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 She belonged to our church. Page J. Frontispiece, 
 
 v*
 
 MISS PRISCILLA HUNTER. 
 
 AND 
 
 MY DAUGHTER SUSAN. 
 
 BY 
 
 PANSY. 
 
 AUTHOR OF "ESTER RIED," "CUNNING WORKMEN, 
 
 "FOUR GIRLS AT CHAUTAUQUA," "LINKS IN 
 
 REBECCA'S LIFE," &c. 
 
 BOSTON: 
 D. LOTHROP AND COMPANY. 
 
 FRANKLIN ST., CORNER OF IIAWXEY.
 
 COPYRIGHT BY 
 
 D. LOTHROP & CO. 
 1879.
 
 PS 1 
 
 J25-20 
 
 MISS PRISCILLA HUNTER. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 SHE DISCUSSES THE SITUATION. 
 
 f trw 
 ^HE belonged to our church. That is 
 
 really the first sentence to use by 
 way of introduction, for if there was 
 any one thing for which she was 
 enlisted, heart and soul and body, it was 
 our church. How did she look? Dear 
 7
 
 8 MISS PEISCILLA HTJNTEB. 
 
 me! She never stopped to consider and 
 I am not sure that any one else ever did 
 but a great many people knew how she 
 acted, which is certainly much more to 
 the point. The time of which I am 
 about to tell you was one of special 
 interest to our church, in fact affairs 
 reached a crisis, and to come to the 
 point at once, I may as well tell you 
 that we were in debt. Not largely, the 
 sum was not above five thousand dollars, 
 all told. Neither was ours a struggling 
 church, situated on the frontier, or set 
 back in one of the by-ways of the world. 
 On the contrary, it had its visible pres 
 ence in a well-to-do eastern centre, and 
 was the largest and most flourishing of
 
 SHE DISCUSSES THE SITUATION. 9 
 
 the many denominations represented in 
 our town. We had a fair proportion of 
 the monied members of society ; several 
 bankers, half a dozen merchants, more 
 than that number of grocers ; and a long 
 list belonging to that large and well- 
 to-do class of people, known in aristo 
 cratic circles as the middle classes 
 whatever that term may mean. Nobody 
 knew why we allowed that church debt 
 to accumulate and swallow its hundreds 
 in interest year by year. Can anybody 
 tell why ninety-nine churches out of a 
 hundred allow themselves to do that 
 same thing ? 
 
 There were those in our congregation 
 who shrewdly suspected that it was for
 
 10 MISS PKISCILLA HUNTER. 
 
 convenience. It certainly was the most 
 common thing in the world for certain 
 parties when appealed to for contributions 
 in aid of any object under the sun, 
 whether foreign or home missions, church 
 erection, church extension, ministerial 
 relief, or food and clothing for the grass 
 hopper regions of the west, to fall back 
 solemnly and hopelessly into the arms 
 of that church debt, and declare that 
 people should be just, before they are 
 generous, and that honesty should come 
 before benevolence, and all those solemn 
 and truthful and interesting sentences 
 which people are apt to quote when they 
 don't want to give you any money. 
 What is to be done with people, who
 
 SHE DISCUSSES THE SITUATION. 11 
 
 in the face of the most earnest appeal 
 that can be made for some object dear 
 to the Christian heart, stoically declare 
 to you that the debt ought to be paid ? 
 That it is high time the church set it 
 self to work, and sacrificed and strained 
 every nerve towards the accomplishment 
 of that end. This is all true ; they mean 
 it, and you agree with them the ques 
 tion is, why don't you and they set to 
 work and do it, instead of hugging the 
 thing to talk about ? Who stands ready 
 to answer ? 
 
 I frankly confess to you that the debt 
 on our church became our torment, our 
 thorn in the flesh; it was everywhere
 
 12 MISS PEISCILLA HUNTER. 
 
 present, popping up its hydra head on 
 every conceivable occasion. 
 
 We needed new hymn books, but there 
 was that debt how could a church 
 hope to prosper that bought new hymn 
 books, instead of paying its debts? We 
 needed new library books, our Sabbath- 
 school was running behind on this very 
 account, but think of the enormity of 
 the sin of trying to raise money for 
 library books when that five thousand 
 dollar debt was hanging its mill stone 
 about our necks ! We wanted to re- 
 carpet our church and refurnish our pulpit 
 and the seats needed upholstering, and 
 the parsonage kitchen needed a new sink, 
 and drain, and pump, and the parson- .
 
 SHE DISCUSSES THE SITUATION. 13 
 
 age grounds needed a new fence; the 
 old one had been a source of humilia 
 tion to us for years ; but who had the 
 courage to talk about perpetrating such 
 deeds of darkness as the getting and 
 doing of all these things when that debt 
 remained unpaid? 
 
 By this time I hope you perceive that 
 our church debt was an intolerable nui 
 sance, and yet we clung to it. 
 
 Well, all this is a digression I was 
 going to tell you about Miss Priscilla 
 Hunter how on a certain sunny morn 
 ing not many years ago, the wife of one 
 of our deacons went with the wife of 
 one of our doctors to call on her; their 
 object being to see about some pants
 
 14 MISS PBISCILLA HUNTEB. 
 
 for the five - year - old deacon and the 
 six-year-old doctor. Miss Priscilla, you 
 must understand, was a tailoress. 
 
 " I like your work better than the 
 tailor's," said the doctor's wife. " I can 
 never get a tailor to make things look 
 cunning and childish ; they always turn 
 out work that is fit only for great rough 
 boys." Of course you do not need to 
 be told that her boy was not a great 
 rough one, but on the contrary was the 
 most superior boy that ever lived. Be 
 it known also in passing, that Miss 
 Priscilla's work was worthy of being liked 
 by anybody, not a garment ever went from 
 her careful hand until it was as neat 
 and precise in all its details as skill and
 
 SHE DISCUSSES THE SITUATION. 15 
 
 deftness could make it. From pants, the 
 talk drifted to church matters, whither 
 Miss Priscilla's talk was sooner or later 
 as sure to turn as the needle turns to 
 the pole. They discussed the condition 
 of the carpets, and the holes that were 
 showing in the cushions, and the need 
 there was of putting in a furnace before 
 another winter and they told how the 
 children said they had read every old book 
 in that library a dozen times at the very 
 least. Then their sympathies reached 
 the parsonage, and they told each other 
 how dreadful that rickety fence did look 
 and how ashamed they were of it the 
 last time Gov. Parker was in town and 
 called there ; and the doctor's wife told
 
 16 MISS PEISCILLA HUNTER. 
 
 how the doctor had said again and again 
 that it was actually a tempting of Prov 
 idence for the parsonage grounds not 
 to have better drainage, and the talk all 
 ended, as it always did, with the woe 
 begone murmur: " Oh, if we were only 
 out of debt, we might set about some 
 of these things right away; but as it 
 is " and then there followed an inde 
 scribable, thrice-echoed, long-drawn-out 
 sigh. 
 
 I suppose if that sentence had been 
 dolefully whined out once, it had been 
 five hundred times, by the different mem 
 bers of our church during the years in 
 which we had been victims to that debt. 
 
 After this there was silence for several
 
 Presently she burst forth. Page 19.
 
 SHE DISCUSSES THE SITUATION. 19 
 
 minutes. Miss Priscilla sewed away hard, 
 snipping off her thread from time to 
 time with an energetic whisk of her 
 great, shining shears, pursing up her thin 
 mouth in a way that told of a great many 
 things which she would like to say, and 
 of some which she would say, before she 
 was much older. 
 
 Presently she burst forth : " Now look 
 here, Mis'. Baker, I'm tired of that kind 
 of talk ; my ears have ached for years 
 with hearing so much of it, and I've just 
 made up my mind it was time that debt 
 was paid. It has hung over us, and 
 whined and groaned and howled at us, 
 long enough. There never was anything 
 in our church that Satan liked so well as
 
 20 MISS PRISCILLA HUNTER. 
 
 that abominable debt; and it's my opin 
 ion that he has been tickled with it as 
 long as is good for him. Not a thing 
 do we try to do from sending Bibles to 
 the heathen, to mending our rickety par 
 sonage fence, but he swoops down on ils 
 and gets off a lot of what passes for 
 pious groaning, about that debt ! It's all 
 Satan from beginning to end, and it is 
 time it was stopped ; now what I say 
 is, let's pay the debt without any more 
 fuss about it." 
 
 " For pity's sake ! " and " why, dear me ! " 
 murmured the deacon's wife and the doc 
 tor's wife in a breath, according to their 
 several natures ; and Mrs. Dr. Baker 
 added: "/ wish with all my heart it might
 
 SHE DISCUSSES THE SITUATION. 21 
 
 be paid, I am sure ; I'd be willing to 
 sacrifice a great deal though mercy 
 knows I don't know what to sacrifice 
 more than I'm doing but I don't see 
 any prospect of its ever being paid. 
 For my part I am clear discouraged." 
 
 " Well now, that's no kind of way to 
 talk ; you've no right to be discouraged ; 
 it's the Lord's church I reckon almost 
 as much as it's ours, and he don't want 
 to see it disgraced with a debt any more 
 than we do, to say the least. My prop 
 osition is to just put our shoulders to 
 the wheel and lift it, and say no more 
 about it." 
 
 " Priscilla Hunter 1" almost screamed 
 Mrs. Deacon Jones; "how is it going to
 
 22 MISS PRISCILLA HUNTER. 
 
 be done ? Now, that is what I'd like to 
 know? Why, we've strained every nerve, 
 and lifted and lifted, and all we've been 
 able to do is just to pay the interest, 
 and sometimes, you know as well as I 
 do, that we have had to borrow money 
 to do that. 
 
 " If our rich men would just take hold 
 of it and give as they ought to give, it 
 could all be wiped out in a day; but I 
 have lost all hope in that direction. " 
 
 This from Mrs. Dr. Baker. 
 
 Then Priscilla: 
 
 " Oh, now, Mis' Baker, don't you go to 
 making yourself believe that thafs pious 
 talk. That's just Satan hanging round, 
 and nothing else. Not but what he
 
 SHE DISCUSSES THE SITUATION. 23 
 
 hangs around the rich men and whines 
 out his say; and I've no kind of doubt 
 he says to them if the sewing-girls and 
 tailoresses, and hod-carriers and cobblers, 
 would all just come up to the help of the 
 Lord against this debt, no doubt we could 
 lift it. I tell you it's one of his dodges 
 to hang around people and whine out, 
 if Mr. Somebody Else and his wife and 
 children would only do their duty we 
 could swim through. Now I ain't one to 
 say that the rich men couldn't pay the 
 debt in our church if they were a mind 
 to for I believe they could and what 
 is more I know they could but they 
 don't do it, and as far as I can see they 
 don't mean to ; and Satan he don't mean
 
 24 MISS PBISCILLA HUNTER. 
 
 they shall, and he wants to keep me busy 
 all the time, groaning over their failings. 
 Now for my part I'm tired of his com 
 pany. I've shook him off; he won't 
 groan to me on that subject again in a 
 hurry. I say we give him the cold shoul 
 der and just make an end of this thing." 
 
 How fast Miss Priscilla could sew! 
 her fingers fairly flew over the seam, 
 and her keen grey eyes flashed along 
 the stitches like soldier's bayonets. The 
 two callers looked at her in dumb amaze- 
 ment; the doctor's wife even wondering 
 whether " much stitching might not have 
 made her mad." 
 
 As for Mrs. Deacon Jones, she looked 
 thoughtful.
 
 SHE DISCUSSES THE SITUATION. 25 
 
 " Land alive ! " she said. " How are 
 we to do it? We've had suppers, and 
 festivals, and pound-parties, and all those 
 things, till people are sick of their very 
 names." 
 
 " Oh, suppers ! " said Miss Priscilla, 
 with a sniff of her long, keen nose. 
 " Don't for pity's sake let me hear any 
 thing about them ! They're nice enough 
 in their way, for stomachs, and sociala- 
 bility, and all that. I haven't got a word 
 to say against 'em. But for paying a 
 debt humph ! You set to work and 
 bake a lot of cake, and use up butter 
 and eggs, and sugar and cream enough 
 to make a dollar's worth at the very least, 
 and then you carry it down to the church
 
 26 MISS PEISCILLA HUNTER. 
 
 and your husband comes and eats a piece 
 of it, and a piece of turkey that somebody 
 else has brought and that cost two dol 
 lars and a piece of chicken, and a slice 
 of bread, and another slice of another kind 
 of cake that somebody else has brought, and 
 a slice of everything under the sun ; and 
 his stomach feels better after it all maybe 
 only I doubt it but as for the money 
 part, why he pays fifty cents for his sup 
 per and it goes into the treasury ; and 
 after the broken dishes are paid for and 
 the things you had to buy to piece out 
 with are paid for, and a dozen and one 
 things that nobody ever thought of are 
 paid for, why, what's left of it goes towards 
 paying the debt. That's social now, I
 
 \ 
 
 SHE DISCUSSES THE SITUATION. 27 
 
 dare say, but it isn't economical, and 
 / don't expect to get out of debt by 
 a hundred years of such management 
 as that. There's only one way that's 
 worse, and I'm thankful to remember 
 that our church has never sunk so low 
 as to try it. They have been doing it up 
 in Circleville where I was sewing for a 
 month. They had a debt of three hun 
 dred dollars, or at least they were behind 
 that much; and how do they pay it? 
 You'd never guess in the world. They 
 got together and talked it up, and 
 planned about what hard times it was, 
 and how they ought to get out of debt 
 now> or else they would -surely be going 
 deeper and deeper all the time, and
 
 28 MISS PRISCILLA HUNTER. 
 
 finally they agreed to make a great sac 
 rifice, and pay that debt. So they sent 
 a committee to the minister : 
 
 " ' Now these are hard times you know,' 
 says the committee looking wise, ' and 
 it becomes those in Zion to be willing 
 to sacrifice and suffer if need be for the 
 cause. We have made up our minds 
 that this debt ought to be paid, and we 
 have come to you the watchman upon 
 the walls as a proper person to set 
 the example.' 
 
 " And then they proceed to show him 
 how. 
 
 " ' You see there is a debt of about 
 three hundred dollars, and your salary 
 is fifteen hundred. Now these are very
 
 Now these are very hard times." Page 28.
 
 SHE DISCUSSES THE SITUATION. 31 
 
 hard times, and a man ought to be will 
 ing to sacrifice for the good of the cause 
 you know, and we think by economy you 
 could live on twelve hundred dollars, and 
 then we would be out of debt don't you 
 see and what a grand and glorious day 
 that will be!' 
 
 " Then they got eloquent and pathetic 
 over that grand and glorious day ! I sat 
 and listened to all the talk about sacri 
 fice and setting example, and at last I 
 boiled over. It was none of my business, 
 but I couldn't help it. 
 
 " ' Urn ! ' says I. ' Live and learn ; now 
 that's a new idea. Were in debt, too, but 
 we never thought of any such plan. I'll 
 go home and tell our folks about it,
 
 32 MISS PKISCILLA HUNTEK. 
 
 and see if we can manage in some such 
 way. Let me see, it is done by sacrific 
 ing ; that is, the minister sacrifices enough 
 salary to pay it all up, and you sacrifice 
 him. That's the way, isn't it ? ' 
 
 " I tell you I was mad. Mr. Grimes 
 looked pretty black over what I said, and 
 says he : 
 
 " ' A minister certainly ought to be 
 willing to set an example of sacrifice in 
 these hard times.' 
 
 " ' Of course ' says I. * But then I 
 always thought an example was some 
 thing for folks to follow; now unless 
 you have all pitched in and concluded 
 to sacrifice him for your part of the 
 work, I don't see how you have helped ;
 
 SHE DISCUSSES THE SITUATION. 33 
 
 and even then, that doesn't seem ex 
 actly following an example; it strikes 
 me you are doing the leading off. I 
 see through what the example is, says 
 I. If you talked that stuff to your pas 
 tor, and he didn't ask you mildly, to step 
 out of his house and let him lock the 
 front door, why you've got an example 
 of Christian forbearance to follow all the 
 days of your life. I tell you it is the 
 easiest thing in the world to do other 
 folk's sacrificing for 'em. I'd just as 
 soon give Mrs. Merchant's new dress 
 for the church as not, but mine is 
 another matter always provided I had 
 a new one to give, which I never do
 
 34 MISS PRISCILLA HUNTER. 
 
 have. It's a good deal easier for me to 
 talk about giving it, on that account.'" 
 
 When the Mrs. Doctor and the Mrs. 
 Deacon had had their laugh out over 
 this remarkable story, the latter said : 
 
 " Well, as you say, we'll never descend 
 to any such performance, I do hope. But 
 I'm sure I don't see what we are to do." 
 
 " I do then," said Miss Priscilla, sewing 
 away faster than ever. " And I can show 
 you, if you'll set to work and do it. You'll 
 have a call from me about this very 
 thing before the week is out. I want 
 you both to go home and think of what 
 you have said a hundred times, and re 
 peated in my shop this very morning; 
 that you were willing to sacrifice, if the
 
 SHE DISCUSSES THE SITUATION. 35 
 
 debt could only be paid. I want you to 
 go down on your knees and ask the 
 Lord what that word means ; and mind 
 I warn you, don't let Satan get your 
 mind wandering off to the sacrificing of 
 Mr. Merchant or Mr. Ritchie, or any 
 other of our rich men. That's easy. 
 If I've paid the church debt for 'em 
 once, I have a hundred times ; but you 
 see neither of 'em being our minister, 
 we can't go up to 'em and demand a 
 sacrifice, so we have our planning for 
 nothing. 
 
