THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES
 
 
 "HsSL ft 

 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES 
 
 AND OTHER STORIES 
 
 BY 
 
 AGNES HOUGHTON BANFIELD 
 
 PHILADELPHIA; 
 
 PRINTED FOR THE AUTHOR BY 
 
 INTERNATIONAL PRINTING CO., 
 
 301 Chestnut Street.
 
 COPYRIGHT, 1900, 
 
 BY 
 AGNES HOUGHTON BANFIBLD.
 
 PS 
 
 35-03 
 
 Under Blue Skies . . . . . 
 
 Jason and Matilda 
 
 Moonlight ... 211 
 
 16943G9
 
 Co mg beloveo flfcotber, 
 
 "JBebe," 
 
 Oo 1 bumbls OcOicatc tbte volume. 
 
 Sbc wbo was m^ inspiration in life anO ie now 
 
 in Spirit.
 
 TO THE PUBLIC. 
 
 MOST people believe they have a right to existence, 
 because they have a certain mission in the world 
 a particular work to do. This is true. Some solve 
 life s problem in the kitchen, or on the street ; others in 
 the hovel, or in the mansion ; and some upon the sea. 
 Everywhere human beings toil for the right to live, and 
 like the stars they move in certain order, and keep to 
 one particular line of duty, and thus become fixed cogs 
 in the great wheel of life. 
 
 Not so with the author of this book. It is with 
 much hesitancy that I undertake a sketch of her life 
 and work, for her personality is so marked, her gifts so 
 many and varied, her labors range over such wide fields, 
 that it is difficult to follow her career, or to portray the 
 character of one who has been lecturer, reader, and 
 teacher, and, to crown all, possesses the spiritual gifts 
 of clairvoyancy and healing that St. Paul speaks of in 
 I. Corinthians. Unlike the proverbial "Jack of all 
 trades, but master of none," she has been mistress in 
 every capacity in which she has served. 
 
 Agnes Houghton Banfield was born in Vermont 
 Do you ask when ? Well, the birds of the Green 
 Mountain State will tell you, for they surely sang about 
 her cradle, and in the twilight hours hushed her to sleep 
 with lullabies of perfect melody melody that sank into 
 her heart and reproduced itself in her voice, for never 
 was heard a voice of greater natural beauty, or more 
 musical intonation than hers. From both parents she
 
 6 TO THE PUBLIC. 
 
 inherited her wonderful gifts from her father s side her 
 beautiful voice, and from her mother s her literary 
 genius. 
 
 She was a peculiar child, showing, from infancy up, 
 the rare complexity of her nature. Emotional and 
 sensitive, and possessed of this wonderful spiritual 
 insight into human nature, she intuitively recognized, 
 before her baby lips knew how to express it, that the 
 hopes and fears that throbbed in her heart beat alike in 
 the breasts of all people. This brought her into strange 
 sympathy with others and prompted her to share their 
 joys and sorrows, to give her new frock to the less for 
 tunate playmate who admired it, taking cheerfully the 
 old one in exchange. Thus guided by the spirit, this 
 uncommon nature did uncommon things, making her, 
 from a religious point of view, purely humanitarian. 
 
 This child of the hills commenced her public work 
 when she taught school at the age of fifteen, and before 
 she had reached the age of twenty-five both Maine and 
 and Massachusetts had recognized her ability as an 
 orator, and had invited her to give Memorial Day 
 addresses for the G. A. R. s, being one of the first 
 women in New England to deliver an address to the 
 soldiers on Memorial Day. Her first appearance as a 
 lecturer was in the India Street course of lectures inau 
 gurated in Portland, Maine. The speakers in that course 
 were such men as General Hall, Ex-Governor Washburn, 
 Governor Perham, D. H. Ingram, and others. 
 
 Round after round of applause always greeted her 
 public efforts ; and, encouraged by the public s approval, 
 and feeling she needed a more extensive training for her
 
 TO THE PUBLIC. ^ 
 
 work, she commenced the study of oratory with Pro 
 fessor Baxter and Wyzeman Marshall, the noted actor ; 
 afterwards, entering the Boston School of Oratory under 
 Professor Munroe. Taking his advice, she entered the field 
 as a reader, and won enviable fame as one of the best 
 dramatic readers of the day. She was known as the 
 "princess of elocution." Her lectures were just as phe 
 nomenal, and " Gathering Storms " on labor and capi 
 tal was pronounced by Prof. Edward Everett, of Har 
 vard, to be just fifty years in advance of the times. 
 " Turning of the Tide " touched the popular heart and 
 accorded her unsolicited honor and praise. 
 
 She is a woman whom women always have, and 
 always will, love no higher praise could be given her. 
 
 In personal appearance she is charming of good 
 height and splendidly proportioned, a strong face, a 
 wealth of dark hair, and great, glorious, brown eyes ; 
 sad, too, they are with that peculiar pathos in their 
 depths that tells you that they are windows to a soul 
 that sees all the darkness of this world and all the light 
 of the other world. She has been called " the child of 
 inspiration." Truly it is a sobriqunet that fits her best; 
 and like all specially gifted people she has a restless 
 ness of genius, which is never content with the old, but 
 ever reaches out to grasp the new. 
 
 When her little mother, " Be be " as she called her, 
 passed out from earth life, it seemed to awaken in the 
 soul of this wonderful woman a desire to study into the 
 occult, for her mother in the past had been a living 
 incentive to her in her higher efforts in life. 
 
 Being married to a man with whom she is in perfect
 
 8 TO THE PUBLIC. 
 
 accord, and he having great sympathy with her life- 
 work, he induced her to use her spiritual gifts to write 
 these stories. With characteristic modesty she lays no 
 claims to great merit as a novelist, and these stories have 
 not been written for the scholar or critic, but for the 
 masses, for the men and women who, in the hardships 
 and burdens of their material lives, almost lose sight of 
 the spiritual, and the immortality of the soul. It is to 
 this class that Agnes Banfield desires to speak through 
 her stories, telling them of the nearness of the life of 
 the spirit. These stories are full of inspiring thoughts 
 and fine ideas ; the characters are strongly drawn and 
 true to nature. 
 
 I predict for the book the great success which always 
 attends all of Agnes Houghton Banfield s public efforts. 
 
 AGNES SOUTHARD, 
 Oct. 6, 1899. Kalamazoo, Mich.
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 MANY people who have studied nature carefully, 
 claim that the planetary system has much to do 
 with the destiny of mankind. Their advice has been, 
 not to struggle against the tide of events, for if it is once 
 set against them you cannot stop its course, any more 
 than you can dip dry with a basin, the Atlantic ocean. 
 Astronomers have watched the starry heavens, and have 
 made their calculations about the weather; and they 
 have told that the elements have a decided influence 
 upon the destiny of man. So there is an indirect, if not 
 a direct, influence from the planetary worlds above, and 
 the material world beneath, on the events of our lives. 
 You could not picture a fairer day, a bluer sky, than 
 beamed upon five of the characters of this story, who 
 are summering at one of the fashionable seashore resorts. 
 
 Blue Bay has attracted the attention of many lovers of 
 nature, but writers have failed to picture its charms ; it 
 is not the long sweep of the ocean now seen, now 
 lost nor is it the background of purple hills ; but it is 
 one of those bits of natural scenery that cannot be caught 
 or held in the mind by a casual observer. If this Bay 
 had the fame of the one at Naples it would rival it in 
 picturesque beauty and charm. 
 
 "Yes, sir; a man fe-ls batter after a good dinner, and 
 under a sky as blue as this," said ex-Senator Burleigh, 
 as he leaned back in his chair and passed a cigar to his 
 friend, a tall, pale gentleman sitting opposite, whose 
 dreamy eyes were looking far out to sea, and, at the
 
 iz UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 of human beings, who are animals, only inferior to these 
 horses." 
 
 "Ha, ha!" laughed Senator Burleigh. "Horses 
 immortal ! Well, that is an idea more ridiculous than I 
 have heard from Newell to-day. Why, did you know, 
 my boy, we are not sure of immortality ourselves, much 
 less horses ! Not a word of proof have we ; only some 
 old dusty manuscripts, full of contradictions, that we 
 call revelations and that is all. We simply move out 
 of existence to give others a chance to take our places. 
 The soul that people preach about and rant over, is not 
 to be found or produced when you want it; why? 
 Because it is dependant upon matter for its expression. 
 When you knock this foundation out, where is this 
 wonderful spirit? It is simply returned to the ocean of 
 spirituality, from whence it come. Bah ! boy ; don t 
 get notions into your head, for a little sense and logic 
 will settle all such fancies." And the Senator was about 
 turning on his heel to go back to his easy chair for his 
 afternoon nap, when the hand of Leland Newell fell 
 lightly on his shoulder. What a difference there is in 
 the touch of a human hand ! Some hands seem light, 
 and others heavy ; some velvet and others steel ; some 
 cling, while others appeal and command, according to 
 the action of the brain. Leland Newell had a hand, no 
 matter how lightly it might fall upon one s shoulder, it 
 seemed to fall there to stay, and communicated to the 
 individual the power of the person back of it. 
 
 " Not so fast, my materialistic friend ! You know 
 there are always two sides to a question, and I wish you 
 to meet the one before I abandon the other. Who first 
 projected matter into existence?"
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 13 
 
 "Why, of course," said the Senator, "an intelligent 
 force." 
 
 "Can you conceive, Jack, of an intelligent force act 
 ing without any motive, simply creating worlds to 
 destroy them, and without any definite object in view?" 
 
 " Oh, well, Leland, if you expect me to go back of 
 what I cannot see, feel, touch, taste or hear, you have 
 got me. I know you will say I evade the question, but 
 I am not going to stop to discuss it now. While I do 
 not believe that men or animals have souls, I know they 
 have stomachs, and I will look after George s and the 
 span of bays material wants while you dream over the 
 spiritual, and later on I will smoke a good cigar with 
 you, and we will wade into those deep waters of trying 
 
 to discuss knowingly the great unknowable." 
 
 * * 
 * 
 
 Two beautiful young ladies were leaning over the 
 balustrade of the hotel piazza, as George Burleigh drove 
 up with his splendid turnout. As unlike as daylight 
 and darkness were Marian Stanton and Grace Rowland. 
 If it could have been possible that here in cold New 
 England a child of American parents could be found 
 bearing in outward form the beauty of the Orient, one 
 would have said that Marian was transported from the 
 warm and passionate East to our cold New England 
 shores. Eyes like midnight, but so velvety and mourn 
 ful in expression that one could only think of those 
 dark leaves of the pansy, which are said to go into 
 mourning for the death of its fairer sisters. Her hair 
 was long and heavy ; her braids took the tinge of 
 the purple on the grape, and her companions used to
 
 14 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 say that " her hair was so black it was blue." Her 
 complexion was like a peach, which deepened and deep 
 ened like the heart of a rose, but did not stop on cheek 
 alone, but tinted the lips, ears and drooping lids of her 
 eyes, which gave her face the appearance of a red flame, 
 which would spring up and die out according to the 
 emotions of her heart. A sculptor might envy her fea 
 tures, so classic were they, and wonder if the marble 
 could ever reproduce them ; form tall, and full of that 
 infinite grace which always comes from intense feel 
 ing. 
 
 Marian Stanton at the time of our story is intellectu 
 ally asleep. She was too passive, and some said too 
 indolent, to made any impression upon humanity, only 
 one of admiration for her beauty. Not so with her 
 bosom friend and classmate, Grace Rowland. She was 
 not only in looks an angel, but her vivacity was so won 
 derful that all looked to her for life, merriment and 
 change, and she made one forget that there was such a 
 change as death. Her bright blue eyes sparkled like 
 diamonds of the first water; her golden curls tossed in 
 the wind as if they were made for its sport, and her 
 cherry lips were formed to be kissed only by the gods. 
 Dame nature had searched the universe for its most 
 delicate mould to give expression in feature and form to 
 this light and airy spirit ; it was a bewitching charm, 
 rarely seen in woman, and, with all that nature had done 
 for her, the power she exercised over humanity was 
 magnetic over women, and appealed only to the passions 
 of men. 
 
 Marian s father when he died had left her and her
 
 UNDER BUUE SKIES. 15 
 
 mother an independent fortune, while Grace s mother 
 was on the other side of life, and her father was a man 
 of moderate means, a clergyman of the broad Unitarian 
 type, and lived quietly in the country. 
 
 These two young girls were attracted to each other 
 by the great law of opposites. Not only were they so 
 in temperament, but in wealth and station. Some were 
 so unkind as to say they always walked, rode and talked 
 together, as the appearance of the one heightened the 
 effect of the other ; but people of the world are always 
 saying unkind things, for they breakfast on envy, dine 
 on jealousy and sup on revenge. These two girls had 
 a deep and sincere attachment for each other that bound 
 them together like sisters. 
 
 "Oh, Marian," said Grace, " do look at that hand 
 some turnout, and the gentleman holding the ribbons ; 
 he is just lovely! " 
 
 Marian turned slowly and easily around, and for a 
 moment her large, deep black eyes were fastened upon 
 the handsome face of George Burleigh. How is it that 
 some can seem to see their own fate and that of another 
 at their very first meeting, especially if their eyes chance 
 to meet? Does the inner consciousness called the soul 
 or spirit telegraph its future history to others on a sim 
 ilar plane of life who can tell ? Marian Stanton turned 
 away with a look of anguish on her face, for she read her 
 own history for years to come. 
 
 Grace did not mind the abstraction of her friend, but 
 flew about trying, if possible, to catch the words of the 
 group beneath the piazza, to learn who they were. 
 
 " Oh, are not those horses fine, and the young man so
 
 16 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 nice ? Marian, Marian ! are you asleep ? How can you 
 be so indifferent to manly beauty ? Wake up ! " 
 
 " I see, Grace dear, more than you imagine; but 
 when you call men lovely and beautiful, you do not 
 use proper terms to express your ideas." 
 
 " I don t care what terms of speech I use ; you don t 
 see a handsome team and driver like that every day." 
 
 "Don t you think, Grace, that you are too much 
 carried away by external show ?" 
 
 " Yes, I will acknowledge that a man looks better 
 driving a turnout like the one below, appearing on the 
 scene with a sky like sapphire and a bay to match, than 
 if he arrived on a rainy morning in shabby clothes and 
 in an old-fashioned go-cart. I am controlled, Mai ian, 
 by my surroundings. You make them all right, and 7 
 am all right. I can t conceive of any greater happiness 
 than marrying a man young, rich and handsome, and 
 flitting from flower to flower, just like a butterfly, in a 
 perfect whirl. Now, can you ? Where can unhappiness 
 step in, when you don t have poverty to contend with, 
 or your actions to cover up with the mantle of deceit, 
 as you would have to if you married an old man ? " 
 
 There was a long silence, and when Marian did speak 
 it seemed as if she was inspired, so solemn and low were 
 her tones and so strong her convictions. 
 
 "Where can unhappiness step in, do you say? I 
 will tell you. When you have drank off the foam of hap 
 piness and found the dregs bitter to the taste ; when you 
 have torn to pieces the rose of passion and found that 
 the leaves concealed a thorn ; when you have sought in 
 vain for the pearl of content and found it not ; and the
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 17 
 
 years glide by and you have supped at the feast of good 
 things until your entire nature is surfeited, and find at 
 last that in your home there is nowhere to be found 
 that love that makes that home endurable ; no hell can 
 be deeper than the lives of two thus united ; no remorse 
 so acrid that eats into the hearts of men while they live 
 on daily, weekly, yearly, and while they have all else 
 that material life can give they have the knowledge 
 that the source of all real life is missing, and that is 
 love. I would no more marry without it than I would 
 think of walking yonder bay and expect for a moment 
 that I should reach the opposite shore." 
 
