk." 
 
 "Then why did you come in at all?" she said, with 
 more trouble than resentment in her eyes. She did not 
 like praise from any one, much less a man, and that man 
 a comparative stranger. " But what makes you so cross?" 
 she said, more kindly. " Something else must have gone 
 wrong. I don t believe that your wife has been scolding 
 you." 
 
 " Nothing has gone wrong. Everything goes so pro- 
 vokingly right with me. I wish my wife would scold me 
 once in a while. It would break up the monotonous 
 rounds of life."
 
 THK CONVERSATION. 2OI 
 
 She never had seen him in such a humor, and she 
 laugked at the turn his mood had taken. " Who ever 
 heard of a man wishing that his wife would turn into a 
 shrew? You would soon be glad to have her regain her 
 old sweet temper." 
 
 " I would not even like to imagine myself the husband 
 of a shrew. I would not even figure well in a play in 
 that role; but I do admire women with pluck and spirit," 
 he said, looking at her keenly. But he again saw that 
 troubled, questioning look in her eyes, and he quickly 
 turned the subject. The \veather, he thought, will be a 
 safe topic. 
 
 " Mrs. Grey, are you sorry or glad that the winter is 
 here ? " 
 
 " I am usually ready for the change when it comes,, 
 and am glad," was her answer. 
 
 " How fortunate you are to be in possession of such a 
 contented spirit. You are certainly thrice blessed by 
 nature." 
 
 " But I am not always so w r ell satisfied with the ways 
 of providence," she said, pathetically. " I always thought 
 winter the happiest season of the year, because then the 
 family ties seem bound closer, the busiest time seems 
 past, and the family circle see so much more of each 
 other s society. Winter always did suggest long, c r/.y 
 evenings to me." 
 
 "Yes, that is true," said the man, meditatively; " but 
 don t you know that while happy families have an oppor 
 tunity for increased enjoyment in each other s society, the 
 unhappy and ill-assorted are also thrown more together 5 
 During the cold, winter months their comfort necessitates 
 their coming into closer contact, and then their petty 
 differences develop into full-grown brawls and fights. 
 There is more crime in winter among the lower classes 
 i ^
 
 202 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 than any other time. And then the opportunity for the 
 unprincipled and the attractions for the unwary feet are 
 greater during those long winter nights." 
 
 " I have had so little experience with crime in my life 
 that I had hardly given that a thought, but I have been 
 more thoughtful for the poor and needy. Although I have 
 seen very little of their suffering, I have often wished that 
 I could share my own comforts with them when the win 
 try winds are blowing and food and fuel are high." 
 
 " You may well wish always to be spared the sight of 
 the privation and want that those hard winters naturally 
 occasion, and may be thankful that you live in a small 
 place, where little of it is known. It is more conducive 
 to one s own peace of mind." 
 
 " I feel differently about it. I feel that it would be 
 cowardly in me to remain away from suffering and want 
 simply to spare myself, if I could in any way help them ; 
 but if I should go among them in my present circum 
 stances, I would soon be one of their number instead of 
 a source of relief. I wish that I had some of the money 
 that the wealth}- do not know how to handle, or even an 
 opportunity to earn more. I would not ask those unfor 
 tunate creatures if their present needs were brought 
 about by misfortune or mismanagement ; the simple fact 
 that they were hungry and had nowhere to get the neces 
 sary food would be enough. I would make it my life 
 work. I feel so idle and helpless, as it is. When I have 
 saved a little, I will go and do what I can, be it little or 
 much." 
 
 He smiled at her enthusiasm, but he dealt it a blow by 
 saying: "You will never earn enough to give anything 
 away. It looks out of place for a woman to support her 
 self, and a lady who has friends who would be glad to do 
 it for her should not even persist in doing so."
 
 THE CONVERSATION. 203 
 
 " As long as I am able-bodied I would not let a brother 
 or sister support me, no matter how willing and able they 
 might be, much less a lad} , upon whom I have no claim, 
 like your sister. As long as I have health I expect to 
 help not only myself, but others that are less fortunate. 
 God s plans are more consistent. He would not have put 
 women into this bus}" world and denied them the right 
 to share the many duties which living in it necessitates ; 
 much less would He have given them equal needs with 
 men, without giving them the poor privilege of supplying 
 those needs, even though the world may try to frown it 
 down. The time will come nay, must come when 
 woman s efforts will not only be appreciated, but her 
 rights respected ; when a woman will not be considered 
 as an intruder, much less an invader, in any of the occu 
 pations of life, but a co-worker, and without the stigma 
 that is at the present time more or less attached to the 
 woman who toils for her bread. Are we of less value to 
 the Creator than his lower animals ? He has not inflicted 
 upon one of them a physical necessity without giving 
 them not only the instinct but the opportunity to supply 
 it." 
 
 " Let it be right or wrong, the line of distinction never 
 theless exists between the woman who is cared for and 
 the one who must care for herself. My first thought 
 would be not to exert my puny influence against this 
 unwritten law (which, however, is stronger than the de 
 cision of the judge of any supreme bench), but to avoid 
 the natural consequence of violating it ; for any attempt 
 at trying to overcome its influence would be like attack 
 ing a stone fortress with a pop-gun. It would not only 
 disclose the hopelessness of the attempt, but also the 
 folly of one so inexperienced. You speak as if my sister 
 was the onlv friend vou had. There are others who
 
 204 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 would no doubt help you to avoid a life which could not 
 fail to become burdensome to a lady of refinement, no 
 matter how independent her notions may be." 
 
 " The only three from whom I would have accepted aid 
 are dead. They were my husband and my parents," she 
 said sadly, without looking up. " But I don t see why a 
 lady need lose her refinement or be less a lady because 
 providence may have made it incumbent upon her to 
 maintain herself; and I can not see why a woman, whose 
 existence depends upon her own exertions just the same 
 as an industrious man, should not wield a better influence 
 upon society, for no brain that is not kept busy with 
 worthy aims and thoughts is proof against the unworthy 
 and harmful." 
 
 " I have not the slightest doubt that your reasoning is 
 correct, but since we are living in the present age we 
 must deal with present environments. Women are not 
 judged by the world by what their moral standard or 
 aims might be, but those who must work for a living are 
 supposed to be like men : willing to do so in the easiest 
 possible manner, which is never strictly in accordance 
 with right." 
 
 " I know that from a worldly point of view we are 
 poor, helpless creatures, but God in our weakness has 
 given us a strength that will prevail, if we only put our 
 trust in Him. Man, whose judgment is fallible, can after 
 all only exert its influence over time, and if we do not 
 get our just dues here, God, who is justice itself, will give 
 it to us in eternity. And since we are put into this world 
 solely to prepare for the next, we may well keep up our 
 courage and struggle on." 
 
 " If riiy trip to the better world would lead me over 
 such a rocky and tedious road, I am afraid that I would 
 never reach mv destination."
 
 THE CONVERSATION. 205 
 
 " God s ways are always wise, and that may be the 
 reason why you were born into an easy life ; but none of 
 us will reach heaven unless we show ourselves worthy of 
 it, and your entrance may not be an easy one." 
 
 He looked at her quickly to see how much this last 
 remark might mean. Did she, after all, have the power 
 to discern his thoughts ? But he could see that she did 
 not mean to be personal ; and she went on kindly : 
 
 " But He will try none of us beyond our strength." 
 
 " Do you mean that those men and women who fall are 
 not tried beyond their strength?" 
 
 " I mean that to those who put their trust in Him he 
 gives his sustaining grace. Were it not so, my faith 
 might have received a shock from which it \vould never 
 have recovered." 
 
 " How far do you think God s sustaining grace will 
 suffice with people who are suffering from hunger and 
 cold and are not afforded the opportunity to provide for 
 themselves honorably ? " 
 
 " It is well that we are not given the right to mete out 
 justice to each other, for I would be led to visit the in 
 iquities of those poor unfortunates upon those who would 
 have an abundance and to spare, were their lives three 
 times as long as they are, and do not raise a hand to pre 
 vent the wrong into which others are helplessly driven." 
 
 " That is rather an evasive way to answer my question. 
 Do you not think they have been tried beyond their pow 
 ers of resistance?" 
 
 " They have, no doubt ; but they may not have had 
 their trust in God. And besides, they may not, in the 
 past, have employed the talents that He entrusted them 
 with, to provide for themselves. If they had, some of 
 them might have avoided their present needy condition." 
 
 The man smiled. He had been steadily leading toward
 
 206 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 this point. " Then if their present circumstances are due 
 to their own carelessness and lack of thrift, is it right, 
 According to your judgment, that they should expect aid 
 from those who are more deserving? " 
 
 " Circumstance has placed a great many in possession 
 of wealth who \vould not have it if it had depended upon 
 their own exertions or worth. When Christ came upon 
 earth, it was not to show a preference for the worthy, but 
 it was the unworthy that He came to save. Then would 
 we not be holding the little that we could do as of more 
 importance than His precious life by denying succor to 
 the many deserving ones, lest \ve might give aid to one 
 who did not deserve it? What is our own judgment 
 compared to the unalterable Truth?" 
 
 The young man was in no mood to hear the common 
 place talk of the evening, so he left the room by one door 
 just as the rest of the family were about to enter by an 
 other. He could see that Mrs. Grey s reasoning was 
 sound, as measured by the laws of God and His dealing 
 with His unworthy subjects. He could also see that she 
 had no suspicion of the point that he had tried, at differ 
 ent times, to lead to but could not reach. But this very 
 shield of purity, which was wrapped so closely about her, 
 made him all the more determined to the achievement of 
 his ends. 
 
 Many a man has been led into wrong by a former in- 
 cumbrance or alliance, and the time might not be far 
 distant \vhen he could right the wrong. 
 
 He drew a letter from his pocket. " I wonder which 
 one of those hags masquerading in saints attire wrote 
 this. They thought it necessary to warn my wife against 
 an unsuspecting woman. They would injure her and .do 
 her irreparable wrong simply through jealous}* and spite. 
 But it is well this little missive reached me before it did
 
 THE CONVERSATION. 2OJ 
 
 its destination, for should her suspicions once be aroused 
 it would be hard to calm them, and that would only 
 make existence drearier ; and if Mrs. Grey would get a 
 hint of it, I would never see her again. Her very inno 
 cence would take up the cry of alarm, and she would fly 
 from her tormentor."
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 THE RETURN TO THE CITY. 
 
 THURSDAY had come and gone. The Altons had 
 gone, and the old peace and quiet had returned to 
 the home of Mrs. Ferris ; and with it had come the sense 
 of relief so well known, no matter how much we may 
 regret, at the time, the departure of our guests. It is not 
 because we are tired of their society, but because it is a 
 comfort to be alone after a length)* visit. 
 
 Mrs. Grey had received an urgent invitation to make a 
 visit to the city during the holidays ; something she did 
 not promise to do, however. " As much as I would be 
 sure to enjoy it, I must deny myself the pleasure of any 
 thing so expensive. Whenever circumstances place me 
 in a position to be able to do good in the city I will go, 
 but not before then." 
 
 " You could not fail to do good wherever you go," said 
 Mrs. Alton. " You have, although unintentionally, made 
 me ashamed of my helplessness, and my husband shall 
 see in future how much your lesson has improved me." 
 
 " She could not fail to do good were all spirits as guilt 
 less as yours," thought her husband, looking from one to 
 the other. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Ferris might possibly run into town for a 
 short visit during the winter. So, with man)- good wishes 
 and cordial handshakes, they were gone. 
 
 .The satisfaction that Mrs. Alton experienced at once 
 more being in her own home was unbounded. She was 
 well pleased with her visit, but at home she could have 
 the undivided attention of her husband without appear 
 ing childish and unreasonable, and she did not want to 
 
 (208)
 
 THE RKTURX TO THK CITY. 209 
 
 l)e that. She had at times, in a helpless, undefined way, 
 felt the disparagement of associating with one who was 
 both physically and intellectually her superior. But now 
 she was at home, and would not appear so insignificant 
 in her husband s eyes ; not that he had by either word or 
 sign shown to her that he had noticed the difference, but 
 a woman s eyes are keener when she loves, and she tried 
 vainly to shake off the old helplessness. But after several 
 futile attempts she drifted back into her old way, which, 
 after all, was so peaceful and happy, and she allowed her 
 husband to wait upon her more than ever. She seemed 
 to be growing weaker ajid her ailment to be taking form. 
 It was an unusually severe winter, and was not only 
 telling upon delicate constitutions, but the suffering 
 among the poor was intense, and the tender-hearted lady 
 was pleased with the unusual interest that her husband 
 was taking in all the attempts to relieve the want and 
 distress which a cold winter makes so common among 
 the poor of any city. 
 
 " Some of the philanthropists are raising a private fund 
 for the poor, and would like to have some reliable Chris 
 tian lady to take charge of it and use it where it will do 
 the most good," Mr. Alton said to his wife one day late 
 in January. " You know there are still three months of 
 cold weather before us. Those aid societies may be sys 
 tematic, but their system fails to reach the most needy, 
 sometimes, and for that reason this little sum is being 
 raised. I believe we had better write to Mrs. Grey to 
 come. She would not only be doing good to others, but 
 would receive a salary besides." 
 
 " I don t believe that the salary would be any induce 
 ment in the matter. I don t believe that she would want 
 to be paid for doing good. But I will write to her at once. 
 I believe she would be happier, and it would help her to 
 forget her sorrows."
 
 210 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 " If Mrs. Grey has to earn her own living long, she 
 will begin to think a salary very much of an inducement. 
 As much as her pluck and self-confidence are to be ad 
 mired, she need not try to give me the impression that 
 all that keeps her from moving the world is because it 
 did not need a change. In an age which tries the bravery 
 of the staunchest hearted of the men who must work for 
 a living, a lady who supports herself is doing more than 
 should be expected of her, without helping others. But 
 when you mention the pay that she is to receive, you had 
 better add that it would give her an opportunity to ac 
 complish what she is striving for in a shorter time." 
 
 " I never heard of them offering a salary for the dis 
 tribution of charity before. Usually some benevolently 
 disposed person takes it upon herself or himself. But I 
 am glad for Mrs. Grey s sake. She will be able to get 
 away from Cloverdale and its meddlesome people for a 
 time. But, Fred.," she said, as a new thought suggested 
 itself, " this income will only be temporary. Can she 
 afford to give up her pupils ? Her present employment, 
 although not very lucrative, is steady and sure." 
 
 " You need not hesitate to write on that account. My 
 sister will take her back, and I have no doubt that Col 
 onel Wilkins would wait on her a year if necessary. She 
 only has two others. She can afford to lose them. I 
 don t believe there will be any occasion for her to go 
 back. We have the poor always with us, and there are 
 plenty of kind-hearted people who would be willing to 
 give the year round, if they had any assurance that their 
 money would be put to a good purpose." 
 
 " One thing I must know before I write to her, and 
 that is that she shall be furnished with a good home ; or 
 will we invite her to make her home with us ? " and Mrs. 
 Alton looked at her husband as if she was asking: his
 
 THE RETURN TO THE CITY. 211 
 
 permission, but with an earnest hope that he would 
 refuse it. 
 
 " Well, since I have been appointed treasurer and gen 
 eral manager of this little project, we can settle that part 
 of the affair to suit ourselves. You can use your own 
 pleasure about inviting her here. In deciding this ques 
 tion, however, we should remember that she entertained 
 us on sufferance once, and also the disagreeable result of 
 her kindness to us." 
 
 " I have not forgotten," said Mrs. Alton, " and I would 
 be pleased to have her here if I was only stronger; but 
 as it is, it is so nice to have you all to myself, and I 
 believe the contrast between us two would make me feel 
 weaker now, and might have a deprecating effect upon 
 me in the eyes of my husband, and you know I could not 
 bear that." And the same look came into her eyes that 
 they had had once before, the time when she was talking 
 to Mrs. Grey of the possibility of losing her husband. 
 She laid her slender, transparent little hand over his 
 much larger and stronger one in a way which was half 
 confidence and half entreat} . " I don t want to be child 
 ish or selfish, but we always did think that it was nicest 
 to be alone. Then, we don t know the time may not be 
 long that we will be permitted to remain together, and I 
 do so want you to myself while it lasts." 
 
 This was the first time Fred. Alton had heard his wife 
 talk in that tone. She had been thinking seriously of her 
 illness, even though it had seemed that she would drift 
 on toward the end of her life like a beautiful butterfly 
 and be light-hearted and happy to the last. The thought 
 smote the young man to the heart. All the old love and 
 tenderness came rushing back as he gathered her up in 
 his strong arms and laid her gently upon a settee, while 
 he knelt before her, stroking her hands.
 
 212 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 " Oh, you are not going to leave me! We will spend 
 many long, happy years together. I will not leave 
 you go I will hold you back!" he said, almost hope 
 lessly, as he looked into her beautiful, loving eyes and 
 then at her thin face and emaciated form. 
 
 Death had indeed marked her for his own. It might 
 be months, or even years, but he had sent his advance 
 agent to announce his approach, and the language of the 
 messenger could not be misunderstood. 
 
 The young man could not reproach himself for any 
 lack of kindness toward his wife, or for any outward 
 sign of difference of feeling, but he knew that a wild, 
 undefined fear had been aroused in her heart on several 
 occasions, as if she had by womanly intuition divined 
 that her helplessness had lately begun to pall upon his 
 patience, and feared that she was becoming a burden to 
 him ; and the truth of her suspicions was as a poisoned 
 arrow to his conscience. He had known her before he 
 married her, and his choice had not been controlled by 
 any outward influence. If he wanted a wife with more 
 mind and energy, he should not have married her. He 
 should have left her in the counting-room and in her 
 home. Some other man would have married her that 
 would have been satisfied with her, and she would have 
 been happy. And then the charge she had become was 
 partly due to his own treatment of her. He had acted 
 toward her more like she was a child or doll than an 
 intelligent companion. Then, in his remorse, he had 
 arrived at the same conclusion that he had once before : 
 it would be a brute, indeed, who would neglect her ; and 
 he said to her in his old genial tone : 
 
 " No, we will not invite Mrs. Grey to live with us ; but 
 it is not because you are going to die, but because you 
 are going to live and we would rather continue our old
 
 THE RKTUKX TO TIIK CITY. 213 
 
 happy life. And we have always been happy, havn t we? 
 I have never treated you in a way to cause you to be 
 otherwise, have I ? " 
 
 " You have always been kindness itself, and I don t see 
 how I could possibly have been happier," and she looked 
 at him gratefully. " Only make me as happy the remain 
 der of my stay here and I will be satisfied, should my 
 time be long or short; and I would not try to put a 
 restraint upon your conduct when I am gone." 
 
 She had always thought to ask him to remain single 
 the rest of his life for her sake, and she hardly knew why 
 she spoke as she did ; but she thought, humbly, " How 
 could I expect to be that much to him." 
 
 Fred. Alton had it in his heart to tell his wife not to 
 write that letter to Airs. Grey ; but, he thought, that 
 would be almost an acknowledgement that I have also 
 noticed the contrast, which could no longer fail to be 
 painful to her. So the letter was written an urgent 
 request, which was made all the more urgent by an ap 
 peal to her sympathy and by painting in glowing letters 
 the gdted she could accomplish with her salary. They 
 wrote nothing about the home that she should occupy 
 while in the city, thinking that could be attended to 
 later, but only staled the case plainly and asked her if she 
 could not be induced to come if the necessary arrange 
 ments could be made. 
 
 Although the physicians could find no trace of any or 
 ganic disease, Mrs. Alton continued to be about the same : 
 like a house-plant which had been shielded from the ele 
 ments, which would have had a tendency to strengthen 
 it, until it was too late, and it had become so tender and 
 delicate that a change would be as certain death as a 
 continuation in the heated atmosphere and 
 sunshine.
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 MARY GREY S EXPERIENCE AS A WRITER. 
 
 A VISIBLE degree of abstraction had taken posses 
 sion of Mrs. Grey since the city people s departure. 
 When not engaged in conversation, she seemed to be 
 trying to solve some ponderous, troublesome problem 
 as, indeed, she was. She was thinking over and over, 
 " Is it right for me to stay here and enjoy all these com 
 forts, when so many of God s creatures are crying vainly 
 for the necessities of life?" That part of the solution 
 would have been comparatively easy, but then came the 
 most troublesome part of the enigma : " If I did go, how 
 would I be enabled to help them ? It would be next to 
 impossible for me to get pupils in a strange place, and 
 how else could I earn .enough to support even myself ? " 
 
 Then a new thought came to her. She had always had 
 a taste for literature. In her school days her compositions 
 had always received the highest praise. Why not turn 
 that talent into good account ? She would write an article 
 on some interesting subject and send it to the city paper. 
 
 She chose her subject, and wrote on hopefully to the 
 end. When she had finished, she was satisfied that it 
 was fully as good as much of the reading matter that the 
 daily papers contained. She showed the manuscript to 
 Mrs. Ferris, of whom she had made a confidante, and 
 that lady was more than pleased with the brightness and 
 thought that it contained. The article was mailed, and 
 one of the ladies was as much interested as the other in 
 watching the papers and for the answer to her letter. 
 
 In the course of a few days she received a newspaper, 
 and the same mail brought a letter from the editor, prais- 
 
 (214)
 
 MARY GREY S EXPERIENCE AS A WRITER. 215 
 
 ing her for her ability, and saying : " By reading over 
 the columns of the paper you will find that I have made 
 use of your article, but I am sorry to say that I am 
 allowed very little funds to pay for such contributions, 
 but would be pleased if you would command my indi 
 vidual aid in finding a market for your writings." 
 
 She was a little surprised to see that instead of its 
 being a type-written letter, such as are commonly sent 
 by newspaper firms, it \vas a neat sheet of business paper, 
 written with pen and ink, and bore the writer s private 
 address. 
 
 She showed the letter to Mrs. Ferris, and when she 
 drew her attention to the above named peculiarities, the 
 lady answered by saying : " I consider that as a compli 
 ment to you. He must have considered your effort worthy, 
 or he would not have shown you the attention that he did. 
 Editors are usually so curt in their business correspond 
 ence. If I were in your place, I would write another 
 piece and send it. Tell him that you do not expect 
 much, and would be glad to accept whatever he sees fit 
 to send you." 
 
 Thus encouraged, Mrs. Grey made a second attempt to 
 gain recognition in a profitable manner in the great 
 world of newspaper work. She had not long to wait 
 until she received an answer to her second letter. This 
 covered three pages of business paper, and was written 
 with a cordiality uncalled for. He was very sorry that 
 he was not authorized to pay for such articles, and since 
 the paper was published by a stock company he would 
 have to abide by the rules, much as he would like to help 
 her. Then he wound up by saying: "Hut if you will 
 accept my personal assistance, you can obtain the same 
 by addressing me or calling on me at my apartments." 
 Then followed name, hotel, and number of room.
 
 2l6 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 Mrs. Grey was bewildered. " I do not like the tone of 
 the letter," she said to Mrs. Ferris. " How can he assist 
 me if he can not pay me for my writing, and he has said 
 that such a thing is impossible ? There was nothing in 
 my letter to warrant such familiarity. I am^glad that he 
 enclosed it with his, or I might think that I had possibly 
 written something that encouragedjhim to answer as he 
 did." 
 
 " I consider the fact that he returned your letter as the 
 strongest evidence against him. Why did he do such an 
 unusual thing if he did not want to impress you with the 
 thought that he did not wish to consider your correspond 
 ence as strictly business," said Mrs. Ferris. 
 
 " It seems so strange. I would hardly have believed 
 that a man could be so base as to thrust his attentions 
 upon a woman because she asks him for employment. 
 Do evil-minded men consider that as a license to approach 
 us? I will never write to him again." 
 
 " But I would not be so easily discouraged," said Mrs. 
 Ferris. " I would write something else and send it to 
 some other paper. I still think that it was the merits of 
 your articles that attracted that man s attention." 
 
 " But it is not attention that I want, even if it was well 
 meant." But she concluded to try once more. 
 
 By the time the two women had read the answer to her 
 third application they were both discouraged. The writer 
 commenced by advising her never to drop any occupation 
 that she might be engaged in to take up writing for the 
 press, for it was impossible for beginners to earn enough 
 to pay for their paper and the pens that they wore out, 
 much less support themselves. "But," he went on, a 
 womafl who does not care to do anything but write can find 
 some other way of replenishing her purse." 
 
 This had_ the effect of driving all the literary ambition
 
 MARY GREYS EXPERIENCE AS A WRITER. 2 17 
 
 out of her head. "Have I learned all the hard lessons 
 that are necessary to take me through the remainder of 
 my life, or are there still some more in store for me?" 
 she thought bitterly. " I am so glad Robert did not know 
 what was before me. If he had, it would have made the 
 parting all the harder for him. I am so glad that that 
 could be spared him, since he could not stay nor had the 
 power to ward off the evil. God sends us word through 
 the Bible that we should judge not, but it seems that all 
 humanity were making a universal effort to appoint them 
 selves as judges over their fellow-men, and I will soon 
 begin to believe that our sex are all held as suspects. I 
 hope that I may never become cynical, but oh, it is so 
 hard to bear. But Robert would have me be brave, and 
 if I had no trials there would be no occasion for courage." 
 
 "You have had so much to depress you lately," said 
 Mrs. Ferris, "that it is no wonder that you are almost 
 overcome with discouragements, but in time you will be 
 yourself again. You will buckle on your armor of de 
 fense, which will only become the brighter and stronger 
 by coming in close contact with opposing forces." 
 
 "Be it far from me to murmur or despair, but I can 
 well see why so many people never have the strength 
 and courage to accomplish anything and do not rise above 
 the common level. Xo mind that is influenced by that 
 lower atmosphere and is poisoned by the venom therein 
 contained can ever gain the strength to entertain a high 
 or worthy aim, much less carry it on to success." 
 
 " It is a homely phrase, but nevertheless a true one," 
 said Mrs. Ferris, "that they who stop to throw a stone at 
 every dog that barks at them, will never reach their jour 
 neys end; and it is only a surprise to me that those who 
 keep themselves in a fever of expectation and walk with 
 tear and trembling, lest perchance their neighbors might
 
 2l8 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 espy something in their conduct to criticise, and then if 
 they should ever cause comment, let it be in justice or an 
 injustice, feel that they are undone for time and for etern 
 ity, get through the world as they do. And when we 
 stop to think that this is, after all, the prime factor, we 
 are not surprised at the clearly defined dividing line be 
 tween the intelligent and thoughtful minded and the un 
 thinking masses." 
 
 "I think the only way to attain that high standard that 
 the Creator has endowed us with a power to reach, is to 
 first make sure that we are in the right and then press on 
 and never allow ourselves to regret or pine over a deed 
 that was actuated by a good impulse," said Mrs. Grey. 
 But she did not know that her power of forbearance was 
 so soon to be tried to the utmost. 
 
 One evening, as she was returning from the post office, 
 she met Miss Green, and not knowing that the irate 
 spinster had sworn vengeance against her, she joined 
 her. When they came to within a few doors of Miss 
 Green s home, one of the women of the neighborhood 
 was standing on the sidewalk by the side of a young 
 girl who was sitting on the step of one of the houses 
 which were built out to the street, and as they walked up 
 the woman said, "Miss Green, this girl is looking for a 
 place to stay all night. I have no room, but thought you 
 might be willing to keep her." They could not see the 
 face of the girl in the darkness, only the outlines of her 
 form, but her attitude was weariness and dejection itself. 
 
 "Where is your home?" asked Miss Green. 
 
 The girl answered by giving the name of a small town 
 about ten miles below Cloverdale. 
 
 "Why are you here and hunting a room at this time of 
 night?" 
 
 " I came to town to work for Dr. Minor s, but the}
 
 MARY GREY S EXPERIENCE AS A WRITER. 219 
 
 don t want me for another week. I want to find a place 
 to stay tonight, and am going back home tomorrow. I 
 have been trying for the last hour, but everybody seems 
 to be either full or torn up or something." 
 
 Miss Green asked the girl a few more questions and 
 then said, " We have no room to keep strangers at pres 
 ent," and started to walk on. The other woman entered 
 her own door at the same time. 
 
 "Can it be possible," thought Mary Grey, as she still 
 stood by the side of the girl, "that those two women can 
 enter their own homes, say their prayers in all self-right 
 eousness and then go to bed, while one of their gex is 
 sitting in the cold on a door-step in the street?" "Come," 
 she said to the girl, " I know a lady who keeps strangers," 
 and she started with the girl toward the home of Deacon 
 Hill. She knew that the deacon s good old wife was 
 capable of doing a great many things without letting her 
 left hand know what her right hand had done, and had a 
 room that was used for nothing but to shelter such 
 strangers as might present themselves at their door. 
 
 Mrs. Grey had seen nothing but a wear} woman who 
 wanted a place to rest. All the questions that she would 
 have asked had been answered in a plausible manner, so 
 she walked quietly along by her side without any com 
 punction of conscience, and soon had her at the door of 
 Mrs. Hill, who agreed at once to keep her for the night. 
 
 But the serenity of her mind was to be disturbed before 
 she reached her home. She had no sooner started from 
 the doorstep with the girl when Miss Green turned round 
 and took in the situation at a glance. "She does not 
 know that that is an outcast. That will start a pretty 
 talk for her to be seen on the street with such a char 
 acter, but I wouldn t care if the whole town saw her." 
 
 She lingered in the open door until she saw Mrs. Grey
 
 220 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 coming back, and then stepped out saying, "You will have 
 yourself" talked about in a pretty way by taking up with 
 such a character. She has been about town for the last 
 week, and is of the lowest type. I should think you 
 would have known that a respectable woman would not 
 be hunting lodging at this time of night. I would not 
 be in your shoes for the whole town." 
 
 " I did nothing wrong. I knew nothing about her and 
 supposed her story a true one," said Mrs. Grey, bewil 
 dered at the storm of words that were being hurled at 
 her head. 
 
 "The reason that you knew nothing about her, is why 
 you should not have taken up with her." 
 
 "Miss Green, I wish you would not express yourself 
 that way. I did not take up with her. I could not have 
 gone to bed with one of my own sex sitting in the cold 
 on a door-step, and I simply took her to a kind lady that 
 I knew would keep her. It was only eight o clock. Cir 
 cumstances may have placed more than one woman on 
 the street at that hour." 
 
 " I should like to know what else it was if you did not 
 take up with her. You associated with her on the street, 
 and every person that saw you together will think you 
 are no better than she. I don t believe in encouraging 
 evil, and I don t think Mrs. Hill will thank you for bring 
 ing such a creature into her house." 
 
 "I did not associate with her. I simply conducted her 
 to Mrs. Hill s, and should I think myself too good for 
 that, when Christ came upon earth and gave his precious 
 life for such as she? Any one would know that had I 
 known her character I would never have taken her where 
 I did, and that is all I am sorry for, but I will go back 
 and tell Mrs. Hill and she can use her own judgment 
 about keeping her."
 
 MARY GREYS EXPERIENCE AS A WRITER. 221 
 
 "It is too late now. You had better let her go, only 
 after this when yon want to play the saint, show your 
 kindness to a more worthy object." 
 
 Mrs. Grey made no reply to this last remark and was 
 soon back at the door of her friend. That lady was sur 
 prised to see her back, and after she had heard her errand 
 she said, "I am sorry that it happened as it did, but no 
 one is to blame, It can do me no harm to keep her, so I 
 will not turn her out into the street." 
 
 Thus reassured Mrs. Grey went home where she re 
 lated her evening s adventure to Mrs. Ferris. "What will 
 the people think who saw me with her? They will think 
 it strange, at best, and then I am so sorry on Mrs. Hill s 
 account, but I did not know." 
 
 "Of course you knew nothing wrong about the girl. 
 It is a little unfortunate on Mrs. Hill s account, but I 
 would not blame myself or worry if I were you. I don t 
 suppose very many people saw you. Go to bed and get 
 a good night s rest and you will feel better in the morn 
 ing." 
 
 Mrs. Grey went to bed, but did not sleep for a long 
 time. The thought that slTe, even though it was uncon 
 sciously, had imposed upon one of her best friends worried 
 her not a little. The fact that the lady had exonerated 
 her from all blame did not make her mind much easier; 
 and could it be possible that the people who saw them 
 together would judge her by her companion? But at last 
 she fell asleep, and her troubles for the night were ended, 
 but only to begin early the next morning, for Miss Green 
 and Mrs. Jones were at Mrs. Ferris house betimes. They 
 had never been there before, but since they had a mutual 
 interest in so momentous a subject, they could brave the 
 surprise that such an unusual procedure on their part 
 might occasion.
 
 222 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 They began to tell, with all the enthusiasm imagina 
 ble, all that they could possibly learn by strenuous effort 
 against the girl. 
 
 " I would think," said Mrs. Jones, " that you would 
 have walked away and left her after those two young 
 men drove up and asked her to go riding." 
 
 " Well, I did begin to feel that all might not be right, 
 but I asked her who they were, and she said they were 
 her cousins, and I supposed she was telling the truth." 
 
 " A very likely story ! and to think that a woman of 
 your age was innocent enough to believe it," said Miss 
 Green. " Innocence might be bliss to some, but I would 
 consider it anything else if it got me into such a talk as 
 there is sure to be. I think it is wrong to encourage 
 evil." 
 
 " Did Christ encourage evil when he gave His precious 
 life for our sins ? Ladies, I wish you would not talk to 
 me as if I had committed some great crime. I did no 
 real harm in taking that poor erring creature to a place 
 of shelter, and what is more, I am liable to do the same 
 thing again, for I lay no claim to being a judge of char 
 acter, and there is no security against a repetition of the 
 mistake. Miss Green, if you were to invite a company 
 of young people to your house this evening, you no doubt 
 would have those two young men that were in that buggy 
 among them ; and if your character and reputation would 
 not be impaired by thus associating with them, I am none 
 the worse for what I have done. God did not -punish the 
 woman alone for the transgressions of our foreparents, 
 but turned them both out of the Garden of Eden. Then 
 how can we take it upon ourselves to say to the woman, 
 begone, we can not keep you for the night, and then 
 take the man into our homes and families ? " 
 
 " Well, if you want to take up with such as her and
 
 MARY GREY S EXPERIENCE AS A WRITER. 223 
 
 disgrace yourself still worse, you can, but^we don t care 
 to have such people in our church, that s all ! " said Mrs. 
 Jones, as the two moved toward the door. " I don t 
 think that people have a right to be careless and get 
 themselves talked about, and then still want to associate 
 with Christian people who are above reproach." 
 
 If Mrs. Grey had bewailed her mistake and looked 
 upon herself as being irreparably injured, Mrs. Jones 
 might have forgiven her the offense, for she did not like 
 to be remiss in Christian forbearance. But this was dif 
 ferent. " She acts as if it would be impossible to harm 
 such a high moral character as hers. She must regard 
 herself as infallible." 
 
 Mary Grey wondered if she appeared so irretrievably 
 lost in the eyes of all Cloverdale. She wanted to know 
 how much trouble her friend had had with her strange 
 guest, and since this was the day for Bessie s lesson, she 
 would soon be able to find out. 
 
 " Have you decided what punishment you would mete 
 out to me?" she said to the lady, as she entered the door. 
 
 "And what would I want to punish you for?" was her 
 pleasant interrogative reply ; and she looked like any 
 thing but a judge who was ready to pronounce a severe 
 sentence. 
 
 " For imposing such a great wrong upon you." 
 
 " Since you did it innocently, I do not regard it as an 
 imposition; and since you did all in your power to retrieve 
 the wrong and there was no harm done, you need worry 
 no more about it. I only hope you will not be discour 
 aged in well-doing, and neglect something that should be 
 done, and let your head overrule the judgment of your 
 heart." 
 
 " I don t believe that there is any occasion for alarm. 
 If it had not been for YOU, their united efforts would
 
 224 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 hardly had the effect of making me sorry that I did not 
 go to bed and leave a woman sitting on the door-step in 
 the night and cold, not a hundred yards away. I am 
 afraid that I will never be well enough schooled in 
 worldly wisdom to make a mistake in the other direc 
 tion. I thank you for taking such a kindly view of this 
 unfortunate episode, but I am afraid some others who 
 saw me with the girl will not be so lenient." 
 
 " I pity such people as can t recognize a lady when 
 they see her," said the old deacon, entering the door. 
 He had heard enough of the conversation to know what 
 it was about, and he went on : " Any one with two eyes 
 and just common sense in their head would have known 
 that you were not associates, even if they did see you 
 together. But in this world it is not only thief catch 
 thief, but it is thief cry thief, when there is no thief but 
 himself about. The girl stayed all night here, and left 
 this morning without any one knowing anything about it 
 but Betsy and me. I guess no one is the worse for it, so 
 worry no more about it. You brought her here, and my 
 wife refused to turn her out after she once was in. That 
 proves to me that there are at least two women in the 
 world who do not ponder over the prudence or advis 
 ability of an act until the opportunity to do a good deed 
 of mercy has gone by, and I am proud of you both." 
 
 Thus commending them, the good deacon again left 
 the room.
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 THE SLEIGH KIDE. 
 