 " What I've made up my mind to do 
 is just to tend to my own self get 
 up my own sacrifices, or ask the Lord 
 to get 'em up for me make 'em so
 
 36 MISS PEISCILLA HUNTER. 
 
 plain that if I shut my eyes I'll stumble 
 over 'em. Now that's what I want you 
 to do ; and then, when your mind is made 
 up, all I ask of you is to put it on paper 
 for me, and let me carry it around in 
 my pocket awhile as an evidence of 
 what the Lord has showed to you. I 
 see what I can do; anyhow I see one 
 place plain enough; my time is my bread 
 and butter, and my bread and butter 
 are all I've got in this world ; if I give 
 them, it stands to reason that I can't 
 do much more. I've made up my mind 
 to give them not but what I shall con 
 trive to throw an odd dime or two into 
 the bargain now and then."
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 SHE THROWS NEW LIGHT ON TAXATION. 
 
 j||f HAT was the way it began. No, 
 I mistake, it began back of that; 
 one night with Priscilla Hunter on her 
 knees, her soul heavy within her be 
 cause of the disgrace lying heavy on our 
 church ; she prayed and then she crept 
 back into bed, and tossed, and tumbled, 
 and thought, and finally flung aside the 
 
 37
 
 38 MISS PBISCILLA HUNTER. 
 
 clothes and got on her knees again 
 seeking for light ; and at last with a 
 smile on her face as of one who had 
 received light, smoothed her small, rum 
 pled pillow, and laid her grey head on 
 it and went quietly to sleep ; since 
 which time her plans had been maturing. 
 Behold her one morning, instead of 
 being seated at her accustomed corner 
 by that little east window, with her lap- 
 board standing up beside her, and her 
 bit of wax, and her black thread, and 
 grey thread, and gleaming shears on a 
 chair before her, and the great pressing- 
 goose heating itself on the coals in her 
 bit of a kitchen behold her with her 
 neat black bonnet, and her neat black
 
 SHE THROWS NEW LIGHT ON TAXATION. 39 
 
 shawl, and her neat black cotton gloves 
 all donned, arrayed for walking; and in 
 her window carefully printed out in let 
 
 ters so large and smooth that it had 
 taken her half the afternoon before to 
 accomplish them, this sentence : " Gone
 
 40 MISS PEISCILLA HUNTER. 
 
 on a three weeks' vacation." Yet she 
 didn't expect to leave the town, it was 
 only her way of saying: 
 
 "You needn't expect a stitch of work 
 from me for the next three weeks, and 
 that's all there is about it." 
 
 Ten minutes after, she had locked her 
 door and clamped down the steep steps. 
 She stood in Mr. Merchant's presence in 
 the First National Bank of our city. 
 
 " Good morning," she said, and then 
 she dashed into her subject without hes 
 itation or circumlocution. " Mr. Mer 
 chant we have made up our minds to 
 pay that church debt; it has been on 
 our hands long enough, and we are 
 sick of it ; the money is all to be raised
 
 SHE THROWS NEW LIGHT ON TAXATION. 41 
 
 now without fail, in six months time. 
 We want you to head the subscription; 
 what will you give ? " 
 
 "Well, really," said Mr. Merchant, 
 somewhat taken aback by this abrupt 
 announcement, and the peculiar manner 
 of its wording. 
 
 "I'm sure I'm wonderfully glad that 
 the debt is to be paid at last." 
 
 " Of course you are ; every one in his 
 senses is; the question is, how much are 
 you going to help ? " 
 
 " Well, as to that, how many times 
 have I subscribed for that very thing; 
 and how much money do you suppose 
 I have sunken in paying that debt ? " 
 
 " Not a cent, " said Miss Priscilla
 
 42 MISS PKISCILLA HHNTEE. 
 
 firmly. " Never a cent ; you've given a 
 good deal I suppose in the last dozen 
 years to some idiot who came around 
 trying to see how much money he could 
 raise towards paying it. It has always 
 gone towards paying it, mind you, and 
 never to pay it. Women don't do bus 
 iness in that way; we are sick of for 
 ever going towards a thing and never 
 reaching it. We've just walked up to 
 this and taken it by the throat ; now 
 how much are you willing to give? 
 Not to see it choked a little, mind you, 
 with a fair prospect of coming to life 
 again, but killed outright? 
 
 " Do you mean," asked Mr. Merchant, 
 greatly amused, " that unless you raise
 
 SHE THROWS NEW LIGHT ON TAXATION. 43 
 
 the whole amount I am not to be 
 called on to pay my subscription ? " 
 
 " Well, if you like that namby-pamby 
 way of putting it, you can have it so; 
 but I won't take any unfair advantage 
 of you. I'll say outright in plain Eng 
 lish, that whatever you put down will 
 be called for ; and you won't be asked 
 to give anything again as long as you 
 live for this debt, because it is going 
 to be paid. Now, how much shall it be?" 
 
 " Three hundred dollars ? " said Mr. 
 Merchant, at random. 
 
 " All right ; put it down in black 
 and white in this book. If I was your 
 conscience, I should say you ought to 
 make it five hundred at least, but see-
 
 44 MISS PKISCILLA HUNTEE. 
 
 ing I'm not, I'll let that part alone 
 and take the three hundred and be on 
 my way. Make it payable six months 
 from to-day, if you please, at ten o'clock 
 A. M." 
 
 And in less time than it takes me 
 to tell it, Miss Priscilla had received 
 back her little red-covered book whipped 
 it into her pocket, made her best bow 
 to the amused Mr. Merchant, and was off. 
 
 " I might as well made it a thousand 
 to encourage her," he said, looking after 
 her and laughing. " It will never be 
 collected ; people are about tired of calls 
 for the payment of that debt." 
 
 Just what Mr. Merchant thought was 
 going to become of the debt in that
 
 SHE THKOWS NEW LIGHT ON TAXATION. 45 
 
 case, he did not state. On went Miss 
 Priscilla on her self-appointed task. Her 
 next call was at the house of one of 
 the merchant princes of their church, 
 Mr. Hoardwell. Was there a faint sar 
 casm intended by his ancestors in forc 
 ing that name on him ? Certainly if 
 there was any one thing at which this 
 man was an adept, it was the art of 
 hoarding ; that he certainly could do well. 
 He put on his longest face the minute 
 that Miss Priscilla told her errand, which 
 she did in as rapid and straightforward 
 a way as she had used before. 
 
 "Well, now, Miss Hunter, I appreciate 
 your errand, and the motive which 
 prompts you."
 
 46 MISS PKISCILLA HUNTER. 
 
 " Never mind about the motive, or 
 the appreciation Mr. Hoardwell, it is 
 the check Fm after. There are a great 
 many people to call on, you know. I 
 mean to give every man, woman and 
 child a chance ; it is the last time." 
 
 A faint smile illumined his sallow face. 
 
 " If one could only have your sanguine 
 spirit, Miss Hunter. The debt ought to 
 be paid ; there is no question about that 
 to my mind; it is a disgrace to our so 
 ciety that it isn't; I have said so a 
 great many times." 
 
 " I know it ; I've heard you say it in 
 prayer-meeting twenty times at the very 
 lowest, I should think ; so there's no 
 need of saying it again. Now's your
 
 SHE THROWS NEW LIGHT ON TAXATION. 47 
 
 chance to prove that you think so ; there 
 is nothing like proving sums, you know. 
 Come, how much ? " 
 
 " Well, really, I am not in circum 
 stances to give very liberally at this 
 time ; I have had heavy losses, and my 
 taxes were never greater than they are 
 this year; almost any year since I have 
 been in business I could do better than 
 I can to-day." 
 
 " That's a pity ; I wish you had done 
 twice as much then five years ago as 
 you are going to do to-day; but it is 
 never too late to begin. What shall 
 it be?" 
 
 " You quiet people, Miss Hunter, who 
 sit in your pleasant rooms outside of
 
 48 MISS PEISCILLA HUNTER. 
 
 the bustle and fret of business have 
 very little idea . of the risks and losses ; 
 you always suppose us to be made of 
 money." 
 
 " You have a good deal more risk 
 of loss than I do, Mr. Hoardwell, that's 
 a fact; I appreciate it. Did you ever 
 hear the story of the man who heard 
 that a certain bank had failed, and felt 
 uneasy till he hurried home to see 
 whether he had any money of theirs, 
 but he found he hadn't a dollar on 
 that bank or any other, and then he 
 felt safe. I'm exactly in his circum 
 stances ; no risk of my houses burning 
 down, or a thief stealing my bonds. I'm 
 as safe about all them things as though
 
 SHE THROWS NEW LIGHT ON TAXATION. 49 
 
 I was the only being on earth. And 
 as for taxes, well, they don't trouble me 
 either ; never did." 
 
 " That is it, Miss Hunter ; and you 
 see the fact is, people who don't have 
 those drains on their purse have no 
 idea what heavy ones they are. There's 
 that one building of mine across the 
 way, I don't believe you could imagine 
 what it has cost me for one thing and 
 another this past year." 
 
 " I don't suppose I could," said Miss 
 Hunter, with a solemn face ; " it is a 
 good big building, I should say it must 
 have cost a great deal. I declare, now 
 you speak of it, it doesn't seem hardly 
 fair that you should have all the tax-
 
 50 MISS PRISCILLA HUNTER. 
 
 paying to do, and so many of us go free 
 from such trials. I wonder a different 
 arrangement isn't made ; I dare say no 
 body has thought of it ; but I don't 
 believe in that kind of thing; I think 
 we ought to bear one another's burdens. 
 I'll tell you what we'll do, Mr. Hoard- 
 well. You make that property over to 
 the church, give them a fair right and 
 title to it you know, and we'll engage 
 to pay all the taxes on it from this time 
 forth; and what is more, you needn't 
 pay a cent towards raising this debt ! " 
 " I should think not ! " exclaimed Mr. 
 Hoardwell, with a laugh and a signifi 
 cant sniff. " Why my dear woman, that
 
 SHE THROWS NEW LIGHT ON TAXATION. 51 
 
 property is very valuable; it would pay 
 the debt three times over." 
 
 " That's neither here nor there, you 
 know. What you were complaining of 
 was the taxes on it, and if I under 
 stood what you were driving at, it was 
 because of those taxes and some others, 
 that you couldn't make as large a contri 
 bution as you wanted to. Now if it really 
 is a burden, and you feel the weight of 
 it, why not get rid of it, and at the 
 same time do a good deed to the 
 church ; we are willing to help you in 
 this thing ; I promise you that any more 
 tax, or any more repairs on that build 
 ing is something that you needn't con-
 
 52 MISS PRISCILLA HUNTER. 
 
 cern yourself with for the next hundred 
 years, if you will just give us a deed 
 of it." 
 
 " Ha ! ha ! " laughed Mr. Hoardwell 
 "You ladies like your little jokes I see; 
 that is very well put, I declare." 
 
 "Jokes! I was never more in earnest 
 in my life; why not? If it isrit a 
 burden ; if, on the other hand it is so 
 much wealth, and you can afford to 
 pay heavy taxes on it for. the sake of 
 the income which it brings you, then 
 what in the name of common sense did 
 you mean ? " 
 
 Mr. Hoardwell had certainly never 
 looked at the matter in just that light 
 before; and whatever other follies he
 
 "Sony to take so much of your time." Page 55.
 
 SHE THROWS NEW LIGHT ON TAXATION. 55 
 
 was guilty of, it was a long time after 
 that, before he excused himself from be 
 nevolence on the plea of heavy taxes. 
 It took more talk, and a great deal of 
 it, and even then I fear that Miss 
 Priscilla would have walked away with 
 out her contribution but for unfailing 
 good-nature and unselfishness. 
 
 " I am sorry to take so much of 
 your time," said Mr. Hoardwell, looking 
 at his watch and fingering his hat. 
 " Really how late it is getting." He un 
 derstood all those little gentlemanly de 
 vices for getting rid of a troublesome 
 caller as well as a gentleman could. 
 " But I must say I don't feel this morn 
 ing, like
 
 56 MISS PRISCELLA HUNTER. 
 
 " Oh, no trouble in life," interrupted 
 Miss Priscilla, with good-humored alacrity: 
 
 " If you don't feel ready to decide 
 this morning why I can call again just 
 as well as not. I've set out to do this 
 thing, and I mean to do it ; there are 
 a good many to call on. I mean to 
 give every man, woman and child, a 
 chance, and I'll have to pass here 
 pretty often, so I can call as well as 
 not. I'll just drop in every morning 
 as I pass by, and whenever you have 
 made up your mind, you can just say 
 the word, and in that way it won't 
 take much of your time." 
 
 How many such calls do you think 
 even Mr Hoardwell stood? Let me
 
 SHE THROWS NEW LIGHT ON TAXATION. 57 
 
 tell you; just five! Absolutely it took 
 him five days to make up his mind 
 that it was impossible to avoid giving 
 something. He couldn't comfort himself 
 in the way that Mr. Merchant had; 
 for he feared there was a possibility 
 that sometime, away in the dim, distant 
 future, he might be called upon to re 
 deem his pledge. 
 
 " There ! " said Miss Priscilla, drawing 
 a long sigh of relief one very rainy 
 morning as she splashed down the walk 
 from his door with his name on her 
 list for one hundred dollars ; " if I 
 haven't earned that money then I never 
 did earn any in my life. I've a great 
 mind to scratch out his name and put
 
 58 MISS PKISCILLA HUNTER. 
 
 Priscilla Hunter there in its place ; for 
 if /didn't give it, who did? It's harder 
 work than boys' pants at seventy-five 
 cents a pair; but I've got it."
 
 * 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 BEING >LL THINGS TO ALL WOMEN. 
 
 RAMP! tramp! how many miles 
 did Miss Priscilla walk during 
 that three weeks' vacation ? She didn't 
 know, and so her list grew, she didn't 
 :are. But even she had not realized the 
 magnitude of the task which she had 
 undertaken. Once she sat and moral 
 
 ized about it in the darkness of her 
 59
 
 60 MISS PBISCILLA HUNTER. 
 
 room. She was economizing coal-oil, 
 for the sake of the church debt It 
 was a chink from which she saw that 
 one of those odd dimes could drop ; and 
 such chinks were few in her life of toil 
 and pinch. She sat there alone, by a 
 bit of a fire, for the autumn days were 
 chill and frosty, when they were not 
 damp and foggy, in the extreme. She 
 had made some curious calls that day. 
 " I don't wonder," she said, thinking 
 aloud, according to her fashion. " I 
 don't wonder that old woman said it 
 took all sorts of folks to make a world, 
 and for her part she was glad she 
 wa'n't one of 'em. Sensible old woman! 
 If one only needrit be ' one of 'em.' If a
 
 BEING ALL THINGS TO ALL WOMEN. 61 
 
 body could climb up somewhere on a 
 hill and look down on all these humans, 
 and feel herself a hundred thousand 
 miles above 'em, why then, a body 
 could breathe better. I wonder now if 
 that ain't a little bit like what heaven 
 is feeling, in a good, glad, clean, com 
 fortable sense, without a speck of pride 
 in it; that you've got above it all all the 
 worry, and fuss, and pinches, and scrimps, 
 and stings, and bruises and meannesses, 
 and debts, forever and ever ! But then, 
 dear me ! the widow Dixon will get 
 there too. Well, that's nice, I'm sure. 
 It is a blessed thing that some day she 
 will get her soul clean out of that little 
 cramped-up body of her's, and have
 
 62 MISS PEISCILLA HUNTEK. 
 
 room to breathe. How she will look 
 down on herself, though ! the part of 
 her that she lived down here in the 
 hollow! Well, for the matter of that, 
 Priscilla Hunter, so will you. Don't 
 you go to being puffed up. 
 
 " Pity's sake ! if you weren't going to 
 be a better woman by ten thousand 
 times when you get to heaven than 
 you are here, why heaven would be an 
 out and out disappointment, that's all. 
 
 " And there will be no such thing as 
 that hateful word, up there, bless the 
 Lord ; haven't I his own word for it ? 
 Didn't he say we should be ' satisfied^. " 
 
 " I wonder what it feels like to be 
 satisfied !
 
 BEING ALL THINGS TO ALL WOMEN. 63 
 
 " There's a pair of shoes gone towards 
 the debt! a hole clear through one of 
 'em, and a grinning place in the other 
 that will be a hole long before I have 
 tramped this town over many times 
 
 A sacrifice to the cause. 
 
 more. Well now, Priscilla Hunter, what 
 are you talking about? The Lord knows 
 that you counted the cost, and then 
 deliberately gave these three weeks, shoes 
 and all to the cause ; I don't know that
 
 64 MISS PBISCILLA HUNTER. 
 
 it makes any difference to you, whether 
 anybody else ever knows it or not. You 
 needn't be a mite afraid about the 
 shoes, either. He can manage to have 
 you get a pair of shoes I guess, when 
 you need 'em. It is a mercy that you 
 haven't got that to worry about." 
 
 Miss Priscilla's interview with the wid 
 ow Dixon, which lay somewhat heavily on 
 her heart, is worthy of a word of detail. 
 The widow Dixon belonged to that class 
 of persons who, with house, and gar 
 den, and farm, and cattle, and barns 
 well-stored, and with a fair proportion 
 of this world's goods converted into rail 
 road and bank stock, yet apparently 
 firmly expect to end their days in the
 
 BEING ALL THINGS TO ALL WOMEN. 65 
 
 poor-house, or at least, to come to pov 
 erty ! Moreover, the widow Dixon knew 
 what it was to understand other people's 
 duties for them. 
 
 " It is a burning shame that they 
 have let this debt hang on so ! " she 
 exclaimed, waxing into the excited state 
 the minute the subject was mentioned. 
 " I've said it a hundred times. The 
 church needn't ever hope to prosper so 
 long as it shirks its honest debts in 
 the kind of way ours has; and I say 
 it is a sin and a shame ! " 
 
 " So it is ! " interrupted Miss Priscilla 
 in a soothing tone. " What I say is, let's 
 pay it now, and be done with it." 
 
 " Oh, yes, Miss Hunter, you and I who
 
 66 MISS PBISCILLA HUNTER. 
 
 have nothing to pay with, can talk that 
 way till the next century, and it won't 
 do any good. I say let those who are 
 rolling in wealth so much money they 
 don't know what to do with it shoul 
 der the burden and carry it. That's the 
 way to do it." 
 
 " But they won't shoulder it, Mis' 
 Dixon. I'm willing enough to have 'em 
 use their shoulders, and I've been wait 
 ing for their shoulders till I'm sick and 
 tired of it. Now, I'm going to use my 
 own, and you must put yours against 
 mine, and give a lift with the rest." 
 
 "Not I. I've said I wouldn't give a 
 cent towards that debt, and I don't be 
 lieve I will. It never ought to have been
 
 "Not I." Page 66.
 
 BEING ALL THINGS TO ALL WOMEN. 69 
 
 made in the first place. A church run 
 ning in debt ! I'm never in debt, and I 
 don't run around the town coaxing peo 
 ple to put their shoulders to the wheel 
 and help me pay my grocery bill." 
 
