,,the ,,alchemist',s ,,secret ,,by      
,,isabel ,,cecilia ,,williams  ,p4 ,j4  
,,kenedy  ,,sons #dd ,,barclay ,,street1
 ,,new ,,york                           
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,,copyright1 #aiaj1 ,,by ,p4 ,j4        
,,kenedy  ,,sons4                       
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,,contents                              
,,page  ,,the ,,passing ,,of ,,tony     
#aa ,,the ,,tramp                       
#bg ,,he ,,hath ,,put ,,down ,,the      
,,mighty                             #db
 ,a ,,memorable ,,christmas ,,morning   
#eh ,,nancy',s ,,tale                   
#gb ,,patsy                             
#hh ,,three ,,evenings ,,in ,a ,,life   
#ajc ,,the ,,eleventh ,,hour            
#aaf ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,julie ,,benoit
                                #acj    
,,peter                                 
#aej ,,god',s ,,way                     
#afe                                    

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-------------------------------         
,,the ,,passing ,,of ,,tony4   ,last    
mail in1 ,mis' ,bascomb8  ,last mail's  
in1 ,tony4  ,be there anything for me   
to-night8  ,widow ,bascomb knew         
perfectly well there was not1 but she   
reached for a small pile of letters in a
 pigeonhole on her right and glanced    
over them rapidly4 ,her sour visage and 
rasping voice softened perceptibly as   
she smiled on the little old man before 
her4  ,sorry1 ,tony1 there's nothing for
 you to-night4  ,thank you1 ,mis'       
,bascomb1 p'raps it'll come to-morrow1  
and ,tony turned away with a sigh and   
moved towards the door4  ,a group of men
 were gathered around the stove1 smoking
 and exchanging the gossip of the town4 
,these greeted him kindly as he passed  
and he returned the greetings half      
absently4 ,before opening the door1 the 
old man stopped to give his woolen      
muffler one more turn around his neck4  
,purty cold snap1 this1 he remarked to  

the company in general4 ,looks as if    
we'd have snow 'fore mornin' and a white
 ,christmas after all4 ,good-night1     
,mis' ,bascomb2 good-night boys4 ,a     
merry ,christmas to you all6 and ,tony  
stepped out into the frosty air of the  
,december evening4  ,he sighed again as 
he turned up over the hill to the left  
and started for home4 ,it had been a    
long1 cold walk down to the village1 and
 it would be equally long and even      
colder on the way back1 for a sharp wind
 was blowing directly in his face4 ,it  
was a bad night for an old man like     
,tony to be abroad and he was almost    
sorry that he had ventured out4 ,but    
there was his promise to ,martha2 it    
would never do to break that4 ,martha   
had always been of a more hopeful turn  
of mind than he1 anyway4 ,while she was 
still alive she had imparted to him the 
same spirit of trust and hopefulness    
which shone in her steady gray eyes1 but
 since ,god had taken ,martha and left  
him all alone in the world of care and  

trouble1 life had been hard indeed4  ,he
 had promised ,martha never to omit the 
daily visit to the post-office to       
inquire for the letter which1 thus far1 
had failed to arrive4 ,martha had been  
so sure that ,sallie would write to them
 some day2 ,sallie1 their handsome1     
wilful daughter1 who had passed out of  
their lives nearly fifteen years before4
 ,he never blamed ,sallie for wanting to
 leave them2 what could a tiny village  
like this offer to one as clever1 as    
pretty1 as ambitious as ,sallie had     
been8 ,the neighbors had said many      
unkind things of ,sallie but he heeded  
them not4 ,they had called her vain1    
idle and silly2 they said the folks at  
the big house had spoiled her and put   
notions into her head4 ,they told him he
 did a foolish thing when he allowed her
 to go as maid to the lady of the big   
house over on the shores of the lake1   
and to go down to the city with the     
family when they moved home in the      
autumn4 ,to tell the truth1 poor ,tony  

had little voice in the matter4 ,sallie1
 as usual1 had taken affairs into her   
own hands and decided for herself4      
,nearly fifteen years6 ,it was a long1  
long time2 and never a word from the    
truant since the day she had left the   
village4 ,martha had waited1 at first   
impatiently1 then anxiously1 and finally
 with a pathetic hopefulness that was   
more than half assumed4 ,it was she who 
had insisted that ,tony must go to the  
office every day1 and during those long 
years1 every evening1 rain or shine1 the
 same little scene was enacted in the   
village post-office4 ,every evening he  
had the same story of failure to report4
  ,no letter to-night1 mother4  ,never  
mind1 father2 it'll sure come to-morrow1
 and ,martha would sigh and clasp her   
hands in her lap4  ,presently1 by the   
movement of her lips he would know she  
was praying for the absent one4 ,he     
would lay aside his pipe1 fetch his     
beads1 and together they would say the  
,rosary1 begging the blessed ,mother of 

,god to keep special watch over their   
child4 ,she was the only one they had   
left1 four little white stones marking  
the resting-place of the four little    
angels who had been permitted to remain 
with them for only such a very short    
space of time4  ,martha was sleeping now
 beside her babies and he was alone in  
the world2 for who could tell what had  
become of ,sallie8 ,she1 too1 might be  
at rest in ,god's ,acre4 ,sometimes he  
felt that she must be1 or surely1       
surely1 some word would have come from  
her4 ,she must have known how anxiously 
they would watch for news of her1 and   
certainly she would not be so heartless 
as to keep silence all this long time4  
,perhaps she had written and the letter 
failed to reach them4 ,well1 whatever   
the trouble was1 ,tony had long since   
given up all hope of hearing from her1  
but1 because of his promise to ,martha1 
he still made his nightly visit to the  
post-office in the village4 ,had it not 
been for that promise he would certainly

 not take that long walk day after day1 
in summer heat and winter storms1 for   
hope had long since died in ,tony's     
heart4 ,at least1 so he told himself1   
but somehow the walk home always seemed 
twice as long as the walk down1 after   
hearing those depressing words ,no      
letter to-night1 ,tony4  ,of late1 the  
daily visit to the village had been     
almost more than the old man's failing  
strength had been able to support4 ,how 
often he wished he had not been obliged 
to sell ,lassie4 ,she was the last of   
his horses to go2 the last1 in fact1 of 
all his possessions4 ,there was nothing 
left to him now but the old house1 and  
that was in such a state of dilapidation
 as to be really unfit for habitation4  
,in the old days1 his dogs and his      
horses were better housed than he was   
now2 in the old days1 when his farm was 
one of the most prosperous in that      
section of the country4 ,it was lonely  
indeed since ,martha went away1 but he  
was glad she had not lived to see him   

brought to this pass4 ,he was glad he   
had been able to surround her with      
comforts up to the very end1 though to  
do so he had been obliged to sell       
timber-land1 horses1 cows1 everything he
 owned1 one after another4  ,but ,martha
 never knew2 patient1 suffering ,martha1
 confined to her room by illness for    
many years before ,god had sent her     
release from pain4 ,thank ,god1 ,martha 
never knew2 she had trouble enough      
without worrying over their poverty4    
,her room was always bright1 always     
cheerful2 her favorite flowers blossomed
 in the window1 a fire of logs burned   
cosily upon the hearth4 ,the neighbors  
were kind in helping him to care for    
her1 in bringing her little delicacies  
to tempt an invalid's appetite2 fresh   
eggs1 chickens1 new lettuce1 which      
,martha supposed had come from their own
 farm4  ,it would never do to let her   
know that all their land was gone1 all  
save that upon which the house stood and
 ,martha's flower garden which stretched

 from her windows to the road4 ,how he  
had worked in that garden1 cultivating  
the flowers she loved to see growing    
there4 ,sometimes he would lift her from
 the bed and place her in the large     
chair by the window1 where she could    
watch him at his work2 where she could  
watch1 too1 the road that led from the  
village4 ,often1 he would glance up from
 his spading to meet her brave1 cheery  
smile that sweetened all his labor2     
oftener still1 it would be to find her  
eyes fixed upon that long1 dusty line   
that wound over hill and valley1 in and 
out through orchards and corn fields1   
the road that led to the village and    
thence to the city beyond4 ,he knew her 
mind had gone out into the wide1 busy   
world1 of which an occasional echo would
 reach them1 gone out in a vain effort  
to guess at the whereabouts of the girl 
who had passed down that country road so
 many years ago never to return4 ,to the
 very end1 ,martha had never ceased     
hoping1 never ceased praying for the    

return of the wanderer1 or at least for 
some word of assurance that all was well
 with her4  ,by the time ,tony reached  
the dismantled farmhouse the snow was   
falling thickly1 silently1 on all       
around4  ,twill be a bad storm1 thought 
,tony4 ,god pity any who are abroad this
 night4  ,pushing open the kitchen door 
he entered quickly1 divesting himself of
 cap1 muffler1 and ragged overcoat1 and 
hanging them near the stove to dry4 ,he 
lighted the lamp and threw some wood    
upon the fire which had burned low4     
,then1 turning1 he spied for the first  
time1 a basket upon the table4 ,a       
pleased smile overspread his face4 ,so  
they had not forgotten1 after all6 ,how 
he and ,martha had always watched for   
that ,christmas basket from ,cousin     
,john's folks over at the market town6  
,it was not so much the value of the    
gift1 for ,john was not over-plentifully
 blessed with the goods of this world   
and had a large family dependent upon   
him4 ,it was more the fact of being     

remembered kindly1 the knowledge that   
there was still some one who thought of 
them occasionally4  ,he commenced       
unpacking the basket and arranging the  
contents upon the table3 home-baked     
bread1 pies1 cakes2 a package of tea1   
another of tobacco2 oranges1 nuts1      
candy2 warm mittens and socks that      
,john's wife had knit for him4 ,she was 
a good woman1 ,john's wife1 kind-hearted
 and thoughtful2 she must have guessed  
how badly he needed socks and mittens   
now that ,martha was no longer there to 
make them for him4 ,he started for the  
cupboard1 a pie in one hand1 a loaf of  
bread in the other1 then stopped in the 
middle of the room and eyed them        
meditatively4 ,what was it ,martha used 
to say8  ,never1 never let ,christmas   
pass without doing something for some   
one4 ,no matter how poor one may be1    
,tony1 they're always others poorer     
still4 ,if it be no more'n a loaf of    
bread1 give something to the poor at    
,christmas time in the name of the      

little ,babe that had none but the      
shepherds to do a hand's turn for ,him4 
,each year he and ,martha had found some
 one to whom they gave in the           
,christ-,child's name1 for the sake of  
the girl who was never absent from their
 thoughts by day or by night4 ,even last
 year1 as poor as he was1 he had met    
with one more needy still and sent him  
on his way rejoicing--a poor lad1 out of
 work1 out of money1 tramping from city 
to city in search of employment4 ,they  
had taken him in for ,sallie's sake1    
given him food and shelter1 and when the
 boy left the farm a silver dollar1     
nearly the last of ,tony's small store1 
was pressed into his hand4 ,the dollar  
had been returned1 for at the next town 
the object of ,tony's charity had found 
steady work4 ,that was last year4 ,this 
,christmas he was not doing a thing for 
any one2 he had forgotten completely1   
probably because ,martha was not there  
to remind him4  ,he placed the bread and
 the pie back upon the table and stood  

looking at them long and earnestly4 ,he 
knew of one who needed them far more    
than he did1 a poor widow over in the   
hollow1 whose five small children1      
sickly1 starved little creatures1 were  
more than half the time crying with cold
 and hunger4 ,he opened the package of  
tobacco1 filled his pipe and sat down in
 his chair by the stove to smoke and    
think4  ,how those poor children would  
enjoy the bread and pies and cakes which
 ,john's wife had sent him6 ,poor little
 things1 they seldom1 if ever1 tasted   
fare like that4 ,he really did not need 
them2 he managed to get along pretty    
well and the neighbors were all good to 
him2 especially since ,martha died4 ,he 
would really be glad to give those      
children something1 but he was so tired1
 so tired1 and it was quite a walk over 
to the hollow4  ,then1 the storm6 ,how  
the wind shrieked and tore around the   
house1 and how steadily the snow beat   
against the window panes6 ,it was warm  
and comfortable there by the fire1 but  

outside----4 ,and he was unusually tired
 to-night2 that walk to the village had 
been almost too much for him4 ,besides1 
he must be up in time for first ,mass in
 the morning2 he had never missed first 
,mass and ,holy ,communion on ,christmas
 since the day he and ,martha were      
married4 ,year after year1 they had     
knelt side by side at ,god's altar2 for 
many years ,sallie had knelt there with 
him2 now he was all alone but he meant  
to continue the custom for ,martha's    
sake4  ,how the storm did rage1 to be   
sure2 but those poor children1 those    
poor little children6 ,perhaps somewhere
 in the wide world his ,sallie was in   
need of help and comfort this night and 
those who might give it to her were too 
tired or too lazy4 ,he guessed that was 
the trouble1 he was growing lazy in his 
old age4 ,well1 he would do this for    
,sallie2 it would be one more little    
sacrifice added to the many which he and
 ,martha had offered for their wandering
 child1 that ,god might keep guard over 

her wherever she might be4 ,yes1 he     
would do it for ,sallie's sake and to   
please ,martha4 ,from ,heaven she was   
watching him and would know that to     
please her and for the sake of their    
child he was going to brave the storm   
once more and carry a little ,christmas 
happiness to those poor children over in
 the hollow4 ,the walk over and back    
again would not hurt him2 he was growing
 old and lazy1 that was all4  ,but first
 he must light the lamp4 ,dear1 dear1 he
 was growing forgetful as well as lazy4 
,he had nearly forgotten to light       
,sallie's lamp4 ,what would ,martha say 
to that8 ,every night as soon as dusk   
had fallen1 ,martha had insisted upon   
placing a lamp in the window of what had
 once been ,sallie's room4 ,if the child
 came back unexpectedly1 she would see  
the light shining from her window and   
know they were waiting and watching for 
her4 ,the room itself was as she had    
left it years ago1 her clothes still    
hanging in the closet1 her slippers laid

 ready for the tired feet to slip into  
them1 the fire on the hearth all        
prepared against the day of her         
home-coming1 and by night the lamp in   
the window shining a welcome that could 
be seen afar down the road that led from
 the village4 ,he must light ,sallie's  
lamp1 then off once more into the storm 
and darkness to carry a bit of          
,christmas cheer to the little home in  
the hollow4  ,nearly an hour later1 a   
thoroughly worn-out but very happy old  
man sat by the stove in the farmhouse   
kitchen4 ,he was too tired even to light
 his pipe2 he simply sat there and tried
 to rest4 ,it had been a hard fight     
against the storm1 but how pleased those
 poor little children were6 ,well1 he   
had done it for ,sallie1 just one more  
little sacrifice for ,sallie who was    
somewhere out there in the cold1 weary  
world1 far from the home of her         
childhood1 far from the ones who loved  
her best4  ,sallie gone8 ,sallie far    
away in the storm and darkness8 ,why no1

 of course not4 ,sallie was only a      
little child sleeping quietly in her own
 little room4 ,see1 the door was ajar   
and a ray of light from the lamp in     
,sallie's room was streaming across the 
kitchen floor4 ,he must go in and       
extinguish the light before it awakened 
the sleeping child4 ,why had ,martha    
left the lamp burning8 ,surely she must 
know it would disturb the child4 ,well1 
as soon as he was rested he would go and
 put it out4  ,how tired1 how tired he  
did feel6 ,he'd worked pretty hard      
to-day1 and the sun had been hot1 so    
hot4 ,well1 never mind1 the hay was all 
cut now1 a few more days like this and  
his barn would be filled with the finest
 hay in the country4 ,a few more years  
like this one and he would be the       
richest farmer hereabouts4 ,for himself1
 he did not care1 and ,martha had simple
 tastes like his own4 ,but there was    
,sallie4 ,she was only a wee tot now but
 she would be a woman some day4 ,they   
must give ,sallie all the advantages    

they had missed2 they must lay by money 
against the time when ,sallie would be a
 grown up woman and want things like    
other girls of her age4  ,what ailed    
him1 anyway1 that a day's work in the   
hay field should make him feel like     
this1 so tired1 so very tired8  ,he felt
 a little better now2 he would rest a   
few moments more1 then be off home to   
supper and to ,martha and ,sallie4 ,but 
who was that calling to him8 ,why1      
,martha1 to be sure1 standing there by  
the five-barred gate4 ,she had come to  
meet him with their baby in her arms4   
,that was strange2 it was not ,sallie1  
it was their first-born1 the boy with   
his mother's eyes who had blessed their 
home for only a few short months and    
then been laid to rest in the churchyard
 on the hill4 ,the other little tots    
were with her1 three of them1 clinging  
closely to her skirts4 ,they were all   
smiling and holding out their hands to  
him in invitation4 ,but ,sallie1 where  
was ,sallie8 ,once more ,martha called  

his name4 ,at the sound of her voice all
 the wonder1 all the worriment1 fled    
from ,tony's heart4  ,coming1 ,mother1  
coming1 he called happily1 and the smile
 upon ,martha's face was reflected on   
his own4  ,christmas morning dawned     
bright and clear2 the storm had passed  
in the night4 ,something else had       
passed1 too--the soul of an aged farmer4
 ,it was not until the next day they    
found him1 still sitting in the lounging
 chair by the stove in which only a     
small heap of charred ashes remained4   
,they looked upon that serenely smiling 
face1 then from one to another1 and     
sadly shook their heads4 ,one of their  
number stepped forward and with         
trembling fingers placed in the stiff1  
cold hand of old ,tony1 the letter for  
which he had watched through long and   
weary years1 the letter that had come   
too late4  ,too late8 ,nay1 not so4     
,those standing by could not see1 as    
,tony saw1 the woman who lay dying in   
the great hospital down in the city4    

,they could not see1 as ,tony saw1 the  
last rites of the ,church administered1 
the ,sisters of ,charity bending near   
praying1 praying for that soul about to 
depart upon its last long journey4 ,they
 could not hear1 as ,tony heard1 the    
pale lips speaking their final words3   
,you wrote the letter1 ,sister8  ,i     
wrote the letter1 dear4 ,it must have   
reached them by now4  ,you told them ,i 
was dying8 ,you asked them to forgive8  
,i told them all and ,i'm sure they have
 forgiven already4  ,dear father and    
mother6 ,god bless them both6 ,god have 
mercy upon me6  ,they could not know1   
but ,tony knew4 ,perhaps that explained 
the smile on ,tony's face1 the smile    
they could not comprehend4     ,,the    
,,tramp4   ,a pretty tough looking      
character1 that6 ,but ,i suppose you see
 a great many just such specimens in    
this quaint little town of yours4       
,father ,antony's back was turned to the
 speaker and for several moments he     
remained standing at the top of the     

veranda steps1 following with his eyes  
the slouching figure that had just      
passed through the gate and was tramping
 slowly along the county road4 ,then1   
with a sigh he returned to his seat and1
 running his fingers through his hair1  
remarked half absently3  ,poor fellow1  
he looked almost exhausted4 ,i tried to 
persuade him to remain here a little    
longer and rest for a spell4 ,what a    
life theirs is6 ,some of them1 of       
course1 really enjoy it1 but others----4
 ,ah1 me6 those poor others4 ,and       
somehow that tramp who has just left us 
seems to me to belong to the latter     
class rather than to the former4 ,but   
pardon me1 ,father1 what was it you were
 just saying8 ,i was so interested in my
 tramp that ,i failed to catch your     
words4  ,i merely remarked1 returned the
 younger priest1 smiling1 that you must 
see a great many of these nomadic       
individuals in this quaint little town  
of yours4 ,i have been here but a week  
and that is the sixth villainous looking

 rascal who has presented himself and   
demanded something to eat4  ,yes1 a     
large number of tramps pass through here
 in the course of a year1 for we are on 
the direct road between the two largest 
cities of the ,state4 ,many of them are1
 as you say1 villainous looking1 but ,i 
do not think they are half as bad as    
they look4 ,in fact1 in some cases1 ,i  
have found them to be pretty good       
fellows once you had passed the rough   
exterior and reached the real man       
underneath4  ,you must have had some    
very interesting experiences with these 
tramps of yours2 have you not1 ,father8 
asked the younger man curiously4 ,i wish
 you would tell me some of them4        
,father ,anthony shifted his chair so as
 to command a better view of the road4  
,he watched in meditative silence until 
the tramp had become a mere blot upon   
the whiteness of the dusty road and had 
finally disappeared over the brow of a  
distant hill4 ,then he spoke in tones of
 reminiscence3  ,it was on just such a  

