\X 
 
 ROLAND '^ GENTLEHEART 
 
 BARBARA YECHTON X^ 
 
 AUTHOR OF "CHRISTINE'S INSPIRATION," "LITTLE SAINT \ 
 
 HILARY," " INGLESIDE," EJC. 
 
 NEW YORK ^^^y^. } 
 
 JAMES POTT & COMPANY ' // 7 ? ^ V 
 114 Fifth Avenue * / sx 
 
 1893 
 
^^ 
 
 V 
 
 
 Copyright, 1893, by 
 JAMES POTT & COMPANY 
 
 TROW DIRECTORY 
 
 PRINTING AND BOOKDINDINQ COMPANY 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
s 
 
 AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED 
 
 TO 
 
 THE BRAVE LITTLE KNIGHT 
 
 DOUGLAS ROSEBERRY HOBART 
 
ROLAND '' GENTLEHEART. 
 
 Roland Ledgerwood's father was 
 an artist, and Roland was his only 
 child. They lived on the top floor of a 
 building on Washington Square, and 
 nurse Ann kept house for them, for Ro- 
 land had no mamma. After a long ill- 
 ness she had been laid to rest in a qui- 
 et little church-yard in sunny France, 
 when Roland was barely five years 
 old; and after that the litde boy and 
 his papa and nurse had moved about 
 from place to place so frequently, and 
 there had been so many strange 
 things to see and hear, that Roland 
 might have forgotten his mamma, 
 had it not been for the picture of her 
 
Roland " Gentleheart,' 
 
 which his papa had painted, and 
 which went with them everywhere, 
 and for the deeply interesting stories 
 about her that nurse used to tell him. 
 Nurse Ann had been with Roland's 
 mamma's family before she married 
 his papa ; and when Mr. Ledgerwood 
 wrote to tell her about her young 
 mistress's illness, she willingly went 
 all the way from America to France 
 to be with her to the end, and then 
 stayed on to take care of Roland. 
 She was tall and thin ; some people 
 considered her ugly, and Roland 
 sometimes thought her cross ; but she 
 was really very devoted to the little 
 fellow, and he loved her dearly. The 
 old nurse was not fond of what she 
 called '* furrin' parts," and glad 
 enough was she when Mr. Ledger- 
 wood announced his intention of re- 
 turning to America, and still more 
 
Roland " Gentleheart, 
 
 pleased when they were comfortably 
 settled in the apartments in Wash- 
 ington Square. 
 
 Roland liked it, too. He was a big 
 boy now ; nine years old — " going 
 on ten ; " straight as an arrow and 
 well grown for his age, with very 
 beautiful soft, dark eyes, and short, 
 reddish brown hair that curled all 
 over his head. These, with the 
 kindly expression of his mouth and 
 the fine healthy color in his cheeks, 
 made Roland a very pretty boy, and 
 the wide embroidered turned - over 
 collars and cuffs which his papa liked 
 him to wear gave the little fellow a 
 very picturesque appearance. 
 
 Roland and his papa were great 
 friends ; they took walks together, 
 and had long talks about all sorts of 
 things; and when Mr. Ledgerwood 
 could spare time to read to his little 
 
8 Roland " Gentleheart," 
 
 son, or tell him stories of when he 
 and uncle Brian were boys together 
 at home and school and college, Ro- 
 land's happiness was complete. Uncle 
 Brian was papa's only brother and 
 Roland's hero. Though the litde 
 boy had never met his uncle, he knew 
 that Colonel Ledgerwood was big and 
 strong and very brave ; that though 
 he was a strict disciplinarian, all the 
 men in his regiment loved him dearly 
 and would do anything for him. Ro- 
 land knew, too, why it was that his 
 papa called uncle Brian, '' Gentle- 
 heart." " Brian is the bravest and 
 gentlest man I have ever known," 
 Mr. Ledgerwood would say. '' You 
 look like him, Roland ; I only hope 
 you may grow up to be just such a 
 man as he is. He has a quick tem- 
 per, too, but he keeps it well under 
 control." Then Roland would o-et 
 
 o 
 
Roland " Gentleheart ." 
 
 red and hang his head, for his quick 
 temper was this little boy's chief 
 fault. 
 