 " Oh, stop, stop, Marian, you make me quite weary ! I 
 haven t heard a sermon since the one papa preached on 
 God is Love some time ago, and it gave me a sick 
 headache. What has come over you to preach like that, 
 Marian ? And why do all you dreamers take it for 
 granted that one can never love a man who is rich ? I 
 just mentioned that I admired the young man and 
 turnout below, and I should think you had made up 
 your mind already that I would marry him and have a 
 wretched life with no one to love, none to caress. 
 And Grace, singing this old song, danced ofTto the large 
 parlors where a host of admiring friends awaited her. 
 
 Marian watched the retreating figure, then once more 
 bent over the rail of the piazza and caught the deep, 
 resonant voice of the young man beneath. She had had 
 in childhood a habit of gazing at some fixed object in 
 order that the fairies might bring her pictures to look 
 at, as she used to call it, but that was years ago. To-day, 
 she was once more in fairyland, for picture after picture
 
 18 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 rolled in panoramic view before her sad pictures 
 brightened only by events that future years would con 
 summate. " I see it all," she murmured. " There is 
 no power to change this drama ; Grace Rowland and 
 this young man will link their destinies together, for 
 weal or for woe. I believe surely the latter; and for 
 me," and she pressed her hand against her heart, " and for 
 me, I must bow as I am told by some power out 
 side myself to the great law of the inevitable and wait 
 
 until human lives are controlled more by laws divine! 
 
 * * 
 * 
 
 " Sam ! Samuel ! " called out a sharp voice from the 
 spacious hall of Burleigh Place one chilly evening in 
 October, but as no one responded Jerusha Bigelow 
 stepped out into the strong light of the hall to enable us 
 to describe her. Occasionally, the world produces for 
 us an original character, and surely this maiden lady 
 was a representative of this type. She used to say that 
 she was so tall that male or female had to look up to 
 her whether they wanted to or not. Her iron-gray hair 
 was parted in the middle, brought up high on the top 
 of her head, tied with a shoe string as tight as she could 
 draw it, and held with a high back comb that her grand 
 mother wore ; for she said that if there was anything she 
 did abominate it was frizzing the hair and women trying 
 to look mannish. This New England old maid had a 
 hearty contempt for the opposite sex, who, she said, were 
 weak and shiftless, and she could never imagine what 
 they were created for, and she was glad she was called 
 homely, as it kept them at a proper distance ; and Jerusha 
 would pucker up her mouth and turn up her long nose
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 19 
 
 and walk off with strides a military officer might well 
 admire. Her commonsense, however, was known for 
 miles around, where her sharp tongue was equally feared. 
 Jackson Burleigh knew that not one thing would go 
 wrong so long as Jerusha had her head for business and 
 her eye upon the inmates of Burleigh Place. 
 
 " Samuel, Samuel ! walk in here with that wood, 
 quick ! " And a tall, sandy complexioned Yankee shuf 
 fled along with a broad grin on his face as if he delighted 
 to " rasp up " Aunt Jerusha. 
 
 " How slow you are. This world never would have 
 been done if you had had a hand in making it. So 
 strange that you can never remember that I burn wood 
 in this fireplace ; no grate put in for me with the nasty 
 black coai ; plain, old-fashioned wood is good enough 
 for me ; something that has got a snap to it. I do hate 
 things that haven t got any life. Now, Samuel B. 
 Knowles, what do you think you are here for, and 
 what were you ever made for?" 
 
 " Wai, Miss Bigelow, I don t know what I was made 
 for, cause I didn t have a hand in making myself." 
 
 Jerusha looked shocked, and said : " Don t you talk 
 to me about the Almighty s ways, for He made you 
 and a poor job it was. But I can tell you what you are 
 here for : it is to do the chores and not take all winter 
 to do them either, or sit out there in the wood shed 
 whittling up the wood. No ! What the Lord ever made 
 your legs so long for and your hair so red, I can t see." 
 
 " I m glad He is to blame for it, Miss Bigelow, and 
 not me." 
 
 " Stop talking about the Lord ! As if He hadn t a right
 
 20 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 to make people just as He s a mind to ; some tall, some 
 short, some black, some white, just the same as I can 
 make all kinds of doughnuts ; some like em with sour 
 milk and some don t ; but I do want to know one thing, 
 and that is what you are making out there in that shed ? 
 I spose you call it an invention ! Just like Yankees ; 
 they never are contented. Now, what are you doing 
 it for?" and Aunt Jerusha emphasized every word 
 with her long, bony finger on Sam s arm in a way that 
 made him shiver. 
 
 " Why, to make things go, Miss Bigelow." 
 
 "Make things go? I spose to save work want 
 the wood to chop itself and walk in here, don t ye ?" 
 
 " Yes, marm." 
 
 " Oh, lawdy, lawdy ! " said Aunt Jerusha, " that is the 
 way with these poor fools ; racking their brains to make 
 labor-saving machines and not having sense enough to 
 see that all these machines will do the work, and they 
 will have to go out into the streets and starve. 
 Samuel B. Knowles, listen to me. You just burn up 
 every one of those wheels and cross-bars. I have put 
 my glasses on and seen every one on em, and they are 
 no earthly use. You just fall back on your own head 
 and hands and earn an honest living. You never will 
 get any good from it in your life." And again the long 
 finger came down, almost striking Sam s nose. " Do 
 you hear ?" 
 
 "Yes, marm ; but Miss Bigelow, somebody else may 
 get somethin out of it." 
 
 "Oh, good Lord and good devil ! just hear him talk 
 ing like that ; looking ahead for the benefit of people
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 21 
 
 who are unborn, and when they do get into the world 
 they won t remember his name ! " and Aunt Jerusha 
 felt like shaking this tall New England boy for his lack 
 of foresight and practical business sense which would 
 make him look out for the world, but not for himself. 
 
 Sam shuffled out with a broad grin, more fully 
 resolved than ever to keep on with his knives and saws. 
 Jerusha s advice generally had an opposite effect from 
 what she intended, and stimulated persons to still 
 greater endeavors. She turned and entered the sitting 
 room, where the fire was burning brightly, and the tea 
 kettle singing merrily ; for Jerusha did not forget to look 
 out for a good cup of tea before retiring, and in a room 
 that was not frequented by other occupants of the house. 
 She used to say that if the inner man needed refreshing, 
 she did not see why the inner woman didn t also. It 
 would seem, to look at this prim, old-fashioned lady, who 
 looked so uncomfortable herself, that she could never 
 make a room look cheerful and homelike ; but she was 
 not only a born housekeeper, but a born homemaker. 
 There are people who can "keep house" well, yet not 
 give it an air of comfort. Aunt Jerusha said that ani 
 mals were all right if they were brought up neat and 
 their place ; and she had them in the house so things 
 would look more sociable ; so there was the Maltese 
 tabby cat in the chair, and the large St. Bernard dog on 
 his rug. Before Jerusha got out her tea set for her 
 own little private lunch, she took a letter from a 
 long bag which was suspended from her waist, where 
 nearly everything could be found except provisions for 
 the family, which were in the storehouse, but the bag held
 
 22 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 the key. She made the room bright for the occasion, 
 as she wished to read the letter, though she usually pre 
 ferred to sit in the twilight to compose her mind and 
 plan for the next day, as she expressed it. She did not 
 understand the laws that govern the nervous system, 
 when, without a brilliant light, the vibrations are reduced 
 one-half, and ideas from without and impressions from 
 within are more clearly defined, but she did this intui 
 tively. It was fortunate she adopted this habit, for it 
 would have been a question if the people could have 
 lived with her the next day if she had not taken this 
 rest, so thoroughly alive was she to all her surround 
 ings. Taking the hardest and most uncomfortable chair 
 she could find in the room, she set it in the middle of 
 the room, looked around to see if everything was all 
 right, adjusted her glasses, smoothed down her apron, 
 and sat down with an extra pucker to her mouth, and 
 began to read aloud in a slow, monotonous voice : 
 " Miss JERUSHA BIGELOW : 
 
 " Dear Madam. I drop you a line that you may have 
 the house in order, and plenty to eat, as I shall bring a 
 party home with me next week. I have a little surprise 
 in store for you in regard to changes in the family. 
 "Yours truly, 
 
 " JACKSON BURLEIGH." 
 
 "I do declare," said she, "if that man don t make 
 my back weak and stomach faint. What in the world 
 were men ever created for? I never had any use for 
 them ; I see no good they have ever done my own 
 female sex only burden them with the cares of chil 
 dren and the sorrows of life. Just tell me, if anybody can,
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 23 
 
 why Squire Burleigh could not write out plain what was 
 in his mind, and not beat around the bush, man fashion ? " 
 
 Jerusha would continue to call him "Squire" and not 
 " Senator," for she said that was as high as a man ought 
 to go in politics, for when he ceased to be " Squire," 
 and aspired to more office he always went crooked. 
 "Well, he did not forget to mention vituals and drink. 
 I guess not catch a man forgetting that ! But, got a sur 
 prise for me ! Now, if there is anything I hate, it s 
 being surprised, or leaving people to speculate about 
 anything. It is a breeder of the imagination and curse 
 of the world ; but you don t catch me. Jackson Bur 
 leigh, Esquire, to go wool-gathering with my head. I 
 won t be surprised. I will just make a cup of tea, and 
 think it out by myself. I know men don t like that way 
 of doing business ; they always want to make women 
 feel that they know a little more than they do, and when 
 they find a woman that gets at their shy, crooked ways, 
 they are skeery of her as a hen is of a hawk, but that 
 don t make me feel bad. I d rather be a hawk anyway, 
 flying around in the sky, than to be a chicken sitting 
 on the ground waiting to be gobbled up." 
 
 Aunt Jerusha proceeded to make her evening tea, and 
 a nice little repast she set out for herself. There was the 
 tenderest bit of chicken she could find, and some of her 
 own canned plums, with the thickest of cream pored 
 over them, and such butter, cheeseand bread could not be 
 found in the country around ; and, when she made coffee, 
 the odor would permeate to the big kitchen, and make 
 Sam Knowles smack his lips. If it was tea, Mary, the 
 girl of all work, would drawl out to Sam : "Look
 
 24 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 
 
 out for Miss Bigelow s sharp tongue to-morrow ; just 
 smell that tea ; she won t sleep a wink to-night, but 
 lie awake and hatch up work for us. Oh, my ! I do 
 wish she was paralyzed ; don t you, Sam ? " 
 
 "Yes, I do, Mary; and then she would be mighty 
 glad to have me invent some wheels for me to move her 
 around with, wouldn t she?" 
 
 Aunt Jerusha sipped her tea, and ate her goodies, and 
 would once in a while break out. " Oh, these men, with 
 their club suppers, don t get ahead of me ; while there 
 are only three in this club, Tabby, Bruno and Jerusha 
 Bigelow, but these three will never get left by man s 
 neglect, so long as I have an eye, a hand and a head to 
 to look after Burleigh Place." She had another old 
 fashioned habit of looking into the bottom of her tea 
 cup, after its contents were gone ; she said to her neigh 
 bors, it settled her head and many a snarl had she 
 untwisted in this manner. " Yes, it s plain as day," and 
 she set down her cup with a jingle ; " George Burleigh 
 is going to be married ; just as if that would be a sur 
 prise to me ; when these men can t think of any more 
 mischief to do, they go and get married, and that caps 
 the climax. Well, yes," as if she were talking to an 
 imaginary person, " Squire Bigelow is an old Batch ; 
 it was just because he was afraid he would have to be 
 bothered a little ; and if I do say it, though I don t 
 spose it is modest for me to do so, I have made him a 
 good home, taken care of his clothes and looked out for 
 his stomach, which is more than half the wives do at the 
 present day. I don t see why I haven t a right to say 
 I ve made a good home for him if I have."
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 25 
 
 "Aunt Jerusha ! Aunt Jerusha !" and one of the 
 sweetest voices that one could imagine, rang down the 
 stairway. Voices are the truest index of mind, soul 
 and body ; some are silver, and we know that the mind 
 is as clear as a crystal lake ; others are golden, and we 
 feel the warmth of their emotional nature before we see 
 their face ; then we have the coarse metallic voice, that 
 reminds us of the animal creation, even if it springs 
 from human lips; some rasp upon the nerves, and 
 others quiet ; but above and through them all, we see 
 the true man or woman. While the human character 
 can be made to lie and cheat, it takes an adept, to so 
 control the human voice sufficiently not to betray the 
 soul back of it. 
 
 " What do you want, Amelia ?" and Jerusha put her 
 head out just far enough to see the loveliest sight in the 
 world : A girl of sixteen, with brown hair that was in 
 a tangle of curls, and cheeks that the rose might envy, 
 with brown eyes sparkling, and so large that the rest of 
 the face seemed small standing in a neglige robe, with 
 the cutest little foot, without any hose, peeping out ; 
 with a tall wax candle swinging back and forth in her 
 hand, as everything has to dance that Amelia Bigelow 
 touched. " Amelia, put that candle down, at once ! 
 you ll have this house on fire ! lucky I never let you have 
 a lamp, for we d have been blown up long ago if I had. 
 Why are you out there this time of night, screaming at 
 me ? Don t you know that you will have rheumatiz 
 when you get old if you run -around in bare feet? I 
 always kept mine warm and dry, and that s why I am 
 straight as an arrow, and not bent up as most old folks 
 are at my age."
 
 26 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 " Aunt Jerusha, come up and hear the raps on my 
 head board ; they have come again, and it s just splen 
 did ; I can talk with them." 
 
 " Amelia Bigelow, walk down here this minute, 
 and never let me hear you speak a loud word 
 on such a subject again, where folks can hear 
 you, as long as I live." And as Amelia bounded 
 down the stairs, Jerusha thrust out her long- arm and 
 pushed her into the sitting room, much to the young 
 lady s astonishment at the repast she saw spread before 
 her. Aunt Jerusha had preached all her life that eating 
 and drinking were the two cardinal sins of mankind, 
 especially more food than was required to keep the 
 body alive ; it was eating and drinking that carried Eve 
 to sin and David to stumble in Bible times, and she had 
 said many a time that if the working people would stop 
 eating so much they might lay by something for their 
 old age. 
 
 Amelia took in the situation at a glance, and laughed 
 long and merrily. " Now, you just sit right down in 
 that chair Amelia, and stop laughing ; it isn t a laughing 
 matter, getting people out of their beds at this time of 
 night." 
 
 " Well, Aunt Jerusha, you were not in bed, and I 
 wasn t laughing at that. I was laughing " 
 
 But Jerusha was too smart to let her say what she 
 was laughing at, and interrupted her with these words : 
 " This is the second time I have heard about the tricks 
 of your imagination. Oh, I might have known that my 
 brother John, who was too shiftless to live, and left a 
 poor broken-down widow who was too lazy to work,
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 27 
 
 would bring into the world just such a child as you are, 
 Amelia, to worry the life out of me ; all imagination, and 
 no commonsense. I tell you, Amelia, there is no such 
 thing as raps ; it s only what the rats make, and the 
 weather shrinking up boards." 
 
 "But, aunt, can the rats move furniture, and the 
 boards write ? Who taught rats how to spell ?" 
 
 " Oh, good Lord, and good devil ; what is the world 
 coming to ? You need catnip tea, Amelia, for your 
 stomach is upset ; and all such notions come from a bad 
 stomach and diseased liver. I ll get down my herb bag, 
 and fix you a dose to-morrow, that I will risk you hear 
 ing any more raps. Oh, if people would only keep 
 their blood pure, and do hard work, they couldn t go a 
 sneaking round after spooks to take up their attention ; 
 and after you ve taken a dose, you just let me know if 
 you hear any more raps, and I will settle em mighty 
 quick." 
 
 " Why, Aunt Jerusha, they ve got so they can write, 
 and it s my father, your own brother!" 
 