,may evening as this1 clear and         
beautiful only much cooler1 that ,i sat 
in this very chair and watched the road 
as ,i am doing now4 ,but on that evening
 ,i watched anxiously1 divided between  
hopes and fears1 for the figure that was
 so long in coming2 ,i was watching for 
,jim1 the tramp4 ,jim had promised      
faithfully1 but with some men promises  
are made only to be broken4 ,i began to 
fear that ,jim was one of these4 ,still 
,i prayed fervently and continued to    
hope1 though the twilight deepened and  
brought no sign of my vagrant4  ,my     
meeting with ,jim had come about in this
 way4 ,for some time ,i had been playing
 a game of hide and seek with a certain 
backsliding member of my congregation4  
,the hiding was all on his side1 the    
seeking on mine4 ,try as ,i would ,i    
could not seem to obtain an interview   
with him4 ,he was never at home when ,i 
called2 so ,i decided that my only      
chance of coming to close quarters with 
the enemy was to surprise him at his    

work4 ,that afternoon ,i had gone to the
 quarries and found my man              
superintending the gang in charge of the
 stone-crusher4 ,he certainly was       
surprised and not very pleased to see   
me1 and all ,i could obtain from him    
after more than an hour of argument and 
pleading was a promise that 'he would   
think about it4' ,the 'it' referred to  
the making of his ,easter duty1 the time
 for which had nearly expired4 ,bitterly
 disappointed1 and with a feeling of    
utter defeat1 ,i was turning away when  
my steps were arrested by a not         
unpleasant voice3  ',why don't you try  
your hand on me1 ,father8 ,i'm a black  
enough sheep to keep you busy for a few 
moments anyway4'  ,i wheeled around and 
found myself confronted by a short1     
thick-set man of most unattractive      
appearance1 a man whom you would scarce 
choose as a companion along a lonely    
road at night4 ,at a glance ,i sized up 
my new acquaintance3 a typical tramp who
 had taken a job at stoking the engine  

to vary the monotony of the road4 ,he   
was no professional 'hobo1' but belonged
 to that class who take to tramping from
 necessity rather than from choice--a   
too great love for the bottle being the 
necessity4 ,they find an odd job here   
and there1 hold it until pay day1       
squander the month's earnings in the    
nearest saloon1 then on again in search 
of a job somewhere else4  ,i am well    
acquainted with these men1 but there was
 something about the rough looking      
specimen before me1 a certain something 
in his manner1 in his speech1 in the    
twinkle of his eyes1 which set him apart
 from the rest of his class4 ,a grizzled
 beard of iron grey concealed the lower 
half of his face1 and the right temple  
and cheek were disfigured by a scar     
which gave the countenance a decidedly  
sinister appearance4 ,in spite of that  
,i felt that the man before me had at   
one time been accustomed to a very      
different life from the one he was      
leading now4  ',why don't you try your  

hand on me1 ,father8' he repeated1 and  
the smile accompanying the words made   
the ugly face almost pleasing4  ,there  
was not time for a lengthy conversation1
 the engine requiring constant          
attention1 but the tramp volunteered the
 information that he answered to the    
name of ,jim1 and promised to report at 
the rectory in the evening and give me a
 chance to try my hand on him4  ,in the 
evening1 then1 ,i sat and waited1 half  
fearing that he had changed his mind and
 would not come4 ,but just as the first 
pale stars began to twinkle in the sky  
,jim pushed open the gate and ,i went to
 meet him with both hands extended in   
warmest welcome4 ,he gave me his left   
hand1 and for the first time ,i noticed 
that the right was gone--amputated at   
the wrist4 ,jim saw my glance of shocked
 pity and smiled as he said calmly3     
',it was the drink did it1 ,father--the 
hand and this scar on my face4 ,i'd been
 hitting it up pretty lively and didn't 
realize where ,i was walking4 ,the track

 wasn't wide enough for me and the      
train4 ,one of us had to get off1 and as
 the engine was the stronger of the     
two--well1 you see the result before    
you4'  ',how long have you been         
tramping1 ,jim8' ,i asked4  ',more years
 than ,i care to think of now1 ,father4 
,the drink again4 ,in fact1 it's been   
the drink at every turn2 it's ruined my 
life1 made a complete fool of me4 ,but  
let's get down to business2 only1 you'll
 have to help me out1 it's so long since
 ,i went to confession ,i've almost     
forgotten how4'  ',come into the house  
or the confessional in the church1' ,i  
suggested4  ',the house or the          
confessional in the church8 ,no1 thank  
you1 ,father4 ,my little friends up     
yonder1 those pretty1 sparkling stars1  
my only companions on many a lonely     
night1 have been the witnesses of my    
degradation4 ,let them now behold my    
restoration to the favor of the ,god    
whom ,i've offended4'  ,strange words1  
those1 from a tramp1 and ,i marveled at 

them4 ,without more ado we 'got down to 
business1' and it was nearly two hours  
later when we parted at the gate4 ,in   
answer to a question of mine1 ,jim      
replied whimsically3  ',where do ,i live
 while ,i'm working on this job8 ,well1 
you see1 ,father1 ,i am rather          
particular with regard to my lodgings1  
and as there is nothing around here that
 quite suits me1 ,i just crawl under the
 engine and sleep there4'  ',but when it
 rains1 ,jim8'  ',well1 it just rains1  
that's all4'  ,the next morning ,jim    
attended my ,mass and received ,holy    
,communion1 and every morning after that
 when ,i entered the church to offer up 
the ,holy ,sacrifice the first person ,i
 would see would be my one-armed tramp  
kneeling in a far corner1 his rosary    
slipping through his fingers4 ,the      
rosary had belonged to his mother1 and  
during all his years of tramping he had 
guarded it as his most precious         
treasure4 ,he had worn it in a little   
chamois bag suspended from a string     

around his neck1 but had not used it in 
many1 many years4 ,he came regularly one
 evening in each week to make his       
confession and to have a little chat    
with me4 ,as the summer progressed ,i   
wondered more and more at this strange  
new acquaintance of mine2 this rough    
looking tramp with the manners of a     
gentleman and the speech1 except for a  
few lapses in the vernacular of the     
road1 of a man of considerable          
education4 ,the oddest thing of all was 
the feeling ,i had that somewhere1 at   
some time1 ,jim and ,i had met before4  
,little tricks of voice and expression  
would seem strangely familiar4  ,the    
summer gradually faded into autumn1 and 
one evening in late ,september when ,i  
stood at the gate to say good-night to  
my tramp1 he remarked sadly3  ',this is 
good-by as well as good-night1 ,father4 
,i have given up my work here and am off
 early in the morning4'  ',not the road 
again6' ,i cried1 and the next second   
would have given anything to recall the 

thoughtless words4 ,a pained look       
crossed ,jim's face1 but he answered    
quietly3  ',no1 ,father1 not the road4  
,never again shall ,i return to that    
life4 ,i have saved my wages this summer
 and am going back into the world to    
begin life all over again4 ,this time1  
with ,god's help1 ,i shall not make such
 a muddle of it as ,i did before4'  ,the
 next day he was gone1 and many a night 
as ,i sat over my study-fire reading or 
trying to work up my sermon for ,sunday1
 my thoughts would stray from the       
subject in hand and wander out into the 
world in search of my friend the tramp4 
,i would listen to the wintry blasts    
whistling down my chimney and wonder    
where ,jim was1 and wonder still more at
 his complete silence4 ,surely he might 
let me know if all were well with him4  
,had he persevered8 ,or had he1 perhaps1
 lapsed into his former ways1 and was   
he1 even now1 tramping the highways and 
byways8  ,winter passed and spring came2
 still no news of ,jim4 ,another summer1

 another fall1 another winter4 ,silence1
 absolute silence on the part of my     
tramp4 ,then1 one evening in ,may1      
exactly two years from the day when ,i  
first met him1 ,jim stood before me once
 again4 ,i recognized him by the missing
 right hand and the scar on the temple4 
,aside from those two points and the old
 merry twinkle in his eye he bore       
absolutely no resemblance to my tramp of
 two years ago4 ,the face was smooth    
shaven1 the bloat1 caused by years of   
drinking1 had all disappeared1 and he   
looked at least ten years younger than  
my former friend4 ,his ragged tramp's   
garb had been replaced by neat garments 
such as a fairly prosperous business man
 might wear4 ,his whole appearance      
seemed to indicate that ,jim had done   
well in the world to which he had       
returned4 ,sitting in the garden1 he    
told me all about it4  ,yes1 he had done
 well4 ,it had been hard at first1 oh6  
very hard4 ,there had been a time when1 
his savings all gone and no employment  

in sight1 he had faced actual           
starvation4 ,but the darkest hour comes 
before dawn1 and that had been ,jim's   
darkest hour4 ,from then on things began
 to mend4 ,he had obtained a good       
situation and was happy in it4 ,he had  
not written because for long1 for so    
very long1 he had no news but bad news  
to send4 ,there was nothing but ill-luck
 and misfortune to report1 and he waited
 from day to day hoping things would    
brighten4 ,then1 when the unexpected    
stroke of good luck came1 he decided to 
wait yet a little longer until he could 
bring me the good news in person4  ,all 
the time he was talking ,i watched his  
face carefully4 ,that puzzling1 baffling
 resemblance to some one whom ,i had    
known was stronger than ever since the  
beard which concealed so much of his    
face had been removed4 ,i became more   
and more convinced that we had met      
before1 but when and where8 ,i racked my
 memory1 but the name1 the personality  
,i wanted1 eluded my grasp4 ,something  

of my thoughts must have shown in my    
face1 for when ,jim finished his        
narrative he threw back his head1       
laughing merrily at my very evident     
perplexity4  ',it is really too bad to  
keep you guessing any longer1 ,father1' 
he said4 ',let me help you to remember  
when and where we met before4 ,listen   
and ,i will tell you a little story4    
',it is ,commencement day at a certain  
large college in a certain city which we
 need not name4 ,the graduating class   
have met together for the last time in  
their own particular class-room4 ,the   
saintly1 white-haired priest who has    
watched their progress step by step from
 the day they first entered college     
stands before them4 ,he speaks words to 
them which brings tears to those young  
eyes1 accustomed1 as a rule1 to looking 
only on the merry side of life4 ,he     
speaks words of true affection1 of      
gentle admonition and fatherly advice4  
,he gives to each youth a tiny silver   
medal of our ,blessed ,mother1 and      

exacts from each one a promise that he  
will faithfully carry that little medal 
until the day of his death4'  ,as ,jim  
spoke he took from an inner pocket a    
small medal of our ,lady and laid it on 
the palm of his hand4 ,i drew forth my  
rosary1 and there1 beside the crucifix1 
hung a medal the counterpart of ,jim's4 
,he smiled as he continued3  ',i see you
 remember now1 ,father1 but listen just 
a little longer for my story is not     
finished4 ,from that class-room those   
lads went forth into the busy world of  
men and of affairs4 ,they went their    
separate ways1 each one to fill that    
position in life to which he felt       
himself called1 most of them fired by   
ambition and confident of success4      
',one of those young men left the       
college that night with his heart as    
buoyant and hopeful as any of his       
companions4 ,almost from the first1     
however1 things seemed to go wrong with 
him4 ,he was an orphan1 father and      
mother having died a few years before4  

,perhaps if either parent had been at   
hand to warn him of the dangers into    
which he was drifting1 his life might   
have been different4 ,perhaps1 even if  
some one had warned him1 the warning    
would have passed unheeded4 ,he tried   
law for a time and did not like it2     
tried business and gave that up2 drifted
 from one thing to another1 always      
drifting lower1 lower1 until at last he 
found himself an outcast and a wanderer4
 ,for some years he lived the life of a 
vagrant4 ,if at times a longing to      
return to better ways1 a longing for all
 that might have been1 stirred faintly  
within him1 the feeling was quickly     
drowned by recourse to the one thing to 
which he remained faithful1 the enemy   
that had brought about his ruin1 drink4 
',during his wanderings he picked up odd
 jobs here and there1 and one day he is 
taken on by the boss of the             
stone-crusher over there in those       
quarries of yours4 ,they were badly in  
need of some one to stoke the engine1   

and even a rough looking tramp was      
welcome4 ,that same day there comes to  
the place a certain priest who is       
searching for one of the stray sheep    
from his own fold4 ,the tramp recognizes
 the priest at once1 and the sight of   
that familiar face brings back the old1 
happy days of his innocent boyhood4 ,the
 priest commences to speak2 he pleads1  
he reasons with the boss of the         
stone-crusher4 ,in spirit the tramp is  
once more back in the college chapel    
listening to the saintly old man who had
 been his guide and confidant in youth1 
and who had long since passed to his    
reward4 ,the vague1 discontented longing
 for better things rises up in full     
strength4 ,after all1 why not8 ,the look
 on the priest's face as he turns away  
decides him4 ,that look of bitter       
disappointment1 of real grief1 on the   
face of his old college friend is more  
than the tramp can stand4 ,he speaks1   
the priest turns to him1 and--well1 the 
rest of the story you know for yourself1

 ,father4 ,that is1 the rest as far as  
any mortal can relate it4 ,the end is   
not yet1 but ,i trust that end will be  
one which will satisfy even you4'       
,silence reigned for several moments1   
the fragrant silence of a warm ,may     
night4 ,and then3  ,i am sure it will1  
,i am sure it will1 mused ,father       
,anthony1 smiling confidently4 ,i have  
no fear as to what the end will be for  
,jim1 my one-armed tramp4  ,but the     
other man1 ,father1 the boss of the     
stone-crusher8 ,what has become of him8 
,oh6 that little game of hide and seek  
is still going on1 but ,i have not lost 
hope even yet4 ,god's mills grind slowly
 and we must abide ,his own good time1  
,his own good time4     ,,he ,,hath     
,,put ,,down ,,the ,,mighty4            
,magnificat anima mea ,dominum4 ,the    
exquisite voice rose and fell daintily  
on the incense-laden air4  ,et exultavit
 spiritus meus in ,deo salutari meo1    
responded the chorus in triumphant      
harmony4  ,it was a ,sunday evening in  

early ,june and the hour for ,vesper    
service at ,saint ,zita's convent4      
,reverend ,mother mounted the staircase 
leading to the chapel1 then paused1 with
 her hand upon the door1 to listen as   
the wonderful soprano again took up the 
refrain3  ,quia respexit humilitatem    
ancillae suae4  ,poor child1 poor child1
 whispered ,reverend ,mother1 opening   
the door and gliding noiselessly to her 
stall1 where she knelt with bowed head  
and prayed as she had never prayed      
before2 prayed in fear and trembling for
 the future of the girl whose voice had 
earned for her the title of the         
nightingale of ,saint ,zita's4          
,reverend ,mother had always dreaded the
 day when she must part with this dearly
 loved child who had been entrusted to  
her care some ten years before4 ,a      
gentleman had come to ,saint ,zita's    
bringing with him his little daughter of
 six4 ,a man of grave1 even stern       
aspect1 there was yet a look in his eyes
 which filled the nun's heart with a    

great pity2 it was the look of one who  
had suffered deeply and in silence4 ,he 
was a man of few words and his errand   
was quickly explained4 ,he was obliged  
to be absent from home the greater part 
of the time and could not attend to the 
education of his little girl as he would
 like to do4 ,his wife was not of our   
faith and was also too busily occupied  
to look after the child4 ,he did not    
mention that her occupation was that of 
society butterfly1 who sacrificed       
homelife1 husband and child in the      
pursuit of pleasure4 ,would ,reverend   
,mother kindly undertake the charge of  
his little ,nita's education1 spiritual 
as well as intellectual8 ,would she be  
to the child what father and mother     
ought to be and could not8  ,reverend   
,mother had gladly undertaken the task1 
and since then ,nita had never been     
separated from her even for a day4      
,during the vacations1 when other pupils
 scattered far and wide to their various
 homes1 ,nita had remained at the       

convent1 roaming at will through the    
deserted class-room and beautiful       
grounds4 ,she was the pet and darling of
 the entire community4 ,in the long     
summer afternoons when the nuns carried 
their sewing out to the orchard behind  
the house1 or to the pine grove on the  
hill1 where one could obtain such a     
lovely view of the river1 ,nita would   
flit about amongst them like a veritable
 woodland fairy4 ,her snatches of song  
and merry laughter made sylvan echoes   
ring and brought smiles to the faces of 
the simple women who watched her with   
loving sympathetic glances4  ,many a    
time1 especially of late1 had ,reverend 
,mother looked at her with anxious      
foreboding in her eyes4 ,what would the 
future hold for this child of hers1     
endowed as she was with singular beauty 
and a wonderful voice8 ,she was a docile
 child1 sunny and sweet-tempered1 and   
that very pliancy of nature was what    
caused the nun many a moment of         
uneasiness4 ,what would become of her   

once she had left the shelter of her    
convent home and was exposed to the     
influence of the light-hearted1 merry1  
soulless mother from whom she had       
inherited her beauty2 the mother whose  
only god was pleasure1 whose one        
ambition was to be the best dressed1 the
 most popular1 the most envied woman in 
her set4 ,the only hope lay in keeping  
,nita at the convent as long as         
possible1 or at least until her         
character had developed sufficiently to 
enable her to enter her mother's world  
and hold her own against it4 ,still1    
,reverend ,mother dreaded the day when  
she must part with her child1 and now   
that the parting had come so            
unexpectedly1 so much sooner than she   
had anticipated1 it was doubly hard to  
bear4  ,the nun knelt in the chapel that
 ,june evening and prayed with all her  
heart1 not only for the future of the   
girl whose voice filled the air with    
such exquisite melody1 but also for help
 to break to that girl as gently as     

possible the sad news awaiting her4     
,word had just arrived that her father  
lay dangerously ill and ,nita must      
hasten to his bedside if she wished to  
see him once more in this world4 ,the   
carriage was waiting and ,nita must go  
at once4  ,the ,benediction over and the
 lights extinguished1 all save the tiny 
radiance of the ,sanctuary lamp1 with a 
final appealing glance towards the      
,tabernacle door1 ,reverend ,mother left
 the chapel1 descended to her office1   
where she was accustomed to interview   
the pupils each in turn1 and summoned   
,nita to her presence4  ,a little later 
she stood at the foot of the convent    
steps and watched the carriage drive    
away with a weeping1 forlorn little     
figure huddled in one corner1 while the 
good lay-sister who accompanied her     
vainly essayed words of cheer and       
consolation4 ,she watched with          
tear-dimmed eyes as the carriage rolled 
rapidly down the avenue and out through 
the gate1 then entered the house and    

repaired at once to her refuge in all   
trials and afflictions that might beset 
her way1 the convent chapel4 ,there1    
with her eyes on the little golden door 
behind which the dearest and best of    
,comforters is always waiting for the   
sorrowful1 the sin-laden1 the           
weary-hearted1 to come to ,him1 she     
found consolation and peace4 ,her child 
was in the ,lord's hands and surely in  
those hands she would be safe4  ,many   
times have the ,june roses blossomed and
 fallen since the night on which        
,reverend ,mother stood in the convent  
doorway and watched the departure of the
 carriage which was bearing her child   
away from her out into the world of     
suffering and sin4 ,once more1 the ,june
 sunshine is flooding the land and the  
air is heavy with the odor of ,june     
blossoms4 ,in a small town in the south 
of ,france1 a young woman1 gowned in    
deepest mourning1 sits by her own       
casement and gazes gloomily1            
despairingly1 out into the gathering    

twilight4 ,on a table at her side is a  
small pile of money which she has       
counted over and over again in the vain 
hope that she may have made a mistake   
and that1 perhaps1 after all1 the amount
 is not quite so small as she has made  
it out to be4 ,that little pile of money
 represents her entire worldly wealth1  
and when it is gone what is to become of
 her8 ,work8 ,she glances at the soft1  
delicate hands resting idly in her lap4 
,their whiteness is dazzling as compared
 with the black of her gown1 and she    
smiles rather bitterly4 ,what work could
 hands like those perform8 ,they are    
beautiful certainly1 but useless1       
absolutely useless1 just as she herself 
is useless4 ,there is not one thing by  
which she can earn her daily bread1 and 
earn it she must or starve4 ,to what a  
pass has she come2 she1 who at one time 
had wealth at her command and the world 
at her feet4  ,as she sits there1 broken
 in spirit1 broken in health1 a         
middle-aged woman in appearance1 while  

in years not much beyond her first      
youth1 she recalls those triumphs of her
 past4 ,her success had been marvelous  
though short-lived4 ,her mind wanders   
back to the days when she was the pet   
and idol of musical ,europe4 ,the mere  
announcement that she was to sing would 
pack the largest opera house to the very
 doors4 ,ah6 those days of triumph1 when
 she had passed from one success to     
another1 when the mighty ones of the    
earth were pleased to do her honor1 when
 the incense of praise and flattery was 
burned day and night upon the shrine of 
her greatness4 ,her mother was with her 
then1 the beautiful1 fairylike little   
mother for whom her love had been almost
 worship4 ,her voice had been with her1 
too1 that voice at which two continents 
had marveled4 ,both are gone now1 the   
beautiful mother1 the wonderful voice2  
gone1 gone forever1 and she is alone in 
the world1 alone and poor and           
friendless4  ,she recalls the first and 
only time when she appeared in public in

 ,america1 her native land4 ,she did not
 want to sing that night1 for her       
mother1 who had been slightly ailing for
 some time1 seemed very much worse4 ,she
 had decided not to appear at all1 but  
had finally yielded to the mother's     
entreaties and driven to the opera      
house4 ,what an ovation she had received
 that night6 ,she could see it all      
again3 the lights1 the flowers1 the     
music1 the vast audience simply frantic 
with delight at her performance4 ,at the
 close she had been recalled again and  
again1 and those enthusiastic plaudits  
still rang in her ears4 ,how little she 
had dreamed as she smiled and bowed her 
thanks1 and how little those who watched
 her had dreamed that never again was   
that wonderful voice to be heard by     
mortal ears1 that voice which had       
stirred millions of hearts and made its 
owner one of the foremost singers of her
 day4  ,she had driven home from that   
scene of triumph to find that her       
mother's condition had become alarmingly

 worse in the few hours of her absence1 
and before morning she had stood beside 
a deathbed the recollection of which    
makes her shudder even now4 ,the poor1  
pretty butterfly1 her short summer over1
 fought frantically but vainly against  
the annihilation which was coming upon  
her4 ,the memory of her early training  
at ,saint ,zita's1 the memory too of    
that other death-scene she had witnessed
 when her father had passed away so     
calmly1 so peacefully1 with his eyes    
upon the crucifix and the words of      
,god's minister ringing in his ears1    
came to the girl and she had begged to  
be allowed to send for a priest4 ,her   
mother had never professed any belief1  
but it seemed terrible to ,nita to have 
her die without even a prayer to help   
her in that last awful moment4          
,entreaties were of no avail4 ,the idea 
of a priest1 of religion1 of even a     
final prayer1 was laughed to scorn4     
,besides1 she was not dying4 ,she was   
young yet and was going to have many    

more years of sunshine and pleasure     
before sinking into the oblivion of the 
cold1 dark grave4 ,no1 no1 let them not 
speak of death1 that fearsome1 awful    
spectre4 ,she was going to live4 ,take  
it away1 take it away1 that dreadful    
thing standing there beside her1 laying 
its icy hand upon her forehead4 ,its    
touch was turning her to stone4 ,she was
 cold1 and it was growing so dark she   
could see nothing4 ,why did they not    
bring lights2 why did they not take away
 the dreadful thing beside her bed8     
,the final struggle was fearful to      
behold1 and even now ,nita is haunted   
day and night by the scene4 ,even now1  
there are times when she springs from   
her sleep with a cry of terror1 thinking
 she is again assisting at the departure
 of that poor soul who fought so        
frantically against the power of death4 
,with her mother1 a large part of their 
income died also1 but she still had     
sufficient money to supply her wants4   
,her voice1 too1 was a fortune in       

itself2 managers all over the country   
were eager and anxious to sign a        
contract on any terms she chose to      
dictate4 ,the shock of her mother's     
death so unnerved her that she decided  
to spend a year in rest and travel      
before returning to the stage4 ,she had 
come abroad again1 but had scarcely     
reached ,london when she was attacked by
 a severe throat trouble4 ,the most     
eminent physicians were consulted1      
various treatments tried1 but the       
disease would not yield4 ,the south of  
,france was recommended1 and hither she 
had come in a last vain effort to save  
the voice which had charmed all ,europe4
 ,at first she was incredulous4 ,then1  
she hoped against hope that time would  
prove them wrong and that the lost voice
 would return some day even better and  
richer than it was before4 ,now1 all her
 hopes are gone1 all her delusions swept
 away4 ,she knows she will never sing   
again1 and here in her hand she holds   
the cable message which forms the last  

in this series of dire misfortunes which
 have come upon her within the last two 
years4 ,it is the message which tells   
her that her investments have failed and
 that she is penniless4  ,she sits by   
her window in the ,june twilight1 the   
numbness of despair taking possession of
 her4 ,on the table lies all the money  
she owns in the world4 ,it is sufficient
 to cover the few bills she owes1 the   
salary of the woman who has traveled    
with her as maid and companion1 and pay 
her passage back to her native land4    
,but what then8 ,america once reached1  
where can she go1 to whom can she turn8 
,the distant relatives1 the friends who 
crowded around her in her days of       
success1 anxiously seeking a smile1 a   
word1 a token of her favor1 how will    
they receive her if she goes to them a  
pauper1 a dependent upon their charity8 
,there is no one to whom she can turn1  
no place to which she can go1 and as the
 twilight deepens a heavier blackness   
settles upon the soul of the girl4      