 '' I do wish I knew how uncle Brian 
 manages to keep from getting angry," 
 he said very earnestly to nurse, one 
 day. In a burst of rage that morn- 
 ing he had torn his pretty litde 
 sketch - book into shreds, and had 
 been so rude to nurse that papa had 
 been obliged to punish him, after 
 making him apologize to nurse, who 
 was only too willing to forgive her 
 boy. 
 
 '' The reason's plain when once 
 you know Mr. Brian — begging his 
 pardon — the colonel. It's beca'se 
 he knows where to go for stringth." 
 Then she added hastily, as Roland's 
 lips parted for a question : '' No, I 
 can't tell you 'bout it, child, I don't 
 know how. Ask your uncle when he 
 
lo Roland " Gentleheart ," 
 
 comes — you know he'll be here in a 
 short while now." 
 
 And papa had said the same thing : 
 *' Ask your uncle Brian about it. He 
 can explain all that better than I can." 
 So Roland waited anxiously for his 
 uncle's arrival, and in the meantime 
 he made up his mind that he would 
 try very hard to be more like un- 
 cle Brian, and more patient and gen- 
 tle ; he didnt want his hero to hear 
 a bad account of him. 
 
 Not every day, however, could Mr. 
 Ledgerwood devote himself to his lit- 
 tle son. There were days and days 
 together when he remained in his 
 studio, painting steadily from early 
 morn until the afternoon shadows be- 
 gan to fall. Sometimes Roland was 
 his model, standing or sitting or lying 
 very patiently in one position while 
 his father painted as fast as he could. 
 
Roland ' ' Gentleheart ," ii 
 
 with tight-set lips and brows drawn 
 into a deep furrow between his eyes. 
 Mr. Ledgerwood did not like him to 
 talk at such times, and Roland used 
 to get very tired of being so still and 
 silent ; but all the fatigue and tire- 
 someness were forgotten as soon as 
 they were over, and his father kissed 
 and praised him for being such a 
 splendid model. 
 
 And when Mr. Ledgerwood's pic- 
 ture, ** Sir Galahad," was accepted at 
 the Academy, and everybody spoke 
 so highly of it, the little boy's heart 
 used to swell with pride to hear his 
 father tell people: '' That is Roland's 
 picture, as well as mine. I never 
 could have painted it without his 
 help." 
 
 Mr. Ledgerwood had told his little 
 son the story of King Arthur's young 
 knight — how he had been chosen to 
 
/ 2 Roland ' ' Gentleheart . ' ' 
 
 find the Holy Grail because of his 
 holiness and purity and gentleness. 
 And, though Roland did not know it, 
 the expression which made Sir Gala- 
 had's face so beautiful in the picture 
 had been on his own childish counte- 
 nance as, while posing in the en- 
 forced quiet of the studio, he had re- 
 peated over and over to himself the 
 lines which were to go with the draw- 
 ing : 
 
 " My strength is as the strength often, 
 Because my heart is pure." 
 
 The little boy pictured in his vivid, 
 childish imagination all that his father 
 had told him about the brave young 
 knight's riding away on his milk- 
 white steed from the court of the 
 famous king — the ** court" in Ro- 
 land's mind being an amphitheatre — 
 very like the interior of the Madison 
 
Roland ' ' Gentleheart ." / ^ 
 
 Square Garden, where he had once 
 been — in the open air, filled with fair 
 ladies and brave knights in gay attire 
 and shining armor, like the colored 
 plates in his father's quaint old copy 
 of '* Ye knightes of Kinge Arthvr's 
 Rovnde Table." How he would have 
 enjoyed being a knight ! thought Ro- 
 land, and riding off that way. He 
 would have been as brave as Sir 
 Galahad, and he would have tried to 
 be as good — of course, then there 
 wouldn't have been so many dis- 
 agreeable things happening all the 
 time to try his temper. And how 
 bravely he would have protected all 
 the distressed princesses and damsels 
 that he met ! The little fellow's chiv- 
 alrous heart throbbed quicker, his 
 eyes lighted up. Just then his father 
 looked up, caught the exalted expres- 
 sion on the child's face, and, working 
 
14 Roland " Gentleheart," 
 
 desperately, transferred it to his can- 
 vas. 
 