 ONE Tuesday morning Mary Grey stood looking out 
 at the snow. Owing to the intense cold, this was 
 the first heavy fall of the season. The previous scant 
 supply had been driven hither and thither by the cold 
 winds, but now its mantle of purity was over thrift and 
 negligence alike, and all Cloverdale lay buried beneath 
 its white folds. The sleighs were passing and repassing, 
 and the merry jingle of the bells proved exhiliarating to 
 man} a time-worn, care-burdened heart, as the horses 
 went by, either prancing or like an arrow from a bow, 
 owing to the dispositions of the animals and how their 
 proud spirits would be brought to bear upon by the un 
 usual splendor of their turnouts. 
 
 This one watcher stood at the window wondering. 
 She had gone over the lesson, but would there be any 
 occasion for it that day ? Would they come for her ? 
 She had not been to the country since Christmas, and 
 then they had all been invited there to partake of a good 
 old-fashioned Christmas dinner. 
 
 The Colonel had told her then that he regarded a 
 lady s health as being of more value than music lessons, 
 and that on such days as the weather might be too severe 
 they would not come for her. She did not fear the cold, 
 but if a man did not care to venture out, she surely ought 
 to be content to remain indoors. Hut today was not so 
 bad, even though the wintry air was crisp and clear. She 
 hoped that they would come. The days that she had 
 spent with those genial country people were so cheerful 
 
 ( 225 )
 
 226 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 that she had long since begun to look forward to them 
 with pleasure. 
 
 It was growing late, and she had almost given up the 
 faintly hoped for sleigh-ride, when a vehicle with a single 
 occupant drove up to the gate and stopped. "That is 
 no one for me," she thought, as she walked back to the 
 hearth and seated herself in a large comfortable chair. 
 " He is some gentleman on business, and will not be 
 brought in here." 
 
 She had just taken up a book and begun to read, when 
 she heard the familiar voice of Colonel Wilkins, who, 
 with Mrs. Ferris, was approaching along the hall. His 
 lace had been so concealed by the collar of his great coat 
 that she had not known him. 
 
 " It looks almost like a pity to take you away from 
 so much comfort and out into the cold," he said, after 
 greeting her in his usual cordial manner, " but my boys 
 declared that they would forget all that they had ever 
 learned if they did not get to see their teacher today. 
 My horse is restless, so if you are ready we will start at 
 once." 
 
 But Mrs. Grey appeared anything but reluctant to go, 
 and almost before he was done talking she was ready, 
 and stood waiting while he spent a few moments talking 
 to Mrs. Ferris. 
 
 " The cold will hardly be able to penetrate these wraps, 
 no matter how persistent it may be," she said, in answer 
 to their thoughtfulness for her comfort. 
 
 " This is the only horsethat we ever drive in single 
 harness, and I was afraid to trust him in the boys hands," 
 he said, in an apologetic tone, as he helped her into the 
 sleigh; "but you can look out over the landscape and 
 forget that you havn t your old body-guard for a driver, 
 and enjoy the ride. Vain creature ! " he said to the
 
 THE SLEIGH RIDE. 227 
 
 horse, "you seem particularly elated over the glitter of 
 your finery." 
 
 " My happiness does not always depend upon the same 
 ness of things, but more often upon a change." Then a 
 pensive look came over her face. " Isn t it strange, the 
 changes which are constantly taking place ? Even while 
 we watch we can see them going on changes in nature, 
 in our lives, and in everything about us. There is one 
 thing that will never change, and that is heaven, and that 
 is the only thing that I can call to mind at present." 
 
 Colonel Wilkins had cared little for the society of 
 women since the death of his wife, only such interest as 
 a true gentleman will manifest in his lady friends at all 
 times. He had dedicated his heart and life to the mem 
 ory of her who twelve years ago had gone from his home 
 to that eternal home above. 
 
 While witli Mrs. Grey he felt the diffidence so natural 
 to a noble nature while in the presence of an object ot 
 the deepest regard. He looked at her intently while she 
 was speaking. There had been a change in her face 
 since he first knew her. The look of deep and unuttera 
 ble sorrow had softened and given place to one of calm 
 resignation and quiet dignity. She seemed the picture 
 of health and self-reliance, sitting so contentedly by his 
 side. Yes, she was enjoying the drive. Any one who 
 saw her bright eyes and rosy cheeks would feel assured 
 of that. vSince he had been called upon to bear a similar 
 affliction, he felt thankful for her sake for the change. It 
 is not that our sorrows grow less, but only that we become 
 better schooled in time to bear them. Time does not 
 heal the wound, but gives us a fortitude to bear the pain 
 instead, he thought, which is so much toward perfecting 
 us for the world to come. 
 
 " Did you miss not getting to come to the country last
 
 228 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 week, or did you regard it as a rest?" said the man, look 
 ing down at his companion with a look of kindly interest 
 in his dark gray eyes. 
 
 She looked up at him as if she was surprised that he 
 should use the word rest in connection with anything so 
 pleasant as her weekly visits to the country. Then she 
 smiled. " You know a rest may prove very fatiguing 
 when one is not in need of it. I hardly knew what to 
 do with myself that day. You see how quickly a weak 
 creature can drift into habits." 
 
 " That weakness must be natural, since we all seem to 
 have been alike affected with its influence that day." 
 
 "Then you think that because a fault is universal or 
 
 common that is an excuse for it. For my part, I think 
 
 among all the errors that we are liable to commit, the 
 
 .most prevalent ones are not only the greatest, but the 
 
 least excusable." 
 
 " Rather than to be defeated, I will seek refuge in re 
 treat by calling our attention to the fact that the error 
 that led to this conversation was not a very erroneous 
 one. For my part, I can not regard the fact that we all 
 missed 3*011 last Tuesday in the light of a fault." 
 
 " Well, since we all seem to have been guilty of the 
 same wrong toward each other, we ought to be willing 
 to call it even. It is so nice to be missed," she added, 
 simply. 
 
 "It is seldom that one meets a person whose nature is 
 so frank and unassuming, and yet so deep and thought 
 ful," thought Colonel Wilkins. " She seems to be one of 
 the few who are not only able to encounter life s battles, 
 but its severest trials as well, without becoming em 
 bittered, and to have retained her childlike simplicity 
 through it all." 
 
 " You spoke of rest ; that is not what I need, but rest
 
 THE SLEIGH RIDE- 229 
 
 from excessive rest instead. If I could only fill my life 
 with some good and useful work, I would be satisfied. 
 I would never be satisfied to lead the life of a butterfly, 
 as easy as it is supposed to be." 
 
 " Yes, I suppose it is about as hard for some to hold 
 their energy in check as it is for others to exert their 
 lagging forces. You would suit better to such a life as is 
 led by the ant or the busy bee. But," he went on, as a 
 sly humor crept into his usually earnest eyes, " don t you 
 think that the ant, which has been extolled from time 
 immemorial as a pattern of wisdom and industry, shows 
 a decided lack of faith ? You know that Sufficient unto 
 the day is the evil thereof, and Behold the lilies of the 
 field; they toil not, neither do they spin. " 
 
 "My ambition," was her earnest answer, "is above 
 either that of the ant or the bees, and since you can find 
 no passage of Scripture to prove to me that it is wrong 
 to lay up treasures in heaven, I would prefer to pattern 
 after the industrious habits of those busy creatures." 
 
 The horse was fresh and swift and the termination of 
 their journey put an end to their conversation. 
 
 This was the longest that the now thoroughly good 
 friends had not seen each other since their first acquaint 
 ance, and the pleasure of again being together was mutual 
 and was manifested by their perfectly easy and sincere 
 intercourse. 
 
 "I told father this morning that I was forgetting my 
 lessons and a great deal depended upon seeing you today," 
 said John, with a look of boyish appreciation. 
 
 " I am afraid that if you depend too much upon me you 
 will 1>e disappointed at the result," said Mrs. Grey, but 
 she nevertheless smiled at him in a pleased way. "The 
 lesson of self-reliance is one of the first essentials to suc 
 cess in anvthinir. The benefit that we mav derive from
 
 230 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 the exertions of others can only be temporary at best. 
 The strength that we acquire by the exercise of our own 
 powers will be wanting." 
 
 " How plainly we see that manifested every day," said 
 Colonel Wilkins. " Take the rich man as an example. 
 In the management of his wealth, the one who has 
 gained a competence through years of toil and self denial 
 will show the wisdom gained by his many struggles, and 
 expend the benefits in a prudential way, while the one 
 who comes into his possessions through inheritance will 
 spend with a lavish hand that would strike consternation 
 and dismay to the heart of him who laid the foundation 
 of his wealth ; or the one who wins riches suddenly by 
 what is termed a lucky stroke he who, by the stroke of 
 a pen transfers not only the hard-earned money but the 
 very necessaries of life of the many into his own coffer; 
 and then, devoid of principle, he will go on in a waj T that 
 will not only exhaust his money, but his self-respect and 
 manhood as well, and a hopeless death at the end of a 
 hardened life will be the reward of the injustice." 
 
 "Yes," said Mary Grey, "God will, in His own good 
 time and way, visit His retribution upon, the cruel and 
 heartless even though our earthly laws are handled by 
 their representative in a way to favor the moneyed and 
 grasping. Not all things that we have a right to do are 
 right." 
 
 The boys had hoped that their father would regard this 
 second trip of the animal as safe enough for them to 
 make, but they could judge from various little signs as 
 the time approached, that he was expecting to go. So 
 the3 r were not surprised when he, at what to them seemed 
 an early hour, again had himself in readiness. "I will 
 go early," he said, "so as to give Mrs. Grey an opportun 
 ity to see more of the country."
 
 THK SLEIGH RIDE. 231 
 
 "Father must think more of showing her the country 
 than of taking her home," said John, as he saw them start 
 in the opposite direction. 
 
 " He may be like you and enjoy being with Mrs. Grey," 
 said the older brother in a teasing way. "You seem to 
 fancy that no one has a right to her society but yourself. 
 I would never hang around any one like you do her. 
 Even if a person does come handy once in a while, that 
 does not keep them from becoming tiresome at times." 
 
 "I thank you," was his half angry reply; "I do not 
 hang around her. I am never with her only when she 
 asks me, and if I was a lady I would never invite any 
 one or pretend that I wanted them when I did not, and 
 I don t believe that she would either." 
 
 "No," said Aunt Minnie, coming to the rescue, "Mrs. 
 Grey does not pretend; she likes you both. No true gen 
 tleman will receive the regards and friendship of a lady 
 in a depreciative way, but will strive to make himself 
 worthy of them instead; and since a gentleman is a 
 gentle boy grown to manhood, you can not be too careful 
 of the habits you form." 
 
 " I hope I do not lack in manly qualities, Aunt Minnie. 
 I was only teasing John," said Will, coloring but not re 
 senting the reproof. 
 
 "I know you do not. You both show the fruits of 
 your father s example and training, but you should not 
 try to discourage your brother s thoughtfulness of Mrs. 
 Grey s comfort and happiness ; for many a noble nature 
 has been warped and stunted by this thoughtless and 
 harmful practice of joking. Only the boy that can be 
 kind and attentive to a lady older than himself will ever 
 make himself worthy of one of his own age." 
 
 "Aunt Minnie, you certainly could not mean that a 
 boy of my age should begin to think of a wife."
 
 232 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 "The man who shows himself worthy of a wife, only 
 when he has one in view, is not worthy of one at all, and 
 you are never too young to conduct yourself in a way 
 that would attract the attention of the kind of woman 
 that you will wish to merit when you are a man." 
 
 "I do not think that I particularly needed a scolding, 
 but I thank you for your timely hints and suggestions, 
 and will try to profit by them." 
 
 "Nor did I mean to scold you, but I see so many who 
 think that the fact of their being boys entitles them to 
 give their rudeness full sway; and if it happens to be 
 directed toward any of his girl acquaintances, it is 
 through no fault of their own, but she is to blame for 
 permitting it. And this feeling, which is so manifest in 
 the small boy, grows with his growth and strengthens 
 with his strength, and in such a degree, that by the time 
 he is a man grown, he thinks the fact that he is a man 
 gives him the right to act in a way that if he is honest 
 he can scarcely respect himself, and to assume a slight 
 ing air of indifference, and still regard the respect of 
 women as his just dues." 
 
 "Aunt Minnie, I will soon begin to think that you are 
 afraid for our future," said Will. 
 
 " None of our characters are proof against impressions, 
 and our futures are only assured in proportion to our 
 willingness to renew our security daily and hourly by our 
 conduct, but I am far from meaning to be personal, and I 
 hope that the memory of your mother, together with the 
 life of your father, will continue to influence } 7 ou both in 
 a way that you will never forget yourself, and always 
 show yourself worthy of the highest type of womanhood."
 
 CPIAPTER XXIII. 
 
 THK DRIYK. 
 
 COLOXKL WIIvKIXS had said that he would start 
 early to give Mrs. Grey an opportunity to see the 
 country, but it was to serve a double purpose, for, he had 
 several hours of pleasure for himself in view ; for he 
 thought: "Although she has had all the experience that 
 both perfect happiness and the deepest sorrow can bring, 
 she still has all the innocence and freshness of a young 
 girl, and one hour in her society can not only make one 
 forget the frailties of human nature and see only its 
 strength and beauty, but alike to forget the number of 
 mile-stones he has passed and the ground gone over be 
 tween (sometimes with light and joyful step and some 
 times with a weary tread), and make him feel as if those 
 years were still spread out before him." 
 
 He had been in the habit of regarding himself as an 
 old man, but today almost unconsciously he derived a 
 sense of satisfaction from the fact that he would have to 
 pass several of those sentinels that keep tally of the 
 passing years before he would reach his fortieth birthday. 
 
 " I can, after all, show my respect for the memory of 
 my wife in no better way than by being considerate for 
 and acting in a perfectly honorable way toward all her 
 sex. It depends more upon that than it does upon my 
 denying myself the pleasure of their society. If there 
 was no true friendship between men and women, aside 
 from that which should necessarily lead to love and mar 
 riage, this would be an uninteresting world and an empty 
 one to many ; for even the marriage tie does not always 
 insure friendship, for many who bear the titles of husband 
 5 (233)
 
 234 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 and wife could have done each other no more irreparable 
 wrong than they have by marrying and rendering each 
 other s lives miserable. I think the simple fact that the 
 all-wise Creator has ordained that we should be born into 
 the same family, and hold toward each other the most 
 sacred ties of blood, is proof that He does not intend that 
 we should hold ourselves aloof, which in itself is sugges 
 tive of evil, but should cultivate a noble spirit that would 
 be a safeguard against wrong, and encourage an inter 
 course of friendly kindness and attention which could not 
 fail to add to the enjoyments of this life." 
 
 Thus thought Colonel Wilkins, and since he was a man 
 grown and in the full possession of his faculties, who had 
 a better right to judge? And moreover, who would own 
 the spirit that would be led to say him nay ? 
 
 In his old thoughtful way he arranged the robes about 
 his companion more closely, and almost imagined that he 
 once more had his wdfe by his side : that wife that he had 
 taken from her home with such a proud sense of posses 
 sion over seventeen years ago ; but she had only been 
 allowed to remain with him a few short years not much 
 more than half as long as she had lain in her lonely 
 grave. But our minds, which are so persistent at times 
 in giving us an itemized account of our life and doings, 
 will sometimes in turn present our past to us in such a 
 w r ay that one backward sweep of memory will cover the 
 whole length of time, with even- incident therein con 
 tained, and in such a way as to make it seem one short 
 unbroken dream a dream whose impressions, even when 
 we attempt it, will scarcely bear being carried into our 
 waking hours. 
 
 This was the picture this man s life presented to him 
 (if anything so vague could be called a picture) as he 
 and the woman by his side had for some time been busy 
 with their own thoughts. Then he said, at last :
 
 THE DRIVE. 235 
 
 " Mrs. Grey, do you not wonder sometimes what the 
 future has in store for 3-011 ? " 
 
 " Sufficient unto the day are the evils thereof," she an 
 swered, with a gay smile. 
 
 " I own myself answered," he said in turn ; " but seri 
 ously, have you never wished that you could lift the veil 
 that divides the present from the future? " 
 
 " Well, seriously then, do you mean in this world or 
 the world to come? " 
 
 "I mean in this world first, since our present dealings 
 are with earthry environments, and our future depends so 
 much upon our life here." 
 
 " Yes, but our future does not depend upon what this 
 world holds in store for us, but rather upon the use that 
 we make of both present and future. I am afraid that 
 my faith would be sorely tried by the spirit of prophecy ; 
 for if I knew, and if the future had nothing to offer me 
 but privation and sorrow, I might become too discouraged 
 to meet them. And if it held out nothing but perfect 
 happiness to lure me on, I might become so satisfied with 
 old earth that I would forget to prepare myself for heaven. 
 And besides, if we could acquire the power to penetrate 
 the unfathomable, either of this world or the one to come, 
 we would lose respect for God as an all-wise ruler and 
 begin to doubt and criticise his methods." 
 
 " Well," was the man s answer, " if you have not been 
 given the spirit of prophecy, as you say, you seem to 
 have been given the knowledge of what is best for us." 
 
 " I would not have thought, Colonel Wilkins, that you, 
 of all men, would waste time in flattery," she answered, 
 in a tone of reproach. " I have the ordinary power of 
 thought." 
 
 "Yes; all rational beings have been given the power 
 to think, but while some are hiding their talents in the
 
 236 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 earth, others are employing theirs to fathom some of 
 God s great truths." 
 
 "Well, since we will have to give an account of how 
 we use this talent for good, and I am only exercising it 
 according to the strength God gave me, there is no occa 
 sion for praise." 
 
 " If I did not know you as well as I do, and your 
 conduct toward others did not prove otherwise, I would 
 be led to think that only the heroic and uncalled for deeds 
 were commendable in your eyes or worthy of notice." 
 
 " I am far from depreciating the value of small things, 
 for it is those which proclaim not only our patience and 
 fortitude, but our kindness of heart and soundness of 
 principle as well. But when I am praised I am led, 
 through my own knowledge of myself, to know that I 
 have been overestimated." 
 
 " But right here, Mrs. Grey, you deny to others the 
 right that you take to yourself that of judging in this 
 matter." 
 
 "I know that it is wrong to exercise any right that you 
 are not willing to grant to others, and I only take this as 
 another proof of my weakness a weakness that would 
 have caused my sorrow to overwhelm me and to lose 
 faith in God and man had I not put myself under supreme 
 guidance." 
 
 "You refer to the death of your husband," he said 
 gently, after a moment s silence. " I have had a similar 
 experience and can understand you well, but, unlike you, 
 I am afraid even now my faith has not entirely recovered 
 from the shock." 
 
 " Death is certainly the hardest trial through which our 
 faith is called to pass, but it should also the greatest in 
 spiration confined to earth to strengthen our faith; for 
 when our loved ones are taken from us here, we cannot
 
 THE DRIVE. 237 
 
 fail to recognize in them an added star to the crown that 
 is held out to us," was her thoughtful answer. 
 
 "Yes, but if we were assured that our loved ones w 7 ould 
 be to us what they were here, heaven would be more 
 worth striving for." 
 
 " I am afraid that if we only try to make ourselves 
 worthy of heaven in order to meet our earthly friends, 
 we will fail in our attempt to get there at all. In our 
 present imperfect state we can not conceive of our natures 
 as becoming so exalted, that we would willingly loosen 
 our grasp on earthly ties and affections; but known to 
 God are all his works from the beginning, and as in His 
 great plan, He, through the degrees of evolution, reached 
 perfection of His creation in man, so through the varied 
 stages from the cradle to the grave He prepares us for 
 the change that produces, not only the transformation of 
 our bodies, but also the perfection of our spirits, and by 
 the time our spirits are as fit for heaven as our forms 
 were suitable for earth, our natures will have undergone 
 such a change, that to know our friends are as happy as 
 we are ourselves will be all-sufficient." 
 
 "Does not the fact that the present, with its environ 
 ments (which we hold as of such vast importance), is as 
 nothing compared to the hereafter, sometimes have a de 
 pressing influence upon you and make you feel as if our 
 efforts here were as naught?" 
 
 " Our whole lives are as dross, but anything that is a 
 part of God s plan should not be despised by us, and we 
 should make them as round and full as possible by good 
 works and deeds." 
 
 " Such reconciliation is wonderful in one whose sorrow 
 is so new. Do you always feel so submissive to the 
 Divine will?" 
 
 "Oh, no! oh, no! For a long time it was almost a
 
 238 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 constant struggle that I might not rebel at the death of 
 my husband; and even now I can not look at the long, 
 lonely future without shrinking unless I first implore 
 strength from above." 
 
 "Your future may be long, but it shall not be lonely; 
 not if it is in the power of your friends to prevent it. 
 Do not understand by this that I overestimate our 
 powers, but simply that we will do all that we possibly 
 can toward making you happy." He forgot, for the time, 
 the youth that he had been so thankful for just a short 
 time before, and looked at her with eyes that spoke of 
 parental care and affection. 
 
 The tears of gratitude were in her eyes as she said, "I 
 would indeed be ungrateful if I did not show my appreci 
 ation of your kindness by trying to be happy, and I have 
 been as happy as it is possible for me to be." 
 
 "Forgive me if what I am about to say will seem un 
 kind, but you are too young to talk in that way. I do 
 not think that it will be in your nature ever to forget 
 your dead, but your grief will soften by time, and much 
 earthly happiness may still be before you. God knows 
 how impossible it would be to carry so great an affliction 
 in our hearts and still do our part toward the living ; so 
 He has made it a part of His divine ordinance that our 
 sorrows shall mellow with age. If you promise to forgive 
 me I will say still more. You will allow that it is a part 
 of our duty to be as happy as possible in this life. This 
 depends upon different surroundings, according to our 
 dispositions; and if, as you say, in the eternal world, 
 our natures will be so deepened and broadened as to be 
 able to lay down all distinction, and our earthly affections 
 will be as if they had not been, so that we shall know 
 each other only as happy spirits, why, if the future looks 
 lonely, should it always be so? Why should you not at
 
 THE DKIVK. 239 
 
 some future time again link your fortune with some 
 worthy man? There are plenty who are not so sure of 
 their route and would be glad for such a guide." 
 
 In her heart of hearts Mrs. Grey felt that this could 
 never be, but it had been said in such a kindly, earnest 
 tone that she could not feel hurt, and when she looked 
 into the noble face of the man by her side, she could see 
 that he had only been trying to propound a plan by which 
 her happiness might be insured, and her heart went out 
 to him in thankfulness. 
 
 "But," she said in answer, "you should not offer a sug 
 gestion by which you yourself would not be willing to 
 profit, but I know that men are constituted differently 
 from women. They seem to be all-sufficient for their 
 own happiness, and do not depend so much upon com 
 panionship." 
 
 "Then things seem very different from what they 
 really are," was his answer, "but I am older, and in all 
 probability have not as many years before me as you 
 have, and unlike you, I would be no help to any one, but 
 rather the kind that would need to be led." 
 
 She looked at him earnestly as if she would satisfy her 
 self as to the truth or untruth of the assertion. vShe 
 knew that he would not make a depreciative remark 
 about himself simply as a challenge to bring out any 
 contrary opinion that she might hold of him. Could it 
 be that this man of men, who had trained himself against 
 the possibility of a dishonorable or unworthy thought or 
 act, could think thus humbly of himself? Hut this was, 
 after all, only a verification of the truth that the persons 
 who would fill their minds with the profitable, must 
 necessarily crowd out the thoughts that are vain and 
 small. 
 
 You are quite aged," she said at last, her seriousness
 
 240 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 giving place to gayer tones. "I had not noticed it be 
 fore; some five or six years older than myself I would 
 judge." 
 
 " Have you never noticed my gray hair? If Jack Frost 
 was not about to take advantage of the occasion, I would 
 remove 1113" cap to show you how busy old Father Time 
 has been with the top of my head, trying to change its 
 natural color to his favorite shade. I will not ask your 
 age nor will I tell you mine. Those are secrets that we 
 could not afford to divulge to any one, even if such a 
 thing was not bad form, but I am at least ten years your 
 senior." 
 
 They sat for some time quietly listening to the jingle 
 of the bells. During their conversation they had paid 
 little or no attention to either the farm houses or passers- 
 by, but now their attention was drawn to a house which 
 they were approaching, by the barking of a dog one of 
 those farm curs which seem to think that people might 
 notice the snub if the}* did not entertain them from the 
 time they have the slightest suspicion of their approach 
 until long after they were gone out of sight, with one of 
 their most vigorous displays of lung power ; and the 
 treble canine voice which greeted our friends gave evi 
 dence of much rehearsing and practice. 
 
 In the barn lot all alike looked white and clean under 
 the newly fallen snow, which had clung to everything 
 so persistently, from the loft} wind-pump down to the ill- 
 favored pig-sty. 
 
 The inhabitants of this region all seemed te be housed 
 in their respective quarters, as there were none in sight 
 with the exception of an old bramah hen, which thought 
 that she, through the length of her legs, would be justi 
 fied in the attempt to make a tour of inspection ; but 
 even she seemed to be weighing heavily the advisability
 
 THK DRIVE. 241 
 
 of such a move, for she would raise one foot, suspend it 
 above the snow in a thoughtful manner, and then bring 
 it down only to raise the other with the same deliberation. 
 From within the precincts of the poultry house came an 
 excited rasping cackle, as a leghorn pullet was not try 
 ing to practice deception upon her lord and master, oh, 
 no; but only trying her voice and endeavoring to remind 
 her professional sisters in the egg business that a little 
 practice during the winter months would not come 
 amiss. 
 
 As they hastened by, a long loud whinny sounded from 
 the stable, as the noise of the bells caused one of its in 
 mates to lose his equilibrium. It was not plain to his 
 equine mind why he should be confined in a dull stable, 
 while one of his kind should be traveling to such a 
 lively tune. But they, no doubt, were scarcely out of 
 hearing, until he forgot the slight implied and concluded 
 that there was, after all, much comfort to be derived from 
 a good warm stable with its accompaniments of oats, 
 corn and hay. 
 
 As they neared a little brick school-house, the tap of 
 the bell announced that the girls and boys, who came 
 there daily with the hope that they might some time in 
 the remote future even acquire the profound air and 
 stately step of the instructor, had mastered enough ed 
 ucation for one day, and that that superior personage had 
 thought it time to send them home for rest and recreation. 
 The door flew open. They all tried to get out at once, 
 which bid fair to impede their progress, but soon several 
 of the smaller boys slipped out between the legs of the 
 larger ones. This sprung a leak, and soon the house bid 
 fair to free itself of its heterogeneous mass, and wisdom 
 most prolound, with a way best known to its representa 
 tives of making itself felt, together with shrinking timid
 
 242 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 ity, come out in such a way as to give the latter just 
 cause to fear that they would yet be undermined and 
 buried in the snow. 
 
 The "little boys," as they are usually snubbed by those 
 who have an eighth of an inch added to their stature, 
 were soon engaged in the important industry of putting 
 ears and some other finishing touches on a snow-man 
 which they had not had time to finish during their short 
 recess, but had hurriedly stuck a corncob pipe in the long 
 crease which they intended for his mouth, to show that he 
 was to be a man when he was finished, and now they 
 were hurrying as only boys know how who are engaged 
 in like occupations. 
 
 Some " bigger boys " were snow-balling with kindred 
 spirits from among the girls ; while still another size, and 
 the most important of all and the envied of both the 
 smaller sizes, were vigorously engaged in washing some 
 blushing maidens faces, who were making great preten- 
 tions at trying to escape but all who themselves have 
 been boys and girls at school know that this hubbub was 
 only a challenge to further attention and more thorough 
 face-washing. 
 
 Some were trying to impress their portraits upon this 
 impromptu camera, by stretching themselves full length 
 on the snow, while still others were engaged in the more 
 invigorating pastime of wrestling. 
 
 In the background, around the door, stood the more 
 demure little girls, looking their disapproval and waiting 
 for an opportunity to escape in the more dignified posi 
 tion of walking with the teacher. 
 
 This brought back old memories in a way to make 
 Mary Grey laugh merrily. " I could well imagine myself 
 as one of the girls in that school-yard, were it not so hard
 
 THE DRIVE. 243 
 
 to imagine myself as only one, for I have been in all their 
 places at different times." 
 
 " I never attended country school," said Colonel \Vil- 
 kins, " but I always thought that those little rascals must 
 have some prime fun, with plenty of time to study up 
 deviltry and an opportunity to carry it out to the bitter 
 end." 
 
 " Yes," was Mrs. Grey s laughing answer; " in country 
 schools the sly have an opportunity to engage in a great 
 deal of mischief; but there are also many drawbacks 
 connected with the place for such, and you have well 
 said to the bitter end, for some of the masters fill in the 
 time between recitations in trying to develop their mus 
 cular powers, and this exercise is usually taken by apply 
 ing the ruler or some convenient hickory to the backs of 
 those who become all the more incorrigible, and, as a 
 consequence, much of this practice is necessary." 
 
 As they neared Cloverdale they met vehicles of every 
 conceivable shape and style. Everything that could pos 
 sibly be coaxed into locomotion had been placed upon 
 runners and marshaled out. Light wagons, buggies, and 
 even store-boxes, were trying to hold their own as sleighs. 
 Some of the country lads who had sleighs yes, theirs 
 were real sleighs, even if they were not of the latest 
 pattern and the paint was not quite so new as on some 
 they met were on their way to make as brave a showing 
 as possible by driving up and down the village street with 
 their sweethearts. 
 
 One bob-sled load, who seemed to be on their way to 
 some merrymaking, were determined to keep the beaten 
 track, and our friends were nearly upset into a drift on 
 trying to round them. They seemed on pleasure bent, 
 and since they had matters arranged in a way that could 
 not fail to be congenial to the happiness of the most
 
 244 H E WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 sentimental youth, they were in no hurry. They were 
 arranged in two rows, one on each side of the large 
 wagon bed, and their self-satisfied looks gave the impres 
 sion that every one had their choice by their side. Even 
 the driver could not deny himself this bit of innocent 
 pleasure ; so he had arranged his seat as low as possible, 
 and had an extra robe wrapped about his best girl, who 
 was making a brave sitting by his side. 
 
 A boy who was clinging to the hind bob called to 
 Colonel .Wilkins as he passed : " Say, mister, if you are 
 a parson, here s a fat job for you, for these spoonies are 
 looking for some one to do the knot act for them, and 
 you might as well have the cash as any one." 
 
 Boys with their hand-sleighs were now fast coming into 
 prominence, but the Colonel s horse seemed to think that 
 one sleigh at a time was quite enough for a well-bred 
 horse, and sped along in such a way as to give the second 
 one no possible show. 
 
 As they turned the corner of the street that led to Mrs. 
 Grey s home, they met Mrs. Jones, with Miss Green, in 
 her sleigh. They seemed so thoroughly absorbed in try 
 ing to determine satisfactorily who each driver had by his 
 side that they hardly seemed to have time to enjoy their 
 own ride. 
 
 " I thank you heartily for this pleasant drive," said 
 Mrs. Grey to Colonel Wilkins, as he lifted her from the 
 sleigh at her own gate. 
 
 " I am glad to know that the enjoyment has been 
 mutual," was his reply, " and if you do not object I will 
 come again for you some time." 
 
 " I certainly should not object," she said frankly, giving 
 him her hand. 
 
 "And you have not been displeased with me?" he 
 asked, earnestly.
 
 THE DRIVE. 245 
 
 " Xot in the least, and shall always regard you as a very 
 kind friend." 
 
 Saying good night, the man was soon on his way home 
 and alone with his thoughts.
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 THE DREAM. 
 
 THAT night Mrs. Grey was soon sleeping the sleep 
 that only exercise, a sound body and a clear con 
 science will insure, but this restful slumber gave place to 
 that of uneasiness and strange dreams. She thought that 
 she was lying safely in her bed when two paths opened 
 up before her. The one was up a steep and dizzy path 
 which led to the top of a hill, upon which was, glittering 
 in the sunlight, a castle of magnificent splendor. The 
 other was along an even beaten track, which led to a haven 
 of sweet simplicity. Along the one a stranger was strew 
 ing hot-house flowers and sweet perfumes. Along the 
 other a more familiar form was gathering a bouquet of 
 sweet, old fashioned roses, honeysuckles and blue bells. 
 While the steep but beautiful path was strange to her, the 
 other reminded her of scenes connected with her child 
 hood s home. Sometimes the face of the one who was 
 trying to make the one path alluring, in spite .of its 
 danger, would take on a familiar form; then just as quick 
 the recognition would vanish. The other, who was hold 
 ing out to her peace and sweet security, was sometimes 
 that of her mother, and then again the likeness of Colonel 
 Wilkins was strangely intermingled. 
 
 Sometimes she would be following the path, which, 
 after all, was only dangerous enough to be enticing at the 
 outset; but after a time the heat and the odor of the 
 strange tropical flowers became stifling, and there was no 
 shade in which to rest, but the stranger would look back 
 with a smile of assurance that would lead her on. And 
 then again, as if drawn by those eyes of painful entreaty, 
 
 (246)
 
 THK DRKAM. 247 
 
 she would be following their owner with a sense of utter 
 restfulness along the humble yet shady w 7 alks, and she 
 would be transformed into a happy, care-free girl, and 
 would be watching the brook which flowed through her 
 father s farm, or gathering the self-same flowers, which 
 had not only gone out from her life years ago, but had 
 disappeared both root and branch long ere this. 
 
 Sometimes the scenes of her dreams were quickly 
 shifted from one to the other, and then again she seemed 
 divided and her feet would be drawn, even though some 
 what reluctantly, in one direction, while her spirit would 
 be hovering in peace and joy along the other. 
 
 At last she found herself upon the summit of the 
 beautiful hill, and with feverish haste and excitement 
 was drinking in its strange grandeur. Her handsome 
 guide was just about to lead her into the castle that was 
 a strange construction of golden coin, rare jewels, the 
 skins of animals, and strange flowers, and was built upon 
 the extreme edge of the declivity when the ground be 
 neath her feet gave way. She made an attempt to regain 
 her foothold, but the frail wall of the castle to which she 
 tried to cling gave way, so did the vines and shrubs at 
 which she grasped in her desperation; and just as she 
 was beginning to go down, down, down, she awoke. How 
 glad she was to be awake. She lay for some time in 
 strange bewilderment, her heart beating almost to suffoca 
 tion, and she felt almost as exhausted as if her dream 
 had been a reality. When the da/ed feeling had worn 
 away, and she was assured that she had not been out of 
 her bed, the clock struck one ; but the clock struck sev 
 eral times more before she again fell asleep. 
 
 " If I was a believer in dreams, I would think that I 
 had a presentiment, and that I am to reach a crisis in my 
 life in the near future, and will be called upon to make
 
 248 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 the choice between right and wrong in an important 
 matter," she said to Mrs. Ferris the next morning. 
 
 " Don t you think," said her friend, " that we are mak 
 ing that choice constantly, every day and every hour, and 
 that our very lives are a choice between right and 
 wrong?" 
 
 " Yes," said Mrs. Grey, " the fact that some people live 
 proclaims the choice. I am afraid that the fact that it is 
 wrong and an unpardonable sin is all that keeps many a 
 poor discouraged soul from ending his life by his own 
 hand. But my dream would almost suggest that there 
 was something unusual before me, in which I am to be 
 sorely tried." 
 
 " It is only through severe trials that we can make sure 
 of our strength, and the unusual ones are the severest 
 tests, because the}" do not give us an opportunity to be 
 on our guard. But as the beauty and brilliancy of the 
 diamond is only brought out by the most persistent grind 
 ing, so our characters and natures can only be rounded 
 and perfected by coming in contact with the sharp edges 
 of this great burnishing tool, the world." 
 
 "Well," said Mary Grey, "the fact that the whole world 
 is not rounded and perfected (since there is so little want 
 of opportunity) is proof that we do not always profit by 
 the grinding, but sometimes disclose a sharpened effect 
 instead ; and, knowing this, we can not look forward to 
 coming into unnecessary contact with the world with any 
 degree of assurance, and so would avoid it if possible." 
 And her friend noticed for the first time that she was 
 taking the matter almost seriously. 
 
 " Your dream must indeed have had a depressing effect 
 upon you to make you talk in such a tone. It is not one 
 of your characteristics to meet trouble half way, and if it 
 were not for that healthy color on your face I would think
 
 THE DRIVE. 249 
 
 that your "liver had become disordered and would pre 
 scribe accordingly. But even if there was anything in 
 our sleeping visions, I would not let this weigh upon my 
 mind. It would be nothing worse than we have both un 
 dergone in the past. Excuse me for referring to such an 
 unpleasant subject ; but since you have gone through one 
 of the most trying ordeals in the last few months that 
 human flesh is heir to and envy and malice can drag us 
 through, and are none the worse, I have no fear for 
 you." 
 
 "You mean those unjust implications. A nature that 
 can not withstand slander, but becomes narrowed and 
 embittered, proves itself as being in no great degree 
 superior to those who originate or carry on the talk ; and 
 the persons who try to defend themselves against wrong 
 by becoming angry and acting in the same spirit as their 
 accusers, thereby destroy their only effectual weapon of 
 defense an unimpeachable character. 
 