,presently the sound of music breaks in 
on the evening stillness1 the sound of  
an organ responding to the touch of     
skilled fingers and blended with it the 
tones of women's voices4 ,the nuns in a 
neighboring convent are chanting the    
evening office4 ,the sound recalls the  
chapel at ,saint ,zita's1 the orchard1  
the nuns1 dear kind ,reverend ,mother4  
,what peaceful1 happy hours those were8 
,has she ever known real happiness since
 she quitted the quiet convent home of  
her childhood8 ,even in the days of her 
greatest triumphs1 was there not always 
something she could not attain1 the     
little bit more which was always        
wanting8 ,but at ,saint ,zita's1 how    
different1 oh6 how different6 ,happiness
 such as the world could not dream of   
ruled within its walls4 ,she wonders    
what they are doing now1 the dear nuns  
and ,reverend ,mother4 ,they1 too1 are  
probably in the chapel reciting the     
office2 some of them thinking of her    
perhaps4 ,what would they say if they   

knew how false she has proven to all    
their teachings1 how careless she has   
grown in the practice of that religion  
which is dearer to them than life       
itself8  ,a sentence in the last letter 
she received from ,reverend ,mother     
comes now to her mind4 ,the letter      
reached her years before and has never  
been answered4 ,the words are these3    
,dear child1 you are successful and     
happy now1 with the world at your feet1 
but if the day ever comes when all these
 things fall away from you and you stand
 in need of a true friend or of any     
assistance we can render1 remember      
,saint ,zita's is still your home and   
your old mother's heart is sick with    
longing for a sight of her child4       
,worldly joys must vanish1 worldly hopes
 decay1 but ,saint ,zita's and ,reverend
 ,mother will be here waiting for you4  
,how she longs for the peace and quiet  
of the old home and the comforting touch
 of ,reverend ,mother's kind arms about 
her6 ,what is it that the nuns are      

singing6 ,the ,magnificat4 ,she listens 
in silence for a few moments1 then1 a   
strange smile curving her lips1 she     
recites in unison with the choir3       
,deposuit potentes de sede4 ,yea1 ,lord1
 ,thou hast indeed put down the mighty4 
,it is not until after the voices are   
stilled1 long after the world is wrapped
 in slumber1 that the girl turns from   
her open window and gathers together the
 small store of money on the table      
beside her1 repeating to herself the    
while1 slowly1 half absently3  ,i       
wonder2 ,i wonder4         99       99  
99       99       99  ,another year has 
rolled around and again the ,june roses 
in the garden at ,saint ,zita's fill the
 summer air with their heavy fragrance4 
,the convent door opens and ,reverend   
,mother steps out into the portico      
accompanied by a caller1 one of the old 
girls come back to pay a fleeting visit 
to the home of her childhood4 ,the nun  
has changed but little with the passing 
of the years1 but those who love her    

best note with anxious eyes the slight  
stoop of the shoulders and feebleness of
 gait4  ,the visitor glances idly at a  
lay-sister who is busily engaged        
sweeping the long flight of stone steps 
leading from the portico to the driveway
 below4 ,her glance passes over the     
insignificant figure of the lay-sister1 
and1 looking across to the pine grove on
 the hill1 she speaks to ,reverend      
,mother4  ,do you know1 ,mother1 every  
time ,i stand here and look at those    
trees ,i am reminded of ,nita1 'the     
nightingale of ,saint ,zita's1' as we   
used to call her4 ,that grove was ever  
her favorite resort and even the odor of
 pines makes me think of her4 ,i wish ,i
 knew what had become of her4 ,i        
witnessed her performance the only time 
she sang here in ,america1 and truly1 it
 was wonderful4 ,then she disappeared   
completely from the face of the earth1  
as completely as if the ground had      
opened and swallowed her4 ,rumors came  
of her travels in ,england and the south

 of ,france and after that no news of   
her could be obtained4 ,occasionally1 my
 dear ,mother1 and the visitor smiled   
knowingly2 occasionally ,i have fancied 
that you knew her whereabouts and could 
tell us of her4  ,you are right1 dear   
child1 ,i could tell you1 but ,i may    
not4  ,at least1 ,mother1 tell me this3 
,she is well and happy8  ,she is well1  
indeed1 and ,i think ,i may safely say  
happier than she has ever been before4  
,thank you1 ,mother1 and the visitor    
descends the steps and is gone4  ,sister
 ,gabrielle1 calls ,reverend ,mother    
gently4  ,the lay-sister approaches1 her
 broom still in her hand4  ,you heard   
our conversation1 ,sister8  ,yes1 my    
,mother4  ,i spoke truly1 did ,i not1   
dearest child8 and the old eyes peer    
anxiously into the depths of the younger
 and smiling eyes raised to meet her    
gaze4  ,you spoke truly1 my ,mother4    
,never before have ,i known what real   
peace and real happiness were4 ,never1  
did ,i dream that life on earth could be

 as mine is1 so happy that it seems to  
me a little foretaste of the joy the    
angels must know in heaven4 ,deposuit   
potentes de sede1 et exaltavit humiles4 
,a ,,memorable ,,christmas ,,morning4   
,on the outskirts of one of our large   
mill towns1 at the very end of a narrow 
street lined on each side by a row of   
dwelling houses of the poorer class1    
stood a tiny cottage4 ,it was a humble1 
unpretentious abode of only four rooms1 
but it was home to the weary girl       
struggling up the hillside4 ,the tired  
eyes brightened and lagging steps       
quickened involuntarily as she turned   
the corner and saw the welcoming light  
streaming from the kitchen window4  ,it 
was very late on the eve of ,christmas  
day and the street was deserted save for
 the solitary figure hastening towards  
that beacon light of home4 ,darkness and
 silence reigned in most of the houses  
she passed1 and she sighed as she said  
to herself3  ,poor mother6 ,still up and
 still at work4 ,i wish she would not   

work so hard2 there is no need for it   
now4  ,reaching the kitchen window1 she 
stood for a moment to take note of the  
little scene within4 ,by the table her  
mother sat sewing1 her head bent over   
her work and fingers flying as she plied
 the needle in and out4 ,as the girl    
watched1 the mother looked up at the    
clock on the shelf above the stove1     
shook her head sadly1 and hastily       
brushing away the tears which spring to 
her eyes1 resumed her sewing4  ,poor    
mother6 again sighed the girl4 ,worrying
 about ,tim1 as usual1 ,i suppose4 ,then
 opening the kitchen door1 she stepped  
into the welcome warmth and light of    
home4  ,well1 little mother1 she cried  
cheerily2 here ,i am at last1 and ,i    
suppose you thought ,i was never coming4
 ,you see1 dear1 we had to work very    
late to-night to finish a large order4  
,then there was confession and ,i was   
delayed there quite a while4 ,i was     
almost the last to be heard and it was  
considerably after ten by the time ,i   

left the church4 ,everyone in town      
seemed to be going to confession        
to-night4  ,not everyone1 said her      
mother sadly4 ,there is one who has not 
been in spite of his promise to us and  
to the ,father4  ,the girl glanced      
quickly at the table on which plates for
 two were laid1 then at the supper      
keeping hot upon the stove1 and         
exclaimed rather bitterly3  ,so ,tim is 
away again1 as usual1 is he8 ,and he    
promised faithfully to come home early  
to-night and go to confession for       
,christmas4 ,but then1 he promised the  
same last ,easter and every ,first      
,friday since1 and has broken his word  
every time4 ,mother1 how long is it now 
since ,tim has been to ,mass or to      
confession8  ,i do not like to think1   
child2 it's a pretty long time4 ,i can't
 understand what has come over him4 ,he 
used to be such a good boy1 such a help 
and comfort to me1 and now he is slowly 
breaking my heart4 ,i've had trials     
enough1 trials enough1 as you know1 but 

,i never complained4 ,i never murmured  
till now4 ,i was always ready to say3   
',god's will be done4' ,but this1 this  
is different4 ,long ago1 when you and   
,tim were children1 and the twins       
upstairs were but a few weeks old1 and  
your father met with that accident that 
crippled him for life1 ,i only said3    
',god's will be done4' ,all through the 
years he lingered in sickness and       
suffering and ,i had to work day and    
night1 day and night to support you all1
 ,i still said only3 ',god's will be    
done4' ,all through that long1 hard     
fight to keep starvation from the door1 
when ,i saw my little children crying at
 times with cold and hunger1 and watched
 my husband slowly dying and was unable 
to give him any of those little comforts
 and luxuries which the sick require1 my
 only words were3 ',his holy will be    
done4' ,but in this1 the worst of all   
the trials that have come to me1 when ,i
 see my boy drifting away from us all1  
turning his back on ,god and his        

religion and wandering away night after 
night with careless1 jovial companions1 
intent only on the pursuits of pleasure 
and folly2 ,god help me1 ,i simply      
cannot bow my head and say3 ',god's will
 be done'2 and tears streamed unheeded  
from the mother's eyes4  ,the girl      
stepped quickly to her mother's side and
 drew the gray head gently to her       
shoulder1 whispering comfortingly3      
,there1 there1 little mother1 don't cry 
so4 ,you are fretting yourself to death 
over ,tim1 and surely1 surely1 things   
will come right in the end4 ,tim is not 
a bad boy1 mother dear1 only a little   
wild just now4 ,remember how good he    
used to be1 how kind1 how helpful1 in   
that hard time you were just speaking   
about4 ,remember how good he was when   
father died1 and how young he was when  
he first went to work to help you       
support us all4 ,tim's a good boy at    
heart1 mother1 and he's bound to come   
back before long4  ,yes1 dearie1 that's 
what the ,father says1 returned her     

mother1 slowly drying her eyes and      
rising to lay the girl's supper upon the
 table4  ,he says not to worry but just 
pray1 pray1 pray1 and ,tim will surely  
come back before long4 ,but there1 dear1
 sit down and eat your supper2 then     
we'll fill the children's stockings for 
,i can guess what is in all those       
parcels you brought home4 ,poor little  
things1 it would not be ,christmas for  
them unless they hung their stockings4  
,thank ,god1 ,i've always managed to    
find something to put into them if it   
was only an orange or an apple and a    
little candy4 ,indeed1 that's about all 
it was when you and ,tim were younger1  
but life is so much easier now that you 
are helping me4  ,and it is going to be 
easier still1 mother dear1 and you will 
be the happiest little woman in the     
world one of these days4 ,this wild     
spell of ,tim's is bound to pass and    
then he will settle down and be his own 
old self again4 ,there1 dear1 the girl  
continued1 a few moments later2 my      

supper is finished and now ,i'll clear  
away these dishes and fill the          
children's stockings4 ,just see all the 
pretty things ,i've brought for them4   
,won't their little eyes dance when they
 see them6 ,then1 mother dear1 before we
 go to sleep1 you and ,i will say the   
rosary for ,tim4 ,it is too late for him
 to go to confession to-night1 but      
wherever he is1 and ,god alone knows    
where he may be1 he needs our prayers   
and he will have them4 ,as the good     
,father said1 we will pray1 pray1 pray4 
,if we only pray hard enough and trust  
hard enough1 things are bound to come   
right in the end4  ,the afternoon and   
evening had been unusually busy ones for
 ,father ,xavier4 ,hour after hour he   
had sat in the confessional listening to
 the tales of sin and sorrow that were  
poured into his ears4 ,hour after hour  
he had spent bestowing the priestly     
absolution on the repentant sinner1     
giving fatherly advice and consolation  
to the sorrowful1 sending all those     

troubled souls away lighter and happier 
for his ministrations4 ,hour after hour 
he had waited1 hoping against hope1 for 
the sound of the one voice above all    
others which he most desired to hear4   
,in a town like that which formed       
,father ,xavier's parish1 the pastor is 
indeed the father of his flock4 ,every  
man1 woman and child is known to him    
personally1 and he takes a direct       
interest in each one's welfare4 ,as     
,father ,xavier sat that ,christmas eve 
and listened to the confessions of his  
people1 his heart grew sad and hope     
gradually died away as he waited in vain
 for the voice of one whom he was       
striving to bring back to ,god and to   
his duty4  ,the crowd of penitents      
melted away one by one1 the few last    
stragglers had been heard1 and still the
 priest waited in his confessional4 ,the
 boy might possibly come even yet1 his  
boy whom he had loved with a special    
affection ever since he was a tiny      
little chap first learning his prayers  

in the baby class of the ,sunday-school4
 ,why was it he had not been able to    
hold the boy8 ,why had he not been able 
to prevent his wandering away with bad  
companions1 this absolute neglect of all
 religious duties on the part of his    
boy8 ,why could he not succeed in       
bringing him back again even though the 
boy had wandered far afield8  ,father   
,xavier had hoped much from this        
,christmas eve1 for ,tim had promised   
faithfully to make his confession and to
 start anew in the path from which his  
feet had strayed4 ,tim had promised it  
as his ,christmas gift to the ,father4  
,yes1 ,tim had promised1 but ,tim had   
broken his promise4  ,with a sigh of    
utter weariness1 weariness of body1     
weariness of mind1 ,father ,xavier rose 
and left the confessional4 ,he glanced  
over the church2 it was empty4 ,he      
glanced towards the altar and his eyes  
rested on the sanctuary lamp which      
appeared to be burning with unwonted    
brightness4  ,the hour was late1 much   

later than he was accustomed to keep the
 church open1 still he lingered1        
unwilling to give up a last forlorn hope
 that his boy might yet keep his        
promise4 ,with eyes fixed on the        
,tabernacle door1 the priest knelt and  
commenced to recite the rosary1         
pleading1 pleading for his boy4 ,the    
joyful mysteries were finished and no   
one came2 the sorrowful1 still no one2  
finally1 the glorious mysteries1 and    
still the priest was alone4  ,with one  
last appeal for the welfare of that     
wandering soul1 ,father ,xavier rose    
from his knees and walked to the door of
 the church to close it for the night4  
,he passed out on the steps and stood   
for a moment listening to a band of     
roisterers that were coming up the      
street disturbing the peaceful quiet of 
the night with their noisy songs and    
laughter4 ,where was his boy at that    
moment8 ,he might possibly be with this 
very band of half-drunken revellers who 
were even now passing by and would soon 

be swallowed up in the darkness of the  
street4 ,if not with this band1 he was  
probably wandering somewhere with       
another just like it4 ,where was his boy
 at that moment8 ,the priest turned1    
re-entered the church1 and locking the  
door1 passed up the aisle extinguishing 
the lights as he went along4 ,he stood  
before the altar and once more looked at
 the sanctuary lamp4 ,it was certainly  
burning with unusual brightness         
to-night4 ,it set weird1 fantastic      
shadows dancing along the walls and     
peopled the dim recesses of the church  
with goblin shapes4 ,it seemed beckoning
 to him1 calling to him1 drawing him    
gradually to the steps of the altar1    
where he sank upon his knees to pray    
once more for his wandering boy4  ,for  
yet an hour the priest lingered before  
the ,tabernacle4 ,then1 utterly worn out
 in mind and body1 he passed through the
 sacristy1 locked the door1 and mounted 
the steps of his own house to seek a few
 hours of rest before commencing the    

arduous duties of ,christmas day4  ,the 
church and rectory were situated on a   
hill and the priest stood in his doorway
 and looked down upon the town below4   
,it was now after midnight1 but many    
lights were still burning and the faint 
sound of distant merry-making reached   
the priest's ears4 ,was his boy down    
there among the revellers8  ,beyond the 
town lay the river1 frozen1 dark and    
still2 and beyond that again shone the  
lights of the neighboring city4 ,was his
 boy over there beyond that dark1 silent
 river8 ,was he over there in the city  
in some one of those dens of iniquity   
which had lured so many young men to    
their ruin8  ,well1 wherever the boy was
 he must be left now to the care of ,god
 and his angel for ,father ,xavier had  
done all he could that night2 and the   
priest went in and closed the door4  ,at
 that same moment1 in a little cottage  
at the other end of the town1 a         
sleepless mother rose from her knees    
beside the kitchen table and passed     

slowly up the stairs to her own room4   
,the children and the eldest girl were  
long since asleep1 but the mother could 
not rest for thinking of her wayward    
boy4 ,where was he to-night2 where at   
this very moment8 ,and he had promised1 
promised faithfully to turn over a new  
leaf with this ,christmas eve4          
,christmas eve was here1 nay1 it was    
come and gone for midnight had sounded  
and it was now ,christmas morning4      
,still1 this night must be for her as   
all those other nights when she had lain
 awake hour after hour listening in     
silent anguish for the footstep that did
 not come4 ,she had hoped much from that
 promise of his to ,father ,xavier and  
to her1 and her disappointment was      
proportionately bitter4  ,the mother    
walked to the window and looked out upon
 the silent1 frosty night4 ,low down    
upon the horizon myriads of stars were  
twinkling merrily1 but high up in the   
heavens the moon shone with a brilliant 
radiance that totally eclipsed all      

lesser lights4 ,the night was very      
still1 very beautiful1 but the silence  
and the beauty failed to bring peace to 
the mother's heart4 ,she looked up into 
the heavens4 ,how placidly cold the moon
 looked back at her1 the same moon that 
was probably shedding its beams upon her
 boy at that moment and could tell her  
where he was if it could but speak4     
,why1 oh why1 could those beams not     
speak and tell her what they saw2 why   
could they not bring her some message   
from the absent one6 ,she had never felt
 like this before1 she had never felt so
 restless1 so uneasy4 ,it was impossible
 to think of sleep2 she would pray still
 longer4 ,perhaps the boy needed her    
prayers2 perhaps he was in danger1      
danger of body1 danger of soul1 and     
needed her help4 ,her rosary in her     
fingers1 she knelt by the window        
praying1 praying1 while the moonbeams   
danced and played around the kneeling   
figure4 ,perhaps it was just as well    
they could not speak and tell her what  

they saw out there upon the river4      
,perhaps they were trying to tell her   
and could not2 trying to tell her of the
 three men1 one of whom was scarce more 
than a boy1 struggling out there in the 
icy water1 struggling for life as the   
current sought to drag them down beneath
 the frozen surface4 ,their fingers     
clutched desperately at the ragged edges
 of the ice that had broken through with
 them and cracked and crumbled away at  
their touch4  ,now but two figures were 
visible to the watching moonbeams2 one  
had been dragged down into the black    
waters1 down to his death in the        
freezing depths below4  ,for a moment a 
cloud covered the moon's face obscuring 
its view of things terrestrial4 ,when it
 passed and that scene upon the river   
was once more visible1 only one figure  
remained still struggling bravely2 still
 clutching at the slippery1 crackling   
ice2 still fighting1 not for life alone1
 but for his soul's salvation4 ,what    
thoughts must have passed through his   

mind in those dreadful1 despairing      
moments6 ,thoughts of sins committed1 of
 graces neglected2 thoughts of all that 
might have been and of all that was4    
,who can know of the sorrow and remorse 
that filled his heart1 of the wild cry  
for help and pardon that went up from   
the river that night8  ,meanwhile1 the  
moon shone calmly1 steadily1 on the boy 
still fighting for his life1 on the     
mother praying at her chamber window1   
and on good ,father ,xavier sleeping the
 sleep of the exhausted4  ,somewhat     
later1 but still before the dawn1 he was
 summoned from that sleep to answer a   
sick call from the hospital just across 
the river1 to which he was chaplain4    
,three young men coming home from the   
city shortly after midnight had         
attempted to cross the frozen river1    
though warned of the danger of doing so4
 ,the ice had broken through1 two were  
drowned1 one saved1 and the doctors     
thought he would live though unconscious
 at present4  ,no1 the names of the     

young men were not known as yet4 ,the   
sisters at the hospital sent for the    
priest because the boy brought there    
wore a scapular and they knew he must be
 a ,catholic4 ,aside from that nothing  
was known about him4  ,father ,xavier's 
heart stood still4 ,something told him  
that his boy had been one of those      
three4 ,two drowned1 one saved6 ,which1 
oh1 which was the one saved8  ,the      
hospital reached1 it was with rapidly   
beating heart he followed the nurse     
through the ward and stood beside the   
bed at the farther end4 ,the night light
 burned low and the features of the boy 
upon the bed were scarcely visible4     
,stooping low1 a fervent ,thank ,god    
broke from the priest's lips as he      
recognized in the silent figure1 the boy
 for whom his heart had been yearning4  
,his boy had been the one that was      
saved4 ,yes1 saved from death1 saved    
from worse than death1 saved to carry   
out the resolutions he had made while   
struggling in the icy river that        

,christmas morning4     ,,nancy',s      
,,tale4   ,dear1 dear6 but ,god's ways  
are wonderful1 there's no denyin' that4 
,many a time we poor mortals think if we
 only had the handlin' of things1 the   
world would be a pleasanter place for   
some of us1 but ,i reckon the ,lord     
knows ,his own business best4 ,he       
usually manages to bring things out     
right in the end1 so ,he does4  ,nancy  
sat before the kitchen stove1 rocking to
 and fro1 and gazing abstractedly before
 her4 ,her mood was a reminiscent one   
and ,i knew if ,i gave her time enough  
she would launch forth into one of the  
interesting narratives of which she     
possessed a goodly store4 ,to have      
interrupted her train of thought by even
 a whisper would have been fatal2       
silence and patience must be my         
watch-words4 ,presently she turned to me
 with the query3  ',member ,mona1 the   
old apple-woman you met here about a    
year ago8  ,remember the apple-woman8   
,indeed ,i did2 once having met ,mona it

 was impossible to forget her4 ,besides1
 she was1 one might say1 one of the     
landmarks of the town1 the frail1       
shadowy little woman who sold her apples
 and peanuts and candy from her stand on
 the street-corner4 ,nancy's words      
reminded me that ,i had not seen ,mona  
lately at her usual place of business4  
,well1 resumed ,nancy1 ,mona's gone1    
gone forever4 ,poor ,mona6 ,it's the    
hard life she's had1 and ,i'm after     
thinkin' she's not sorry that it's over 
and she's found peace an' happiness at  
last4 ,want to know her story8 ,well1   
,i'll tell it to you1 for it's me that  
can1 havin' known her since we was wee  
scraps of babies playin' on the floor   
together back there in the old country4 
,yes1 indeed1 we were babies together1  
we grew up together1 an' we come out    
here to ,america on the same ship4      
,dear1 dear1 how long ago that was1 an' 
it don't seem much more than yesterday4 
,well1 as ,i was sayin'1 times was      
mighty hard in ,ireland that year1      

specially in the little town where me   
an' ,mona was born an' reared4 ,crops   
failed1 work was slack2 finally1 famine 
an' pestilence took possession of the   
land4 ,ah6 child1 child1 you cannot     
dream what them words mean1 famine an'  
pestilence4 ,to see the rich growin'    
poor1 the poor starvin' an' dyin' on    
every hand2 the little children cryin'  
with cold an' hunger1 an' the fathers   
an' mothers with ne'er a scrap of food  
to give 'em4 ,that was the state of     
things in ,ireland the year we left it4 
,the plague had carried off my father   
an' mother1 my brothers was all married 
an' moved away1 an' my only sister was  
at service in ,london1 so when ,mona    
begged me to come to ,america with her  
an' ,michael an' the little ones1 ,i    
just jumped at the chance4 ,michael was 
a good fellow1 sober an' industrious1   
but there was no work to be had at home 
and he had heard such wonders of the    
land across the sea4 ,there1 a man that 
was a man had no trouble in findin' work

 an' making a comfortable livin' for    
himself an' family4 ,he wanted to leave 
,mona with his sister in ,dublin1 who   
offered to care for her an' the children
 until he'd made a home for 'em in the  
country he was goin' to4 ,but no1 ,mona 
wouldn't hear to that4 ,she'd promised  
at ,god's altar to take him for better  
or worse an' to cling to him till death4
 ,because the worse had come1 she wasn't
 goin' to desert him an' let him go out 
alone to the cold land of the stranger  
to fight his battle all by himself4     
,she'd go with him an' stand by him and 
help an' comfort him in his struggles4  
,she knew she could help him4 ,she'd    
been taught by the nuns an' could do all
 sorts of fine sewin'4 ,in ,america1 as 
in ,dublin1 there must be rich ladies   
who would pay well for a bit of fine    
embroidery or hand-made lace4 ,no1 no1  
,mona wouldn't be left behind2 he must  
take her an' the little ones1 no matter 
what was before them4 ,it was settled at
 last that we was all to go together1   