 " My brother, John W. Bigelow, is in heaven ; 
 and if he didn t have any paper, which I s pose 
 he wouldn t, being shiftless, he would go to some 
 of those old saints, Jacob or Solomon, or John 
 or Matthew, and get some paper and send it 
 through the U. S. mail, as he should ; and you go 
 right straight back to bed while I go out to the kitchen 
 to see if Mary or Sam are chasing around spirits, and 
 settle the question, that this house ain t agoing to be 
 turned into any graveyard business." And Jerusha 
 started on her errand, while Amelia tripped upstairs
 
 28 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 more determined than ever to " try the spirits," to see if 
 
 they be of God, as the Bible commands. 
 
 * * 
 
 " You say you are surprised, Leland, that George is 
 going to be married ; now, I d like to know the reason 
 why?" 
 
 41 Oh, you misunderstand me, Jackson ; I am not 
 surprised that he is going to be married, but am sur 
 prised at the person he has selected." 
 
 41 What fault can you find with Grace Rowland ? 
 she seems the perfection of female lovliness." 
 
 41 But, I believe she is not the one for George ! He 
 is merely carried away by his passion and fancy ; and 
 you know it, Jack ! " 
 
 44 Well, what if he is, Lee ? I say, that a man in this 
 world is entitled to the charm of the gratification of his 
 senses ; and you pessimists who see life all wrong should 
 never allow your minds to reflect your ideas, at least upon 
 those of younger date." 
 
 44 I can see no happy future for him, Jack, in 
 a marriage of this kind ; your nephew is not like 
 you in every respect ; he, at least, realizes at 
 times the demands of his higher nature, and in the 
 future he will realize it more ; and after awhile his soul 
 will cry out for more food and light a demand as 
 imperative as a physical want and if nature has not 
 given this young lady the supply, it is not her fault 
 they are simply mismated." 
 
 44 Oh, bosh, Leland ; you speak as though you could 
 read the future, like the prophets of old, and they were 
 a set of old humbugs, as there is no such gift as
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 29 
 
 prophecy ; if this marriage, after a trial of years, proves 
 a failure, Leland, let them dissolve it ! I am a social 
 reformer, if not a religious one ; marriage is a civil con 
 tract like any other, and should be broken when the 
 conditions are found to be unfavorable to success ; I do 
 not believe in two human beings living in hades to please 
 one s neighbors ; they are never grateful enough for 
 such a sacrifice." 
 
 " You shock me, Jack ! You don t seem to take into 
 consideration that children are usually the result of 
 marriage, and what is one to do in such cases ?" 
 
 " Well, I would say, Lee, because there is some fruit 
 on the tree, I would not let the tree die, even if the fruit 
 had to ripen elsewhere and in sunshine ; for I can assure 
 you that it has been my observation that there is mighty 
 little sunshine in an unhappy home when the father and 
 mother are constantly quarreling. If you should see 
 two commercial men carrying out a contract that ceased 
 to be of mutual interest, you would say they were fools, 
 and the idea that marriages are made in heaven was 
 exploded years ago, or should be. If the God whom the 
 Christians believe in (which I don t), is allowing that 
 kind of business to be contracted up there in heaven, it 
 is time there was a petition sent up to the overruling 
 Providence to call a stop against all such proceedings. 
 I tell you, Leland, that marriage is a civil contract ; 
 but we will go back to the case of the children, for that 
 is the bone the social dog won t let go of. Don t you 
 see any other sad cases in life in regard to children ? 
 For instance, when a father has reared them in luxury, 
 and by a failure leaves them penniless. One of the
 
 30 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 most distressing instances I ever witnessed was the 
 children of an old classmate of mine, who had received 
 education and everything else that the world can offer, 
 working in one of our large factories, and the worst of 
 it was, it was impossible to take them from the position 
 that they were unfitted for, and place them among a 
 class of people that they were fitted to associate with 
 without the requisite amount of money to do it with. Is 
 it not a pleasant sight to count the orphans in our large 
 cities of young and tender age? The ship that goes out 
 to sea and sinks is not the one that we are looking for, 
 but the one that comes into port prosperous and success 
 ful ; disaster is disaster, and a failure is a failure. I 
 don t believe in going into marriage or business with the 
 idea it is going to be a failure ; but if it comes, look at 
 it as you would the ship sent out which could not stand 
 the storm, but put out to sea with as good intentions as 
 its sister ship, which arrived in port with no marks of 
 being weather-beaten ; society calls it lost, because a sail 
 is missing or a spar broken, but I say no, for I see in nature 
 an effort to repair all damages, and nature is a good 
 enough God forme." 
 
 " Your remarks move and impress me deeply, Jack 
 son, but it is a strange argument to come from a mate 
 rialist who depends so much upon the world for happi 
 ness ; for when a man or woman is socially dead, if they 
 are of the world worldly, they might as well be in body." 
 
 " Call me what you may, Lee, I say this that hap 
 piness is the materialist s creed, and I have heard you say 
 money is his God, and when we are wise enough to hold 
 on to our God and work for our happiness, we can snap
 
 UNDER BL UE SKIES. 3 1 
 
 our fingers at the world, which soon forgets your mis 
 takes if you can cover them over with the velvet mantle 
 of plenty." 
 
 "Well, you know, Jack, we can never agree on these 
 subjects ; for you live only in the present, and I almost 
 entirely in the future. I wish, however, that George 
 had been attracted to Miss Grace s friend, Marian 
 Stanton, for there would have been a woman who could 
 hold in happy equipoise such a strong nature as George 
 possesses." 
 
 So opposite were these two friends, that one only 
 smoked over the conversation in happy, physical con 
 tent, while the other, a poet and dreamer, saw far 
 
 beyond the present years, into the great limitless future. 
 
 * * 
 * 
 
 There are many persons who enjoy reading the 
 details of a courtship ; but that of George and Grace 
 did not vary enough from the old, old story, to make it 
 at all interesting to our readers ; for we all know that 
 the participants always believe that it is love love that 
 makes the wheels go round. So it was not so great an 
 event as one would at first imagine, to see the light and 
 airy form of George Burleigh s wife flit in and out of the 
 grand rooms, as the beautiful autumn days glided by. 
 Aunt Jerusha called her the "wax doll," and said she 
 did not trouble her any, as she never played with 
 dolls in her childhood, and she should surely let the 
 delicate, shaky things alone at her time of life, for fear 
 there would be a smash-up. Amelia, Sam and Mary, 
 however, thought no angel from heaven could be more 
 loving and beautiful. No one seemed to tire of her,
 
 32 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 except George himself. His was a nature that craved 
 variety ; and no matter how beautiful the melody in his 
 heart, if one constantly struck the same chords, it 
 wearied him beyond expression. 
 
 Summer rolled on and they were arranging to move 
 to their city quarters, much to Aunt Jerusha s delight ; 
 but to the sorrow of pretty Amelia who thereby lost a 
 friend and a companion. As the carriages rolled away 
 and night settled down, Jerusha looked out of the 
 window and remarked : "What a stinging cold night it 
 is ! and how those windows shake and the maples bend." 
 
 " I think it s awful lonesome," said Amelia, " and 
 some nuts, apples and cider would taste good and 
 wouldn t hurt us a bit ; would it, Aunt Jerusha? " Now 
 Jerusha was on the point of commencing one of her 
 accustomed lectures upon the sins of eating and drink 
 ing, when she remembered the interview with Amelia 
 on the night of the raps, and said under her breath, 
 " verily, my sin has found me out." 
 
 * * 
 
 * 
 
 We are very often disturbed in our most comfortable 
 moments, and it was not an agreeable visitor that 
 Jerusha saw standing in her door when she had buried 
 herself deep down in her feather bed. She had her own 
 original ideas about sleeping ; she said people had got 
 to sleep on or in and those two words settled the ques 
 tion. She, herself, preferred to sleep in a feather bed ; 
 but there were city people who wanted to sleep on a 
 mattress, and some had to move around to get rested 
 and others wished to lie perfectly still, but if they got 
 into the wrong bed and got no rest, they might as well
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 33 
 
 sit up in a chair. So it was not a welcome visitor when 
 she saw the lovely face of little Amelia and heard the 
 sweet voice breaking the darkness and gloom: "You 
 know you said, Aunt Jerusha, that whenever I heard 
 those raps again you would come up to myroom and if 
 they were ghosts you could make them mind ; so come 
 quick, because they are there now ! " 
 
 Jerusha felt every hair rise on her head with holy 
 indignation ; why couldn t they come at a reasonable 
 hour? Why were they poking around in the daikness, 
 if they meant good and were intelligert people? She 
 would get up and just let whatever it was know that she 
 wasn t afraid, and could master the situation, h o 
 hastily dressing, not even laying aside her night cap, 
 which had a deep frilled ruffle that her great grand 
 mother wore and which made her look like one of the 
 goblins of old, she pinned around her shoulders her red 
 flannel petticoat, and walked stately and slowly into 
 Amelia s room. 
 
 Rap, rap, rap, as she entered the door ; rap, rap, rap, 
 as Amelia approached the bed, and it rose a few inches 
 in the air. " Don t you go near that bedstead, Amelia 
 Bigelow ! You jest put on your shoes and stockings, 
 and pin that flannel shawl around you, and come and 
 stand by me, and we ll see if there ll be any raps and 
 snaps." But as the raps grew louder and louder, 
 Jerusha said, It may be the devil ! aud you don t 
 know but he may be cracking your joints to help him 
 along with the bedstead." For she had read more than 
 she would acknowledge to herself or others ; there 
 were girls by the name of Fox or Foxes, she did not
 
 34 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 remember which, in whom the devil had cracked every 
 joint in their bodies to produce raps, and those girls had 
 died from the effects of the devil s workings, and she 
 didn t intend to have her niece used likewise. " I com 
 mand you to stop\ " said she, in a loud, masculine voice; 
 but no, the bed arose again, then in a higher key, " put 
 your legs down onto the floor !" then the bed moved 
 across the room toward them "Oh, good Lord and 
 good devil ! Stop, I say ! " 
 
 " Why, Aunt Jerusha, why do you pray to both ? It 
 can t be both, you know !" 
 
 " Well, Amelia, I am bound to be on the safe side, 
 as I see as much of the devil s works as I do of the 
 Lord s, and I am not so sure which will beat at last, so 
 I continue to say good Lord or good devil, stop moving 
 that bedstead ! " But it still refused to obey. 
 
 "Why, aunt, it is not the devil, it is father, your own 
 brother !" 
 
 " How do you know, you simpleton ; does that piece 
 of furniture look like my dear, departed brother? Oh, 
 that I should ever live to see the furniture of Burleigh 
 Place cutting up such antics !" 
 
 " I told Sam and Mary about it, and how hard I had to 
 work to get a word spelled out, and Sam, he " 
 
 "Stop !" said Jerusha, " I know the rest. That long- 
 legged, long-headed Yankee has invented a machine to 
 help along the work of the devil ! I wouldn t wonder, 
 Amelia, if he had a scheme to get this house the name 
 of being haunted, and save up his wages, and buy it for 
 little or nothing, but I ll outwit that plan ; so you come 
 down stairs and sleep on the lounge in my room, and
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 35 
 
 to-morrow we ll take that bedstead down, and I will get 
 some lye soap and ashes, good lye soap, and we ll scour 
 and scrub, and see if the devil will do any more lying 
 on it, or in it," and she bounced down to her good, warm 
 feather bed. 
 
 The next morning Amelia walked shyly into her aunt s 
 sitting room, holding her hand behind her, in which 
 she held a letter. " Here it is, Aunt Jerusha ! you see 
 they wouldn t stop rapping until I got Sam s machine 
 to write for them, and papa has written this to you." 
 
 "Amelia Bigelow, I wouldn t read that letter for fifty 
 dollars ; put it in the fire, you are bewitched ! You go 
 at once and tell Parson Wilder to come up here, and 
 we ll have prayers, for when folks can t run their own 
 house, it s time for them. I was afraid those ungodly 
 city folks would leave the devil behind them for me to 
 rout out after they were gone, and I shall do it, if there 
 is any virtue in good orthodox prayers, for Parson 
 Wilder preached only last Sunday that God s struggle 
 with the devil was a fearful one, and it needed all the 
 Christian grace the church could command, not to have 
 
 him overthrown by the evil one at last." 
 
 * * 
 * 
 
 Philosophers have theorized days, weeks and months 
 where the idea of sheol or hades first originated in the 
 brain of man, as we look over the vast history of religious 
 thought. If they wish to know where to locate the place in 
 our modern times, I would call their attention to a small 
 family hotel, or a fashionable boarding house in that 
 quarter of a city where are supposed to dwell the exclu 
 sive blue-bloods of fashionable life.
 
 It UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 When our party from Burleigh Place arrived in 
 that renowned city called the modern Athens of 
 America, they at once arranged to locate in a back 
 bay hotel, to enjoy the advantages of the city, 
 which is noted all over the world for its cul 
 ture, its good society, and its great variety of amuse 
 ment and life. As some of the inmates of this hotel 
 have to play an important part in our story, let me pre 
 sent a few characters to the attention of my readers. 
 
 The soft light of a beautiful afternoon falls upon one 
 of the cosiest and most artistic parlors that can be 
 found in any city; every article of furniture seemed made 
 for the room, every nook was filled with an easy chair, 
 and no vase or jardiniere was there for ornament alone 
 but were filled with the choicest of plants and flowers ; 
 an open grate heated the room at the right temperature 
 for all no one could complain it was too hot or too 
 cold for the reason that the proprietor of this back bay 
 "bijou" knew from long years experience that he had 
 the most difficult people in the world to please, a class 
 who indulged themselves in refined luxury, who had 
 good breeding and sound judgment enough to know 
 that the proprietor of a hotel had more than one person 
 to please, and that the happy medium was always the 
 one to choose to be sure of success. The colors of the 
 upholstery were of those neutral tints, so well adapted 
 to be the back ground for the dress of the lady inmates, 
 and not of those gaudy tints which many times ruin the 
 effect of the loveliest costume. 
 
 The afternoon that our friends, Senator Burleigh and 
 family arrived, the parlor was occupied by our old friend,
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 37 
 
 Marian Stanton and her mother, Mrs. Fred. Fay, a noted 
 beauty and society leader, Dr. William Fay, her uncle, 
 Mrs. Dumont Hale, an ancient society lady, a woman and 
 a little golden-haired child whom no one knew or could 
 place, and the polished roue, Sir Wallace Reynolds, whom 
 the Boston elite had welcomed with open arms and 
 placed at the head of their most exclusive circles. 
 
 Mrs. Fay rushed to the window at the sound of the 
 wheels, for she was a woman who allowed nothing to 
 escape her. "Ah! we are to have fresh arrivals," but 
 the news did not seem to arouse the others sufficiently 
 for them to leave their easy chairs, with the exception of 
 Sir Wallace, who walked leisurely to the window. 
 " Deuced fine looking people !" he drawled, " I wonder 
 who they are ?" 
 
 " I just wish I knew this very moment, for I am dying 
 of ennui," and Beatrice Fay turned from the window 
 with a shrug of her pretty shoulders. If an amateur artist 
 was painting this lady s portrait, he might make the mis 
 take of sketching hastily her outline and filling in here 
 and there the varying shades that make up a painting, 
 but not so with a veteran of the brush. He would say, 
 " here is a person one must study carefully;" he would 
 know that she was a thorough woman of the world, and 
 all about her so studied that in order to produce a cor 
 rect likeness one would have to study details. 
 