 " And so, in the same degree, does a woman who has 
 shown herself proof against injury from that most per 
 sistent of enemies, the human tongue, whose poison is so 
 subtle as to eat its way unawares into the heart and brain 
 of its victims, prove her nature to be such as to be able 
 to deal with the many minor ills of life ; and since there 
 is nothing in dreams, we will think no more about this 
 one, and I will give you something real instead. Mere is 
 a letter for you. Mr. F erris brought it last night. I 
 thought you would be sleepy after your drive in the cold, 
 and so I did not disturb you." 
 
 Mrs. Grey \vondered who her letter could be from. She 
 could tell by the postmark that it was from the city, but 
 who did she know there that would write to her? She 
 was in the act of starting to her own room, when Mrs. 
 Ferris said kindly : " You can read your letter here, as I 
 1 6
 
 250 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 was just about to leave the room. Yes, I am going 
 any way," she said, as she saw Mrs. Grey hesitate in 
 doubt. 
 
 The first thing she did upon opening her letter was to 
 look at the inscription "Nellie Alton." Mrs. Alton had 
 heretofore sent her messages to Mrs. Grey through her 
 letters to her sister-in-law, and she wondered what the 
 lady might have to say to her that would occasion a 
 letter. But she was not long to remain in doubt. The 
 little lady s letter was as dainty as herself, and her chir- 
 ography as plain as care and precision could make it, and 
 guiltless of any hidden or secret meaning. 
 
 " I am so glad," Mrs. Grey said to Mrs. Ferris, after 
 that lady had read her letter. " I have lived so far re 
 moved from the want and suffering of the world that I 
 have become indifferent and selfish ; and that is the kind 
 of work that I have always wished to do, only I would 
 rather be able to help them from my own purse than to 
 be only the instrument in the hands of others." 
 
 " I would rather you did not go at all, but that you 
 would be content to stay here instead ; but since you 
 seem to think that your happiness depends upon it, I 
 wish you God-speed. It is only for three months, I be 
 lieve, and then you will come back to us, of course." 
 
 " Yes, I will come back when the time is up ; but I will 
 have to give up my pupils," she said, anxiously, " and 
 what will there be for me to do when I get back? " 
 
 " You will be able to see them all before you go. If 
 you tell them your mission in the city, they will get some 
 one to fill your place temporarily, and will gladly take 
 you back at the end of the three months." 
 
 " I will get to see the other two, but not Colonel Wil- 
 kins. The letter says that they would like to have me 
 there to assume my duties by the first of February. This
 
 THE DRIVE. 251 
 
 letter has been delayed nearly a week," she said, looking 
 at the date. " I will be sure to be satisfied with any 
 financial arrangement that they may make, and so will 
 go on Saturday. I will then have only the Sabbath on 
 which to become somewhat accustomed to my new sur 
 roundings, since next Monday is the first of February. 
 Do not think that I am glad to leave my friends, because 
 I certainly have occasion to be otherwise ; but I think 
 those who have none of their own who need them are 
 the ones who should be willing to administer to the com 
 fort of strangers who do need them." 
 
 Thus it was settled. She penned Mrs. Alton a few 
 lines to tell her that she would be there on Saturday to 
 do anything that they might require of her. 
 
 The next three days she was very bus} . Her mind 
 was filled with excitement and a sense of pleasure. There 
 were those who needed her such as she could really 
 benefit. There was some real, active work before her 
 something to occupy both time and thought. 
 
 She went to see her pupils. They were sorry to give 
 her up, and promised that the place should be open to 
 her whenever she should see fit to fill it again. She went 
 to the bank, where her little hoard was deposited. She 
 wished to ascertain the amount, so she would know how 
 much to depend upon in case she needed it. This had 
 accumulated to a snug little sum, almost more than she 
 had expected. 
 
 After she had everything else attended to, she packed 
 her trunks, and by the time Saturday morning had arrived 
 she was ready to start for the scenes of her labors. 
 
 " Remember," said Mrs. Ferris, " that you are always 
 to regard this as your home, and that you will be welcome 
 here under any and all circumstances." 
 
 " Such a face as hers should be proof against harm and
 
 252 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 injury any place and at any time," thought that lady, as 
 she saw Mrs. Grey depart, and stood watching the train 
 pull slowly out of the station. 
 
 Thus Mrs. Grey had left the home of her friend, to 
 return to it when ? Who knows ?
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 THE DISAPPOINTMENT. 
 
 I WONDER" said Johnny Wilkins to his brother in a 
 rueful tone, "if father will think that horse tame 
 enough for us to drive this winter. I am sure he is no 
 worse than he always was, and he never hesitated to risk 
 him with us before." 
 
 "Well," said Will, "that was different; because then 
 we could go together, but the sleigh is too small for three. 
 You would not like to go alone and I am sure I don t 
 care to." 
 
 This reasoning did not seem to make Johnny s disap 
 pointment any easier to bear, as he stood at the window 
 watching his father depart for Cloverdale on the following 
 Tuesday morning, and he only wished that the years 
 would hurry by that would make him a man. 
 
 Meanwhile his father was hastening toward his destin 
 ation in a state of pleased expectancy. The snow, by 
 this time, had settled and the sleighing was perfect. But 
 the smoothness of the road and the noise of the bells 
 were little in accord with his thoughts, and he paid little 
 heed to them. 
 
 He found himself wondering what would the life be 
 like that was stretched out before his little friend. He 
 felt that he had a fatherly interest in her, and considered 
 her happiness above all things else ; but when he came 
 to think of what might be necessary to secure her happi 
 ness, his own life not only crept slyly into the arrange 
 ment, but also held a prominent part there. But he would 
 not have owned this, even to himself. 
 
 He could not conceal the look of pained disappointment
 
 254 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 that came over his frank and open countenance when 
 Mrs. Ferris told him that the little music teacher had 
 gone to the city to be gone until spring. "When did she 
 begin to think of such an act?" was his first question, 
 and it was plain to be seen that he thought he should 
 have been apprised of such an important move, if not 
 consulted in the matter. 
 
 " She did not get my sister-in-law r s letter until last 
 Wednesday morning. She told me to tell your family 
 how sorry she was to leave us all, but you know this is 
 the kind of work that she has always wanted to do, and 
 has only been waiting for an opportunity." 
 
 He maintained a polite silence as Mrs. Ferris told him 
 that Mrs. Grey had gone to distribute, among the poor, 
 funds that had been raised by a company of rich people, 
 of which her brother was treasurer. But the look of dis 
 appointment on his face had given place to one of great 
 est concern before she got through. 
 
 "I wish she would have thought more of herself," he 
 could not refrain from saying, " instead of so much about 
 the poor. Xot but what this is a most laudable and 
 worthy object, but imagine a woman like her in a large 
 city with nothing but strangers." 
 
 " Innocence is its own best protection, and I don t know 
 of a woman who is more capable of taking care of her 
 self, under an}- circumstances, than Mary Grey; and be 
 sides she will not be entirely among strangers. My 
 brother and his wife are there and will show her every 
 kindness." 
 
 This did not have the effect to soften the look upon the 
 man s face; but he only said, "Of course Mrs. Grey is 
 her own mistress, but I don t see why some women will 
 persist in doing for others when most men would find it 
 more than thev cared to do to take care of themselves."
 
 DISAPPOINTMENT. 255 
 
 "You forget, Colonel Wilkins," said the lad)-, "that 
 there is a salary connected with this arrangement, and 
 that in taking care of others Mrs. Grey will also be tak 
 ing care of herself." 
 
 The man looked at her with a half angry, questioning 
 look. "I did not know that Mrs. Grey was not earning 
 sufficient for her needs, or that she was only here on suf 
 ferance." 
 
 " Hoity toity !" was her reply. "There is hardly any 
 occasion for such manifestation of spirit. You act as if 
 you thought that I had sent her away as a personal griev 
 ance to you; but I assure you that I had nothing to do 
 with her going. She did not even ask my advice, much 
 less consent, and I have always treated her in a way that 
 even you could not disapprove of. Pray let us not fall 
 out about a mutual friend, for I assure you I have her in 
 terest and happiness at heart as much as you possibly 
 could have." 
 
 " I had no intention of falling out with an old friend," 
 he said, as he smilingly offered her his hand. Hut he went 
 away in anything but a satisfied mood. Of course he 
 did not dare to tell Mrs. Ferris the chief cause of his irri 
 tation. Hut he thought, as he drove slowly homeward, 
 " I would much rather she had gone among strangers 
 than the ones she has goiie to. Her personal security 
 would be just as much assured." 
 
 He stopped at the post-office. He never received any 
 mail on Tuesday, but dee]) down in his heart a sly hope 
 had gained a foothold. "She may have written to me. 
 She always seemed to think much of the boys and may 
 have wanted to make some explanation." Hut there was 
 nothing there. He was disappointed, but his head re 
 fused to own what his heart declared. " Of course she 
 would not need to write, when she left word with Mrs.
 
 256 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 Ferris." And what right had he to expect such notice 
 from her? He had a fatherly interest in her, of course, 
 but what daughter of that age found it expedient to con 
 sult her father? and so he should be content with a 
 father s dues. 
 
 He did not try to conceal his regret when he told the 
 people at home that they did not need to expect to see 
 Mrs. Grey again before spring. 
 
 " The rest of the winter will be pretty lonesome for us, 
 wont it boys? " he said to Johnny and Will, who seemed to 
 agree with him heartily. 
 
 Johnny was very demonstrative in his remarks against 
 missions and good works in general, if they necessitated 
 his parting with his friend, companion and teacher. His 
 father did not correct him, as was his custom when he 
 indulged in unfeeling talk. This coincided too closely 
 with his own views of the matter. 
 
 " How consistent are the works of Providence," said 
 Deacon Hill, in a profound tone to his wife Betsy, when 
 a few weeks after Mrs. Grey s departure, he had heard 
 glowing accounts of her good works done in the city, 
 but his tone changed, as it had a trick of doing, when he 
 said, " It is as plain as the nose on nay face (which should 
 be plain, considering the size of that member) that this 
 world was not made for a joke. But it does seem almost 
 like a pity," he went on thoughtfully, " that it was neces 
 sary to remove the good Parson Grey that the city might 
 secure an angel of mercy. And to think," he went on, a 
 visible rise in his spirits, "how she was treated here by 
 some as were not worthy to unloose her shoe latchet. If 
 I was allowed to suggest an addition to this town, it 
 would be a public whipping post, and an expert at the 
 business to deal out the full number of stripes to those 
 who fail to hold back on the bridle on their tongues; but
 
 THE DISAPPOINTMENT. 257 
 
 I guess some of them do, and the bridle breaks," he said, 
 spitefully. 
 
 " Deacon," said his good wife, " wouldn t you be 
 ashamed to suggest such punishment for the women, 
 since they are the only ones that would need it?" she 
 concluded, slyly. 
 
 " Betsy," he began, dryly, "no insinuations." But his 
 tone soon changed to one of earnestness as only such 
 deacons as he are capable of managing. "The women 
 do a vast amount of talking it is a fact; but how would 
 they know half of the mischief going, if their husbands 
 and brothers did not tell them? Their gossips and little 
 spites about their pretty frocks and pretty faces, house 
 keeping and cooking, only acts as a spring tonic to make 
 them all want to tidy up and look the nicest. The men 
 start most of the harmful talk, even if the women do help 
 a little to carry it on, and they are the ones who will have 
 to give an account in the next world, if they do shift the 
 blame here. If we instituted a whipping post, I would 
 want the management of it for awhile. I think I would 
 be able, through the muscle of my right arm, to give some 
 fellows their dues. Betsy," he said in all solemnity, 
 " although you have no suspicion of it, even your good 
 deacon has done some talking that he had no business to 
 do, and he would rather give an account for the deeds 
 done in the body while he is here." 
 
 "That would make it necessary for some one else to 
 har.dle the whip awhile," said Betsy, a moisture gathering 
 in her eyes at his seriousness, as she laid her hand timidly 
 over his larger one. vShe could not find it in her nature 
 to think the less of him. He had always been a good 
 deacon to her, and her admiration only increased at his 
 confession. 
 
 " You women are queer creatures," he said to her a
 
 258 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 little sheepishly; "there is no understanding you nohow." 
 But he nevertheless laid his other hand over hers. " A 
 person would think the more faults a man had the better 
 you liked him. It almost looks that way sometimes." 
 
 " The spirit is sometimes willing, but the flesh is weak," 
 she said in a comforting, reassuring tone. But she had 
 no chance to say more, for just then callers were an 
 nounced. After the deacon saw who they were he had 
 barely time to give his wife a wink before Mrs. Dixon, 
 Mrs. Jones and Miss Green came into the room. 
 
 Betsy had no sort of a notion what that wink meant, 
 but she knew that it was something weighty. So she 
 was silent and awaited developments. 
 
 The Hills had never been on very friendly terms with 
 their visitors, but the ladies had, on several previous oc 
 casions, taken advantage of being on "calling terms," so 
 this visit caused no surprise. 
 
 The deacon gave his wife another wink to let her know 
 that the supreme moment had come, and then began : 
 
 ." How happifying it ought to be to us all to hear such 
 good reports from Sister Grey; such good news from one 
 whom we are so interested in, has certainly made us all 
 glad." This was accompanied by such a look as he 
 thought most becoming to one of his standing, talking to 
 the subordinates of the church. 
 
 " Yes," said Mrs. Jones, weakly, after she had given 
 the speaker ample time to disclose what the news was. 
 But doing anything of that kind was contrary to his 
 intentions. 
 
 " But," he went on, instead, " Betsy and me have taken 
 more comfort from this than any news that we have 
 had for a long time, and I suppose we all have." This 
 was accompanied by an innocent, questioning look directed 
 straight at Mrs. Jones.
 
 THE DISAPPOINTMENT. 259 
 
 "Yes, of course," was her answer, still weakly. "We 
 are always glad to hear good news from any one, and 
 since the Widow Grey has gone where?" and she tried 
 to look as if her memory had served her a sudden trick 
 by leaving her. 
 
 "Yes, she is there," was his answer; "she had no 
 trouble at all in reaching there. She made the best kind 
 of connections." 
 
 " And what occupation did she say that she was en 
 gaged in ? My recollections are not as good as they were 
 once. You know, Deacon, that people of our age can 
 not rely too much on their memories." 
 
 "Oh, yes," he said, "she engaged at once in her occu 
 pation, and of course is occupying her time in the same 
 way still ; and how 7 happy it makes us all to know that 
 she is happy." 
 
 All further attempts to elicit the facts from the Deacon 
 proved just as futile, and the supreme questions, Where 
 has Mrs. Grey gone? and what is she doing? were not 
 answered. 
 
 " Well, Deacon," said his wife, when they were once 
 more alone, " you are as hard to catch as a colt in a woods 
 pasture when it thinks you are in fun and want to have a 
 race." 
 
 " And you would not have opened your mouth, even to 
 hollow Oh! if I had jagged you with a pin, or exploded 
 a cartridge behind your back, after I gave you that wink; 
 so we ought to be willing to call it even." 
 
 But those upon whom those tricks had been practiced 
 were not so charitable in their conclusions and not so 
 kindly disposed toward the old couple. 
 
 " The Deacon Hill could have proven to us that lie was 
 getting daft without trying half so hard," was Mrs. Jones 
 complimentary address.
 
 260 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 " Getting daft ! " said Mrs. Dixon, in flippant tones ; " if 
 there is ever any change in him he will get some sense, 
 because he never has been burdened with an oversupply. 
 A person would be led to think that he had a monopoly 
 on the news about Mrs. Grey, and would lose his control 
 if he happened to let a little of it leak out." 
 
 " He reminded me more," said Mrs. Jones, " of a girl 
 at school who has a secret that is very hard on her, but is 
 too much ingrossed in its importance to tell it." 
 
 Since to keep a watch over ourselves is the most im 
 portant of the neighborhood affairs, and we had upon 
 previous occasions acted as eavesdroppers, we did not 
 further intrude ourselves upon these ladies society. But 
 still, since Miss Green could not be trusted and seemed 
 on mischief bent, it was best to keep her under surveil 
 lance. She went directly to the post-office, and when she 
 came out she had a more satisfied look upon her face. 
 She said to herself: " Deacon Hill can t keep everything 
 locked up in his manly bosom ; not since there is a post- 
 office in the place, with some one whose duty it is to 
 answer such questions. So she has gone to the city. I 
 wonder what for. But I will find out ; and I will find out 
 whether Colonel Wilkins writes to her." 
 
 She had entertained some secret hopes concerning the 
 Colonel for a number of years, and when she saw them 
 driving together her jealousy had been aroused. It was 
 some satisfaction to know that she was gone ; but still, 
 might he not be writing to her ? He went in and out of 
 the post-office too often lately. If she could only con 
 trive to prove something against her character, something 
 that would be believed against her and would degrade 
 her.
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 MRS. GREY S DUTIES ix THE CITY. 
 
 SPRING was again here, and with it had come relief 
 to the multitudes, not only to the poor, by bringing 
 employment to the willing, and shedding her warm, be 
 nign smiles over the face of all nature in such a way that 
 fuel and warm clothing could be dispensed with, but also 
 to the philanthropist who had been doing such noble 
 work to lessen the want and suffering. It was only the 
 middle of April, but winter seemed either to have spent 
 its force or to have relented early and gone back ~to his 
 arctic lair. 
 
 The three months that Mrs. Grey was to spend in the 
 city were nearly over. She was glad. Not that she had 
 wearied of her labors, but that much of its cause had 
 been removed, and that she was so soon to see her friends. 
 It would be so nice to be at home again. And then, as 
 soon as the weather had settled, she wanted to go and 
 plant some flowers on Robert s grave. She had promised 
 herself that she would on the day of the funeral, and that 
 resolve, together with the grave, was just as fresh in her 
 mind as on the day that they were made. She would get 
 a slip from his own rose bush at Cloverdale. Since she 
 was not near enough to give the tender varieties the 
 necessary attention, she would plant only perennial ones, 
 and those hardy plants would also be more emblematic of 
 his life and character. 
 
 Although she looked forward with pleasant anticipation 
 to the relief and change that the end of her appointment 
 would bring to her, she also experienced a sense of sad 
 ness. Most of the people upon whom she had been 
 
 (261)
 
 262 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 called to attend would now be self-sustaining, but with 
 many of the ill-disciplined ones it would still require a 
 brave struggle ; and those were, after all, the ones who 
 called for the deepest solicitude. She would fain stay 
 among them, were it advisable. 
 
 She had not gone among them simply as an employed 
 helper, but as a sincere friend one who could not only 
 enter into their faintest joys, but deepest sorrows as well, 
 and as such had become truly attached to not a few of 
 them. 
 
 She had come in contact with the two great classes, the 
 worthy and the shiftless poor. But to her they presented 
 such a variation that they could be divided and subdivided 
 and still a difference would be discernable. Among the 
 unworthy that great class which say to the public, as if 
 in so many words, " You owe us a living, and if you do 
 not give it to us willingly, we will get it in a way that 
 will cost you much more than simply the price of the 
 food and clothing " there are those who seem utterly 
 satisfied with their low estate, if they only have such 
 clothing as not only common decency but also the man 
 dates of the law require, and sufficient food to satisfy the 
 craving of their by no means sluggish appetites. And 
 the means by which they are obtained causes them no 
 compunction of conscience ; and they eat when hungry, 
 lie down when sleep overcomes them, and go in and out 
 much like the lower animals, from which their habits but 
 slightly remove them. 
 
 And then there is the by no means less common class, 
 whose habits and inclinations are not superior to the 
 former, but who try to impress their grief at their condi 
 tion and their willingness and ability upon their hearers 
 by continually railing at providence or their neighbors, 
 who are, by their own exertions, better fed and clad than 
 them.
 
 MRS. GREY S DUTIES IN THE CITY. 263 
 
 Then, among the unfortunates who have a better claim 
 upon our sympathy, there are those who seem to have 
 been destined by fate to lead an humble life ; who are not 
 only born poor, but with a total lack of ingenuity, which 
 is expressed by them as being born for bad luck. And 
 this is, after all, not such a misnomer, for where skill is 
 wanting, luck is sure to take wings, and every attempt 
 on their part is either too soon, too late, or not well 
 enough done to bring its wonted profit. 
 
 Then there is that innumerable company of those who 
 were born and reared in homes of plenty or even luxury, 
 who have, either by an adverse fortune, their own mis 
 management or the avarice of their cotemporaries, been 
 brought to privation and want. This has the effect to em 
 bitter the hearts and lives of many, a fact which is 
 plainly evident in every lineament of their countenance, 
 while others bear their now helplessly unalterable con 
 dition with a patience and fortitude which is almost 
 pathetic. 
 
 Mrs. Grey had won the love and confidence of all. 
 They did not fear and mistrust her as they had others 
 who had come among them. They could see that she did 
 not come simply to pry into their misery, nor did she go 
 among them with an air that said, "I have come to help 
 you, to be sure, but if you had been as wise and indus 
 trious as I, you would be able to take care of yourselves, 
 and might have spared us all this trouble." 
 
 Several of the wealthy people would have been willing, 
 after they had seen Mrs. Grey, to take her into their own 
 homes. But she declined their overtures, and persisted 
 in taking apartments and board with a lady-like little 
 widow who was courageously trying to support herself 
 and a family of small children. Owing to this woman s 
 manner, the people had never had the courage to offer her
 
 264 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 any assistance, but Mrs. Grey had been instructed to keep 
 a close watch that she did not come to want, and that 
 little missionary soon wisely concluded that the best way 
 to help a nature like hers was to give her a better oppor 
 tunity to help herself, and pay her well for her services ; 
 and she was so skillful in her management of this little 
 affair, that the willing woman never for a moment sus 
 pected how near she came to being an object of charity. 
 And this method was carried out in all her dealings with 
 the self-respecting class. Some she would employ to 
 make such common and substantial garments as were 
 within their skill, to be distributed in charity, while those 
 for whom the articles of clothing were intended were 
 given some other way in which to earn them. Thus each 
 was led to believe that they were assisting in the work of 
 charity; and Mrs. Grey was often deeply affected by 
 some of the most needy ones protesting against taking 
 any pay for their services. 
 
 By thus doing she not only spared their pride and 
 dignity, but the means with which she was intrusted were 
 extended into a wider field and greater usefulness. 
 
 Mrs. Grey had seen very little of Mrs. Alton since she 
 had come to the city. The winter had kept that lady close 
 ly housed, and Mrs. Grey s mind and time had been too 
 thoroughly taken up with her duties to think of pleasure 
 during the week, and even on Sunday she freely gave 
 her time between church hours; and when she was not 
 away from home, beguiling some fretful patient or amus 
 ing a troublesome child in order to give its mother a half 
 holiday, she was in her own room with the widow s trio 
 about her, trying to exert over them her power to enter 
 tain, while their mother was induced to attend the after 
 noon services or was away chatting for a short time with 
 a friend. In the occupation of nurse the lady succeeded
 
 MRS. GREY S DUTIKS ix THE CITY. 265 
 
 admirably, and she never was so happy as when she had 
 one child on her lap and one on either side leaning 
 against her shoulder. 
 
 Of Mr. Alton she had seen much, since he was man 
 ager of the fund she was expending. His calls had not 
 been infrequent. v She had always been glad to see him. 
 She regarded him more as a big brother than as a friend. 
 He seemed so genial and whole-souled that the world had 
 always seemed brighter for his having been there. But 
 now the time of her stay was fast drawing to a close- 
 She was soon to leave off her busy life in the city for the 
 rest and quiet of Cloverclale. 
 
 " I will soon see, not only kind Mrs. Ferris and her 
 husband and daughter, but the Hills, and Johnny and 
 Will Wilkins, their father and Aunt Minnie." 
 
 She wondered if they had missed her, and if they had 
 been disappointed when they came for her and found her 
 gone. Then it occurred to her, as if by revelation, that 
 she had not acted a friend s part toward them. "I cer 
 tainly should have proven my appreciation of their many 
 kind attentions to me, by writing them a letter of explan 
 ation instead of leaving word with Mrs. Ferris. I won 
 der what they thought of me?" Then in her reproach of 
 self, she feared that it might lessen their regard for her, 
 and she did so want to retain the good opinion of those 
 who had proven themselves as such desirable friends. 
 
 Then involuntarily her thoughts were led to the last 
 visit she had paid to the country, when Colonel Wilkins 
 had come for her and took her back to Cloverclale himself. 
 She thought of his manner toward her. " Xo wonder his 
 sons were so gentlemanly. They could hardly be other 
 wise with such a father." 
 
 She had never given the subjects of that day s conver 
 sation any thought, but now she recalled the one dis- 
 17
 
 266 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 tinctly. He had said, " If all our earthly ties will be 
 dissolved, and in heaven will be as if the}- had never ex 
 isted, why should those whom death robs of their first 
 choice lead lonely lives here? Why should they not 
 make themselves happy by trying to administer and add 
 to the happiness of another? " 
 
 She could see no reason why those who could love 
 anew, should not. Surely it would be a pity for a man 
 like Colonel Wilkins, who seemed so well qualified to 
 make a woman happy, to lead a single life while so many 
 unworthy ones were marrying every day. 
 
 " But with me it is different. Marriage is one of 
 heaven s ordinances, and to assume that sacred relation 
 ship lightly can not fail to be, not only a sin before God, 
 but the greatest wrong and injustice that two of His 
 creatures are capable of doing each other; and an un 
 happy married life to such can only be a just retribution 
 for such an offense. While it might be right for some, 
 owing to their natures, to marry twice or even oftener, I 
 am destined to but one companion, and if I live to the prov 
 erbial age of three score years and ten, I will be as true 
 to Robert in both my heart and life as if he were by my 
 side to appreciate it. Oh, no, those three years of my 
 life were too happy for me ever to think of allowing an 
 other to take my dead husband s place." 
 
 She did not know that the woman whose first marriage 
 proves happy is sometimes the first to think of a second.
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 MARY GREY SEEKS EMPLOYMENT. 
 
 IT only lacked a few days now of the time that Mrs. 
 Grey had set for her return to her home. She had 
 already made farewell visits to many of her new found 
 but hearty friends, and was one evening looking through 
 her trunk preparatory to packing it anew, when there 
 was a rap at her door, and, upon opening it, she was not 
 a little surprised to admit Mr. Alton. 
 
 "You seem to be glad to get away from us," was his 
 first salutation, as he stood (without noticing the chair 
 that she offered him) regarding her open trunk. " There 
 is hardly any need of packing your trunk so soon. Have 
 I not always been a friend to you?" 
 
 "Why, certainly," she said, surprised at such an un 
 usual question. " I could not ask more of a brother and 
 sister than you and your wife have been to me. But since 
 my labors here are over, I must go back to my home and 
 my work. Indeed my friends have been kind to wait on 
 me even this long." 
 
 "Back to your music and Colonel Wilkins," he thought 
 savagely, "but you will not go if I can prevent it." 
 Then he said, "But if I can convince you that it is your 
 duty to remain here, then what? Would you stay if I 
 prove such to be the case?" 
 
 " I suppose so, if it were really necessary," she said, a 
 little regretfully. "But you are only joking." 
 
 "No, I am not joking, as you will find. Mrs. Alton is 
 growing weaker ever}- day, and is in need of a nurse, and 
 I came to ask you to accept the position." 
 
 "Why have you not told me this before? I would 
 (267)
 
 268 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 have come to see her oftener, at the sacrifice of other 
 duties if necessary. Of course I will nurse her if she 
 needs me : but then I can not go home," she said, sud 
 denly recollecting herself. 
 
 " You need not go home," was his answer, " and besides, 
 you will find as good a home in my house as with my 
 sister. Only say that you will come, and you can rest 
 assured that you shall never want for a home." 
 
 " Oh, no, I have no fear. Your sister assured me a 
 home with her always, and I do not fear that she will 
 change her mind or turn me out because I stay to nurse 
 your wife." 
 
 "Then you will come," he said; and since my wife is 
 very much in need of some one, I hope you will put on 
 your hat and shawl and go with me at once." 
 
 "I hardly thought that you meant tonight, but still if 
 it is necessary I can go." 
 
 So after telling her landlady her mission, she set her 
 room to rights and went with him at once. She tried to 
 hide her surprise as she approached her friend s bedside, 
 but she did not know how illy she succeeded. She had 
 not expected to find her so reduced. 
 
 "My husband has gone to find a nurse," said the sick 
 woman. " Do you know if he has returned? " 
 
 "I have come to nurse you," was Mary Grey s reply. 
 " Your husband walked to the door with me, and then 
 stopped to talk to Dr. Shelly. But did you not send for 
 me? " 
 
 " Yes, my husband wanted a nurse for me, and I am 
 glad you came," was her answer. But she nevertheless 
 gazed after the figure, whose every outline bespoke of 
 health, with a pathetic look in her eyes that her husband, 
 however, would not understand, even though she faintly 
 hoped, at first, that it might remind him of a conversa-
 
 MARY GREY SEEKS EMPLOYMENT. 269 
 
 tion that they had had only a short time before, when she 
 had told him that the contrast between herself and Mrs. 
 Grey was painful to her, and that she would willingly dis 
 pense with all other society but his. 
 
 Fred. Alton understood the language of her eyes, even 
 though he made no sign at the time. His conscience 
 smote him. So on the next morning he said to Mrs. 
 Grey that " she might amuse herself in the parlor, in the 
 library, and read or in any way that was most congenial 
 to her. I will nurse my wife myself, and only wanted 
 some one in the house in case that she should grow sud 
 denly worse." 
 
 So the man watched by the bedside alone. But the 
 vigil was not a lengthy one. Her ailment took a decided 
 turn for the worse, as is so commonly the case with in 
 valids in the spring of the year, when the leaves begin to 
 come out, owing to the condition of the atmosphere; 
 and a week after Mrs. Grey entered the house as nurse 
 her patient had gone to her long home. 
 
 The city relatives and a few intimate friends had been 
 going in and out, but aside from that no one even knew 
 that she was worse. When she passed away her husband 
 was with her alone to the last, and no one else knew of it 
 until she was gone. So, after all, her heart had been 
 satisfied to the end. 
 
 After she was dead the news spread, and when friends 
 and relatives began to come in, Mrs. Grey knew that her 
 presence could be dispensed with. So she told Mrs. 
 Ferris that slie would make her final arrangements and 
 return with her to Cloverdale after the funeral. She still 
 had some good-bye calls to make among her people. 
 
 It was the evening before the funeral. She was hurry 
 ing from one place to the other, thinking, " I hope that I 
 will get around in time to pack my trunk." She was just
 
 2JO HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 about to turn down the street that led to her rooms when 
 who should come facing her but Miss Green. 
 
 This young lady had some distant relatives in the city, 
 and had been there for several days. She had contrived 
 to find out that Mrs. Grey was expected back to Clover- 
 dale the first week in May, so she had come to the city to 
 see if anything could be done, by fair means or foul, to 
 prevent it. She had not had the courage to go up to the 
 Alton residence, and she wanted a chance to talk with 
 her ; so here was her opportunity. 
 
 " How nice it is to meet old friends in a strange place. 
 Sister Grey," she said, extending her hand. 
 
 Mrs. Grey returned her cordial greeting and then said: 
 " I am somewhat in a hurry as I wish to pack my trunk 
 this evening, but if you w T ill come to my rooms, we can 
 have time for a talk. It will not take you out of your 
 way much, as we are nearly there now." 
 
 Miss Green tried to conceal the alacrity with which she 
 accepted the invitation, but since her companion was not 
 regarding her in the light of a suspect, she might have 
 spared herself the pains. 
 
 "So you are getting ready to go back to Cloverdale? 
 I suppose if Colonel Wilkins had known that you would 
 only have nursing to do for such a short time, he would 
 have waited for you to come back instead of getting an 
 other teacher for his boys." The speaker noticed a slight 
 start on the part of Mrs. Grey, but she made no reply, 
 but went on laying out her wardrobe preparatory to 
 packing. 
 
 " That is the best damper that I could have put on her 
 enthusiasm about going back. Xow if I could only make 
 her think that he had hired some one else to fill her place 
 because he had heard something against her character, I 
 would not have to work on her feelings much more to
 
 .MARY GKKY SEEKS EMPLOYMENT. 271 
 
 get her to hunt pupils here or do almost anything else 
 rather than go back to CloYerdale. It never seemed to 
 make much odds to her what the rest of us thought about 
 her, as long as she had the Ferrises, the Hills and Colonel 
 \Vilkins, but if she once thinks that she has fallen in 
 grace in their sight, she will not consider it worth while 
 to come back to CloYerdale. Even if it is a trumped up 
 story, all is fair in war, they say, only I must be careful 
 and not implicate myself." 
 
 " You must be a better Christian than I am," she said 
 sweetly, " to give up a position that was paying you fairly 
 well, to come here to work among the trashy poor for 
 nothing. But you always did have queer notions about 
 your duty, and did things that no one else would risk 
 themselves to do. I don t see how you could afford to 
 live in the city, pay arl your own expenses and work for 
 nothing." 
 
 " \Yhat makes you think that I did it for nothing, Miss 
 Green? " 
 
 "None of us thought that you were doing the work 
 for nothing. \Ye Cloverdale people were under the im 
 pression that you were being well paid, but since I came 
 to the city I have discovered that we were misinformed." 
 
 " Who are your friends here?" was Mary Grey s next 
 question. "Whom do you know?" 
 
 " Oh, no one that you know or have met, but the lady 
 that I am visiting belongs to the same church as some of 
 the people who raised this poor fund, and meets them at 
 their aid society. She said that she heard them say that 
 Mr. Alton had secured such an excellent lady to distrib 
 ute the money among the needy, a Christian lady of leis 
 ure who would be only too glad to spend her time in good 
 works." 
 
 Mrs. Grev made no answer, so she went on: "The
 
 272 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 lady wrote to me about the matter some time ago, but I 
 thought there might be some mistake; but since I came 
 to the city, my friend asked them if you were not being 
 paid a salary. They looked surprised, and said certainly 
 not; that you had not asked for it. " 
 
 Mrs. Grey went on packing her trunk, and kept her 
 back to her visitor. She was certain that there was a 
 mistake, but she did not want the woman to see the effect 
 of her words, idle though they were. 
 
 "I spoke to Colonel Wilkins about it when I got my 
 friend s letter. He said that he had not been troubling 
 himself about the matter, but I could see that he was 
 under the same impression as myself: namely, that the 
 men were paying your expenses and giving you a salary 
 \vithout their wives knowing it. And it is my opinion 
 that this had something to do withliis hiring a new music 
 teacher when your time was so near up." 
 
 "Why do you persist in tormenting me so?" said Mary 
 Grey, turning her now thoroughly white face full upon 
 her visitor. "Colonel Wilkins or any one else has a right 
 to employ whom and when he pleases. Why do you tell 
 me such things, Miss Green? What have I ever done to 
 occasion your ill will?" 
 
 But that young lady remembered suddenly that she 
 must not stay another minute or her friends would be 
 worried about her. 
 
 "Well, I have made her realize for once that she is on 
 the same planet with the rest of us, and will have to 
 suffer alike the consequences. If she ever comes back to 
 Cloverdale, I am no judge of human nature. But per 
 haps I had better gave her another little thrust, because 
 if she comes back now I will be found out." And Sarah 
 Green realized that an uneasy conscience was ceaseless in 
 its clamor for satisfaction.
 
 MARY GRKY SEEKS EMPLOYMENT. 273 
 
 "I will never speak to that woman again," thought 
 Mary Grey. "It is no use to try to be friends with her. 
 I have tried to soften her dislike, but she succeeds in 
 making me miserable every time that I talk to her. She 
 is certainly the worst cross that I have been called upon 
 to bear." 
 
 She was about to resume her task, when the weight of 
 the woman s talk dawned upon her. " What am I pack 
 ing my trunk for? I could never live among those people 
 under a shadow. Mr. Alton will clear up this mistake, I 
 know, but I could never go back and know that they had 
 ever doubted me for a moment ; and if some of them have 
 hired a new teacher, what would I do after I got there ? 
 But if I do not go to Mrs. Ferris , where else will I go? 
 I wonder how much of this she knows." She sank into 
 a chair in dumb despair. Her heart appeared four times 
 its natural size and seemed to be bearing her to the floor 
 with its weight. She seemed to be deprived of the power 
 of thought. 
 
 The sound of voices in the corridor aroused her, and 
 presently her landlady came to the door with Mr. Alton. 
 He had been in the woman s sitting-room, waiting for 
 Miss Green to leave. He had seen her on the street and 
 recognized her, but had failed in reaching Mrs. Grey s 
 side first. The landlady, thinking that he wanted to con- 
 sull Mrs. Grey about some arrangement for the funeral, 
 left him at the door. This he at once closed, bracing his 
 back against it as if trying to keep some one out. 
 
 "Am I needed at the house?" was Mrs. Grey s first 
 question. " I am sorry that it was necessary for me to 
 leave. I did want to go back with Mrs. Ferris, but I will 
 do whatever you ask me." 
 
 Then for the first time she noticed his attitude and the 
 angry light in his eyes, but before she had time to express 
 her surprise, he bursted out :
 
 2J4 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 " What do you mean by did want to go ? What has 
 that woman been telling you? I wish I had the power 
 to throttle every single woman above thirty, for none of 
 them have business of their own to keep them busy, and 
 some married women deserve the same fate ! Has she 
 been telling you something that would hinder you going 
 back to Cloverdale? " 
 
 " She has *told me nothing but what you can clear up 
 and make plain. But I am sorry, for the story seems 
 already to have gained credence with some of my friends." 
 . " Any one who could ever be led to believe wrong of 
 you was never worthy of the name of friend. But what 
 has she been telling you? I am waiting to hear the 
 story." 
 