an' so1 one bright mornin' we stood on  
the deck of the ship that was carryin'  
us far away from home an' all we loved1 
far away to the strange land across the 
sea4 ,with the tears runnin' down our   
faces1 we waved farewell to the shores  
of ,ireland1 an' ,mona1 though she      
didn't know it1 was wavin' farewell to  
happiness in this world4 ,poor girl1    
it's little she knew from that day on   
but grief an' trouble an' sufferin'4    
,well1 child1 as ,i was sayin'1 it was  
the fine1 bright mornin' that we left   
,ireland1 but the good weather held for 
only a few days after4 ,then1 there blew
 up such a storm as ,i never see before 
an' hope never to see again4 ,it was    
fearful1 fearful4 ,i couldn't describe  
it to you if ,i tried4 ,we just lay in  
our berths1 every one of us1 our backs  
agin the wall1 our knees braced agin the
 board in front1 an' we holdin' on for  
dear life expectin' every moment to be  
dashed out on to the floor an' have all 
our bones broken4 ,we was too frightened

 to say a word1 but we prayed1 oh1 my6  
how we did pray1 every mother's son of  
us4 ,for nigh onto three days that poor 
boat struggled on bravely agin the      
ragin' storm1 but the ship wasn't built 
that could live in that sea1 an' the end
 was bound to come sooner or later4     
,come1 it did1 at last4 ,an officer     
stood on the stairs orderin' us all up  
onto the deck2 the ship had sprung a    
leak1 the water was pourin' in faster   
than they could pump it out1 an' we must
 take to the boats at once4  ,i never   
can remember rightly what happened then4
 ,it seems now such a confusin' jumble  
of men1 women and childer1 all screamin'
 an' rushin' for the stairs1 and all the
 time the wind was a howlin' an' the    
vessel was groanin' an' pitchin' so you 
had to cling to whatever was nearest to 
keep on your feet at all4 ,i don't know 
how we got there1 but the next thing ,i 
remember was standin' on the deck an'   
hangin' on to something to keep from    
bein' washed overboard by the great     

waves that broke over the ship an'      
flooded her from stem to stern4 ,mona   
stood near me with the baby on her arm  
an' holdin' tight to the hand of little 
,gerald who hid his face in her skirt   
an' sobbed in terror4 ,michael was      
beside her1 one arm holdin' her close   
while with the other he hung onto the   
railin' just as ,i was doin'4 ,pretty   
soon1 the boats was lowered an' everyone
 made a rush for 'em4 ,there was a shout
 of3  ',stand back1 there1 stand back6  
,women an' children first2 only the     
women an' children4'  ,the ship's       
officers an' sailors beat back the men  
an' commenced puttin' the women into the
 boats as fast as they could4 ,one of   
'em caught ,mona by the arm an' tried to
 hurry her away4 ,she struggled with him
 an' begged to be left with ,michael4   
,the sailor swore at her an' then ,i    
heard ,michael's voice1 calm an' steady1
 above the din of the storm3  ',go at   
once1 asthore1' say he2 'for the sake of
 the childer1 go at once4 ,sure1        

dearie1' says he1 'we're in the ,lord's 
hands anyway6 can't ye trust ,him on the
 water just the same as on the land8'   
,the sailor lifted ,mona an' the baby in
 his arm 7it's the wee bit of a thing   
she was always7 an' passed her on to    
another to be lowered into the boat4    
,michael caught up little ,gerald an'   
cried out to me3 ',take the boy with    
you1 ,nancy2 take him quick1 girl4' ,but
 before ,i could lay my hand on the     
child ,i was seized and put into the    
boat beside ,mona4 ,the poor girl       
screamed and held out her arms for the  
little lad1 but the boat was shoved off 
an' the last thing ,i can remember1 as a
 mountain of water rolled up between us 
an' the ship1 was seein' ,michael still 
clingin' to the rail an' holdin' little 
,gerald on his arm4 ,then ,mona fainted 
agin my shoulder and ,i had my hands    
full tendin' her an' the baby4  ,it was 
nearly dusk when we took to the boat1   
an' pretty soon it was so dark you could
 scarce see your hand before you4 ,i'll 

never forget the horrors of that night1 
indeed then ,i won't1 tossin' on top of 
waves as big as mountains an' the next  
minute goin' down1 down1 down1 till ,i  
thought sure we'd strike bottom before  
ever we come up again4 ,but even the    
longest night must wear away1 an' when  
day broke we seen a big vessel comin'   
towards us an' in the course of an hour 
or so we was all transferred to her     
decks4 ,she cruised around for a time1  
hopin' to pick up some of the other     
boats1 but couldn't find none of 'em4   
,there was no tellin' how far away from 
the wreck an' the boats we'd drifted in 
the night4 ,the vessel that picked us up
 was bound for ,america an' so we       
continued our voyage to this country4   
,i've often heard people complain of the
 coldness an' hardness of the world2 by 
'the world1' always meanin' the folks   
that live in it1 ,i suppose4 ,to my way 
of thinkin' there's a deal more kindness
 in the world than there is selfishness 
an' badness1 an' the people on that     

steamer proved me right in one case     
anyway4 ,they made up a purse among 'em 
an' give a share to each of us that had 
been picked out of the sea1 as you might
 say4 ,so1 when we landed1 we each had a
 little money to start in with4 ,i soon 
found work in a mill1 an' my poor ,mona 
managed to keep herself an' the baby by 
doin' fine sewin'4 ,for a long time we  
kep' house together1 me an' ,mona1 then 
,i married an' moved away to another    
town4 ,my own troubles come on me thick 
an' fast after that an' what with one   
thing an' another1 an' movin' here an'  
there1 it was years before ,i set eyes  
on her again4 ,then we met quite by     
accident an' ,i found she was livin' not
 far from here with an old woman who    
peddled shoestrings an' pencils on the  
street4 ,mona herself kep' a stand on a 
corner where she sold apples an' peanuts
 an' such stuff4  ,that night she come  
to see me here an' we talked over old   
times an' all that had happened since   
last we met4 ,she'd done well at her    

sewin'1 she said1 and brought up the    
baby in tolerable comfort4 ,then1 just  
as the child was growin' into a woman   
that could be of help to her mother an' 
pay her back for her years of workin'   
an' strugglin'1 she was took down with  
consumption4 ,all the little poor ,mona 
had managed to save went in carin' for  
her sick daughter an' buryin' her when  
she died4 ,by that time1 ,mona's health 
was pretty well broke up1 her eyes was  
not as good as they used to be1 an' she 
had to give up the sewin'4 ,she fell in 
with the old woman who peddled          
shoestrings1 and1 by her advice1 started
 in with her apple-stand4 ,they'd been  
together ever since an' managed to earn 
a livin' between 'em4 ,we talked an' we 
talked that night1 an' when ,mona was   
goin' she turned to me an' says3        
',nancy1' says she1 ',i can't tell you  
how thankful ,i am to have seen you     
again4 ,an' ,i can't tell you how much  
good you've done me4 ,nancy1' says she1 
',i've been a wicked woman1 a wicked1   

rebellious woman1' says she4 ',i've said
 dreadful things in my heart an' felt   
hard an' bitter at times against        
,almighty ,god for all the trials an'   
sufferin' ,he sent me4 ,when ,i look at 
you1 ,i'm ashamed of myself4 ,i've lost 
a husband1 so have you2 ,i lost a       
daughter1 you lost two2 my son sleeps at
 the bottom of the sea1 but your        
son--4,nancy1 ,nancy1 when ,i go home   
to-night1 ,i'll get down on my knees an'
 thank ,god that my boy is sleepin' at  
the bottom of the sea instead of        
wanderin' the earth a shame an' a       
disgrace to me4'  ,you see1 child1 that 
was before my ,danny come back to me to 
be reconciled to ,his ,god4 ,it was     
while he was still wanderin' ,i didn't  
know where1 an' goin' from one piece of 
villainy to the next4  ,poor ,mona1 ,i  
don't believe she was half as bad as she
 made herself out to be1 an' certainly  
from that day to this ,i've never heard 
a complaint or a murmur cross her lips4 
,she's been sick1 too1 most all the     

time1 an' there's been many a day when  
she'd ought to be home in bed but off   
she'd go an' stand on her corner an'    
peddle her apples because the old woman 
that lived with her was sicker than she 
an' they wouldn't have no money1 come   
rent day1 unless ,mona went out an'     
earned it for 'em4 ,talk about the      
heroes that done such wonderful things  
that folks has to write whole books     
about 'em6 ,i tell you what1 child1     
there's many a hero hid away in the     
dirty little side-streets and alley-ways
 of every big city2 only folks don't    
know about 'em4 ,to my mind1 ,mona was  
one of them heroes2 so sweet an'        
patient1 pretty well on in years        
herself1 an' all crippled with the      
rheumatism1 but goin' out day after day 
to sell her apples2 a slavin' an' a     
killin' herself for a woman a little    
older an' a little sicker than she was4 
,an' all this because the old woman had 
been kind to her in her hour of greatest
 need4  ,well1 after findin' her again1 

,i seen ,mona every day2 she used to    
come here in the evenin' an' we'd sit   
an' talk of them that was gone4 ,she was
 with me when my ,danny died1 an' she   
thanked ,god with me for havin' brought 
him back to me in the end4 ,then1 one   
night1 ,mona didn't come1 but they      
brought me a message sayin' she was in  
the hospital1 dyin' from an accident1   
an' wanted to see me right away4 ,i     
didn't let the grass grow under my feet 
you may be sure1 an' before long ,i     
stood beside the bed where she was      
lyin'1 her poor1 pale face all drawn    
with sufferin'4 ,i've called her a hero 
for the life she'd led1 an' her end was 
sure enough a hero's end4 ,that         
afternoon a child had started to run    
across the street at the corner where   
,mona's apple-stand was4 ,he didn't see 
the horse an' team that come tearin' up 
the street1 an' the driver was too busy 
lashin' the horse to see the child4 ,in 
spite of her rheumatism1 ,mona dashed in
 front of the team1 and with a quick    

shove1 sent the child flyin' out of     
harm's away4 ,he rolled over an' over on
 the street1 but beyond a scratch or two
 wasn't hurt4 ,but ,mona fell an' the   
team passed over her ankles crushin'    
both of 'em badly4 ,her age an' the     
shock1 together with her injury1 made   
'em sure she couldn't live long4 ,the   
chaplain had been sent for1 they told   
me1 an' would come at any moment now4   
,she was sleepin' when ,i reached her1  
so ,i sat down beside the bed an'       
waited4 ,the priest come an' stood      
lookin' down at her1 an' the kindness   
an' pity on his face was wonderful to   
see4 ,he looked at me an' ,i fair jumped
 out of my chair with the shock his eyes
 sent through me4  ',glory be to ,god6' 
,i says1 blessin' myself1 for ,i was all
 a tremble with the fright of it4 ',sure
 it's ,michael ,conners himself come    
back from the dead4'  ,that very minute 
,mona's eyes opened slowly an' fixed    
themselves on the priest's face4 ,a     
smile that brought the tears to my eyes1

 it was that beautiful1 crossed her face
 an' she held out her thin1 white hand  
to him1 whisperin'1 ',michael4' ,then   
she closed her eyes again an' was off   
unconscious once more4  ,the priest     
looked first at her1 then at me1 an' his
 face was all puzzled an' amazed like4  
',how do you know that my name is       
,michael ,conners8' says he4  ',how do  
you know it yourself1 ,father8' says ,i1
 for ,i had my suspicions by that time4 
',because of this1' says he1 showin' me 
a strangely carved little black wooden  
crucifix attached to his beads4 ',this  
was on my neck when ,i was saved from   
the wreck in which my father an' mother 
perished4'  ',well1' says ,i1 'you're   
wrong4 ',tain't ,michael1 but ,gerald1  
is your name1 an' praise be the ,lord   
but this'll be the happy day for my poor
 ,mona when she finds out the truth4    
,that crucifix with the name of ,michael
 ,conners on it was given to your father
 on his marriage day by the priest that 
married him4 ,here's the mate to it that

 he give your mother on the same day1'  
an' ,i picked up ,mona's rosary lyin' on
 the bed an' showed him the cross on it4
 ,they was as like as two peas1 only on 
the back of hers was carved the name of 
,mona ,conners4  ,well1 we had to break 
the news to her gently1 an' it's the    
happy woman she was for the next few    
days in spite of all the pain she       
suffered4 ,she'd just lie there holdin' 
,gerald's hand an' gazin' at him an'    
makin' him tell over an' over again of  
how he'd been saved from the wreck4 ,he 
was only a wee lad of three at the time1
 but he could still remember of his     
father standin' there on the deck of the
 sinkin' ship an' holdin' him in his    
arms4 ,he could still hear the words his
 father spoke to him an' feel the       
father's hand slippin' the rosary over  
his head an' claspin' the little fingers
 around the cross as it lay on his      
breast4 ,michael had passed him to a    
sailor an' he was lowered into one of   
the boats1 where a kind-hearted woman   

took compassion on his loneliness an'   
cared for him4 ,they'd been picked up by
 a sailin' vessel bound for ,france1 an'
 the woman who first cared for him1 took
 him with her from ,france to ,america  
an' finally adopted him4 ,she brought   
him up1 educated him1 an' at last he    
became a priest of ,god4  ,he was with  
his mother to the very end1 an' it was  
his hand that give her the last blessin'
 of the ,church an' his voice recited   
the prayers that send the departin' soul
 safe on its journey to the throne of   
,god4 ,it's the happy woman my ,mona was
 in them last few days upon earth1 an'  
it's the happy woman she is this day1   
all her troubles over1 all her          
sufferin's gone1 an' she in ,paradise   
for ever an' ever4  ,during ,nancy's    
recital1 the shadows of twilight had    
gathered and deepened1 and now her      
little kitchen was wrapped in darkness4 
,still1 she sat for several moments     
buried in thought which ,i cared not to 
interrupt4 ,then1 with a sigh1 she rose 

to light the lamp and ,i noticed that   
tears filled her eyes though the brave  
lips were smiling4  ,yes1 yes1 she      
repeated4 ,god's ways are wonderful1    
they are that4 ,even if we don't        
understand things in this world1 we're  
sure to in the next1 for the ,lord knows
 ,his own business best every time4     
,,patsy4   ,patsy was wide awake in a   
second4 ,what was it those men were     
talking about2 what was it they were    
planning to do8 ,that name1 and the     
brown house on the hill6 ,by a strong   
effort1 he kept his eyes closed and     
breathed regularly and deeply as though 
still sleeping4 ,he must not let them   
suspect that he was listening1 but he   
must catch every word they said1 every  
word4 ,how he hated them1 this band of  
rascals that had gotten his ,david into 
their clutches and were slowly but      
surely making him as bad as they6 ,his  
,david bad8 ,no1 no6 ,david was kind and
 good and gentle to him always4 ,david  
was not bad1 he would not listen to     

their dreadful scheme4 ,he would refuse 
to help them2 surely he would4 ,his     
,david a thief8 ,it was impossible4 ,but
 that dreadful plan they were           
discussing6 ,the brown house on the     
hill2 to-morrow night2 and ,david was   
promising to go with them4  ,patsy      
shivered beneath the bedclothes and     
bitter tears gathered in his eyes and   
trickled down the pale1 sunken cheeks4  
,the men were leaving and ,david was    
renewing his promise to accompany the   
expedition to the brown house on the    
hill to-morrow night4 ,in fact1 he was  
to act as guide to the man appointed to 
commit the deed1 for who1 so well as    
,david1 could show them the way to the  
library in which was the safe that they 
were going to rob8  ,they had gone now  
and ,patsy felt that ,david was standing
 beside the bed and looking down at him4
 ,he opened his eyes and two more tears 
escaped1 which he hastily brushed away4 
,immediately ,david was on his knees1   
the little cripple's hand clasped       

tenderly in his4  ,what's the trouble1  
kid8 he questioned anxiously4 ,is it the
 pain that's bad to-night8  ',tain't the
 pain1 ,davy1 'tain't the pain at all1  
sobbed the child4  ,what is it then1    
youngster8 ,come now1 tell your own     
,davy what's troubling you1 there's a   
good boy4  ,david1 how long is it since 
mother was taken away from us8 ,it seems
 so long4 ,i was thinkin' of mother1    
,davy1 and wishing she was here with us 
this night4  ,you poor kid1 poor little 
crippled kid1 muttered ,david1 patting  
the small1 thin hand4 ,it's natural1 ,i 
suppose1 for you to pine for your       
mother1 but ain't ,davy been almost like
 a mother to you1 ,patsy8 ,he's tried   
hard1 that he has1 to be father and     
mother and big brother all in one4 ,and 
the man smiled somewhat wistfully4      
,you've been all that and more too1     
,davy4 ',twasn't on my account ,i was   
wishin' for mother1 'twas on yours4 ,if 
she was here1 she'd know how to keep you
 from going with them men to-morrow     

night4 ,she'd know how to keep you to   
home1 and ,i don't know what to say or  
to do to stop you from going4  ,david's 
face darkened slightly and there was a  
note of sternness in his voice as he    
said3  ,so you was listening1 was you1  
and heard what we was talkin' about8  ,i
 didn't listen a purpose1 ,david2 at    
least1 not at first4 ,i happened to wake
 and heard 'em speak of the brown house 
on the hill4 ,then ,i wanted to hear    
everything and ,i listened a purpose    
after that4 ,oh1 ,davy6 ,davy6 the child
 cried imploringly1 sitting up in the   
bed and clasping his hands in petition2 
don't do it1 ,davy2 don't be a thief to 
please those wicked men2 don't go       
robbing the brown house on the hill4  ,a
 fearful fit of coughing racked the     
little form and ,david held him gently  
in his arms until the paroxysm had      
passed4 ,then1 laying the boy back upon 
the pillows1 he said quietly3  ,you     
mustn't get excited1 ,patsy1 it's bad   
for you4 ,we'll not talk no more        

to-night4 ,in the morning ,i'll tell you
 the story of the house on the hill and 
you'll see ,i'm not tacklin' this job to
 please anyone but myself4 ,go to sleep 
now1 kid1 for ,i'll not say another word
 to-night1 not another word4  ,when     
,david spoke in that tone of voice      
,patsy knew there was nothing for him to
 do but to obey4 ,turning his face to   
the wall1 he closed his eyes1 but sleep 
did not visit him that night4 ,he lay   
listening for the stroke of the town    
clock as it sounded1 one after another1 
the slowly dragging hours2 he lay       
listening to ,david's regular breathing 
and wondered how a man could sleep so   
calmly with such a deed in prospect2 he 
lay anxiously turning over in his mind  
various schemes by which he could       
frustrate the plan in case he failed in 
persuading ,david to abandon it         
altogether4 ,several times fits of      
coughing shook him nearly to pieces1 and
 at those times the pain in his poor    
little chest was well-nigh unbearable4  

,he smothered the cough as well as he   
could beneath the bedclothes for fear of
 disturbing ,david4 ,as for the         
pain--well1 pain and ,patsy had been    
companions so long now that he had grown
 quite accustomed to it4  ,the next day 
was cold and dismal1 with a leaden sky  
threatening snow1 and a bitter wind     
blowing that searched the very marrow of
 one's bones4 ,the few neighbors who    
chanced to glance out of their windows  
at an early hour in the afternoon were  
surprised to see ,patsy making his way  
along the street1 slowly and painfully1 
with the aid of his crutches4 ,they had 
never known him to be abroad on a day   
like this2 indeed1 it was many a day    
since he had attempted going upon the   
street at all4 ,poor little ,patsy1 his 
crutches were once a familiar sight     
going up and down the pavements on      
pleasant days in the summer time1 but   
they had thought never to see him leave 
his room again4 ,did ,david know8 ,some 
one should stop the child2 he was too   

weak to wander out alone like that4 ,but
 then1 it was no affair of theirs2      
,david could probably be trusted to look
 after the boy4  ,as no one was willing 
to make it his business to interfere1   
,patsy went on his way unmolested4 ,a   
strange look of determination battled   
with the pain on the sickly1 childish   
face as he made his way bravely against 
the biting wind that sought to drive him
 back4 ,he had learned the mystery of   
the house on the hill2 he knew now why  
,david hated so bitterly that house and 
all connected with it2 he knew why      
,david was willing and eager to help the
 men in the plan they were to carry out 
that night4 ,david had told him all     
about it1 and for the first time in his 
life he had felt afraid of this dearly  
loved brother of his4 ,it had been a    
revelation to ,pasty4 ,surely1 this     
bitter1 unforgiving1 revengeful man     
could not be the same who had been      
father1 mother and big brother to the   
little cripple for whom he had cared so 

tenderly since their mother had been    
taken from them4  ,it had sounded like a
 fairy tale to ,patsy2 he could scarcely
 believe his own ears4 ,just to think of
 it2 that brown house on the hill had   
once been their mother's home1 and the  
man who lived there1 the man whom ,david
 hated with undying hatred1 was their   
mother's brother and their uncle4 ,on   
the day she married1 she had left her   
home forever1 her brother vowing that   
never as long as he lived would he set  
eyes upon her face again2 to him she    
would be as though dead4 ,once1 when    
father lay dying 7,patsy could not      
remember it1 but ,david had told him of 
it71 mother had written to their uncle  
imploring a little help in their misery4
 ,it was not for herself she had asked  
but for the dying husband and sickly    
baby4 ,her letter had been returned to  
her with these harsh words written on   
the back3 ,some mistake here4 ,no woman 
has the right to call me brother4 ,my   
only sister died years ago4 ,david had  

kept the letter ever since2 he had been 
old enough at the time to understand4   
,he had vowed then to have revenge some 
day and he kept the letter to remind him
 of the vow should he ever be in danger 
of forgetting it4  ,patsy knew now why  
his brother so hated the house on the   
hill1 and why ,david had been so cross  
on that day last summer when he1 ,patsy1
 had come home and told of the young    
lady who had been so kind to him1 the   
lady who lived in the house on the hill4
 ,as a rule1 every one was good to      
,patsy4 ,even the children on the       
street1 who quarrelled among themselves1
 striking1 reviling1 pelting one another
 with stones1 had1 nothing but kind     
words and smiles for ,patsy4 ,but that  
day last summer he had wandered farther 
from home than usual and a crowd of     
rough boys had stopped and commenced    
tormenting him1 laughing at him1 calling
 him names1 jeering at his deformity1   
and even pulling his hair and pinching  
his ears4 ,the child had tried to push  

past them1 but they closed in on him and
 it might have fared ill with ,patsy but
 for the timely arrival on the scene of 
the young lady from the house on the    
hill4  ,she quickly scattered the band  
of hoodlums and then walked with ,patsy 
until he was well on his way home and   
safe from further attack4 ,she had been 
kind to him1 and made him promise to    
come and see her4 ,that was how he knew 
her name and where she lived4 ,he had   
wanted to see her again and had thought 
of her so often but ,david would not let
 him go4  ,many a night1 when the pain  
kept him from sleeping1 he would while  
away the long hours by thinking of the  
gentle1 beautiful girl1 and he never    
said his prayers at night and morning1  
as mother had taught him1 that he did   
not add a petition for his lovely lady4 
,and to think that she was his own      
cousin1 his uncle's daughter2 she lived 
in the house on the hill and it was her 
house that ,david and those men were    
planning to rob4 ,for her sake as well  

as ,david's the deed must be prevented2 
her father must not be robbed2 ,david   
must not become a thief4 ,patsy had     
determined that last night when he first
 heard them mention the scheme4 ,if no  
one else would stop them1 he would1     
though he could not imagine how he was  
going to do it4 ,he had thought and     
thought until his head ached so that he 
could hardly see1 but no plan suggested 
itself to his mind4 ,he prayed1 too1    
long and earnestly1 for the priest at   
the ,sunday-school told them ,god would 
always answer little boys' prayers if   
what they asked for was good for them4  
,and was it not a good thing for which  
he was pleading8 ,simply that he might  
find a way to keep his lady from being  
robbed and save ,david from becoming a  
thief8  ,at last1 the idea he wanted had
 come to him2 he knew just what he must 
do to secure his end4 ,there was danger 
in the plan1 to himself1 but he must    
risk that4 ,it mattered little what     
happened to him if he could only save   

his ,david1 his dear1 kind big brother1 
who would never have thought of doing   
wrong had it not been for those wicked  
men who had led him astray4 ,patsy      
feared those men mightily4 ,he knew     
their anger would be terrible should    
they discover how their plan had been   
frustrated4 ,they might even kill him if
 they found him out1 but he hoped they  
need not know4 ,he would confess to     
,david alone at supper time that        
evening2 no matter how angry1 ,david    
would not hurt his little brother4 ,of  
that ,patsy was certain4 ,anyway1       
whatever the risk1 he must take it to   
save ,david and to save the lady4  ,the 
early winter twilight was closing in    
when ,patsy reached his home again and  
dragged himself up the stairs to the one
 room which he and ,david occupied4 ,he 
was almost exhausted and his breath came
 in short1 sharp gasps which cut him    
like knives4 ,he would have liked to    
crawl into his bed1 close his eyes and  
never open them again1 he was so tired4 