 " Of course you don't, Mis' Dixon, and 
 
 
 you are not going to begin it now, at 
 
 this late day. When your grocery bill 
 comes due, you just put your hand in 
 your pocket and bring out the money, 
 and that's exactly what I want you to 
 do to-day. This is your bill a piece 
 of it as much as it is mine, and Mr. 
 Merchant's and all the others. There's 
 no benevolence about it, nor charity, nor 
 nothing of that kind. I ain't around 
 begging just now; I'm good at that,
 
 70 MISS PEISCILLA HUNTER. 
 
 too, when the right time comes, and I 
 mean to do some of it before long, but 
 all in life I'm doing now is just pre 
 senting folks' bills and asking 'em to pay 
 their debts ; it's all mapped out, each 
 one his and her share ; some of 'em 
 won't pay their share to be sure, and 
 some others will have to come in and 
 help pay their bills, just as we have to 
 help pay the grocery bills for the town's 
 poor, but you don't expect me, of course, 
 to go to Deacon Jones, or Mr. Merchant 
 and beg a little money to help pay your 
 debt with. I reckon you're too honest 
 a woman for that. You see it's a mere 
 matter of business, and what they give 
 towards it has no more to do with your
 
 BEING ALL THINGS TO ALL WOMEN. 71 
 
 share, than what I give towards paying 
 my grocer's bill has to do with you pay 
 ing yours. Don't you see ? " 
 
 " No, I don't. I must say you always 
 could make white look black, if you 
 wanted to. What I say is, I'm too poor 
 to give anything to the church this year; 
 it as as much as I can do to support 
 my family. It isn't as if I were rich ; 
 I'd be willing if I had the money that 
 some have, to pay the whole debt and 
 be done with it." 
 
 " I wish to the life you had it then ; 
 just to shame some of those who won't 
 pay their share, and make it necessary 
 for somebody to go begging for 'em. It'll 
 come to that, I dare say, because there's
 
 72 MISS PRISCILLA HTJNTEB. 
 
 some folks that just wont pay their 
 debts, and you can't help yourself, so 
 I'm free to confess that I may have to 
 come around again to get you to take 
 a tug at other folks' duties, and then of 
 course you'll have a chance to say which 
 you will do yes or no. But I'm not 
 after anything of the kind to-day ; haven't 
 got to it yet. All I want now is for you 
 to pay your debt the part of it that 
 belongs to you and nobody else that's 
 every earthly thing that I'm after. So 
 come, don't let me take any more of 
 your time." 
 
 And she actually befuddled that woman 
 into putting down in black and white 
 the sum that was her fair share of the
 
 Miss Almina St John. Page 75.
 
 BEING ALL THINGS TO ALL WOMEN. 75 
 
 debt in question. Her comment as she 
 clicked the latch of that gate, was : 
 
 " Well, well ! St. Paul got along nicely 
 being all things to all men, I dare say 
 but if he had tried being all things to all 
 women, I ain't sure but he'd have given 
 up in disgust. Not that / mean to, to 
 be sure, but then I'm a woman ! " 
 
 All sorts of people she dealt with. 
 There was Miss Almina St. John, a gay 
 young member of the church, who when 
 accosted by Miss Priscilla, answered: 
 
 " Oh, horrors ! / don't know anything 
 about money or debts. I always send my 
 bills to papa and he pays them, and that 
 is all I have to do with it." 
 
 "All right," said Miss Priscilla, whip-
 
 76 MISS PRISCILLA HUNTER. 
 
 ping out her pencil from her great 
 pocket. " That's easy done ; just write 
 a note directing him to pay your share 
 of this debt, and I've no manner of doubt 
 he'll do it ; he's not the man to refuse a 
 just bill." 
 
 " But I don't understand. What on 
 earth are you talking about ? Why don't 
 you go to papa for a subscription if you 
 want money ? What do I know about it, 
 or what is it to 'me ? " 
 
 " Why, bless your heart, child ! I have 
 been to him for his part, but I supposed 
 young ladies like you, had your pin- 
 money, and out of it were supposed to 
 pay your small debts. Your share isn't 
 large, to be sure, but it needs paying, just
 
 BEING ALL THINGS TO ALL WOMEN. 77 
 
 the same as though it were. I didn't 
 understand that I was to take it to your 
 father. If that's the way, just write your 
 note and I'll tramp back there with it 
 in a twinkling." 
 
 " What an idea ! " said Miss Almina, 
 thoughtfully. An idea really was begin- 
 ning to penetrate through her frizzes. 
 " Send an order to papa for a church 
 debt! He would think I was demented. 
 Why, Miss Priscilla, if he has subscribed, 
 there is an end of it, I should think." 
 
 " I can't for the life of me see why. He 
 didn't pay your share ; only his own. If 
 he eats his dinner, I suppose that isn't 
 the end of it, you have to eat yours, 
 besides. There's the church, and you
 
 78 MISS PRISCILLA HUNTER. 
 
 own a share in it; you helped get it 
 into debt, you step on the carpets and 
 sit under the gaslight, and wear out the 
 cushions every Sabbath-day when you are 
 not too tired, or too sleepy, or too some 
 thing to come to church. Any way you 
 have contrived to wear out the little 
 share I've here put you down for. 
 There's the strangest notions that I'm 
 out on this tramp for the sake of benev 
 olence ; I haven't a benevolent idea in 
 my head, and don't mean to have 'till 
 this debt is paid ; it's justice we're after 
 now ; honesty, common honesty. Are 
 you going to pay your share, child, or 
 shall I put you down on the pauper-
 
 BEING ALL THINGS TO ALL WOMEN. 79 
 
 list, to be looked after by the church 
 at large?" 
 
 Then the fair Almina laughed out 
 right. 
 
 " What funny notions ! " she said : " let 
 me see my share the idea / is that all 
 that belongs to me ? That's just a trifle. 
 I have an allowance of course, but it 
 would be so comical to take any of it 
 for such a purpose ! Though after all 
 as you say, I don't know why I 
 shouldn't. Only it is 'so funny / If I 
 do it, the girls all ought to. Don't you 
 mean to make the girls all do it, Miss 
 Priscilla?" 
 
 " / make them ! " said Miss Priscilla, 
 snapping her keen, grey eyes at the fair,
 
 80 MISS PEISCILLA HUNTER. 
 
 frizzled head ; u / make the girls in our 
 church pay their debts ! Have we any 
 really dishonest ones among us ? Of 
 course if they can pay anything^ they'll 
 pay this." 
 
 " Well, it's the funniest thing I ever 
 did in my life ! " laughed Miss Almina, 
 but she did it, wrote her aristocratic 
 name in delicate, unreadable Italian 
 tracery, and added in good honest fig 
 ures the sum which Miss Priscilla had 
 specified as her fair share of the 
 debt. And thereafter, she talked her 
 ' idea ' to all the girls, to say nothing 
 of the boys. Unwittingly, Miss Priscilla 
 had secured an ally, and greatly she re 
 joiced thereat.
 
 CHAPTER. IV. 
 
 SHE FINDS SUBSTANCE IN SMOKE. 
 
 'ER scheme widened and length 
 ened as she tramped. She called 
 one day on Mr. Leonard Phelps. Now 
 Mr. Leonard Phelps was one of those 
 good-natured young men who have fair 
 salaries, and contrive to eat, and drink, 
 and drive and smoke every cent of them 
 up, until some day they get married, 
 
 81
 
 82 MISS PBISCTTJiA HUNTER. 
 
 and then they pinch, and twist, and 
 save, and grumble for the rest of their 
 lives, but as a rule they contrive to 
 eat, and smoke, and drive on. 
 
 Mr. Phelps was in the middle stage 
 of this disease. He was a clerk in a 
 large dry-goods house; a favorite clerk, 
 receiving a good salary, and having at 
 present no one besides himself and the 
 young lady who chanced to take his 
 passing fancy, on which to spend his 
 money. 
 
 He was a favorite with Miss Priscilla ; 
 she liked him just as a good many 
 others did, without any definite reason 
 save the fact that she couldn't help it. 
 
 " He is an idot ! " she was apt to
 
 She found him alone at his counter. Page 85.
 
 SHE FINDS SUBSTANCE IN SMOKE. 85 
 
 say, snapping her eyes and sewing fast. 
 " Just a born idiot, and nothing else ; 
 wasting his time and his talents, and 
 frolicing through his life, for all the 
 world like the " gaudy young butterfly " 
 that I used to read about when I went 
 to school. But for all that, I can't 
 help liking him ; though I can't see 
 anything in life that ought to be liked 
 about him." 
 
 It was on this young man whom 
 she called with her subscription paper. 
 She found him alone at his counter, 
 in good humor, as he generally was, 
 and engaged in whistling while he tried 
 to determine in his own mind where to 
 waste the evening which was drawing
 
 86 MISS PBISCILLA HUNTEK. 
 
 near, and which fell to him as a leis 
 ure one. 
 
 He parried Miss Priscilla's thrusts 
 with the most good-natured skill for 
 some time, then, growing weary of her, 
 said courteously : 
 
 " The truth is, Miss Hunter, I should 
 like exceedingly well to help you ; I 
 don't know anything that would give 
 me greater pleasure if I were able to 
 do it ; but the honest fact is that I 
 haven't the money to spare. It is all 
 I can do to live, these are hard times 
 you know; and what with this and 
 that unexpected drain on my purse 
 for something is always coming up to 
 take money it is a regular struggle
 
 SHE FINDS SUBSTANCE IN SMOKE. 87 
 
 with me to keep out of debt. I feel 
 almost worn out in the attempt." 
 
 "You do look thin, that's a fact!" 
 said Miss Priscilla, in a significant tone ; 
 and she surveyed his large, well-propor 
 tioned, somewhat portly form, with such 
 an air of mock commiseration on her 
 face, that it provoked a burst of laugh 
 ter from the gay young man. 
 
 " I don't want to be hard on you," 
 continued his tormenter. " I know you 
 have a great many depending on you 
 for food and clothes, and all that sort 
 of thing, it is not to be expected that 
 with your little bit of a salary it takes 
 me exactly three years and eight months 
 sewing ten hours a day, three hundred
 
 88 MISS PKISCILLA SUNTEfc. 
 
 and thirteen days in a year, to make 
 it, out of pants so of course I know 
 you can't have much to give. Let me 
 have for the next six months, what you 
 know on your honor as a gentleman 
 you would spend in smoke, and I'll let 
 you off from the balance." 
 
 " Smoke ! " he said, somewhat taken 
 aback. " Oh now, Miss Priscilla ! you 
 wouldn't be so hard-hearted as to have 
 me give up my cigars ? They are all the 
 comfort I have in life." 
 
 " Poor fellow ! getting comfort out of 
 smoke ; you are poor, that's a fact ! 
 And so you are willing to own that 
 you care more for your puffs of smoke 
 than you do for the Lord ?"
 
 SHE FINDS SUBSTANCE IN SMOKE. 89 
 
 "Oh, as to that, I'm not a professor 
 of religion, you know ; it is not expected 
 of me to be governed by any such 
 motives." 
 
 " Bless me ! why not ? Who doesn't 
 expect it of you? That's the queerest 
 way to talk I ever heard of ! Sup 
 pose you were called on to help your 
 father's family, would you say : ' Well 
 now, I don't pretend to belong to my 
 father's family. I eat food of his pro 
 viding to be sure, and wear clothes 
 which his money furnishes, but I have 
 never made any profession of belonging 
 to the family, and I don't see how I 
 can be expected to take an interest in 
 them?"
 
 90 MISS PEISCILLA HUNTER. 
 
 Certainly, this was a new way of put 
 ting a truth, and Mr. Leonard Phelps 
 who was not easily embarrassed, felt his 
 face flush slightly, as one who realized 
 that his logic had put him into very 
 close quarters. 
 
 "Well, but, Miss Hunter," he said, 
 rallying, "you will surely admit that 
 there is a difference between people who 
 profess religion, and those who do not." 
 
 " I dare say there is. As much dif 
 ference in fact, as there is between a 
 son who professes to love his father, 
 and one who doesn't. But if you mean 
 there ought to be a difference, I can't 
 say that I see how it takes away a 
 son's obligation to behave himself, be-
 
 SHE FINDS SUBSTANCE IN SMOKE. 91 
 
 cause he doesn't profess to care for his 
 father's family. You see, young man, 
 it isn't a question that lies with you to 
 settle, whether you will have Mr. Mar 
 cus Phelps for your father or not. He is 
 your father, and you can't help yourself ; 
 and you owe him your love whether 
 he gets it or not, is another thing. 
 Now what you need to remember, is, 
 that the Lord is your father, whether 
 you choose to own him or not; and 
 he has a right to your love, and your 
 help. Whether you give him his rights 
 or not, is your affair, and his. But 
 don't go to saying that a thing isn't 
 expected of you, because you don't do 
 it ! That's ruinous doctrine, and hasn't
 
 92 MISS PKISCILLA HUNTER. 
 
 any common sense about it, either. 
 There's lots expected of people on the 
 score of their having brains, and souls, 
 and all that, and they seem to take de 
 light some of 'em in disappointing all 
 the expectations that their friends have ; 
 but, unless they are born idiots, they 
 won't pretend that shirking their duty 
 releases them from all responsibility in 
 the matter." 
 
 This is only a part of the conversa 
 tion ; it was continued at some length, 
 and grew serious, developing more 
 thought about these matters of obliga 
 tion, and fatherhood, and sonship, than 
 this young man had ever given before; 
 and we cannot yet tell whereunto this
 
 SHE FINDS SUBSTANCE IN SMOKE. 93 
 
 thing may grow; certain it is though, 
 that he gave his promise, not to give up 
 smoking, indeed that was perhaps too 
 much for so voluptuous a nature to do 
 on the sudden but to hold himself to a 
 strict account with his cigars, and what 
 ever they cost him for the next six 
 months, deliver that sum into the church- 
 fund for his share of the payment of the 
 debt. 
 
 Miss Priscilla readily agreed to that, 
 and trudged away saying to herself with 
 a satisfied nod: 
 
 " There's an honest penny towards pay 
 ing the share of those who won't pay 
 he doesn't think he'll double his share 
 by the means but I know it."
 
 94 MISS PEISCILLA HUNTER. 
 
 The talk had suggested a new idea 
 to her busy brain, and before that day 
 was done she had made several dashes 
 at young men in the church and congre 
 gation, the result of which she entered 
 in her book under the brief but expres 
 sive heading: 
 
 "In account with smoke" so much. 
 
 Tramp ! tramp ! The days went on, so 
 did the work. Those who were amused 
 at first and eager, gradually lost interest, 
 and as Miss Priscilla kept her own coun 
 sel as to results, ceased questioning her, 
 or talking about the new enterprise ; and 
 finally those who thought about it at all, 
 contented themselves with the fond mem 
 ory that they were not to be called on
 
 In account with smoke." Page 94.
 
 SHE FINDS SUBSTANCE IN SMOKE. 97 
 
 for the payment of their subscriptions 
 unless the whole sum was raised. They 
 had Miss Priscilla's word for that. 
 
 The three weeks passed, and she took 
 down her vacation sign, and sat again in 
 her one window, with shears and buttons 
 and thread around her, and sewed steadily 
 a large share of the day ; but regularly, 
 as the light began to wane, donned shawl 
 and bonnet, and trudged off. 
 
 Also she had many schemes not appar 
 ently connected with the church debt. 
 " Might as well kill two birds with one 
 stone," she had begun to say early in 
 her rounds. So she had planned, and 
 matured, and actually started an enter- 
 prize whereby eyery woman in the church
 
 98 MISS PKISCILLA HUNTEK. 
 
 was pledged to make an apron, or a towel, 
 or a stove-holder, or a pair of stockings, 
 something with her own hands, and have 
 ready for Miss Priscilla against a certain 
 day of the month, in a certain month of 
 the year. 
 
 " This is charity? explained Miss Pris 
 cilla. " This is for the heathen." 
 
 "But what are you going to do with 
 them ? The heathen don't want kitchen 
 aprons and dish-towels ; they want Bibles 
 and tracts." 
 
 " Never you mind that ! " would Miss 
 Priscilla return, followed with a peculiar 
 pressure of her lips : " There's many a 
 heathen would be the better for a good 
 decent kitchen apron, long enough to
 
 The better for a good kitchen apron." Page
 
 SHE FINDS SUBSTANCE IN SMOKE. 101 
 
 cover her nicely. But that's neither here 
 nor there. These things are for the 
 heathen, and they'll get them in one shape 
 or another ; make 'em and see." 
 
 And behold, it came to pass, that 
 when the young ladies held their an 
 nual fair of worsted dogs, and cats, 
 sitting on bright worsted cushions, and 
 tidies, Miss Priscilla had a corner of 
 the room and a big table devoted to the 
 use of the aprons, and dish-towels, and 
 stockings, and holders. And whatever 
 got possession of the people, whether it 
 was the novelty of seeing something really 
 useful for sale at a fair, or whether Miss 
 Priscilla had awakened in their hearts 
 some of her enthusiasm, or whether it
 
 102 MISS PEISCILLA HTJNTEB. 
 
 was an answer to some of her earnest 
 prayers up there in that little back room, 
 certain it is that by eleven o'clock, not a 
 towel, or apron, or mitten, or holder was 
 left. Miss Priscilla counted her gains 
 with quiet satisfaction, and the next day 
 made a deposit in the First National 
 bank. 
 
 " It is for the heathen, Mr. Merchant," 
 she explained. " Can it be entered in 
 their name and be drawing interest, while 
 I am at work gathering up what is to 
 go with it?" 
 
 " So you have deserted the enlightened 
 people of our city as hopeless, have 
 you ? " laughed Mr. Merchant, as he 
 counted the dimes and five-cent bits and
 
 We'll give you five percent interest on this." Page 105.
 
 SHE FINDS SUBSTANCE IN SMOKE. 105 
 
 coppers. " Well, I guess you are wise, 
 the heathen will make better returns. 
 Yes, we'll give you five per cent interest 
 on this." 
 
 " The heathen are everywhere," was 
 Miss Priscilla's brief comment as she 
 took her bank-book and departed. Every 
 " man, woman and child? That had been 
 her promise, and she kept it bravely. 
 
 All the children were organized into a 
 society which was called the " Penny 
 Club." Not a child in the city who could 
 by any shadow of reason be counted 
 among the children of the church, but 
 belonged to Miss Priscilla's club ; all were 
 pledged to give, some of them a penny 
 a day, some of them a penny a week,
 
 106 MISS PEISCILLA HUNTER. 
 
 and a few of them a penny a month, ac 
 cording to their several degrees of wealth 
 or poverty. Each of them was to earn 
 this money for himself, and those who 
 were too poor to expect payment from 
 their own families, were fitted out with 
 scraps from many jackets and trousers 
 that had accumulated in Miss Priscilla's 
 back room, and instructed how to make 
 pen-wipers for the million. The boys 
 were set to whittling, and many a neat 
 spool-holder and thimble-stand were whit 
 tled out that would never have been 
 thought of, but for Miss Priscilla's wits. 
 All these things found their place at the 
 fair, and found sale besides. 
 