 Beatrice Fay, unlike some prudish women in the 
 fashionable world, knew that after a lady had passed her 
 thirtieth year, nature, no matter how much one might 
 coax and cajole her, would not come to a woman s 
 rescue. That dear old dame might paint the blush on
 
 38 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 the cheek of the maid of sixteen, and might throw the 
 Sparkle of the diamond into her eye might be a little 
 more kind and quicken the elastic step in a girl of 
 twenty, but, alas ! for the woman, a little passe, who is 
 dreading her forties. So well did Mrs. Fay know how 
 to blend art with nature to procure the charms of youth 
 that she was actually hated by a much younger class of 
 women who walked beside her in the flowery but thorny 
 path of fashionable life ; how sweetly they would flatter 
 her to her face, but how bitterly they would talk about 
 her behind her back. This she very well knew and she 
 cared no more about it then she did for a soiled glove 
 which she threw away from her in disgust. If more 
 bitter than usual, she defeated its effect by praising their 
 virtues to her gentlemen friends, and held up those 
 very women to their ridicule, thus punishing them for 
 pricking her charms with the sharp needle of envy and 
 jealousy. She was never seen dressed in a manner that 
 did not fit the occasion, because she never allowed the 
 world to upset her plans ; if she came down dressed for 
 the street and was urged to remain within on account of 
 an approaching storm, she went out just the same, if only 
 to the corner of the next street, so as to have an excuse 
 to appear again in a charming house dress that was so 
 successfully combined with lace, ribbons and velvet that 
 no one could tell exactly how it was made nor whom 
 the designer, for the eye only caught its beauty and 
 retained its rareness. Her hair was of a decided blonde 
 shade, of a golden tint ; her complexion was pink and 
 white, unchanging by any emotion ; her eye was cold, 
 blue, and glittered like the sapphires she wore so pro-
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 39 
 
 fusely ; her features were perfect and the expression was 
 of that decision that stamped all the other character 
 istics of this woman. There was some subtle magnetism 
 about her that impressed everyone with the strength 
 of her character, no matter how delicate was her 
 appearance. 
 
 It is very strange that some people make the great 
 mistake of thinking that all blondes are of the same 
 disposition, or that all brunettes are ; the soul dons a 
 dark or a light garment, as best suits its environments. 
 For there there could be no greater contrast between 
 two persons than between the beautiful, fair-haired 
 woman, with the little girl by her side, and this beau 
 tiful, fair-haired woman of the world. The strange 
 lady s hair some would call flaxen, but that would be 
 entirely wrong, for the shade depended upon the light, 
 as some rare old painting depends upon the light for its 
 beauty and richness. Her eyes were neither blue nor 
 hazel, but depended for their color upon the emotions 
 of the heart, the same as her hair did upon the light. 
 This fragile little lady was not like the worldly Mrs. Fay, 
 who could control circumstances, for she was controlled 
 by them. Mrs. Fay, who read human nature as she 
 would an open book, saw this peculiarity, and disliked 
 her for it. She had said many times, " What business had 
 such a person to be in the world, especially in the world 
 of fashion, unless they have some masculine protector?" 
 She guarded the secrets of her own life as a miser would 
 his gold, but hated a mystery in others that she could 
 not solve. As the lady and child left the room, and she 
 saw that she had created no interest about the new
 
 40 UNDER BLUE SKIES, 
 
 arrivals, her cold, metallic voice cut the air with the 
 words, "Who is that woman?" 
 
 The effect of her words was like the sharp sting of a 
 riding whip on the nerves of all the inmates of the par 
 lor, the exact effect she wished to produce, for she often 
 said that a sleep.y hotel crowd was not to be tolerated for 
 one moment, and if she could break up the monotony she 
 would every time. There was one, however, whom she 
 feared, because she knew he thoroughly knew her motives 
 and how to manage her, and that was Dr. William Fay, 
 her uncle by marriage, who had been her guardian for a 
 number of years, in fact, ever since her husband s death. 
 It was out of respect to his dead wife, her aunt, that he 
 had any patience with her. Sir Wallace Reynolds should 
 have known her more thoroughly, as they were lovers 
 sub rosa and good friends in society, but his knowledge 
 of her was superficial, like reading the preface of a book, 
 and not knowing its contents. And when Dr. Fay 
 looked in her eyes with cold disdain, and asked, "Why 
 do you wish to know, Beatrice?" she was for a moment 
 thrown off her guard, and could not rally her forces 
 sufficiently to reply, and thus gave him the floor. " Has 
 she not a right here without a published account of her 
 past life ?" he asked. " This hotel is for the convenience 
 of the public, and as long as one behaves themselves it 
 is no one s particular business about their private his 
 tory." This had a good effect upon the others, and 
 Mrs. Fay saw it, but like a general of an army who sees 
 his forces scattered, and knows he must try another 
 tactic, she brought to bear, not her knowledge of life, 
 but her tact, which so few women possess ; smiling
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 4 
 
 sweetly, she said in a low tone, " I only wished to know, 
 as she seems so lovely that one feels like addressing her 
 if one only knew her name." Dr. Fay swallowed the 
 lie because he had to, and turned on his heel to leave the 
 room with the words, " If you feel so concerned you had 
 
 best consult the register !" 
 
 * * 
 
 * 
 
 A few weeks have rolled along rapidly, gathering like 
 a ball of snow the events as they pass along. Those 
 whom we first met in the hotel are still guests there, and 
 all are on friendly terms with Senator Burleigh s family. 
 On this afternoon Mrs. Fay and Sir Wallace are to drive 
 out together, and Mrs. Dumont Hale watching them 
 from the window exclaims, " How well they look 
 together ! Such brilliant beauty as Mrs. Fay has, and Sir 
 Wallace so aristocratic." As all agreed with her she 
 could only sigh and remember that she too was once a 
 beauty and had her aristocratic lovers. 
 
 The conversation of the pair who are enjoying the 
 afternoon drive has so much to do with the characters 
 of those who are to be acquaintances of my readers we 
 will repeat it. 
 
 " I can t see your object, Beatrice," and Sir Wallace 
 pulled hard on the lines of the spirited horses. 
 
 " Of course not ! You men never can see why a 
 woman should have the pleasure your sex enjoys, simply 
 because we are women." 
 
 "But deuce take it, Beatrice ! George Burleigh is a 
 married man, and what if he is unhappy, and you have 
 been shrewd enough to find it out. I can t see your 
 motive, I must confess."
 
 42 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 " Why, it is this, Wallace, for no other reason than to 
 teach him a lesson. He had no business marrying such 
 a woman ; look at his physique and then at this willow- 
 the-wisp. People say she has faded ; of course she has, 
 and she will tire him to death. Men are fools about so 
 many* things ; and, furthermore, I want to be amused!" 
 and she tapped his arm with her beautifully gloved fingers. 
 " I do so admire this young man who carries himself 
 like a lord, and would have had a free and easy life if he 
 hand not done the foolish thing to marry a girl with 
 no body and but very few brains." 
 
 " Don t you think, Beatrice, you are a little jealous ? 
 You see, it is like this : there arrives at our hotel another 
 blonde, and the only beauty which is rare is of the Orien 
 tal type, and that is Marian Stanton s." 
 
 Mrs. Fay s eyes flashed a cold glitter, and she drew a 
 long breath, which wound up with the exclamation, 
 " Ah !" which meant more to her listener than a long 
 string of words. Sir Wallace turned in his seat and 
 caught the expression in her eyes ; he could not read 
 her, but she could him. " What are you thinking of? " 
 he asked uneasily. 
 
 "Just this, Sir Wallace ; don t you make the mistake 
 of your life by falling in love with Marian Stanton." 
 
 " What do you mean ? " 
 
 " Oh, you Englishmen think the world was made 
 for you and that you can have your own way, but 
 let me give you an idea I have no selfish motive 
 either, for I don t want to marry anyone. A woman 
 who has any wit, and money enough to protect her 
 self from the world, and has been married once, ought
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 43 
 
 to know better than play that comedy over again ; 
 but you, who have not had the fetters on, are no doubt 
 anxious to go in harness. While some of your country 
 men from abroad think they have a soft nest in marry 
 ing a wealthy American lady, they are far from knowing 
 what they are about; especially, when they marry one 
 with the peculiarities of Miss Stanton ; she knows too 
 much, and you don t know enough, begging your par 
 don to manage her for a moment ; she is one of those 
 interior persons, that knowledge seems to come to by 
 intuition ; and if she should be unhappy in marriage, 
 she would not only make others around her unhappy, 
 but she would actually sour, and make a man s life 
 wretched whom she once distrusted. You know you 
 are fond of society and its intrigues ; the world 
 and yourself make up the greater part of your existence, 
 and a woman, no matter how beautiful, would soon tire 
 you if she lived a life apart from your own ideas of it. 
 I suppose you will think I don t like her, because I say 
 this, but I admire her more than any other lady in 
 the hotel, but I never feel like lying to her as I do to 
 the others, and you see that is quite a new sensation for 
 me." 
 
 Sir Wallace bit his lip and pulled his moustache 
 in trying to control his anger; for the sons of old 
 England don t like to be told that they don t know all 
 there is worth knowing, even if the lady is very sweet 
 and beautiful who imparts the knowledge to them ; he 
 also felt disturbed as he realized how little hold he had 
 upon the beautiful woman by his side. How blessed is 
 culture ! how refining is the effect of a life of wealth and
 
 44 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 comfort, which would enable one to rise above their 
 surroundings, and master the difficulties they may find 
 themselves in. Both of these persons were wealthy ; 
 one had no heart or conscience to be troubled about, the 
 other had pride and education enough to sustain them 
 anywhere. 
 
 "Well! let us turn the conversation, Beatrice; for 
 by Jove ! you ve thrown a dark cloud over the day, 
 which a short time ago seemed bright and beautiful. 
 I don t know of anything now but a good dinner, with 
 a bottle of Piper Heidsick, and a good Havana cigar, to 
 raise my spirits to where they were a short time ago, 
 and I guess we will dine at the hotel ahead of us, 
 which takes in just such wayfarers as we, and not return 
 to the hotel in town, or its inmates. Truly, Beatrice 
 I see a real pucker in that classic brow of yours ; 
 you ought to know by this time, that I love only you, 
 and all other women amount to but little in my estima 
 tion." 
 
 Mrs. Fay had heard such talk too many times, not 
 to take it for what it was worth, and was thoroughly 
 convinced in her own mind, that Sir Wallace was as 
 much in love as it was possible for a man of his nature 
 to be, and with none other than Miss Stanton ; she 
 well, to give her own inner thought she would amuse 
 herself, as long as she could deceive society ; if not 
 deceive this decaying institution, at least not meet 
 with its condemnation ; she must have a system, and 
 over her wine she had thought out the entire plan. 
 First, she must look around and find a victim to call 
 the attention of the world to, and make it seem that
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 45 
 
 they were doing openly, what she was doing secretly, 
 and with this legerdemain trick the game would be hers; 
 slander would follow of course she knew the world 
 well enough to know that but let this same world be 
 smart enough to find out who was to blame. 
 
 * * 
 * 
 
 Aunt Jerusha was as good as her word and sent for 
 Parson Wilder. On the day of his arrival, she donned 
 her best cap, and she and Mary had taken care that 
 there was plenty of well cooked food in the house ; 
 for while Jerusha had respect for the cloth, she 
 had been heard to say that ministers were like other 
 folks, and liked good victuals as well as the poorest 
 sinner, although she felt that they were free from 
 many of the grosser sins of humanity ; but she, like 
 many others, lived to learn that human nature was about 
 the same, be it priest or layman, king or peasant. This 
 reverend gentleman enjoyed going out occasionally for 
 a good afternoon s visit, if he was quite sure in his 
 mind that he would not be interviewed by any one on the 
 knotty points of theology. This invitation from Bur- 
 leigh Place, would have pleased him not a little, had he 
 not been somewhat worried. Jerusha was a woman of 
 business ; was he getting delinquent in his orthodoxy ? 
 Or was the church slipping behind financially ? Any 
 way, he must go, and he fortified himself by putting his 
 snuff-box into his pocket, fully determined not to be 
 made so uncomfortable as to be obliged to resort to it. 
 But, alas! for good resolutions, they fail the high, as 
 well as the low, and throw one out of gear in the great 
 moral machinery of life which is done by the devil,
 
 46 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 says the church, but by a lack of will, says the humani 
 tarian. 
 
 " How do you do, Elder Wilder," and the hand that 
 grasped his actually made him wince. When she had 
 seated him in the most comfortable chair in the room, 
 she made up her mind he best stay there until she had 
 settled some questions upon things natural and super 
 natural. Why did her sharp grey eyes send out such 
 an electric gleam that Parson Wilder could only think 
 of the cats that witches are supposed to keep by them, 
 and of things uncanny? Yes, he was sure that he was 
 going to feel uncomfortable, and he almost grasped liis 
 snuff-box, a true friend in his troubled moments. 
 
 " Elder, I have belonged to your church for more 
 than forty years ; I mean I joined the church long before 
 you took up the Lord s work; now, I want you to tell me 
 the reason that my prayers are not answered, as, according 
 to my creed, the prayers of the righteous are first con 
 sidered by the Lord of hosts; and, furthermore " and her 
 sharp fingers seemed to point directly to the snuff-box, 
 "Why am I, or this household, or anyone related to me, 
 troubled and made uncomfortable at unseasonable hours 
 by the devil himself?" 
 
 If the -Elder had taken a drop from the church steeple 
 to the ground below he would not have felt more unset 
 tled or broken up out came the snuff-box. Jerusha 
 held up her hands in horror ; her back stiffened more 
 rigidly than usual, and a look of disgust came into her 
 face. 
 
 " Oh ! you take that filthy stuff, do you ? Now, just 
 tell me what for, pray?"
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 47 
 
 " Why why " he stammered ; " I actually feel 
 nervous !" 
 
 " So do / feel nervous, and have felt nervous many 
 times in my life ; but I have found out that we women 
 are expected by men to manage our nerves without the 
 aid of stimulants." 
 
 "But, madam, you have your tea!" and he tapped 
 the lid of the silver-mounted box with emphasis. "We 
 ministers can t go around the parish with a teapot in our 
 pocket." 
 
 Jerusha knew that if she argued the subject, she 
 could get the best of him, but she concluded to drop it, 
 and proceed to business. She graphically detailed to 
 him the events with which our readers are already 
 familiar, and wound up by saying : " Now, what are we 
 to do about it?" 
 
 Preachers, when driven into a corner, many times 
 find it easiest to turn and run, and not argue the ques 
 tion ; but no such escape for this poor man, with Jeru- 
 sha s sharp eye upon him. "Well," said he, deliber 
 ately, after taking a large pinch of snuff; " let us read 
 the letter first, and then we shall know how to pray 
 afterwards." 
 
 " Read the letter!" exclaimed Jerusha; " why, what 
 are you talking about? Don t you know that the Bible 
 strictly forbids Christians holding any communications 
 with the Prince of Darkness ?" 
 
 "Yes, madam ; but this may not be the devil himself 
 but the imagination of a poor, deluded child, who does 
 not understand all the faculties of the human mind." 
 
 "Do I look like a child, Elder Wilder? or am I in
 
 48 UNDER BLUE AAV/i.S. 
 
 my second childhood? I think not!" And as she 
 arose from her chair, her tall, majestic form seemed like 
 some grand old oak. Elder Wilder felt himself grow 
 smaller as her keen, penetrating eyes looked into his. 
 41 1 heard those raps myself, when Amelia was not near 
 the bedstead, or any piece of furniture ! But if your 
 curiosity is so strong, I will go and get the writing, as I 
 presume she didn t burn it, as I told her to do." 
 
 A queer smile stole over the face of the minister at 
 the word " curiosity," as he divined that Jerusha her 
 self had a little curiosity to see the contents of that 
 letter. 
 
 When it was placed in the minister s hands, Jerusha 
 sat back in her chair with a determined look on her 
 face, that she \vould not give way to her emotions, or be 
 deceived by any false reasoning. The letter was not 
 very remarkable, but was most natural, as if the person 
 had been in the body. It simply asked her to buy a 
 cottege near Burleigh Place with the money she had 
 deposited in the bank, giving the amount, saying that his 
 wife was unhappy in the home where she was, and the 
 time would come when all three would need a home, 
 and she would not regret the investment, signing his name 
 as her brother, who still watched over her and was 
 near her. 
 