 " She said the impression among the ladies was that I 
 was a person of leisure, and that they said positively that 
 there was no salary raised for me, and that I was even 
 supposed to be paying my own expenses ; and that the 
 general impression at Cloverdale was that the men were 
 supporting me, without their wives knowledge or con 
 sent." He had looked at her so straight that the words 
 seemed to have been drawn from her verbatim. 
 
 " I had hoped to tell you of this little matter first ; but 
 since some one else has deprived me of the privilege, I 
 hardly know how to explain so that you will understand 
 and not be prejudiced." 
 
 " I never found it hard to understand matters of busi 
 ness, and always tried to keep myself as free as possible 
 from prejudice. I promise you an impartial hearing. 
 Go on, please ; I am waiting to hear the story." She had 
 used his own words, and was standing straighter than he 
 had ever seen her. 
 
 " There is not much to tell. I paid what money you 
 received out of my own purse ; but my wife knew of it r 
 else ho\v could she have written to vou as she did ? "
 
 MARY GREY SEEKS EMPLOYMENT. 275 
 
 " Did your wife know that you gave me the money, or 
 did she think that it came from the general fund ? Did 
 you represent me as a lady of leisure, so that those ladies 
 think that I would not even accept a salary ? Does your 
 sister know ? " 
 
 " My wife would not have understood or cared if I had 
 explained the matter to her, and it concerned no one else. 
 Believe me, I only wanted to keep you in sight until I 
 should be free ; and since that time has come, you. need 
 never go back to Cloverdale. Stay in the city until a 
 suitable time has gone by, and I will place you where 
 want and care can never reach you, and even during the 
 intervening time your every wish shall be my law. You 
 shall fare as well as if you were my wife in very truth." 
 
 " And you are the man whom I have been regarding 
 as a brother ! a man who would deliberately practice 
 deception upon an unsuspecting woman, and in the name 
 of charity and mere} , and then add to the injury by in 
 sulting her with overtures of marriage while the form of 
 his angel wife is still lying in his home ! Has the mem 
 ory of her spotless life no power to shame you? " 
 
 He began as if to make excuses, but she put her hand 
 on the knob of the rear door, saying: " If you have any 
 more to add, I will excuse myself from remaining to 
 listen." 
 
 After Mrs. Grey had heard the man leave the room, 
 she returned and stood before her open trunk. She could 
 not go back to Cloverdale now. -She could never again 
 enter the home of Mrs. Ferris. She could not remain in 
 the city. Where should she go: 1 Then for the first time 
 her dream recurred to her. "Well," she thought, " if this 
 is one of the ways that my sleeping fancy opened up to 
 me, there will also be a safer although a humbler path." 
 
 This thought recalled a conversation that she had
 
 276 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 overheard only a few days before. In trying to secure 
 employment for a young girl, she had gone into an intel 
 ligence office. Here she found a lady who was in search 
 of a waiting-maid to accompany her on a trip to Europe. 
 She had engaged one, but the girl had changed her mind 
 at the very last, and now the lady was ready to go and 
 had no one to go with her. Mrs. Grey remembered her 
 name and address. She would go and offer her services, 
 and if she was not too late she would soon be far away 
 from friends and foes alike. It was not quite nine o clock. 
 In a half hour she could be back. 
 
 She was soon once more on the street. She hailed a 
 car, and in a short time was at her destination. The 
 lady was not a little surprised at so late a call and on 
 such an errand ; but the face was one that would inspire 
 confidence. So she asked her name, age, and former 
 occupation, and if she had ever had any experience in 
 the duties of a waiting-maid. 
 
 " I know nothing about such duties," was her answer, 
 " but I am willing to learn, and, believe me, I have need 
 to do it. I have heretofore made my living by giving 
 music lessons, but would rather go with you in that 
 capacity than to try to get pupils in a strange place." 
 
 The lad}- eyed her critical!}-. It was a little strange 
 that a woman of her address should be in search of such 
 a situation. She must have been driven to self-support 
 by misfortune. She did not look like a person \vho would 
 take a sudden wild notion or be led by a spirit of adven 
 ture. " I would much rather have a homely, uneducated 
 person than one with her lady face and ways," she 
 thought, " but I think I will be able to teach her her 
 place if she does not happen to know it." 
 
 " I go the day after tomorrow. Can you be ready by 
 then ? "
 
 MARY GREY SEEKS EMPLOYMENT. 277 
 
 " There is only one thing that I would like to do before 
 I go so far away, and that is to go to C - and plant 
 some flowers upon my husband s grave ; but I am afraid 
 that will be impossible in so short a time." 
 
 " Not necessarily impossible, since it is on our way. 
 You can go on tomorrow and meet me on the next." 
 
 Since the lady was very much in need of a servant and 
 Mrs. Grey was equally desirous of securing the position, 
 they soon came to an agreement. 
 
 Mrs. Grey returned to her room very much relieved. 
 She would soon be far away from the people who had 
 doubted her ; but she realized a dull pain at her heart 
 when she remembered that she would also be far away 
 from all that had ever been dear to her. But the story 
 that she had heard tonight would soon be known to all 
 her friends, and the} could not fail to doubt her integrity, 
 and she could bear anything rather than that ; so she 
 finished packing her trunk, bade her landlady good bye, 
 and left the city by the early train. 
 
 The time for the funeral had nearly arrived. Two of 
 the people had repeatedly inquired if Mrs. Grey had come. 
 They were Fred. Alton and his sister. Mrs. Ferris wanted 
 to see her before the funeral, to see if she would be 
 ready to leave for home immediately after. The other 
 wondered, hoped, yet feared, for reasons that he did not 
 care to divulge. 
 
 They dispatched a servant to her rooms to see what 
 could possibly be detaining her. Imagine their surprise 
 when she returned saying that Mrs. Grey s landlady had 
 told her that the lady had gone to Kurope and had started 
 on the early train. She did not know who with ; only 
 that she had gone; that was all. 
 
 Mrs. Ferris was ama/ed. " What could have happened 
 to cause her to do anything so rash . J And without even
 
 278 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 telling us ! She certainly made up her mind very sud 
 denly, or imagined that she had just cause for concealing 
 her actions." 
 
 She simply told the others who were expecting her 
 that Mrs. Grey would not be there, but made no further 
 explanation.
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 AX HOUR WITH TI-IK DEAD. 
 
 THE church yard speaks to us in a thousand tones, 
 through the voices of our dead voices which, 
 through their very stillness, are carried, regardless of con 
 dition or space, to the various ends of the earth. For 
 unlike living voices which reach us through the slumber 
 ous sense of hearing, their meaning, by the means of a 
 magnetic chord, is communicated directly to the heart. 
 In treading over the hallowed turf that hides from our 
 sight the forms of our loved ones, a feeling of awe and 
 sadness comes over us that almost stifles our hearts with 
 its intensity. Then comes the thought, even though un 
 bidden and unwelcome: What is earthly distinction but 
 vanity, since this is the common lot of all; since death, 
 that relentless agency, will break down the barriers which 
 divide the haughty and arrogant from the most debased 
 and shrinking of God s creatures, and the} are all laid to 
 rest side by side in the lap of our common mother earth. 
 They came into the world, served their probation here 
 and are gone; but that mystery of mysteries, that of birth 
 and death, still remains unsolved. The mission on which 
 they were sent, together with the degree of faithfulness 
 with which they were carried out, God alone knows, but 
 we are met on all sides by the mute appeal : He true to 
 your trust, be true to yourself and your God. 
 
 As we pause here and there beside those sacred mounds, 
 to read the inscriptions that have been placed over their 
 tombs, we come to one whom the world has honored, 
 who, by the power invested in him by his fellowmen, 
 helped to make the nation s laws, and by the nurture of
 
 280 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 those powers with which he was endowed by the Creator, 
 by his noble qualities and staunch, unsullied manhood, 
 has left an example of statesmanship, citizenship and 
 brotherly love that is seldom equalled and can never be 
 surpassed. There is no inscription to tell of his greatness 
 or his goodness; but he was, during his whole life, en 
 gaged in erecting a monument to his memory that will 
 speak on and on in the hearts of men, and will inspire 
 them to endeavor by perseverance, patience and industry 
 to win success as far as may lay within their power. 
 
 Remote from this is the grave of one whom the people 
 as a nation knew not, for God had fashioned her to be 
 only a helpmeet to man, but she was one who the people, 
 together with the angels in heaven, delight to honor, and 
 whose image is indelibly inscribed upon the hearts of the 
 youth and manhood that are scattered from one end to 
 the other of this fair land, and her influence has extended 
 across the waters into foreign lands. While she was 
 helping the student to prepare himself to reach the high 
 est aim in this world, she also, by her admonition and 
 saint-like character, pointed him to God and the higher 
 life. She sought to alleviate the sin and suffering of the 
 whole town, which she carried as a burden upon her 
 heart daily to the throne of grace. Her life was a sacri 
 fice, which she offered daily and hourly, for the comfort 
 of others. Her voice among us is stilled, but it will in 
 heaven, as it did on earth, have the power to call about 
 her not only those dear to her by earthly ties, but the un 
 numbered host which were led through her to receive 
 the second birth. 
 
 Here is the grave-stone of one on which is the single 
 word "Father." His name may never have been blaz 
 oned upon the pinnacle of fame. He may only willingly 
 and patiently have played his part in this life s drama, in
 
 AN HOUR WITH THE DKAD. 281 
 
 whatever character fate and circumstances played so im 
 portant a part in assigning to him. He may have been 
 a conscientious and devoted worker in the vineyard of 
 the Lord, and purchased his own salvation with the 
 souls of men. He may have been one who ministered to 
 the intellectual wants of the youth of our land, a busy 
 member of the mercantile world, a tiller of the soil, or 
 an humble toiler. The words mean the same to those 
 who have watered his- grave with their tears, for he was 
 their father. 
 
 Here is one on which is the word " Mother." Who 
 has the power of tongue to describe the inner meaning 
 of that name ? She may never have done aught else than, 
 to bring up her children to true manhood and woman 
 hood. Her name may never even have been heard outside 
 of her own circle of family and friends ; but she was your 
 mother. She was ever ready and patiently willing to do 
 those things which no other could or would do, and 
 closed her loving eyes with the burden of your life upon 
 her heart. For a mother s joys can only exist in the hap 
 piness of her children, and God alone knows the anxiety 
 with which she watches over them, from the time that 
 they are ushered helpless into this life, until she herself is 
 called away methinks only to take up her watch on the 
 other shore, to look for those whom God had given her 
 on carpi to join her there. 
 
 Here is the grave of a husband, while the place by his 
 side is vacant ; and although he has lain there some 
 twenty or thirty years, the companion of his youthful 
 choice has no other wish than to be placed by his side. 
 Who can say there is no love that will extend beyond 
 the grave ? 
 
 Scattered all about us are the graves of brothers and sis 
 ters, sons and daughters, who died in their childhood or 
 1 8
 
 282 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 early maturity. Only He who knows all things is aware 
 of the unrealized hopes that lie buried here not only the 
 hopes of the dead, but the hopes of the living that were 
 centered in their lives and success. But all, even the 
 students who were cut down in the bloom of youth while 
 endeavoring to prepare themselves to help solve some of 
 life s knotty problems, would say : It is well to start 
 manfully in the race of life, even though we fall by the 
 wayside. 
 
 The graves of infants, who die before their tongues 
 have acquired the power of speech, may suggest to some 
 the termination of unbounded possibilities. Who knows ? 
 They may have been sent to some wayward parent to be 
 what the star of Bethlehem was to the wise men of the 
 East to lead them on to find their Savior, that they 
 might meet them in that land of peace. 
 
 And the graves of those over whom whom we place 
 the stars and stripes may give to the dear little flags a 
 different significance. The blue is the emblem of un 
 swerving fidelity to truth and principle ; the red is no 
 less suggestive of the blood that was shed, and the stripes 
 of the suffering that those heroes endured in establishing 
 the right. And every soul that was freed through their 
 instrumentality, no matter how black, can not fail to be a 
 star in their crowns. 
 
 The graves of those over whom the world would fain 
 write "failure" speak to us with a pathetic earnestness. 
 Be merciful to those who are struggling despairingly and 
 hopelessly by your side. To you may be due their failure 
 or success ; upon you may depend their eternal destiny ; 
 your indifference and neglect may lead them on to death 
 and ruin. 
 
 Sad, indeed, would be the contemplation of the graves 
 of those who were born and reared in foreign lands, and
 
 AN HOUR WITH THE DEAD. 283 
 
 died far away from the friends and scenes most dear to 
 them, were it not for the blessed assurance that it is only 
 their bodies which lie buried there and that their spirits 
 have returned to the God who gave. 
 
 We consign the forms of our friends to the sod, and it 
 is well that the all-wise Creator has ordained a degree of, 
 not forgetfulness, but of quiet submission, that we may 
 be better able to do our duty to the living. 
 
 None of those voices had the power to arrest the atten 
 tion or stay the steps of Mary Grey on that bright 
 spring afternoon. The language which would one year 
 ago have caused her heart to swell with tender memories 
 and deep, heartfelt emotions was inaudible to her. She 
 was hastening in answer to the voice which had for less 
 than one short year been stilled. She stood for some 
 time regarding the grave, her heart too full for even 
 thought. 
 
 Everything had been done as she had directed. The 
 grave had been filled and sodded. As she looked at the 
 inscription, the flood-gates of memory were swept wide 
 open. She thought of all that he had been to her, as she 
 dropped upon her knees. 
 
 Strange thoughts will sometimes come to us in odd 
 moments. As she knelt there she recalled a conversation 
 that she had had with Miss Kclair. That lady had said: 
 " Mrs. Grey, I have often wondered which of the two is 
 hardest to bear, always to live a single and, owing to 
 our natures, a partially empty life, or to have some one 
 to love and lose him while one still has so many years of 
 life before her." 
 
 " Oh," she thought, " I would go over the pain o! los 
 ing Robert again rather than never to have known him." 
 Then she thought: "Oh, if he had known what was 
 before me, how hard it would have been for him to leave
 
 284 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 me. I am so glad that he did not ; he had enough to 
 discourage him during his life, without having his last 
 moments darkened by fears for my future. Aside from 
 his sorrow at the parting, he was perfectly willing and 
 happy to go ; this is all that makes my sorrow endurable. 
 But, oh ! why was he called upon to leave me? " 
 
 Then as she went about planting the flowers, a rose 
 not his rose, but a similar one that she had secured from 
 a florist and a bulb with its young shoot of a pure white 
 111}*, she thought of another grave which was no doubt 
 by this time made. But what a contrast the two pre 
 sented ! While the form of the one that lay beneath the 
 mound over which she was hovering with such tender 
 care still seemed as a part of her life, even though robbed 
 of its own vitality almost a year ago, the angelic form 
 which had only that day been consigned to its mother 
 dust was one from whom the one who had sworn to love, 
 honor and cherish until death do part, had been swiftly 
 drifting, and from whom he had only waited to be freed, 
 even though her life had been one of faith and devotion 
 itself. Oh, how sincerely Mary Grey hoped that her faith 
 in him had never been impaired and that she had died 
 fully believing him to be all that she could have wished. 
 
 Then she thought: " O, death, thou art merciful, 
 after all! Although your inevitable summons may some 
 times seem cruel and harsh to our obscured vision, yet 
 many times it is only calling some poor heart, that is 
 unprepared and unequal to time s disclosures, to a peace 
 ful eternity." 
 
 She pianted the rose at his head, the lily at his feet, 
 and a scarlet geranium in the center of the mound. 
 " This," she thought, "will bear flowers this year at least, 
 before the others are ready to bloom." She gave the 
 damp, warm earth the last tender touch, then went and
 
 AN* HOUR WITH THE DEAD. 285 
 
 passed her hand lovingly over the inscription, laid her 
 cheek lingeringly against his name, then walked away, 
 thinking, God alone knows when I will see that grave 
 again." 
 
 She met her mistress in the morning, and in one year 
 from the very day on which she had been left a w r idow, 
 unused to the tasks of a menial, unused to the duties of 
 a subordinate, she came in sight of the shores of Europe 
 a waiting-maid.
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 MRS. GREY HAD GONE TO EUROPE. 
 
 WHOLE Cloverdale was agog with the news, "Mrs. 
 Grey has gone to Europe. Mrs. Grey has gone 
 to Europe." No one knew with whom or why she went, 
 but that only added to the excitement which ran at fever 
 heat. But that she was gone was certain, even though 
 her best friends had been left in the dark. 
 
 " I am glad that she did play that shabby trick on Mrs. 
 Ferris," said Mrs. Jones. "That important personage 
 always acted as if she thought that no one had a right to 
 know things but herself; and this time the widow did 
 not find it expedient to give even her the key to her 
 movements, and it is good enough for her." 
 
 "But she might inform Colonel Wilkins of her where 
 abouts by letter," said Mrs. Dixon, with her usual sly 
 glance at Miss Green. "Was she as handsome and win 
 ning as ever when you saw her? " 
 
 "I saw her the evening before she left. She was pack 
 ing her trunk at the time. She pretended that she was 
 getting ready to come back to Cloverdale. I thought 
 then that yon would all soon get to see her for yourselves, 
 but she seems to have willed otherwise." 
 
 But Miss Green said nothing about the conversation 
 that they had had and the influence that she firmly be 
 lieved she had wielded, for she fully thought herself re 
 sponsible for this unexpected move upon Mrs. Grey s 
 part. 
 
 While the only other who had any knowledge of the 
 cause was thinking, "If it had not been for that woman 
 I might have plead my cause in such a way that she 
 
 (286)
 
 MRS. GREY HAD GONE TO EUROPE. 287 
 
 would still have regarded me as a friend, and in time I 
 might have won her." 
 
 Miss Green did not know how near she had guessed the 
 truth, so she regarded herself as a propounder of a clever 
 scheme a scheme which rid her of the woman whom 
 she now regarded in the light of a rival. 
 
 This coincidence in the minds of the two plotters may 
 seem strange it may even seem improbable but since 
 two are sometimes unknown to each other employing the 
 same means for the good of an object, why should not 
 the evil minds running in their several channels some 
 times find themselves in the same close relationship:* 
 
 It was through Miss Green that the news had become 
 generally known. She told it with a /est in which all the 
 controlling power that she could summon up could not 
 hide the relief and satisfaction that it afforded her. She 
 made a brave effort to appear to be totally engrossed 
 with the mystery connected with the departure. 
 
 Although her aspirations in regard to Colonel Wilkins 
 were not of sudden development, she had never spoken 
 to him but a few times in her life, and not at all lately. 
 She now determined to employ every available remedy to 
 strengthen their acquaintance. She would have an ex 
 cuse for accosting him now. She would stop him to tell 
 him about Mrs. Grey. She thought he would be glad to 
 hear any news regarding her and through that might be 
 led to being pleased with her. 
 
 The gentleman had not seen Mrs. Ferris since her re 
 turn from the funeral, and so was not prepared tor the 
 news that Miss Sarah had in store for him, nor could he- 
 hide the shock it gave him. His informant was not de 
 ceived in the look of pain which came for a moment into 
 his eyes, but she thought : "She is far enough away now; 
 he will be sure to speak to me after this and may in time
 
 288 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 conclude that a woman who has been too sly to entrap 
 and even now can not be had just for the asking, is after 
 all more worth trying for than a widow who makes all 
 the advances." 
 
 The Colonel, all unconscious of the feminine charms 
 with which he was to be assailed,, was taken off guard at 
 his very next meeting with the ambitious spinster. He 
 had been to see Mrs. Ferris and had learned all that could 
 be ascertained regarding Mrs. Grey; and since that 
 seemed to him to be the only subject of any importance 
 just now, he wondered a little when she approached him 
 the second time. He stopped and tried to hide the trial 
 that his composure was undergoing, while he waited to 
 hear what she had to say. 
 
 That she had something to say was evident and that 
 she intended to steer stealthily to the point was soon made 
 plain. She first introduced the subject of dear Sister 
 Grey, but that failed to draw him out as it had before and 
 her spirits were elated. " He has already lost interest in 
 her," she thought. " The cunning widow may even have 
 thought that distance would lend enchantment and that 
 she would be all the more sure of him, but I will take 
 my chances staying near the man every time." 
 
 " What lovely May weather we are having," she began. 
 " How beautiful the country must be now. I envy you 
 the freedom and simplicity of your lives the year round, 
 but it never seems so alluring as in this month of fresh 
 ness and flowers. We did have friends in the country, 
 and had a May festival at their place even" year. Not a 
 real one, you know, with married people and children and 
 everybody, but just us young girls and boys. They mov 
 ed away last year, and we have not had one this spring 
 yet." 
 
 When she first spoke of the young girls and boys hav-
 
 MRS. GREY HAD GONE TO EUROPE. 289 
 
 ing May festivals, he thought she meant years ago, but 
 when she mentioned last year, he looked at her as if he 
 expected her to laugh. It hnd never occurred to him to 
 associate age with disrespect, with the single any more 
 than with the married, but he thought, " It is years that 
 makes the woman, and there is a limit to girlhood, even 
 among the unmarried. I know that I would consider it 
 a greater mark of respect to be called woman." But 
 when he noticed her look of sincerity, he was ashamed 
 of what his look had implied. 
 
 But she did not notice, or else had determined not to 
 be exacting, for she went on with unruffled sweetness, 
 " I don t see how we can let the spring go by without our 
 annual merry making ; it would cast a shadow over the 
 brightness of the whole spring." 
 
 " It would be too late for a May festival, would it not?" 
 
 " Oh, no, Colonel; if we just had a place to hold it, we 
 could have it vet." 
 
 " I have a very pretty piece of timber land that is at 
 your disposal, Miss Green." 
 
 " Oh, how kind of you to offer us your grove. We will 
 all be delighted. But do not consider our interests at the 
 sacrifice of your own pleasure. You know when we 
 young people from town get into the woods w y e drop all 
 restraint and may become too boisterous to be congenial 
 to your staid country tastes." 
 
 " \Ve do not belong to the staid class. On the contrary, 
 we are a fun loving people. I assure you that it is in 
 consideration of my own pleasure that I give the invita 
 tion. It always gives me pleasure to see others enjoying 
 themselves. If I am allowed to offer a suggestion, I will 
 say that you give a general invitation to young and old 
 alike, then my sister and I can come out and have a good 
 time with the rest of you."
 
 2QO HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 " Why certainly, we want you and your sister to come 
 out, but you could do that if no one but us young people 
 came. But since you are the owner of the grove, of 
 course you have a right to invite as many as you see fit. v 
 
 "Well, then it is settled, young and old children, and 
 grown people. And since it is to be a May festival, you 
 will be obliged to have it next Tuesday, as that will be 
 the last of May. I think there is sometimes more enjoy 
 ment in one of those hurried arrangements, than the 
 events that are prepared for at such length, for we are apt 
 to wear} more or less at the thought, and the freshness is 
 worn off before the time arrives. Next Tuesday be it 
 then." 
 
 "Just suit yourself, Colonel, since we are to come on 
 your special invitation. I have had the management of 
 so many such affairs, that I can easily make all the neces 
 sary arrangements until then. The most important part 
 will be the choosing of the May queen, not that we have 
 ever had much trouble about that so far. They would 
 like to have had me several times to be the queen of the 
 May, but I have never accepted so far, but I believe if 
 they choose rue again I will serve. Wouldn t you, Col 
 onel ? " 
 
 " I see no reason why you should not, Miss Green. I 
 will cast my vote for you." 
 
 " Oh, how kind of you to make me your choice, Colonel. 
 I will not soon forget it. We will have it next Tuesday 
 and I hope that you will enjoy the occasion as much as 
 the rest of us. My own gay spirits never make me heart 
 less or thoughtless about others. It is very kind of you 
 to invite us out to your place." 
 
 The days intervening were very busy ones to the ex 
 pectant Miss Green. The whole town was soon made 
 aware that they were to have a rare treat, owing to the
 
 MRS. GREY HAD GONE TO EUROPE. 29 1 
 
 high esteem in which their townswoman, Miss Green, was 
 held by Colonel \Vilkins, residing a few miles from town, 
 and that it was owing to his generous nature that they 
 were all alike to be invited to hold a May festival in his 
 grove situated along the river. They were grateful, of 
 course, but a few spiteful ones took occasion to make re 
 marks when they were told that the gentleman had de 
 manded the right to choose the queen for the occasion, 
 and that his choice had fallen upon the reluctant Miss 
 Green herself, who had at last been prevailed upon to 
 accept. 
 
 " That is hardly in accordance with the man s good 
 sense," said one, for if it had been a queen for Decem 
 ber that was wanted, he could not have selected a more 
 suitable personage." 
 
 " A queen for December, you say?" said another. " You 
 had better say a queen for your bee hive, to do the sting 
 ing for the whole swarm." 
 
 " Well, I consider that a weak point in the strong minds 
 that men lay such claim to. Any kind of woman can turn 
 their heads, and wheedle them into arrangements that can 
 can not fail to appear ridiculous to all beholders," said a 
 third speaker. 
 
 " She no doubt cajoled him into asking her, and since 
 it will be the last of May, it will not be so inappropriate 
 after all," continued the first. 
 
 But those sayings failed to cast the faintest shadow 
 upon the complacency of their object, partly because she 
 did not hear them, but even if she had she was too much 
 engrossed with the weight of her responsibilities. Was 
 she not the founder of this project? Was it not through 
 her that it was all coming about ? And, most important 
 of all, was she not to be the queen of the May? The 
 preparations for this part of the program cost the most
 
 2Q2 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 flutterings. She could not fail to see a few meaning side 
 glances, if she did not resent them. She was innately 
 conscious that she must present the most youthful ap 
 pearance possible to avoid open ridicule. So the phar 
 maceutist was consulted in confidence about the efficacy 
 of various compounds. That they produced results there 
 is no doubt, judging from the satisfied expression with 
 which she stood before her mirror. 
 
 She arranged a wreath of artificial orange blossoms 
 and placed them upon her head, thinking, " Surely he 
 can not fail to see how becoming such an arrangement is 
 to me." And she almost wished that she could be crowned 
 with those made flowers, rather than something not so 
 significant. But she would take a bunch of those early 
 white roses along and place them in a conspicuous place, 
 and some of them could not fail to see the propriety of 
 their use. 
 
 She instructed Mrs. Jones in the line of procedure for 
 the day. The aspiring maiden had at last concluded that 
 if the occasion was to produce its hoped for results she 
 must have some one to manage it to her account, and 
 had thrown herself unreservedly upon the good will of 
 that matron ; and she, in return for the faith placed in 
 her skill, promised to do all in her power to bring the 
 affair to a favorable termination. 
 
 The day came and went, as even such days have a 
 habit of doing. It had been a fever of intermingled hope 
 and fear, but Miss Green considered that the balance 
 stood in her favor and felt encouraged thereby. There 
 had been some vexations, of course ; but who had ever 
 heard of an outing without its subsequent drawbacks? 
 So she had tried to hide the sinking at her heart when 
 she went to bring her supply of roses into prominence 
 and found them gone.
 
 MRS. GREY HAD GONE TO EUROPE. 293 
 
 But the sly boys had not only stolen her roses, but had 
 scoured the woods and country over, and had plucked and 
 pulled to pieces every flower that they could find with the 
 exception of a plentiful supply of dandelion blossoms. So 
 when the moment of coronation came, instead of a \vreath 
 of pure white roses, a hastily constructed one of those ill- 
 smelling flowers was placed upon her youthful brow. But 
 she arose to the occasion, and smiled all the sweeter to 
 counteract the harmful effects of the bright yellow color 
 upon her complexion. 
 
 Meanwhile the boys who had appropriated the pros 
 pective garland were on the bank of the river in a remote 
 part of the grove. 
 
 "What shall we do with these roses?" said one. "It 
 would be a pity to tear them to pieces." 
 
 "Oh, throw them into the river," said another, "and let 
 the fish get a shiff at them." 
 
 " I know what to do with them, boys," said a third ; 
 " we will fish with them. I know that she wanted them 
 for bait to catch a sucker ; then surely some fool minny 
 ought to take a nibble." 
 
 So in high glee the roses were tied to numerous pieces 
 of cord and fastened to sticks, and then dropped into the 
 water. But since they seldom venture to the surface, the 
 fragrance did not prove a snare to the finny tribe ; so, after 
 making various pretensions at pulling out huge, unman 
 ageable catches, and acting in general as boys usually do 
 along an exhiliarating river bank, they ambled back to 
 civili/ation, and were just in time to witness the last 
 scene on the program. 
 
 This little drama had been planned and replanned by 
 the two women, but Mrs. Jones depended upon her tact 
 to make it appear spontaneous. So she exclaimed all at 
 once, as if flustratecl by the newness of the idea :
 
 294 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 " How nice it would be to end the day with a little 
 wedding ! Jones will play the parson. Now we must 
 find a man who is worthy of a queen for a bride. Oh; 
 here is the Colonel ! Come, we will give you the honor 
 of being the groom come ! " 
 
 "Oh, no!" answered the hapless man, coloring visibly; 
 "I would consider myself fortunate to be thought worthy 
 of a good woman, and would not think of aspiring to a 
 royal personage. You can surely find some one better 
 suited." 
 
 But the woman persisted, and the unfortunate Colonel 
 could not be false to his gallantry and was just coming 
 forth to take his stand like a martyr, and Jones, who had 
 been initiated into the mysteries of marriage ceremonies 
 and drilled by his good wife how to apply it ( even though 
 against his will), had turned his back to take a final look 
 at the scrap of paper upon which he had made an outline 
 of what was expected of him, when the air was rent with 
 shouts from the nearest point of the river, toward which 
 the boys had just that moment scampered. 
 
 "Jack has fallen into the river! Jack has fallen into 
 the river ! " 
 
 In a remarkably short time every man, woman, and 
 child was by the water s edge, but only to find that the 
 Jack was the Colonel s dog, who liked water as well as 
 dry land. The boys, however, stood by as innocent as 
 lambs, while the owner called the spaniel out and scolded 
 him for giving them all such a fright. 
 
 They soon returned, to find that the queen had not left 
 her throne, but was still sitting on the stump which had 
 been beautified with leaves and moss, and was waiting 
 for her impromptu groom. 
 
 The Colonel walked up a second time, like a sheep to 
 the slaughter, and Jones was about to begin the ritual,
 
 MRS. GRKY HAD GOXK TO EUROPE. 295 
 
 which he had now mastered, thanks to the delay, when a 
 display of lung power sounded from the other end of the 
 woods, and a half do/en voices joined in announcing to 
 the relieved Colonel that he was wanted at the house that 
 very minute, and a hurried excuse was all that time per 
 mitted. 
 
 The sovereign ruler was ready to at once descend from 
 her royal seat, but the crowd were not going to permit 
 any such move. " Keep your seat ! Keep your seat ! " 
 said a dozen voices at once. " We will find some one else 
 to take his place." 
 
 The marriage ceremony had suddenly lost all its charms 
 for the defeated woman ; but since she was given no voice 
 in the matter, she was forced to reseat herself, while some 
 tricky, thoughtless young people hurried the village inno 
 cent to her side. This worthy did not seem at all averse 
 to the arrangement. He had long been casting sly, \vist- 
 ful glances at all the girls in town. Age and beauty did 
 not enter largely into the question with him. 
 
 He looked at the queen as if he would like to devour 
 her, bitter dandelions and all. He dropped upon one 
 knee beside the stump and took her hand, with a silly 
 grin, into his own, which closed over it like a cabbage 
 leaf. The infuriated Sarah looked daggers at the 
 crowd, but had no choice but to submit. So the cere 
 mony was gone through with to the bitter end. Xor 
 was this to be the end of her predicament. The newly 
 espoused husband hung about her as if he would much 
 rather take a serious view of the matter than to regard 
 it in the light of a joke ; and even after she had taken 
 occasion to tell him that he was a fool and an idiot, when 
 the wagons in which they had come had reached Clover- 
 dale and were distributing their loads at the respective 
 front gates, he acted as if his mind was divided between 
 following her and iroing to his own home.
 
 296 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 But in spite of all this, she had nothing to complain of. 
 The Colonel had paid her as marked attention as his 
 duties as host had permitted. " He was willing to play 
 the part of husband," she thought. " It was not his fault 
 that he was called away. He certainly seemed reluctant 
 to go when the summons came, and he excused himself 
 so politely to me." Yes, he had only asked her to excuse 
 him, although the whole crowd were waiting for the little 
 play as much as she was. 
 
 So various other little plans came into her head where 
 by she might fan his interest into a flame. " After you 
 have once put your hand to the plow it is folly to. turn 
 back," she thought. "And a woman has a perfect right 
 to make herself as attractive as possible." 
 
 But her pains were wasted so far as Colonel Wilkins 
 was concerned, for days had lengthened into weeks, and 
 weeks into months, and she had not so much as caught a 
 glimpse of his fine figure.
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 TOMMY S PLANS. 
 
 THK day after the May festival was a very busy one 
 for Tommy Green. He and his chum had been in 
 close consultation for some time in the stable mow after 
 their return from the woods, and the result was a full- 
 fledged scheme. 
 
 They could not carry it out alone, but they could easily 
 get all the other boys to help them; so a meeting was 
 called on the commons, the stable mow being too small to 
 hold the motley crew, which ranged in ages from eight to 
 fifteen. 
 
 All the little boys were to be excluded, and this cost 
 them not a little trouble, for what the smaller boys lacked 
 in si/e they seemed to more than make up for in persist 
 ence, and how to elude them was the question. It was 
 only after they were promised that they would be invited 
 to the general "round-up," that those upon whom the fatal 
 age line had been drawn were at last persuaded to go off 
 to themselves ; and even then there would occasionally a 
 small straggler find his way into the ranks of "us 1 jig- 
 boys." But even those who were enlisted in the general 
 cause were not let into its full secrets. 
 
 Tommy and his chum thought that more than likely it 
 would be advisable to keep that to themselves, so the rest, 
 who were expected to lend such valuable assistance, were 
 only told that there was a plan by which they could all 
 have a " rousin " good time if they would help the project 
 along by various means which would be made plain to 
 them; that a great deal depended upon their willingness, 
 
 "9 < 2 97)
 
 298 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 but if they all proved equal to the occasion, they would 
 not be the losers. 
 
 They needed a little money, but they could easily earn 
 every cent required in a couple of weeks, so they were all 
 asked how they thought they could best turn an honest 
 penny. Then a solemn promise was enacted from each 
 and every member of the willing band, that they would 
 not spend a penny of their earnings for one month, with 
 the privilege of extending the time if necessary. They 
 had nothing else near, so an old almanac came into good 
 play over which to make their binding protestations. 
 
 After all the necessary formula had been gone through 
 with and hands had been shaken all around to seal the 
 compact, they disbanded, but not before they had been 
 assured that any breaking of the rules would be followed 
 by direful results; that the culprit would be obliged to 
 chose between being tied hands and feet and ducked in 
 the river, or a thorough egging, and they were assured 
 that freshness of the eggs would not be an essential feat 
 ure. 
 
 They all knew that escape would be impossible, and 
 also \vhat such punishment would mean at the hands of 
 a score or more of boys endowed with a determination 
 equal to their own, so the}- wisely concluded to do their 
 best, and by the next morning it appeared like the whole 
 town had been turned into an industrial school for boys. 
 They presented very much the appearance of a swarm of 
 bees starting out in various directions to gather honey. 
 Some of them did turns for the different grocers and took 
 a few ears of popcorn and the rest in sugar in return. 
 This they took home to their sisters and mothers, who 
 they persuaded to make it into balls for them by promis 
 ing strict obedience for a given time. 
 
 For these they borrowed baskets, and "Nice fresh pop-
 
 TOMMY S PLANS. 299 
 
 corn balls ! nice fresh pop-corn balls ! " could be heard 
 from the various points of the compass at once; while 
 others had been to the river with hooks and lines, and 
 were calling "Fresh fish! fresh fish!" while at a cor 
 ner of the street that led to the river, a little fellow stood 
 by a barrel, which he had turned bottom side up, and was 
 using as a counter to display his wares, and was shouting 
 lustily, "Fishermen, right here is the place to get your 
 nice fresh bait: a cent a box." 
 
 More than one mother found her spice boxes emptied 
 into cups, saucers and pans to supply the demand, while 
 every available foot of ground had been upturned in 
 search of the inoffensive fishworm. 
 
 Still others were going from door to door inquiring if 
 there were any stray cats about which they would like to 
 have killed. These they offered to dispatch at three cents 
 apiece or two for five cents. Their method of execution 
 of condemned cats was to hang them by the necks until 
 they were dead. In so doing their pelts were not dam 
 aged, for which they received five cents apiece from the 
 village furrier ; and many a poor kitty, which could not 
 have been found guilty of vagrancy in a court of law, 
 was doomed to the same fate; and many tears were shed 
 when various valued pets would no longer come at the 
 owner s call. 
 