 " If people will go to fairs to spend
 
 The " Penny Club." Page 105.
 
 SHE FINDS SUBSTANCE IN SMOKE. 109 
 
 their money," said Miss Priscilla, as she 
 fastened a ticket of price on each little 
 pen-wiper and whittled article "why let 
 'em, I'm willing; here's something for 
 'em to buy." 
 
 And they bought them. 
 
 Every child in the congregation re 
 ported her pennies and her earnings to 
 Miss Priscilla on certain days of the 
 week, each having her special day, and 
 each kept a bit of a book made by 
 folding a half-sheet of paper a number 
 of times and putting a stitch of bright 
 thread through it and each child made 
 her entry in neat school-hand or crooked 
 capitals, according to the degree of edu 
 cation acquired; and nothing flourished
 
 110 MISS PEISCILLA HUNTER. 
 
 better, or was productive of more fun to 
 the young people themselves, than Miss 
 Priscilla's " Penny Club." 
 
 As for the money they pledged, and 
 the money which they earned and brought 
 that they had not pledged, Miss Pris- 
 cilla large faith though she had was 
 amazed at the amount ! As she ran her 
 eyes over the rows and rows of pen 
 nies, and five-cent pieces, and dimes, and 
 marked how they swelled and how they 
 footed up, she murmured: 
 
 " Who would have thought that a few 
 pennies gathered together, would make 
 so many ! If the world was at work 
 in a penny club for missions, we could 
 pay the everlasting debt of the foreign
 
 SHE FINDS SUBSTANCE IN SMOKE. Ill 
 
 boards. A penny a day ! I declare I'm 
 equal to that, myself; now multiply me 
 by a few million of people, and how 
 rich and powerful I am ! How those 
 boards exist, being forever ' overdrawn ' 
 is more than I can understand. Still, 
 I'm free to confess that / don't want 
 to go around with a subscription to help 
 make 'em even ! not yet awhile, anyhow."
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 ATTAINS TO THE SPEECH-MAKING ERA. 
 
 [ON'T suppose that there were 
 
 not in our church, those who 
 
 
 
 met Miss Priscilla half-way with eager 
 hearts, and open pockets; there were 
 many who had felt as she did, and who 
 knew the meaning of sacrifice ; in tri 
 fling ways, indeed, but it is the trifling 
 sacrifices that pinch. One can do a 
 
 112
 
 ATTAINS TO THE SPEECH-MAKING ERA. 113 
 
 great thing now and then, that he 
 knows people will admire, even though 
 he has no such selfish motive in doing 
 it, still it helps, and cheers, to know 
 that an appreciative world looks on and 
 says : " That was well done ! " But to 
 go without a new dress all winter to go 
 to church, and to society, and occa 
 sionally to a tea-party, wearing the cash 
 mere or alpacca that has dJ>ne duty 
 
 
 as best for two years, and do it for the 
 
 sake of the church, and say nothing 
 about it, and know that people are ig 
 norant of the reason, and feel that they 
 are wondering whether you are aware 
 that your dress really begins to look 
 " rusty " that is sacrifice.
 
 114 MISS PRISCILLA HUNTER. 
 
 There were those young couples who 
 quietly gave up the money laid aside for 
 concert tickets, and lecture tickets, and 
 even a new book now and then, gave 
 them up with a little sigh to be sure, 
 and yet they hid even the sigh from 
 each other, and said cheerily : " It is 
 only for one winter; when we get out 
 of debt we shall feel so much better." 
 Such people had faith in Miss Priscilla; 
 they believed that the debt would be 
 paid ; weren't they helping to the best 
 of their ability with prayerfully enlight 
 ened consciences? There were those 
 who went down lower than that; and 
 cut off the meat bill, and had hashes 
 for dinner oftener, and codfish balls,
 
 ATTAINS TO THE SPEECH-MAKING EBA. 115 
 
 and now and then baked potatoes and 
 milk gravy, and no meat at all, or apol 
 ogy for meat, because they wanted the 
 church debt paid ; such people knew it 
 would be paid. . There were tender little 
 places too in Miss Priscilla's work ; 
 there was a mother who sat and thought, 
 after she had given her little contribu 
 tion, (all she could afford,) and wiped 
 the tears that dropped slowly down her 
 cheeks, and Miss Priscilla waited, and 
 wondered, and felt not at liberty to go 
 lest there was something left unsaid 
 that this mother wanted to say ; and 
 finally the mother arose hastily and went 
 to her bureau drawer, and unlocked it, 
 and drew from under piles of clothes a
 
 116 MISS PEISCILLA HUNTEE. 
 
 little box and unlocked that with a tiny 
 key she carried, and drew forth what ? 
 A gold chain and clasps ? a diamond 
 ring ? a jeweled bracelet ? Oh, no ! a lit 
 tle wooden Noah's ark, with the paint 
 fresh on the animals, and a look of 
 newness about it all, though it had lain 
 there for months. 
 
 " This was my little Jamie's," she 
 said : " He had it only a day or two 
 before he went away; he loved it best 
 of anything he had ; and he was so 
 careful as he handled it, that there isn't 
 a spot on anything, nor a scratch; I 
 never could bear to think of any other 
 fingers touching it; but I believe I'll 
 give it to you; you can put it on that
 
 ATTAINS TO THE SPEECH-MAKING EKA. 117 
 
 toy-table you are going to have for the 
 children ; put Jamie's name on it, and 
 maybe somebody will buy it for his sake ; 
 he would like to be counted in with the 
 children if he were here, and he shall, 
 the darling;" and then the mother broke 
 down utterly, and wept in bitterness of 
 soul, because of the aching emptiness 
 of her mother-heart; and the father 
 looked on with quivering lip, and eyes 
 that dimmed constantly, and presently 
 he drew his old-fashioned silver watch 
 from his pocket, unfastened the black 
 cord, and drew from it a silver half 
 dollar with a hole drilled in it. 
 
 " Here," he said with husky voice ; 
 " I will not let you do all the sacrific-
 
 118 MISS PBISCILLA HUNTEB. 
 
 ing Mary; this is Jamie's half dollar, 
 he had it when he was a baby, and 
 he wore it for a watch as long as he 
 lived. I have worn it since, but I'll 
 give it as Jamie's share towards the 
 church." 
 
 And he dropped the shining thing 
 into the box with Noah's ark, and then 
 walked to the window and turned his 
 back on them both, and leaned his head 
 on the glass, and struggled for calmness. 
 And that was sacrifice ! 
 
 " God bless you ! " murmured Miss 
 Priscilla, and her voice was choked so 
 that she could say no more ; indeed, she 
 had no more to say. She went away 
 at once; went home to her own little,
 
 " That was sacrifice ! " Page 118.
 
 ATTAINS TO THE SPEECH-MAKING EKA. 121 
 
 dark room; she threw off her bonnet 
 and her rubbers, and then she laid the 
 box on her poor little bed and opened 
 it, and got down before it and she said : 
 " O Lord, thou seest this Noah's ark 
 and this half dollar; thou knowest little 
 Jamie, he is safe in thine arms this 
 minute ; here are his gifts to our church. 
 Lord bless Jamie's gift; bless his father 
 and mother with a blessing that shall be 
 pressed down, and running over in their 
 hearts ; and bless our church thy church 
 Lord bought with thy precious blood; 
 honor our efforts, forgive our mistakes, 
 forgive the efforts that we dorit make, 
 and make it all end for thy glory, 
 Amen."
 
 122 MISS FKISCILLA HUNTER. 
 
 After that, Miss Pnscilla knew that 
 the cause was won. 
 
 So the winter passed; no 4 : for one day 
 did this woman's faith, or feet falter, or 
 her courage fail ; she tramped and talked, 
 and planned, and worked, and saved, 
 and prayed; and finally presented her 
 self one morning at the door of the 
 First National Bank, and with brisk 
 movements produced from her pocket 
 the note that Mr. Merchant had given 
 
 her; made out according to his humor 
 
 
 
 precisely as she had dictated : " Payable 
 the 2 yth day of April, 18 at ten 
 o'clock, A. M." 
 
 "Read that," she said briefly. "Re 
 member it ? "
 
 ATTAINS TO THE SPEECH-MAKING ERA. 123 
 
 " I do certainly, Miss Hunter." 
 
 " All right then ; it's the twenty-seventh 
 day of April, I suppose you know ; and 
 it is ten o'clock A. M., and here I am, 
 waiting." 
 
 " But there is a clause to the note 
 that - you overlook ; I was not to be 
 asked for it you will remember ; unless 
 the entire sum of five thousand dollars 
 had been collected." 
 
 " How do you know I overlook it ? 
 My eyesight is good, (when I get on 
 my glasses,) and my memory is, with 
 out 'em. It's all right of course, or I 
 wouldn't be here; count out your three 
 hundred if you please ; for I'm in a
 
 124 MISS PEISCILLA HUNTER. 
 
 tremendous hurry; there is a great deal 
 to do to-day." 
 
 I shall not attempt to describe to you 
 the dazed way in which Mr. Merchant 
 retired behind his desk, and the puzzled 
 air with which he said as he handed 
 Miss Priscilla the three hundred dollars 
 in crisp bank notes : 
 
 " I've no doubt this is all right, Miss 
 Hunter. I would trust you with my 
 entire purse, you know." 
 
 ' " Of course it is," she said, answering 
 the first part of the sentence. " I shall 
 be after that money for the heathen, 
 in a few days; now, it is time they were 
 looked after; I want to leave it as
 
 ATTAINS TO THE SPEECH-MAKING ERA. 125 
 
 long as I can though, for the sake of 
 the interest." 
 
 And then she tramped off. 
 
 In a marvelously short time after 
 this payment was made, considering 
 the number of things that were done in 
 the interim, there came a day when the 
 entire congregation of our church was 
 called together on a week day, to 
 hear a report concerning the church- 
 debt. There was never a fuller meeting 
 of our congregation ; all the people from 
 the country were there, and all the chil 
 dren were there, and those who had been 
 for some time too feeble to go to 
 church were there ; and a general air of 
 expectation prevailed.
 
 126 MISS PBISCILLA HUNTEE. 
 
 The meeting was called to order and 
 Mr. Merchant was elected chairman. 
 His opening speech was not a brief 
 one. He referred to the church-debt, 
 which certainly everybody knew about ; 
 he dwelt on the disgrace which it had 
 been to them for so long, which every 
 body understood ; he referred to their 
 sister, Miss Priscilla Hunter, and the 
 self-sacrificing spirit which she had 
 shown, and the marvelous work which 
 she had accomplished. And he did not 
 hear how that self-sacrificing sister who 
 sat away back in a dark corner of the 
 church under the gallery, muttered to 
 herself : 
 
 " Bah ! leave that part out."
 
 ATTAINS TO THE SPEECH-MAKING EEA. 127 
 
 So he continued to enlarge upon it, 
 till she declared afterwards, that if it 
 hadn't been for fear of helping to con 
 tract another church-debt, she could have 
 jumped through the stained glass win 
 dow. But at last he did reach the 
 actual report : 
 
 " Debt, five thousand four hundred 
 and sixty-two dollars." 
 
 Every child in the church knew those 
 figures. 
 
 "Received on subscription four thou 
 sand four hundred and twenty dollars ; 
 proceeds from young ladies fund, do 
 nated voluntarily, two hundred and 
 eighty-seven dollars ; proceeds from 
 chickens, butter, eggs, milk, cabbage,
 
 128 MISS PBISCILLA HUNTER. 
 
 potatoes, cheese, pork, and other articles 
 of produce, donated by our country 
 friends, and sold by Miss Hunter at 
 the highest market prices, one hundred 
 and thirty-two dollars. Proceeds from 
 livery horses not hired, and oysters not 
 bought, and wines not ordered by our 
 young men: two hundred and seventeen 
 dollars; proceeds from smoke, one hun 
 dred and sixty-nine dollars and eighty 
 cents. Children's fund, earned by them 
 selves, in the penny-club, three hundred 
 and twenty-four dollars, and thirty-six 
 cents. Proceeds from work done for 
 the benefit of the heathen, two hundred 
 and sixty-nine dollars and thirty-five 
 cents.
 
 ATTAINS TO THE SPEECH-MAKING ERA. 129 
 
 This amount, Mr. Merchant pro 
 ceeded to explain, he was instructed by 
 their Sister Hunter to say, had been 
 raised in the confident expectation that 
 there would be some in their church, 
 who, in refusing to provide for their own 
 household, would be " worse than the 
 heathen," according to Scripture. But she 
 desired to take this occasion to offer 
 her apology for having thought so meanly 
 of her brethren and sisters. It had come 
 to pass, that the heathen had all been 
 converted ! Not one remained in their 
 borders ; not a name in the entire con 
 gregation but was represented on the 
 subscription list. Therefore, the sum to 
 tal of this collection is :
 
 130 MISS PEISCILLA HUNTEfc. 
 
 " Five thousand eight hundred and nine 
 teen dollars and fifty-one cents ! leaving 
 a surplus in the treasury, of three hun 
 dred and fifty-seven dollars and fifty-one 
 cents." 
 
 Before he sat down he would say that 
 Miss Hunter and others equally interested, 
 hoped to see the surplus appropriated 
 without delay, to the repairing of the 
 parsonage drain, and pump, and woodshed, 
 and the building of a new fence in front 
 of the parsonage. 
 
 Sanctuary though it was, and in the 
 presence of deacons, elders, board of trus 
 tees, and dignitaries of all sorts when 
 this report was concluded the small boys 
 began to stamp, and, some way, nobody
 
 ATTAINS TO THE SPEECH-MAKING EEA. 131 
 
 seemed disposed to stop them. Instead, 
 the older ones some of them followed 
 this example, encouraged by the waving 
 of many handkerchiefs, in the hands of 
 the ladies. 
 
 Who could help it? The reproach of 
 Israel was taken away, and the parson 
 age was to have a new fence ! Actually 
 we had money in our pockets with which 
 to pay for that fence ! We were free ! 
 If we had only been a poor chilrch, strug 
 gling for existence, and had made such 
 a noble lift as this, how proud we could 
 have been ! 
 
 "But as it is" said Miss Priscilla, 
 when I called on her the next morning 
 to talk over all these wonderful results
 
 132 MISS PRISCTLLA HTJNTEB. 
 
 "Mr. Merchant with his hundred thou 
 sands, and Mr. Ritchie with his stocks 
 and bonds, and Mr. Hoardwell with his 
 real estate and taxes, were about the 
 only ones who bubbled over into speeches 
 about 'our noble effort.' For my part, 
 I can't see that we have done anything 
 but our duty ; and the shame is, that we 
 didn't do it long ago, without any fuss. 
 Some of our folks, though, have done 
 more than their duty; they have been 
 generous, and can afford to rejoice. If 
 I had a hundred thousand dollars and 
 had given one hundred of it, and my 
 neighbor next door was working by the 
 day at two dollars, and had given ten of 
 'em, somehow I don't believe I should
 
 " I can sew in peace now." Page 135.
 
 ATTAINS TO THE SPEECH-MAKING ERA. 135 
 
 have felt like making a big speech about 
 'our sacrifices.' But that's neither here 
 nor there. Speeches don't hurt anybody, 
 especially after the work is done, and 
 some folks like to make 'em. Let 'em 
 do it I say; I'm willing to listen. The 
 debt is paid, anyhow, and that old clat 
 tering fence around the parsonage that 
 has been a regular thorn sticking into 
 every bit of flesh on my body, is to come 
 down ! You better believe that I'm glad 
 of it ! I can sew in peace, now, and I'll 
 burn two lamps at once, every night for 
 a week. See if I don't ! " 
 
 THE END.
 
 My daughter Susan. Frontispiece.
 
 MY DAUGHTER SUSAN. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 PLANNING A CAMPAIGN. 
 
 HAT was the term by which I 
 had always heard her mother des 
 ignate her, and I had heard the term 
 a great many times. It seems to be 
 necessary for Mrs. Carleton to speak 
 often of her daughter. I had never met
 
 8 MY DAUGHTER SUSAN. 
 
 the young lady, but I had a general 
 idea of how she looked and acted. 
 When I complimented Mrs. Carleton 
 on the extreme evenness of her ma 
 chine stitching, she was sure to reply : 
 
 " My daughter Susan runs the machine 
 for me ; she sews very nicely." 
 
 If I commented on the delicacy of her 
 sponge-cake, instantly I heard the refrain : 
 
 " Yes, my daughter Susan rarely makes 
 a mistake in her cake." 
 
 If I said anything about the exquisite 
 neatness that prevailed, in the sitting-room, 
 where several little children were allowed 
 full play, my friend would reply with a 
 satisfied air: 
 
 " My daughter Susan always had a
 
 PLANNING A CAMPAIGN. 9 
 
 faculty for keeping things straight ; I 
 never could understand how she did it." 
 
 Once I called for my friend to go on 
 an important commission which had been 
 intrusted to us, and as we passed down 
 the street, I said : 
 
 " I was fearful that you would not be 
 able to go. Mr. Carleton said that your 
 little Faye was not quite well." 
 
 "Oh," the mother answered with a re 
 lieved air and smile, " my daughter Susan 
 is at the helm ; Faye is quite willing to 
 exchange me for her, at any time." 
 
 " What a blessed comfort a quiet, domes 
 tic, elderly daughter must be; fashioned 
 like that sensible Susan of Mrs. Carle- 
 
 ton's ! "
 
 10 MY DAUGHTER SUSAN. 
 
 This I said to my husband one evening, 
 as I fretted a bit over some jar in our 
 domestic machinery. 
 
 " Now Mrs. Carleton never has any 
 trouble; her sewing, and her housekeep 
 ing, and her nursery arrangements move 
 like clock-work; all because she has an 
 elderly, sensible, homely daughter, who is 
 not the fashion, and has no inclination to 
 be. Really, I think there is more comfort 
 to be taken with that sort of daughter, 
 than any other." 
 
 " Did you ever see Miss Carleton ? " my 
 husband asked, wheeling around to me 
 with his necktie half arranged. 
 
 " No, I never did ; queer, isn't it ? but I 
 know precisely how she looks and acts ;
 
 Did you ever see Miss Carleton ?" Page 10.
 