 Were there springs in Jerusha s chair? She had 
 started up as if bitten by an adder. "What did you 
 read, Elder Wilder? Four thousand and five hundred 
 dollars and fifty-three cents in the bank ! Who told 
 that girl of that? Oh, I am beside myself!" and she 
 walked excitedly to and fro. 4 It is no devil or spirits
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 49 
 
 that s doing this ; it s just the weakness of men those 
 bank clerks. There is no doubt Amelia s mother has 
 worked upon her feelings, and made her think she was 
 unhappy, and made her pry into this matter." 
 
 Elder Wilder was not a little astonished himself, 
 for when they were shingling over the church, Jerusha 
 had refused to help any, saying that she had not 
 laid by what she ought to have done, and as old age 
 approached she would have no home to shingle. 
 " Have you got that amount of money, Miss Bigelow? " 
 inquired the Elder, sternly. 
 
 Jerusha saw what he was driving at, and instantly 
 shingles came up before her like flames of fire " Why, 
 no; of course not," she answered. 
 
 "Sister B., you must not deny what you have in an 
 unguarded moment already admitted. I will go home 
 and pray for you, that your soul may be freed from the 
 sin of covetousness of worldly goods, and I pray that 
 you will bow meekly to the punishment the Lord has 
 sent through this child to purify your soul, and that 
 henceforth you may not keep to yourself what belongs 
 to the Lord God of hosts." 
 
 And without further delay he donned his warm coat, 
 replaced the snuff-box, and as the door closed behind 
 him, Jerusha sat down heavily, as was her custom, in 
 the middle of the room to commune with herself. If 
 more people would do this, perhaps many things which 
 go wrong could be righted ; for conscience, that tor 
 menting angel, sits at the door of the soul, and will not 
 allow other guests to enter until peace is restored in the 
 household ; for anger rose up in Jerusha s mind at the
 
 50 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 minister s rebuke. She, a sinner ! She, a liar ! She, to be 
 prayed for ! Well, that was taking a very different 
 turn in the road, than she had first thought when she 
 started out on this journey of investigation. 
 
 "Amelia! " and once again her sharp voice sounded 
 through those spacious halls. She was angry at the 
 cause of so much mischief, and she was angry with 
 herself; and, as the beautiful child, for she seemed 
 but a child, tripped down the stairs, it was a stern face 
 that greeted her. " I am going out," and the acid in 
 her voice would have turned sweet milk to sour; " I 
 want that large, blue cotton umbrella, that I put away 
 in the attic closet last fall ; none other will do this 
 afternoon for me." 
 
 "Why, it don t storm, Aunt Jerusha," said Amelia. 
 
 " Never mind about that ; there are storms in 
 folks minds, and I can tell you there is one 
 brewing now. When persons pry into things they 
 have no business to know, it ought to rain, and hail, 
 and blow ; in fact, a flood ought to come as it did 
 in Bible times, and sweep every one off." And she 
 looked sharp at Amelia, but the latter did not seem to 
 understand the drift of her words, so Jerusha decided to 
 drop the subject then, and while Amelia was after the 
 umbrella she put on her shawl and bonnet, and when 
 she returned she took it from her as she would a gun 
 and marched away, much to the astonishment of Mary 
 and Sam, as they watched her retreating form from the 
 kitchen window. 
 
 "I should think," drawled Sam, "by the looks of 
 Miss Bigelow s face, there d be a building blown up
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 51 
 
 before night, and / should know who did the deed." 
 It was a singular influence that this New England old 
 maid had upon the minds of the young around her; it 
 sharpened their wits more than any schooling would 
 have done, and it is a character that we see less and 
 less, as the improvements advance and city and country 
 become more united. 
 
 Jerusha proceeded to the village and went at once to 
 the bank. The .treasurer and book keeper were busy. 
 Why cannot the nervous system become so sensitive 
 that when the mind of man receives a shock from the 
 world of matter, the soul be on guard to at least fore 
 warn the mind and thus be fore-armed ? But no good 
 angel spoke to these two unsuspecting men of the storm 
 that was approaching. The first they heard were the 
 following words, loud and clear: "Young man, how 
 dare you tell my niece, Amelia Bigelow, how much 
 money I had in this bank?" and Jerusha brought the 
 umbrella down on the floor with a bang, and shook 
 her bony hand through the window into the face of the 
 object of her wrath and if ever he was glad that there 
 was an obstruction between him and the depositors it 
 was at this very moment. 
 
 "Why, Madam I I " 
 
 " Don t you deny it. I tell you, you have ! or some 
 one has. I have no confidence in a man, where there 
 is a pretty girl, with curls and red cheeks, in the case," 
 and bang, bang, went the umbrella on the floor. 
 
 The bookkeeper, who was not taken so much by sur 
 prise as the treasurer, but felt deeply insulted on behalf 
 of the bank, sprang from his seat and came to the win-
 
 52 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 dow. " Miss Bigelow, you are beside yourself. There 
 is no one connected with this bank who has any object 
 in satisfying the curiosity of anyone in regard to the 
 affairs of the depositors, and it is also strictly against 
 the rules." 
 
 " Of course it is," said she ; but I am not going to be 
 put down by this argument. You told her even to the 
 number of cents. O good Lord, and good devil ! to 
 think that I would have lived to feel I couldn t trust a 
 living soul with anything." 
 
 By this time the treasurer had got wrought up to a 
 high pitch of anger, and hot words followed, when Presi 
 dent Hatch entered the bank. He was formerly the 
 deacon in Jerusha s Church and a good sensible man, 
 calm and collected, and had great admiration for Jerusha s 
 financial ability. He was much astonished, and tried to 
 find out the cause of the trouble, but as both sides 
 insisted upon talking at the same time it was impossible 
 to get any idea of it, and he asked her politely to 
 walk into his private office. Jerusha got quieted down 
 and stated the case ; that the knowledge of how much 
 money she had in the bank had reached her niece s 
 ears, and she was bound to find out the offender. In 
 her excitement she mentioned the letter which she did 
 not intend to do at first. 
 
 President Hatch was a man who reasoned from cause 
 to effect ; he was a man who wanted to know the laws 
 which govern life ; and it was with a great deal of patience 
 that he got at the true cause of Jerusha s troubles. 
 "Why, Miss Bigelow, it is simply spirit phenomena 
 that you have witnessed ; there is nothing about the
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES, 53 
 
 matter that need worry you. I can assure you that no 
 officer in this bank gave any information to your niece, 
 but I believe some spirit, which no doubt was your 
 brother, gave her the information. You know we can 
 not lock spirits out of the bank, and there is a great deal 
 about the occult side of life that we mortals have to learn, 
 and I have given much time and study to the subject;" 
 and a look of inspiration seemed to sweep over his placid 
 face. " Why, when in New York last Fall, Miss Bige- 
 low, I visited a medium and saw my own darling child 
 Nellie, face to face; you know she was all we had, and 
 when we lost her two years ago, all happiness ended for 
 my wife and me," and the man of dollars and figures 
 wiped away the fast gathering tears. 
 
 Jerusha looked at him in the utmost astonishment, and 
 she was heard to say later that she felt as if she had 
 swallowed something, and it had gone down the wrong 
 way, and she knew she would never have got possession 
 of her mind if she hadn t looked steadily at the blue cot 
 ton umbrella. "Can you set there, Deacon Hatch, or 
 once Deacon of the Orthodox Church, and tell me that 
 you went to New York and had a sitting with the prince 
 of darkness ? I think you better give me my money at 
 once, for it is not safe in a bank where the president is 
 becoming crazy, or a soft-brained spiritualist." 
 
 " My dear, Miss Bigelow, just be quiet, and let us, as 
 St. Paul said, reason together. It is my opinion that 
 you had best do as your brother has advised you to do ; 
 take the money from the bank and buy a home which will 
 give protection to one unprotected woman, and may be 
 a shelter for two others later."
 
 54 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 11 1 shan t take it for any such reason, President Hatch, 
 but because I find it is not safe here ;" and she did not 
 deign to talk any more, but watched carefully while they 
 counted out the money, and felt relieved when she heard 
 the snap of the old-fashioned hand-bag and turned on 
 
 her heel and started howewards. 
 
 * * 
 * 
 
 Looking at life from a superficial standpoint it does 
 not seem possible that there could be many radical 
 changes among a class of people who command both 
 influence and money, but as one of our writers has aptly 
 expressed this truth, it will bear repeating: "There is 
 nothing half so certain as the certainty of change." 
 
 George Burleigh was a man who never did anything 
 by halves; if he drank from the cup of physical pleasure, 
 he drained it to its dregs, and if from the cup of sorrow it 
 was the same. This insatiate thirst for the extremes of 
 life is only found among a highly emotional class of per 
 sons, who could be compared to a grand piano, struck by 
 the outside hand of fate until every tone and halftone is 
 touched, until the whole scale of their being is reached, 
 whether it brings harmony or inharmony into their lives. 
 He was fast becoming entangled in a golden web of fate, 
 that like many men before him, and since, will find that 
 the warp and woof is made of a woman s hair, which can 
 be formed into a strong rope used by the hangman of 
 conscience to end that man s moral career. 
 
 Beatrice Fay was amused, more than pleased with 
 her few months venture in the hazy labyrinth of intrigue. 
 " Just think of it !" she would say to herself, " a liason 
 right under the aristocratic nose of society ; and it is
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 55 
 
 making the great mistake of watching a lone widow, 
 whose heart is doubtless like a snowflake, and forgetting 
 the woman who has no heart at all." And Mrs. Fay 
 would laugh until she would think suddenly of wrinkles, 
 when she would stop like a steel trap with a spring, for 
 a wise woman of fashion had once told her, years ago, 
 that emotions of all kinds formed those dreadful crow- 
 tracks around the eyes, and laughter, more than sorrow, 
 ploughed those deep lines around the mouth ; a woman 
 of renowned beauty like her s must be a slave to its 
 preservation, and fame is not any harder to sustain than 
 notoriety of beauty when it is once established in the 
 minds of the people. 
 
 The autumn had passed by, and now it is Christmas 
 eve, and Mrs. Dumont Hale had conceived an idea. 
 That was a rare thing for her, or any one in her circle, 
 for ideas were hard, perplexing things, only fit for men 
 of business and the working classes ; but this dear old 
 lady had one flash into her mind as she was passing an 
 art store on one of the crowded thoroughfares, and saw 
 that a great sale was taking place of some famous paint 
 ings by some foreign artists. Ah, yes, she would go in 
 and buy Beatrice Fay a Christmas present. Not that she 
 was so very fond of her, but she admired her sincerely, 
 and unless she was near this capricious beauty, as a 
 friend, she could not draw around her the class of 
 gentlemen she desired to attract ; for there are both 
 men and women who have said good-bye to sixty and 
 even seventy who cannot forget the habits of their 
 youth, of coquetting with the opposite sex. 
 
 Mrs. Hale was somewhat of a critic of art ; she had
 
 56 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 lived in her younger days with an uncle in New York, 
 who was a fine painter, and he had talked so much 
 about the strong features in his profession, that she used 
 to say to her friends that she had got that art down to a 
 fine point. As her eyes ran over the paintings, through 
 that very clear glass that she held daintily in her hand 
 for this lady did not wear glasses all the time ; she said 
 she would rather make a few mistakes in vision than 
 look hideous to her friends she stopped suddenly 
 before one of the pictures, with an exclamation : " Why, 
 if that don t look like Beatrice herself! " she said to her 
 lady companion, who was too weary to even turn around, 
 but looked at a painting exactly opposite ; " why, I 
 mean the one with the lady in the gondolier ! I do 
 wish I could see the gentleman s face ; yes, it is a strik 
 ing resemblance younger and prettier, of course but 
 that rope of blue flowers the lady is trailing in the 
 water it makes one feel so romantic. What is the name 
 in the catalogue, and who painted it ?" she asked of the 
 obliging clerk. 
 
 "Ah! yes; here it is Under Blue Skies/ by J. 
 Jerome Montaigne, famous in his day died in Italy. 
 There is quite a story connected with this painting. 
 The artist gave it to a friend, a nobleman, who was 
 obliged to sell his pictures to pay his debts ; the scene 
 is in Italy ; the classic face of the beautiful lady, the blue 
 sky, water and flowers, so remind one of summer, that 
 in Boston, where we have so many windy days and so 
 much disagreeable weather, it seems a rare treat to look 
 upon a scene like this." The price was agreed upon, and 
 Mrs. Dumont Hale took her carriage home, feeling she
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 57 
 
 knew a good thing when she saw it ; and she would 
 that very night have Mrs. Fay s maid hang it up, so that 
 on the following morning when the Christmas bells 
 were chiming, beautiful Beatrice s eyes would look upon 
 a fair scene, no matter what the weather was outside. 
 
 Alas ! why is it that some of our best intentions mis 
 carry ? What we are doing for another s pleasure may not 
 only give them pain, but place them in an embarrassing 
 position. Beatrice Fay was sleeping later than usual this 
 Christmas morning. She had awakened early, but could 
 not arouse herself sufficiently to arise, and once more 
 fell back into dreamland and what a vivid dream it was ! 
 She was once more in her girlhood, traveling in Italy, 
 and once more she heard the low baritone voice of her 
 gifted lover, as he sang those old love songs under the 
 blue sky of that glorious summer day, as they gilded 
 over the blue waters together. He was poor put gifted, 
 and she remembered even in this dream how her mer 
 cenary nature was too strong to love this man, for she 
 believed then, as she did to-day, that the greatest mis 
 take of God or nature was to combine gifts with 
 poverty. It is not in dreamland alone, or in one selfish 
 woman s mind, that one sees the power of the intellect, 
 and the advantage it has of raising one above the 
 masses ; but such a person without money is like a 
 diamond coveted, but not to be worn ; once more she 
 seemed to realize the power of this artist s soul, and his 
 love for her, and the little that she could give in return ; 
 she- heard his voice calling her, as he was wont to : " Ice, 
 Ice, where are you ?" as his life seemed to burn brightly 
 and wear itself out with its intensity. There was some
 
 58 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 strange attraction that bound him to this cold American 
 girl that made her more to him than all the world beside. 
 
 And while this beautiful woman of the world is in the 
 land of dreams, let us glance over the ending of this 
 brilliant life. Of course, it is the old story, that he 
 parted from the woman that he loved, married another 
 exactly opposite in temperament, and only lived long 
 enough to bless the little daughter and consign his heart 
 broken wife to the care of his uncle in England. He 
 went out of the life material, which he had outgrown, 
 into the life spiritual, that land of souls, where his aspi 
 rations and desires were not clogged by matter or 
 circumstances, but could move on in the ocean of 
 spirituality, until he would attain all that was possible 
 for the perfection of mankind. 
 
 Beatrice Fay opened those cold blue eyes this Christ 
 mas morning and glanced around the room. How cozy 
 and warm it looked. Her maid had just placed the love 
 liest bouquet of flowers, from some gentleman friend, 
 near her, and the open grate with fire burning so brightly 
 seemed to sparkle like diamonds; her satin slippers of 
 palest blue were placed ready on the fur rug, and you 
 would know by their high arched insteps, of the spirit of 
 the wearer ; the morning wrap was not made any more 
 for beauty than it was for comfort and the ample folds 
 of skirt and sleeves could be wound around the willowy 
 form of its wearer and be pinned here and there with its 
 diamond shield pins, making it fit to perfection. She 
 started upright with an exclamation of astonishment as 
 she perceived the scene she had just been dreaming 
 about, painted and hung upon the wall. As she sprang
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 59 
 
 from her bed and stood before it in her white, downy 
 robe, as pure as the snows of winter, she looked like 
 some fair angel who had strayed by chance into this 
 wicked world of ours, and was not at home here ; but 
 this fair woman was like many a production of life that 
 has an appearance only and no substance. " Jeannette, 
 come here, and tell me where that painting came from !" 
 