 The dealer promised to put the furs out of sight at 
 once, so that all traces would be covered up. This en 
 couraged a more persistent onslaught upon poor tabby. 
 Oh, what a busy time! It was hard to get them all posi 
 tions in the great mercantile world on such short order, 
 so some had to even content themselves with holding 
 skeins of yarn or doing other little odds for their mother, 
 while others promised to rid the premises of rats and mice, 
 so much per head. A few determined ones stole slyly
 
 300 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 out with their father s blacking box and brush tucked 
 under their arms, and " A shine ! a shine ! " was being 
 sung by more than one piping voice. 
 
 In the evening at dusk, just when business was at its 
 dullest, they met, but were obliged to go to a different 
 place every time, for some of those who had not arrived 
 at the proper age either did not consider their promise 
 binding, or else were entirely overcome with curiosity, 
 and usually succeeded in finding their meeting about 
 the time that the most important business had been 
 transacted ; but this necessitated a change of place. 
 
 The}- compared notes, threw their money into the gen 
 eral fund and exchanged occupations when some of them 
 expressed themselves as tired of the old; and sometimes 
 they found it advisable to engage in something new. 
 
 The busiest of the boys were Tommy and his particu 
 lar friend. There were so many things that depended 
 entirely upon themselves. One thing that caused them 
 not a little anxiety, was the fact that they would be 
 obliged to make a vast improvement in their hand writ 
 ing to carry out their plan successfully. 
 
 Tommy sweetly asked his sister to write the first copy 
 in his new writing book, and then applied himself assidu 
 ously to imitating her peculiar strokes and shades; but 
 he found it even more difficult than he thought to bring 
 his rough, uneven scrawl into any semblance to a 
 woman s hand. 
 
 The other boy wrote a letter to his uncle, who was 
 teaching school, so as to get a hand that had not been 
 impaired by business. He put "in haste" on the envel 
 ope and " in haste for a reply " on the inside of the letter, 
 and the answer was prompt. By diligent practice the 
 boys proved that, although practice did not make perfect, 
 it did improve wonderfully.
 
 TOMMY S PLANS. 301 
 
 At first, when so many new industries sprang up sud 
 denly among them, the Cloverdale people thought it was 
 only one of the temporary fits and starts to which boys 
 are subject; so when the second and third week came and 
 their energies were not yet visibly abated, they were sur 
 prised and began to think that this was no ordinary case, 
 and that the little chaps had the "stuff" in them and 
 their respect for the lads increased. So when they asked 
 for various little loans, with which to carry on their dif 
 ferent lines of business, they met with few refusals. 
 
 On vSaturday night of the third week they called a 
 special meeting. It was necessary to know then if the 
 sum could be raised so as to give the two a week for the 
 final arrangements. The boys had each emptied his 
 pockets into the hands of the treasurer or treasurers 
 every evening, so they had not the least notion of the sum 
 that had been raised. The "bank" thought this the 
 safest plan, for fear some of those engaged in earning it 
 might not be satisfied with their share of the proceeds; 
 neither did they know the sum required, although the 
 leaders knew the exact amount it would take to buy the 
 necessary articles. Before the} separated they concluded 
 that the thing could be done in another week; and if 
 they did not have enough when the time came, each one 
 who had any credit with his parents or relatives was to 
 borrow a quarter. These were to be returned to them 
 the first of the following week. 
 
 Hut now began the tug of war for the two schemers. 
 In the first place, two letters must be written, one in a 
 lady s hand, the other in a man s: but what proved to be 
 the most difficult part was the wording. Hoth had writ 
 ten letters, but they had been messages characteristic of 
 themselves, but to impersonate others was not so easy. 
 
 They bought ten cents worth of gilt-edged paper be-
 
 3O2 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 tween them, but that was as nothing, and they had to 
 make a second trip to the stationers. This second sup 
 ply was nearly exhausted before they, produced anything 
 like, according to their way of thinking, a love letter 
 should look; but at last they were sent, and the results 
 were now inevitable. 
 
 They next went to the clothiers to see if everything 
 would be in readiness on time there. Yes, the articles 
 would all be ready as soon as they came with the money. 
 The boys had told the merchant that they wanted to 
 present a man the exact size of Colonel Wilkins with a 
 suit of clothes, and that the} wanted them to be exactly 
 like that gentleman wore, even to the hat, suspenders 
 and tie. 
 
 The dealer told them that he had the very articles that 
 they were in search of, size and all, and had Colonel Wil 
 kins measure and a piece of the cloth from which he had 
 been having his suits cut for years, and that they could 
 have the whole outfit for twelve dollars, spot cash. He 
 told them that he was giving them a rare bargain because 
 they were nice little boys, and wanted to make a man a 
 present. 
 
 The boys next went to the second-hand dealer to see 
 if he would be as good as his word. Yes, if the outfit 
 cost twelve dollars and were only worn the next Sunday, 
 and brought to him on the following Monday, and was 
 not soiled in the least, he would give them one-third of 
 the original value. Second-hand dealers are never very 
 exacting, so the boys did not think it necessary to give 
 an}- account of their proceedings. 
 
 They then went to the fellow who had been one of the 
 contracting parties at the little make-believe wedding at 
 the May festival. This poor fellow s body had grown so 
 fast that his intellect had been left very much in the rear.
 
 TOMMYS PLANS. 303 
 
 He had only had now and then a glimpse of his queenly 
 bride since the happy event, although he had walked past 
 her home a few times every day, and tried in various 
 ways to get himself noticed by her. So he smiled in 
 a thoroughly pleased way to receive a visit from her 
 brother, who plunged at once into business. 
 
 " Say, Moses, how would you like to go to see my 
 sister next Sunday evening, all rigged out in a tip-top, 
 spankin new suit?" 
 
 He was never called Moses only on extra occasions, 
 but almost anything else instead, and at best Mossy ; but 
 this was an extra occasion, and that he realized it fully 
 could be seen by his grins and blushes. After protesting 
 weakly for a time, with his heart in his mouth, he finally 
 consented when Tommy had assured him that any girl 
 would be tickled to death to have him come to see her 
 when he would be all fixed up in the new suit they were 
 going to lend to him. 
 
 After the boys felt assured that they had made the 
 chief actor in their little play understand his part, they 
 set themselves about to find some way to earn a part of 
 the money that was still lacking ; and since good will, 
 that conquerer of seemingly insurmountable obstacles, 
 was not wanting, with their help and the borrowed quar 
 ters, the amount loomed up to the required proportions 
 and they were happy at least the two. But the other 
 little aspirants were not so sure that the}" were being 
 treated as boys should be, who had been bending every 
 energy and shouted themselves so hoarse that lobelia and 
 other noxious herb teas had been the consequence. 
 
 vSo when the treasurers thanked them for their untir 
 ing efforts and walked off with their quarters and the last 
 day s earnings, there were symptoms of dissatisfaction 
 breaking out here and there. These spread in such an
 
 304 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 alarming degree that in a very short time the whole crowd 
 was infected. The last few days had been hard work. 
 Their industries had grown old and did not yield the 
 profit they had in the flush of their youth ; so this had to 
 be made up with a redoubling of their diligence. And 
 now that the two leaders should walk off with the money, 
 without so much as telling them what it was to be spent 
 for, was more than they could endure without murmur 
 ing. That Tommy and his chum were playing it with a 
 high hand was evident to the meekest minded of the lot. 
 They told them that their part of the pleasure, which 
 they had been working for so unceasingly and in the 
 dark (as they expressed it), was to come off the next 
 Monday night, when they would have a bonfire, with 
 plenty of fire-crackers, and there was to be no limit to 
 the pop-corn and taffy ; but these things had lost their 
 charms, and they felt slighted and insulted. 
 
 But the two who caused the dissatisfaction were in 
 high glee. They told the boys that the rules of the 
 society were still binding, and that the verdict would be 
 read to any one who dared to indulge in any unseemly 
 conduct before they were formally dismissed, and then 
 went with the quarters and last few dimes, nickels, and 
 pennies jingling in their pockets, to a secret place in the 
 stable mow, to a box which had served as a safe in which 
 to hide their accumulated wealth. This was so heavy in 
 proportion to its value that it necessitated several trips to 
 the tailor s shop and back. 
 
 But at last the whole amount had found its way into the 
 man s drawer, and they had the coveted suit, hat, suspend 
 ers, and tie identical with those that Colonel Wilkins 
 wore and were on their way to the house where Mossy 
 lived alone with his mother, a woman who, blinded by her 
 mother-love for her only son, could recognize no deficien-
 
 TOMMY S PLAN S. 305 
 
 cies in him, but on the contrary she set great store by 
 him. He was one who would succeed with the most 
 fastidious and exacting miss in town if it were not for his 
 bashfulness and innate modesty. She had looked with 
 pride upon the little episode at the May festival. Was not 
 the fact of his being chosen from among all the rest a 
 proof of the popularity of her idoli/ed son ? v So it was 
 with much trepidation and flutterings that she admitted 
 the two boys, who, after hiding their several bundles in 
 an out-shed, had knocked at her kitchen door ; for was not 
 the glory of this marked attention in some way due to her 
 for being his mother and bringing him up as he was ? 
 
 " Oh, yes," she said; " Moses is up in his room, smart 
 ing himself up a bit before he goes out. He is getting 
 that particular with himself that I can hardly get his 
 shirt bosoms and handkerchiefs to suit him, although one 
 would think they would break for stiffness. Hut that is 
 natural with young gentlemen ; the more they are thought 
 of, the more favor they hanker after. Oh, yes, go right 
 up ; he will be glad to see you," with a relationship smile 
 at Tommy, which was not lost upon that urchin. 
 
 They went up, and found the young hopeful, who was 
 still in the act of smarting up, giving the top of his head 
 man}- affectionate little touches with comb and brush, and 
 trying to coax the reluctant growth on his upper lip into 
 luxuriance by smiling at it encouragingly in the glass. 
 
 The sight of Tommy affected him much as it did his 
 mother. A visit from Tommy was, of course, a little 
 different than if it had been just some other boy; and it 
 did much toward strengthening that link when the mis- 
 chievious boy began : 
 
 " Moses, I know that vSis will be as pleased as a pigeon 
 to have you come to see her tomorrow night, if you tix 
 yourself up real nice. \Ve bought a suit to give away to
 
 306 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 some one, but will let you wear it once, and you will look 
 so sleek in it that the other girls will all be jealous. Go 
 down to the shed and get the bundles, then you can 
 smart yourself up in them." 
 
 Moses was not quite as large as the man over whose 
 measure the suit had been cut, but a newspaper folded 
 across his chest and one over each shoulder, and one half 
 folded down his back, did wonders toward filling the 
 vacuum and helped to give him the breadth and thick 
 ness. The hat, unlike the rest, was a little small, but the 
 leather band could easily be ripped out for the occasion. 
 
 After his toilet was made, the boys thought the resem 
 blance between Moses and the Colonel striking with the 
 exception of his mustache ; but they had come prepared 
 for even that deficiency, for Tommy had stolen his sister s 
 false front. With this they had some trouble. Even with 
 the assistance of scissors and comb they could not get the 
 cunningly contrived little ringlets to take on the sem 
 blance of a sober mustache ; so they had been obliged to 
 go to a barber. 
 
 This man, who had been ministering to the tangled 
 visages of the whole town for a number of years, smiled 
 a little when the boys asked him how much he would 
 take to remodel that into a mustache exactly like Colonel 
 Wilkins . He knew the boys and the extent of their 
 mischief, but he had not forgotten his own boyhood. So 
 he told them that he would do his very best for them, 
 and it should not cost them a cent ; and his " very best " 
 had produced an exact counterpart to the mustache worn 
 by the dignified Colonel. 
 
 Moses could not quite understand why his own modest 
 growth, which to him was a wonder indeed, should be 
 concealed ; but he would have been willing to submit to 
 almost anything with such an all-absorbing pleasure in
 
 TOMMY S PLANS. 307 
 
 view. But he could not help wincing a little after the 
 mustache had been duly fitted to his upper lip and the 
 glue clung so tenaciously that some of his own tender 
 pets were extracted by the roots in removing it. 
 
 The boys declared to him that Sis would never even 
 look at another fellow after she had once seen him in 
 that rig, but that he must not put it on until they came to 
 help him, about four o clock, because they knew just how 
 the newspapers ought to be folded. 
 
 After various little speeches, which they meant to be 
 reassuring, and which accomplished that for which they 
 were intended even beyond the boys most sanguine ex 
 pectations, they left and went home. 
 
 Tommy knew that his sister had received her letter. 
 He could not tell why, but he could tell. He had been 
 brought up in the house with grown girls, and prided 
 himself on his cleverness in discerning their little char 
 acteristics. vSo, as the time drew near, he imagined that 
 he noticed more and more marked symptoms of a coming 
 event ; and that this event was to be of unusual magni 
 tude was also plain by the influence it had upon her 
 whole manner. She seemed restless and preoccupied, 
 and had dressed hirself and sat in the parlor the last two 
 or three evenings, as if in anticipation of some coming 
 pleasure. Poor Sis ! In the absence of the talse trout 
 she had always denied wearing, she had no end of trouble 
 trying to coax her own crown of beauty into bewitching 
 ways; but since she devoted much of her time, she was 
 beginning to be rewarded for her efforts. 
 
 When Tommy came into the parlor she had just been 
 reading her letter; not but what she had read it before 
 oh, yes, she knew every word of it by heart, but it 
 proved so reassuring to read it over. She hurriedly 
 thrust it into her bosom, but not before the quick eye ot
 
 308 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 the boy had caught its familiar outlines. He sighed in 
 wardly when he thought of the aching arms and anxiety 
 that it had cost him ; but to him the look of satisfaction 
 on the face of his sister was a just recompense of reward. 
 " If I can make Sis look that pleased, mebby I will write 
 her some more." 
 
 He restrained his exhiliarated spirits as best he could, 
 when she arose, yawning, and saying that she was sleepy, 
 left the room. " She thinks that she had better go to bed 
 early tonight, if she is to be up late tomorrow night. 
 You had better go, Sissy dear ; the Colonel might have a 
 great deal to say to you, and it would never do to get 
 sleepy before he gets his say out. I wish you one more 
 night of happy dreams before he gets here." At this he 
 could control his spirits no longer. So he rushed out 
 into the stable, where he gave way to such shouts of 
 laughter that Sooky and Billy would have broken their 
 halters had they not often been witnesses of just such 
 scenes. But nevertheless they looked on in mild-eyed 
 wonder. It had the power to draw their philosophic 
 minds for a brief period from their suppers, which they 
 had not yet mastered. He jumped, threw his hat into 
 the air, and stood on his head, makii% polite bows with 
 his feet in imitation of the Colonel, until he was tired 
 out, and then concluded that it was time for boys to go 
 to bed, even if they were not girls and were going to 
 have a beau. 
 
 Meanwhile the deluded -Sarah had gone to her room 
 and again drawn forth her letter. The satisfaction to be 
 derived from this message was inexhaustible, and Tommy 
 had come in before she had had time to enjoy it fully. 
 So she began at the beginning and read it all over care 
 fully, stopping here and there to dwell upon something 
 which seemed particularly to strike a tender chord. It 
 was dated the first of the week and read as follows :
 
 TOMMY S PLANS. 309 
 
 Miss CTRKKX : 
 
 Most highly estimable Madam : I hope you will not think me 
 presumptuous for addressing you thus, l>ut I have been wishing 
 to express my regrets ever since I was so rudely called from vour 
 side, when you were seated on the stump in the grove. I hope 
 you will not think me presumptuous, but what begins in jest 
 sometimes ends in earnest, and I may yet have the opportunity 
 to show you the respect due such an estimable lady. All things 
 come to them as wait. I will call on you next Sunday night. 
 Look for me. Kver sincerely vours, 
 
 COLONEL WILKIXS. 
 
 Some of the words were gotten out of scraps of letters 
 which the two boys succeeded in finding; some of them 
 were taken out of the speller and their meaning deciph 
 ered through the aid of the dictionary ; and had his sister 
 known how often this missive had forced Tommy upon 
 the anxious seat, and that he had labored upon it till 
 great beads of sweat rolled down his hands and face in 
 order to bring it to this state of perfection, she might 
 have partially forgiven him. 
 
 "It was all right," she thought, "that I did not answer 
 him. Pie is so decisive in his speech that it did not call 
 for an answer. It is certainly characteristic of a gentle 
 man in earnest." 
 
 She folded the letter and dropped it into a convenient 
 drawer (she knew that she would want to read it over a 
 few times the next day, it would help her to hide her 
 restlessness from the rest of the family), and went to bed 
 to concoct various plans tor trousseau, wedding break 
 fasts and honeymoons. She was so absorbed in these 
 soul-inspiring anticipations, that the drowsy god, in order 
 to get in his work, had to call a halt long before they 
 were exhausted ; but in dreamland the same array of pic 
 tures spread out on the canvas of her mind: white gowns, 
 bridal veils, oceans of white blossoms and ecstasv tin-
 
 310 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 speakable. But when she awoke to reality and the 
 world, those coveted luxuries were still things of the 
 impenetrable future; but things that were dreamed on 
 Saturday night have come true sometimes, and hers 
 seemed real enough for anything. 
 
 That day at church she took great comfort during the 
 morning services in thinking how T envious the sisterhood 
 would feel when she walked into church that evening 
 with the acknowledged prize of the town and community. 
 She felt that her victory would partially compensate for 
 some sneers and insinuations that she had borne since 
 that day in the woods. Yes, she would bring him to 
 church. 
 
 She was so deep in her meditations on her way home, 
 that she did not see poor Mossy who was trying his ut 
 most to bring himself and his smart appearance into 
 prominence by passing through the crowd and turning 
 the corner just before her eyes. 
 
 Tommy watched her keenly. His plans had been laid 
 a good while and had caused him much worry and some 
 hard work, so he was determined to get all the fun pos 
 sible out of the result. 
 
 She went to the rose-bush to see if the bunch of roses 
 and buds, which she had selected a day or two before to 
 wear on her bosom, were still there. She arranged and 
 re-arranged her toilette, and long before four o clock, the 
 hour of his own appointment, her appearance had arrived 
 at a point of satisfaction, and she was sitting in the front 
 parlor, going now and then to the front window or taking 
 short walks in the garden and back. 
 
 Tommy pretended not to see, but instead whistled 
 " We won t go home until morning," or teased the kitty 
 (he had taken care that this one should escape the fur 
 rier s chest) and acted in general as boys do who have
 
 TOMMY S PLANS. 311 
 
 nothing on their minds, until she started toward the front 
 gate, saying that it was too warm to sit in the house. 
 
 He knew that his risibilities had arrived at the explod 
 ing point, so he put on his hat and betook himself to 
 Mossy s. He found that worthy in a high state of ex 
 citement and expectation. He would like to have put 
 on the new suit and gone about, striking blows right and 
 left to the heart of every girl in town ; but since that 
 pleasure had been forbidden him, he had to content him 
 self waiting for Tommy and his chum and thinking of 
 the evening. 
 
 The boy told him that he could not start before dusk; 
 that none of the swells went before then and that they 
 had all better take a walk before he dressed, because it 
 \vas warm and those newspapers would not feel comfort 
 able if he wore them too long. 
 
 His mother smiled complacently when she saw that 
 Tommy \vas again with Moses, thinking well, who 
 know^s w r hat she was thinking? It is enough to know 
 that there was satisfaction in the thought. 
 
 It was sundown when they returned and it was all the 
 combined efforts of the three could master to have Moses 
 in readiness by dark. The newspapers and the cane 
 helped him out about right, they thought, when he started 
 away. They had never seen the Colonel with a cane, but 
 they thought that he would surely -carry one if he was 
 going to see his girl, so the}" bought one for his imita 
 tion to earn-. 
 
 Moses story papers helped to fill out his clothes, but 
 they had been resorted to too liberally to add to the grace 
 fulness of his movements or gait, which was stiff and 
 unnatural. He felt anything but comfortable, but he 
 tried to make up in bravado what he may otherwise have 
 lacked. So he walked along swinging his cane, the paper 
 rattling as he went.
 
 312 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 The rest of the Green household had all started to 
 church with the exception of the expectant one, who was 
 standing in the hall door as he came up. She knew that 
 it was the Colonel as soon as she saw the outlines of his 
 figure. His walk was not just natural, but he might 
 have corns, and she thought of various salves and reme 
 dies that she would apply when the proper time came. 
 
 When he reached the door she stepped back and led 
 the way, without saying a word. She was thinking that 
 silence is more eloquent than words ; but she was begin 
 ning to think it a little strange that he had said nothing. 
 
 When the} reached the lighted parlor she turned to 
 ward him, saying sweetly, " I am indeed glad to see you. 
 Let me lay up your hat, and be seated." 
 
 Moses, with all the ease that he could possibly assume 
 owing to the stiffness of the paper, which was rattling in 
 a tell-tale way, had raised his hat from his head and was 
 holding it out to her, with one of his broadest and most 
 winning grins, when she stopped before him and looked 
 at him with eyes in which was blended such an unuttera 
 ble degree of amazement, anger, and contempt, that one 
 could scarcely imagine that the soft, cooing words of just 
 a moment before had come from the same source. It 
 was the Colonel s figure and wearing apparel. Yes, and 
 a mustache exactly like he wore but she could not mis 
 take the light blue eyes, the grin, and the cabbage-leaf 
 hand that was holding out his hat. She would know 
 them anywhere. 
 
 Her look turned to one of loathing. Poor Moses ! he 
 never had had much experience in the courting line, so 
 he did not quite know what this treatment implied, but 
 he began to wish that she would show it in some other 
 way if she was glad to see him. 
 
 He had gotten along fairly well in that little marriage
 
 TOMMY S PLANS. 313 
 
 ceremony, so he hung his hat on a chair back, dropped 
 on one knee, and was about to take her hand, when she 
 darted to the furthest corner. She did not study her 
 pose now. Her eyes flashed fire. Her curls, which 
 seemed to arise to the occasion, were standing- straight 
 out. Altogether she presented the picture of a fury in 
 carnate. 
 
 Just then two war whoops sounded from the hall, and 
 Tommy and his friend rushed in. One grabbed his hat: 
 the other got him by the tail of his coat, pulling with all 
 his might, and hollowing with all his lungs : 
 
 " Come quick, or she ll annihilate you I " 
 
 Now, Moses had no sort of a notion what "annihila 
 tion " meant, but that look iu her eyes could no longer 
 be doubted, and he wisely concluded that it could not be 
 making love ; so he took to his heeis and made a hasty 
 exit, in spite of the paper, which had by this time col 
 lected in wads about his body. Poor Mossy ! The world 
 of love was still an unsolved mystery to him. 
 
 The boys urged him to go home at once and put on his 
 own clothes. He went, but instead of doing as he had 
 promised, he only removed the rolls of paper and started 
 out anew. The new suit had failed to impress the one 
 favorably, but that was no reason why he should not try 
 its powers on the other girls. 
 
 After giving the subject some thought, Tommy sagely 
 determined that it would be best to sleep with his friend 
 that night. The boys lay awake nearly all night laugh 
 ing and talking about the trick that they had so success 
 fully carried out, so it was late when they awoke. With 
 the morning came the reaction so well known to all fitful 
 spirits. Although they tried to laugh it off, they had a 
 dull feeling in the region of their hearts or stomachs or 
 somewhere. They could not exactly give its physiolog- 
 20
 
 314 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 ical location, but it did not add to their comfort of mind, 
 and they could not get rid of it. 
 
 The most prominent feature of the distressing feeling 
 was that it made them think that the end of things had 
 not yet come. So it was without any heart in the matter, 
 but with rather anxious minds, that they went to Mossy s 
 house to get the suit to take to the second-hand man. 
 Their fears had no real form until Mossy s proud mother 
 told them that that young man had gone on a visit to his 
 cousins. He had been wanting to go for some time, but 
 he had got that particular about himself that he would 
 not go before he had a new suit ; and he had one now, 
 although he had not let her see it until this morning. He 
 always was a prime judge of clothes, and the ones he had 
 made him look real genteel. 
 
 The boys waited to hear no more, but rushed up to 
 Moses room, only to find their worst fears realized. The 
 clothes had gone with Moses, to be gone a week or ten 
 days. 
 
 " Moses started early. He wanted to walk five miles 
 of the way, to save expenses. The boy always was good 
 at saving a penny, so he went before it got so warm." 
 said the woman. 
 
 But the boys waited to hear no more, but went out with 
 hearts that hung way down below zero for heaviness and 
 an icy sensation. Their troubles increased as the day 
 wore on. They could tell that the boys were expecting 
 a rousing good time that evening, and were actually 
 starving their little stomachs to make room for the enor 
 mous treat. But where was it to come from ? was the 
 question in two worried little minds. A part of the 
 money that they were to get from the second-hand man 
 was to go for the expected festivities. But alas ! And 
 Moses had promised to pop the corn. Again alas ! They
 
 TOMMY S PLANS. 315 
 
 each had a little private stock of corn, but where would 
 they pop enough for the whole crowd? And where was 
 the taffy to come from, and the money for the plentiful 
 supply of fire-crackers that had been promised to the 
 crowd? But the boys determined upon making as brave 
 a show as possible ; so they sneaked a popper from the 
 house and built a fire behind the stable, and went dili 
 gently to work. But the fire would spread, and it was all 
 that they could do to keep it from reaching the buildings; 
 and the corn smelled suspiciously of a too close contact 
 with the flames. But when the}- at last had finished, they 
 had enough to satisfy any reasonable set of boys. But 
 where did reason ever enter, when there was pop-corn on 
 the bill of fare ? 
 
 The few pennies that they could scrape together went 
 for a bunch of common fire-crackers and an empty tar 
 barrel. This, with a couple of boxes which they man 
 aged to purloin from the stable, made such a blaze as 
 should have filled the heart of any boy not too hard to 
 suit with pride. But boys are sometimes hard to please 
 when a bonfire is in question, and the two who had prom 
 ised them such a good time in return for their hard work, 
 could soon tell that the whole crowd was ready to read 
 the riot act to them, and that on short notice, too. JSo, 
 after they had told them that they were sorry that they 
 could not treat them to taffy, and that they would try to 
 give them their quarters later on, they sought safety in 
 retreat. They would not risk the stable mow, or any 
 oilier doubtful place, but went straight to the house ol 
 Tommy s friend and locked the doors against any possible 
 intruders. 
 
 But the crowd was not always to be eluded in that way, 
 and the next evening about nine o clock two sorry little 
 figures went slvlv back and forth between the stable and
 
 316 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 pump, with a bucket and pan. It was plain to be seen 
 that they had suffered the full penalty of the law. They 
 had first been ducked in the river, and afterward treated 
 to a volley of eggs and some enterprising biddy s ma 
 ternal nest of half-hatched eggs had been the sacrifice. 
 
 Words would be inadequate to express the rage and 
 anger of the victim of their long-planned, successfully ex 
 ecuted practical joke. She vowed vengeance on Tommy; 
 she vowed vengeance on boys in general; she vowed 
 vengeance on men and boys, and had she herself not 
 been a plotter and schemer of the deepest dye, she would 
 indeed have been an object of pity. 
 
 The next day a letter that she received from Colonel 
 Wilkins proved to her that the joke had extended even 
 further. The letter read as follows : 
 
 Miss GREEN : 
 
 I very much regret the necessity of writing to you iu this 
 manner, but under embarrassment I always find a thoroughly 
 honest and open course the most satisfactory. I heartily re 
 gretted being called from your side in a way which must have 
 seemed rude to you, but it could never have meant anything 
 to me but just the farce that it was intended to be. I had a 
 wife once, one whose place- 1 could not supplant in my life and 
 home, much less in my heart and affections. I hope that this 
 misunderstanding will not lessen the esteem in which I hope 
 we will always hold each other. 
 
 Very respectfully yours, EDWARD 
 
 After her anger had somewhat subsided, and she had 
 thrown the letter into the fire, along with some other 
 sheets of paper which had "Colonel Wilkins" written in 
 the place of honor, she sat down in a thoroughly dejected 
 way. What had been in the letter that he had received 
 to call for such a reply ? One thing was plain to her : 
 that there was no longer any hope of gaining favor in his 
 eyes, and that, in spite of his politely worded letter, he 
 could hardly regard her with ordinary respect.
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 TOMMY TKLLS WHAT UK KNOWS. 
 
 AvS time went on and nothing was heard from Mary 
 Grey, the Cloverdale people had to drop her from 
 their minds, lest they might, perchance, neglect some 
 other topic of interest. Those with whom such things 
 were intrusted, had all that they could possibly do to keep 
 the minds of the people educated up to the point of 
 properly receiving the different little strangers as they 
 finally made their appearance among them; or lest two 
 young people might spend their time in each other s 
 society before their intentions were pronounced serious 
 (which would make such conduct justifiable), or they 
 might even make the fatal final step before it had been 
 fully decided that it would be a proper match; or some 
 man and wife might conclude to sever their family rela 
 tion without them being able to determine exactly which 
 one was to blame. And having so much on hand, as the 
 summer wore on, no wonder that they had no time to de 
 vote to something which had taken place in the early 
 spring. 
 
 Mrs. Jones was as busy as she could be concocting 
 various little schemes by which her not too youthful pro 
 tege and Colonel \Vilkins might be brought together; but 
 when that lady s interest (for reasons best known to her 
 self) began to lose its keenness, and she finally manifested 
 an open aversion to even a hint upon the subject, the 
 woman could no longer waste time, but took up with 
 something of a livelier interest, at the same time regard 
 ing Miss Green with vindicative glances, which said,
 
 318 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 "There is something that you have not told; you have 
 not treated me right." 
 
 Mrs. Dixon was no less busily occupied in her own 
 way. She did wonders toward helping the general cause 
 along with her witticisms and pithy remarks, sayings of 
 which Miss Green was becoming more and more the butt. 
 
 After her decided failure to favorably impress the one 
 gentleman upon whom she had set her heart, she plunged 
 headlong and unadvisedly into various little stratagems 
 which were, by common consent, pronounced as unbecom 
 ing. But a feeling of desperation had seized her. She 
 felt that she must do something to vindicate herself; but 
 the more she struggled to extricate herself, the deeper 
 she sank into the quagmire upon which her own folly 
 had placed her feet; and the look of satisfaction on the 
 face of Tommy, added to the side glances and home 
 thrusts of the women, made life to her seem as anything 
 but a pleasant dream. 
 
 But there were three persons who were not too busy to 
 think of the missing one, nor had they left any means 
 known to them untried to ascertain her whereabouts. 
 
 Fred. Alton, after making man} guarded inquiries, went 
 abroad in the interest of his firm. His friends pitied him. 
 He must be heart-broken at the death of his wife. He 
 was such a model husband, so devoted and kind. They 
 could not see why some people die when they have all 
 that heart can wish, while others must stay on who seem 
 to have so little to live for; but such is life, they thought. 
 
 He went abroad in the interests of his firm, but he did 
 very little business. He went because there was nothing 
 to cause him to do otherwise. His wife was dead and the 
 only other one who had any interest for him, he had 
 driven from him, whither he knew not. 
 
 Sometimes his remorse would take one form, sometimes
 
 TOMMY TELLS WHAT II K KNOWS. 319 
 
 another. At times he would reproach himself for infidel 
 ity to his wife. lie would feel that he had not been 
 worth}- of her, and his conscience smote him. He had 
 never changed in his treatment of her, but he knew his 
 own weakness ; and the fact that she had never doubted 
 him only added to the regret, and he would wish for the 
 power to call her back that he m ight yet redeem his faith 
 in himself by being all that she thought him to be. Then 
 again would come the plea for himself. It was not his 
 fault that he had grown tired of her, for, after all, human 
 beings had very little control over their feelings. 
 
 Might not the same fate that rules our affections and 
 causes them sometimes not only to center upon an un 
 worthy object, but entirely against our better judgment, 
 also manifest its powers by drawing them from a worthy 
 one? And then again, was not the fact that he wearied 
 of her proof in itself that she fell short in her powers 
 over him. He had made a mistake when he thought 
 that he recognized in her his ideal. Surely dependence 
 and beauty had no charms when compared with spirit and 
 self-reliance, even though associated with pronounced 
 views. 
 
 At those times he could see in himself only an object 
 of commiseration. It was a cruel destiny that would 
 hold out a coveted object until it was within a man s grasp 
 and then allow some evil power to again place it out of 
 reach. He felt that if no meddlesome tongue had come 
 between him and Mary Grey all would have gone well, 
 and life with her would in some degree have compensated 
 for the insipid past. 
 
 But now in spite of the spirit of conceit, which is the 
 controlling power in most men s lives, especially in affairs 
 of the heart, he reali/.ed how futile it would be to hope, 
 much less to attempt, to win her even if lie should sue-
 
 320 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 ceed in finding her. That would only increase her aver 
 sion, and if she did not flee from him again, there would 
 still be an impassable gulf between them. 
 
 Then again hope would spring up and gain the ascend 
 ency, when his evil genius would whisper to him, "All 
 women are alike! All will yet be well. Men were given 
 such fallible natures to harmonize with their surroundings, 
 and realizing that they are not accountable for the natures 
 with which they were born, women are charitable. Our 
 worth to them does not depend upon the practice of the 
 virtues, but rather upon their natures to appreciate and 
 admire what Providence has placed above them. A 
 woman, after all, need only to be sought out, and if you 
 succeed in playing upon her vanity by a due appreciation, 
 in the face of your own charms of manner and personal 
 attractions, she will not bother her pretty head about 
 3 our being a moral giant, and the fact that they some 
 times hold themselves aloof, is only a farce to lure men 
 to greater persistence. Oh, yes, women are all alike, and 
 the fact that they seem different does not enter into the 
 question. You need only to find Mrs. Grey, and in course 
 of time (and not such a very long time, either) she will 
 think herself fortunate to secure you, and will look up to 
 you with the same blind confidence and trust that made 
 your first wife happy." And the fact that his first wife 
 was content was another proof that the Creator had not 
 made their happiness dependent upon men, but rather 
 upon the just obstinacy of woman s faith in them. 
 
 At such times he would be impatient for the time to 
 come when he might seek her out, and go to her in a way 
 in which she could not fail to listen to his suit. He had 
 been a little indiscreet in practising deception upon her, 
 and rash in speaking to her as he did so soon after his 
 wife s death; but after a reasonable lapse of time she
 
 TOMMY TKLLS WHAT IIR KNOWS. 321 
 
 would forget that it had ever occurred and all would be 
 well. 
 
 The other man, who had determined, in his own quiet 
 way to discover if possible the whereabouts of the min 
 ister s widow, was thoroughly unselfish in his motives. 
 He felt that she could never be anything to him, and that 
 if she ever did marry again it would be to some younger, 
 more talented man. The fact that she had gone to the 
 city without thinking it worth while to write him a 
 friendly letter explaining her conduct, and was now gone 
 so far away without so much as a word, was proof, to his 
 somewhat wounded feelings, that she did not even need 
 his friendship. "But," he thought, " It is hard for one 
 who views the whole world through the stainless window 
 of her own pure soul to reali/.e that there might be 
 dangers before her, and difficulties for which her own 
 strength would prove inadequate. If I can find out 
 where she is, I can manage that she should never come 
 to privation and want, even though I should never see 
 her again. Or, if she should ever come back among us, 
 she might let me be as a father or older brother to her." 
 vSo, thinking only of her good, and with his noblest im 
 pulses aroused, he had no thought of concealment, but 
 went frankly to Mrs. Ferris and talked the matter over 
 with her. 
 
 "You who know me so well can not misunderstand my 
 motive. It is not that I might secure a wife, for even it 
 I could bring myself to think of a second marriage, I 
 could not hope to win her. But she is a woman of whom 
 I would not willingly lose sight. Her society is so ennob 
 ling. And then again, she is so utterly alone in the world, 
 that unless she has some trusty friend, life at best will be 
 but a struggle to her. I can not bear to think of her 
 having gone out of our lives until I am convinced that
 
 322 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 she has gone into a life in which her happiness is as 
 sured." 
 
 "I have no doubt," said Mrs. Ferris, "that your motive 
 is a perfectly laudable one, and would be even if your 
 object was not so unselfish. Believe me, I am no less de 
 termined to seek her out than you are, and if there is any 
 truth in the old saying where there s a will, there s a 
 way, we will certainly succeed." 
 
 The woman had a vague, undefined suspicion that her 
 brother had in some way influenced Mrs. Grey s actions 
 ever since his last visit when he had come to bid them 
 good-bye. She had been wondering about his conduct. 
 He had said very little about the loss of his wife, but 
 seemed more distressed at the sudden disappearance of 
 her nurse. This he had been only partially able to con 
 ceal, and Mrs. Ferris, woman-like, had always felt in a 
 measure responsible for her younger brother s misdeeds 
 (even from childhood) and now determined to right, if 
 possible, any wrong that he might have been guilty of. 
 
 Time went on. Summer had gone and autumn had 
 come. Autumn had given place to winter; and the 
 holidays were fast approaching, and still no clue had been 
 found to the whereabouts of Mrs. Grey. Then a sudden 
 thought came to Mrs. Ferris. Why had she not thought 
 of it before? She would go to the bank and ascertain if 
 the deposits of Mary Grey had been drawn, and, if so, 
 where had it been sent? This might throw a light upon 
 the subject. After the thought had occurred to her, she 
 \vas not long in carrying it out. 
 