 PLANNING A CAMPAIGN. 13 
 
 doesn't her mother quote her to me on 
 every useful and commonplace occasion ? " 
 
 My husband turned back to his necktie 
 with a queer smile on his face, and the 
 sententious remark: 
 
 " When you make the young woman's 
 acquaintance, I should like to hear from 
 you again." 
 
 The fact of my not having met Miss 
 Susan is easily explained. Her mother 
 and I were watering-place acquaintances ; 
 we had grown intimate during our enforced 
 absence from home, and discovering that 
 our homes were in the same city, we, 
 on our return, continued the intimacy. 
 At the time of which I write, we had 
 been at home but a few weeks, and
 
 14 MY DAUGHTER SUSAN. 
 
 my calls at the Carleton mansion had 
 all chanced to be made at hours when 
 the elder daughter was either absent, or 
 specially engaged. 
 
 One sunny morning I dropped into 
 my friend's nursery and chatted with 
 her until their dinner bell rang. "Come 
 down to dinner," the lady said with 
 that cordial cheeriness of tone which 
 carries a sense of hospitality in it ; " we 
 are quite alone, and my daughter Susan 
 will be glad to meet you ; she was 
 remarking the other day that she ought 
 to know you. She is in the dining- 
 room now, I presume, giving a general 
 oversight to things ; she generally goes 
 down ten minutes or so before the bell
 
 PLAN1STING A CAMPAIGN. 15 
 
 rings ; sometimes indeed, she spends her 
 morning there ; she likes to have things 
 arranged just right." 
 
 As we descended those basement 
 stairs, I found myself wishing for the 
 hundredth time, that I had a "daughter 
 Susan," or an elderly, sensible, useful 
 relative of some sort; one who was grey- 
 eyed and pug-nosed, and short-waisted, 
 and round-shouldered, and thoroughly 
 good and wise about kitchens, and nur 
 series, and cellars, and garrets, and all 
 the bewildering train of responsibilities 
 which come under the general name of 
 housekeeper's duties. 
 
 How did I happen to form that idea 
 of this useful young lady's personal ap-
 
 16 MY DAUGHTEB SUSAN. 
 
 pearance? Well, really now, I hardly 
 know. Why is it that when one hears 
 of a thoroughly efficient young woman, 
 one instinctively has an idea of a rather 
 ungraceful, untasteful, shy, silent crea 
 ture ? I wonder if it can be because 
 our pretty, graceful, tasteful, talkative 
 girls, are not inclined to be efficient 
 about useful things ? 
 
 Miss Susan's very name impressed 
 me; had it been Evelyn, or Alice, or 
 had it been Mamie, or Fannie, or even 
 Susie, I should perhaps have gotten a 
 different idea ; but the round, solid, un 
 compromising sound of " Susan " I found 
 left its impression. 
 
 My meditations were broken in upon
 
 PLANNING A CAMPAIGN. 17 
 
 by the sound of Mrs. Carleton's voice 
 with a touch of motherly pride in it, 
 as she introduced : " my daughter Susan." 
 Round-shouldered, and short- waisted ! 
 the lady who turned quickly from the 
 re-disposal of some dish and gave me 
 cordial greeting, was shapely enough, and 
 graceful enough, even in the plainness 
 of her morning dress, to have graced 
 her mother's elegant parlor instead of 
 her kitchen. I noticed her nose at once; 
 I always do, why, it would perhaps be 
 difficult to tell ; but there wasn't the 
 slightest touch of pug to it, and she had 
 those clear strong eyes, of a peculiar 
 shade of brown, that indicate strength 
 and sweetness.
 
 18 MY DAUGHTEK SUSAtf. 
 
 From that introduction, " my daughter 
 
 Susan " became a curious study to me, 
 
 "and it is certain little outgrowths from 
 
 that study, which I wish to present to 
 
 you. 
 
 I was not long in discovering that na 
 ture had intended the young lady for 
 a leader, that she could influence minds 
 with which she came in contact, by the 
 force of her stronger will. Such being 
 the case, the important question was : 
 how did she please to influence those 
 minds? I studied her to try to discover. 
 
 Her wonderful executive ability was 
 another element that gave her power. 
 She could accomplish more in one day 
 than any other woman that I ever knew.
 
 PLANNING A CAMPAIGN. 19 
 
 Watching her, it appeared that half the 
 secret lay in her habit of planning ahead. 
 She carried out a half dozen schemes 
 at once. This faculty shone conspicu 
 ously in all the minor household duties 
 which fell to her lot. Did she have 
 occasion to go up to her mother's room, 
 it seemed to flash upon her that she 
 should pass the jelly closet on her way, 
 and that certain jellies would be needed 
 for dinner, and that the linen closet 
 was just across the hall, and piles of 
 clean table drapery lay ready to be sent 
 there, which might as well go then; 
 and a book that her mother would be 
 inquiring for, was on the parlor table, 
 she would just take it along. And little
 
 20 MY DAUGHTER SUSAN. 
 
 Ted's tin horse she noticed on a shelf 
 in the back kitchen ; he would be sure 
 to want it, she would step there, and 
 take it up to him. Thus her one journey 
 accomplished half a dozen errands, and 
 her descent was equally triumphal. After 
 a few days of careful watching, it ceased 
 to be a wonder to me, that everybody 
 in that house, from the father, down to 
 young Tim, the errand boy, called after, 
 depended upon, and quoted, " my daugh 
 ter Susan. 1 ' 
 
 One well remembered day, several 
 things happened to make the peculiar 
 traits of this young lady shine out with 
 remarkable clearness. 
 
 Of the events of that day, you shall
 
 PLANNING A CAMPAIGN. 21 
 
 have a brief history. It was a long day, 
 in fact, it began the evening before; 
 my family being absent, I was invited 
 to spend the time with my friend. On 
 the morning after my arrival at the 
 Carleton homestead as I made my toilet, 
 I remember wondering how Miss Susan 
 would look in a morning wrapper, and 
 if her hair would be in crimps, or how? 
 I went down-stairs early, and quietly, 
 knowing that my habits were earlier 
 than my friend's, and fearing lest I 
 might disturb others of the family, but 
 Miss Susan was in the back parlor, all 
 the windows open, a gay handkerchief 
 tied over her head, and a duster in her 
 hand.
 
 22 MY DAUGHTER SUSAN. 
 
 " I'm almost through," she said, greet 
 ing me with a sunny smile, " and I'll 
 give you a comfortable spot in two 
 minutes ; I'm belated this morning." 
 
 "You are dressed for the street," I 
 said in an inquiring tone, as I noticed 
 her trim walking suit. " If it is for a 
 morning walk, may I accompany you?" 
 
 She laughed gaily. " I must see to 
 the cakes, and the beefsteak, I am afraid 
 instead of walking out for my health. 
 Irish Nellie doesn't succeed in quite 
 meeting father's ideas as yet, in regard 
 to those two items, though I have 
 hopes of her. However I presume I 
 shall go soon after breakfast; something 
 generally occurs to send me out, of a
 
 PLANNING A CAMPAIGN. 23 
 
 morning; I am errand girl in general 
 for this establishment. You are looking 
 inquiringly at my street dress ; I long 
 ago gave up the practice of wearing 
 wrappers ; it required too many dressings." 
 
 " Did you give up the crimping pins 
 for the same reason ? " I asked her, a:s 
 she untied and shook out the gay hand 
 kerchief, and I saw that her hair was 
 neatly and smoothly coiled. 
 
 " Well, yes ; " she answered brightly ; 
 " at least, I don't indulge in them very 
 often ; they are a sort of luxury that I 
 keep for great occasions ; father thinks 
 them so very unbecoming, in the chrys 
 alis state, you know, and one likes to 
 appear well before one's father''
 
 24 MY DAUGHTEE SUSAN. 
 
 We were just wp from breakfast, when 
 the door bell gave a quick, sharp ring, 
 and a young gentleman was ushered 
 into the sitting-room. He had inquired 
 for Miss Susan, and she was promptly 
 
 forthcoming; a large bib apron of neu 
 tral tinted calico, which protected her 
 dress, not having been removed. 
 
 " Good morning, Frank," she greeted 
 him, genially ; and then, as if time pressed : 
 " Is everything right for this evening ? " 
 
 " Not exactly ; " he answered, with a 
 nervous little laugh ; " on the contrary, 
 I am in the mood to feel that every 
 thing is wrong; I don't know what you 
 will say to it; they have ordered wines, 
 among their refreshments."
 
 Miss Carleton mused. Page 27.
 
 PLANNING A CAMPAIGN. 27 
 
 "Indeed! who has?" 
 
 " Well, young Saunders and Mr. Tem- 
 pleton are the leaders; I learned of it 
 by accident, and it is, or was the in 
 tention to keep the matter quiet from 
 some of us." 
 
 Miss Carleton mused; her brown eyes 
 seemed browner and larger than ever; 
 she picked a bit of paper into tiny bits, 
 while she thought, and then, when ready 
 to speak, threw them energetically into 
 the grate. " Frank let's consider our 
 selves insulted." 
 
 " Which will require no very great 
 strength of the imagination ; " he an 
 swered quickly ; " I am sure I feel so ; but 
 the question is, what can we do about it ? "
 
 28 MY DAUGHTER SUSAN. 
 
 " The first thing that occurs to me, 
 is, something that we wont do. We 
 won't go, shall we ? " 
 
 " Why, if you say not ; but can you 
 manage that ? Aren't you pledged to sus 
 tain the entertainment ? " 
 
 " By no manner of means, am I," 
 with a quick flash from the brown eyes, 
 " my acceptance of the invitation was 
 under the supposition that the inviters 
 were gentlemen, this proves to be a 
 mistake." 
 
 " My daughter ! " interposed the mother's 
 expostulating voice, " Isn't that being 
 
 a little too severe ? " 
 
 " I don't see that it is, mother ; in 
 
 these times, and especially when some
 
 PLANNING A CAMPAIGN. 29 
 
 of the invited guests are known to have 
 taken very strong ground in regard to 
 the use of liquors, to produce them for 
 entertainment seems to me not much 
 short of insult." 
 
 " But, my dear, could you not hope 
 to make a change in the programme 
 of refreshments ? Is that matter beyond 
 your control ? " 
 
 " It does not come within our line 
 of work, mother ; and indeed if we 
 could, by special petition, succeed in 
 prevailing on the gentlemen to show 
 ordinary courtesy to us, I don't think 
 we are either of us in the mood to 
 petition. We would rather show that 
 we believe ourselves to have been dis-
 
 30 MY DAUGHTER SUSAN. 
 
 courteously treated. Am I right, Frank? " 
 
 " Of course you are ; you always are, 
 for that matter ; and yet," then he 
 hesitated." 
 
 " Well, and yet, what ? You see 
 trouble in the distance, what is it?" 
 
 " Why, I see those for whom we are 
 just now specially anxious, led into 
 mischief with this thing. Led farther, 
 because, you, for instance, are not to be 
 there to help them." 
 
 " That is it," chimed in the mother. 
 " By making an effort to have the ob 
 jectionable feature removed, you save 
 some, or at least you have the oppor 
 tunity to try to save some, who are
 
 PLANNING A CAMPAIGN. 31 
 
 perhaps, too weak to resist temptation; 
 don't you see ? " 
 
 " Mother, I don't see. If this were 
 the only party we need expect for the 
 entire season, and a successful effort to 
 suppress wine, or champaigne, or any 
 other of the forms which the creature 
 takes How many shapes does it ap 
 pear in, Frank ? would suppress it for 
 the entire season, your suggestion would 
 be better; but dorit you both see that 
 showing our willingness to be counted 
 in with such company, and honor their 
 invitations, provided they will not use 
 liquors in our presence, enters no protest 
 against their doing it on any of the 
 hundreds of occasions when we are ab-
 
 32 MY DAUGHTER SUSAN. 
 
 sent ? What I want, is, to show Mr. 
 Saunders and Mr. Templeton and others 
 of their stamp, that we propose to asso 
 ciate with gentlemen? 
 
 " I see your point," said the young 
 gentleman. " But Susan, I am tremb 
 ling for Charlie Davis and Leonard 
 Burton and half a dozen others; Fred 
 Harrison for instance, perhaps more than 
 any of them. What can we do ? " 
 
 Miss Susan chewed thoughtfully at 
 the end of the lead pencil in her 
 mouth, and tried in an absent way to 
 fit her toe to one of the triangles of 
 the carpet, and said nothing; while the 
 young man watched her, as though she 
 had been the President, and he was
 
 PLANNING A CAMPAIGN. 33 
 
 awaiting an appointment. As for the 
 mother, she regarded her daughter with 
 a half-anxious, half-proud air, and then 
 turning to me said in a sort of apologiz 
 ing tone : " The child does go to 
 such lengths ! one never knows what 
 to expect next." 
 
 At last Miss Susan looked up with 
 a bright flash of triumph in her eyes. 
 " Frank," she said, " can't we be re 
 venged on them for spoiling our pleas 
 ure in this inconsiderate way ? Suppose 
 we break up the party for them, and 
 preach an excellent sermon on temper 
 ance thereby." 
 
 " How ? " 
 
 " Oh, in a dozen ways. I think of
 
 34 MY DAUGHTER SUSAN. 
 
 seven young men, most of them in 
 danger, whom I believe I can pledge 
 to write notes of declinature; not only 
 that, but I believe they will state why 
 they decline. Now of course that rather 
 depends on whether you will be respon 
 sible for as many young ladies ; you are 
 equal to seven young ladies, aren't you, 
 Frank?" 
 
 The dismayed look on the said 
 Frank's face, caused Miss Susan to break 
 into a merry laugh ; which, however, she 
 checked almost immediately as she said: 
 " I assure you I don't feel like laughing. 
 I am indignant! The idea, that we, 
 just after the temperance movement 
 here, and the stand that we have taken,
 
 PLANNING A CAMPAIGN. 35 
 
 should appear to be made party to such 
 proceedings as this ! " 
 
 " I know it. But Susan do you be. 
 lieve your plan will succeed? gentlemen 
 are sensitive where their invitations to 
 special ladies are concerned; and besides, 
 some of those who are most in danger, 
 will take offense the quickest at the 
 thought that they are not strong enough 
 to withstand a whole avalanche of temp 
 tation. Are you sure you can accomplish 
 this thing, if you undertake it?" 
 
 " No," she answered, in perfect good- 
 humor. " Not at all ; I don't know 
 whether it will work, or not; and what is 
 more, I never shall know until I try. 
 There has many a thing been accom-
 
 36 MY DAUGHTER SUSAN. 
 
 plished in this world, that never would 
 have been, had people settled it in their 
 minds that it couldn't be done, before 
 they had made vigorous efforts to do it. 
 What I am sure of, is, that I mean to 
 try. Now, do you ? " 
 
 " Go ahead, general," he said with a 
 queer smile on his face, " I'm your obe 
 dient servant." 
 
 Before the two parted, Miss Susan had 
 made out a list of names for each of 
 them. Names of persons who were to be 
 influenced, if possible, to withdraw their 
 acceptance of invitations to an entertain 
 ment gotten up by the young gentlemen 
 of the rival literary society.
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 OUT ON DUTY. 
 
 OU are an intense temperance 
 woman, I see ; " I said, smiling on 
 Miss Susan, as having laid aside her 
 bib-apron she made ready for a walk. 
 
 " No ma'am, I'm not. I'm simply rea 
 sonable. I don't know that I feel more 
 intense about temperance matters, or at 
 least that I exhibit any more zeal about 
 
 37
 
 38 MY DAtJGHTEE SUSAN. 
 
 them, than I do about the clothes I shall 
 wear, or a dozen other things that might 
 be mentioned. There are a great many 
 duties which take time, and planning, and 
 trouble. Can't you go down town with 
 me? mother is to be engaged with the 
 dressmaker, and the morning is lovely 
 for a walk." 
 
 As this was precisely what I wanted ; 
 namely, to see what Miss Susan would 
 do next, and how she would do it, I was 
 prompt in my acceptance. The same 
 characteristics which marked her move 
 ments from room to room, attended the 
 preparation for this walk. 
 
 "Mother," she called at the foot of 
 the stairs, " I shall have to pass Mrs
 
 She caught up little Faye for a parting kiss. Page 41.
 
 OUT ON DUTY. 41 
 
 Seymour's, while I am down town; do 
 you want that pattern returned ? " 
 
 " Yes, indeed, daughter," came the 
 gratefully toned answer from her mother's 
 room. " I am very glad you thought 
 of it." 
 
 Then Miss Susan put her head in at 
 the door of the sewing-room: 
 
 " Miss Perry, I have to go down town ; 
 do you want me to match the silk you 
 spoke of ? " 
 
 " Oh, yes, if you will be so kind," 
 was the grateful answer. 
 
 On her way up-stairs she caught up 
 little Faye for a parting kiss, and whis 
 pered that " sister had the dolly's mea 
 sure and was going to stop and
 
 42 MY DAUGHTER SUSAN. 
 
 have some kid slippers cut this very 
 morning." 
 
 When we were fairly started, I noticed 
 that she had a tiny bouquet of home- 
 blossomed flowers in her hand. 
 
 " I'm just going to call at Mrs. Smith's 
 door with these, she said; she is sick, 
 you know, and she is a great lover of 
 sweet smelling flowers." 
 
 Now Mrs. Smith was the wife of a 
 reformed drunkard who lived in a cer 
 tain little tumble-down house, down a 
 certain narrow lane of the city. We were 
 but a few squares from the Carleton home 
 stead, when my young lady halted with a 
 cheery smile and bow, having previously 
 made hurried explanation to me.
 
 OUT ON DUTY. 43 
 
 " There is Charlie Davis ! how fortu 
 nate, I expected to have gone half a mile 
 out of my way to see him." 
 
 " Good morning Charlie, you are just 
 the person I want to see ; I need you 
 to help me be indignant." 
 
 " What's up ? " asked Charlie. 
 
 " You haven't heard then? I don't 
 believe you could guess." 
 
 And there followed a rapid explanation 
 as to the new developments connected 
 with the proposed entertainment. Miss 
 Susan talked eagerly, throwing anima 
 tion and indignation into her tones, and 
 closed with : " Did you ever hear of 
 treating ladies in that manner, I con 
 sider myself personally insulted."
 
 44 MY DAUGHTER SUSAN. 
 
 " Oh, but I am sure nothing was further 
 from their intentions." 
 
 It was Charlie's turn to be eager now, 
 something in his tone and manner mak 
 ing me feel almost certain that he was 
 not hearing of the plan for the first time. 
 
 " It is greatly to be deplored then, that 
 their acts should have fallen so far be 
 low their intentions." 
 