 The maid, taken entirely by surprise, dropped the wrap 
 she was warming and hastened to her side. "It is a 
 Christmas gift from Mrs. Dumont Hale. That is her 
 card attached to it !" 
 
 " Oh, that sly old cat !" said Mrs. Fay in an irritated 
 tone; then seeing the look of astonishment on the maid s 
 face, she at once remedied her mistake. "She is a 
 
 lovely lady and did this as a surprise for me, but " 
 
 and she stopped, for her knowledge of life had taught 
 her that she must not reveal the feelings of her heart to 
 anyone, much less to a servant. To not be on guard in 
 society is as dangerous as not to be at one s post in an 
 army, for society is a battle, and one s place therein is 
 more by adroitness than by strength. The dream and 
 the painting had awakened memories of long ago, and 
 had brought her face to face with one of the occult laws 
 of life, for surely that beautiful gift might have produced 
 a beautiful dream, and why? Ah ! Mrs. Fay, and all 
 like followers in this train of thought, when you begin to 
 ask the question why, you begin to grow mentally, and 
 when you attain the proper height, the swaddling clothes 
 of society won t fit you ; so take my advice, if you want 
 to be easy and at home in that sphere of existence, do 
 not ask too many questions about the spiritual laws of
 
 60 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 the universe. Soon after the breakfast hour, the two 
 ladies met, and what could Mrs. Fay say but " My dear 
 Mrs. Hale, what a lovely gift you have presented to me ! 
 Who was the artist ?" 
 
 "Oh, dear, I have forgotten! it is Montgomery, or 
 Montague, or something. I think you will find it down 
 in the corner of the picture ; they always put them there, 
 and such a beautiful story went with it I have forgotten 
 it ; I ought to have written it down but I bought it, 
 Beatrice, because it looked like you, or as you looked fif 
 teen years ago, but women change so as they grow older. 
 They get yellow and wrinkled, with no expression !" 
 
 Ah, what stabs these dear ladies can give one another 
 in society, but Mrs. Fay, more shrewd than her sisters in 
 this shining path of life, always turned a sharp thrust, 
 like the one just received, by a compliment to the one 
 who gave it, thus gaining an advantage over them. " My 
 dear Mrs. Hale, if I carry my years as gracefully as 
 you do I shall be satisfied, for you are like rare old wine 
 vastly improved by age." And with a " thank you " and 
 a playful tap with her fingers upon the fat hand of the 
 old lady, she slipped out of the room, leaving Mrs. Hale 
 quite happy in the knowledge that she had mellowed and 
 ripened as the years had passed by ; and with a girlish 
 simper she thought to herself that a suitor would be just 
 as ready to pluck an apple if it looked sound, even if it 
 was ready to drop with decay. Beatrice Fay had done 
 a good thing on this Christmas morning, for she had made 
 a woman of society feel young again, and Mrs. Hale did 
 not regret the good round sum she had paid for the 
 painting.
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 61 
 
 The inmates of this fashionable hotel did not progress 
 very rapidly in gaining a history of the widow with 
 the little girl ; they simply read upon the hotel register 
 the name of Mrs. Montaigne and daughter of Boston, 
 and it was rumored that her correspondence bore a 
 foreign postmark, but that did not throw much light 
 upon the case. The little girl was a most remarkable 
 child ; old for her years, and of a beauty that was mar 
 vellous ; her hair was a brilliant gold, her eyes a dark 
 brown, a complexion fair but pale, her features delicate, 
 but a body as strong as a boy s. She was all expression ; 
 mind, soul and body, the perfect trinity of life, were 
 in perfect harmony in her organization; she never ate, 
 slept or lived like other children, but seemed to be con 
 trolled by a higher set of laws. The one great law of 
 her being was that of selection ; she ate only what her 
 nature craved and demanded, and when she could not 
 obtain easily what she desired, she would say to her 
 mamma that she could live on air until she could get 
 some life-food, and what she meant by this was the 
 strongest elements she could extract from fruit, vege 
 tables and animal life, and she looked upon other chil 
 dren with astonishment who ate rich delicacies and 
 sweetmeats, which she said drove the fairies away and 
 gave them only bad dreams. Everyone loved her, but 
 she was very shy of some strangers, and no amount of 
 coaxing would win her to them if she felt repelled, but 
 she would never make them feel uncomfortable about it, 
 but would get away with some excuse, and say to her 
 mother in confidence, - that those people gave her the 
 shivers, and if they touched her she might fall down in
 
 62 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 a fit." She had but little conception of names ; it was 
 only ideas that affected her memory. She was so 
 unlike those disagreeable children one often sees at 
 hotels, who never know when they are wanted, that they 
 used to give her the name " Queen of the Fairies," as 
 she had the faculty of disappearing, and at the right 
 time. Her remarks were always a pleasure and a sur 
 prise, because they were so original, without being 
 pointed. We have been told that bright children were 
 born to die young ; but Mrs. Montaigne believed so 
 thoroughly in the laws of nature and perfect freedom 
 for children, that she allowed her to grow up healthy ; 
 something that mothers fail to do at the present day. 
 While she was the idol of this woman s heart, her love 
 was not a selfish one that could not take in the entire 
 individuality of her child. She never forced Flossie 
 against a natural prompting of her nature. If she 
 wished to go with bare feet along the sands at the sea 
 side, she realized that there might be some demand of 
 the body to draw strength from the earth ; or if she 
 wished to sit down with grown people and learn the 
 truths of life, she allowed her to do so, knowing that 
 these truths must be mastered sometime, and could not 
 be learned too young. 
 
 Of course, such a bright child, who was never checked 
 by ignorance, was quick to observe all that was going on 
 around her, and it was not long before she discovered 
 that there was no sympathy or love between her mamma 
 and Mrs. Fay. This troubled her, for she wanted to 
 know the reason why. One evening as the parlor 
 seemed deserted and Flossie noticed Mrs. Fay stray
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 63 
 
 into the room for a forgotten sheet of music, she stepped 
 to her side and raised those glorious brown eyes and 
 looked fearlessly into the blue ones of the lady who 
 was leaning gracefully against the grand piano. " Mrs. 
 
 , Mrs. ," but alas ! Flossie could not think of 
 
 the name but she had an idea of the woman s nature, 
 and that would have to serve her now " Mrs. Ice, what 
 makes you dislike my mamma?" 
 
 Mrs. Fay turned as if some one had struck her with a 
 whip ; only one person had ever called her " Ice " before, 
 and that person was dead. " What makes you think I 
 do not like your mamma ? " she asked sharply, " and 
 why do you call me Ice ? " 
 
 " Oh, I see it in your eyes, and I feel it when mamma 
 comes into the parlor, that you do not like her ; and 
 why I call you Ice is because you are so smooth, and 
 white, and cold, and so slippery ! " 
 
 " Ha-ha-ha," laughed a voice at the open doorway, 
 and both child and woman turned hastily around and 
 encountered Sir Wallace Reynolds and George Bur- 
 leigh, the latter much the worse from drinking too much 
 wine. " Ah, that s a good name for you, Beatrice slip 
 pery" said Sir Wallace. "Lots of men have slipped 
 up on your cold heart ; my companion here, don t seem 
 able to hold equilibrium on account of you ; but Flos 
 sie, your mamma will be looking for you, so run away 
 quick." The child was very fond of George Burleigh; 
 and even in this roue at times, his good heart would assert 
 itself, and he did not wish to shock the child by allowing 
 her to see the condition of her friend. 
 
 " Why, Sir Wallace Reynolds ! look, that man is
 
 64 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 positively intoxicated, and he is going to sleep there on 
 the sofa. What made you bring him in here? " 
 
 " Well, to tell the truth Beatrice, I had no idea he 
 was so far gone, until I got him into that hot office 
 down below. You see he lost heavily at play, drank 
 too much, and, by Jove! I don t believe in leaving a friend 
 in the lurch, so I got him home soon as possible." 
 
 " What will you do with him now?" asked Mrs. Fay 
 in freezing tones. "Take him up to that baby wife of 
 his and have a domestic scene here in the hotel for 
 excitement? " and with a scornful laugh, she was about 
 to beat a hasty retreat,, when she was stopped by the 
 strong hand of her former lover. 
 
 "Look here, Beatrice; his condition originates from 
 your own slippery nature ; Flossie delineated your 
 character right cold, hard and slippery as ice 
 just the wrong one for a man of the warm, passionate 
 and excitable nature of George Burleigh. Intrigue, 
 gambling and excitement may do for you, who need a 
 strong society tonic, but not for him." 
 
 "You enjoy saying those disagreeable things too 
 much for me to stop you," said Mrs. Fay. 
 
 "Well, Beatrice, he is not himself now, and you and 
 I must get him upstairs into my room ; men are not like 
 women while we stand by one another in trouble, your 
 sex delight in exposing it ! " 
 
 " Well, that may be true, but you men have not the 
 sense and foresight that we have ; and will you take him 
 to your own apartments, and in this manner compromise 
 yourself? You very well know that if by any chance 
 he should be found there, Madam Grundy will say you
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 65 
 
 got him intoxicated in order to rob him ; you know he 
 has lost money gambling, and then you would have the 
 name without the game, while I believe that in this 
 beautiful world of fashion one should have the game 
 and let others have the name." 
 
 " No matter just now about theorizing, Beatrice ; 
 please take hold of one arm, and I will take the other, and 
 we will slip upstairs to my room." She did not dare 
 disobey, for Sir Wallace knew too much of her affairs, 
 and she realized how unsafe was her foothold upon 
 social life, if she had not a true friend in himself; and 
 with more tact than one woman in a thousand, she 
 bowed gracefully, and those three linked together by 
 bands of steel, which were forged in the furnace of sin, 
 slowly mounted the stairs. All was silent in the hotel, 
 but the hearts that beat on, some of them heavily, some 
 of them sorrowfully, a few, very few, happily. 
 
 Human nature is made up of opposite extremes, and 
 a variety of conditions. It was three nights after a 
 grand ball had been given for the pleasure of the most 
 exclusive of the hotel guests, that we find all our Bos 
 ton friends assembled in the parlors ; and to the group 
 we can add our old friend Leland Newell. The latter 
 had returned from a short trip abroad, and this evening 
 he had introduced the subject of occult science. Worn 
 out with the pleasures of life, society s votaries always 
 hail with delight any subject which is new and not of 
 the commonplace order. " Yes, do tell us of the mind 
 and soul ! exclaimed Mrs. Dumont Hale, as she looked 
 up lovingly, at the fine looking single man, who ought 
 to have been married year ago.
 
 66 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 11 What is the matter with doing some mind read 
 ing?" said George Burleigh, who had sobered himself 
 during the last few days, for he felt that the keen eyes 
 of his uncle s friend had taken in his condition, and his 
 silent rebuke saddened and sobered him more than 
 words could have done. 
 
 " I don t know anything about the art" of mind- 
 reading," said Newell, " neither have I seen a mind- 
 reader who could perform this wonder without some 
 spirit out of the body, who had the knowledge of names, 
 places and circumstances to communicate those facts to 
 him. The first thought would seem like mental 
 communication between two persons, but this cannot 
 be accomplished unless one is in a hypnotic trance. I 
 do believe, however, in soul feeling, as well as soul 
 hearing, and seeing. Psychometry, clairaudience and 
 clairvoyance are now quite familiar terms with all occult 
 students." 
 
 "Tell me what you mean by soul feeling," said Dr. 
 Fay. 
 
 "Why simply the inner sense to feel one s soul 
 atmosphere, be they friend or foe, acquaintances or 
 strangers, to know the exact motives of one s actions 
 and characteristics, regardless of appearances or the 
 world s criticisms." 
 
 "Well ! I do not believe one can tell anything about 
 another," said Mrs. Fay, "only as they have a better 
 knowledge of human nature than other persons less 
 keen. 
 
 " Well, I have just arrived from Europe, Madam, 
 and my friends can assure you, I am acquainted with
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 67 
 
 but few in this room, and never have seen before some 
 of its inmates, still I know them well ; take this child 
 for instance; come here little one," and Flossie walked 
 up and placed her hand in his with perfect trust. " She 
 was not born in this country, but under the blue skies 
 of a foreign land ; her father must have been an 
 artist for she has the soul conceptions of life, 
 and her mother was a woman of a retiring, loving 
 disposition, who has seen much in life to sadden and 
 subdue her, but this gives the little one harmony, for 
 love is always harmony. She is not only an artist by 
 nature, but she has a large soul by right of birth, plac 
 ing her apart and unlike her playmates ; yes, under blue 
 skies were you born, little girl, and under skies will you 
 live ; shedding happiness and music upon all around 
 you." 
 
 " Why, is not that singular? Under Blue Skies is 
 the name of that painting I gave you, my dear;" and 
 Mrs. Hale touched Mrs. Fay s arm with her hand. 
 
 " He read your mind sure, Mrs. Hale ! " said Senator 
 Burleigh, laughing heartily. 
 
 " Mrs. Montaigne," asked Marian Stanton, "do tell us 
 if this seer and prophet has read aright the life of your 
 little girl ; was her father an artist, and was she born 
 abroad ?" 
 
 "All he has said is true she replied, in a low voice ; 
 and there seemed to rest a hush on the inmates of the 
 room a condition that made Sir Wallace feel very 
 uncomfortable, and to break it, he addressed Mrs. 
 Fay : 
 
 "I think that as the subject has been introduced of
 
 68 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 artists paintings, names, etc., etc., you ought to show 
 this wonderful picture to us." 
 
 "Oh, never mind," she replied something seemed 
 to stir her feelings against her will, and intuitively she 
 felt that if she got the painting, others might know what 
 she did not care to have them. " Yes, do send a servant 
 for the painting," all exclaimed. Mrs. Fay knew too- 
 well how imperative were the demands of the pleasure- 
 seeking world, especially when their curiosity was once 
 aroused, and one must obey or lose caste with them. So, 
 of course, it was brought into their midst and admired 
 by them all. But dear old lady Hale seemed bound by 
 fate to be an evil genius to Beatrice, and through this 
 very painting. " Yes, here it is, my dear ! I told you 
 so. The name is in the corner J. G. Montaigne." 
 
 At the mention of the name, Mrs. Montaigne came 
 hastily forward, looking so white and startled that all 
 looked at her in astonishment, and one after another fell 
 back, until she alonestood before the painting. She seemed 
 to shake like an aspen leaf, as she moaned the words : 
 "Yes, it is his Jerome Gerard Montaigne, my husband!" 
 and, at these words, another face blanched, and Mrs. 
 Fay came close beside the woman whose head was bowed 
 in sorrow. " Jerome Gerard ? I knew him," she said, 
 " but the other name " 
 
 " He took that later, madam, for property con 
 siderations, which now support wife and child. 
 This picture has cleared up a mystery for me," 
 and the words were almost a sob. "But, oh! to love 
 
 such " and she stopped. The eyes of both women 
 
 met the sweetheart of the dead artist and his wife
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 69 
 
 one as cold as ice, and as hard ; the other as warm and 
 soft as the Italian skies his hand had so beautifully 
 painted ; sorrow in the heart of one, but in the heart 
 of the other, hate for the wife of Jerome Gerard. Why, 
 she herself could not have told. She had robbed her 
 of nothing she wanted, but the inconsistency of the 
 human heart is incomprehensible. 
 