,but he must not give in yet2 his task  
was but half accomplished4 ,david must  
be told of what he had done1 and at that
 thought a spasm of fear contracted his 
heart4 ,shivering1 he drew a chair near 
the stove and waited with closed eyes   
and pain-drawn face for the sound of    
,david's foot upon the stairs4          
,twilight passed and darkness filled the
 little room1 still ,david did not come4
 ,patsy lighted the lamp upon the table1
 wondering anxiously why his brother was
 so late4 ,he put more coals upon the   
fire1 which was burning low1 and made   
the tea for ,david's supper4 ,he set out
 the loaf of bread1 the cold meat1 the  
cheese1 upon the table1 then resumed his
 chair and his eager listening for      
footsteps that were so long in coming4  
,it seemed to ,patsy he had waited for  
hours and hours1 and suddenly his heart 
stopped beating and his eyes distended  
in terror as a thought occurred to him4 
,suppose ,david did not come at all6    
,what1 what would happen then8 ,but     

there1 that was ,david's step and all   
would be well now4 ,the child looked up 
eagerly as his brother entered the room1
 then1 nearly cried aloud in his bitter 
disappointment4 ,david was not alone4   
,one of the gang was with him1 and this 
was a contingency for which ,patsy had  
made no allowance4 ,what was he to do   
now8 ,how could he tell his brother1 how
 warn him1 in the presence of that      
dreadful man8  ,for the first time in   
his life ,david was so preoccupied that 
he paid no heed to the little cripple   
who had now withdrawn to the darkest    
corner of the room and crouched there in
 abject terror4 ,the two men made a     
hasty meal and then sat by the table    
talking in tones so low that ,patsy     
heard scarcely a word of what was said4 
,anyway1 he cared nothing for their     
plans now2 he had spoiled everything for
 them4 ,but how was he to tell ,david1  
how was he to tell ,david8  ,by and by1 
a third man joined them and there was   
more whispering with heads close        

together4 ,at last1 the three arose and 
made preparations for going out4 ,they  
moved towards the door and were         
astonished to find themselves confronted
 by a small1 crippled figure1 that stood
 swaying on his crutches1 directly in   
their way4 ,a bright red spot burned on 
either cheek1 the eyes were brilliant   
with fever1 and the child was panting   
for breath4 ,but he said very quietly1  
his eyes fixed steadily on his brother's
 face3  ,you mustn't go out to-night1   
,david4  ,the men gasped and looked at  
one another in amazement4  ,you mustn't 
go out to-night1 ,david1 the child      
repeated4 ,you mustn't none of you go to
 the house on the hill to-night4  ,we   
mustn't go out1 mustn't we1 exclaimed   
one of the men roughly4 ,who's to stop  
us going1 ,i'd like to know8 ,stand     
aside1 kid1 before harm comes to you4   
,who's to stop you8 ,i am4 ,i have      
stopped you4  ,a laugh of derision      
greeted this statement4  ,yes1 ,patsy   
repeated2 ,i've stopped you4 ,i peached 

on you2 ,i warned 'em you was comin'4   
,david's face was terrible to see4      
,what's that you're saying1 ,patsy8 ,you
 what8  ,i warned 'em this afternoon4 ,i
 went to the house on the hill and told 
'em you was comin'4 ,you mustn't go1    
,david1 you mustn't go4 ,the police'll  
be there waitin' for you1 'cos ,i told  
'em you was comin'4 ,i didn't want you  
to be a thief1 ,david2 ,i done it for   
your sake4 ,oh1 ,david1 ,david6         
,david's face was livid and his clenched
 fist was raised to strike1 but ,patsy  
and his crutches lay in a little huddled
 heap at ,david's feet4  ,when the child
 opened his eyes again1 the men were    
gone and he and his brother were alone4 
,he looked into the face bending above  
him and gave a sigh of relief4 ,all the 
anger was gone1 only anxious solicitude 
rested there4 ,patsy tried to speak1 but
 his voice was so weak and low that     
,david had difficulty in understanding  
what he said4 ,he leaned over to catch  
the faintly whispered words3  ,you ain't

 mad at me now1 are you1 ,davy8 ,i'm so 
glad4 ,i'd hate to go away thinkin' you 
was mad at me4 ,i had to do it1 ,davy1  
,i had to tell2 there wasn't no other   
way to keep you from being a thief4 ,i'm
 sorry to leave you alone1 ,davy1 but ,i
 guess mother wants me in ,heaven4 ,you 
know the doctor said ,i'd be going soon 
anyway4 ,mother said she'd be waitin'   
for you and me and ,i guess she wants me
 now4 ,i'm sorry to leave you1 but ,i'm 
afeared ,i must go4 ,it'll be lonesome  
for you when ,i'm gone4 ,you'll have no 
one to light the lamp and make the tea  
for you in the evenings4 ,you'll come   
home here at night and it'll be all dark
 and lonely with no ,patsy to meet you4 
,but remember1 ,david1 ,i'll be lookin' 
at you from ,heaven4 ,mother and ,i'll  
be waitin' for you there and ,i'm       
thinkin' even ,heaven won't be just     
right till you've come to us4 ,promise  
me you'll come to us some day2 promise  
you'll never go with them wicked men no 
more4 ,let 'em alone or they'll make you

 as bad as they be1 and then you won't  
never see mother and me4 ,promise you'll
 let 'em alone1 ,davy2 promise you'll be
 good and come to us in ,heaven some    
day4  ,i promise1 kid1 ,i promise1      
whispered ,david brokenly4 ,with ,god's 
help ,i'll turn over a new leaf and     
,i'll come to you some day4  ,a smile   
brightened the pale1 pinched face1 a    
smile of absolute content and trustful  
affection4  ,god bless you1 my ,davy1   
,god bless you1 murmured the faint voice
 haltingly4 ,good-by--until we meet--in 
,heaven4     ,,three ,,evenings ,,in ,a 
,,life4  ,i4   ,one by one the city     
clocks chimed the hour of midnight4 ,one
 by one ,jane counted the strokes and   
sighed despairingly as she glanced at   
the window in which the light still     
burned so brightly4 ,the air was bitter 
cold1 a fine snow was falling1 and she  
had been trudging up and down1 up and   
down1 for ages it seemed to her4        
,richard was growing so heavy and her   
arms ached so she could scarcely hold   

him4 ,still1 there was nothing for it   
but to tramp up and down1 up and down   
the narrow street1 the baby in her arms1
 until mother should give the welcome   
signal4 ,when that lamp in the window   
opposite was put out and the house in   
darkness1 she would know that it was    
safe for her to creep up the stairs and 
into the bed in the kitchen which she   
shared with the baby brother now        
sleeping in her arms4  ,seating herself 
upon a doorstep she was passing1 ,jane  
shifted the baby to a more comfortable  
position and leaned her head against the
 rough woodwork of the tenement house4  
,how tired1 she was1 how very tired6    
,her head ached1 her back ached1 she    
ached all over4 ,day after day1 she     
worked in the factory from early morning
 until nightfall4 ,night after night1   
she walked the street with ,richard in  
her arms1 not daring to enter the house 
until father was safely sleeping4 ,of   
course it did not happen every night4   
,just once in a while father would come 

home sober and then there was no fear of
 harm to the baby or herself4 ,many a   
night1 too1 he did not come home at all1
 but on those occasions she and mother  
scarce dared to close an eye4 ,they knew
 not at what moment he might return1    
possibly in even an uglier mood than    
usual4 ,mother was never afraid for     
herself4 ,she could usually manage him1 
although there had been times when bad  
cuts and bruises bore testimony to the  
treatment to which she had been         
subjected4 ,for ,jane and little        
,richard1 their only chance lay in      
keeping out of the way1 so ,jane would  
tramp the street1 ,richard in her arms1 
despite aches and pains and weariness4  
,the child on the doorstep anxiously    
watched the window across the way4      
,would the light never go out8 ,father  
must be unusually bad to-night1 and she 
was so tired4 ,the day had been a hard  
one at the factory and every bone in her
 body ached4 ,well1 there was one       
comfort2 to-morrow would be ,sunday and 

she could stay at home all day4         
,to-morrow8 ,to-day1 rather1 for        
midnight had already passed4 ,she would 
have one long day to rest and help      
mother4 ,she felt now as if she could   
sleep the whole day through4 ,she would 
like to sleep for a week at least1 and  
even then she would not be rested quite 
enough4 ,there were moments of unusual  
fatigue and depression in which she     
could almost wish that she might fall   
asleep and sleep forever as the other   
little ones had done4 ,three of them    
there were1 delicate1 sickly little     
creatures1 who had struggled for a time 
against the ills of human existence and 
then given up the unequal conflict4 ,at 
times1 she could almost find it in her  
heart to envy them were it not for      
mother and ,richard1 especially         
,richard4  ,there1 at last6 ,the light  
was gone1 the window in darkness1 and it
 was safe for her to return to the      
tenement across the way4   ,,ii4  ,the  
same street1 the same tenement house1   

but grown even uglier and dingier with  
the passing of the years4 ,in a small   
room on the second floor1 ,jane sits    
beside the bed on which her mother      
tosses in the delirium of fever4 ,her   
heart is slowly breaking as she listens 
to the moaning1 insistent cry which     
issues from those parched lips4 ,all    
through the days and nights of anxious  
watching1 that cry has been ringing in  
her ears1 the call for ,richard1        
,richard1 ,richard4  ,that her mother is
 dying she knows full well1 and how she 
longs for one loving glance1 for one    
word of affection1 to carry with her in 
the lonely years to come4 ,but no look  
of recognition comes to the sightless   
eyes and no word escapes the lips save  
that never ceasing cry of ,richard1     
,richard1 ,richard4 ,a white-capped     
nurse flits softly about1 but ,jane pays
 no heed to her4 ,the doctor enters and 
hold whispered consultation with the    
nurse4 ,jane does not even glance at    
him4 ,she is tired of hearing him say   

the same old thing time after time3     
,while there is life1 there is hope4    
,she knows there is no hope1 though     
everything possible has been done to    
save the precious life now ebbing so    
swiftly4 ,thank ,god1 they are no longer
 poor as when she was a child4 ,her     
salary is a splendid one and she has    
been able to have the best advice1 the  
best care possible1 for her dying       
mother4 ,no1 they are no longer poor1   
but of what avail is money now8 ,it     
cannot bring back the days that are     
gone1 the happy days before ,richard    
went away4 ,and they were happy1 then1  
so happy4  ,after her father's death1   
which had occurred while she was still a
 mere child1 she and mother had devoted 
themselves to the task of caring for    
little ,richard4 ,they toiled2 they     
starved1 they saved--all for ,richard4  
,they prayed and planned and hoped--for 
,richard4 ,he must go to school1 he must
 go to college1 he must become a power  
in the world4 ,for themselves1 poor     

food1 poor clothes1 the old tenement    
were good enough1 for every cent they   
saved meant so much the more for        
,richard when he should have come to    
man's estate4 ,and ,richard8 ,oh6 he had
 been well content to take all they     
offered him4 ,he went to school1 he went
 to college2 only1 somehow1 the reports 
of his doings there were anything but   
encouraging4 ,they seemed to be merely a
 series of pranks and mischief1 but the 
devoted mother was very ready to make   
allowances4 ,the boy was young1 he would
 grow steadier as he grew older4 ,they  
must have patience with him for a few   
years yet4 ,at times ,jane doubted the  
wisdom of their course1 and when the    
demands1 not only upon their patience   
but upon their purse1 became greater and
 greater1 ,jane had counseled removing  
him from college and setting him to     
work4 ,not so the mother4 ,her cry was  
ever3 ,patience1 patience1 and all will 
yet be well4 ,so they bore with him a   
while longer to their never ceasing     

sorrow4  ,his escapades grew wilder1 the
 reprimands of the faculty more severe4 
,at last came the final prank1 which had
 resulted in his disgrace and expulsion4
 ,even then1 she and mother was ready to
 forgive and had written him to come    
home4 ,no answer from ,richard had ever 
been received4 ,instead1 came the news  
that the boy had disappeared1 run away2 
the last seen of him was boarding a     
train for the ,west4 ,all efforts at    
tracing him had proved futile1 and to   
this day they knew not where he was4    
,mother had never smiled again but had  
drooped and faded day by day4 ,time and 
again ,jane had urged moving to more    
congenial surroundings1 to a flat or    
cottage in the suburbs1 to fresh air and
 sunshine4 ,but no1 mother would not    
have it so2 ,richard might come back    
some day and how could he find them if  
they moved away from the old home in the
 tenement house8  ,even now1 when she is
 dying1 her last thought is not for the 
girl beside her1 the girl who has toiled

 so patiently1 watched so faithfully1   
sacrificed all so generously1 for mother
 and for ,richard4 ,even in delirium1   
her thoughts are only for the absent    
one2 her words1 that insistent1         
heartrending cry for ,richard1 ,richard1
 ,richard4 ,jane bows her head in       
anguish but whispers low3 ,thy will be  
done4   ,,iii4  ,long since1 the factory
 whistle has sounded the signal for     
release from the day's toil4 ,the       
workers in the factory1 a small army of 
men and women1 boys and girls1 poured   
forth from the doorways of the huge     
buildings1 swarmed up the street1       
laughing and chattering1 and dispersed  
to their several homes4 ,the buzz and   
jarring of the machinery have ceased and
 silence fills the place4 ,even the     
offices are deserted1 with the exception
 of one from which issues the steady    
click1 click1 of a typewriter4  ,jane   
,horton1 private secretary and          
confidential clerk to the millionaire   
president of the company1 is a very busy

 as well as a very important individual4
 ,the sound of that whistle means       
release for the workers in the rooms    
above1 the toilers at the machines where
 she herself labored so many years ago2 
it means release for stenographers1     
bookkeepers1 clerks1 in the general     
office without2 but for her1 there yet  
remain many things to be attended to    
before she can take advantage of the    
half holiday and seek the seclusion of  
her small suburban home4 ,important     
letters must be written1 private letters
 which cannot be entrusted to the care  
of an ordinary stenographer4 ,for some  
time longer ,jane's typewriter clicks   
unceasingly1 and it is nearly dusk      
before her task is finished and she is  
free to lock her office door and leave  
the building for the night4  ,she walks 
rapidly along the darkening streets1    
sorry that she is so late4 ,she fears   
,marie will have been watching for her  
all the afternoon and worrying perhaps1 
little ,marie1 the lame factory girl    

whom she has befriended1 the girl with  
eyes so strangely like to ,richard's4   
,the resemblance is startling at times1 
though ,richard's eyes were ever merry1 
ever dancing with fun and mischief1     
while ,marie's are grave and sweet and  
sad4 ,still1 the likeness is there1 and 
probably that is the reason that ,jane  
has been so anxious to help this girl1  
scarce more than a child1 who had       
appealed to her for aid4 ,marie was by  
no means the first to seek her          
assistance in time of need1 for ,miss   
,horton's name stands for all that is   
kind and gracious and helpful in every  
department of the factory4 ,the woman   
who has succeeded1 who has worked her   
way up1 step by step1 to a position of  
trust and confidence1 does not forget   
the time when she stood1 as ,marie does 
now1 with her foot upon the lowest round
 of the ladder4 ,she never forgets the  
days when she worked as they work1 and  
is ever ready to extend a helping hand  
to those who need it4 ,to her1 then1    

,marie had come1 as had so many others  
before her1 in her hour of trial and    
distress4 ,hastening along the street1  
,jane smiles as she recalls the day     
,marie had first tapped upon her office 
door and1 entering timidly1 waited for  
permission to speak4 ,jane had been     
unusually busy and frowned impatiently  
at the interruption4 ,the eyes1 so like 
to ,richard's1 had quelled her anger and
 she listened to the girl's story4  ,it 
was ,jackie was the trouble this time1  
,jackie who came next to her and who    
helped in the support of the family4    
,he'd just broken his leg and was in the
 hospital and there was no telling when 
he would be out again4 ,the twins were  
sick1 too1 and there were ,nellie and   
,minnie and the little baby1 and mother 
not strong enough to work even if she   
had time to leave the children4 ,father8
 ,well1 that's just where ,miss         
,horton's help was needed4 ,father had  
worked here in the factory1 out in the  
shipping-room1 but they'd discharged him

 several weeks ago4 ,yes1 father had    
been discharged before1 many times      
before1 and had been taken back again4  
,this time they would not let him come  
back though he had begged and pleaded   
and promised faithfully never to touch  
the drink again4 ,no1 no1 father did not
 get drunk very often1 only once in a   
while1 and he was never cross or ugly4  
,he was the kindest and best of fathers 
only he drank a little just once in a   
while4 ,wouldn't ,miss ,horton please2  
please1 say a word for father and get   
them to take him back8 ,miss ,horton    
hesitated for a moment1 looked into the 
eyes so like ,richard's1 then promised  
that she would4  ,she certainly kept her
 promise and said1 not one word1 but    
many1 in her efforts to have ,marie's   
father reinstated in his former         
position4 ,the man was a stranger to    
her1 she had never seen him1 never even 
heard his name before1 but for ,marie's 
sake she pleaded his cause most         
earnestly4 ,the same reply met her every

 turn3  ,not a better man in the place  
when he was sober1 the very best worker 
we've got4 ,but just when we're busiest 
and need him most1 off he goes and gets 
drunk4 ,not so very often1 oh6 no1 but  
always when he's needed most4 ,we've    
forgiven him time again1 but he's had   
his last chance4 ,we'll not take him    
back4  ,jane had even appealed to the   
president himself1 but the appeal was   
useless4 ,he never interfered in such   
matters1 left them entirely to the      
department heads4  ,the eyes like       
,richard's filled with tears as ,marie  
was told of the utter failure of all    
appeals4 ,the pale face grew paler day  
by day and the thin figure drooped      
wearily4 ,jane had1 more than once1     
offered pecuniary help1 which had been  
gently but firmly refused4 ,they'd      
manage somehow1 ,marie thought1 until   
,jackie was well again and able to help1
 though it was hard to feed so many on  
just one girl's pay4 ,if they would only
 take father back1 that was all the help

 she needed2 just for them to take      
father back4 ,he'd not touched a drop   
now for six months and vowed he never   
would again4 ,he'd taken the pledge and 
was making the ,first ,fridays4 ,he'd   
not missed one since he began five      
months ago1 and oh6 if they'd only give 
him one more chance4 ,that's what father
 said himself1 that's all he wanted1    
just one more chance to make good4 ,he  
meant it this time1 too1 ,marie was     
quite sure of that4 ,if they'd only give
 him that one chance he'd make the most 
of it4  ,jane ,horton had promised to   
make one more attempt and she is now    
carrying to ,marie the good news that   
her efforts have been crowned with      
success4  ,following the directions     
given her1 she passes from the broad1   
well-lighted streets to smaller1 darker 
ones4 ,finally she turns down a narrow1 
crooked alley and enters a tumble-down  
house at the farther end4 ,bad as was   
the tenement home of her early          
childhood1 this place is far worse1 and 

a wave of pity fills ,jane's heart as   
she thinks of that delicate1 patient    
child growing up in surroundings like   
these4 ,marie herself opens the door in 
response to ,jane's knock1 her eyes     
anxiously asking the question her lips  
dare not utter4  ,good news1 little one1
 good news1 cried ,jane joyously1       
advancing into the room and taking in at
 a glance the terrible poverty of the   
place1 the shabbiness of the woman      
laying the table for supper1 and of the 
barefooted1 ragged children who stare at
 her in open-mouthed astonishment4      
,where is your father1 ,marie8 ,take me 
to him at once for ,i bring him what he 
asked for--one more chance to make good4
  ,in answer to ,marie's call1 the door 
leading into an adjoining room opens and
 a man steps forth4 ,the light of the   
lamp shines full upon his face1 and for 
one breathless moment they face each    
other in silence1 the woman who has     
succeeded in life1 the man who has      
failed1 and to whom she brings one last 

chance of redeeming his failure4        
,despite the change of name and the     
greater changes wrought by the hand of  
time1 she knows him at once4 ,it is     
,richard1 her brother4     ,,the        
,,eleventh ,,hour4   ,it was an ordinary
 tenement house of the poorest class1   
exactly like its neighbors1 which lined 
both sides of the dingy street4 ,the    
door was always open1 more than half the
 time hanging by one hinge1 the         
stairways were dark and crooked1 the    
rooms small and dirty4 ,in a back       
kitchen on the topmost floor1 a man sat1
 or rather huddled1 in a chair drawn    
close to the stove4 ,his eyes were      
closed and his head drooped wearily     
against the back of the chair4 ,that    
last spell of coughing had been         
unusually severe and had left him weak  
and breathless4 ,a plague on the cough1 
anyway4 ,why was it he could not get rid
 of it8 ,the doctor from the dispensary1
 the district nurse1 even ,maggie1 had  
assured him that with the coming of     

summer this cold of his would be better4
 ,summer was here1 though you would not 
think so to-day with this raw east wind 
and drizzling rain1 and instead of being
 better he was worse1 decidedly worse4  
,could it be that they were all wrong   
and ,nancy alone was in the right8      
,nancy1 who1 of all that approached him1
 was the only one who dared to tell him 
the truth4 ,the truth8 ,no1 it was a    
lie1 a lie2 he was not dying1 he was    
going to be well and strong again as    
soon as he could shake this cold that   
had settled upon him4 ,nancy was a      
meddlesome old woman4 ,he had told her  
so not more than an hour ago and had    
sent her off about her business4 ,he had
 been harsh to her and rude1 and after  
all she was old and had probably meant  
to do him a kindness4 ,but1 then1 he was
 not sorry2 she'd not come bothering him
 any more now with her dismal croakings 
of death and eternity4 ,death8 ,he      
defied it4 ,eternity8 ,time enough to   
think of that4  ,he opened his eyes and 