 "Yes," the banker told her, " Mary Grey s money had 
 been drawn." On examining his books he found that it 
 had been drawn upon at different times, and that the last 
 cheque had been sent in six weeks before, and that the 
 cheques had been sent by mail, and that the money had
 
 TOMMY TELLS WHAT HE KNOWS. 323 
 
 been sent to her address in New York in registered letters. 
 The address- sent, he assured her, must have been of some 
 obscure part of the city among the great struggling mass 
 of humanity. " She may be engaged in works of charity 
 there," he said. 
 
 This was somewhat reassuring, but the lady had her 
 doubts. " She is more apt to be struggling for her own 
 bread," she thought. 
 
 Something occurred on her return to her home which 
 did much to add to her determination. She had a call 
 from Tom my Green, who began : 
 
 " Say, Mrs. Ferris, can people be tried and put to jail 
 for lying? " 
 
 "I can not say," was her answer; "I suppose that 
 would depend on what the lie was. But I assure you 
 they ought to be." 
 
 " Yes, I know it would serve people right, but can they 
 do it when it s a lie about people s character, that makes 
 them want to go away where nobody knows them ? " 
 
 " Xo, I am sorry to say that people are seldom pun 
 ished for anything of that kind." 
 
 " I am glad," said Tommy, " because T want to tell you 
 something that Sis has been doing, but I don t want her 
 to go to jail for.it. I would not tell it on her at all if she 
 was to be punished, because sometimes I think it s peo 
 ple s fault that she is cross and ugly, because they are not 
 very nice to her." 
 
 Mrs. Ferris would have told the boy that she would 
 rather not. hear anything that had better IK- concealed, 
 but, thinking that it might have some bearing upon her 
 friend, she allowed him to go on something lie was not 
 slow in doing. 
 
 " I heard Sis say," he went on, " that she had trumped 
 up a story to get rid of Mrs. Grey, and that she had gone
 
 324 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 to the city in the spring to get a chance to tell her ; that 
 she met her on the street and went with her to her room, 
 and then told her that everybody in Cloverdale was talk 
 ing about her and saying that Mr. Alton was supporting 
 her without his wife s knowledge or consent, and that 
 people here had hired another music teacher after they 
 had found her out. Sis said that Mrs. Grey did not say 
 anything, but just looked scared like, but she guessed 
 that Cloverdale would never have the pleasure of her 
 society again. I just \vanted to tell you, so you would 
 know that she was all straight and right, even if she did 
 not come back here." 
 
 Mrs. Ferris had to make a solemn promise that no 
 action should be taken against his sister, and also that 
 she would not betray him. In spite of his having said 
 that it was a trumped up story, she had her own views 
 upon the matter and acted accordingly. 
 
 " I will see if I can not succeed in bringing her back 
 without the assistance of any man," she thought. " Xot 
 but what Colonel Wilkins is a perfectly honorable man, 
 but I will show him that Mrs. Grey can get along with 
 out even him. I know him better than he does himself, 
 and if she does come back, or if he finds her, it will only 
 be a question of time before he wants to marry her; not 
 but what that would be the best think that could happen, 
 but he shall never have that to add to the good opinion 
 of himself: that she needs him as a protector. If he gets 
 her, it shall be by owning that he is very much in need 
 of her." 
 
 The chances were that she had changed since she sent 
 the last cheque, but she would send her a letter there. It 
 could but fail. So before she retired for the night the 
 letter was written. She asked her why she had hidden 
 herself away, and told her that both Colonel Wilkins and
 
 TOMMY TELLS WHAT HE KNOWS. 325 
 
 herself had been untiring in their efforts to discover her 
 place of concealment, and that she had only that day 
 learned her address through the banker; that the Wilkins 
 boys nor any of the others had taken a lesson since she 
 left. " The time has been unusually long to us. We 
 missed my brother and his wife so much. He has gone 
 abroad since her death, and from his letters it is a ques 
 tion if he will ever return. What are you doing? Come 
 and make us a visit, if possible, if only for a few weeks ; 
 or, better still, come home to stay. We need you, and 
 vou know charitv begins at home.
 
 CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 THE TRIP. 
 
 MARY GREY had said, " I would rather go with you 
 in the capacity of a waiting-maid than to try to do 
 something else in a strange city," and the smile on the 
 face of Mrs. Enod, who had succeeded for the time in 
 laying aside her air of patronage, had deluded her into 
 the belief that she had decided upon the better way. 
 Brought up, as she was, to believe that a due respect from 
 all whom we come in contact is every honorable person s 
 birthright, she was wholly unprepared for the cold sur 
 veillance and looks of open doubt with which she was 
 constantly regarded. 
 
 She was soon made aware that appearance counted for 
 nought ; that she was not to be taken on trust, even in 
 the slightest degree, but would be required to prove 
 herself every hour and every moment. She had said, 
 " I am willing to learn," but this proved no easy task. 
 It required a continual change to satisfy the fastidious 
 lady. What would please her one day would prove very 
 irritating on the next, and she would be one of the most 
 unreasonable of beings. Thus her duties proved a con 
 stant lesson. 
 
 Mrs. Enod was a widow. She had two children 
 Georgie, aged eight, and Helen, aged ten. In New 
 York the}" had been joined by the lady s brother-in-law, 
 and this made up the party. 
 
 The older brother of her dead husband was a practicing 
 physician of some ability, and since he had no other wife, 
 as he expressed it, he was so thoroughly wedded to his 
 profession as to forget himself entirely in his labors of 
 
 (326)
 
 TIII-; TRIP. -27 
 
 love. This began to tell upon his rugged constitution in 
 such a way as to require a complete rest, and he had pre 
 scribed for himself a change of air and scenes as well. 
 And since he had not seen his brother s children since 
 the death of their father, which had occurred four years 
 before, he had written to their mother to bring them and 
 go with him on his flying trip, and help him to enjoy his 
 vacation. 
 
 He had never had more than a tolerance for his broth 
 er s wife, but had determined to make the best of it for 
 the children s sake. She was devoid of the principles 
 which, in his eyes, were necessary to make up a worthy 
 type of womanhood that of a spirit of humanity toward 
 all of God s creatures. 
 
 " We have no right to criticise the Creator s work In- 
 treating with scorn anything that He has made," he would 
 say, and this he preached more by his actions than by 
 words, for he carried the practice of his words into his 
 daily life. 
 
 Xo wonder that a nature like his was repulsed by the 
 bearing of such a woman. His brother, a lawyer of 
 promise, had wooed and won her from among the trades 
 people; and although her father, at the time of her mar 
 riage, was at the head of an enterprising firm, there was 
 a time when his business had not been so profitable, and 
 the strictest economy had been necessary; and it was 
 only by the self-denial of her parents that the things 
 which they thought her rights were sometimes procured. 
 
 "And it is to cringing, driving close bargains and mis 
 representations that much of the merchant s success is 
 due," thought the young man. 
 
 It is strange that the forces which are brought to bear 
 upon human lives should influence so contrariwise. The 
 very influences and surroundings which should imbue
 
 328 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 them with a moderate degree of meekness and depend 
 ence, makes them narrow and ostentatious, and robs them 
 of the only true distinction of the better class a noble 
 ness of mind that has no space for that which is small. 
 No wonder that some resort to means by which to impress 
 their superiority that would put a well-bred serving maid 
 to shame. 
 
 "The fact that her father together with my brother 
 have left Anna a competency, does give her the power, 
 and a perfect right to conduct herself as she pleases, but 
 it does not give her the right to treat any one more de 
 pendent than she with arrogance and unkindness." He 
 felt that many of them were such as nature had placed 
 above her, inasmuch as they were above the bickering 
 that was the means of earning much of the money that 
 she was in possession of. 
 
 When the philosophic doctor first saw Mary Grey, he 
 made the very natural mistake (owing to the look of good 
 breeding and intelligence in her face) of thinking that 
 she was a friend of his sister-in-law s, and took her to 
 task at the very first opportunity. "Anna, I did not 
 know that you were intending to bring a friend along. 
 It is all right, the more the merrier, but why in common 
 politeness do you not introduce me, or do you think that 
 an old fellow like me is not worth bothering a lady with?" 
 
 "A friend! A lady! I do not understand. I certainly 
 have no such person with me!" 
 
 " Who is that who helped to lead the children on deck? 
 She is certainly one of your party." 
 
 "That person goes along, but assuredly not as one of 
 the part} . She is my waiting maid. I am astonished at 
 your blindness, but I believe you are noted for that qual 
 ity." 
 
 " She certainly has a face that is all that intelligence
 
 THE TRIP. 
 
 329 
 
 and refinement could make it, and a form that would 
 throw a sculptor into raptures; and I take the fact that 
 I noticed all this at one glance si proof of my clear 
 sightedness." 
 
 "Intelligence] refinement!" sniffed the woman in 
 derision. "I think the man who can not distinguish be 
 tween a lady s maid and a lady had better go to an oculist 
 for treatment. I would think that you could tell by her 
 dress if in no other way." 
 
 " Xo necessity whatever for an occulist. My eyes were 
 never better in my life, but I can see no fault in her 
 dress. She is neat and her garments set off her form ad 
 mirably." 
 
 " Well, I will introduce yon, and she will more than 
 likely introduce you to the rest of the servants who may 
 have taken passage with their mistresses." 
 
 You can do as you please about it, but if you do not, 
 I shall certainly make myself acquainted." 
 
 But this was easier said than done, for the little wait 
 ing-maid kept herself aloof, never going to her mistress 
 unless she was sent for, and this was never unless the 
 man was at a safe distance. For Mrs. Knod, in spite of 
 her own nature, could not fail to see the noble qualities 
 of her brother-in-law, and had fallen madly in love with 
 him through his letters and her recollection of him ; and, 
 as is the case with an ignoble spirit, she recognized in 
 every pretty face a possible rival. .She had hesitated in 
 employing Mrs. Grey, and even now she would have 
 given anything to be rid of her. " Let her be what she- 
 will or may," she thought, " I will make her leel her sub 
 ordinate position in such a way as to crush out all her 
 false pride and self-respect. To make a good servant of 
 her, that is necessary." 
 
 So with this determination she sought her. She found 
 
 2 I
 
 330 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 her in the cabin with the children, who seemed to be 
 drawn to her instinctively. She was amusing them by 
 showing them a picture book and reading the rhymes 
 and jingles at the bottom, and looked like anything but 
 a person who would care to intrude herself upon another 
 or try to usurp their rights. But the woman, determined 
 upon preventing any danger, began : 
 
 " Mrs. Grey, your name is Mary, I believe. Well, 
 Mary, I will have to ask you never on any pretense to 
 come to me unless I first send for you. Your duties will 
 be mostly with the children ; not that I object to your 
 society so much, but my brother-in-law is very exacting 
 about the fitness of things. If you understand me, I need 
 make no further explanation." 
 
 " I understand you," was all the answer that she re 
 ceived. 
 
 " Well, then, take good care of the children, and come 
 to me only when I need you. There, that s a good girl," 
 and she gave her a haughty smile of approval. 
 
 The tone and manner of the woman brought the hot 
 blood to the cheeks of Mary Grey. Not that it necessi 
 tated a change of manner ; she had sought the position 
 of a menial, and expected to abide by its consequences, 
 but why need she be addressed in such language ? She 
 had not heard her first name since the death of her hus 
 band, and it jarred painfully upon her ears. " If I am 
 employed to wait upon her, does that deprive me of the 
 right to be treated like a responsible being ? I may, after 
 all, have made a mistake in myself in thinking that I 
 could live in such an atmosphere ; but what else could I 
 have done? There was no alternative. Robert would 
 have me be brave, and even in this lowly position I can 
 prove myself worthy of his faith in me." 
 
 And so, resolving to bear her trials with Christian forti-
 
 THE TRIP. 
 
 331 
 
 tude, she tried her utmost to win the good will of her 
 mistress. But Mrs. Enod seemed equally determined not 
 to be pleased, thinking it would never do for him to see 
 much of her with that look of peaceful resignation on 
 her face. So she found fault with her, or made her vari 
 ous condescending little speeches, which were harder to 
 bear than reproach. 
 
 Dr. Knod did not again see the woman to whom he 
 had threatened to introduce himself that day, nor had 
 any more mention been made of her until toward the 
 close of the second day. Whenever he had wanted the 
 children they had been brought to him by their mother ; 
 but toward evening they had come to the parlor of their 
 own accord, where the two were playing chess. 
 
 " We are so lonesome, Uncle Doc.," said little Georgie, 
 nestling close to his knee. 
 
 " Then you shall stay with us," said the uncle, taking 
 one in each arm. " But where is the lady ? Go and tell 
 her to come, too." 
 
 " Mary is not very well," said their mother, quickly, 
 before the children had time to reply. " But she should 
 not have allowed you to come here. She should have 
 kept you with her," she went on, turning to the children. 
 
 " Mamma," said Helen, " Mrs. Grey is so sick, and we 
 could not keep still, so Georgie and me crept away." 
 
 " What ! a sick lady taking care of two noisy children, 
 while we are idling away our time with this childish 
 game ! " 
 
 " It is nothing serious," said the woman, coloring ; 
 " Mary is only a little seasick, and I wish you would not 
 persist in calling her lady." 
 
 "Well, you are at liberty to call her what yon please; 
 but I will certainly go and see if something can not be 
 done for her," said the doctor, true to his profession.
 
 332 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 " Wait," said the woman, rising with nervous haste ; " I 
 will go first and see if she cares to see you. She is such 
 a peculiar girl, and avoids, if possible, the very sight of 
 a man. Must have been jilted some time in her life ; 
 fell in love with some one above her station, no doubt, 
 and in" that case she was served right. A woman in her 
 position should know her place/ 
 
 So saying, she left the parlor, but soon returned, say 
 ing : " Mary does not care to see a doctor. She says that 
 all she needs is rest and quiet ; but if you will prescribe 
 something that will help her, I will take it to her." 
 
 " I have a great mind to go to her anyway. Sick people 
 are not expected to know what they need." But instead 
 of carrying out his threat, he went to his medicine case 
 and prepared something which he said would affect a tem 
 porary relief at least. 
 
 The next morning, however, when the children found 
 their way to his room, he asked them to lead the way to 
 the sick lady s chamber. He found her better ; so much 
 so that she was in no need of a professional visit, but he 
 knew that cheerful conversation possessed in itself won 
 derful curative powers after drugs have done, or failed to 
 do their part. So he placed a chair by her side and took 
 her hand, in a professional way, into his own. He asked 
 her name and age in that way so well known to doctors, 
 which brooks no hesitation or denial. She answered his 
 questions dutifully but no more, thinking that "if his 
 spirit is so haughty as not to wish to come in contact 
 with me, he certainly will -wish me to say no more than 
 is necessary." 
 
 "You need no more medicine," he said. "Such a con 
 stitution proves its own best cure." 
 
 "I have taken very little medicine in my life-time," was 
 her reply. " I have always had that greatest of blessings, 
 good health."
 
 THK TRIP. 333 
 
 "But you do need cheerful companionship. Why do 
 you shut yourself up in this manner? As your physician 
 I forbid it from this hour." 
 
 Before either had time to say more, Mrs. Enod came 
 hurrying into the room. "Oh, you are here," she said 
 addressing the doctor. " I have been looking for you. I 
 want you to come on deck with me before the sun is too 
 warm. Mary is so much better, that she docs not need 
 you. It is a pity" she said, addressing him, "that we can 
 not have the health that some of these domestics have." 
 
 The man said nothing but followed her out, but from 
 that time until the end of the voyage, he managed to see 
 his patient, as he called her, every day. The woman re 
 monstrated with him, saying that he would spoil her, at 
 best, with his attentions. " These servants are so pre 
 sumptuous that one can not treat them as they would 
 like," she said one time in her hearing. 
 
 The limit of her endurance was not reached until the 
 last evening on board the steamer, when her brother-in- 
 law declared that Mrs. Grey had earned one evening on 
 deck. "And," continued he, "since you have not the 
 constitution of a domestic, you had better not come." 
 Mrs. Knod knew her brother-in-law too well to offer any 
 remonstrance; but this did not keep her from framing 
 her resolutions. She would see that this should end, and 
 that at once.
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 
 THE TALK OX DECK. 
 
 MEANWHILE the doctor had gone in quest of Mary 
 Gre} . He found her with the children. These he 
 disposed of by sending them to their mother. He then 
 told her in an authorative tone that he had come to take 
 her on deck to enjoy the moonlight. Her mind had been 
 disabused before this as to the character of the man, but 
 she still obeyed him as the brother of her mistress. And 
 walking, with her hand laid lightly on his arm, where he 
 himself had placed it, she told him her story fh answer 
 to his questions. She did it with the same obedience that 
 had marked her manner toward him. And here, while 
 the ship was steaming majestically over the quiet waters, 
 which the full, round moon had turned into a lake of 
 molten gold, she told him her life from her childhood to 
 the present moment, omitting nothing but the cause of 
 her sudden determination to come with his sister-in-law. 
 
 " Out of her sphere, as I supposed," was his mental 
 verdict. Then he said aloud : " May you not have made 
 a mistake in coming w 7 ith my sister in such a position? " 
 
 " It would indeed have been a mistake if I had had any 
 choice in the matter ; but since we can only be partakers 
 and not choosers in this great world, I can but make the 
 best of life as it opens up before me, and try to be con 
 tent." 
 
 "Try to be content! But are you? What if we do 
 try? it makes the misery none the less if we fail. Trying 
 to be satisfied is to the mind much as the faith cure is to 
 the body. We may have all the faith imaginable, if we 
 do not renovate our systems, either by a change of air 
 
 (334)
 
 TIIK TALK OX DKCK. 335 
 
 and scenes or a suitable remedy, if the others are not 
 within our reach, faith itself will do little. So it is with 
 our mental structures: we may try to overcome their 
 troubles, but if we have no happy thoughts and pleasant 
 occupation to take the place of the depressing forces, our 
 lives will be lived out in simply trying." 
 
 " That would be true were we solely dependent upon 
 our own strength ; but we have the promise of Him who 
 said, I will be eyes to the blind and strength to the 
 weak. " 
 
 He gave her face a searching look. He had heard such 
 things preached from the pulpit ever since he could re 
 member, and had been brought up to take part in the 
 religious services which propounded such a doctrine, but 
 he had seen very few who seemed to derive any real 
 comfort from the faith which they professed. lie did not 
 ask her why she did not return to her friends. Even if 
 he had been tormented with undue curiosity, he would 
 not have felt at liberty to catechise her. Hut instead he 
 thought, " She has some cause of her own, and because 
 she does not care to share it with me does not make it a 
 questionable one." 
 
 " Is your faith such great help to you?" he said, still 
 regarding her earnestly. 
 
 " How could it be otherwise," she said, returning his 
 look in all sincerity, " when we need only to lay hold ot 
 God s promises to reali/e their fulfillment; " 
 
 " And from whence do you derive your laith ? Tell me 
 about it, will you not? " 
 
 " My faith in the divine power conies from God, its 
 only true source. He just puts it into our hearts to be 
 lieve, through the striving of his Spirit, and it is through 
 Him that we are strengthened and our trust becomes a 
 faith. I could not help but be a believer. Kven by nature
 
 336 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 and training, born of trusting parents, I was brought up 
 in an atmosphere of simple faith faith in God an d in 
 humanity." 
 
 " Has nothing ever occurred to weaken your faith in 
 man? " was the Doctor s next question. 
 
 " It has seemed that some are not what would be best 
 for them ; but my faith in human nature is not impaired 
 in the least, I hope." 
 
 " Have you never been the loser by too implicit faith 
 or misplaced confidence ? " 
 
 "It is not necessary to manifest our faith in the human 
 family by undue confidence ; and the little that we may 
 possibly lose through our faith in others is doubly repaid 
 by the peace of mind that we are afforded in believing 
 that all are what they seem to all outward appearances 
 to be." 
 
 This latter view coincided in a measure with his own. 
 While he admitted that he knew little about the faith 
 from above, he had always been inclined to take people 
 at their word. " And," he thought, " I would rather lose 
 the few dollars over again than to look with mistrust 
 upon any honest man, woman, or child." 
 
 " Yes," he said, " such a nature brings to us much 
 more than we lose by it. Mrs. Grey, if you can hope for 
 nothing only to support yourself, and you take pleasure 
 in labors of mercy, why not enter one of our hospitals, 
 where you can meet on an equal footing ladies of greater 
 culture and refinement ( and consequently more con 
 genial to your tastes) than those who may.be blessed or 
 cursed with enough of this world s goods to make up, 
 according to their opinion, for all their failings and short 
 comings, but which falls just short enough to make it 
 necessary that they should bend every energy to impress 
 their superiority upon others ? It would not take you
 
 THK TALK ON DKCK. 337 
 
 long to learn the art of nursing ; and aside from the hos 
 pital work, those trained for such duties can command a 
 price for such services which would surprise one not 
 familiar with the subject." 
 
 " I never had any training only in music, and to 
 succeed in that in a strange city would require a greater 
 reputation than I can hope to gain for myself. My hus 
 band s death was so sudden and such a blow that I have 
 scarcely been able to judge for myself since. But I 
 would be so glad to do something that would not inter 
 fere with my self-respect something that would not 
 keep my menial position continually before my eyes ; for 
 if there is any fault to be found with my country train 
 ing, it is that it implants into our natures a pride (to 
 which the right is denied us by the wealthy) that causes 
 us to look out upon all the world and say, I acknowledge 
 obeisance to none. I have prayed that I might become 
 more humble. I find myself submissive before God, but 
 never before man." 
 
 " Well, according to my best reasoning, those in whom 
 that spirit is implanted must have a perfect right to it, 
 and I would not pray to overcome it. I think the very 
 fact that the Bible tells us that there are some born to 
 serve is proof that there are those who have no higher 
 ambition and who have no pride to be wounded." 
 
 "Your reasoning may be correct, and we may have a 
 perfect right to the feeling that we are subordinate to 
 none, but the right can bring us no comfort, but misery 
 and dissatisfaction instead. What would you do with the 
 many who are proud and still must bend: It would be 
 far better if we could humble our spirits, than to have 
 them daily crushed anew under the heel of a world thai 
 would deprive us of even a thought for ourselves if they 
 could, and make us think and act only for their com tort 
 and happiness."
 
 338 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 "Well, this is an unfeeling world, when one stops to 
 think about it, I will own. Half of it would have to be 
 turned into an intelligence office if higher employment 
 were to be found for all those who would be fitted for 
 such positions. The only solution to the problem would 
 be to treat a woman more like a man; that is, to value 
 her according to her own worth and not by the labors that 
 she may be obliged to engage in, for she is, after all, only 
 doing her Master s bidding when she lives by the sweat 
 of her brow, and should be respected accordingly. But 
 the decrees of the world will continue to frown upon 
 woman s efforts." 
 
 "Yes," said Mary Grey, "in spite of the talk about 
 woman s progress, there is very little to elate us, for we 
 are still forced into the struggle for bread, both hand 
 cuffed and shackled. While the higher and more remun 
 erative avenues of support are opened up to us, it reminds 
 me of a boat, occupied by a woman, trying to cross a 
 river, while it is making slowly and steadily for the other 
 shore in spite of. the crafts whose oars are being plied by 
 stronger and masculine hands trying to impede their 
 passage and landing. The water is just as surely closing 
 in in the wake of the vessel." 
 
 " And you think that since the progress is brought 
 about by their own efforts, their right of advance should 
 not be disputed?" 
 
 "Yes, and since the water not only closes in in the rear 
 of the vessel, but forces all self-respecting women on." 
 
 "Well, that is an odd illustration, but an original one 
 I will warrant, and to the point. There is too much 
 truth in the matter to treat it lightly. The women are 
 pushed into the stream by the physical demands of this 
 life, food, clothing, and a roof over their heads, which 
 their natural protectors fail to supply, and then they add
 
 THE TALK ON DKCK. 339 
 
 injury to neglect by denying them the right to sail, even 
 though it is by their unjust verdict that they are crowded 
 on ; for any calling attention to the more humble employ 
 ments of life, is regarded by evil-minded men as a license 
 to enter or approach. You who have never been thrown 
 upon the mercies of a large city, can not realize the ex 
 tent of the injustice, and I advise you never to lay your 
 self liable to the indignities to which you would be 
 subjected, nor to try to better the condition of others who 
 may be as unfortunate as yourselves, unless you have 
 plenty of money to carry on your intentions, because it 
 would be like attempting to move a mountain. Your life 
 and good intentions would be sacrificed, even though in 
 vain, and the mountain would be unmoved." 
 
 " But since I have no one to depend upon but myself, 
 I must do as best I can. I thought that I would rather 
 be under the shelter and protection of a family, although 
 in the capacity of a waiting-maid, than to be dependent 
 upon the public for a living." 
 
 "Well, I would appreciate a shelter lightly if I must 
 necessarily be crushed under its roof. I have had ample 
 opportunity to know just what such protection means. 
 In performing the duties of my profession, 1 have become 
 acquainted with the inner workings of many homes, and 
 I am fully convinced that if half of the time devoted by 
 the temperance ladies to crush out the saloon, and to re 
 form drunken men, was employed in trying to brighten 
 the path of those who are spending their lives in admin 
 istering to their comforts, and by speaking a cheering 
 word of encouragement to them, there would be fewer 
 feminine associates for the intemperate man. And it 
 one-fourth the time taken in the organi/ation of societies 
 for the prevention of cruelty to animals, and the money 
 for the erection of homes for destitute women, was spent
 
 340 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 in trying to keep such girls as come to them in innocence, 
 from associating with those who will drag them down, 
 there would be much less need for such homes. And the 
 sins and misery that could be avoided could hardly be 
 estimated. God speed the cause of temperance. I ac 
 knowledge that women are doing a noble work in that 
 line and in assisting the unfortunate women ; but it does 
 seem that they are allowed to slip into the stream for the 
 glory of rescuing them." 
 
 " God will right the wrong in His own good time, we 
 are taught," said Mary Grey. " But somehow that affords 
 me little comfort. The wrongs are multiplied and in 
 creased to such an extent that it seems that it would take 
 an unending eternity to right them. I would like to 
 spend my whole life, not in rescuing from sin, but trying 
 to keep unwary feet from entering its dangerous paths." 
 
 "Since you have the disposition, it is a pit}- that the 
 means have been denied you. Such labors would neces 
 sitate not only untiring efforts, but unbounded wealth as 
 well; and since, instead of being in possession of such, 
 you are even obliged to earn your own bread, let me 
 choose your work for you. You know it is natural for 
 every one to be most interested in their t own line of work. 
 Now I am particularly interested in the ailments of the 
 body. Stay with us until we return to New York, and I 
 will secure a position for you in one of the charity hos 
 pitals. They are carried on by the churches and people 
 of wealth. And even though you be allowed a generous 
 remuneration, you will be doing a noble work; for while 
 others would be giving what you have not money you 
 would be sacrificing your time and strength and doing 
 that for which they would be wholly unfitted and would 
 much rather pay you for." 
 
 " I thank you kindly for your solicitude. I will stay
 
 Till-: TALK ON DECK. 341 
 
 with your sister-in-law, of course, and when we return to 
 America," I will no doubt be glad to accept your assist 
 ance." 
 
 "\Yell," said Dr. Knod, we have been so busy talking 
 that we have ," not even stopped to enjoy the moonlight, 
 we are such matter-of-fact people; but you have had the 
 benefit of the bracing air just as much as if you had been 
 conscious of it, and I have had the pleasure of your 
 society, and since our interests lie in the same channel, 
 we may in time become good friends, and be of valuable 
 assistance to each other. And now I will bid you good 
 night," he said, leaving her at her own door.
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 
 THE RETURN. 
 
 THE next morning Mrs. Enod caught Mary Grey 
 before she had time to make her toilet. Haughty 
 scorn was depicted upon every lineament of her cold, 
 aristocratic face, and she began in icy, measured tones, 
 which were intended to carry the iron of conviction into 
 the very soul of her listener : 
 
 " Mary, you must know that since what took place last 
 night you can no longer remain w 7 ith us to cast your 
 harmful influence upon my household." 
 
 Mrs. Grey realized the force of the words, even though 
 she felt their injustice. She was far from her native land 
 and among strangers, and she could not be independent 
 before the woman upon whom she must depend in what 
 ever course she was to take. 
 
 She had thought, " I will go far from friend and foe 
 alike." She had not realized how futile would be this 
 attempt; for wherever the human heart is found will be 
 found its inherent weakness, and through our shortcom 
 ings we are ever in danger of incurring its enmity and 
 ill will. And as long as we remain on earth we can not 
 get away from our worst and most effectual enemy, self. 
 
 Instead of allowing the wrds that would naturally 
 have arisen to pass her lips, she only said quietly : 
 
 " What have I done that should cause you such dis 
 pleasure, Mrs. Enod?" 
 
 " Of course the people in your station observe no laws 
 of propriety among their own class, but the common 
 prudence with which every woman is more or less en 
 dowed should have taught you before this that a servant 
 
 (342)
 
 Tin-: RKTTRX. 
 
 343 
 
 has no right to neglect her duties to receive the attentions 
 of her equals, much less to presume upon the attention 
 of a gentleman, even if you had no conception of the 
 fitness of things." 
 
 " Mrs. Knod," she said, looking the woman full in the 
 face, " I have never received the attention of any only 
 gentlemen. And such being the case, I did not doubt 
 that his kindness was respectful, and when he asked me 
 to walk on deck with him I accepted ; and if I did wrong 
 it was no more than you have done many times yourself. 
 I do not wish to increase your anger, but you have no 
 right to insult me. If you wish to regard yourself as my 
 superior, you should prove yourself to be such. I would 
 not willingly cause a living being pain." 
 
 The woman s face was white with rage. She felt that 
 she stood before a woman whom she was powerless to 
 crush, much as she would like to have her proud spirit 
 beneath her heel. If contempt and withering scorn 
 could have killed, Mary Grey would have fallen beneath 
 her ga/e as she said : 
 
 "Have no fear that you will increase my anger. I 
 would not stoop to being angry with my waiting-maid. 
 But how dare you measure your actions and rights by 
 mine ? No worse than I have done ! " she almost screamed. 
 " The fact that a lady walks with a gentleman on deck does 
 not give her servant the right to his society, and it would 
 be far better for you if you had learned it before. You 
 may have received the attention of gentlemen, tor even 
 they will forget themselves in the presence ol an over- 
 willing, scheming woman. But I suppose in your eyes the 
 clerk, hod-carrier, and butcher s boy would also come 
 under the title. How dare you speak of my insulting you , J 
 I am only telling you what every lady has a right to im 
 press upon her servants their place ! As for my piov-
 
 344 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 ing myself your superior, I do not deign to prove what is 
 beyond dispute." 
 
 The fact that Mrs. Grey was by far the cooler of the 
 two only added to the white heat of the woman, for this 
 only seemed to repeat the remark, " If you are my supe 
 rior, prove it by your manner and not by your assertions." 
 
 " I take your dismissal, Mrs. Enod, and your right to 
 criticise ends here and now. So please excuse me from 
 listening to anything more." So saying, she held the 
 door open for the woman to pass out. 
 
 She wanted to get rid of her before her courage failed, 
 but she had no sooner closed the door than she burst into 
 a passion of tears. What would she do ? She had been 
 wounded and insulted, and now would soon be left alone 
 in a strange country. She had no means with which to 
 remain, and not enough to pay her passage back. 
 
 The woman, determined to rid herself of her "beauty" 
 before it should prove a detriment to her future happi 
 ness, soon returned. She threw a well-filled purse into 
 the weeping woman s lap, saying : " Mary, since you are 
 not an altogether responsible person, I will give you this 
 to pay your way^back. I will send the captain to you. 
 There is a steamer ready to leave the harbor now, and is 
 only waiting for us to reach the landing. You can start 
 back to America in place of going on shore." 
 
 "If I^had any choice in the matter, I would not accept 
 your money ; but as it is, I thank you very much. I may 
 need it sadly." 
 
 In the hurry and confusion as they steamed into port, 
 she had only time to catch a glimpse of Dr. Enod s face, 
 as she was lowered into the boat which the captain had 
 ordered to take her to the return steamer, which was even 
 now blowing its^whistle and ringing the bell, preparatory 
 to starting.
 
 TIIH KKTrKN. 345 
 
 In three weeks from the time that she had left New 
 York she again reached its harbor. vShe was da/ed and 
 bewildered by the surging crowd of humanity, and had 
 it not been for the young woman whose acquaintance she 
 had made during the voyage, she would not have been 
 able to make her way through the heterogeneous mass 
 that frequent the harbor on the arrival of an emigrant 
 vessel. 
 
 Her new acquaintance had told her that her husband 
 was a mechanic, and had been in Xew York for the last 
 two years. He had gone there directly after their mar 
 riage to make a home for her: and that she had helped 
 along by remaining at service in her native town; that 
 they had made the last payment, and that she was on her 
 way to join him in the new world. 
 
 They were met at the landing by the sturdy young 
 husband. 
 
 The meeting between the long separated pair brought 
 tears to the eyes of Mary drey. They were so absorbed 
 in each other as to forget her presence. But when he 
 started to lead his wife proud 1 ,)" to a hack, he looked from 
 her to the stranger in a questioning way, that brought 
 that happy matron to her senses. 
 
 Excusing herself for her lack of courtesy, she intro 
 duced Mrs. Grey to her husband, at the same time telling 
 him that the lady would board with them for a time if IK- 
 did not object. 
 
 But the man was too happy to object to any arrange 
 ment that his wife might make, and so the question was 
 settled; and they were soon at the door of the house that 
 had been prepared by the husband. Everything was 
 exactly as the wife wanted it. She could not have pleased 
 herself better in anything, she declared. Everything was 
 commented upon and praised, and the man went about
 
 346 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 with the air of one who had done his best, and was satis 
 fied with himself. 
 
 And a prince in his royal palace could not be happier 
 or more content with his lot than this youthful pair in 
 their humble cottage on one of the plain though respect 
 able streets. 
 
 Mary Grey remained with them as the months went 
 by. What else could she do ? The two women took in 
 plain sewing, and soon had all that they could do, and in 
 this way she earned sufficient to pay for her board and 
 lodging. But in their locality there were so many calls 
 for charity that she found it necessary to draw upon her 
 bank account. This she did unhesitatingly, thinking, 
 " The Lord loves a cheerful giver. He has promised to 
 take care of His own. I need have no fear." 
 
 She had drawn her last account, which was fast becom 
 ing exhausted. Winter had increased their needs, but 
 they were all three toiling courageously on, when one 
 morning a message arrived that Mrs. Tinly should accom 
 pany the bearer to one of the city hospitals ; that her 
 husband had been slightly injured by a fall from a build 
 ing that he was helping to erect. 
 
 The woman was too frightened to know what she was 
 about or w 7 hat was expected of her, and went about 
 wringing her hands and sobbing, " Oh, I kno\* that John 
 is killed ! I know that he is dead ! I had such a strange 
 dream about him last night. Oh, I know he is dead ! " 
 
 Mary Grey had as much as she could do to get her into 
 her wraps and into the cab, which she hailed at the curb 
 stone. Her tears fell fast with those of the stricken 
 woman as she was vainly trying to comfort her. But 
 when they reached his bedside, and she found that he 
 had sustained only a few bruises and a sprained ankle, 
 her relief was almost as pitiful as her sorrow had been.
 
 TIIK RETURN. 
 
 347 
 
 A doctor who had witnessed the accident had accom 
 panied him in the ambulance. He assured them that 
 although he might not be able to work for a few weeks, 
 he would without doubt be all right by that time. 
 
 Mary Grey had remained outside until she heard that 
 the injury was no worse. She was about to step to the 
 side of the cot, when she heard her name spoken, and 
 turning about she faced Dr. Knod. 
 
 " I am glad to see you," she said, smilingly, giving him 
 her hand. 
 
 "The pleasure is mutual," was his earnest answer. 
 " Had I known that you were here, I should have tried 
 to find you, but without a clue a search in New York is 
 discouraging. Where are you stopping? I will call on 
 you this evening." 
 
 She gave him her street and number, spoke a few 
 words to the injured man, and then returned to her work, 
 leaving Mrs. Tinly with her husband. 
 
 That evening Dr. Knod called. His first question was 
 why she had left his sister-in-law and returned so sud 
 denly to America. He watched her closely, as if he ex 
 pected to learn something by her face that she would not 
 be willing to tell. 
 
 " I failed to please Mrs. Knod, so she paid for inv 
 return passage," was her answer. 
 
 The man guessed in what respect she failed to please, 
 but respected her all the more for not disclosing it. It 
 was just as he had supposed. His sister-in-law had told 
 him a story of a lover whom she had lett in America. 
 " He was a gardener for some wealthy family," she said, 
 and that "the girl had been stricken with remorse for 
 having left him, and had gone back to take a situation in 
 the same family, so as to be able to cheer him witli her 
 societv. You know if a girl of that >tamp has no lover
 
 34^ HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 she is nothing." He had not believed her, but had held 
 his peace. 
 
 " Why did you not say good-bye to me, and give me 
 your address, so I could have found you sooner? I have 
 been back at my practice for several months." 
 