 * * 
 * 
 
 Spring had arrived ; and Jerusha Bigelow had been 
 talking over the subject of house-cleaning with Amelia, 
 in her own cozy sitting room ; there were two things 
 she never allowed herself to pass over lightly, and they 
 were a thorough cleansing of the blood in the spring, 
 and the cleaning of the entire house. " Just the same," 
 she would say, " as the house collects the dirt in the 
 winter, by not observing the usual activity of broom, 
 mop, and free circulation of air through the rooms, so 
 will the human system get clogged by impurities de 
 rived from a variety of sources." Mary, Samuel and 
 Amelia, would always protest when Jerusha marched 
 into the kitchen with her old-fashioned tonic which she 
 brewed herself, which was bitter as the gall of bitter 
 ness; they would declare that their blood was all right, 
 and that they were not sick. " Of course you are not 
 now," she would reply, " and neither do I intend to have 
 you ; a stitch in time saves nine, and its easier to keep 
 from being sick, than to get well when you are. Those 
 old Indians who got this country first, before doctors 
 got a monopoly of the human system , knew where 
 to go for their medicines, as Mother Nature told them, 
 and I don t wonder those red men had rather die and
 
 ?o UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 go to their happy hunting grounds than fall into the 
 hands of the doctors, ministers and lawyers." This was 
 always said in a tone which gave those three innocent 
 young people the impression, that if they did not take 
 Aunt Jerusha s tonic, they would also fall into the hands 
 of these arch fiends to the Indian race. " Yes/ she 
 would say, putting the bottle down so heavily that Mary 
 expected the bottom was cracked, and would glance 
 with dismay at her clean white floor ; "first, the doctor, 
 then the minister, then the lawyer, and you are used up 
 body, soul and money, by the time these three men have 
 got through with you." But the tonic was swallowed, 
 and Sam took his revenge by throwing stones at the 
 colt, making it kick the calf, and Mary stepped around 
 more lively, and Amelia slipped into the pantry for a 
 teaspoonful of sauce. The remark Jerusha made in 
 regard to ministers was not her usual leniency toward 
 that profession, but she had not felt kindly toward them, 
 since that stern rebuke given her by Elder Wilder. True, 
 she was in the fault, no doubt, for her inner conscious 
 ness told her so, but all the more keenly does one feel 
 the fault when the sin has been discovered. It is true, 
 that sin never seems real to us until it has become 
 publicly known. 
 
 On this particular April evening she sat reading Senator 
 Burleigh s last letter, and one from Mrs. George Bur- 
 leigh ; as she put them into the bag at her side, she 
 startled Amelia from her dreams by exclaiming in a high 
 voice : " These city folks have an easy time of it the 
 whole year round." 
 
 " Why so, Aunt Jerusha ? "
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 71 
 
 " Oh, they amuse themselves all winter long, and then 
 come to the country, as George s wife says, when the 
 fruit trees are in blossom and all nature is in bloom ; of 
 course that is poetry, but Senator Burleigh puts it in a 
 sensible way when he says, after house cleaning is 
 done. " 
 
 " Well, I wouldn t change places with them anyway, 
 said Amelia, " as they are always sick or in trouble, 
 and don t know how to enjoy themselves." 
 
 " Well, you can talk that way, now you are young, 
 and can go winters to all the kitchen junkets, shindigs, 
 singing schools and kissing parties, but you wait until 
 your knees are rheumatic, and you will feel then that to 
 burrough up like a bear is rather lonesome business in 
 the winter time." In vain had Amelia reasoned with 
 Jerusha, that they did not have "junkets" and "shin 
 digs" nowadays, but "hops" and "whist parties," 
 same as they did in cities ; her only reply was, " I 
 guess I know what I am talking about." 
 
 " I have an impression," said this smiling little maid, 
 "that George Burleigh s wife is not happy." 
 
 "Now, Amelia, don t use that word again in 
 my hearing. I was reading a short time ago, 
 that they had been showing spirits in New York 
 City, and it said it all started from a young girl 
 first getting impressions ; and I remember when I 
 was at the bank" and Jerusha stopped suddenly ; it 
 was not a pleasant remembrance, her experience at the 
 bank, and generally people do not like to recall 
 unpleasant memories ; and also she felt she might disclose 
 her secret.
 
 72 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 " Why, what were you doing there, aunt ?" 
 
 " Oh, nothing ! I was going by the bank, I mean, and I 
 heard afterwards, that someone connected with that 
 bank had impressions about my own business matters ; 
 and the president himself had been seeing spirits and 
 having his impressions, and I am prejudiced against the 
 word, Amelia, and if I catch any more people having 
 impressions about my affairs, I will see about it," and 
 the needles flew faster and faster in her spry fingers. 
 
 This avoiding answering a question, and telling what 
 would seem a " white lie," was a habit she had formed 
 of keeping her business to herself ; persons would ask 
 questions and direct ones too, about other peoples 
 affairs. " The Lord only knows, I wish there was a 
 law against it," she would say. " Why don t the people 
 see, that if you wanted them to know your business, 
 you would tell them of it yourself ; and they never want 
 to know for any good, I don t believe." 
 
 As these thoughts were passing through Jerusha s 
 brain, she heard a scampering of feet, and an 
 unusual noise which she could not understand ; 
 and soon Mary came bounding into the room 
 with the words : " Oh, Miss Bigelow and Miss 
 Amelia ! a chair walked right across the room, and 
 got up and sat right on top of the brass kettle 
 I had just scoured to put in the boiled cider and 
 sweet apples for sass. I was scared most to death ! 
 and Sam said someone pulled his hair." Jerusha took 
 one look at her, folded up her knitting, and proceeded 
 to the kitchen followed by Amelia and Mary ; she was 
 getting used to this phenomena, and concluded she had
 
 , UNDER BLUE SKIES. 73 
 
 better use her reason, and not resort to prayer. There 
 was the chair balanced on the kettle, and Sam squinting 
 at it as if calculating how long it would stay there. 
 Jerusha caught the expression, and jumped at a con 
 clusion as most people do when beginning to investi 
 gate spirit phenonoma. "Who taught you that trick, 
 Samuel B. Knowles ?" 
 
 " No one, marm ; I jest wish I knew how it was done. 
 I d make a spec out of it. I never saw the like 
 before. When I went down to the village to see that man 
 take live chickens out of his hat I knew where they came 
 from, for I furnished them, and he gave the trick away. 
 I can do it as well as he can. Oh, you ought to seen 
 her skip," said Sam. 
 
 " Why do you do call it a she?" asked Jerusha who 
 was trying to find someone or something at fault. It 
 is astonishing how zealously some persons will go to 
 work to find fraud, so as to have the satisfaction of say 
 ing " I told you so." 
 
 " Wai, I call it a she because women are always 
 sitting down on someone or something, and there she 
 sits on that brass kettle like a bug on a potato vine." 
 
 " If it is done by anyone who knows anything it will 
 obey when spoken to," said Jerusha, and she extended 
 her long, bony finger toward it saying, "Getofffrom that 
 kettle, instantly !" No quicker were the words uttered, 
 than the chair jumped lightly on to the floor, much to 
 Jerusha s astonishment. " It don t make any difference 
 to me," she said, " whether it is he, she, it, or the baby ! 
 I don t like the didoes it cuts up ; and you just give an 
 extra scrub to the kettle, Mary, and you go to bed,
 
 74 UNDER BLUE SKIES. " 
 
 Samuel Knowles, with your red-head, and I believe 
 things will quiet down ; " and she marched Amelia back 
 to the sitting room. 
 
 Sam had no idea of going to bed; he was speculating 
 about how things could move without the aid of visible 
 hands, by some power imparted to the articles; and if 
 they were simply folks, as Amelia said they were, why 
 couldn t he, in the body, make an invention, to move 
 matter by applying some force in nature undiscovered ? 
 It is a fact, that it is first through these spiritual 
 agencies, which have attracted the attention of minds 
 here in this world, that have led to some of the finest 
 results in the field of science. 
 
 Mary scrubbed with renewed vigor the old fashioned 
 brass kettle, which was supposed to be the proper utensil 
 to use for various articles of food. How could Jerusha 
 have her hulled corn, her hominy, her boiled cider apple 
 sauce without this kettle? She was wont to say, a good 
 thing is a good thing, and no use trying experiments 
 with every new fangled notion that came along, 
 especially, if it had anything to do with the stomach ; for, 
 she said, if people would eat more as they used to do, 
 they wouldn t have to have a calf killed every year to 
 make pepsin for their stomachs, and send to France for 
 more, for she had been told on good authority that 
 rich people didn t have any stomachs at all, only an 
 excuse for one. 
 
 Patter, patter fell the rain, and now and then a low 
 rumble, and a bright flash of light shot across the room ; 
 it was not a real thunder storm, but one of those wild, 
 disagreeable storms, that leave an unpleasant impression
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 75 
 
 on the mind. Jerusha had not been slow to investigate 
 so far as was within her reach, all upon the subject of 
 spiritualism, and it had about upset all her old religi 
 ous theories. In those long winter months, she had read 
 much, and thought more than most people upon the 
 subject, and now as the needles flew in and out, she 
 broke the silence with the words, " I have settled it ; it is 
 all electricity !" 
 
 " Yes, of course, it is in a certain way, aunt!" Amelia 
 seemed to read her thoughts, " and those out of the body 
 used refined electricity, which is human magnetism, to 
 reach us." 
 
 " Well, how do you know so much, Amelia Bigelow ?" 
 
 "They told me so one night." 
 
 " Oh, good Lord, and good devil ! then they told 
 you a falsehood, and / will tell you the truth. There 
 are no spirits about it. Sam s red hair is just full of that 
 kind of fluid; I have seen it, and to-night the air is full 
 of it, too, and it formed a battery on that old brass kettle 
 and drew the chair right up there." 
 
 This was too deep an argument for little Amelia s 
 head, and she wished she could fly upstairs and consult 
 the spirits how to reply to these ideas, but she concluded 
 to let it rest and call her attention to something else, 
 which was nearer her heart. " O, Aunt Jerusha, I wish 
 I had a home of my own, for poor mamma is so afraid 
 in a storm, which makes her sick; and those people 
 where she lives only laugh at her," and tears filled the 
 beautiful, brown eyes of the girl. " I will earn money, 
 some day," she said with energy, "for I am going to 
 lecture on spiritualism !"
 
 76 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 "Hoity-toity!" said Jerusha, dropping her stocking 
 and looking sharply at Amelia. " Well, you will never 
 get a home that way, and you will starve, besides. You 
 like good victuals too well for that. Why, Nancy Ann 
 Jones told me, only last week, that her husband s first 
 wife s brother-in-law s cousin, Jane Smith Jones Perkins, 
 just like to died travelling around for those people called 
 Spiritualists. She said that they got itinto their heads, 
 that because people were mediums they did not need 
 anything to eat ; and one place Jane Smith Jones Per 
 kins went to, they only gave her a slice of dry bread 
 and a cucumber cut up into some weak vinegar, and the 
 next morning some sloppy oatmeal, with a tablespoonful 
 of skimmed milk. She said she didn t mind it much 
 before speaking, as she never ate much ; but after she 
 got through (and I think she spoke three times, having 
 a funeral in the forenoon of a twin, who died by being 
 controlled too young by George Washington), the 
 woman where she stopped, said to her : I know you 
 have been fed by the angel world, and don t need any 
 thing to eat ; so, now, let us have a little circle, as I do 
 want to hear from my husband s aunt, and find out if she 
 gave him fits for marrying again, as she said she would 
 do ; and she kept that poor creature up (served her 
 right for being a medium) till 12 o clock." 
 
 This speech was quite a long one for Jerusha, but she 
 delivered it with force and power, emphasizing every 
 point, as she had an object to gain, and that was to 
 settle Amelia from ever going around the country 
 preaching and "circling" for a class of people who did 
 not know enough to take care of the body.
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 77 
 
 It has been said that one s best efforts are many times 
 thrown away, and a good motive turned to ridicule ; for 
 Amelia threw back her sunny head and laughed until she 
 cried : "O, aunt, I can t stop laughing ; it is all so funny, 
 what you have beensaying. That medium must have been 
 dreadfully new in the business, for I would never go 
 through such an experience but once. I would take a 
 hand satchel full of good things to eat in my room when 
 I was hungry. Why, all speakers carry them, and minis 
 ters, too, when they go around preaching. Sam said, 
 one day, when Mary asked him why he carried the 
 Elder s valise so carefully, that stopped here conference- 
 time, that he was afraid of breaking something ; that 
 they always carried fire-water bottled up, so as to start 
 hell agoing at the commencement of the conference ; 
 but, now, I know they probably had a mince-pie, and a 
 pot of beans, or a box of sardines, not knowing where 
 they were going to stop." 
 
 " Amelia Bigelow, don t you let me hear any more of 
 Sam Knowle s blasphemies ! O, what is the world 
 coming to? To think an honest minister is talked about 
 like that ! It is too wicked to think about !" 
 
 "But I ve heard you talk worse than that about 
 mediums.!" 
 
 " O, that is different one is working for the Lord, 
 the other for the devil." 
 
 " Why, how do you know, Aunt Jerusha, which one 
 they are working for?" 
 
 But Jerusha could not answer it any more than the 
 world can to-day, so she proceeded with her argument : 
 
 "If you think you are going to earn money enough to
 
 78 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 buy your mother a home, you ought to read what I did 
 in one of those papers that Nancy Ann Jones loaned me 
 last winter. It was a letter from a medium who had 
 worked for years among them ; he said that he did not 
 expect to have a home (so poorly was he paid) until he 
 got into the spirit-land ; that it was not because Spirit 
 ualists did not have any money, but because they would 
 not spend it for their religion ; and that the poor 
 mediums must starve for the sake of the truth." 
 
 This was, indeed, a clincher, and it drew down the 
 beautiful face of Amelia Bigelow, until she seemed to 
 change from a child to a woman. She had been taught 
 from childhood up, that every spare penny should go to 
 her Sunday-school teacher for the " heathen " far over 
 the sea ; and people were not sent over there to teach 
 them without they had money to be taken care of, and 
 paid for their work, for it was the religion and duty of 
 those left behind to see to it ; and it almost shocked her 
 to think that this new and beautiful doctrine, which the 
 angel world had been teaching her for months past, was 
 not worth a few dollars support from those claiming to 
 be its followers. "Ah!" thought she, on leaving the 
 room, "I will ask my spirits to teach the world to be 
 
 more kind, more true, and more generous." 
 
 * * 
 
 * 
 
 City life has become almost dependant upon life in the 
 country. It is not alone the need of fresh air and pure 
 water, but nature demands a change, especially, among 
 a class of persons whose lives are settled, socially and 
 financially. There is not so much of importance to 
 transpire in the higher walks of life as one would
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 79 
 
 imagine ; they are entirely dependant upon the outside 
 world for pleasure ; their cares are petty their thoughts 
 mostly concern dress, servants, and gossip their minds 
 are narrow, and feelings entirely wanting ; so a change is 
 as necessary to their well being, as money is to persons 
 who are born without it. 
 
 We find our friends whom we left snugly domiciled in 
 the hotel in Boston, now en route for Burleigh Place, in 
 the quaint old town of Burleigh. All, but the quartette 
 of pleasure seekers Mrs. Fay, Mrs. Hale, Sir Wallace and 
 George Burleigh, no country life for them, with its early 
 rising, its monotonous hum of bees on. a long summer 
 day, and its constant talk of birds and flowers ; a 
 fashionable hotel at some very swell watering place was 
 the place for them ; where love is intrigue, pleasure 
 sin, and concealment of what one is doing, a power much 
 sought after by those indulging in fortune s favors ; for 
 the world ought not know what they were about. If it 
 eventually did find out, it would be very disastrous. All 
 were agreed upon this point, but all were not good 
 enough "Masons" to keep each other s secrets. 
 