 On the mornings that Roland was 
 not needed in the studio he went 
 down to the next floor and ''said" 
 his lessons with Freddie Hibbard, to 
 a young gentleman who came every 
 day to teach the two little boys. 
 Freddie was about Roland's age, but 
 Roland was not very fond of him — in 
 fact, he thought Freddie a very rude 
 boy to make the horrible faces at 
 him that he did on every possible 
 occasion, without the slightest provo- 
 cation, and he often wondered what 
 his papa and nurse Ann would say 
 if they could hear the way Freddie 
 spoke to his big sister Madeleine. 
 
 Madeleine was about fourteen ; a 
 tall, fair girl, with soft blue eyes and 
 yellow wavy hair that hung about 
 her shoulders ; Roland thought she 
 
Roland '' Gentleheart ," 75 
 
 looked like the pictures of the beau- 
 tiful golden-haired ''princesses and 
 damsels " in his favorite story-books, 
 and became very devoted to her. 
 Though as fond of exercise as any 
 healthy boy, he would give up a 
 game in the park any afternoon to 
 sit in the big chair near the window 
 with Madeleine, and hear her read 
 aloud some story that they both 
 liked. More than once, too, his lim- 
 ited amount of pocket - money went 
 for stiff little bouquets, made up of 
 wired roses surrounded by a fringe 
 of coarse ferns, which he presented 
 to her with a shy grace that Made- 
 leine thought '' perfectly beautiful," 
 and for which she always gave him 
 a kiss. 
 
 Madeleine knew all about Roland's 
 deep admiration for his uncle, and 
 how anxiously he looked forward to 
 
1 6 Roland '' Gentleheart." 
 
 meeting his hero ; so she rejoiced 
 with him with all the warmth that 
 could be desired when the little boy- 
 whispered eagerly one morning, at 
 the school - room door, that uncle 
 Brian was expected that afternoon. 
 
 Freddie made himself particularly- 
 disagreeable that morning — kicking 
 Roland's shins under the table, mak- 
 ing hideous faces, and firing tiny pa- 
 per balls at him whenever Mr. John- 
 ston's eyes were turned the other 
 way ; and had it not been that Ro- 
 land was too happy over his good 
 news to quarrel, there would have 
 been an outburst of anger from the 
 quick-tempered Httle boy. As it was, 
 between his excitement and the irri- 
 tation caused by Freddie's intermit- 
 tent attentions, Roland stumbled over 
 his lessons in a fashion very unusual 
 to him, and which called forth a re- 
 
Roland *' Gentleheart," ij 
 
 proof from his teacher. Roland was 
 very sorry to have this happen to- 
 day; he would so much have liked 
 a good record '' all round" for uncle 
 Brian's benefit. Still, he thought to 
 himself, as an offset to that, he was 
 glad he hadn't got angry with Fred- 
 die when he teased so ; he fancied 
 that uncle Brian wouldn't have got 
 angry ; perhaps he — Roland — might 
 yet be as gentle as his soldier uncle. 
 Papa said the bravest men were 
 always the gentlest ; then Freddie 
 couldn't be brave, for he certainly 
 wasn't gentle ; he teased and bullied 
 his sister, and his playmates in the 
 park. Roland had heard that he tor- 
 mented the '' little boys " — all those 
 who were younger than nine, " going 
 on ten " — until they sometimes cried. 
 That was Freddie's way of having 
 fun, but then he had no splendid 
 
1 8 Roland " Gentleheart .*' 
 
 artist father, and his papa was away 
 most of the time, and no soldier uncle 
 — he was really to be pitied, poor 
 Freddie ! 
 
 Whistling merrily, Roland bounded 
 lightly up the steps to his own rooms, 
 to be met at the door by nurse, who 
 was evidently in a state of subdued 
 excitement. '' I was just comin' to 
 fetch you," she informed him at once. 
 *' Your uncle Brian is here, an' as 
 soon as you've put on your velvet 
 suit an' best collar, an' had your face 
 an' hands washed, an' your hair 
 brushed, an' a clean handkercher' in 
 your pocket, you're to go in an' be 
 interjuced." 
 