they rested upon the chair which ,nancy 
had occupied one hour ago1 which she had
 occupied so frequently during the past 
few months4 ,she had been almost a daily
 visitor since he and ,maggie had been  
living in these wretched lodgings in    
,nancy's ,alley1 as it was called4      
,evidently1 the old woman seemed to     
think the entire street was her personal
 property and that she was responsible  
for the welfare of all the dwellers     
thereon4 ,well1 he guessed he had taught
 her not to come meddling in his        
affairs4 ,he hoped he had anyway4       
,dying8 ,the idea of such a thing2 how  
dared she tell him he was dying when    
everyone else fed him with the hope that
 he would be better to-morrow1 next     
week1 next month4 ,ah6 yes1 but         
to-morrow never came2 or rather1 when it
 did come1 it was no longer to-morrow   
with its promise of renewed health4 ,it 
was to-day1 with the same               
disappointment1 the same pains1 the same
 racking cough1 which he had endured on 

so many other to-days that had come and 
gone before it4  ,watching the chair she
 had so lately occupied1 he could see   
once more the figure of ,nancy1 her     
bright eyes and cheery smile1 and hear  
the nimble tongue which chattered so    
merrily or soothed so gently according  
to the needs of her listener4 ,he could 
see the little1 stooped figure in its   
ragged gown1 the work-worn hands1 the   
smooth1 grey hair4 ,he would miss her   
visits2 yes1 indeed1 he would miss them 
sorely4 ,but what right had she to go   
talking to him of death8 ,still1 she was
 old1 she had been kind to him1 and he  
had driven her away in anger4 ,he had   
called her a meddlesome busybody who    
went about poking and prying into other 
people's affairs and had ordered her to 
leave the house and never enter it      
again4  ,pokin' an' pryin' is it8 she   
had answered quietly as she made her way
 towards the door4 ,he remembered now   
how difficult it had been for her to    
walk even on the level floor2 what a    

task it must have been for her to climb 
those three long flights of stairs as   
she had been doing every day for these  
months past4 ,pokin' an' pryin' is it8  
,maybe so1 maybe so4 ,but ,nancy didn't 
mean it that way1 no1 lad1 indeed she   
didn't4 ,nancy was thinkin' of her own  
boy lyin' at rest out yonder with the   
green grass growin' over him1 her own   
boy that went the same way you're a     
goin' now4 ,he'd be about the same age  
as you1 too1 an' there's the look on    
your face that ,i seen on his so often1 
the desperate1 despairin' look that it  
breaks my heart to see4 ,i figured that 
if you was my boy1 ,i'd be glad for some
 one to tell you the truth an' try to   
bring you back to ,god before it's too  
late4 ,i'd figured1 too1 that most      
likely you had a mother somewheres4 ,she
 may be still on the earth prayin' for  
you an' longin' for you1 same as ,i     
prayed an' longed for my ,danny for so  
many years4 ,she may be in heaven       
lookin' down on us now1 but wherever she

 is she'll be glad to know that ,i tried
 to bring you back4 ,it's for her sake  
that ,i'm doing this1 for the sake of   
your poor mother wherever she may be4   
,his mother6 ,what memories that name   
conjured up6 ,his mother who had kissed 
and blessed him as she closed her eyes  
forever so many1 many years ago4 ,he was
 still looking at the chair which ,nancy
 had occupied but he saw it not4 ,he was
 a boy once more standing by his        
mother's bedside1 her soft1 white hand  
in his1 and was promising her--ah6 how  
many promises he had made holding that  
dear hand for the last time1 and how    
readily he had broken those promises    
every one6  ,his mind wandered on and he
 saw himself a boy at school1 a youth at
 college1 a grown man filling a position
 of trust in a large business concern4  
,in those days1 wherever he might turn1 
there was one figure standing out before
 all others1 one friend1 tried and true4
 ,when boys at school this friend had   
saved his life2 when young men at       

college1 it was to this friend's        
continued help he owed any little       
success he may have attained4 ,after    
leaving college1 his position was       
secured through the kindly offices of   
this same friend whose desk was next his
 own in the office in which they were   
employed4  ,his gaze still rested on the
 vacant chair but he saw only a pretty  
little suburban cottage with flower     
garden and smooth green lawn and        
box-bordered gravel paths4 ,once upon a 
time that cottage was his1 and the      
sweet-faced girl1 who trod those paths  
so daintily1 tripping to the gate to    
meet him on his return in the evening1  
was his wife4 ,upstairs in the nursery  
their children slept1 two fair little   
girls with their mother's pretty eyes   
and dainty ways4 ,all that had been his1
 once upon a time4  ,he still watched   
that vacant chair but he saw only the   
day they discovered the loss of that    
money which had disappeared so          
mysteriously from the firm's safe4      

,suspicion rested upon that one true    
friend of his1 the friend to whom he    
owed all he was1 all he had4 ,there was 
not sufficient evidence to prove that he
 was the thief1 but in the minds of his 
employers there was no doubt as to his  
guilt4 ,the supposed delinquent was     
dismissed and the cloud of suspicion    
rested upon him wherever he went        
thereafter4 ,only two people had known  
the truth1 the man now sitting by the   
stove in the tenement house kitchen and 
the friend who had suffered in silence  
rather than betray him4 ,they had never 
met again1 and not long after the       
robbery1 the man now sitting by the     
stove had heard of his friend's death2  
the physicians said it was typhoid1 but 
he knew better4 ,disappointment1        
anxiety1 heartbreak1 were the real      
causes of his friend's early taking off4
  ,he still gazed at the empty chair but
 he saw only the series of misfortunes  
that had befallen him since the day his 
friend died4 ,he had launched into      

business on his own account2 the result 
was dire disaster4 ,his home was burned 
in the dead of night2 they barely       
escaped with their lives4 ,everything   
was gone2 there was no insurance and    
ruin and despair confronted them4 ,his  
children died suddenly of a malignant   
fever and the heartbroken mother had    
followed them to the grave within a few 
weeks4 ,he was alone1 all alone1 and    
from that day to this had gone steadily 
downward until now he found himself in  
this dirty tenement depending for his   
daily bread upon the faded1 ragged      
little woman who was now his wife4 ,poor
 ,maggie1 how she irritated him at times
 and yet she had been a good faithful   
wife to him4 ,but for her1 they would   
not have even this miserable apology for
 a home4 ,yes1 even ,maggie1 with her   
watery eyes and thin1 unkempt hair1     
,maggie1 who scrubbed floors for a      
living and could not write so much as   
her own name nor read the simplest      
child's primer2 even ,maggie was far too

 good for the worn-out drunkard and     
gambler whom she tended so faithfully4  
,a light tap upon the door1 but the man 
by the stove was too much occupied with 
those phantoms of the past to pay heed  
to it4 ,the door opened quietly and a   
priest stepped into the room4 ,the man's
 gaze shifted from the vacant chair to  
the black-robed figure standing by the  
door and looking at him in puzzled      
amazement4 ,phantoms of the past8 ,yes1 
indeed1 and here was one more come to   
torment him and to mock at him4 ,the two
 watched each other in silence for a    
moment4 ,then1 the man crouching in his 
chair by the fire found voice at last3  
,what brings you here1 you1 of all men8 
,have you come to taunt me1 to upbraid  
me1 to delight your eyes with the sight 
of my misery8 ,have you come to laugh at
 me in my downfall8  ,nay1 friend1      
returned the priest gently1 none of     
those things has brought me to you      
to-day4 ,i come only on a mission of    
mercy1 to bring you peace and pardon4   

,but how did you find me2 who sent you  
to me8 demanded the man by the fire4  ,a
 little old woman1 ,nancy by name1 told 
me there was one here sadly in need of  
the ministrations of a priest4 ,i did   
not dream that ,i should find you4  ,you
 know me then2 you remember me8  ,i     
remember you perfectly and recognized   
you at once1 though you have changed    
almost beyond recognition4  ,you say you
 know me1 but you do not1 you do not4   
,you may know who ,i am1 but you don't  
know what ,i am4 ,you don't know that   
,i'm a thief4 ,yes1 a thief1 for it was 
,i who took that money he was accused of
 stealing4 ,do you know that8  ,i know  
it1 answered the priest calmly1 and     
still ,i say ,i bring you peace and     
pardon4  ,perhaps you know1 too1 that ,i
 am a murderer1 for it was grief1       
heartbreak1 which weakened him so that  
when disease attacked him he had not    
sufficient strength to combat the fever4
 ,do you now that1 you who talk to me so
 easily of peace and pardon8  ,i know   

that1 too1 and it is in his name that ,i
 offer you forgiveness for your sins4   
,you know all then8 ,he told you8  ,he  
told me in the delirium of fever4 ,he   
never knew he told2 he died thinking he 
carried the secret with him to the      
grave4 ,he was faithful even unto death4
  ,faithful even unto death4 ,and you1  
his brother1 come to me now and1 knowing
 all1 dare to hold out to me the hope of
 forgiveness and of peace8 and the man  
stared incredulously into the kind1     
pitying eyes bent upon him4  ,i1 his    
brother1 offer you now forgiveness of   
all your sins and peace which surpasseth
 all understanding4  ,the sick man was  
seized with a violent fit of coughing   
and when it had passed1 he lay back in  
his chair exhausted1 with closed eyes   
and white1 pain-drawn face4 ,the priest1
 wishing to give him a moment to rest   
and recover his breath1 walked to the   
window and looked out4 ,in the field    
below more than a score of ragged men1  
women and children were scratching and  

digging among piles of ashes1 eagerly   
searching for and gathering up the      
half-burned cinders2 searching1 too1 in 
the forlorn hope of finding something of
 greater value that might have been     
thrown away by accident4 ,the rain beat 
noisily on the window pane and the      
priest shivered as he looked at those   
scantily-clad little children1 not one  
of whom could boast of shoes and        
stockings1 and at the white heads and   
bent figures of old women on whose      
unprotected shoulders the rain fell so  
pitilessly4 ,what mattered the          
inclemency of the weather to them8      
,winter would be here by and by2 they   
must gather in all the fuel possible    
before it was upon them with its snow   
and sleet and icy blasts4 ,in fact1 even
 when winter came1 many of these same   
little children and old women1 even     
grown men who either could not find     
other work to do or did not care to seek
 it1 many of these same people would be 
seen day after day scratching and       

digging in this same field of ashes4    
,the priest turned from the window with 
a sigh of pity for the miserable        
creatures below4 ,his glance strayed    
over the untidy kitchen which bore all  
the marks of the most extreme poverty   
and he gave another sigh of pity for the
 man who had been brought so low in the 
last days of his life1 the man whom he  
had known in the time of his success and
 prosperity4  ,he approached the chair  
beside the stove and the tired eyes     
opened slowly and looked at him4        
,unaccustomed tears filled those eyes   
and the hard voice softened marvelously4
  ,nancy was right1 that changed voice  
was saying4 ,i am dying4 ,father1 you   
say you bring me forgiveness in his     
name1 forgiveness for the great wrong ,i
 did him4 ,in his name1 ,i will accept  
the gift4 ,father1 ,i will confess my   
sins to you and beg ,god's pardon for   
them4  ,two hours later1 when poor1     
tired ,maggie1 with aching arms and     
aching back1 returned from her day's    

work1 she was surprised at the          
gentleness with which he greeted her4   
,never had he been so kind before3 she  
was more accustomed to harsh words and  
even curses than kindness from him4 ,she
 set about preparing their evening meal 
and he actually ate what she put before 
him without even once finding fault with
 the food or with her4 ,she could not   
understand it and felt vaguely alarmed4 
,again the door opened and a face peered
 in anxiously4 ,it would look as if the 
owner of the face was fully prepared to 
slam the door and take to her heels at a
 second's notice4 ,the man in the chair 
by the stove smiled faintly and called3 
,come in1 ,nancy2 it's all right4  ,the 
little stooped figure sidled into the   
room but stood with her hand upon the   
door ready for flight at any moment4    
,she could not trust her eyes and ears1 
she knew they must be deceiving her4    
,come in1 ,nancy1 the man repeated4     
,come in and sit down there in the chair
 you occupied this afternoon when you   

dared to tell me the truth that all     
others feared to tell4 ,you're a brave  
little woman1 ,nancy1 and1 thanks to    
you1 all is well with me at last4 ,as he
 said1 he brought me forgiveness for my 
sins and peace which surpasseth all     
understanding4 ,thanks to you1 ,nancy1  
thanks to you4  ,thanks to me is it1    
lad8 ,not a bit of it1 not a bit of it4 
,thanks be to ,god6 ejaculated ,nancy   
fervently4  ,thanks be to ,god6         
whispered ,maggie1 as a tear rolled down
 her worn and faded cheek and splashed  
into the pan of water in which she was  
washing the supper dishes4 ,thanks be to
 ,god for bringin' him back even at the 
eleventh hour6     ,,the ,,story ,,of   
,,julie ,,benoit4   ,julie leaned       
against the door of the room from which 
she had just been summoned4 ,her black  
eyes flashed defiance into the eyes of  
the woman watching her in sorrowful     
silence4  ,why you come here8 she cried4
 ,why you not leave me alone8 ,i not    
want to see you nor anyone4 ,you no     

right to come here2 you not my forewoman
 now4 ,you dismiss me in disgrace a week
 ago1 you and that superintendent in    
your factory over there4 ,what you come 
for2 to punish me some more8  ,my poor  
child1 returned the other gently1 you   
must not hate me so4 ,believe me1 ,i    
love you1 ,julie1 and ,i've come here as
 your friend4  ,you a friend to me2 me1 
,julie ,benoit who is sent away from the
 factory because ,i steal all that      
money6 ,no1 no1 ,i know better than     
that1 you no friend to me1 you despise  
me4 ,all the girls point their finger at
 me1 for ,i steal that money4 ,but ,i   
give it all back1 do ,i not8 ,and the   
superintendent he say it is my first    
offense and he will not send me to      
prison4 ,oh yes6 he is very kind4 ,julie
 have give back the money1 ,julie is    
forgiven1 but she is a thief and cannot 
work with honest people4 ,she must go1  
and without a reference4 ,no one could  
recommend a thief4 ,well1 ,julie does   
go1 so why you not let her alone8       

,julie1 ,julie1 listen to me1 cried the 
forewoman almost in despair4 ,believe it
 or not as you please1 ,i have come here
 to-day to help you if ,i can4 ,i have  
come because there was something in your
 face1 a look in your eyes1 that day you
 left us that has haunted me ever since4
 ,i have come because ,i feared you were
 in trouble and were too proud to tell  
us so4 ,julie1 for twenty years ,i have 
been forewoman of my department over    
there in the factory4 ,many1 many girls 
have worked with me1 new ones coming1   
old ones going all the time4 ,some have 
left for one reason1 some for another1  
but never before has one gone from me in
 anger or disgrace4 ,all my girls have  
loved me1 ,julie1 and ,i loved them4    
,why was it ,i never could win you1 win 
your trust and confidence4 ,was ,i not  
kind to you1 child8 ,i tried to be for  
,i wanted your love and trust4  ,the    
flashing eyes and angry face of the girl
 softened a little as the woman         
continued3  ,i know you are not a bad   

girl1 ,julie4 ,i know that you never    
before stole anything4 ,i have been     
thinking of you all this week and       
worrying about you1 for it must have    
been some great trouble which induced   
you to take that money4 ,why did you    
take it1 child8 ,won't you please tell  
me8  ,you ask me why ,i take it8 ,well1 
,i will tell you4 ,do you know what is  
in that room just behind this very door 
,i lean against8 ,it is my mother4 ,she 
will never move again1 never speak to me
 again2 she is dead4 ,yes1 she died last
 night but ,i not tell no one4 ,if ,i   
tell1 they will take her away and bury  
her ,i not know where4 ,i have no money 
to bury her myself4 ,pretty soon ,i will
 have to tell1 then they bury her in a  
pauper's grave with other people poor   
like us4 ,i not know where they put her2
 ,i never can go and kneel at her grave 
and whisper to her that ,i have not     
forgotten4  ,you want to know why ,i    
steal that money8 ,well1 a week ago poor
 mother she is so very sick4 ,they tell 

me she cannot live many days2 but ,i    
think if only ,i have money ,i can save 
her yet4 ,i can have doctors to see her1
 big doctors who will go to sick people 
only for very much money4 ,i can buy her
 food and medicine and perhaps send her 
away to some place where the sun will   
shine for her1 where she can breathe    
,god's pure air4 ,why even strong people
 can scarce live in a place like this   
where the sunshine never come1 where it 
is cold and damp all the time4 ,how can 
the poor little mother hope to grow well
 again in such a place1 without good    
food1 often without a fire1 the air not 
fit for anyone to breathe4 ,i think of  
it all the time4 ,i lie awake at night  
and think of it1 it is before me all day
 at my work4 ,money1 money1 if only ,i  
have a little money1 ,i can save my     
mother yet4 ,then the chance come1 the  
money is there before me4 ,i look at it1
 ,i take it4 ,that is all4  ,you ask me 
why ,i steal that money4 ,i steal it for
 her1 my mother2 to save her life4 ,yes1

 and for her1 too1 the blind            
grandmother1 and for them1 and she      
pointed to a very old woman sitting     
close to the stove and holding in her   
arms a whimpering child of four4 ,at her
 side crouched two more children1       
somewhat older1 huddled together in a   
ragged shawl4 ,they wore neither shoes  
nor stockings and the small feet were   
blue with cold4  ,oh1 you poor child1   
exclaimed the forewoman1 her eyes       
filling with tears4 ,why did you not    
tell me a week ago instead of taking    
that money1 for one wrong can never     
right another2 why did you not tell me8 
,we might not have been able to save    
your mother1 but we could have helped   
you4 ,even after you took the money1 if 
you had told me all1 something might    
have been done for you4 ,i wish you had 
told me1 ,julie1 ,i wish you had told   
me4  ,the shocked grief of the woman's  
face and voice had their effect upon the
 girl1 and it was in a much more gentle 
tone that she continued3  ,you can see  

for yourself how it is with us now1 but 
we are not always like this4 ,if you    
care to listen and will sit down1 ,i    
tell you all about it4  ,no1 indeed1 we 
are not always like this4 ,i can        
remember when father is alive how happy 
we all are4 ,he is a mason1 good and    
steady1 and he work for us all the time4
 ,we live in a pretty little flat1 it is
 bright and clean and mother keep it so 
and make everything look nice for us4   
,she sing and she laugh and she look so 
pretty in those days4 ,i go to school   
and ,marie also1 dear ,marie who died   
one year ago4 ,antoine1 too1 he go to   
school with ,marie and me4 ,lorraine    
there1 she too little2 she stay at home 
with mother and with grandmother4       
,well1 we are all so happy until one day
 father is brought home to us4 ,he is   
dead1 killed at his work by a falling   
derrick4 ,that same day poor little     
,baptiste1 him there on grandmother's   
lap1 he come into this cruel world4     
,mother is sick1 so very sick for a long

 time after4 ,it is weeks and weeks     
before she can walk around again4 ,by   
the time she does1 the little money she 
had saved is all gone2 there is not a   
cent in the house and the landlord puts 
us out into the street4  ,i am only     
twelve at the time but ,i go to work in 
a factory--not your factory1 but one    
away off the other side of the river4 ,i
 have to walk long1 long distance in the
 cold1 dark morning1 and walk back again
 at night1 but ,i am happy for ,i earn  
money to help at home4 ,mother she go to
 work too1 in a great steam laundry     
where she stand all day at a big        
machine4 ,she very thin and pale1 and so
 tired at night she can hardly walk     
home4 ,but she1 too1 is content2 for she
 have work to do and work means money to
 buy food for the little ones and for   
the blind grandmother4  ,we get along   
pretty well for almost three years4     
,then1 just a year ago1 the factory ,i  
work for shuts down4 ,times are hard1   
there is no more work for us1 we must   

go4 ,we do go4 ,we try first one place1 
then another1 to find work4 ,it is the  
same story everywhere1 times are hard   
and there is no work for us4  ,then     
mother gets that dreadful cold4 ,the    
laundry where she works is always so    
very hot4 ,she come out at night into   
the cold air2 her coat is thin for she  
cannot buy a warm one and she get a     
dreadful chill one night as she comes   
home4 ,she cough all the time after     
that4 ,it shake her nearly all to       
pieces2 but she still go to her work    
till one day she fall beside her        
machine4 ,they bring her home and we put
 her into bed and she never leave it    
again4  ,what to do then we know not4   
,one1 two1 three days pass2 at last     
there is a day when grandmother and ,i  
eat nothing4 ,we give the last scraps of
 bread to the children and spend the    
last two pennies on milk for mother4    
,there is nothing left for us4 ,we not  
sleep that night2 we sit by the empty   
stove and we think all night4           