 This was Miss Susan's quick response, 
 given in a tone slightly tinged with 
 sarcasm. 
 
 Charlie essayed to explain. 
 
 " Well, now you know there are al 
 ways some who must have their taste 
 of such things, or they think they are 
 not having refreshments at all; but I
 
 OUT ON DUTY. 45 
 
 can assure you that it will not be pro 
 duced in a manner that will be in the 
 least offensive to the ladies." 
 
 " No, Charlie ! certainly I didn't know 
 any such thing. I mean of course among 
 the gentlemen with whom we associate. I 
 hope I do not number among my friends, 
 any who consider liquors a necessity to 
 their proper entertainment, because then 
 of course I could never entertain them. 
 However, there will be no danger of any 
 insult being offered to me this evening; 
 I shall take care not to put myself in 
 a position where that would be possible." 
 
 " Miss Susan you surely are not going 
 to withdraw your acceptance ! the com 
 mittee depend upon you."
 
 46 MY DAUGHTER SUSAN. 
 
 " They are very foolish. I don't see 
 how they can expect my presence in 
 the face of these developments. Charlie, 
 is it possible that you will attend ! Do 
 you mean to insult your temperance prin 
 ciples in that way? I didn't think it 
 of you." 
 
 Charlie began to look very much em 
 barrassed. 
 
 " Well, you know," he said slowly, 
 " there is a lady in the case, I can 
 hardly do otherwise." 
 
 " You can hardly do otherwise than to 
 give her a chance to escape an unlady 
 like position. I hope you don't consider 
 my friend Allie the sort of lady who 
 would like to have her name associated
 
 OUT ON DUTY. 47 
 
 with anything so questionable ? Why, 
 I thought you would resent it on her 
 account. Gentlemen have strange ideas 
 of ladies, it seems." 
 
 Charlie's face grew momently longer. 
 
 "Do you really think that Alice will 
 regard it in that light ? " he asked, 
 doubtfully. " You know you are well 
 now, Miss Susan, you are perhaps, just 
 a trifle extreme on that point. I don't 
 think Alice would mind, so long as 
 the thing wasn't of my planning." 
 
 "Try her," replied Miss Susan, with 
 a sagacious nod of her shapely head. 
 " If you and she when you talk the mat 
 ter over together, don't come to the 
 same conclusion that I have, why I
 
 48 MY DAUGHTER SUSAN. 
 
 shall be very much disappointed in you 
 both; that is all." 
 
 " Is your friend Alice so decidedly in 
 sympathy with you that she is ready 
 to give up a party for the cause ? " I 
 asked, as we bowed our adieus to Charlie, 
 and passed on. 
 
 " She is, by this time ; that is, if Frank 
 Holden has seen her, as I sincerely 
 hope and trust he has ; I asked him to 
 make his first call on her. She is one 
 of those pretty, softly, little ladies, hav 
 ing no idea of deciding a question for 
 herself. She always has some one in 
 view whom she determines shall act as 
 her conscience for the time being; and 
 just at present I occupy that impor-
 
 
 She is one of those pretty, softly, little ladies. Page 48.
 
 OUT ON DUTY. 49 
 
 tant post *, so when she hears of my 
 decision, she will be as staunch a lit 
 tle temperance woman as one need 
 desire." 
 
 At this point, Miss Susan drew a 
 quick little sigh. 
 
 " Oh dear me ! " she said : 
 
 " If girls would only take strong 
 ground on this subject and keep it, I 
 believe we could reform the world. Why, 
 just look at it, every woman owns a 
 little piece of the world; / do, so does 
 everybody, why cant each one look out 
 for her own little corner ? " 
 
 46 But what could they do?" 
 
 <c Do ! dear me ! First, there are things 
 that I want them to stop doing. I
 
 50 MY DAUGHTER SUSAN. 
 
 want the daughters all over the world 
 to join hands, and say they will not 
 they absolutely will not walk, ride, 
 talk, with a man who buys or sells, or 
 votes for the sale of anything that will 
 intoxicate. I want them to stick to 
 this position, in the face of all oppo 
 sition ; all roughness, and coarseness, 
 about ' petticoat government,' or ' leading 
 strings,' or ' old maid warnings.' We 
 have had isolated and spasmodic action 
 in this direction, but if we could have 
 a banded-together, a concerted action all 
 over the country, and at the same time 
 be working with a will for the refor 
 mation of the poor fellows who are 
 trying to be men, don't you see that
 
 OUT ON DUTY. 51 
 
 in time there would have to be results ? " 
 " In other words, don't I see that 
 the young ladies very largely control 
 the young men of this world? Yes, 
 practically I think they do, or could. 
 But have you any hope of enlisting a 
 large number of young ladies under 
 your banner ? " 
 
 " Oh, as to that, I don't know ; I 
 hope a great deal, and work towards 
 my aim all the time, and rejoice over 
 every new recruit, and believe that " 
 At this point we were interrupted; 
 being met by apparently a most thor 
 oughly finished gentleman; at least, so 
 far as dress, and air, and bow were 
 concerned ; he almost halted before us
 
 52 MY DAUGHTER SUSAN. 
 
 as one who would not be at all averse 
 to other than the ordinary passing greet 
 ings, and his tone was suavity itself, as 
 he bowed his "good morning, Miss 
 Carleton." 
 
 Miss Carleton paused in the midst of 
 her sentence to me, raised her clear 
 strong eyes, looked the gentleman fully 
 in the face, and walked past him with 
 head erect and not the movement of 
 a muscle. 
 
 " Wasn't that Senator Grainger's son ?" 
 I asked, amazed at so complete an ig 
 noring of his presence. 
 
 " Yes'm it was ; and a .man capable 
 of greater meanness I do not know on 
 the face of the earth. Only last even-
 
 Teasing and tantalizing. Page 55.
 
 OTTT OK DUTY. 55 
 
 ing I heard of his telling with much 
 laughter, how poor Timmy Baker had 
 signed the pledge for the thirteenth 
 time, and how he laid a wager with 
 Dick Morris, that Timmy would break 
 his thirteenth pledge all to pieces be 
 fore he reached home, and then the in 
 teresting story was told of their following 
 him to the nearest corner-grocery, . and 
 teasing and tantalizing the weak, liquor- 
 crazed brain, until he took just one sip 
 to please them, and went home * as glori 
 ously drunk as possible ! ' That is the 
 way in which the refined account conclu 
 ded. That man to have the impudence 
 to bow to me ! I wouldn't speak to 
 him if he were the President of the
 
 56 MY DAUGHTER SUSAN. 
 
 United States, and I was to be hanged 
 to-morrow unless I asked him for a 
 pardon ! I despise the man, and wher 
 ever and whenever I can show him 
 that I do, I mean to." 
 
 " But is that spirit in accordance 
 with the charity which is long suffer 
 ing, which * hopeth all things,' and * en- 
 dureth all things,' my hot-hearted young 
 lady?" 
 
 " Oh, now, dear madam, I give you 
 credit for greater sense than to suppose 
 you mean a word of that. There has 
 been a sickly sentimentality of that 
 sort talked until I know it by heart, 
 and have as little patience with it, as 
 with any form of the non-temperance
 
 OUT ON DUTY. 57 
 
 disease. In point of fact, you and I 
 know, that Senator Grainger's son is 
 not being ruined by lack of charity; 
 he is much more likely to be ruined 
 by thinking that he is such an irresis- 
 table fellow that nobody can withstand 
 him. I believe in charity, of the sort 
 too, which ' suffereth long,' and I know 
 some sorrowful drunkards' wives and 
 daughters who are living it. But there 
 is a spurious kind that can be mis- 
 talked, as well as misplaced. Look at 
 Mr. Grainger now, across the street; 
 that is Miss Harper he has joined, 
 and she is simpering with him, show 
 ing herself flattered by his attentions, 
 and he is leading her brother right
 
 58 MY DAUGHTER SUSAN. 
 
 straight down to the gutter! On the 
 whole, when I see such women as 
 Miss Harper, I am for about five min 
 utes discouraged." 
 
 " Why good morning, Mr. Miller ; I 
 am glad to see you out again," 
 
 Miss Susan paused suddenly, stretch 
 ing forth a neatly-gloved hand to grasp 
 a somewhat rough one, ornamented with 
 a frayed cuff and seedy coat sleeve. 
 There followed a few minutes of pleas 
 ant talk, she stopping on the corner 
 for the purpose. She inquired for his 
 mother, and his sister, and as to whether 
 he was strong enough for business, 
 and finally said : 
 
 " Mr. Miller I have been looking for
 
 
 
 "Good morning, Mr. Miller." /V^v? 58.
 
 OUT ON DUTY. 61 
 
 a call from you ; haven't you made any 
 calls since your illness ? " 
 
 He stammered an unintelligible reply, 
 and she gaily added : 
 
 " Remember, I'm not a friend of yours, 
 a real good hearty one you know, until 
 you call at my home expressly to see 
 me; we shall be glad to welcome you 
 there on almost any evening." 
 
 As we passed on, I said : 
 
 " If my eyes do not strangely deceive 
 me, that is Dick Miller." 
 
 " That is Dick Miller," Susan replied, 
 with a satisfied air and tone ; " his very 
 self, though he does not look much as 
 he used to." 
 
 " And you stop on the street and
 
 62 MY DAUGHTER SUSAN. 
 
 shake hands with him ! and pass Sena 
 tor Grainger's son without even deign 
 ing to bow! Well, Miss Susan, I don't 
 know that I have great expectations of 
 seeing the girls of this world follow 
 your example ; why I thought Dick 
 Miller was pretty far down the road to 
 the gutter?" 
 
 " Didn't you see his blue ribbon ? 
 he has joined the noble army of mar 
 tyrs and is fighting, like the brave 
 fellow that he is. Indeed, I shake 
 hands with him on all occasions, and 
 I am glad Mr. Grainger was in sight 
 to see me do it. Dick Miller has a 
 cordial invitation to my father's house, 
 and will be welcomed there whenever he
 
 OUT ON DUTY. 63 
 
 chooses to call. And Mr. Grainger will 
 be denied if he attempts it, which he 
 will hardly do after to-day. I will have 
 respectable men for my calling ac 
 quaintances."
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE QUESTION ARGUED. 
 
 you believe also in the blue rib 
 bon movement ? " I said inquiringly, 
 as having revolved my friend's last state 
 ments for a few minutes, I concluded I 
 would like further light. 
 
 "Oh, yes, why I believe in everything 
 that works towards the end desired. I 
 
 joined the blue ribbon people with heart 
 64
 
 THE QUESTION ARGUED. 65 
 
 and hand, working with all my might. 
 I am working in that same way now, 
 and mean to continue so long as there 
 is a yard of blue ribbon in the coun 
 try; or, what would be better, so long 
 as there is a man, woman or child in 
 the country whose name is not on the 
 total abstinence pledge." 
 
 " Perhaps you belonged also to the 
 woman's crusade ? " 
 
 " Perhaps I did," she said, laughing. 
 " You would certainly have thought so 
 if you could have seen the crowds I 
 walked through and the condition of 
 my dress when I reached home, occa 
 sionally, after a day's campaign. I was 
 in the very thickest of it, I assure you."
 
 66 MY DAUGHTER SUSAtf. 
 
 " But, Susan, do you really believe 
 that was the wisest way to attempt a 
 reform ? " 
 
 " Oh, as to that, I don't believe the 
 wisest way has ever been attempted 
 yet. What is more, I don't believe 
 anybody knows exactly what the wisest 
 way would be. There were flaws in 
 the management of the crusade, and 
 there are flaws in the Murphy move 
 ment, and the red ribbon movement, 
 and every other movement. Dear me! 
 so there are flaws in the management 
 of churches, and schools, and banks, 
 and benevolent organizations, and house 
 holds. Who pretends to have found a 
 perfect way for doing anything? Yet
 
 THE QUESTION AKGUED. 67 
 
 who wants to give up living; or to lie 
 down in a corner and groan over the 
 flaws, and wait until he finds perfection 
 before he labors ? I arr real tired of 
 the people who, while professing to be 
 friends of the temperance cause, spend 
 their strength in crying out against 
 everything that has been attempted, and 
 yet take no pains to enlighten us as 
 to a better way. If somebody will 
 present a plan promising better results 
 than any that has ever been tried, I'll 
 join his ranks and follow to the ends 
 of the earth, or the ends of this city, any 
 way. I'm not an advocate for any spe 
 cial way. I have signed at least a hundred 
 temperance pledges since I was born, and
 
 68 . MY DAUGHTER SUSAN. 
 
 I presume I shall sign a hundred more. 
 I don't care how often my name ap 
 pears in such a connection. I wear a 
 blue ribbon on my watch chain, and a 
 white one on my muff, or fan, or 
 whatever happens to be convenient. I'm 
 a crusader, and a no-license woman, 
 and I will be a voter, on that subject 
 at least, if I ever get a chance. I'm 
 anything, and everything; let us all 
 work, I say, towards the best that we 
 know how, and some good will come of 
 it. When I can't have a thing as I 
 want it, I come just as near to it as I 
 possibly can, and go ahead." 
 
 All these eager sentences had not 
 flowed on uninterruptedly. Instead, Miss
 
 Mrs. Smith detained her.
 
 THE QUESTION ARGUED. 71 
 
 Susan had given sudden dodges into 
 this store, and around that corner, and 
 had stopped twice to hold conversations. 
 Once she said : 
 
 " Mrs. Smith's is down this lane, I'll 
 just run down there and leave my 
 ' posey.' " 
 
 And Mrs. Smith detained her to be 
 grateful, and cry a little, and to say 
 that: 
 
 "John held out yet, but was out of 
 work, and she was afraid ! " 
 
 " Out of work, is he ? How does that 
 happen ? " 
 
 " Well, you see, ma'am, Mr. Jenkins 
 had him for workman down at the dis 
 tillery; and he said John talked too
 
 72 MY DAUGHTER SUSAN. 
 
 much whine about the pledge and wasted 
 his time, he couldn't have no such 
 goings on about him, so he discharged 
 him out and out. But that was only 
 an excuse ma'am; John didn't waste his 
 time, he has been that faithful that he 
 has done overwork many a night; and 
 everything he did was to labor to get 
 the men to sign, and to vote the no-li 
 cense ticket. That's everything in life, 
 ma'am, that he is turned off for." 
 Miss Susan's face darkened : 
 " So he is ' persecuted for righteous 
 ness sake,' is he? Tell him the Mas 
 ter's direction is, to ' rejoice and be ex 
 ceeding glad,' meantime he musn't be 
 kept out of work. Just ask him to call
 
 A gay-looking young man. Page 75.
 
 THE QUESTION AEGUED. 75 
 
 at my father's at six this evening, will 
 you ? I may have a message for him." 
 
 And receiving Mrs. Smith's profuse and 
 tearful thanks, we left her and picked 
 our way out of her lane, coming in con 
 tact at the corner with a gay-looking 
 young man, whom my friend promptly 
 stopped. 
 
 " Fred, have you heard the latest item 
 of interest in the Delta society ? " 
 
 Then followed a rapid explanation of 
 the proposed addition to the evening's 
 entertainment, closing with an eager: 
 
 " Fred, isn't this a capital opportunity 
 to show those people that we are not to 
 be trifled with? I propose to materially 
 reduce their forces by withdrawing a
 
 76 MY DAUGHTER SUSAN. 
 
 number of their special guests; we can 
 do it with your help." 
 
 Whereupon, she rapidly detailed the 
 plan ; throwing no little anxiety into the 
 closing question : 
 
 " Don't you believe it will work ? " 
 " Work ? of course it will, if we man 
 age rightly ; and it will be rare fun, too ; 
 I haven't heard of anything so gay in 
 an age. 77/go into it with all my heart. 
 My friend Edwards and his two sisters, 
 yes, and for that matter their cousins 
 will draw off, if I give them the hint; 
 they're ripe for fun any time. I'll tell 
 you what, Miss Susan, suppose we 
 send in our cards of regret at about 
 the same hour, so as to give them a
 
 THE QUESTION AKGUED. 77 
 
 regular broadside, you know? What fun! 
 and what idiots they were to give us 
 such a chance as this ! " 
 
 " Has that young man a very clear 
 idea of the conscientious part of this 
 matter ? " I asked the young general-in- 
 chief, as these interesting details hav 
 ing been arranged with apparent glee 
 on both sides, we moved on. 
 
 She gave me a somewhat searching 
 glance before she answered; if answer 
 it could be called. 
 
 " What do you suppose St. Paul meant 
 by being ' all things to all men ? ' That 
 was Fred Harrison. Do you remember 
 Frank spoke of being specially anxious 
 for one young man. This is the one.
 
 78 ::- 
 
 He \vculcl be, pcrhr.ps, the most sorely 
 tempted to-night, of any of them ; for 
 the reason that he really hasrit a large 
 amount of principle, and is so easily led. 
 The predominant idea in his brain is 
 fun. If somebody prevailed on him to 
 think that the very funniest thing he 
 could do would be to get intoxicated, 
 I'm afraid he would proceed to doing 
 it at once. Now, haven't I a right to 
 appeal to the funny side of his nature, 
 in order to get his help, and keep him 
 out of danger? The sort of good- 
 natured rivalry which has existed be 
 tween the two societies for so long, fa 
 cilitates our plans wonderfully. Neither 
 Frank nor I care a pin's point about
 
 THE QUESTION ARGUED. 79 
 
 the societies, as viewed in a literary 
 light. Between you and me there isn't 
 enough of that element in either of 
 them, to keep them from sinking. But 
 it helps our influence over both sides, 
 to heartily ' belong ' when occasion re 
 quires. Oh, I dare say it isn't the best 
 way. Don't suppose I am going to 
 waste my strength in championing it ; 
 only, while you are getting up a better 
 way, I'll work at this, and keep mis 
 chief at bay for this one evening, if I 
 can. Here is Carson's store ; I must 
 go in and get my dolly's slippers cut. 
 Should they be red, do you think, or 
 blue, or what ? " 
 
 The returning of the pattern, and
 
 80 MY DAUGHTER SUSAN. 
 
 the matching of the silk, and several 
 errands growing out of ideas that seemed 
 to be developing in Miss Susan's mind, 
 involved much walking, and street-car 
 riding. In one of the cars, she, stand 
 ing with her hand hold of a strap, en 
 gaged in a low-toned conversation with 
 the driver. "Don't talk of giving up," I 
 heard her say, earnestly. " Only think 
 Mr. Jones what that involves ; what there 
 is to go back to. You surely did not 
 enjoy your former life." 
 