 *' Oh, I'm good enough, I'll go in 
 just as I am," said Roland, eagerly. 
 Besides being anxious to see uncle 
 Brian, he knew by experience what 
 a severe ordeal dressing for such a 
 
Roland " Gentleheart ." ig 
 
 state occasion would be under nurse 
 Ann's supervision. '' He's my own 
 uncle, you know. I don't see why I 
 should dress up for him, and anyway 
 he'll see me in these clothes to-mor- 
 row." 
 
 ''That's a very different thing," 
 replied nurse, with an air of having 
 settled the matter that provoked Ro- 
 land. He was tempted to slip by 
 her and make his way to the studio 
 just as he was, but nurse's position 
 in the narrow hall was very much 
 against the successful carrying out of 
 such a project ; besides, Roland knew 
 that his papa would be seriously an- 
 noyed by any such behavior, particu- 
 larly before uncle Brian. There was 
 nothing but to submit. '' I suppose 
 I'll have to do it," he said, impatient- 
 ly. '' Such nonsense ! to be dressed 
 up in my best clothes for my own 
 
20 Roland " Gentleheart ." 
 
 uncle, when I'm going to see him 
 every day now ! " 
 
 Without a moment's loss of time 
 nurse bore him off to his own apart- 
 ment and began operations. She 
 washed his face and ears with a great 
 deal more vigor than Roland thought 
 at all necessary, considering it had 
 all been done already that morning; 
 brushed his hair hard, adjusted his 
 collar (he was thankful his cuffs were 
 sewed in the sleeves of his velvet 
 coat) in her usual emphatic manner, 
 then gave him a sounding kiss on the 
 cheeks still shining from the liberal 
 use of soap, and pushed him into the 
 hall with the parting admonition: 
 " Now go in, an' behave like a little 
 gentleman." 
 
 With a fast-beating heart Roland 
 knocked at the studio door, and at 
 his father's word pushed aside the 
 
Roland ' ' Gentleheart ,'* 21 
 
 heavy portiere and entered the room. 
 What he saw was a big man sitting 
 in a big chair by the window — a man 
 who was dressed in citizen's clothes ; 
 had gray hair and a gray beard and 
 was quite bald ! Could this be un- 
 cle Brian ? Roland was so disap- 
 pointed that a great lump came into 
 his throat, which he had hard work 
 to swallow down. He had been told 
 that uncle Brian was handsome, he 
 knew he was good, and unconsciously 
 the little boy had come to imagine 
 him a grand-looking personage — per- 
 haps like some great knight of old, 
 only with a dazzling modern uniform, 
 and, above all things, a sword, and 
 here he was dressed like any ordi- 
 nary person — and bald ! 
 
 What uncle Brian saw was a 
 straight litde figure in a picturesque 
 velvet suit, and a lovely childish face 
 
22 Roland " Gentleheart /' 
 
 whose first expression of shy deHght 
 changed to keen disappointment as 
 the dark eyes met his own. '' Is this 
 your boy, Aleck ? " he asked, hold- 
 ing out his hand to the child. *' I 
 hope we're going to be great friends, 
 Roland." Even in his confusion Ro- 
 land noticed in what a kind voice the 
 big man spoke, and the next moment 
 he was on his uncle's knee, his face 
 buried in his shoulder. 
 
 But notwithstanding Roland's dis- 
 appointment, he and uncle Brian be- 
 came good friends, and in a few days 
 the real uncle Brian held a higher 
 place in his little nephew's affections 
 than had the ideal hero of old. They 
 went for walks together when papa 
 was too busy to leave his painting, 
 and uncle Brian told stories of his 
 soldier life amone the Indians that 
 fairly thrilled Roland, and yet the big 
 
Roland " Gentleheart.'' 
 
 soldier was so sympathetic and gen- 
 tle that Roland even confided to him 
 the way Freddie teased him, and 
 how hard it was for him to keep his 
 temper when things did not go as he 
 wanted them. And then one day 
 when they were on this subject uncle 
 Brian said: ''Roland, I wonder if 
 you have ever heard of the very 
 greatest Knight the world has ever 
 known." 
 