 " I had no time to say good-bye. I had to hurry to 
 catch the return vessel, as it was just about to start." 
 
 " You must have taken a very sudden notion but I 
 suppose Anna took the notion instead of you. But that 
 is neither here nor there, since I have found you. I am 
 going to fulfill my promise by doing the very best in my 
 power for you. I was at some of the hospitals today, 
 and succeeded even beyond my own expectations. I 
 have the promise of a position for you whenever you are 
 ready to accept. You are to be taken on trust, instead 
 of having to serve an apprenticeship, and will receive a 
 fair recompense at once. You are to have your choice 
 between nursing serious cases, convalescents, or doing 
 general work." 
 
 " I am willing to do anything for which I am most 
 needed," she said, a glad look overspreading her face. 
 
 " Then general work will suit you best. It will give 
 you a variation which will be much better for your own 
 health, and will keep your duties from becoming irksome." 
 
 "I am not afraid of becoming tired, but how will I ever 
 repay you," she said, giving him her hand impulsively. 
 "I owe so much to you." 
 
 "You can repay me best by accepting; saying no more 
 about it, and being happy and regarding me as a trusty 
 friend who certainly means you well." 
 
 "I believe you," she said simply, "and I only hope that 
 you show the same kindness toward others that you do 
 to me." 
 
 "I try to, but I am afraid that I sometimes fall short.
 
 THK RETURN. 
 
 349 
 
 The human family is certainly in need of all the kind 
 ness and sympathy that can possibly be bestowed upon 
 them, let the people be whom and what they may. I 
 have found patients whose maladies yielded to kind and 
 cheering words when all other remedies proved alike un 
 availing." 
 
 "You do a great deal of good, I am sure. When I see 
 others try, it makes me ashamed that I have done no 
 more. Your kindness to me has been a rebuke." 
 
 The man could not fail to see the entire confidence 
 that she was ready to place in him, and he was pleased. 
 It awakened his noblest impulses. A worldly-wise woman 
 would have demanded a dozen proofs of my trust-worthi 
 ness. Such trust is the natural outcome of a soul unac 
 quainted with wrong. 
 
 " Her faith shall not be misplaced." He almost felt 
 that a sacred trust had been given into his keeping, which 
 he resolved should not be betrayed by word or sign. 
 
 "I hope that I am worthy of your good opinion and 
 that you will never have occasion to change it." 
 
 Any one looking into his face just then would not have 
 doubted the sincerity of his words, for the light of an 
 honorable soul and the kindest of hearts shone on his 
 manly countenance. 
 
 During his collegiate course and his labors as general 
 practitioner, every kind of influence had been brought 
 to bear upon his character; but instead of yielding to 
 their harmful effects, it only served to strengthen his 
 character against them, and to despise them the more. 
 Neither did his constant association with the. suffering 
 school him to indifference; but instead it increased his 
 sympathies to such an extent as to cause him, through 
 the sensitiveness of his nature and touch, to suffer with 
 his patients; and the smile of bland benevolence upon
 
 350 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 his noble countenance was not one of professional policy, 
 but of a tender heart instead. Never during his prac 
 tice had it entered his heart of hearts to act in any but 
 a disinterested way. His conscience was keenly on the 
 alert to condemn him for any break of trust. 
 
 Although he accepted liberal fees from those who had 
 it to give, he also did much of his best labors for the love 
 of humanity ; and to engage in the practice of medicine 
 as the means of a livelihood alone would have seemed 
 almost an irreparable crime in his eyes. 
 
 His influence often had the effect upon some conscience 
 less, warped character, during his administration in re 
 moving the effect of his last debauch, to make him resolve 
 that henceforth he would be a man and worthy of the 
 image which God had given him. 
 
 "A man who, through his own life, can not prove him 
 self a moral healer, has no right to espouse the noble 
 calling of medicine. A diploma of character should be 
 required of every practicing physician," he thought, "and 
 every violation of its principles should deprive him of 
 his rights to enter the homes of an unsuspecting public 
 under the guise of a benefactor." 
 
 The two who seemed so congenial to each other, talked 
 on until an understanding had been established. As soon 
 as Mr. Tinly could be removed to his home, he was to 
 come for her and escort her to her future field of labor. 
 
 When he arose to go, he offered her his hand with such 
 a hearty expression of regard that it was met with a like 
 response, and she laid her hand simply into his. This 
 served to seal their friendship, and each one felt that 
 something had been added to their lives, with which they 
 would be unwilling to part.
 
 CHAPTER XXXV. 
 
 MRS. GREY VISITS CLOYKRDALK. 
 
 MRS. GRKY had been in the hospital several weeks, 
 when one day a letter was brought to her by Mrs- 
 Tinly. It was from Cloverdale. " Dear Mrs. F erris," she 
 thought ; " it was wrong to treat her as I did. My pupils 
 have not received a lesson since I left. What does that 
 mean?" Then for the first time it occurred to her that 
 Miss Green s story might have been false. But the truth 
 of a part of what she said, which had been proven, had 
 made it all seem plausible. " Is it possible that my 
 friends know nothing about that shameful affair? Surely 
 Mrs. Ferris would not have written me as she did, if she 
 had heard it. She would not deceive me, even to add to 
 my peace of mind." She proceeded at once to answer 
 the letter. 
 
 This message, which was so gladly received by her 
 faithful friend, was brimful of peace and happiness. " Do 
 not think that I am glad to be away from you," it read, 
 " but I am perfectly happy. I am nursing in a hospital, 
 which is carried on by one of the best churches here, and 
 receive an ample salary. But it does not keep. My 
 pockets have holes and my fingers are oiled, so you see 
 there is no hope of holding money : and when I tell you 
 that I have added caps and white aprons to my wardrobe, 
 you will know where some of it is squandered. I have 
 made some acquaintances here who are very kind to me. 
 I assure you that I could ask no more. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Tinly, a young mechanic and his wife, have been very 
 useful friends. Dr. iCnod secured this position for me. I 
 would like for you to know him. He is a man of wealth, 
 
 ( 35 )
 
 352 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 but continues his practice simply because it is his nature 
 to do good and to want to alleviate pain. My duties are 
 light, and I need no rest, but some time in future I may 
 avail myself of your kind invitation, for which I thank 
 you heartily. I have much to tell you, but will wait until 
 I see you. Until then, good-bye." 
 
 From this time until spring the letters between the two 
 friends were regular and frequent. Then came another 
 earnest appeal for a visit from Mrs. Ferris. This the 
 recipient gave to Dr. Enod to read, with the question : 
 
 " As my advisory physician I ask you, Do I need a 
 rest? Do I look like a person in a decline? " 
 
 The man read the letter over slowly, as if to gain time 
 for thought. Then he regarded her so earnestly that she 
 felt inclined to turn away from his scrutiny. At last he 
 said, as though reluctantly : 
 
 " A short vacation would do you no harm. I will see 
 that you are granted one. But what do you suppose 
 your patients will do without their bonny nurse, as that 
 old sailor persists in calling you? But it would serve 
 him right to punish him for his impudent admiring looks 
 and crochety ways." 
 
 "I will be sorry to leave him; the other nurses have 
 so little patience with him. The rest will fare just as 
 well without me." 
 
 " I am not so sure about all the rest," he said. " But 
 will you be so very glad to go ? " 
 
 " Yes, I will be glad, since I have not seen my friends 
 for nearly a year. But I believe that I will also be glad 
 to get back. I have been so well satisfied, and I have 
 not forgotten that I owe it all to you," and she gave him 
 a grateful look. 
 
 " I ask for no other return than that you should be 
 glad to get back. I have been more than repaid by the
 
 MRS. GRKV VISITS CLOVKRDALK. 
 
 \J *J C> 
 
 sight of your happy face and the good that it has done to 
 others." 
 
 Up to this time they had only met in the wards, where 
 she had sometimes assisted him in making some new 
 arrival comfortable, or in smoothing the pillow for the 
 dying. But today he had asked her to accompany him 
 to the hospital parlor. He wanted her to give an account 
 of herself, and tell him if she was perfectly contented 
 with her lot. 
 
 " My time and mind are fully occupied, and that % all 
 that can make me happy now." 
 
 He detected a tone of sadness in her voice when she 
 said the "now," and was strangely stirred. "You shall 
 start on your visit tomorrow, if you wish," lie said. 
 
 " Oh, no; I am in no such haste, but will write to the 
 lady first." 
 
 " Thank you," he said, as if a favor had been conferred 
 upon him. 
 
 True to his word, the Doctor secured a leave of absence 
 for Mrs. Ore}-, to begin on the first of June. And on 
 that day she started for her old home. 
 
 Strange emotions filled her heart. Would the people 
 be glad to see her 3 vSome of them would, she knew. 
 Then she thought of her husband. She could think of 
 him calmly now. The pain at her heart had given place- 
 to a sad, sweet memory, that would ever be as an oasis, 
 well watered, and would retain a sacred place, 110 matter 
 where her thoughts might be drawn. The loneliness 
 that his death had caused her had been partially over 
 come by her busy life, she thought, "and my friends" 
 and then her mind turned to Mr. and Mrs. Tinly and to 
 Dr. Knod. The thoughts about the latter were allowed 
 to take no definite form ; but she found that her return 
 to the hospital occupied a lion s share oi her thoughts,
 
 354 H E WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 especially since it was only a few hours since she left 
 there. 
 
 When she reached Cloverdale Mrs. Ferris was at the 
 depot to meet her. No one else knew of her expected 
 arrival, so there were man} 7 surprised looks directed to 
 ward the lady s carriage. Mrs. Ferris had kept her secret 
 well, even from her husband and daughter. " I will teach 
 the men that we can keep a secret," she thought, " and 
 also that our very breath and life do not depend upon 
 theft- efforts. I have brought her back without assistance 
 from any of them. It is my opinion that the stately Col 
 onel w T ill manifest more than the fatherly interest that he 
 has been talking so much about when he finds that she 
 does not need his parental care." 
 
 Her brother had shaken her faith in fatherly and broth 
 erly protection. She was almost certain that he had been 
 to blame for Mrs. Grey s disappearance, and had not for 
 gotten to add in her last letter to her, " My brother is still 
 abroad." 
 
 Mrs. Grey cared little to go about, so a general invita 
 tion was given for her friends to call to see her. This 
 they were not slow in doing, especially the sisters of the 
 church, who each found it particularly incumbent upon 
 herself individually to call upon the dear dead pastor s 
 widow. Each one thought " she would feel hurt and 
 slighted if I did. not call at once." 
 
 Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Dixon \vere there betimes, but 
 their ally was not so impressed with the importance of 
 the duty and could not be prevailed upon to accompany 
 them. She was not devoid of conscience, and this, alter 
 nating with fear, made her pillow anything but a downy 
 one. Her falsehood had availed her nothing; but instead 
 the one whose attention she hoped to gain must regard 
 her with a feeling; of aversion. She had not onlv for-
 
 -MRS. GKKY VISITS CI.OYKRDALK. 355 
 
 feited the man s respect, but would be found out and 
 become an odium to even mischief-loving, gossip-relishing; 
 Cloverdale. 
 
 Aside from her knowledge of her own guilt, her un 
 easiness was unfounded; for the woman whom she so 
 feared and dreaded was far too happy and self-contained 
 to think of avenging herself upon any living being. 
 Those little injuries which had been done her, although 
 not entirely forgotten, had vanished into comparative 
 nothingness. Her face, which had always spoken of a 
 peace within, but as an index to the heart which had 
 undergone such anguish in the last two years and had 
 continually been cruelly lacerated and torn anew by un 
 feeling hands, had shown to a close observer a look of 
 pleading helplessness, which seemed at times to say: 
 "Must I endure alone? Is there no one to help me bear 
 this?" 
 
 But it had now regained its wonted strength, and bore 
 a look which gave evidence that the small things of this 
 life could neither make nor mar her happiness. And as 
 the placid surface of a stream is an indication of a smooth 
 bed or the depth of its waters; so the illumination of her 
 countenance gave evidence of a depth acquired by cul 
 ture and refinement, and the quieting influence oi a peace 
 from God over all. 
 
 Mrs. Ferris, in order to avoid to a degree the questions 
 and surmises that would otherwise be inevitable, sent an 
 item to the "Cloverdale Inquisitive" which came out in 
 its columns of "Our neighbors in and about town," and 
 read as follows : 
 
 "Mrs. Grey, who has for some time been doing such 
 noble work in one of the church hospitals ot New \>rk. 
 is spending her vacation in Cloverdale, the guest oi Mrs. 
 Ferris and other friends."
 
 356 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 This had the effect of abbreviating their questions to 
 some extent, but she was accosted at every meeting with 
 " So you have got to be a trained nurse? Do you like the 
 work better than giving music lessons?" 
 
 Among the calls which she most enjoyed was that of 
 Deacon Hill, his wife Betsy and daughter Bessie. If the 
 affable deacon s air toward Mrs. Grey was somewhat pro 
 prietary, it should have been forgiven him. For was not 
 her success and changed appearance partly due to him? 
 Had he not defended her and laid himself open to ridi 
 cule in putting the check rein upon some of Cloverdale s 
 busiest tongues? 
 
 He rattled on at such a pace that, as usual, his wife 
 was only vouchsafed a remark at long intervals, but she 
 had been Mrs. Deacon Hill so long that she felt quite at 
 .home in occupying a subordinate position in conversa 
 tion; and hadn t she just as good cause to be proud as if 
 she had said some of those things which were so full of 
 sly meaning herself? So she quite contented herself by 
 watching his shrewd, comical face and admiring his wit 
 ticisms and sage remarks. 
 
 "Has Sarah Green been to see you yet?" he said to 
 Mrs. Grey. He had something on his mind that he 
 wanted to say about that damsel, and was going to steer 
 straight to the point. But since Mrs. Grey simply said, 
 "I have not yet seen her " he had to plunge into the sub 
 ject without any help. 
 
 Ever since the May festival, a year ago, and the spite 
 ful talk that it had occasioned, he had felt that the butt 
 of all those stinging thrusts was as much sinned against 
 as sinning and had missed few occasions to make his 
 opinion known. So he said without further preliminary: 
 
 " I don t believe that she would be such a bad sort of a 
 person if she was let alone. You know that the constant
 
 MRS. GRKY VISITS CI.( )VKKI)AI,K. 
 
 357 
 
 dripping of the water will even wear away hard stone. The 
 patience, that is not worn out of her breast, is constantly 
 kept in a ferment by rankling ridicule. I say it is 
 cowardly to treat a single woman, who has no one to 
 stand up for her, so mean. If a man is insulted, he takes 
 the sweets of revenge out of the other fellow s eye, and 
 leaves a black mark in return. If a married woman is 
 is abused, she has her husband and children to comfort 
 her, but an old maid has nothing to do but keep old sores 
 bleeding by brooding them over or by trying to get rid of 
 them by scratching the source, which only makes them 
 become more irritated and eat deeper into the flesh. What 
 if she does want a man? She has a perfect right to want 
 one. It is the nature that God gave her; and judging 
 from the number of us unworthy fellows who have wives, 
 it looks like some other women wanted men or took them 
 without wanting them, which would still be worse. It 
 may have been the fault of nature or providence, or what 
 ever makes faces pretty, that she did not get one ; or she 
 might even have been more particular than the rest of 
 you. I know that she would be better off with a family. 
 Then she would have business enough of her own to take 
 up her mind and would not have to meddle with her 
 neighbors for pastime. 
 
 " Hetsy is a prime good wife, but she herself could not 
 tell what kind of an old maid she would have made. 
 She may have had a narrow escape from turning into a 
 crabapple herself and ought to thank providence continu 
 ally that I was not too hard to catch. And, remember 
 ing upon what your own success and happiness depended, 
 none of you married women ought to be too hard on Miss 
 Green." 
 
 His wife looked as if she felt the weight of his words 
 and sanctioned everv one of them. She had always felt
 
 358 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 thankful that she had won the good Deacon, and, of 
 course, every other woman was to be pitied. 
 
 "But Betsy would be no worse off without me, than I 
 would be without Betsy ; because I would be a poor stick 
 and a crooked one, too," he concluded. 
 
 After he had praised, petted, and cajoled Mrs. Grey to 
 his heart s content, and seasoned the interview by his out 
 spoken opinion of abused spinsterhood, the Deacon and 
 his family took their departure, and Mrs. Grey was left 
 to receive other callers. 
 
 She and Mrs. Ferris had repaired to the shady piazza 
 at the east end of the house. It was late in the after 
 noon, and they had almost despaired of seeing Colonel 
 Wilkins for another day, or it might be a week, when his 
 familiar form was seen entering the front gate. He pro 
 ceeded toward the house with his face partly averted. 
 Mrs. Ferris pushed her guest hastily through the open 
 door, then turned to the man who had by this time 
 reached the steps. She hardly took time to greet him 
 before she said : 
 
 "Guess who is here. I shall not allow you to see until 
 you have guessed." 
 
 " I don t know unless it is your brother or Mrs. Grey. 
 Which one is it? " 
 
 In answer Mrs. Grey came toward him. She gave him 
 her hand with a glad smile. 
 
 "We were beginning to fear that you would not come 
 again today," she said. 
 
 " We certainly would have taken a drive to the country 
 tomorrow if you had not," said Mrs. Ferris. "We would 
 not have waited much longer." 
 
 "Then I am sorry that I came in," was his gallant re 
 joinder, " but this need not interfere with your coming." 
 He regarded Mrs. Grey long and earnestly. "The boys
 
 MRS. GRKY VISITS CI.OYKRDALK. 359 
 
 and Aunt Minnie will want to see you. Please do not 
 remonstrate, but come out early and stay late. \Ve will 
 look for you, and you would not care to disappoint us, I 
 know 7 ." 
 
 " I have not long to stay, but since I will see you to 
 morrow I can talk to you then," he said. Then making 
 sure that his invitation had been accepted, he soon took 
 his leave. 
 
 He had been surprised at the change in the face of Mrs. 
 Grey. It had always appeared thoughtful and was none 
 the less so now, but the sadness had entirely disappeared. 
 
 The change had all come about without his assistance. 
 His well-meaning heart experienced a stab when he 
 thought "she did not need me," and still worse, when he 
 thought that some one else might have had the privilege 
 that would have been so keenly appreciated by him that 
 of being a friend and adding to her happiness. He had 
 asked so little, but had been denied even that. He had 
 asked only tlTat he might be as a father or elder brother 
 to her, but she had received from some other source what 
 he would gladly have laid at her feet. The spirit of sol 
 icitude which had burned in his manly heart must be 
 consumed by its own fires. 
 
 None of the \Vilkins family attempted to conceal the 
 look of joyful anticipation that shone on their faces the 
 next day when the hour for the company s arrival ap_ 
 preached; and each one vied with the other to show Mrs. 
 Grey the greatest kindness and attention. They sang, 
 played, and talked together and were happy. 
 
 In the afternoon the whole company repaired to the 
 woods. 
 
 " I will walk with Mrs. Grey," said Colonel \Vilkins 
 and he soon led her apart. Here she told him where she 
 had been and what she had been doing, but never dream-
 
 360 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 ing how eagerly he drank in every word and thirsted for 
 more. But true to his gentlemanly instinct he forbore to 
 question her, but let her tell what she would. 
 
 "After all," his conscience kept repeating, "if you only 
 had her interests at heart, you should be perfectly con 
 tent to see her happy," and he tried to reason with his 
 heart that he was. But it was plain that if he only had 
 her happiness in view, he had figured largely in his plans 
 to bring it about; and he was certain by this time that 
 some one else had usurped the place that he had hoped 
 to hold. 
 
 She was as cordial as ever in her manner toward him, 
 but this only confirmed the belief that the innermost 
 thoughts which, seemed to afford her such happiness, 
 were not of him. She herself might never have analyzed 
 them, but they would never be of him. 
 
 His own thoughts were so well concealed that Mrs. 
 Grey fully believed that the heart of her companion was 
 as light and joyful as her own, so she chatted gayly on. 
 " It would have been selfish to spoil her day of innocent 
 pleasure by my selfishness," he thought ; "and it is best 
 that she should not know best for us both." 
 
 That evening the man went alone to that moss-grown 
 grave, where he had seldom gone without his boys. He 
 stood for a long time, his head uncovered and bowed, 
 beside the mound. Every bit of the tenderness that the 
 long-lost form beneath had ever caused to thrill in his 
 breast was aroused to acuteness. 
 
 "It is not that I have forgotten you or love your mem 
 ory less. I would have given my own life to save yours, 
 and would ask no greater boon on earth or in heaven 
 either, I am afraid than the power to call you back. 
 But I can not. You are so far away, and my life is lonely. 
 It would not have been disloyalty to you, but I need the
 
 MRS. C.KKY VISITS CI.OVHKDAI.K. ^6 I 
 
 presence of a good woman to comfort and cheer me at 
 times, when I can not manage myself. 
 
 " She is so near akin to you in her guileless woman 
 hood that it would almost have been like a renewal of 
 life with yon. Hut this second joy has been denied me, 
 and I do not murmur. One sweet life was entrusted to 
 my keeping, and although I was faithful to my trust and 
 dealt with her as I would have Him deal with me, lie 
 may not regard me worthy of another." 
 
 He replaced his hat and walked away, a manly resolve 
 upon his face. Some other man, with a less fervent love, 
 would have cast all noble impulse to the wind ; but his 
 resolutions once formed were not to be broken. Her 
 enjoyment should not be trammeled. It caused him a 
 pang when he thought that Fred. Alton might have fol 
 lowed Mrs. Grey and won her. " But if he makes her 
 happy, what is it to me? It might about as well be him 
 as any one else. If he is only trifling with her, or fails 
 to make her a good husband, he had better never cross 
 my path." 
 
 That evening before Mrs. Grey retired she wrote a few 
 lines to Miss Green. The demand for that admonitory 
 speech of the Deacon s was not as stringent as he may 
 have supposed it to be, but it no doubt produced some 
 good effect, as anything so well meant should. Kach 
 member of that select little company, the Deacon s hear 
 ers, had cultivated that little germ chanty (which in a 
 crude state and in a greater or less degree is a native of 
 every human heart) until they had coaxed it into a 
 hearty, full-grown plant, and it shed its refreshing influ 
 ence over the whole area of its habitation and every act 
 of their lives was tempered thereby. Hut the- writing of 
 this letter, no doubt, was due to the Deacon s words. 
 
 Mrs. Grev wrote : " Miss Green, you have no occasion
 
 362 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 to fear me. I assure you that I bear you no ill will. It 
 would be an unworthy creature, indeed, that would harbor 
 a spirit of resentment, even if it did not eat as a canker 
 into the heart and leave us the greatest sufferers thereby. 
 I freely forgive as I hope to be forgiven." 
 
 The kind-hearted woman hardly knew how to word her 
 letter, lest it might make matters worse instead of better. 
 
 " You can easy talk about forgiving, my good lady, 
 since you have everything and I have nothing. People 
 who are happy can easy talk, while the rest of us must 
 drag out our existence as best we can. But we can not 
 well do it without coming in contact with the rest of the 
 world sometimes. If we do have cankers at our hearts, 
 who cares? There is not one in a dozen who would not 
 take their nails and scratch the sore still deeper, then 
 stand off and wonder at the result as if it had not been 
 their own work." 
 
 So far her own views coincided with those of Deacon 
 Hill, that she was as much sinned against as sinning. 
 Who is there that is able to say that she was not? In 
 this great world every question must be presented to us 
 in its different lights ; and even then who is there among 
 us that has the power to form a just decision ?
 
 CHAPTER XXXVI. 
 
 DOCTOR ENOD S HOBBY. 
 
 THE ten day s leave of absence that had been granted 
 Mrs. Grey was soon spent. She had enjoyed her 
 visit, but was now rested: and since the time had come 
 for her to return to her duties, she must go. She declared 
 that she now needed rest from rest, and so she went. 
 
 Her friends, only too thankful that she had found her 
 life work, did not try to detain her, but bade her God 
 speed instead; and many were the good wishes that 
 went with her. 
 
 It was well that she did not see the look of tender long 
 ing that came for a moment into the eyes of one, when he 
 clasped her hand at parting, or it would have robbed her 
 of some of her own peaceful pleasure. But the man, 
 true to his manhood and his strength, held his secret as 
 being too sacred for human eyes, and none were ever the 
 wiser. 
 
 Mrs. Ferris faith in the disinterestedness of men was 
 somewhat strengthened. " He may, after all, have been 
 thinking of her good alone and not the confirmation of 
 his own happiness. I am afraid that such cases are rare. 
 But she is worthy of such a regard as is not due to all 
 mortals. I don t suppose that she had an unkind thought 
 for any of her old tormentors, and there is not one in a 
 hundred that would not have posed more or less as an 
 injured person and a martyr. Instead she showed the 
 most thoughtful solicitude, lest through her the thoughts 
 of their own faults might cause them uneasiness. She 
 could not help finding out while here that Miss Green s
 
 364 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 story was partly false, but she had not a word of blame or 
 resentment for even her." 
 
 " If Mrs. Grey had let those people see that they pos 
 sessed a power over her to wound, they would have for 
 given her long ago for being a better woman and having 
 more friends than they. But if the foe must be won over 
 by giving him the conquest, he could not prove a desir 
 able friend, but may only wait a favorable opportunity to 
 strike anew. When the enemy sees that even his best 
 efforts fail to subdue, he surely should have the principle 
 to acknowledge defeat and retire from the field ; but the 
 ignoble foe sees only the fortress (even though it be 
 erected of purity and its God-given strength) and recog 
 nizes in it only an impediment to victory, and his forces 
 of offense are strengthened within him." Mrs. Ferris 
 concluded her meditation by saying to herself, " I am glad 
 that she is far enough away now from those who would 
 have torn her reputation piecemeal, if for no other reason 
 than to ravish their eyes upon the, to them, agreeable 
 spectacle." 
 
 As the train neared the town, where she had stopped 
 upon two previous occasions, the first time the saddest 
 day of her whole life, the second time a year later and a 
 year ago that day, the conductor told her that she would 
 be obliged to wait an hour and a hall for her train. But 
 instead of regarding this as an inconvenience, Mrs. Grey 
 received the information with pleasure and soon once 
 again stood beside her husband s grave. 
 
 She knelt down upon the beautiful green grass and 
 prayed. She prayed that the Father who had watched 
 over her husband and taken him unto himself, would 
 alike be her stay, and that she would never be led to for 
 get the last words that his dear lips had spoken, "You 
 will meet me in heaven, I feel sure of that, Mary."
 
 DOCTOR KXOI/S HOBBY. 365 
 
 She prayed that she might, by the grace of God, be able 
 to meet him in that better world, and that no matter 
 where her earthly duties and earthly needs might lead, 
 she would always be able to conduct herself in a way 
 that would not wound his dear heart if he knew. 
 
 She arose from her knees with a look which showed 
 that her petition for strength had not been in vain. She 
 culled the dry leaves from the rose bush, which she had 
 planted just a year ago. This had grown well and had 
 two tiny buds. " One for me and one for Robert," she 
 thought, "and since I will soon be far away again, I will 
 take mine with me." She plucked it tenderly and placed 
 it into a receptacle in the bosom of her dress, and no 
 human eyes but her own ever beheld it again. It was 
 held as the most sacred among her earthly treasures. 
 
 The lily also had grown and bid fair to soon shed its 
 beauty and fragrance over the lonely grave. She had 
 purchased enough ground to admit of another grave, but 
 she was destined never to fill the place by his side. 
 
 "I will meet you in heaven, Robert, and we will know 
 each other and be glad," she said, turning away, and soon 
 the train bore her on toward the end of her journey. 
 
 The patients and doctors alike were glad to have her 
 back at the hospital. She had not had the experience of 
 some of the other nurses, but since training is too often 
 used as a veil to conceal a want of skill, her lack of skill 
 made her natural ability all the more apparent. I Un 
 hopeful face did as much to drive away despondency as 
 her soft hands did to alleviate pain. The doctors, reali/- 
 ing the efficacy of such a remedy, would rather have 
 parted with any other nurse: but they were destined 
 soon to lose her. 
 
 Summer and autumn passed quickly. Appreciated by 
 those under whom her position was held, and blessed by
 
 366 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 those who had the good fortune to come under her care, 
 she asked no more. But as fretting and longing will 
 never bring happiness and contentment, but will more 
 often lessen our opportunities, so an acquiescence to fate 
 will sometimes insure an overflow to- those who expect 
 least. 
 
 As time went on, Mrs. Grey did not forget her humble 
 friends, but found many opportunities to spend an hour 
 or two with Mrs. Tinly. There was a time approaching 
 in this happy little wife s life when she was in need of 
 the companionship of one of her own sex. Her husband 
 was all and even more than she could ask, and his tender 
 ness and solicitude was unbounded, but she was in need 
 of some one who could understand her. Although a man 
 may be the kindest of husbands and fathers, he can never 
 enter into the intricacies of a mother s nature. Mrs. 
 Grey, understanding her needs, soon spent all her leisure 
 time at her happy cottage, much to the joy of the little 
 woman. 
 
 One day there was a hurried demand for Mrs. Grey at 
 the hospital. No one else knew where she could be 
 found, so Dr. Enod (who had of late lent such valuable 
 aid that one of the hired assistants could be disposed of) 
 volunteered to go for her. He did not err in his judg 
 ment when he sought her at the mechanic s humble home. 
 
 " She is truly an angel of mercy," he thought. "When 
 she is with the proud, she meets them on an equal foot 
 ing; but here she is as simple in her manner as if she 
 had never known other society. If some of those whose 
 wealth and position blind them to true worth, and still 
 want to monopolize the title of lady, had her graces and 
 sweetness, they would never have to flee to the time- 
 honored name of woman as to a retreat. It is those to 
 whom the world would grant the title that have depreci 
 ated its value."
 
 DOCTOR KXOD S HOIUiV. 367 
 
 During their trip back, he said: "Would you like to 
 spend a few weeks with your old friends? They are the 
 first ones you found in this city of struggles, and I still 
 cling to the belief (although modern custom would rule 
 out all such old fashioned sentiments) that our old friends 
 have the first claim upon us." 
 
 " I would be so glad if I could," was Mrs. Grey s an 
 swer. " Mrs. Tinly is so far away from home and friends. 
 But do you think that I could be spared? I have dreaded 
 to ask. I could save them the expense of a nurse, some 
 thing that they can ill afford." 
 
 "Yes, you can be spared. I will intercede for you. 
 Those benevolent institutions are founded with a view of 
 doing a kindly office for any who may come under their 
 notice. Surely this woman, who is a stranger in a strange 
 land, has need of a friend in her trials, even though she 
 is not an object of charity. But do you mean that you 
 would do this free of charge?" He looked at her as if 
 he objected, yet hoped that she would merit his disap 
 proval. 
 
 "I do not feel that I would be working for nothing,. for 
 I have been more than paid in advance. vShe would not 
 allow me to come with such an understanding, I know, 
 so I will tell her that I need a few week s rest, and if she 
 does not charge too high board I would like to spend 
 the time with her. I can hide my true mission and come 
 into the place of nurse so naturally that she could not 
 object." 
 
 " If the world contained more women like you, we 
 could not fail to be a happier people." 
 
 "Oh, no," she said quickly, "do not praise me. I have 
 done so little real good, that I would have to exert myself 
 to the uttermost to the end of my life to be worthy <>i 
 such an opinion."
 
 368 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 "Your own humble opinion of self is the result of 
 being reared in the country, away from the jealousy of 
 the great unthinking masses, where each one must make 
 the most of every worthy act, however small, or be 
 eclipsed by some more pretentious contestant. But with 
 most of them doing good is a secondary matter, if not 
 entirely forgotten. Their best efforts are put forth to 
 avoid being outdone in matters of dress and appearance, 
 and this is no light struggle, I assure you. 
 
 "I can not see why a man, who wishes to bring up his 
 girls to a noble type of womanhood, should object to the 
 country as a home. There is an innate modesty, a self 
 respect and over all a heart throbbing for humanity in 
 the intelligent country bred young lady, which are 
 crowded out of the existence of the city girl before she 
 has reached the long dress period, for they are taught by 
 example and by pretext that a faultless attire and a certain 
 manner, no matter how artificial and affected this may be, 
 are her predominant requirements. This is not only a 
 waste of the freshest years of their lives, but it totally 
 unfits them for either a thorough cultivation of the in 
 tellect or a useful life. 
 
 "If I understand God s great plan, our bodies \vere 
 given us only as an abiding place and a fit protection for 
 our brains and hearts, which in turn are entrusted with 
 our spirits or souls. But instead of training our bodies 
 to do the bidding of the best impulse of our souls, our 
 souls are enslaved, crushed out in decking and bringing 
 our poor bodies into prominence. Some people would 
 almost barter their inheritance to the better world for the 
 sake of appearance. Under the pure air of heaven, the 
 character has an opportunity to grow and strengthen 
 without being warped and trammeled by its fellows." 
 
 "Yes, but you will acknowledge," said his companion,
 
 DOCTOR KXOn S HOHI .V. 369 
 
 " that city people think it necessary that a country bred 
 person should undergo a new process of creation before 
 they are admissible into their society. And then this 
 very spirit of independence and self respect, that \ve are 
 born with and permitted to foster, makes it all the worse 
 for the country girl, for she is satisfied in the belief that 
 she is inferior to none. She is taught in the Bible that 
 she was created by the same God and redeemed by the 
 same Christ. She is constantly under the ennobling in 
 fluences of the Creator s works, and is inspired by the 
 whisperings of nature. She feels that she is a freeman 
 born and that no one has a right to rob her of her birth 
 right. Then when they drift into the city, as many are 
 obliged to do, in search of employment, they are entirely 
 unfitted for the life. They will either rebel at the assumed 
 superiority of those who might not even have been as 
 well brought up as they themselves, or else have their 
 self respect crushed out by the coldness and indifference 
 of those with whom they come in contact, and their down 
 fall is certain. 
 
 "Oh," she went on, " if I could only warn every coun 
 try girl, who was reared in a home of love, no matter how 
 humble, to remain in contentment in its seclusion, rather 
 than try the strange ways of a city, how many less cries 
 from the depths of lost souls would be daily and hourly 
 ascending to heaven." 
 
 "Yes," said Doctor Knod ; " some simpering city peo 
 ple think that those from the country should undergo a 
 new birth before they are fit for their august presence, 
 while if they had the depth of character to appreciate 
 them they could learn from them such a lesson of lolly 
 thought and noble aim as would more than compensate 
 for the drill in the forms of city life. Things which the 
 average countrv girl, if she has not already imbibed too
 
 37O HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 much good sense, could learn in a few weeks at farthest. 
 
 " You may regard me as an enthusiast on the subject 
 of dress reform, and as such apt to overrate the import of 
 my hobby, but I see so many, both men and women, 
 decked out in such splendor, that I am forced to wonder 
 if the meager soul beneath could be worth one half of 
 the cost of the attire in the pure eyes of God. I see no 
 harm in looking well, but it should never be at the sacri 
 fice of worthier objects. 
 
 " Yes, if you could sound such a warning as you spoke 
 of there could not fail to be joy in heaven over the re 
 sult, even if some indolent people were obliged to exert 
 themselves for their own comfort. As I have said be 
 fore, my profession gives me an insight into many lives 
 and homes, and I see things which would otherwise be 
 unknown to me. I have noticed the change of servants 
 in some elegantly furnished homes owned by people of 
 ordinary and sometimes inferior intelligence, and when 
 by the tap of a silver bell the new girl was summoned 
 into our presence, she would come in with a timidity 
 wholly out of keeping with the quiet dignity stamped 
 upon her innocent features. Even a casual observer 
 could see that the shrinking was not that of a dependent 
 or inferior soul, but caused by her first introduction into 
 so much splendor and coldness, and that her innermost 
 soul was crying out for a little of the love and sympathy 
 to which she had been accustomed something to fill 
 the void caused by the separation from all that is dear to 
 her. This being denied her, she sets her face stolidly 
 against fate until her heart is starved and life becomes 
 intolerable. Then when she can hold out no longer she 
 seeks companionship where it can be found. 
 
 " I have heard it said that the downfall of a country 
 girl is almost certain in a large city, and the general
 
 DOCTOR RXOD S HOHHV. 371 
 
 verdict is that the}" are too easily bewildered by so much 
 grandeur; but any one who gives human nature a 
 second thought knows this to be false. It is because life 
 to them has been robbed of its dignity, and they have 
 not acquired the fortitude of those who have always been 
 driven from pillar to post/ 
 
 " In her new quarters the independent young farmer, 
 or the self-respecting country school teacher, who was 
 wont to pass his leisure time in her society, will probably 
 come to see her a few times at long intervals, and then 
 cease his attentions entirely. t Then the poor girl, who is 
 forced by necessity to occupy a position which is perfectly 
 odious to her, and lowers her in the eyes of her former 
 friends, finds herself sinking lower and lower in her own 
 estimation, and the result is inevitable. And all this 
 time people are organizing societies for the uplifting of 
 humanity, and praying for the Lord to undo the result of 
 the wrongs which they are wilfully committing. Verily 
 all that cry, Lord, Lord, shall not enter into the king 
 dom. " 
 
 " When I think of all those things," said Mary Grey, 
 " I am impatient for strength. Oh, if I had the power of 
 an army, I would gladly expend it all in helping woman 
 kind to retain her purity. But what can one puny wo 
 man do against what is countenanced and sanctioned by 
 the multitudes ?" 
 