 " No more I did ; " he said drearily ; 
 " but this is an awful temptatious life ; 
 hard to live; it's amazing hard to be 
 fighting yourself all the time, ma'am." 
 
 " Indeed, it is. You need a helper.
 
 "Don't talk of giving up." Page 80.
 
 THE QUESTION AEGUEt). 83 
 
 It is so foolish in you to persist in 
 fighting the battle all alone; when one 
 who is ' mighty to save,' stands ready, 
 waiting. When you will enlist under 
 my captain and have him pledged to 
 stand by you every moment, every mo 
 ment, remember, you will find that 
 more than half the fight is over." 
 
 " Humph ! " said the poor fellow, with 
 a sort of half-despairing doggedness com 
 ing over his face: "Why don't he help 
 me if he can, and wants to?" 
 
 " Mr. Jones," she said, bending nearer, 
 and speaking in that peculiar, low, force 
 ful tone which carries weight with it: 
 " You say I have helped you a little ; 
 could I have done it if you had not
 
 84 MY DAUGHTER SUSAN. 
 
 been willing to accept my help? Could 
 I have forced it upon you, against 
 your willt " 
 
 A gleam of intelligence lighted the 
 heavy face as he said with some de 
 gree of heartiness: 
 
 "That's true enough, ma'am; no more 
 you couldn't." 
 
 As we were about to leave the car, 
 the young lady drew from her pocket 
 a slip of paper on which were a few 
 printed words; she handed it to him, 
 with a bow and smile. 
 
 " Was that a talisman ? " I asked her. 
 
 " An invitation," she said, brightly. 
 " Will you have one ? " And she gave 
 me a duplicate paper. It read : " Gos-
 
 THE QUESTION ABGUED. 85 
 
 pel Temperance Meeting, City Hall, 
 Tuesday evening. Good speakers; good 
 music. Help for the tempted ! Hope for 
 the discouraged ! Will you come ? " 
 
 " Do they come ? " I askf d her. 
 
 " Scores of them, hundreds of them. 
 Poor fellows ! little we know what they 
 have to withstand. Look at that man ! " 
 
 We had suddenly gotten ourselves 
 very near to a crowd of men ; many 
 of whom looked rough enough, though 
 some were respectably dressed, and bore 
 about them an air of superiority. We 
 could hear touches of their conversation, 
 or their urgings, for one man seemed 
 to be the centre. 
 
 "Oh now, John, what's the u^? "
 
 86 MY DAUGHTER SUSAN. 
 
 said one, " You will never keep it in 
 the world. A free life and a merry 
 one, is my motto." 
 
 " He'll get no work ! " shouted another, 
 "unless he votes the license ticket. 
 There's a lot of them fellows, and they 
 are in dead earnest, I tell you. I heard 
 say, they swore not a fellow as voted 
 agin 'em should have a day's work in 
 this town." 
 
 " Lots of whiskey, John, if you vote 
 for 'em," wheezed the lowest, most repul 
 sive looking man in the crowd. 
 
 "They'll treat all day, and it will be 
 as free as water ; starvation if you 
 don't, you know. Come, make up your 
 mind to let the pledge go; bad luck
 
 Lots of whiskey, John, if you vote for "em." Page 86.
 
 THE QUESTION ARGUED. 89 
 
 to it ! Who cares for a baby pledge ? 
 Let's go in and take a drink to treat 
 the resolution to be our own masters." 
 
 We had paused on the outer edge 
 of this small crowd ; I, because I was 
 afraid to venture through it, and Susan, 
 apparently, because she was fascinated. 
 She listened eagerly to every word, and 
 just at the point where the poor fellow 
 whom they called " John," seemed to 
 waver and look about him as one who 
 was conquered in spite of himself, to my 
 astonishment, and no small dismay, she 
 pushed boldly forward into the midst of 
 the group, which suddenly parted on 
 cither side as if to let her pass. 
 
 "Mr. Smith," she said. "What utter
 
 90 MY DAUGHTER SUSAN. 
 
 nonsense are these men talking to you? 
 Why do you stop to listen to such 
 folly ? No work, indeed ! Do they sup 
 pose that all the men in this city who 
 have work to give, are owned by the 
 rum-sellers, and the rum-makers? No 
 danger of any such calamity as idle 
 ness befalling honest men who are will 
 ing to work. Mr. Smith, / will see that 
 you have employment by seven o'clock 
 to-morrow morning, at good wages; and 
 I promise you w r ill not have to sell 
 your vote in order to get it. You have 
 the right to vote according to your 
 own good sense, without being at the 
 command of any man; you should stand 
 up for that right. I wish you would
 
 THE QUESTION AKGUED. 91 
 
 walk down to the bakery yonder with 
 me ? I want to send your sick wife 
 something to tempt her appetite. Will 
 you go ? " 
 
 " Yes, ma'am, I will," he said sturdily. 
 
 And away we tramped, followed by 
 the jeers of that crowd, some of whom 
 were intoxicated, and some of whom 
 were sober enough to urge the others 
 on. We heard the cries of " petticoat 
 sails," "old maid's apron strings," and 
 other equally refined epithets. 
 
 " Mr. Smith," said Miss Susan, coolly, 
 glancing back towards the crowd : 
 " What do you think of being found 
 with a class of fellows who insult me ? "
 
 92 MY DAUGHTER SUSAN. 
 
 " I think I'd like to shoot 'em," he 
 said vindictively. 
 
 " No, don't do that ; " she answered 
 quickly : " Show yourself superior to 
 them. Mr. Smith, I don't think your 
 wife is quite so well this morning. 
 She is very anxious over your troubles ; 
 if you should give up the struggle I 
 am afraid it would kill her." 
 
 " I wont give up," he said under his 
 breath ; and he set his teeth hard, as 
 one getting ready for mortal combat.
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 INCONVENIENT PRINCIPLES. 
 p 
 
 WANT to go away down on 
 Vesey street," said Miss Susan, 
 directly she had dispatched her man 
 John with a basket of dainties to 
 tempt the sick wife. " Are you equal 
 to that journey, or shall I put you in 
 that up-town car and send you home ? " 
 
 " I am not to be sent home," I 
 93
 
 94 MY DAUGHTER SUSAN. 
 
 answered promptly, " I am resolved to 
 see this day out. It is one of the 
 most astonishing days that I ever lived." 
 " I have some queer days," she said, 
 smiling, " but this is a very quiet one. 
 Did you see the look of disgust on 
 the faces of those fellows when I 
 pushed in ? They expected me to be 
 afraid ; but I wasn't. I wish they had 
 attempted violence, it would have been 
 the salvation of John Smith. I should 
 risk their having much influence over 
 him, after that. However, they were kind 
 enough to insult me, and that will have 
 a good effect. Poor John Smith ! he 
 is really very anxious about that sick 
 wife of his. He knows that the thing
 
 INCONVENIENT PRINCIPLES. 95 
 
 she desires most on earth is, to see 
 him a reformed man. Let alone, he 
 would conquer ; as it is, he needs the 
 strength of an angel and the courage 
 of a martyr. Isn't it an absolutely ap 
 palling thing, to think of there being laws 
 made giving men the power to make 
 a fiend of him, and murder his wife? 
 Sometimes, that license business makes 
 my blood just boil with rage, and at 
 other times it is so sublimely ridiculous 
 that I have to laugh. Once I went to 
 a temperance lecture, given by an illit 
 erate sort of man, but he used one 
 illustration which has clung to me ever 
 since. He imagined a party of men 
 standing on the shore of a dangerous
 
 96 MY DAUGHTER SUSAN. 
 
 stream, near the rapids, engaged in sav 
 ing, or trying to save poor fellows who 
 were whirling down the angry waters 
 to destruction. He described the eager 
 ness with which those on shore worked ; 
 the superhuman strength which the 
 effort required, and the horror of the 
 failures. Suddenly, it occurred to some 
 man wiser than the rest, to rush up 
 stream and see what all this meant; 
 why so many men were being thrown 
 down towards the rapids. Behold, up 
 on the bridge stood a man who was 
 pitching them in, one after the other, 
 with the most composed and decorous 
 air imaginable ! " 
 
 " See here ! " called the other, " stop
 
 INCONVENIENT PRINCIPLES. 97 
 
 that! what are you about? don't you 
 know enough to know that men are 
 being drowned down there in the rapids? 
 They have gone over, dozens of them ; 
 we couldn't save them. Are you mad ? 
 Stop! I say!" 
 
 " I won't," said the man in calm re 
 ply. " My friend, I've got a license. I 
 can make money at this business. If 
 I didn't work at it some one else 
 would ; I might as well have the money 
 as any one. I'm licensed according to 
 law. You've no right to stop me ; " 
 and in went a man ! 
 
 " Now, of course a critic would say 
 that the cases were not parallel, that 
 illustration was far-fetched, and all that
 
 98 MY DAUGHTER SUSAN. 
 
 sort of thing; / don't care how far it 
 was fetched. It sometimes seems to me, 
 that a few of us are just standing down 
 by the rapids, trying to save a man 
 here and there, while the law is at 
 work licensing men to stand on the 
 bridge and pitch them in. How I 
 wish I could vote ! " 
 
 " What good would it do ? The 
 women would all vote just as their 
 husbands do, and what would be gained ? " 
 
 " Now, my dear madam, you are al 
 ways to remember that some of us 
 haven't husbands ; we, at least, could be 
 supposed to have minds of our own. 
 But what does that argument amount 
 to ? There is my father who votes
 
 INCONVENIENT PRINCIPLES. 99 
 
 the * no-license ' ticket, with all his 
 strength. If women could vote, there 
 would be my mother, and my sister 
 Alice and myself, to make his vote 
 count four. Now, suppose for a mo 
 ment, that he voted for license, if 
 you can suppose so impossible and ab 
 surd a thing. Dorit you think you see 
 my mother, and my mother s daughters 
 doing it"? 
 
 "Well, but," said I, "there is Joe 
 Baker who lives down the lane from 
 our house ; he has a wife and four 
 daughters, and he votes for license, and 
 drinks all the liquor he can get." 
 
 " And do you imagine that they 
 would cast five votes on his side? Let
 
 100 MY DAUGHTER SUSAN. 
 
 me tell you, you don't know them if 
 you think so. I do ; and I know that 
 they would lie down and die, in the 
 attempt to reach the polls, if need be, 
 and feel that they had not lived in 
 vain, if they had cast five votes for 
 freedom from their life curse. No 
 ma'am, those who profess that the drunk 
 ard's wives, and sisters, and mothers, 
 and daughters, would vote to have rum 
 sold, show plainly that they don't know 
 what they are talking about. There are 
 doubtless a few miserable exceptions, 
 women whom rum has so degraded that 
 they have lost their womanhood; but 
 the masses, if you want to know how
 
 INCONVENIENT PEINCIPLES. 101 
 
 they would vote, visit them as I do, 
 and hear them talk, and pray ! " 
 
 " Do you believe that women ever 
 will vote ? " I asked her, branching 
 from the argument at hand with the 
 suddenness of a politician who had 
 been worsted. 
 
 " Oh, / don't know. If we could 
 have some new laws made, by which 
 women might have the right to vote 
 on such vital subjects as these, and yet 
 not be voted for, (not be 'eligible to 
 office,' you know, isn't that the word ? 
 for to most of the offices, neither na 
 ture nor culture leads them), I should 
 like to vote. But if I've got to be 
 made a senator of, or an assembly man-
 
 102 MY DAUGHTER SUSAN. 
 
 woman of or submit to any of those 
 degradations, why, Fm afraid I should 
 want to wait awhile. So far as the 
 mere act of voting is concerned, I 
 think an immense amount of twaddle 
 has been written and spoken concern 
 ing it. I know some dainty little bits 
 of flesh and blood, and silk and velvet, 
 who lisp out that they ' wouldn't vote 
 for the world ! it would be stepping out 
 of theirs phere ; tho immodest you know, 
 and degrading; calculated to dethtroy all 
 thenth of delicathy and refinement ! ' and 
 those same creations of refinement will 
 dance half the night with men whom 
 / won't recognize on the street. I can 
 conceive of more immodest things than
 
 Mr. Selmser. Page 105.
 
 INCONVENIENT PRINCIPLES. 105 
 
 the slipping of a bit of paper into a 
 box." 
 
 " This is Vesey street ; I want to go 
 into Mr. Selmser's office." 
 
 " Mr. Selmser," she said, the moment 
 she caught sight of that dignified look 
 ing gentleman. " Have you any vacant 
 places for workmen ? " 
 
 Mr. Selmser thought not. 
 
 " Well, now, you ought to have. Are 
 you employing temperance men ? Have 
 they all signed the pledge ? " 
 
 Well, really, as to that Mr. Selmser 
 did not know; there were no drunk 
 ards among his workmen ; he never 
 submitted to that, but whether they 
 were pledge signers was extremely
 
 106 MY DAUGHTER SUSAN. 
 
 doubtful ; the truth was, he didn't be 
 lieve he had ever inquired. 
 
 " And you a president of a temper 
 ance society ! " said Miss Susan, with 
 just a touch of dignified surprise in her 
 voice. 
 
 " Mr. Selmser, this thing needs look 
 ing after. The liquor party can afford 
 to provide work for their men ; they 
 can afford it seems to buy their influ 
 ence and their time, and their souls, by 
 promising steady employment and good 
 wages. Now the question is : what are 
 we, on our side, about ? Here is John 
 Smith, actually thrown out of employ 
 ment, because he has signed the pledge ! 
 and a chance for several others to be
 
 INCONVENIENT PRINCIPLES. 107 
 
 served in the same way. Are we going 
 to stand that?" 
 
 " Well, now, Miss Susan, what can we 
 do about it?" 
 
 " Do about it ! why, see that they have 
 work, of course. Is there nothing in 
 this city that ought to be done ? no pub 
 lic improvements that would furnish 
 work, and be a blessing to the people? 
 I've passed at least three streets to-day, 
 that need to have rows of old buildings 
 pulled down and decent ones put up. 
 The hovels in which those people on 
 Clark street are living, are a disgrace 
 to the city. And the park needs work 
 done in it, and there are miles of road 
 that need repairing, why of course all
 
 108 MY DAUGHTER SUSAN. 
 
 these things cost money; and so do 
 poor houses, and orphan asylums, and 
 prisons." 
 
 To this rush of earnest words Mr. 
 Selmser listened in a sort of embar 
 rassed silence ; and I could not help 
 wondering whether Miss Susan knew, 
 and whether he remembered, that most 
 of the " hovels on Clark street," were 
 owned by himself. Presently he rallied. 
 
 " Well, but Miss Susan, there are so 
 few of the people having the means, 
 who feel that way; we couldn't do one 
 hundredth part of what needs to be 
 done if we attempted it." 
 
 " Then we clearly should not be re 
 sponsible for the one hundredth part,
 
 INCONVENIENT PRINCIPLES. 109 
 
 should we ? but simply for the part that 
 we could do. God will not call me to 
 account for your undone work, Mr. Selm- 
 ser, only my own." 
 
 " This could not have been a new idea 
 to Mr, Selmser ; yet he seemed struck 
 with it ; and I was not surprised to hear 
 several weeks thereafter, that a regular 
 system had been put in operation, whereby 
 any honest, unemployed man, who was 
 a signer of a total abstinence pledge, 
 could find employment and fair wages by 
 applying to one of ten men, located at 
 convenient portions of the city. The im 
 mediate result of this conversation was, 
 that John Smith went to work the next 
 morning at seven o'clock.
 
 110 MY DAUGHTER SUSAN. 
 
 " We will have some lunch, now," said 
 Miss Susan, as we turned from Mr. 
 Selmser's office. " We are not likely to 
 get home until after the dinner-hour." 
 
 " Very well," I said, " we are quite 
 near a good place. Just around the cor 
 ner on Mason street, is a restaurant 
 where I occasionally lunch, I find very 
 good accommodations." 
 
 " You can't mean the Mason parlors ! " 
 I detected surprise not unmingled with 
 indignation in the voice of my young 
 friend. In spite of which I was obliged 
 to meekly admit, that I did mean the 
 Mason parlors." 
 
 " Excuse me," she said, decidedly ; 
 " but I can't lunch there. Of course
 
 INCONVENIENT PRINCIPLES. Ill 
 
 you do not know that the back room 
 belongs to them, and that they retail 
 wines and beer, and indeed, anything in 
 that line which is called for. They get 
 no custom from me." 
 
 " But can you find a restaurant where 
 something of that sort isn't sold ? " 
 
 " Yes'm, one, at least ; several for that 
 matter. But the one nearest to us is on 
 Lincoln street. Not a very stylish place; 
 the fact is, they can't afford to be 
 stylish, because they are not supported 
 by rum ; and because temperance peo 
 ple do not go out of their way to 
 patronize them. But things are clean 
 and neat." 
 
 " Isn't it nearly half a mile away ? " I
 
 112 MY DAUGHTER SUSAN. 
 
 asked, still speaking meekly, for I was 
 getting some new ideas. 
 
 " Yes'm it is ; but the street-car that 
 we can take at the corner passes their 
 door. Five cents and fifteen minutes 
 will take us there. It isn't so conve 
 nient as the Mason parlors, you see. 
 I think we often find principles incon 
 venient ; don't you ? " 
 
 To this question I made a sort of 
 muttering reply ; for I began to v be 
 dimly conscious that hitherto my prin 
 ciples had not been so " inconvenient," 
 as they ought to have been. On two 
 other occasions during that memorable 
 day did I venture to offer advice, with 
 unexpected results. As we were has-
 
 INCONVENIENT PEINCIPLES. 113 
 
 tening from one line of cars to another, 
 I espied the sign : " Burke's oyster 
 depot." Aware that he kept the best 
 oysters in the city, I asked : " Are you 
 mindful of your mother's commission 
 about oysters ? Here is Burke's." 
 
 " We never buy at Burkes," she 
 answered promptly. 
 
 " He is a liquor dealer, you know, as 
 we^l as an oyster dealer. I am ever 
 so sorry, for I like his oysters better 
 than any that we find, which is another 
 wise thing that our temperance grocers 
 submit to. The idea of letting a liquor 
 dealer keep the best oysters in town ! 
 sometimes it really seems to me that 
 the brains of this city are in Satan's
 
 114 MY DAUGHTER SUSAN. 
 
 hands ; and he certainly knows how to 
 manage them." 
 
 I said nothing in reply, for the rea 
 son that my eye had caught sight of 
 some unusually fine looking oranges. 
 
 " There ! " I said, " you were looking 
 for nice oranges, you will see none 
 nicer than those I am sure." 
 