 '* Oh, I know of a lot of them," an- 
 swered Roland, eagerly — he did so 
 love to talk about those old warriors. 
 *' King Arthur, and Sir Galahad, 
 and Richard ' Lion-heart ' and God- 
 frey of Boulogne, oh, and there's 
 ' Saint ' Louis of France — he's my 
 favorite of all." 
 
 '' And do you know who was their 
 Pattern — the Knight they followed ? " 
 
 Roland looked surprised — '' I don't 
 
24 Roland " Gentleheart,^' 
 
 know," he said, after a little thought, 
 ** do you ? " 
 
 '' Yes," said uncle Brian, and there 
 was a sweet earnestness in his voice 
 that impressed the little boy: "the 
 highest pattern of knighthood that 
 has ever been given to men to follow 
 is that set by Jesus Christ our Lord." 
 
 Roland's eyes opened to their wid- 
 est extent: ** Why, uncle Brian," he 
 cried, breathlessly, ** He wasn't a 
 Knight— was He ? " 
 
 ''Wasn't He? What made up a 
 knight in olden times ? " 
 
 " Well," said Roland, thoughtfully, 
 *' they had to be good, and brave — 
 and holy — like Galahad, and kind to 
 everybody, little children, and poor 
 damsels, and princesses — and they 
 were gentle — at least the best of 
 them were. Now was He all these 
 things ? " 
 
Roland " Gentleheart,'' 2^ 
 
 '' Our Lord Jesus was all that and 
 more," answered Colonel Ledger- 
 wood. '' He was good with the 
 highest kind of goodness, He was 
 perfectly fearless, and so brave that 
 no fear of death or any consequences 
 to Himself could ever make Him do 
 wrong. He was holy — for He never 
 sinned, though He had to meet and 
 overcome the same temptations that 
 come to us. His kindness and love 
 were without limit — He blessed little 
 children, He rescued all women from 
 degradation and lifted them to a 
 place of safety — you will understand 
 this part better when you are older ; 
 and He taught men to love one an- 
 other, and be kind and gentle, not 
 only to their friends but to their ene- 
 mies. Isn't that being the truest 
 kind of a knight ? " 
 
 ** Y-e-s," said Roland in the same 
 
26 Roland " Gentleheart,'' 
 
 thoughtful tone ; " but, uncle Brian — 
 the knio-hts were real fiofhters." 
 
 '' So must you be now, dear lad, to 
 be a loyal knig-ht. I pray that you 
 may always have strength to fight and 
 overcome the sins and temptations 
 that come to everybody — little chil- 
 dren as well as grown people. There 
 are knights to-day, Roland, just as 
 there were hundreds of years ago, 
 only the enemies that they fight now 
 are their sins. Your quick temper 
 is your enemy, dear, and as a true 
 knight of the Cross you must be ever 
 on the alert to keep it under. Jesus 
 has been a little Boy, He v/ill under- 
 stand, and if you ask Him for help 
 you will be able to come off victor." 
 
 The idea was very strange to Ro- 
 land at first, but the more he thought 
 about it and talked it over with uncle 
 Brian the better he liked the feeling 
 
Roland ' ' Gentleheart . " 2y 
 
 that he, too, was a knight just as 
 much as ever were those he loved to 
 read about. He told Madeleine all 
 about his talk with uncle Brian, and 
 she was very much interested. '' I 
 do wish Freddie 'd try to be a 
 knight," she said. " He's got so 
 wild and naughty since mamma has 
 been ill and papa away travelling so 
 much." 
 
 '^ Yes," said Roland, with sympa> 
 thy and a keen recollection of Fred- 
 die's behavior in general. '* Do you 
 suppose," he added, hesitatingly — 
 he did so hate to share uncle Brian 
 with Freddie — ''that he might be 
 different if uncle Brian talked with 
 him ? " 
 
 '' Oh, I wish he would," cried 
 Madeleine, eagerly. '' I know he's 
 all the time talking of Colonel Ledg- 
 erwood — since the day you all went 
 
28 Roland " Gentleheart,'' 
 
 to Governor s Island, when the colo- 
 nel wore his full uniform." 
 
 " Yes, didn't he look splendid ! 
 Don't you think he's handsome ? " a 
 little anxiously. 
 
 " Indeed, I do," answered Made- 
 leine, warmly. 
 