 " I have seen people," said Doctor ICnod, "and strong 
 ones, too, who lost what natural strength they possessed 
 by undue anxiety; and I will insure one little woman 
 in particular that worry will only cause her own unhap- 
 piness and do others no good. 
 
 "You did not know that I am gifted with the spirit of 
 prophecy," he went on, assuming a lighter tone as they 
 drove through the hospital gates. " I see a certain xeal-
 
 372 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 ous, kind-hearted lady, enjoying all the opportunities 
 that she has so desired, and with wealth at her command 
 she is going about doing good. She is not one of the 
 kind that long for such opportunities until they have 
 been granted them, and then forget all about their good 
 resolves, but she is going nobly on executing the plans 
 which have so long been formed in her busy brain. She 
 does not seek the approval of men, nor the rewards of 
 earth, but is hoping only to hear that welcome approba 
 tion that our heavenly Father has in store for the finally 
 faithful, and as a reward a home with God and the 
 angels." 
 
 He had been looking straight before him as if in space 
 he beheld the decrees of fate, but now he turned his gaze 
 full upon her face. " Mrs. Grey, behold in yourself the 
 object of my visions. I hope that for once I have 
 not erred in penetrating the future." He had again 
 drifted into serious tones. She looked up in time to note 
 the earnest look in his eyes as they were bent upon her, 
 and for the first time she could not meet his gaze; for 
 the first time her tongue refused to perform its accustom 
 ed office, and the words of appreciation, which would have 
 arisen to her lips, did not find utterance, and she left him 
 with a simple " I thank you," and went in through the 
 hospital doors. 
 
 Mrs. Grey did not again see the doctor for several days, 
 then came an official letter from the superintendent say 
 ing that if Mrs. Grey so desired she could be spared for 
 a few weeks. Nor did she see her friend before she left, 
 and she wanted to thank him for his interest in her be 
 half. She could not rid herself of a slight feeling of 
 disappointment. His manner toward her the last time 
 the} 7 were together had filled her heart with a shy pleas 
 ure; and as the budding spring arouses a glad and joy-
 
 DOCTOR KXOI) S HOBBY. 373 
 
 ous expectation of its termination, summer, so the human 
 heart, alter it has once been wanned by a ray of happiness, 
 can only find the realization of contentment in a flood of 
 light. 
 
 Mrs. Tinly was no less pleased than surprised when 
 Mrs. Gray walked unexpectedly in, announcing her in 
 tention to remain with her. " I need a change," she- 
 said, " and I would rather come to you than go anywhere 
 else. I do not need rest, only a change," she went on, 
 checking the remonstrance that would have arisen to her 
 friend s lips. 
 
 The woman was too well pleased to raise any further 
 objections, so the matter was settled. When the young 
 husband came home in the evening he was overjoyed to 
 find his beloved wife in such good hands. " I can now 
 < r o about mv work and feel as well satisfied as if I was 
 
 O 
 
 with Lucy myself," he said gratefully.
 
 CHAPTER XXXVII. 
 
 NAMING THE BABY. 
 
 IT was now ten days since Mrs. Grey came to the home 
 of her friend. Little Mary was just one week old, and 
 had been named on the very eve of her birth. " I will 
 name her for you," said the mother to Mrs. Grey, after 
 pressing her new-found joy to her heart. And any one 
 who could have looked into the depth of her mother s 
 heart could not have failed to see that she was indeed 
 conferring an honor upon Mrs. Grey. This simple token 
 of appreciation meant much to that lady, knowing that it 
 was caused by the gratitude that flooded the whole being 
 of the thankful woman. 
 
 " Don t you think that she should have a double name?" 
 said Mr. Tinly, a look of concern coming over his face, 
 which was continually brimming over with smiles. 
 
 " I found the first, you may add the middle name," an 
 swered the wife ; " but you must not want to call her 
 anything that would spoil the sound of my choice, Mar}-." 
 
 " I am going to give her a name that would sound well 
 with any other, to my ears," was the fond husband s reply. 
 " Now can you guess what it is ? " 
 
 " How could I guess? I never heard you speak of any 
 name." 
 
 " My preference for this one goes without saying. We 
 will call her Mary Louisa." 
 
 A happy laugh \vas all that greeted this announcement, 
 and the little mite of humanity was named and in due 
 time christened Mary Louisa, Mar} Grey acting as god 
 mother for her little namesake. 
 
 She was a week old now, and, the proud young mother 
 (374)
 
 XAMINV, TIIK HAHY. 
 
 375 
 
 declared, was beginning to notice things. What if her 
 love did furnish some of the wonders about the little 
 form ? it was truth to her. Who would have the hardi 
 hood to dispel a parent s happy delusions about the won 
 ders of a first-born babe ? 
 
 But the little stranger was no less a wonder to the other 
 two members of the little household. The father was 
 almost womanly in his tender care for his little daughter, 
 and would want to hold her by the hour, and cared only 
 to peer into her innocent face. It was with reluctance 
 that he tore himself awav to go to his work, not carin< r 
 
 o 
 
 to leave for a whole day the little home which contained 
 so much happiness. Mary Grey entered fully into the 
 pride, love, and joy of the parents over their babe, and 
 the three vied with each other in lavishing care and affec 
 tion upon her. The child had indeed been born into a 
 happy world happy as far as human love could insure. 
 
 After the mother had again regained her usual strength 
 Mrs. (/rev returned to her regular duties, but found time- 
 to go to see her little namesake twice a week. She was 
 becoming so tenderly attached to the little thing that she 
 would like to have kept it with her always. It grew and 
 brightened so that even others besides the mother could 
 see that she was beginning to "notice things." The smiles 
 of her baby lips and the sound of her soft cooing were 
 the sweetest sights and sounds to three loving hearts, and 
 new delights and wonders were developing under their 
 very eyes every day. 
 
 One da} , as the holidays were approaching, an injured 
 man was brought to the hospital. There had been a run 
 away, and the occupant of the carriage had been thrown 
 against the curbstone near the hospital gates. Dr. Knod. 
 who had not been at the place much lately, owing to the 
 demands of his practice, had just arrived in time to help
 
 376 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 carry the insensible man into the building. He beckoned 
 to Mrs. Grey. 
 
 " If you are equal to the task, we will attend to this 
 man. His injuries must be internal," he went on, as he 
 examined the unconscious man. " There seems to be no 
 bones broken, and he only has a few bruises and slight 
 cuts." These seemed to be mostly about the head and 
 neck ; his face had escaped, but was deathlike in its mar 
 ble whiteness. 
 
 Mrs. Grey did not need a second look into the man s 
 face to see who he was. It was Fred. Alton that lay be 
 fore her in the stillness of death. His hair was plentifully 
 sprinkled with gray, and his form had lost much of its 
 healthful ruggedness, but she could not long mistake the 
 face. 
 
 " He is an old acquaintance of mine, Dr. Enod," she 
 said. 
 
 She was standing beside the cot, helping to bind his 
 bruised head, when he opened his eyes, and as they fell 
 full upon her a look of recognition lighted up his features. 
 " Mrs. Grey," he said, faintly. Then he threw his hand 
 to his head, saying, " Oh, my head ! " but he quickly ex 
 tended the other toward her, saying in a pleading tone : 
 " Do not leave me. Promise that you will stay by me." 
 Before he had hardly formed the last words of his entreaty 
 he had again lost consciousness. 
 
 " If you so desire, I will see to it that you are allowed 
 to nurse him, Mrs. Grey," said Dr. Enod. " Do you care 
 to do so? " 
 
 " How could I do otherwise? " was her reply. 
 
 As heretofore, Mrs. Grey s wish had only to be made 
 known to be^granted. The doctor soon returned from 
 the superintendent, saying: "You may consider him 
 your charge."
 
 NAMING THK HAHY. 377 
 
 Mrs. Grey hastily penned a few lines to Mrs. Tinly, 
 telling her that she would not see her for some time. 
 Then she wrote at greater length to Mrs. Ferris. She 
 told her of the accident, but that she need have no fear ; 
 that she was to nurse the brother herself, and concluded 
 by saying, " As long as you receive no telegram, rest 
 assured that there is no danger." 
 
 Fred. Alton did not again regain consciousness for 
 weeks. His injuries were concussion of the brain, which 
 resulted in fever. Fie talked very little in his delirium. 
 Mrs. Grey, who was seldom from his side, heard him 
 speak her name and that of his wife. To the latter he 
 used the old tender tones. He would say, as if in entreaty: 
 " I have never given you cause for sorrow, have I, dear? 
 I have always been kind to you, have I not?" and he 
 would put out his hand as if to stroke her hair. At such 
 times the listener s heart was touched. " I will take care 
 of him for her sake." 
 
 Then he would speak of her and bemoan the fate that 
 separated them. " v She would not need to have run away 
 from me as from a leper: I meant to marry her in the end. 
 \Ve would have been happy, and all would have been 
 atoned for." At such times she would shrink from him. 
 " All would have been atoned for," she said to herself. 
 " Oh, how thankful I am that I am such a happy, care 
 free woman today ! " 
 
 One day he was talking more than usual. Dr. Fund 
 came into the room in time to hear him say: " It I had 
 had a sturdy little body like Mrs. Grey to walk by niv 
 side, how different my journey through this life might 
 have been." 
 
 The doctor looked up at Mrs. Grey quickly, but could 
 see no confusion or embarrassment, only the deepest pity 
 for the man before her. " Whatever might have been
 
 378 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 between them, she has nothing to regret," was his mental 
 conclusion. "Will you tell me some time?" he asked, 
 turning a look of full confidence and trust upon her. 
 
 " I will tell you all there is to know now," was her 
 answer. "He is the brother of Mrs. Ferris, the lad} that 
 I visited last spring; the one who gave me a home after 
 the death of my husband. He is the gentleman who 
 secured me the position to distribute the charity fund. 
 After the death of his wife, he made me an offer of mar 
 riage, that is all." 
 
 "Only one more question. You did not accept him, 
 did you?" 
 
 "No, I did not accept him." 
 
 But the man was still unsatisfied. "I am going to ask 
 another question. Are you sorry ? Would you accept 
 him now? " 
 
 " No, I am not sorry that I did not accept him, nor 
 would I do so now." 
 
 "Thank you," he said; "that is all that I wanted to 
 know." 
 
 But one evening a few days later, he asked for her in 
 the parlor. "You may goto Mrs. Grey s patient for a 
 time," he said to one of the attendants. " She has been 
 too closely confined to that room." Mary Grey came 
 dutifully in answer to his summons. It was early in the 
 evening, and the lamps had not yet been lighted. 
 
 " Thank you for coming," he said. He put out his 
 hand, she placed her s into it with a rosy blush, which 
 was visible even in the uncertain light. 
 
 " I told you the other day that you had answered all 
 the questions that I cared to ask. I have many more to 
 ask, but will be content with one just now Mrs. Grey 
 will you marry me? Answer as promptly as you did 
 before, but answer Yes," he said, drawing her toward him, 
 and winding his arm about her waist.
 
 NAMING THE BABY. 
 
 379 
 
 " Yes," she answered, without hesitation. 
 
 " Now I want to hear you say yes once more, then I 
 will be satisfied. Do you love me ? " The answer came 
 "Yes" in the same decisive tone. His arm tightened 
 about her waist and their lips met in a lover s kiss. 
 
 "I have many more things to say to you, but have no 
 time to do so now. Would you like to take a drive this 
 evening, down to see Mrs. Tinly? You have not been 
 there for some time." 
 
 "Yes, I would be pleased to go," was her glad answer. 
 
 "Thank you," he said. "Now I must hurry and at 
 tend to my patients, or it will be too late to drive out." 
 As he hurried away, he said: "Get your hat and shawl : 
 I will be ready in just fifteen minutes." 
 
 "What a noble man," thought Mary Grey. "God is 
 indeed good to me." She hurried to her patient s room. 
 He was lying just as she had left him, and was still sleep 
 ing. The woman agreed readily to remain a few hours 
 longer, saying: " A drive in the open air will do you good 
 after so much confinement." 
 
 The man drove along a street, away from the glare and 
 noise of the city. He drove slow so as to gain time for 
 his story. It was a beautiful evening, clear and bright 
 and warm as spring, although it was the middle of Decem 
 ber. Here he told her how he had been interested in her 
 from the first. He did not say much about this, not 
 caring to recall the circumstances under which lie met 
 her. Then he told her how this interest soon grew into 
 love, but that he did not care to tell her of it until there 
 was some hope that his love was returned, and that he 
 had felt safe to let things drift along while there was no 
 one to come into the way. 
 
 " Hut I wanted to secure you before that hand.-ome 
 fellow at the hospital came to his senses. Forgive me,
 
 380 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 little one," he continued, "but you know where there is 
 love there is also a certain degree of jealousy. Now we 
 will plan for the future. How many plans have you to 
 propose?|JA number of them I will warrant." 
 
 "I would first like to remain at the hospital until Mr. 
 Alton is better." 
 
 "But that would put our wedding off too long and I 
 am impatient. It will take you several weeks to get 
 ready. You will want some new frocks and gowns. I 
 will want my little wife to look nice, because I know that 
 finer} will never harden her heart. See, my prophesy is 
 soon to be fulfilled. You are to have all the money you 
 want to carry on your good work; then you will be 
 happy." 
 
 "How could I be otherwise?" was her happy answer. 
 "I will go to Mrs. Tinly s to make what preparations are 
 necessary. I will tell her this evening." 
 
 " Not this evening, dear. See, we are back to the hos 
 pital gates. We do not care to see any one only each 
 other tonight. You can go and tell her in the morning. 
 I only wanted to have you to myself for an hour. Re 
 member," he said at parting, "that I am to see you as 
 much as possible. I am so glad that I am rich, that I 
 can gratify your every wish. All that you will have to 
 do will be to follow your own inclinations and be happy, 
 and in return be my own true, loving little wife." 
 
 When Mrs. Grey returned to her patient s room, she 
 was met at the door by the nurse who told her that he 
 was conscious. He had gained consciousness directly 
 after she had gone from the room. The doctor had been 
 there and pronounced the symptoms favorable, and that 
 from now on everything depended upon nursing and 
 quiet. " The moment he opened his eyes," continued 
 the woman, " he made an attempt to look about the
 
 NAMING THE BABY. ->Sl 
 
 room, as if in search of some one, but has as yet said 
 nothing." 
 
 Mrs. Grey went quietly in and stood beside the bed. 
 The man before her looked nearer death s door than he 
 did during his delirium. The fever had left him almost 
 powerless to move, and his eyes were closed as if in sleep. 
 Mrs. Grey had hoped that she might enter without his 
 noting the change, but in that frame that was hanging 
 over the very jaws of death in its weakness, the senses 
 seemed keenly on the alert, and soft as her movements 
 were he noticed the stin He opened his eyes, and in 
 them she at once saw reason and recognition. He made 
 as if to raise his hand, but the attempt scarcely produced 
 a stir of the fingers. 
 
 Man- Grey laid her own plump hand, thrilling with 
 life and health, upon his almost lifeless one. His lips 
 moved as if to speak ; she bowed her head, and he^faintly 
 whispered, " Mrs. Grey, I was afraid that you had left 
 me." And for all this world contained the listener would 
 not have denied him the happiness that brought that 
 smile of perfect contentment to his lips, as he closed his 
 eyes and lay as one dead. 
 
 The watcher by his side was afraid to remove her hand 
 lest the movement should again disturb him, and she 
 knew that his life was hanging in a balance, and that the 
 added weight of a hair would make the side of life go 
 down. She stood as if to infuse his cold hand with some 
 of her own warmth, until he dropped into a refreshing 
 sleep, then seated herself on a chair beside the bed. 
 
 The patient slept soundly all night, and the next morn 
 ing seemed stronger. When his eyes opened they fell 
 upon his nurse, and the same look of peaceful content 
 ment came over his face, and from this time Mrs. Grey 
 could not be lured from her post. Her lover demurred.
 
 382 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 but she was firm. " My duty is by my patient until he 
 is out of danger. You would not have me shirk my duty, 
 would you?" 
 
 " No dear," was his answer, " at least not unless it 
 kept you away from me. We middle-aged people have 
 even less patience than the young in such matters, and 
 it is a little hard to have to be satisfied with only a word 
 now and then." But satisfied he had to be. 
 
 Fred. Alton continued to grow stronger, and in a week s 
 time he was allowed to talk and sit up a few moments at 
 a time. " It is only a few days until Christmas now," he 
 said to Mrs. Grey one day. " Do you think that I will be 
 strong enough to eat dinner with the rest of you then ?" 
 
 " I hope so," was her answer, " and if you are not, I 
 will come and eat with you. You shall not be left alone, 
 rest assured." 
 
 "As kind and thoughtful as ever, little nurse," he said. 
 He seemed more cheerful and impatient for Christmas to 
 come. " I do not believe that I will be able to go down," 
 he said to her several times, " and remember I hold you 
 to your promise." 
 
 " I never make any promises that I am not willing to 
 be held to," was her answer. "The only thing that 
 causes me any uneasiness is, that I, as your nurse, will 
 be held responsible for the amount that you eat, and I 
 may not be able to manage you without some assistance." 
 
 "Without Dr. Enod, you mean. Only dispense with 
 his company, and I will promise the strictest obedience," 
 he answered pettishly. Mrs. Grey made him no reply 
 and pretended not to hear. 
 
 True to her word, on Christmas day Mrs. Grey had a 
 table set for two in Mr. Alton s room. It was as appetiz 
 ing as care and good taste could make it. The signs of 
 sickness had all been removed. The cot had been folded
 
 NAMING THE BABY. 383 
 
 and placed in a closet, and a large easy chair filled its 
 place. A pot of blooming geraniums had taken the place 
 of the medicine bottles on the stand, and a bouquet of 
 cut flowers was placed upon the center of the table. 
 
 " I was not strong enough to go down to dinner, but I 
 am going to talk as much as I please," said Fred. Alton 
 in his old boyish fashion. 
 
 " Yes, if you do not please to talk too much. Von 
 must not weary yourself, and you know that you have 
 promised strict obedience." 
 
 " I only promised to consult you as to the amount of 
 turkey and mince pie that it would be prudent to eat. I 
 did not even mention talking, and I might as well die 
 from excitement as suspense. Mrs. Grey, do you think 
 that T have no conscience? Do you think that it has 
 caused me no remorse to lay here, the helpless recipient 
 of your kindness and care, knowing that I had wronged 
 you? In all my delirium I had not forgotten who bent 
 over me when I regained consciousness on the day that 
 I was hurt, because when I came to myself after the fever 
 was over, I fully expected to see you. I think that it was 
 your face that called me back to life. Answer me one 
 question, did you do it all from a sense of duty alone, or 
 have you forgiven me? It will do me less harm to an 
 swer me, here and now, than to have things to go on. I 
 admit the wrong. I fell in love with you while my wite 
 was yet alive. Oh, that we should be cursed with such 
 weakness! But I never changed toward my wite, and 
 she died believing me true. I knew all the time that she 
 would only live a short time, and that all would come 
 right in the end. Can you not forgive me the weaknes.- 
 that caused me to forget myself" 
 
 Mrs. Grey hardly knew how to answer, but she saw 
 the fever spots deepen in his hollow cheeks, and answer
 
 384 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 she must. She knew that he could bear it better now 
 than to be put off. Then she began in kindly tones : "I 
 cared for you from a sense of duty, my duty toward a suf 
 fering human being and the brother of my best friend ; 
 but I have also forgiven you long ago." 
 
 "Yes," he said almost impatiently; " it is your nature 
 to forgive, but can you give me what I would almost 
 have forfeited my soul to win, your love? Will you 
 marry me? I am wealthy and together we will devote 
 our lives to good works, and by so doing I may be able to 
 atone for my past. Will you not try to save me from 
 myself?" 
 
 He had forgotten his dinner and was growing more 
 feverish and excited every moment, and had dropped 
 upon his knees beside her chair. 
 
 " Come," she said, gently taking him by the hand and 
 compelling him to arise. She led him to a reclining 
 chair. His strength was spent and he sank into it help 
 lessly. 
 
 " Forgive me," she said, "if I cause you pain," and she 
 placed her hand over his, "but you are a man and can 
 bear it now. I forgive you fully and freely for all the 
 wrong that you have ever done me, but I do not love you 
 and can never marry you." 
 
 " But you may learn to love me. I do not ask it now ; 
 in a year or two years; only give me time to prove myself 
 worthy of your love." 
 
 " No," she said, tightening her hand over his, " I would 
 not marry you even if I was not promised to another. 
 You may not be willing to admit this, you may not even 
 know it yourself, but I know that if I had yielded through 
 love for you, or been tempted by your wealth, you would 
 long since have neglected me for another, and it would 
 have been just that you should; but God has given us no
 
 NAMING THK HA BY. 385 
 
 less a right to demand of a husband a blameless character. 
 The ten commandments, given by God, were intended 
 for all alike, and at the gates of heaven the question will 
 not arise whether the wrong doer be man or woman." 
 
 "But I thought that you believed in a merciful and 
 forgiving God," said the man, clutching like a drowning 
 man to a straw. 
 
 "So I do, but he only forgives those who prove them 
 selves worthy of forgiveness, and we have no right to 
 countenance by our conduct what will bar men out of 
 heaven ; and not only that, if women, the beings to whom 
 God has given that sacred trust the motherhood of future 
 generations were as exacting as men in their choice of 
 companions, the result could not fail to speak in tones of 
 thanksgiving and praise through the health and morals 
 of the whole human race. I do not say this as a dis 
 penser of justice, but only as one woman speaking to one 
 man the sentiments of her heart." 
 
 " Mrs. Grey, I know better than any one, except God, 
 that I am not worthy of you, although the worst of us 
 demand a blameless character as our right. My punish 
 ment is just, but I can not bow to it since it denies me 
 my heart s greatest desire." 
 
 "Forgive me if I have caused you pain," she said, 
 placing her hand for a moment over his month. " I forbid 
 you to talk any more now, but remember that I am your 
 friend. If you wish it, and promise never to speak to me 
 on this subject again, I will still be your nurse." 
 
 "I do wish it," he said, taking her hand from his 
 mouth and holding it a moment, then raising it to Ins 
 lips. " I would make you any promise to keep you here. 
 Then he said, as if to himself, "Thank God for one gentle, 
 kind-heaited woman, even though she be not for me." 
 He bore his punishment well, only once again did he 
 refer to the forbidden subject.
 
 386 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 "Mrs. Grey," he said to her one day, "may I ask you 
 one more question?" He had been feverish and weak 
 and threatened with a return of the fever in all its violence, 
 and his .nurse was if possible more kind and gentle than 
 ever. 
 
 "More than one," she said, " if they are such as I can 
 answer." 
 
 " I just want to ask one," he said. "Is Dr. Enod the 
 man that you are engaged to?" 
 
 "Yes," she said in her straightforward way. 
 
 "I thank you for your candor; I would a little rather 
 he had you than some one else," but she raised a warning 
 finger. The man smiled faintly and was silent. He 
 began to mend anew and it was hoped that he would be 
 able to leave the hospital by the middle of January. The 
 doctor was delighted, because now he was granted more 
 of the society ot his promised bride. But the patient 
 was still exacting and declared that since he was not an 
 object of charity, but willing to pay any price for his care, 
 he had a right to the best nurse that the house afforded, 
 and as much of her time as he might choose. 
 
 Mary Grey, with nothing but pity at her heart, hu 
 mored the sick man s whims and was untiring in her at 
 tentions.
 
 CHAPTER XXXVIII. 
 
 Tin-; CONCLUSION. 
 
 THERE was a wedding in the hospital parlors, on the 
 evening of the iSth of January. The doctor had 
 grown impatient of delay, and as he said, had taken mat 
 ters into his own hands, but any one who was familiar 
 with his movements knew that things had been in his 
 hands ever since the evening when Mrs. Grey had made 
 him the happiest of men with her simple yes. 
 
 He had been busy from morning until night, oversee 
 ing certain proceedings in a stately residence on a quiet 
 street, where he had been in constant demand by either 
 the upholsterer, paper hanger or carpet men. And ac 
 companied by a young lady cousin, he made numerous 
 mysterious excursions from the stores to the dressmakers. 
 This he was called upon so often to do, that the man 
 began to wonder how women had enough head left to 
 take care of themselves without a guide, after they had 
 once made their toilet. 
 
 Mrs. Tinly had also been taken into confidence, and 
 had lent valuable aid in the way of measures and si/es. 
 So industrious had they been that the preparations were 
 all completed several days before the appointed time. 
 Mrs. Grey was not let into the secret until the eleventh 
 hour. 
 
 On the morning of the iMlh Doctor Enod asked her to 
 accompany him on a tour of inspection, as he called it. 
 She had gone with him, little dreaming what she was to 
 inspect. He took her straight to the home he had been 
 preparing for her, and led her from one to the other ot 
 the spacious and elegantly furnished rooms. Alter she
 
 388 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 had been through all with the exception of her own dress 
 ing room, he turned to her and said : " This is your home, 
 darling, how do you like it?" 
 
 "And who has been doing all this beautiful work for 
 me," she said, throwing her arms for tlje first time about 
 his neck. 
 
 " People who ask no other return, only that you will 
 like it and be happy." 
 
 "How could I be otherwise? You are certainly the 
 best of men. And you did it all for me?" 
 
 " I did it all for you. But you know that pleasing you 
 insures my own happiness. Now if you are pleased with 
 the house, I will show you something else." So with his 
 arm about her waist he led her into the next room. 
 
 Here she found such an outfit as only love and care 
 could have planned ; not one of gay colors and senseless 
 display, but such a one as would please any womanly 
 woman s heart. Kverything was of the best texture. 
 Down to the minutest detail nothing had been forgotten. 
 
 " Do these things please you, pet?" 
 
 " I can hardly believe that all these things have been 
 done for me. Am I worthy of all this kindness and 
 care ?" said the happy woman, smiling through her tears. 
 
 " Yes ; this much, and many times more. I intend to 
 spend my whole life in proving how much you are worth 
 to me. But I am a man, and consequently a selfish 
 animal, and now I am going to demand my price, and 
 that is that you consent to our being married this even 
 ing. Will you accept my terms?" 
 
 She began as if to raise objections, but he placed his 
 hand over her mouth. " It was because I was afraid of 
 those objections that I have done all this without your 
 knowledge. But now everything is in readiness, and 
 you would not deny me, I know. We will be married
 
 TIIK CONCLUSION. -^9 
 
 in the hospital parlor, then come directly home. My 
 cousin, who has helped to plan this wardrobe, will come 
 and help make what further arrangements may be neces 
 sary. I have even gone >o far as to procure the license 
 and engage the minister, but I know that you will for 
 give me." 
 
 " There is nothing to forgive : you are too kind to me. 
 There is only one thing that I regret, I wish that we 
 could have waited until Mr. Alton was gone." 
 
 " If he is bound to linger I am not to blame. I gave 
 him plenty of time to get away. I think it is because he- 
 is a little overfond of being nursed that he does not 
 grow strong faster. It will be good enough for him. If 
 he is a man let him prove himself. You would not dis 
 appoint me on his account, would you ?" 
 
 " Xo, I would not disappcrint you: but lie has suffered 
 much, and I would have spared him this." 
 
 " You are a tender-hearted little woman, and I only 
 hope that I can prove myself worthy of you. Tonight it 
 shall be then. Thank you, darling." 
 
 " If it is to be so soon, I can not even remain longer to 
 be praised and petted," she said looking at him archly. 
 
 He released her reluctantly. " Since it is to be so soon 
 I ought to be willing to let you go. \Ye ordered this 
 white for you to be married in. I will have it sent to 
 you in good time," said the man, as they lett the room. 
 " Your friend, Mrs. Tinly, has rendered valuable aid to 
 us," he said to her on the way home. " .She and her 
 husband and little Mary are coming to see us married. 
 I have ordered a carriage to bring them. I thought that 
 you would want them there." 
 
 " I am so glad that you have not forgotten them. But 
 how will I ever thank you tor your kindness . J " 
 
 " By being happy," was the reply.
 
 390 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 When Mrs. Grey returned to her patient s room, she 
 found that he was ready to leave. One of the chamber 
 maids had just heard the news that there was to be a 
 wedding in the parlor. She was so exercised over the 
 anticipated affair when she went to arrange his room that 
 she began to talk of it at once, and before Mrs. Grey 
 knew of it herself, Fred. Alton had heard the whole story, 
 how the wealthy and handsome Doctor Enod was going 
 to marry Mrs. Grey, the best and kindest nurse in the 
 whole place. 
 
 He had listened without a word, but as soon as the 
 girl was gone he packed his valise. That was all that he 
 had in the carriage with him at the time of the accident. 
 He then sat down to wait. He wanted to see the face of 
 his nurse once more, and bid her good-bye, if some one 
 else was going to claim her that very evening. 
 
 Mrs. Grey could not conceal her happy smile, but she 
 stopped short when her eyes fell upon the man s valise 
 and hat. Her own happiness convicted her, and she 
 said hastily, " Why, Mr. Alton, are you sure that you are 
 able to leave?" 
 
 " Strong enough," was his curt reply, " and since I 
 am about to lose my nurse, there is no longer any in 
 ducement to be sick. I wanted to say good-bye before I 
 go. I can not bear to see you married. Good-bye, Mrs. 
 Grey, God bless you. Think of me kindly sometimes 
 when you are in your happy home. " He had caught 
 her by both hands, and kissed first one then the other. 
 " Now I am going to ask one boon of you, and if you 
 love, or have any mercy for my unworthy soul, you will 
 not refuse it. It is not much, only that you kiss me once 
 before I go. You will be no less a woman, and it may 
 help to make a man of me. Thank you," he said, as her 
 lips were raised to his forehead, which he had bared, and
 
 THE CONCLUSION. 
 
 391 
 
 the next moment he was gone, and the heartfelt sym 
 pathy of Mary Grey went with him. Her happiness soft 
 ened her toward the whole human family. 
 
 She went from one to the other of the patients, and 
 talked to and petted them until they forgot their pain. 
 She wrote a letter to Mrs. Ferris, telling her of her ap 
 proaching marriage. " Tell all my friends that I send 
 them the news through you." Her happiness did not 
 cause her to forget her first love, and if such a thing were 
 possible her thoughts of him were more tender than 
 ever. The memory of him who was the source of her 
 youthful joys and early sorrows, so softened her heart 
 that great tears rolled down her cheeks, but not tears of 
 remorse. " You are happy in heaven, Robert, you do 
 not need me now," she thought. 
 
 After the tears of emotion were spent, the sunshine of 
 peace flooded her heart, caused not alone by her present 
 joy, but also by the memories of a happy past, memories 
 which nothing on earth would have the power to blot out. 
 
 That evening promptly at seven, the ceremony was 
 performed which made Mrs. Grey and Doctor Knod man 
 and wife. It was witnessed by the superintendent s fam 
 ily, the nurses, attendants, convalescents, and Mr. and 
 Mrs. Tinly. The sailor, who had hobbled in on his 
 crutches, gave the bride away, although he declared that 
 he would much rather have had her himself. 
 
 Surely the little assembly had never seen a couple so 
 well suited to each other, a more beautiful bride, or hand 
 somer groom. Not alone the beauty that fadeth away, 
 but the lofty expression which comes from good resolves 
 and noble aims. And good wishes were never more 
 heartfelt than were those which were showered upon the 
 happy pair. 
 
 After the ceremony Mr. and Mrs. Knod went directly
 
 3Q2 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 to their home, but not before the bride had taken time to 
 fondle the baby Mar}-, nor before the proud mother had 
 been given time to draw attention to some wonderful 
 accomplishments which the little tot had by this time 
 mastered, which were duly praised. 
 
 Then Mrs. Enod went from under the roof which was 
 to know her no more as a nurse, but it was to know her 
 ever after as a kind friend and benefactor. And many 
 were the delicacies that were not merely sent there, but 
 administered to the patients by her own kind hands, and 
 made doubly tempting by her winning smile. 
 
 There never was a happier or more tender bride than 
 graced the home of Doctor Enod, and there never was a 
 pair bound together by stronger affections ; not the fitful, 
 feverish and sometimes capricious love of youth, but the 
 attachment of mature years, broad and deep, which would 
 ever gain strength in new found worth in its object. 
 
 Together they set about doing \vhat was nearest their 
 hearts. Mrs. Enod never forgot her old, sly way of doing 
 good, in a manner that made the recipient of her bounty 
 feel as if they themselves were responsible for the good 
 which they received. Little Mary Tinly she clothed, 
 claiming that as the right of a godmother, and when 
 there was quite a little group, by the addition of another 
 little girl, and then a little son, her right was even ex 
 tended to them. Through the influence of the doctor 
 the young mechanic secured a position, which was better 
 pay and not so dangerous to life and limb, and he was 
 established as shipping clerk in one of the large whole 
 sale houses. Soon their cottage was left for a more 
 spacious house, to make room for the growing family. 
 As the children grew up they received the education 
 which circumstances had denied to the mother and father, 
 and aside from the doctor and his wife there was not a 
 happier family in all the east.
 
 THE CONCLUSION. 393 
 
 Mrs. Enod still kept up her correspondence with Mrs. 
 Ferris, and a few years after her marriage she with her 
 husband accepted an invitation to make a visit to Clover- 
 dale. With the exception of a few births, marriages and 
 deaths, the place was just as Mrs. Grey had left it. The 
 only difference was that most of the people kept at a re 
 spectful distance. They stood just a little in awe of the 
 dignified doctor, and also of his wife, for having come 
 into such wonderful good fortune. 
 
 Colonel YVilkins was still single, she was told. He had 
 been so devoted to his wife, and did not believe in second 
 marriages. The boys had grown up to be young men 
 and were away at college, and Aunt Minnie and her 
 brother were alone in their country home. 
 
 Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Dixon, and other kindred spirits, 
 were still employing themselves in heralding coming 
 events, and adding to their interest as the} transpired. 
 
 Whether Miss Green was most to be pitied or blamed, 
 was not known, but no one had as yet cared to extricate 
 her from the uncertain joys of single blessedness. v She 
 and Tommy had not yet buried the hatchet, as he had 
 once expressed it ; and since the victory is not to the 
 strong but to the persistent, and neither of them was de 
 ficient in that virtue, it might, to use another of Tommy s 
 sayings, take many more eveners to bring things to a 
 satisfactory termination. 
 
 Deacon Hill and his wife were still taking life easy, 
 the deacon doing the talking and Betsey doing the listen 
 ing. Their daughter Bessie was soon to marry vSquire 
 Whitby s son. This was a source of great sorrow to the 
 fond parents hearts. Their one birdling was soon to 
 leave the home nest. 
 
 From Mrs. Ferris, Mrs. Enod learned that Fred. Alton 
 had drifted about, here and there for a time, and had just
 
 394 HE WOULD HAVE ME BE BRAVE. 
 
 recently married the widow Enod. After the doctor s 
 marriage he had never heard from his sister-in-law, and 
 this was news to him, but he was not surprised to hear 
 that a few things had been learned that made it appear 
 as if the union would not be a happy one. " They say 
 that she is already furiously jealous of him, and that alone 
 is cause enough for unhappiness," concluded Mrs. Ferris. 
 "I feel. sorry for Fred., he is a good-hearted boy," said 
 the sister. 
 
 Busy people can not indulge in long visits, and the 
 doctor s practice soon called him home, at least so he 
 claimed. But the secret of the matter was, that since he 
 had been so long in finding a home it was all the sweeter 
 to him now, and he was never satisfied away from it. 
 
 So those two returned to the home where peace and 
 contentment reigned. The woman in whose heart her 
 own experience had only strengthened the spirit of charity 
 and mercy for even the basest of earth s creatures to the 
 life which she had so long planned for herself. Her noble 
 husband to be her aid and abettor. Providence had in 
 trusted them with wealth and influence and the trust had 
 not been misplaced; they bore it modestly and exercised 
 it to God s own purpose. The}* helped to feed the hungry 
 and clothe the poor. They not only pointed out the right 
 course to the wandering wayfarer, but took them by the 
 hand and endeavored to lead them back to the paths of 
 rectitude. 
 
 The blessing of having children of their own was 
 denied them and the hearts of both were sometimes 
 filled with longing. " But God knows all things best," 
 said Mrs. Enod to her husband. "If we had children of 
 our own we might grow selfish and forget the man} help 
 less little things which we are permitted to keep from 
 starvation and want."
 
 THK CONCLUSION. 395 
 
 " Yes," was his fond reply, " if my wife had children of 
 her own to care for, she could not be the little mother to 
 the many, both high and low, black and white, that come 
 in for an equal share of her affections. But I do not care 
 how many she loves, as long as she keeps a good share of 
 her tender heart for me." 
 
 " I have never given you cause for complaint, have I 
 dear?" she said, stealing her arm through his and laying 
 her head against his shoulder. 
 
 " No, thank God for such a wife. The more that bring 
 in a claim for her attention, the more loving her heart 
 becomes toward her husband." He drew her closer to 
 his side and so we leave them. 
 
 THK KND.