,grandmother is praying all the time2   
she is1 oh so good1 that grandmother4   
,she pray and she pray1 and she tell me 
,god is kind and good1 ,he will show us 
a way4 ,me1 ,i am not good like that4 ,i
 say to her ,god cannot be kind and     
merciful1 or he would not treat us so4  
,what have we done that ,he punish us   
like that8 ,she say to me3  ',hush1     
child1 hush2 you very bad1 very wicked4 
,god is good and kind and loving4 ,he   
not try us any more than we can bear2   
,he send us help soon if we trust in    
,him4'  ,next morning is cold1 very     
cold2 we have no fire and no food4 ,i   
have been everywhere to look for work   
and find nothing4 ,but ,i put on my hat 
to go out and try once more4            
,grandmother ask me what ,i do4 ,i tell 
her ,i go again to look for work4 ,she  
say3 ',no1 child1 you stay here with    
your mother to-day2 it is my turn now4' 
,she is old2 she is blind and ,i fear to
 have her go out alone1 but she is firm 
and will go4 ,she take her stick and she

 go out4 ,she come back later with bread
 for the children and a little money to 
buy coal4 ,i not ask her where she get  
it2 ,i know4 ,she beg it on the street4 
,every day she go out like that1 and    
when she bring back food and money she  
not say one word and ,i not ask her     
where she get it2 ,i know4  ,she keeps  
us from starving for a few weeks and    
then1 at last1 ,i find work in your     
factory4 ,for a time1 ,i am almost happy
 again1 for now grandmother need beg no 
more2 my pay will keep us in food and   
fire4 ,even mother seems better for a   
little while1 and ,i think perhaps she  
will get well and we will all be happy  
once again4 ,but mother is soon very1   
very sick1 and ,i see her dying day by  
day and can do nothing to help her4     
,then1 that day last week1 a party of   
ladies come to visit the factory4 ,the  
wife of the superintendent is with them4
 ,she very handsome1 very rich2 she     
beautifully dressed4 ,she stop near my  
table to take off her coat1 the room is 

warm and the fur coat heavy4 ,she lay   
her purse down on my table while she    
remove the garment2 one of the ladies   
call to her and she go away1 leaving the
 purse behind her on my table4  ,mother 
is very sick that morning2 she not sleep
 all night1 but cough1 cough1 cough4    
,there is the purse before me4 ,no one  
is looking2 ,i pick it up and open it4  
,it is filled with money1 the money that
 may save my mother's life4 ,that lady  
will never miss it4 ,i slip the purse   
inside my dress and go on with my work4 
,i can hardly keep from screaming with  
joy ,i am so happy to think ,i have the 
money which is going to save my mother's
 life4 ,the ladies go away and ,i feel  
that ,i am safe2 she has forget about   
her purse4 ,i want to rush away at once1
 but ,i must stay at my work so no one  
will suspect4  ,presently the           
superintendent he come in and he talk to
 you and you look very grave4 ,then he  
say one of the ladies have left her     
purse on a table in this room4 ,will the

 girls be kind enough to stop work and  
search for it8 ,he will give five       
dollars reward to the one who finds it4 
,we all search but no purse is found1   
and he go away again4 ,pretty soon he   
come back and the lady with him4 ,she   
look around for a few moments1 then she 
walk straight over to my table4 ,the    
superintendent ask is she sure1 quite   
sure4 ,she say she is perfectly sure4   
,she lay her purse on that table in     
order to remove her coat1 then forget to
 take it up again when she go away2 and 
she look very hard at me4  ,the         
superintendent ask me if ,i have seen   
the purse and ,i say no4 ,i suppose he  
know by my face that ,i am lying for he 
tell you to take me to the dressing-room
 and search4 ,then ,i know there is no  
hope for me2 if you search you find the 
purse1 so ,i take it out and hand it to 
him4 ,he talk to me about my wickedness 
but ,i not answer him4 ,he discharge me1
 but ,i not say one word4 ,you talk to  
me1 but ,i not speak to you either1 ,i  

am too heartbroken1 too despairing4 ,my 
mother she will die now1 she will surely
 die2 and grandmother she will have to  
go out begging once again4  ,i come home
 and ,i tell them ,i am discharged4 ,i  
not tell them why1 for they very good   
and stealing is a sin4 ,they be so      
shocked and sorry4 ,i sit beside my     
mother1 despair in my heart1 and ,i     
watch her dying1 dying1 dying4  ,her    
pain is all over now2 she leave me last 
night and she never come back again4 ,i 
watch with her in there when you come4  
,i watch with her some more when you go2
 then ,i must tell that she is gone1    
that she is dead1 and they come and take
 her away1 and she threw herself on the 
floor by the door of her mother's room  
in a perfect agony of grief4  ,in a     
moment the kind-hearted woman was on her
 knees beside the heartbroken girl1 whom
 she gathered into her motherly arms1   
murmuring words of comfort all the      
while4 ,gradually the dreadful sobbing  
subsided1 and after a time the girl was 

once more standing before that door she 
guarded so jealously4 ,seeing that she  
was her own calm self again1 the        
forewoman said gently3  ,my poor child1 
again ,i say that ,i wish you had told  
me a week ago4 ,so much suffering would 
have been saved4 ,however1 this is no   
time for vain regrets1 it is the time   
for action4 ,i must leave you at once1  
,julie1 but ,i will be back1 and will1  
,i hope1 bring you good news4 ,in the   
meantime do you say nothing to anyone   
about your mother4 ,you will believe    
that ,i will help you8 ,you will do as  
,i say8  ,you very good1 replied ,julie 
simply1 laying her hand in that of the  
forewoman2 when you want me1 you find me
 there1 and she pointed to the door     
behind which her mother's silent form   
was resting4  ,two days later1 the      
forewoman1 seated at her desk1 was      
apparently absorbed in the newspaper she
 was reading while leisurely disposing  
of her noonday lunch4 ,in reality she   
was covertly watching an excited group  

of girls on the other side of the room  
who were discussing some matter of      
evident importance4 ,without doubt1     
something was wrong4 ,the forewoman     
rather surmised what the trouble was and
 smiled behind the shelter of her       
newspaper4 ,she knew these girls and was
 quite sure that the difficulty1        
whatever it was1 would be brought to her
 for settlement4 ,as she had said to    
,julie1 she loved her girls1 and they in
 turn loved and trusted her4  ,in this  
instance she had not long to wait4      
,presently the girls cast aside napkins 
and lunch boxes and moved toward the    
corner of the room where their forewoman
 was waiting4 ,she watched their        
approach in smiling silence4 ,slightly  
in advance of the others came a small1  
impetuous figure1 a painfully thin1     
cross-eyed girl of fifteen1 whose       
abundant crop of freckles had earned for
 her the sobriquet of ,speckles4 ,she   
had answered to that name for so long   
now that she had almost forgotten she   

ever owned any other4 ,she was          
impulsive1 good-hearted1 and a general  
favorite in spite of her rather sharp   
little tongue4 ,rushing up to the       
forewoman's desk1 she said excitedly3   
,miss ,merton1 it can't be true1 what   
,louise has just been telling us1 that  
you are going to let that horrid ,julie 
,benoit come back again4 ,you surely    
wouldn't take her back1 would you1 ,miss
 ,merton8  ,yes1 it is perfectly true1  
replied the forewoman calmly4 ,julie    
will return to us next ,monday1 and ,i  
hope all my girls will do everything    
they can to make her feel that we are   
glad to have her back4  ,but we're not  
glad4 ,we don't want her back1 cried one
 girl4  ,why it's impossible after what 
she did1 added another4  ,i1 for one1   
wouldn't work in the same room with a   
girl like that1 said a third1 with a    
toss of her head4 ,i wouldn't dare leave
 any of my belongings out of my sight   
for a single instant4  ,that's just the 
trouble1 chimed several all at once4 ,we

 wouldn't feel safe for a moment knowing
 there was a thief amongst us4  ,during 
this outburst the forewoman sat quietly 
watching the indignant faces before her4
 ,then she said very gravely3  ,girls1  
,i think we all misjudged ,julie1 and   
really almost owe her an apology4 ,i    
have asked her pardon1 and though ,i do 
not expect you to do the same1 ,i do ask
 you to receive her back with kindness4 
,misjudged her6 ,apology6 gasped        
,speckles4 ,she took that money1 didn't 
she8  ,yes4  ,and a person who takes    
money that belongs to someone else is a 
thief1 isn't she8  ,yes1 certainly4     
,well then1 ,i say a thief is a thief1  
and ,i don't see where any misjudging   
comes in1 and ,speckles looked defiantly
 from one to another4  ,a tall blonde   
whose thoughtful blue eyes had been     
studying the forewoman's face1 laid her 
hand on the excited girl's arm1         
remarking gently3  ,let's not judge too 
hastily1 ,speckles dear4 ,i think ,miss 
,merton has something to tell us4 ,for  

my part ,i used to pity ,julie1 she     
seemed so weak and sickly and so        
terribly alone4 ,she was with us but she
 was not one of us4  ,pity your         
grandmother1 cried ,speckles the        
irrepressible4 ,if she was alone all the
 time1 it was her own fault4 ,she was a 
stuck-up old thing and wouldn't make    
friends with any of us4 ,if you'd speak 
to her she'd only stare at you with     
those fierce black eyes of hers and     
answer yes or no just as short and      
snappy as you please4  ,i doubt if we   
tried very hard1 any of us1 to win her  
friendship1 the poor little thing4 ,and 
she did seem so forlorn and lonely at   
times1 answered the blonde4 ,but there1 
girls1 let's all keep quiet if we can   
for ,i know ,miss ,merton has something 
to tell us4  ,you are right1 ,louise1 ,i
 have a little story to tell you1 the   
story of ,julie ,benoit1 and she told   
them ,julie's story as she had heard it 
from ,julie herself4 ,in conclusion1 she
 added3 ,when ,i left that poor child   

beside her dead mother1 ,i went at once 
to the superintendent and told him the  
whole story4 ,you girls know how kind he
 is2 many of you have had personal      
experience of his charity4 ,he called in
 his wife and together they planned to  
bury ,julie's mother as a ,catholic     
should be buried1 they to stand all the 
expense4 ,they have also undertaken to  
see that the younger children are sent  
to school and the grandmother properly  
cared for1 and ,julie is to return to   
her place here on ,monday4  ,i wish you 
could have seen her face when ,i went   
back to those two dreadful rooms in the 
alley where she lives and told her what 
the superintendent and his wife had     
said4 ,she stared at me1 amazed1        
incredulous2 then said slowly in an awed
 whisper3  ',they do all that for me1   
,julie ,benoit the thief6 ,you tell the 
lady it is ,i who steal her money but   
she forgive and have my mother buried   
like a ,christian4 ,she have her taken  
into church where the priest will bless 

her and pray over her4 ,she have her    
buried where ,i can go and kneel beside 
her grave and tell her that ,i love her 
still and that ,i forget her never1 no  
never4 ,the lady do all that for me who 
steal her money4 ,but she is good1 she  
is kind to forgive me4'  ,after a       
moment's thought1 she added3 ',you think
 ,god will forgive me too8 ,i very bad1 
very wicked2 ,i say all those dreadful  
things about ,him1 but ,he will forgive 
me1 is it not so8 ,grandmother say ,he  
good and kind4 ,you think ,he will      
forgive me if ,i ask ,him8'  ,it was a  
very different ,julie that ,i left that 
night2 oh6 very different from the girl 
who met me with such fierceness earlier 
in the evening4 ,just as ,i was leaving1
 she said to me very humbly3 ',the girls
 at the factory1 you think they will    
forgive me also8 ,i very rude to them2  
,i say ,i hate them all4 ,you think they
 will forgive me8'  ,so now1 my girls1  
your welcome to ,julie on ,monday       
morning will be the best answer to that 

question4  ,will we forgive her1 the    
poor girl6 cried ,speckles impulsively4 
,you bet we will4 ,if there's any one   
here who won't be kind to that poor     
little ,julie1 she'll just have to      
reckon with me4 ,i think it is we who   
should ask her to forgive us1 for ,i    
must admit we were all rather hateful to
 her4 ,oh1 ,i say1 girls6 ,i've just got
 an idea1 she continued4 ,here1 ,louise1
 just hand me one of those empty boxes  
from that shelf over your head4 ,there  
you are4 ,now then1 this is a hat and ,i
 pass it around to each one of you1 so4 
,i say to each one of you3 ',did you    
notice that poor ,julie has been wearing
 a thin summer coat all this bitter     
winter weather8 ,it used to make me     
shiver just to look at her4 ,did any of 
you notice that her shoes were all      
broken through and even in rain or snow 
storms she never had any rubbers to wear
 over them8' ,suppose each one of us    
chip in a few pennies1 we can all spare 
a little1 and have ,miss ,merton give it

 to her to buy shoes or something for   
herself4 ,i'll start with fifty cents4  
,the box was passed from one to another1
 each contributing what she could1 and  
each contribution meaning more or less  
of a sacrifice to the donor4 ,in this   
way a goodly sum was collected and laid 
on ,miss ,merton's table4  ,there1      
girls1 said the triumphant ,speckles4   
,that will show ,julie whether we have  
forgiven her or not4 ,and now1 do you   
hear that musical whistle calling us    
back to our places8 ,we'd better hustle 
for the machines will start up in a     
minute or two4 ,machines are like time  
and the tide1 they wait for no man4 ,nor
 woman1 either1 not even for ,julie     
,benoit1 and with a laugh1 ,speckles was
 off like the wind4  ,as the girls      
departed1 each to her own machine or    
work-table1 ,miss ,merton looked after  
them1 a tear in her eye and a smile upon
 her lips4  ,god bless my girls1 she    
said to herself4 ,their hearts are in   
the right place1 every one of them4 ,i  

need have no fear of the welcome they   
will give my poor little ,julie ,benoit4
     ,,peter4   ,peter was thinking4    
,not that it was an unusual event for   
,peter to think4 ,quite the contrary6   
,to ,peter himself it seemed that life  
was one continuous round of thinking and
 planning and worrying4 ,it certainly   
was for him1 especially since the advent
 of the baby1 that wonderful baby sister
 of his4 ,somehow things had not        
mattered so much before1 when there was 
no one to be considered but himself4    
,now it was different1 with his baby to 
be thought of and cared for4 ,peter was 
worried and anxious4 ,he felt that a    
great responsibility rested upon his    
shoulders4 ,they were young shoulders1  
too1 far too young to be burdened with  
the cares and troubles of life4  ,the   
winter wind came tearing down the       
street1 stinging his face and piercing  
through his thin garments4 ,shivering1  
he turned up the collar of his worn and 
ragged coat and thrust his hands deep   

into the pockets4 ,then he hastened on  
with eyes on the ground and bent down   
head1 for ,peter was thinking4 ,a mighty
 problem confronted him1 a problem which
 must be solved at once4  ,he turned    
into the dirty1 narrow alley in which he
 lived1 opened the door of a tenement   
house1 and1 running quickly up a flight 
of stairs1 entered ,mrs4 ,dempsey's     
kitchen4 ,the savory odor of frying ham 
greeted his nostrils and reminded him   
that he had had nothing to eat since    
morning4 ,well1 never mind that1 he     
would have supper soon now1 he and baby 
together4  ,bless me1 ,peter1 is that   
you home so early8 cried cheery ,mrs4   
,dempsey turning around from the stove1 
frying-pan in one hand1 a large fork in 
the other4 ,you must have had good luck 
to-night to be back so early4  ,peter   
caught up in his arms the pretty child  
who toddled across the floor and threw  
herself upon him with a shriek of       
delight4 ,with a gravity befitting his  
great responsibility1 he seated himself 

upon a nearby chair1 holding the baby   
close to him and smoothing back the     
tangled yellow curls4  ,yes1 ,mrs4      
,dempsey1 ,i had real good luck         
to-night4 ,was all sold out long afore  
the other fellers1 then hustled right   
home to baby4 ,i hope she wasn't no     
bother to ye1 ,mrs4 ,dempsey4  ,bother  
is it8 ,the darlin'1 an' she as quiet as
 a little lamb4 ,it's an angel she is   
entirely an' ye'd think so yerself if ye
 could have seen the nice supper of     
bread and milk she ate along with my own
 young ones4  ,does angels eat bread and
 milk1 ,mrs4 ,dempsey8 ,peter asked the 
question in all sincerity4 ,he had often
 wondered about angels and he really    
wanted to know4  ,oh1 ,i guess they     
does1 replied the good woman absently1  
too busy with her cooking to pay much   
heed to what ,peter was saying4 ,goin'1 
,peter8 ,wish ye could stay and have a  
bite yerself1 but ,i suppose if that    
precious father of your'n come home and 
his supper warn't ready he'd make it    

pretty hot for you1 poor child4 ,well1  
good-night1 ,peter4 ,bring the baby back
 in the morning4  ,by the way1 ,peter1  
she called after him just as he was     
closing the door4 ,to-morrow's          
,christmas day ye know4 ,don't forget to
 drop into the church on yer way home   
and hear ,mass1 like a good boy4        
,peter's ideas on the subject of        
religion were very vague4 ,mrs4 ,dempsey
 had told him he must always attend     
,mass on ,sunday and reminded him of the
 fact every ,saturday night when he     
would come to claim the baby4 ,perhaps  
,christmas was another sort of ,sunday1 
thought ,peter4 ,to him ,christmas had  
always meant a time when other boys and 
girls talked of nothing but ,christmas  
trees and turkey and wonderful presents 
they had received4 ,no one had ever     
given ,peter anything4 ,he wondered if  
,mrs4 ,dempsey would4 ,he had not known 
,mrs4 ,dempsey last ,christmas2 she came
 to the alley only a few months ago4    
,life had been somewhat easier for      

,peter since her coming for she helped  
so much in caring for baby while he was 
out4 ,he wished ,mrs4 ,dempsey would    
give baby something for ,christmas4 ,he 
had hoped to do so himself1 but somehow 
he never could find a cent for anything 
except the absolute necessities of life4
 ,sometimes he could do no more than    
provide bread and milk for the baby and 
go hungry himself4 ,that was when father
 would beat him and take away the few   
pennies he was saving to buy food for   
the little sister and himself4  ,with   
baby held carefully in his arms1 ,peter 
descended the two flights of stairs to  
his home in the cellar4 ,as he pushed   
open the door of the room which served  
as kitchen and living room in the       
daytime and as sleeping apartment for   
himself and baby at night1 the damp     
chill of the place struck him as it     
never had done before4 ,groping his way 
to the table he lighted the candle upon 
it4 ,then1 after wrapping baby in his   
mother's old shawl and depositing her   

upon their bed in the corner1 he        
proceeded to make a fire in the cracked 
and rusty stove4 ,peter was only eleven1
 but the children of the slums are      
little men and women almost from their  
cradles1 and ,peter was really the man  
of the family4 ,he it was who cared for 
the baby and prepared their frugal      
meals2 he it was who cried his papers   
upon the street in the cold darkness of 
the winter mornings1 who ran errands all
 day for the grocer on the next corner  
and again in the evening sallied forth  
with his papers under his arm in order  
to procure food to keep the life in     
their bodies4 ,if father ever earned any
 money but little of it was contributed 
to the family support4  ,as ,peter      
wrestled with the fire1 which positively
 refused to kindle1 he was still        
revolving in his mind the problem which 
troubled him4 ,he had been thinking of  
it all day1 and the only thing he could 
decide was that something must be done  
at once1 but what that something was to 

be he could not imagine4 ,things had    
been going from bad to worse lately1 and
 after last night he would never know an
 easy moment while baby was under the   
same roof with father and mother4 ,for  
himself he did not care4 ,he had grown  
accustomed to the beatings1 to the      
drunken quarrels and fearful language2  
in fact1 he had never known anything    
different4 ,but last night father had   
tried to hurt baby4 ,he might try again 
and perhaps next time no ,peter would be
 at hand to save her4 ,they were        
unusually bad last night1 both father   
and mother2 the child was frightened and
 had begun to whimper4 ,angered still   
further by the sound1 the man had seized
 a stove-lifter and flung it straight at
 baby's head4 ,but ,peter had already   
sprung between and the missile struck   
him full on the forehead1 causing a     
wicked-looking bruise4 ,he had lain     
stunned for a time1 then crept into bed 
with baby and listened in terror as the 
quarrel between his father and mother   

progressed from words to blows4 ,he had 
not minded these things before1 but what
 would he do if father should ever beat 
baby as he1 ,peter1 had been beaten so  
many times8 ,and ,peter felt the time   
was coming when father would surely do  
it4 ,last night was but the beginning4  
,a noise from the next room told him    
that mother must be waking from the     
drunken sleep in which she had lain for 
several hours4 ,at any moment she might 
open that door and enter the kitchen1   
and her temper was always terrible when 
she would first awaken from those long  
sleeps which followed a carousal4 ,in a 
few moments1 too1 father would come     
home4 ,the fire refused to burn2 so     
supper would not be ready1 and with     
mother in a temper and no supper at     
hand1 something would surely happen4    
,peter looked at the sleeping baby and  
shuddered4 ,for her sake he dared not   
face another night like last night4     
,yet1 what could he do8 ,a volley of    
imprecations from the next room decided 

him3 he must take baby away from here   
and at once4 ,yes1 he would take her    
away1 but where1 where could he go8     
,where in all the great city could he   
find a shelter for his baby on this cold
 winter night8 ,if he did take her away 
it might be only to have her freeze to  
death on the street4 ,well1 they must   
go1 anyway4 ,no matter what happened to 
them later they must leave here at once4
  ,rearranging the shawl so that part of
 it covered the golden head1 he stooped 
and gathered the baby into his arms4    
,then it all came to him in a sudden    
flash of inspiration and he almost      
laughed aloud in his joy as he hurried  
from the room and out into the street4  
,he knew exactly where to go and        
wondered why he had not thought of it   
before4 ,how foolish he had been not to 
think of it at once6  ,one day last     
summer he had stood outside a tall iron 
railing and watched a crowd of happy    
children at play in the grounds which   
the railing enclosed4 ,he could see it  

all now1 the yard1 the romping children 
and the great brick building on the     
other side of that railing through which
 he watched enviously4 ,they were having
 such a good time1 he did wish he might 
go in and join in the fun4 ,but he could
 not spare the time1 he had wasted too  
much already1 and the grocer would scold
 him for being so long on the errand    
which had brought him into the          
neighborhood of the yard and the        
children4 ,as he turned reluctantly     
away1 two ladies passed and he heard one
 say in answer to a question from her   
companion3  ,that building8 ,why1 that  
is ,st4 ,teresa's ,orphanage1 a home for
 poor children who have no parents or   
else have bad ones who neglect or ill   
treat them4 ,the good sisters gather in 
all such needy children whom they can   
find1 care for them1 educate them and   
teach them a trade so that they may---- 
,the rest ,peter had not heard1 but     
those few words1 spoken by the passing  
lady on that day last summer1 had       

suddenly recurred to his mind4 ,st4     
,teresa's ,orphanage1 a home for        
children with bad parents who neglect or
 ill treat them4 ,that was their case   
exactly1 baby's and his4 ,to ,st4       
,teresa's1 then1 they must go in search 
of a home4 ,he was quite sure he could  
find it again4 ,it was ever so far away1
 over on the other side of the city1 but
 he remembered the way perfectly1 and   
would have no difficulty in reaching the
 orphanage4  ,for some time ,peter      
trudged bravely along the city streets4 
,it was quite dark now and lights       
streamed from the windows of shops and  
houses as he passed4 ,throngs of people 
hurried by anxious to escape from the   
cold night to the firesides of home4    
,all these people carried               
mysterious-looking parcels2 ,christmas  
presents for some happy little boy or   
girl1 thought ,peter4 ,twice he stopped 
to shift the baby from one shoulder to  
the other4 ,he never knew before that   
she was so heavy2 his half frozen little

 arms almost refused to carry their     
burden any longer4 ,he was terribly     
tired1 and he wondered why the lights   
were dancing so4 ,they were turning     
round and round and made him so dizzy he
 could scarce see where he was going4   
,he did not think1 that day last summer1
 that the way was quite so long as this4
 ,surely1 he must have been walking for 
hours and hours4 ,oh6 why was baby so   
heavy and why would those lights persist
 in dancing so8  ,he wondered if they   
could be lost and what would happen to  
them if they were4 ,he was almost       
certain he had taken the right turnings 
every time1 but he might have made a    
mistake4 ,at that last corner he was not
 quite sure whether he should turn to   
the left or the right4 ,if they were    
lost1 what would become of them8  ,the  
lights were acting very strangely       
to-night2 they had stopped dancing now  
but were all turning black1 and what was
 this funny feeling that was creeping   
over him8 ,he sat down hurriedly on some

 steps he was passing and leaned his    
head against the railing for support4   
,he felt baby slipping from his arms    
onto the step beside him but was        
powerless to hold her4 ,once more that  
funny feeling was creeping over him and 
he wondered if he could be dying4 ,mr4  
,dempsey's ,tim had died4 ,peter had    
gone upstairs to see him4 ,they had put 
him into a funny-looking white box that 
was nearly covered with flowers1 and he 
looked so strange lying there all white 
and still among the blossoms4 ,the next 
day the white box1 the flowers and poor 
little ,tim were carried away4 ,the     
neighbors said ,tim was dead2 ,mrs4     
,dempsey said he had gone to heaven4    
,peter wondered if he died would anyone 
put him in a white box and cover him    
with flowers2 if he died1 would he go to
 heaven and see ,tim there8  ,peter had 
often been very anxious as to what      
heaven was like4 ,he had asked ,mrs4    
,dempsey4 ,her answer had not been quite
 satisfactory1 but then she could not   

know exactly since she had never been   
there4 ,and the angels1 what were they  
like8 ,again ,mrs4 ,dempsey had been    
referred to and again the reply was most
 disappointing4 ,beautiful beings with  
wings8 ,why1 birds had wings and some of
 them were very beautiful4 ,as for      
singing before the throne of ,god2 well1
 ,peter could not even guess what the   
throne of ,god meant4  ,he guessed he   
must be dying2 he felt dead already1 all
 except his head4 ,that would go soon   
and then he would see the angels he had 
wondered so much about4 ,but if he died1
 what would become of baby8 ,who would  
look after his precious baby8 ,that     
dreadful thought caused him to open his 
eyes suddenly4 ,with a great effort he  
raised his head and the sight of the    
iron railing against which he was       
leaning made his heart bound with a     
sudden thrill of hope and put new life  
into the exhausted little frame4 ,it was
 the railing through which he had       
watched the children on that day last   