 Miss Susan stopped short in the 
 street, and gave me a curious, troubled 
 look, for a moment; then she laughed 
 outright. 
 
 "Are you in that last named person's 
 employ to-day, my dear madam ? " she 
 asked, " or is it pure accident that you 
 continually direct my attention to res 
 taurants, oyster-depots, groceries, etc.,
 
 INCONVENIENT PEINCIPLES. 115 
 
 where the main article of dependence 
 is rum ? " 
 
 " Is this a rum establishment, too ? " 
 I asked in surprise. " How do you 
 find those things out? they have no 
 sign. I never even thought of it be 
 fore." 
 
 " Which is precisely the difficulty 
 with two-thirds of our temperance men 
 and women ; " she answered, with kind 
 ling eyes. " They don't think, and indeed, 
 many of them wont think. It is not 
 pure thoughtlessness in all cases, either, 
 it is well, what shall I call it? it 
 looks wonderfully like indifference. -It 
 is * more convenient ' to trade at a rum- 
 seller's ; or, ' he keeps better articles ; '
 
 116 MY DAUGHTER SUSAN. 
 
 or, ' he is second cousin to some one's 
 brother's uncle's cousin's friend ! ' some 
 reason can be found why it is best to 
 patronize him in spite of his want of 
 principle. Indeed, I meet with not a 
 few women who do not descend to par 
 ticulars, but content themselves with that 
 favorite argument among a certain class 
 of Americans ; * fiddlesticks ! ' and in 
 some respects it is really the most un 
 answerable argument that can be offered ; 
 because, after you have given what you 
 consider to be an earnest, and practi 
 cal reason on the other side, what 
 can you say to a woman who tosses 
 her head, and curls up her nose, and 
 answers * fiddlesticks ! ' I tell you, dear
 
 Namby-pamby -ism. Page 119.
 
 INCONVENIENT PRINCIPLES. 119 
 
 friend, it is a matter of great encour 
 agement that the temperance cause has 
 made the advances which it has, when 
 you think of the namby-pamby-ism of 
 one-third of its nominal advocates."
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 A PARTY AGAINST A PARTY. 
 
 I 
 
 CURING the time that we were 
 taking our lunch, which, I ought 
 to say in passing, we took on Lincoln 
 street ; I was revolving in my mind 
 some of Miss Susan's last statements, 
 and wondering just what they meant. 
 At last my thoughts shaped themselves 
 into question : 
 
 1 90
 
 A PAETY AGAINST A PARTY. 121 
 
 " Why ! aren't the temperance people 
 as a rule doing about as much as they 
 can to help along the cause ? at least, 
 so far as they have brains to see what 
 helps it." 
 
 " Oh, I don't know ; one hates to 
 think that all the trouble is due to 
 lack of brains. I believe that man was 
 right, whoever he was, who said that 
 half the people in the world would 
 rather be called wicked, than weak. 
 But you don't know how absurd some 
 things are. The arguments and ex 
 cuses advanced by some who would 
 like to appear consistent, would perfectly 
 amaze you. Girls, are worse than boys. 
 I think boys like to keep a show of
 
 122 MY DAUGHTER SUSAN. 
 
 common sense on their side when they 
 talk, but it seems to make no differ 
 ence with girls. Some of us tried to 
 have them show that Mr. Mclntosh of 
 the new distillery, you know, that he 
 must get into respectable business 
 if he wanted to keep respectable com 
 pany. And one of our young misses, 
 said : " It isn't as if he sold liquor by 
 the glass, you know; his business is 
 strictly wholesale; he never sells less 
 than a barrel full." 
 
 "What do you think of that for an 
 argument in favor of a man's position? 
 Last winter two or three young ladies 
 in society would not sign our total ab 
 stinence pledge because they couldn't
 
 A PARTY AGAINST A PAETY. 123 
 
 allow their names to appear in such a 
 conspicuous place. And those very ladies 
 were named in the city papers a few 
 weeks before, on the occasion of their 
 being at a fancy dress party. Their 
 very costumes, down to minute points, 
 were described. Isn't that consistency ! 
 Another girl wouldn't sign because she 
 ' did not approve of making such sol 
 emn promises.' She said so, anyway, 
 but she was married this fall, and it 
 seemed to me that the promises she 
 made were quite as solemn as those 
 which the temperance pledge requires. 
 Then there is another thing that tries 
 my patience wonderfully. For the sake 
 of the cause, I wish it might become
 
 124 MY DAUGHTER SUSAN. 
 
 fashionable to attend temperance meet 
 ings. It is absolutely a disgrace to our 
 city, that we cannot get a respectable 
 audience of church-going people out to 
 our temperance meetings. 
 
 "The most trivial excuses are made 
 ludicrous, if they were not sad. ' Noth 
 ing new can be said about temperance,' 
 one of our business men said to me 
 last week ; ' don't see any use in hav 
 ing meetings.' Now so far as that ar 
 gument proves anything, it proves too 
 much. Do you think that there is any 
 thing very new to be said about the 
 way of salvation? Others find fault 
 about the speakers; some of them are 
 so dull, and some of them make gram-
 
 A PAETY AGAINST A PARTY. 125 
 
 matical errors, and some of them speak 
 too long ! Oh, nonsense ! think of Chris 
 tian people talking in that way ! Men 
 don't act so about politics. As if the 
 object in having temperance meetings 
 was to please the intellect, or cultivate 
 the esthetic ! To be sure, one would 
 rather have good speakers than poor 
 ones, and I think we ought to try for 
 the best talent there is ; but why can't 
 Christian people at least, see that they 
 have no right to consult their inclina 
 tions ? that the object is to save souls, 
 and bodies, and that in every conceiv 
 able place, and at every possible time, 
 when an opportunity is offered, it is 
 their duty to put themselves where
 
 126 MY DAUGHTER SUSAtf. 
 
 they will be sure to be counted on the 
 right side. 
 
 We were on the street again by this 
 time, and my voluble friend interrupted 
 herself to say : " This is Mr. Holland^ 
 place of business ; I must see him a 
 minute." He was a young man of dif 
 ferent stamp from any whom we had 
 seen that day, and Miss Susan's man 
 ner of enlisting him was noticeably dif 
 ferent from that which she had used 
 with the others : " Mr. Holland, will 
 you help us ? " This was her first 
 earnest sentence. It was just the sort 
 of sentence to interest him. Then she 
 told of the evening's plans, and of the 
 efforts under way to control them. " We
 
 A PARTY AGAINST A PARTY. 127 
 
 need your help," she said earnestly ; 
 " some of those young men you know, 
 have little self control ; they need to 
 be led ; will you help to lead them in 
 the right direction ? " 
 
 " I will try ; " he answered her, with 
 flushed face and firmly set mouth. u I 
 will second any effort that you desire 
 to make. Miss Susan, you can depend 
 upon me." 
 
 He received very earnest thanks. No 
 sooner were we outside of his office, 
 than my friend said with satisfaction 
 in her voice : 
 
 " That is splendid ! Mr. Holland is 
 one of our reformed men, and I am 
 always a little bit worried about him,
 
 128 MY DAUGHTEE SUSAN. 
 
 just for the reason that he is so strong 
 in his own strength. He resents the 
 slightest hint that any place may be 
 dangerous to him; but when it comes 
 to helping others, that is another mat 
 ter. I was afraid he would have a sus 
 picion that I feared for him." 
 
 " Your temperance work doesn't al 
 ways admit of the exact truth, does it ? " 
 I asked, more for the sake of hearing 
 how she would answer, than because I 
 was so very dull. She flashed an in 
 quiring glance at me, as she replied 
 promptly : 
 
 " It doesn't always admit of telling 
 all you know to everybody, any more 
 than most other subjects of importance
 
 A PARTY AGAINST A PAKTY. 129 
 
 do, but if you think I did not tell 
 the exact truth to Mr. Holland, you 
 mistake. Some of those young men 
 are much weaker than he is, and they 
 need his help. That is not saying that 
 he too, is not in need of help ; yet, since 
 to say that is going to hinder rather 
 than help him, why should I say it ? " 
 
 We were passing Mrs. Chester's ele 
 gant mansion as she spoke, and that 
 suggested to me a change of subject: 
 
 " I wonder that you are not engaged 
 to Mrs. Chester, this evening; she has 
 a reception, you know." 
 
 " Yes'm, but I'm never engaged to 
 Mrs. Chester now-days, and I do what I 
 can to prevent other people from being.
 
 130 MY DAUGHTER SUSAN. 
 
 " I dread her influence over a certain 
 class, more than I do that of any rum- 
 seller among them." 
 
 " Why, pray ? " 
 
 ." Because, she is more dangerous. 
 Besides, it is an embarrassing place to 
 visit. Would you like to take tea, for 
 instance, with a person who was in 
 the habit of decorating her table with 
 a dozen different dishes, which you 
 from conscientious scruples would have 
 to refuse ? I really think that woman 
 is more talented in her line than any 
 one I know; she would do for a walk 
 ing cook-book. Jellies, of all flavors, 
 peaches, pears, sauces, pies, cake, even 
 innocent looking custards, are danger-
 
 Mrs. Chester. Page 133,
 
 A PARTY AGAINST A PARTY. 133 
 
 ous articles to touch from her table. 
 I really didn't know it was possible to 
 serve up Satan's favorite mixture in so 
 many ways, until I knew Mrs. Chester. 
 I think she must spend her time in 
 planning new dishes that she can make 
 into elegant little traps for catching the 
 unwary. She has done what she could 
 towards ruining the young men of our 
 city, and it just enrages me to think 
 how powerless she would be, if the 
 young ladies of her set would take the 
 position on this subject, that one has 
 a right to expect of them. But we are 
 improving ; one by one, they drop out 
 of her circle ; there are several now
 
 134 MY DAUGHTER SUSAN. 
 
 whom she invites in vain, and she knows 
 the reason why." 
 
 " How late it is ! did you imagine it ? 
 This matter has taken more time than 
 I thought it would, but we have things 
 in train now. I believe we can go 
 down to Roberts', and have a look at 
 the new pictures, if you would like." 
 
 To this plan I eagerly agreed ; but 
 as we were turning the corner, a hur 
 ried gentleman ran against us, and his 
 hasty " I beg your pardon," instantly 
 changed into : " Oh Miss Susan ! I am 
 glad it is you, we need you, there is 
 trouble ahead." 
 
 " What trouble ? " 
 
 " Our boys at the school, twenty of
 
 A PARTY AGAINST A PARTY. 135 
 
 them, are to be invited to a gathering 
 this evening at Turner's, an impromptu 
 affair all the merrier they will think 
 a moonlight ride, and all that sort of 
 thing. There will be plenty of wine; 
 several of our evening school boys, 
 vote for the first time in the coming 
 election. It is important, you see> to 
 pay them some attention." 
 
 " You don't have school to-morrow 
 evening ? " 
 
 " No, I thought it was going to be 
 specially inconvenient ; but if I could 
 have foreseen such a thing as this, I 
 should have tried to push the school, 
 without regard to convenience. I heard 
 of this just now, by accident ; the boys
 
 136 MY DAUGHTER SUSAN. 
 
 are to be invited as a school, in order 
 to catch them all; is there anything 
 that we can do at this late hour?" 
 
 Miss Susan thought, looked at her 
 watch, and was silent for the space of 
 a minute, then said briskly: 
 
 " Why, yes, of course. The boys need 
 entertainment, do they? I don't know 
 but that is a good idea, but it be 
 comes us to see that they have it in 
 a less objectionable way: /'// give a 
 party, Mr. Stuart; will you give the 
 invitations for me, at once ? " 
 
 " Tell each boy that he is to invite 
 the young lady with whom he would 
 like best to spend the evening, to ac 
 company him."
 
 A PARTY AGAINST A PARTY. 137 
 
 " When ? " asked Mr. Stuart, surprise 
 and admiration, struggling together on 
 his face. 
 
 " Why this evening, to be sure. And 
 you must hasten, to be ahead of the 
 others. And Mr. Stuart, will you after 
 you have delivered the invitations, see 
 Frank Holden, and tell him we want 
 his help at once ? tell him to come to 
 my home, please. Where are we? Oh, 
 yes, there is the confectioner's that I 
 want, right across the street. Oh, we'll 
 have a charming party. You may come 
 Mr. Stuart, for a little while; not long, 
 you know; we don't .want any dig 
 nity or propriety, this evening. I'm 
 very sorry," she added, turning to me,
 
 138 MY DAUGHTER SUSAK. 
 
 " but I'm afraid we shall have to give 
 up the art-gallery to-day ; for you see 
 we must hurry home and get ready 
 for a party. Mr. Stuart, when it is 
 convenient, you may thank those peo 
 ple down at Turner's for their pro 
 spective entertainment. It has given 
 me a new idea. It is not the first 
 time I have thought that Satan's emis 
 saries have some very good plans." 
 
 Mr. Stuart looked after her as she 
 made a sudden dash towards the con 
 fectioner's, and as I lingered to have a 
 word with "him on my own account, he 
 said : " That girl is worth forty-five tem 
 perance lectures, and a dozen temper 
 ance conventions."
 
 A PARTY AGAINST A PARTY. 139 
 
 " Now for home," Miss Susan said, as 
 
 she turned with a satisfied air from the 
 
 i 
 
 elegant counter, where she had been 
 giving royal orders for an evening enter 
 tainment. 
 
 I had been musing while I watched 
 her, and now, giving voice to my 
 thoughts, I said : " After all, there are 
 very few people who can do these things, 
 they haven't the money." 
 
 " I know it," she said quickly. " The 
 money is father's part; he has the 
 money, and I have the time, so we con- 
 bine our forces ; he earns the money and 
 I spend it. 
 
 " But don't you know there are a 
 hilndred ways of working? Some peo-
 
 140 MY DAUGHTER SUSAN. 
 
 pie can give temperance lectures, and 
 some people can write temperance books, 
 and some people can employ men who 
 are trying to reform, and some people 
 can open their homes for the enter 
 tainment of tempted young men, and 
 some people can make their kitchens 
 neat and sweet for the help of the 
 tempted husband, or son, and some 
 people can study how to make the 
 mince pies, rich, and juicy, and delight 
 ful, without the aid of a drop of brandy. 
 Oh, there are so many ways ! ways that 
 don't need money at all. In point of 
 fact, my friend, do you realize that this 
 last venture of mine takes the first 
 cent of money which I have spent for
 
 
 How to make the rnince pies, ,-P^tf 140,
 
 A PARTY AGAINST A PARTY. 143 
 
 the cause to-day ? And as for parties 
 other people give them, temperance peo 
 ple, too ; the question is : why dorit 
 they consecrate them ? It doesn't seem 
 to me that it is money, or time, or 
 strength, or talent, that is lacking, it 
 is the consecrated heart. A heart that 
 is given first to Christ, and secondly, to 
 His work, whatever form it may take, 
 or whatever may be the door that opens. 
 ' Do with thy might, whatsoever thy 
 hand findeth to do ; ' is our commission, 
 you know ; and in order to find things, 
 we have to look for them. People talk 
 sometimes, about ambition, as if it were 
 a wicked thing. I think it is a mis-
 
 144 MY DAUGHTER SUSAN. 
 
 directed ambition which causes trouble, 
 don't you ? " 
 
 By this time we had reached her 
 father's house, and as she ascended the 
 steps she turned to me with her whole 
 face aglow with feeling. " I declare to 
 you," she said : 
 
 " That I have an all absorbing, a 
 consuming ambition ; it is to have the 
 King put his hand on mine, and say : 
 ' Well done, good and faithful servant.' 
 I want to be a good servant; I shall 
 not be content without the commenda 
 tion promised to those who faithfully 
 serve, my ambition craves it. Now, \ve 
 must go to work ; I mean that those 
 boys shall have the nicest time to-night
 
 A PARTY AGAINST A PARTY. 145 
 
 that they ever had in their lives. You 
 arc to help, my friend ; yo'i are to 
 make some perfectly exquisite bouquets. 
 Do you suppose many people who have 
 flowers, realize their refining influence 
 on young men ? I wonder if people 
 realize that they can arrange flowers 
 in such a manner as to glorify the 
 Lord of the garden? Such remembrances 
 make glowing work of life, I think. 
 
 " Who sweeps a room, as for thy law, 
 Makes that, and the action fine." 
 
 "You know I am glad the grand old 
 author said that. And yet, an older and 
 grander author said it better. ' Whoso 
 ever giveth a cup of cold water,' you 
 know. And then he intensified it, with
 
 146 MY DAUGHTER SUSAN. 
 
 his wonderful : ' Inasmuch.' Don't you 
 love that word ? ' Inasmuch as ye did it 
 unto the least of these, my brethren, ye 
 did it unto me.' Think of that! I tell 
 you, I must have that reward." 
 
 Does anybody doubt but that she 
 will one day hear the grand voice say: 
 " Well done, good and faithful servant ; 
 thou hast been faithful over a few 
 things, I will make thee ruler over 
 many things, enter thou into the joy 
 of thy Lord?" 
 
 THE END.
 
 THE CHAUTAUQUA GIRLS AT HOME- 
 
 By Pansy. I2mo. Illustrated I 50 
 
 ' Pansy knows girls, and has the gift of story-telling, by which 
 th hard facts of every-day life take on a charm as of fairy-land. No 
 one can look into 'The Chautauqua Girls* without feeling the 
 subtle fascination of its pictures of quiet life, and being drawn into 
 warm sympathy with the four friends who long to form noble char 
 acters. They have been won to a love of Jesus by attending a 
 camp-meeting at Chautauqua ; but they find it so hard to be true 
 to their new impulses, and to carry the spirit of the Bible into 
 every-day life, that the story of their struggles, disheartening fail 
 ures relieved by partial successes, is very human and full of genuine 
 pathos. It is good summer reading, for beguiling away hours, and 
 inspiring with generous purposes." 
 
 "Pansy's last book, 'The Chautauqua Girls at Home,' is as 
 fresh and inspiring as a fine morning in June. The four friends, 
 Marion, Ruth, Flossy and Eurie, are of genuine flesh and blood, 
 with the petty weaknesses that flesh is heir to, and the noble aspi 
 rations that come at times to every high-minded girl. Their unlikc- 
 ness to each other in character and social position, and their mutual 
 helpfulness in all sorts of difficulties, make a delightful story ; in 
 structive as well as fascinating. One finds it hard to lay down the 
 book after beginning the first chapter. It will find many readers 
 who will welcome its stimulating power to high aims in life, and to 
 patience and hope in fighting hard battles." 
 
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