 ** Of course, he's a little — that is — 
 a good deal bald," went on Roland, 
 touching upon what was still rather a 
 tender point with him; *'but then, 
 you know, that isn't really anything, 
 you don't notice it when he's got his 
 hat or cap on." 
 
 '' Oh, that's nothing at all," said 
 Madeleine, quickly. *' Why, my pa- 
 pa's bald — more than your uncle is. 
 He says — though he may mean it in 
 fun — that all great men get bald 
 early because they have to think so 
 much and have so many responsibili- 
 ties." 
 
Roland '' Gentleheart:' 2g 
 
 '' Oh — I see/' Roland said, slowly. 
 He was glad Madeleine had told him 
 that, after that he wouldn't have had 
 one hair more on uncle Brian's head. 
 ** I must go now," he said, presendy, 
 rising — this interview had taken place 
 on the stairs where he and Madeleine 
 often sat to talk — '' and I'll see if I 
 can ask uncle Brian to talk to Fred- 
 die — perhaps he will. Good-by." 
 
 '' I do hope he will," answered 
 Madeleine. "Good-by," then she 
 went in her apartments and Roland 
 ran upstairs. 
 
 Roland had a struggle with himself 
 before he could make up his mind to 
 tell uncle Brian about Freddie — the 
 little boy did hate to share his splen- 
 did much-loved uncle with Freddie. 
 Freddie had such a lordly way about 
 him, he might take entire posses- 
 sion of uncle Brian. It was a hard 
 
50 Roland ' ' Gentleheart . ' ' 
 
 struggle for a while ; then Roland 
 remembered Whose knight he was, 
 and what was a true knight's duty, 
 and the result was that he went 
 straight to his uncle ; told him the 
 Avhole story and pleaded for him to 
 love Freddie with an earnestness 
 that made Colonel Ledgervvood very 
 happy, for he knew just how much 
 Freddie had, and still annoyed the 
 little fellow. ** Good-night, * Gentle- 
 heart/ " he whispered, when he 
 kissed the little boy at bedtime ; and 
 Roland wondered why his papa also 
 bade him so tenderly '' God keep 
 you, dear son." 
 
 Uncle Brian went away not long 
 after this, to his military post on the 
 frontiers, but before he went he had 
 a lonor walk and talk with Freddie, 
 Roland having given up his right for 
 
Roland ' ' Gentleheart . " 3 / 
 
 that once. No one ever heard what 
 passed between them, but I am glad 
 to tell you that since then Madeleine 
 says he certainly is improving in his 
 manners ; and Roland and he are 
 better friends now. This winter 
 both the boys have attended the 
 same public school, and Roland is 
 thrown more among boys than ever 
 in his life before. He reads less and 
 plays more these days, but he has 
 by no means forgotten his talks with 
 uncle Brian nor Whose knight he is. 
 As proof of this I will let you read 
 this paragraph which was in Mr. 
 Ledgerwood's last letter to uncle 
 Brian : 
 
 '' Our boy is doing well at home 
 and in school. He is trying very 
 earnestly to overcome his quick tem- 
 per, and to be brave and patient 
 
jj2 Roland ' ' Gentleheart . ' ' 
 
 and gentle in all the details of his 
 daily life. I think* he begins to 
 deserve the name I have given him 
 — your dear old surname, Brian, of 
 ' Gentleheart.' " 
 
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
 
 016 117 886 n 
 
 Uentle=heart'' Stories 
 
 SIX STORIES FOR BOYS AND GIRLS 
 By BARBARA YECHTON 
 
 the author of " Christine's Inspiration" 
 
 Price, IOC. each; in packages of six, assorted, 
 price, 50c. 
 
 1. ROLAND "GENTLE-HEART" 
 
 2. DOROTHY'S TEMPTATION 
 
 3. BY FORGIVING WIN FORGIVENESS 
 
 4. TEDDY'S EXPERIENCE 
 
 5. HOPE BERESFORD'S LESSON 
 
 6. •♦BONNIE PRINCE CHARLIE" 
 
 Sent by mail on receipt of price 
 
 JAMES POTT & CO., Publishers 
 
 114 Fifth Ave. (Near 17th St.), New York