summer1 and the steps on which he sat   
were the steps of ,st4 ,teresa's        
,orphanage4 ,he had taken the right     
turning after all and had reached his   
destination without knowing it4  ,with  
difficulty4 ,peter got upon his feet1   
lifted the baby and essayed to drag     
himself up that long flight of steps4   
,panting1 exhausted1 he reached the top 
and laid his burden down at the         
threshold of that door which always     
opened so gladly to receive such waifs  
as he4 ,in the darkness ,peter felt     
around for the bell4 ,surely1 there must
 be a bell somewhere4 ,he must find it  
quickly for that dreadful feeling was   
creeping over him and he knew in another
 moment he would fall4 ,where was it2   
oh6 why could he not find it8 ,at last  
the despairing fingers touched the      
button of an electric bell2 they pressed
 it hard1 and a loud peal rang through  
the hall inside4 ,then ,peter sank down 
to the ground beside the baby and even  
his head went this time4  ,a moment     

later 7or so it seemed to ,peter7 he    
opened his eyes and saw bending over him
 the most beautiful face he had ever    
beheld4 ,he knew now that he was in     
heaven was looking on the face of an    
angel4 ,it was just what he should think
 an angel's face ought to be1 so sweet  
and kind and gentle1 the soft eyes      
filled with heavenly love and pity4 ,and
 there were the wings1 too1 all white   
and shining1 but ,mrs4 ,dempsey had     
neglected to mention that angels' wings 
grew out of their heads4 ,somehow1      
,peter had supposed their wings grew    
from their shoulders2 he was sure ,mrs4 
,dempsey had said so4 ,he would like to 
send her a message and tell her how     
mistaken she had been4 ,he wondered if  
he could4  ,he felt a gentle hand slip  
beneath his shoulders and raise him a   
little and the angel commenced to feed  
him with something warm and sweet upon a
 spoon4 ,it tasted better than anything 
he had ever eaten before4  ,suddenly he 
thought of baby4 ,what had happened to  

her8 ,was she in heaven too8 ,he tried  
to ask the angel1 but found he could not
 utter a word2 he was too weak and      
tired4 ,the kind eyes watching him      
interpreted rightly the anxious look    
that crossed his face2 they were well   
accustomed to divining the unspoken     
troubles of worried little minds4 ,the  
angel spoke and to ,peter the voice     
sounded like heavenly music3  ,you must 
not try to talk1 dear4 ,just finish this
 gruel like a good boy and then go to   
sleep again4 ,your baby sister is quite 
safe1 and is sleeping sweetly in her    
crib over in the little one's dormitory4
 ,you shall see her in the morning if   
you are good now and do as ,i tell you4 
,as he finished the gruel his eyes      
closed wearily for a moment1 and when he
 opened them again there were two angels
 leaning over him4 ,the second was not  
nearly so lovely as the first1 but her  
face1 too1 bore that same look of       
heavenly sweetness which ,peter felt    
instinctively none but angels' faces    

could wear4 ,it was the look which older
 people than ,peter have often marveled 
at2 the look one sees upon the faces of 
those who have died to the world and to 
themselves and given their entire being 
to ,god in a life of charity and        
self-sacrifice4  ,the second angel laid 
her fingers on his wrist and seemed to  
be counting something as she kept her   
eyes on a small silver watch she held in
 her hand4 ,then she poured a spoonful  
of bright-colored liquid from a bottle1 
and1 lifting his head1 bade him swallow 
the medicine4 ,unquestioningly he       
obeyed1 and as his head was laid back   
upon the pillow he felt himself slipping
 away into the land of oblivion4 ,just  
as consciousness was leaving him1 he    
heard a voice1 seemingly far away1      
saying3  ,he will do very nicely now1   
,sister ,agnes4 ,it was simply a case of
 starvation and complete exhaustion4    
,vaguely he wondered what she meant4    
,,god',s ,,way4   ,we have reached the  
summit at last1 ,cecile8 ,the hill      

seemed unusually steep to-night and the 
way unusually long4  ,yes1 mother1 we   
have reached the top at last and here is
 the rustic bench on which we usually   
sit and watch the sun go down behind    
those blue and misty hills in the       
distance4  ,ah6 those hills1 ,cecile4   
,how ,i have always loved them4 ,to me  
this has ever seemed the fairest spot on
 earth1 and the view from this hill just
 at sunset the most beautiful ,i have   
ever seen4 ,it is ten long years since  
my eyes have beheld it1 but in my mind  
,i still see it all so clearly4 ,tell me
 it is all there1 ,cecile1 just as it   
was on that evening so many1 many years 
ago when ,i first looked upon its       
beauties4 ,your dear father had just    
brought me1 a happy bride1 here to his  
northern home4 ,we walked up the hill   
together to watch the sun set and ,i    
thought then ,i had never seen a        
lovelier view3 the green fields of      
waving corn1 and the apple orchards all 
in blossom1 sloping down gradually to   

the river2 the river itself tumbling and
 tossing madly over the waterfall far up
 there to the left1 then swirling and   
eddying on for a space1 only to grow    
calm once more quietly1 steadily1 resume
 its placid journey to the ocean4       
,beyond the river1 those wonderful      
forests1 dark1 mysterious and silent4   
,they rise and rise1 higher1 ever       
higher1 and terminate at last in the    
blue and misty hills of which you were  
just speaking4 ,i love it all1 ,cecile1 
and ,i could not bear to think that any 
part of it had changed with the         
advancing years4 ,tell me it is just the
 same2 tell me it is all there as it was
 so long ago4  ,yes1 mother dear1       
answered the younger woman1 it is all   
there just as it has ever been2 the     
fields and the river1 the forests and   
the hills beyond4  ,cecile neglected to 
mention that the fields were now mere   
barren stubble and that the river was   
visible only here and there as it peeped
 through between the many buildings     

lining its banks2 immense buildings of  
factory and mill1 smaller structures1   
cottages and tenement houses occupied by
 the workers in factory and mill4 ,she  
supposed the forests were still there   
but the day had been very sultry with   
scarce a breath of air stirring and a   
heavy pall of smoke from the huge       
chimneys hung over the valley1 hiding   
everything which lay beyond4 ,only the  
tops of the distant hills rose in       
triumph above it4  ,i am glad to think  
it is all unchanged1 said the mother    
with a sigh of content4 ,i know it is   
foolish to feel as ,i do about it1 but  
it would be a real grief to me to think 
that my beautiful valley had been       
sacrificed to the need or the greed of  
advancing civilization4  ,god has been  
very good to me1 ,cecile1 and ,i thank  
,him with all my heart for the blessings
 ,he has sent me to compensate for that 
one dreadful calamity1 your dear        
father's sudden death ten years ago and 
my long illness and subsequent          

blindness4 ,as ,i sat to-day in my      
little garden listening to the          
twittering of the birds1 and inhaling   
the fragrance of my flowers1 ,i was     
thinking how peaceful and happy my life 
is and how grateful ,i should be4 ,you  
know1 dear1 just occasionally ,i long to
 be able to see again1 to see the birds 
and the flowers1 to see the beautiful   
world around me4 ,that is very wrong and
 wicked ,i know1 and ,i chase the       
rebellious wish away by thinking of my  
many blessings1 especially of you and my
 ,philippe4 ,you have both been my      
comfort and consolation4 ,by the way1   
dear1 no letter has come from ,philippe 
to-day8  ,no1 mother1 not yet4  ,it is  
strange that we have not heard from him4
 ,this is the first time he has not     
written to me for my birthday4  ,but he 
did not forget you1 mother4 ,are you not
 wearing his beautiful gift to you which
 arrived this morning8  ,no1 he did not 
forget1 replied the older woman1 as her 
fingers strayed lovingly over the lace  

scarf resting so lightly on her         
snow-white hair4 ,my ,philippe never    
forgets and that is why ,i worried just 
a little this morning when his usual    
birthday letter did not come4 ,then1    
this afternoon1 a sudden idea occurred  
to me which made me very happy4 ,shall  
,i tell you what it was1 ,cecile8 ,i am 
quite sure ,i have discovered the reason
 why ,philippe did not write me for my  
birthday4  ,it was well the blind eyes  
could not see the look of startled fear 
which flashed across ,cecile's face4    
,you have discovered why he did not     
write8 she exclaimed1 and her voice     
trembled slightly4  ,the mother laughed 
happily4 ,yes1 ,i am quite sure ,i have 
discovered the reason4 ,i have a        
feeling1 and ,i know it is a true       
feeling1 that before my birthday is     
quite over ,philippe will be here with  
us4 ,he is coming1 ,cecile2 he is not   
far away at this very moment1 and before
 the evening is over he will be with us4
  ,tears filled ,cecile's eyes but she  

rose quietly and said1 trying to speak  
lightly3  ,the night mist is rising from
 the river1 mother dear4 ,had we not    
better turn our faces toward the east   
and home8  ,you are right1 child1 it    
will be as well for us to go home a     
little early to-night4 ,i am feeling    
unaccountably weary though very1 very   
happy4 ,it will be best for me to go    
home and rest a little before the       
evening train arrives bringing my       
,philippe back to me4  ,cecile said     
nothing1 but very gently1 very tenderly 
guided the blind mother's steps as they 
wended their way homeward in the sweet  
summer twilight4  ,half an hour later   
,cecile paced restlessly up and down the
 broad veranda of her home4 ,she had    
left her mother sleeping on the couch in
 her pretty sitting-room upstairs and   
could now face the problems and         
difficulties which confronted her4 ,in  
her mind she reviewed the years that had
 come and gone since that sad night when
 her dying father had whispered almost  

with his last breath3  ,your mother1    
,cecile2 ,i trust her to you4 ,take care
 of her for me when ,i am no longer here
 to watch over her myself4 ,promise me  
you will shield her from every worry1   
that you will stand between her and all 
troubles as ,i have always done4  ,the  
girl had promised and right faithfully  
had she kept her word1 but at what a    
cost to herself6 ,she was thinking now  
of her promise and of how she had kept  
it4 ,she was thinking1 too1 of her      
mother's serious illness which had      
followed that night1 an illness from    
which she had recovered1 it is true1 but
 which left her blind for life4 ,what a 
terrible calamity her mother's blindness
 had appeared to be at that time1 and   
yet1 there came a day1 that dreadful day
 two years ago1 when she had thanked    
,god on her knees for the affliction    
which enabled her to conceal the trouble
 which had come upon them4  ,once more  
she lived through that day two years    
ago1 the day when those awful letters   

had come1 one from ,philippe1 one from  
the lawyers4 ,she had read them at first
 without comprehending their meaning4   
,then as the truth began to dawn upon   
her1 she cried to herself that it could 
not be true1 it could not be4 ,there was
 some terrible mistake somewhere4 ,but  
there it was before her in black and    
white2 ,philippe's own confession1 the  
lawyers' letter confirming all the      
facts4 ,they were ruined1 penniless1 and
 ,philippe had done this thing2         
,philippe1 her tall handsome brother1   
the pride and darling of their mother's 
heart4 ,but worse than poverty1 worse   
than ruin faced them4 ,philippe was a   
disgraced man1 sentenced to jail for    
fifteen years4  ,it was an old1 old     
story2 she had heard of such cases      
before but paid little heed to them4    
,now it was ,philippe1 her brother1 and 
oh6 how different it all seemed4 ,it was
 simply the story of an ambitious young 
man1 making his way in the world1       
winning name and fame among the ablest  

financiers of the ,western city in which
 he had elected to live his life4 ,it   
was simply the story of one who had much
 and who wanted more1 who strained every
 nerve to win in the great game he was  
playing1 the game of money-getting4 ,it 
was the story of one who risked all in  
one grand final coup1 who risked all and
 lost all4 ,and what was risked and lost
 was not his alone2 everything belonging
 to his mother and sister had gone too4 
,worse still1 he had made use of money  
which was not theirs1 funds of the bank 
of which he was treasurer4 ,of course1  
he had only borrowed them1 he had been  
so sure of success1 and he intended     
replacing the money in a few days4 ,he  
had reasoned as so many men before him  
had reasoned1 as men will continue to   
reason as long as this world shall be4  
,such had been the trial which faced    
,cecile that day two years ago4 ,her one
 thought had been that mother must never
 know2 her heart had always been weak   
and the shock would kill her1 simply    

kill her4 ,words her mother had once    
spoken to her returned to her mind as   
she had finished reading those letters4 
,the remark had been caused by some     
little act of thoughtfulness on         
,philippe's part1 some little gift he   
had sent her1 for ,philippe had always  
been careful to remember all the little 
household feast days with beautiful and 
often costly gifts4  ,cecile1 her mother
 had said1 you have both been good      
children to me1 you and ,philippe1 good 
and kind and thoughtful4 ,i think it    
would break my heart if my children     
should ever forget me1 ever cease to    
love me4 ,i can imagine but one thing   
worse1 to have them forget their ,god1  
to know that they had committed any     
grievous wrong4 ,i have sometimes heard 
of mothers whose sons have been led     
astray into ways of wickedness and      
proved a disgrace to themselves and to  
their families1 and ,i have said to     
myself3 ',poor woman1 how can she bear  
it1 how can she go on living knowing    

what her boy has become8 ,it would kill 
me1 ,i know it would4 ,thank ,god1 my   
,philippe is a good boy1 brave and      
upright like his father2 ,i shall never 
have cause to worry about him4'  ,those 
words kept ringing through ,cecile's    
brain as she had read the letters over1 
and over again1 and she had determined  
then and there1 at all costs1 her mother
 should never know4 ,but how was she    
going to conceal the fact of their      
poverty1 of their absolute ruin8  ,they 
had always lived in comfort and where   
was she to find the money to supply     
their daily needs8 ,since her father's  
death and her mother's affliction1 they 
had lived in the utmost seclusion4 ,the 
few friends of her earlier life had     
drifted away one by one and there was no
 one to whom she could turn for help or 
advice in her hour of need4 ,she must   
manage alone somehow1 she and faithful  
black ,mandy to whom her mother was     
still the li'l ,missy of long years ago1
 the l'il ,missy of the happy days on   

the southern plantation4  ,for two years
 they had succeeded1 but by what        
sacrifices to themselves no one would   
ever know4 ,many a time they had been   
reduced almost to the verge of          
starvation in order to provide for the  
blind mother the little delicacies to   
which she had been accustomed4          
,gradually1 articles of furniture       
disappeared from their accustomed       
places2 costly pieces of bric-a-brac1   
rare old china1 everything of value     
which ,cecile thought her mother would  
not be likely to miss4 ,cecile's own    
apartment had been reduced to four      
walls1 a bare floor1 one chair and the  
bed upon which she slept4 ,the mother's 
rooms and ,philippe's alone remained    
untouched4  ,then ,cecile found         
employment in the office of one of those
 new factories which had recently been  
erected over there beyond the town4     
,this step had been the cause of the    
first disagreement between her mother   
and herself4  ,why1 ,cecile1 what do you

 mean8 the poor mother had gasped in her
 utter bewilderment when informed of her
 daughter's intention4 ,surely1 ,i      
misunderstood what you just said4       
,bookkeeper in the office of a factory6 
,earn your own living6 ,what are you    
talking about6 ,what strange jest is    
this1 my dear8 ,for you certainly cannot
 be in earnest4  ,indeed ,i am not      
jesting1 mother dear1 but am very much  
in earnest4 ,i really want to earn money
 of my own1 and shall be so much happier
 if ,i have a regular occupation4 ,and  
you want me to be happy1 do you not8  ,i
 cannot understand you at all1 ,cecile4 
,i really cannot4 ,in my youth1 we of   
the south considered it a disgrace for a
 young lady to even dream of earning her
 living4 ,your father left us plenty of 
money4 ,i do not know just how it was   
invested1 for ,i never cared to trouble 
my head about money matters4 ,i         
preferred to leave all that to you and  
the lawyers4 ,still1 ,i know my income  
is quite sufficient for our wants4 ,even

 if we should lose our money1 there is  
,philippe to provide for us4 ,he would  
agree with me1 ,i know4 ,he would never1
 never allow his sister to work for a   
living4  ,of course ,cecile had         
persisted in her resolution1 and it     
grieved her to feel that her mother had 
never become reconciled to what she     
considered a mere whim4  ,letters from  
,philippe came at occasional intervals1 
letters which were carefully edited     
before she read them aloud to her       
mother4 ,gifts from ,philippe came too1 
just as they had always done1 but now   
each gift meant some added sacrifice for
 poor ,cecile4 ,her very last bit of    
jewelry1 a gift from her father on the  
,christmas before he died1 had been sold
 to purchase the lace scarf which had   
come that morning in ,philippe's name4  
,of all this ,cecile was thinking as she
 paced the veranda that summer night4   
,it had all been very hard to bear but  
it was as nothing compared with that    
last blow which had fallen two nights   

ago4  ,she had been to the town for     
necessary supplies and was returning    
rather late in the evening4 ,the road   
was lonely1 deserted1 and she could not 
suppress the cry of fright which rose to
 her lips as a man sprang from a little 
thicket which she was passing and stood 
directly before her1 barring her path4  
,her second cry was one1 not of fear1   
but of startled recognition4 ,the man   
was ,philippe1 no longer her handsome   
,philippe1 but a ragged1 wild-eyed1     
desperate man4 ,his story was told in a 
few words4 ,he had grown restive under  
the confinement of prison life1 then    
frantic1 simply frantic1 and had made up
 his mind to escape4 ,how1 he did not   
know1 but he schemed and planned and    
watched his chance and finally succeeded
 in getting away4 ,he had managed to    
make his way to her1 and now she must   
give him money to enable him to get out 
of the country4  ,money8 ,where was she 
to find money to give him8  ,but you    
must1 ,cecile2 you must give me every   

cent you can lay hands on1 he had cried 
savagely4 ,they are after me1 ,i tell   
you1 and if ,i am taken back it will be 
to answer to a charge of murder4 ,of    
course1 ,i didn't mean it1 you          
understand4 ,one of the guards was in my
 way1 and--well1 there's one guard less 
in the world1 that's all4  ,he had come 
to the house late that night and she had
 given him food1 some of his own clothes
 which still hung in his room and which 
the mother had never allowed anyone to  
touch1 and all the money she could lay  
hands on4 ,it was not much but it was   
every cent she had4 ,she had heard      
nothing from him since1 and the suspense
 of the last two days had been          
agonizing1 the alternate hopes and      
fears1 the wondering1 wondering where he
 was1 what was happening to him at that 
very moment4  ,the click of the garden  
gate and a footstep upon the gravel walk
 caused her to turn hastily and descend 
the veranda steps4 ,at first1 she       
thought it was ,philippe come back to   

her1 but a second glance showed that the
 figure approaching through the dusk was
 that of good ,father ,anselm1 her      
parish priest4 ,he was a young man1 only
 recently appointed to the town1 but he 
knew her story and had frequently helped
 her with kindly advice and sympathy4   
,her heart stood still as she watched   
his approach4 ,something in his manner1 
something in his face seen dimly through
 the gathering darkness1 told her that  
he was the bearer of evil tidings4      
,what is it1 ,father8 she asked         
tremulously4 ,is it that they have taken
 him8  ,yes1 my child1 they have taken  
him4 ,they are bringing him here4       
,bringing him here6 ,but why1 why should
 they bring him here8 ,a sudden dreadful
 thought flashed through her mind4      
,father1 you have not told me all2 there
 is something else4  ,my poor child1    
there is something else to tell you4    
,you need not tell it1 ,father1 ,i know4
 ,they have taken him1 but not--alive4  
,my poor ,philippe is gone1 dead4 ,tell 

me how it happened1 ,father1 will you   
please8  ,the girl's unnatural calm was 
more pitiful than any outburst of grief 
could have been1 and an immeasurable    
compassion spoke in the priest's voice  
as he told the story of ,philippe's     
death4  ,he was hiding in the deserted  
hut in ,planter's ,wood 7you know the   
spot1 ,cecile7 and they discovered his  
place of concealment4 ,they had been    
following after him for days but he     
thought he would be safe there and could
 come out at night and procure food from
 you4 ,there was a short1 sharp struggle
 in which he received a mortal wound4   
,doctors were sent for2 ,i1 too1 was    
summoned4 ,thank ,god1 he was conscious 
up to the very last and ,i arrived in   
time to reconcile him with the ,master  
whose love he had outraged1 whose       
commands he had broken4 ,his end was    
very quiet and peaceful1 he simply      
closed his eyes and fell asleep as a    
little baby might4  ,but we must not    
stand here talking1 my child4 ,we have a

 duty to perform1 you and ,i1 and we    
must be brave and perform that duty at  
once1 difficult though it may be4 ,where
 is your mother1 ,cecile8 ,she will have
 to be told before--before they arrive4 
,i came on ahead for that very purpose4 
,we cannot tell her1 ,father1 we cannot4
 ,it will kill her4  ,we must tell her2 
it will be impossible to hide it4 ,take 
me to her and we will tell her together4
 ,god will be with us and will help us1 
my child4  ,oh6 if ,god would only spare
 her1 if ,he would only spare her6 ,if  
,he would only open a way so we need not
 tell her6  ,her brain was in a whirl as
 she mounted the stairs2 she was        
stunned1 broken4 ,of one thing only was 
she perfectly conscious4 ,philippe was  
coming and his mother must be awakened4 
,that mother's last words as she had    
closed her eyes were3  ,i am strangely  
weary1 ,cecile1 weary and very drowsy4  
,i think ,i shall sleep a little1 but be
 sure and wake me when ,philippe comes4 
,wake her when ,philippe comes6 ,yes1   

for ,philippe is coming and his mother  
must be wakened4  ,they stood beside the
 couch and looked down upon the sleeping
 woman4 ,how quietly she rested there1  
how still she was and peaceful6 ,but how
 very still she was1 and what was that  
scarcely palpable shadow resting on the 
sweet1 calm face8 ,was it only a shade  
cast by the lamp which ,cecile had      
brought in and placed upon a table      
behind them1 or was it----8  ,with a cry
 of alarm1 the girl fell on her knees   
and caught frantically at her mother's  
hand4 ,it lay in hers absolutely passive
 and cold1 so cold4 ,the priest raised  
the lamp till the light shone full upon 
the face of the sleeper4 ,sleeping she  
was indeed1 the last long sleep from    
which not they1 not ,philippe1 not      
anyone could waken her4  ,father ,anselm
 laid his hand on the head of the       
stricken girl and said gently3  ,a      
moment ago1 my child1 you prayed that   
,god might spare her4 ,he had granted   
your prayer even before it was uttered4 

,we need not tell her now for she has   
learned it all from ,one who could tell 
it far more gently1 far more mercifully 
than we could4  ,the sound of shuffling 
steps1 as of men who carried a heavy    
burden1 came up to them from the gravel 
walk below4  ,requiescant in pace1      
whispered the priest4  ,cecile knelt as 
if turned to stone4 ,mechanically1 she  
listened to the voice of the priest     
reciting the ,de ,profundis2 she        
listened to the call of the crickets    
shrilling through the summer night      
without2 she listened to the            
heart-breaking sobs of faithful black   
,mandy crouching on the floor by the    
side of her li'l ,missy2 she listened to
 those shuffling footsteps as they      
entered the house1 slowly mounted the   
staircase and paused at the door of what
 had once been ,philippe's room4  ,yet  
again the priest's voice recited3       
,requiescant in pace4  ,and this time1  
,cecile1 laying her cheek upon the dear 
cold hand she held in hers1 responded   

brokenly3  ,amen4