 It was the last days of June, and there had been a 
 heavy shower, which had beaten off the petals of the fruit 
 tree s blossoms, until the ground seemed like winter 
 again. After one of Jerusha s renowned " teas" where 
 nearly everything upon the table was produced upon the 
 farm our little band of city friends gathered on the broad 
 piazza, to enjoy the cool evening air, and chat about the 
 events of the day ; the shy, little maiden, Amelia, our 
 medium, who thought of every one s comfort before her 
 own, had iced some of Aunt Jerusha s raspberry shrub
 
 8o UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 to carry out to the guests. As she appeared among them, 
 so fresh and sweet, resembling so much the evening 
 primrose, which grew in such profusion about the hedges 
 near them, a look of admiration flitted over all the faces 
 and Leland Newell started as if he had received an elec 
 tric shock. Where had he seen this beautiful girl before ? 
 Surely in some land yes, he now realized that it must 
 be in the realm of soul-life in which his own soul had 
 sought out this rare and precious gem. Here, was his 
 ideal woman at last ; one long sought, and well worth 
 waiting for. All could not help but notice the look of 
 admiration painted upon Amelia s face, as she passed the 
 ruby liquid to the tall, dark stranger ; for she was not 
 taught to conceal her emotions, but to express them as 
 naturaly as a bird would sing in the morning. The 
 fairies must have danced in delight in their beautiful 
 floral glens, as they witnessed this scene of love at 
 first sight ; for such a love is of a nature which leaps 
 over years, or circumstances, motives or barriers, to 
 claim its own. If there were more meetings of conge 
 nial souls, would there not be more harmony in our 
 midst ? 
 
 After Amelia left the group, all began, with one 
 exception, to comment upon her personal grace and fresh, 
 sweet beauty. Leland Newell remained silent, lost in 
 thought. " Oh, she is lovely, mama !" said little Flossie ; 
 "just like a soft velvet rosebud !" " She reminds me of 
 sunshine /" said Marian, "with her bonny, brown curls." 
 
 " She recalls to me my own lost girlhood !" and Mrs. 
 George Burleigh drew a heavy, deep sigh, so sad and 
 intense that all turned to catch its full meaning, and no
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 81 
 
 one was mistaken about its cause. Senator Burleigh 
 tapped his gold-headed cane impatiently upon the floor. 
 Newell walked back and forth nervously, and Marian s 
 large eyes dilated with horror, as once again there rolled 
 before her vision a panoramic view of the future. "I 
 think, mama, there will be a frost, and spoil all the pretty 
 blossoms, it is so cold here !" said Flossie. 
 
 Who can deny the power of the soul in the body to 
 cast an influence, good or evil, happy or sad ? It is 
 conceded by many thoughtful minds, that the souls 
 embodied, who walk beside us in this life, -have more 
 power to mar or benefit us by the power they throw out, 
 than those spirits who have left this earth for another 
 world of action. Senator Burleigh felt that something 
 must be said to break the spell, and he referred to the 
 fact that Miss Bigelow had written him last winter, that 
 this beautiful girl they had been praising so highly, was 
 "possessed of a devil." All started in surprise. "Well, 
 in other words, I mean she is a spiritual medium !" 
 explained the senator. 
 
 " Of course she is !" said Newell, " and a fine one she 
 will be, too, for around her head I see the royal wreath 
 of inspiration ; one of those high, spiritual gifts which 
 makes the world better." 
 
 " Oh, nonsense, Newell !" exclaimed the senator, " I 
 shall believe when I hear, see, feel and touch a spirit, and 
 not until then. I do not understand why I have no 
 consciousness of a soul, and you have, only for the rea 
 son that you have imagination, and I have not. I cannot 
 perceive or conceive what does not exist. I must have 
 facts to base a theory upon."
 
 8a UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 " Why, Senator Burleigh, it seems to me you are too 
 logical a man not to acknowledge that real facts in life 
 are based upon what cannot be seen or handled, like 
 the power which holds the universe together." 
 
 "Very good, Miss Stanton," said Newell. "You are 
 a born occultist, and I trace you back to the rich 
 oriental land of the East, where just such souls as yours 
 grow white and beautiful as the Egyptian lily on the 
 banks of the Nile. Man is never skeptical if he is in 
 kinship with spirit life. Materiality, if too strong, is 
 like a weed, which kills out the fairest flowers of the 
 soul by a selfish tendency to take up more strength of 
 earth, to absorb more light of heaven, and to hold more 
 magnetic relations with the universe than it has any 
 legitimate right to do thus becoming a king, wherein 
 it should only be a subject" 
 
 " You are right there, Newell ; matter is all powerful 
 in this world, and your spirit forces must subject matter 
 to its uses before they can convince the skeptical world 
 at large." 
 
 All retired, leaving the senator and Newell, who sat 
 smoking their cigars, both busy with thoughts too per 
 sonal to express. At last the senator threw away his 
 cigar and brought his cane down impatiently upon the 
 floor with the exclamation, " Great heavens ! what am 
 I to do with George ? " 
 
 If a cannon had exploded at the feet of this dreamer 
 and poet, Leland Newell, he would not have been more 
 surprised than at the outbreak of this heart-felt anguish 
 from his old friend ; a man whom he always judged had 
 little or no emotion. " Why, Jackson, you astonish
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 83 
 
 me ! and I am at loss what to say being a younger 
 man than yourself by a number of years, and never 
 having had your world-wide experience. I am totally 
 at sea how to advise in such a matter. When I am 
 troubled about anything and cannot make it clear by 
 worldly advice, I look to a higher power for consolation 
 and edification, as St. Paul would" say, through the 
 spiritual gifts, which he enjoins upon all to culti 
 vate." 
 
 " Well, Leland, what is the matter with having a 
 little of that divine afflatus now ? No one needs it more 
 than I, for I love the boy dearly, and few can realize 
 how keenly I feel his downfall." It is a surprising fact 
 to some people perhaps, but not to those instruments 
 called " mediums," who come into such close contact 
 with the world, that material minded people fall heavily 
 upon spiritual gifts when everything else fails them. 
 Church people, who claim publicly that they have saving 
 grace enough in the church for any trial, will go pri 
 vately to some first class clairvoyant or test medium to 
 get light upon affairs both mundane and spiritual. 
 Materialists are the weakest class upon earth, when 
 their loved ones are taken from them, or when their sel 
 fish plans defeat themselves, as they invariably do, so 
 far as bringing happiness to the individuals. Senator 
 Burleigh had no plan in his mind how to remedy a fault 
 which arose simply in the physical senses of his nephew 
 which he encouraged, by allowing him to form a hasty 
 and uncongenial marriage, which was fast undermining 
 a once good, moral character. " It does no good trying 
 to control what one cannot change," he had said over
 
 84 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 and over to himself, but to indulge George in extrava 
 gance any longer was ruinous to himself and others. 
 
 There was a- .long silence between them, but when 
 Leland Newell did speak his voice was strong and 
 clear. 
 
 " Jackson, there is no other way but a decided change 
 for him ; a breaking away from the causes that produce 
 this trouble ; in other words, go to Europe with him for 
 two years ; leave everything behind ; insist upon his 
 placing his mind upon some profession or art which will 
 fill up his life." 
 
 " What ! Leave his wife here ? " 
 
 "Yes, Jackson. I doubt if she would go with him, 
 under any circumstances." 
 
 "Do you mean for me to close up Burleigh Place? " 
 asked the senator, in a trembling voice. 
 
 "Of course ! It will do you good, my friend, to visit 
 Europe. You will return with a better appreciation of 
 your landed property and make more of these acres 
 which I see now going to waste. Our Americans are 
 only too willing to leave and sell their homes to a class 
 of foreigners who will grow rich at our expense, and, who, 
 in time, will weave a rope of circumstances strong 
 enough to hang our free institutions and crush out our 
 broad principles for which our forefathers bled and 
 died. The only safe man, the only one who can protect 
 his home, his family, or his country, will be the king of 
 the soil." 
 
 " You are doubtless right, Newell ; and your advice 
 is good but practically, I cannot see how to bring it 
 about."
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 85 
 
 " Don t think of it at all, now ; I am sure, before the 
 summer months are over, circumstances will shape them 
 selves, so you can take George abroad, and leave every 
 thing all right at home. When I hear this talk about 
 redeeming people, I realize that it never can be done 
 until the influences surrounding the person, both 
 spiritual and material, are broken. The only way to open 
 the doors of an imprisoned soul that it may see the light 
 is to change its conditions so radically, that it cannot 
 return to its former darkness. A change of heart which 
 the Christians sing and pray about, means a change of 
 location, and of the people connected with the inner life 
 of the individual ; this is the way that all higher spiritual 
 intelligences look upon true reformation." 
 
 The senator retired with renewed hopes for the future. 
 As the mantle of night fell over Burleigh Place, it was 
 pinned back by one bright star, which should be in 
 every one s horizon, and that is Hope. Someone to live 
 for, something to aspire to, brushes away the cobwebs 
 of doubt, which circumstances are constantly weaving 
 before the eyes of mortals, as they stumble along the 
 dark pathways of life ; even the unhappy wife felt her 
 burdens lighten, by beautiful dreams, as if some angel 
 hand had held the heavy chains of discord, which an 
 unhappy marriage always forges ; for no chains that the 
 convict drags wearily along, are more heavy than these 
 which hold the victims of domestic infelicity ; and it was 
 a happy row of faces that gathered around Aunt Jerusha s 
 well-prepared breakfast, with its excellent coffee, light 
 rolls and abundance of fruit. 
 
 Jerusha Bigelow was a sensible woman, especially
 
 86 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 about money matters. The summer was rapidly going 
 by, and as papers, books and magazines, were talked 
 over by the inmates of Burleigh Place, Jerusha had heard 
 frequently of houses and apartments being robbed by 
 night, and even in the day time, so she reasoned this 
 way : if people lost money by thieves in one part of the 
 country, why not in another as well ? Yes, she was sure 
 of one thing that her money was not safe, even under 
 lock and key, at Burleigh Place ; and also, she said to 
 herself, money should be earning money, and if she 
 bought a house, she was not obliged to take Amelia s 
 mother from where she was, and place her in it, but rent 
 the same for good interest on the money invested. That 
 very afternoon after arriving at this conclusion, she pro 
 ceeded to a real estate agent to talk the matter over, who 
 told her he knew just what kind of property she wanted 
 and that he now had in his care a new cottage which had 
 been built by a gentleman for his mother and sister, very 
 near to an old friend of his, Senator Burleigh ; before it 
 was completed, the mother joined the great majority, and 
 a year later the sister followed. After much discussion, 
 the sum was agreed upon, the papers drawn up, and 
 Jerusha went home feeling much happier than she had 
 for a long time. Why, she could not exactly say ; she 
 had looked the property over, and found it well sur 
 rounded with land, to protect it from fire, and it was a 
 great bargain. 
 
 One more duty she had to perform, and that was to 
 give Amelia a piece of her mind ; and while she was 
 nerved up to business she would finish it all up in one 
 afternoon, the same as she would bind off a stocking
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 87 
 
 because it was nearly done, and ought to be finished. 
 The guests of Burleigh Place had all taken different routes 
 for business or pleasure, leaving Amelia alone crochet 
 ing on the piazza, while Sam and Mary looked quite 
 " spoony," so Jerusha thought, as her eagle eyes roamed 
 around the "back stoop " as she persisted in calling it- 
 She took her easy chair and knitting work and sat down 
 beside her niece, and a long silence followed. " Amelia 
 Bigelow," said she, in a sharp, quick tone which sent the 
 blood tingling through Amelia s veins for it was a habit 
 of hers to shoot off words, just as a person would fire a 
 gun " I have noticed that you have been galivanting 
 around altogether too much with a man old enough to 
 be your father, and whose intentions I don t know 
 whether they are good or bad." 
 
 Amelia blushed a deep red, but spoke up in a strong, 
 courageous voice : " I suppose you mean Mr. Newell ! I 
 don t care how old he is he is a good, true gentleman, 
 and his intentions are good. This talk about age, makes 
 me disgusted ! I cannot see as it has anything to do 
 with love, if you care for a person you do and that s all 
 there is about it." 
 
 " Hoity, toity ! It has come to that, has it? How 
 long since, may I ask, and what is his business ? " 
 
 Amelia did not deign to reply to the first question, 
 but answered promptly to the last : " He is a reformer, 
 Aunt Jerusha." 
 
 " A reformer ! I thought so and they don t know 
 enough, Amelia Bigelow, to go in when it rains. I 
 remember years ago, one of them came around 
 Burleigh trying to reform some of our good old church
 
 88 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 principles, and he did not have one good, solid principle 
 himself, or one cent of money." 
 
 " Well, aunt that case does not apply to Mr. 
 Newell, for he has money, and you have just been buy 
 ing some property of his ; because that little boy, Jim 
 who runs errands at the real estate office, came on ahead 
 of you, and told Sam that you had bought the Newell 
 house, and Sam told Mary and she told me." 
 
 " How did that imp of Satan know? He wasn t in 
 the room." 
 
 " I suppose he listened at the keyhole." 
 
 " Oh ! if I had him by the hair this very minute," 
 said Jerusha, in indignant wrath. " People can t keep 
 their affairs to themselves nowadays ; between children, 
 spirits and gossipers, everything is known." 
 
 " I knew that Mr. Newell wanted to sell the 
 property, and build a Spiritual Temple at Burleigh 
 Centre. I think it will be fine, but it is awfully funny that 
 your money should help the good cause along." 
 
 " Amelia Bigelow, stop such blasphemy this minute ! 
 A temple for the devil to worship in I guess not ! 
 When that comes to pass, you will find every meeting 
 house steeple fall to the ground. But you haven t told 
 me what his intentions are towards you, and if you do 
 not, I shall find out for myself, mighty quick." 
 
 " Well, aunt, we are going to be married this fall ! 
 See this beautiful ring he has given me. You don t care 
 do you? You will get me off your hands." 
 
 "If you are fool enough to get married at all, and to an 
 old bachelor, a reformer and what not, 1 shall wash my 
 hands of the whole matter, and say now, as you make
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 89 
 
 your bed you must lay in it ; and if you find thorns in 
 it, which you probably will, don t come crying around 
 asking for feathers, after a few years,- to soften it up, from 
 people who told you better, and you will find this 
 changing old ideas, will be like changing old folks to 
 new fashions, or learning old dogs new tricks." 
 
 * * 
 * 
 
 " What a storm we are going to have !" remarked Dr. 
 Fay, one afternoon in August. " Yes, a heavy one, you 
 will find; but I always enjoy a thunder storm in the 
 country ; it seems to me that Dame Nature is just wak 
 ing up from a long sleep," said Mrs. Montaigne, as she 
 smoothed Flossie s tangled curls. " Does Nature sleep, 
 mama? Where is her bed, and how does she look? Does 
 she have a night cap on, like Aunt Jerusha ? " No one 
 seemed inclined to favor the little one with a full expla 
 nation about the cradle of the universe, wherein are 
 rocked more than one world by omnipotent power. 
 
 Elder Wilder had thought the matter over, about his 
 " tiff" with Miss Bigelow, and as one by one, the pay 
 ing members were dropping out of the parish work, he 
 concluded to overlook this remissness of duty in this delin 
 quent sister, and make her and the inmates of Burleigh 
 Place an afternoon visit ; he could not read or study on 
 such a stormy afternoon, and how could he better serve 
 the Lord, than to look after one of His stray sheep ? 
 
 Mrs. George Burleigh and Miss Stanton had been 
 spending more time than usual at the parsonage of Mrs. 
 Burleigh s father, and were away on this particular 
 afternoon. Suddenly the door bell rang, and Mary 
 announced the arrival of Rev. Edward Rowland, pastor
 
 90 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 of the Unitarian church, at Burleigh. As this tall, aristo 
 cratic-looking gentleman walked into the reception room, 
 all felt intuitively that something of more than ordinary 
 nature prompted him to make this visit ; but he was a 
 man who did not waste words, time or money foolishly ; 
 a type of the William Channing school one who was 
 liberal upon any subject that affected the spiritual wel 
 fare of the race. It was impossible for one to feel at 
 perfect ease in his presence ; he seemed cold and indif 
 ferent, as if he lived on a plane far out of the reach of 
 common humanity, although rumor said a kinder 
 hearted or more charitable man never lived in their 
 midst. Silence seemed to follow after the usual hand 
 greetings and introductions were over. Fat Elder 
 Wilder looked red and seemed fidgety ; so much so, that 
 Dr. Fay was making a mental calculation, of how many 
 more good dinners, and how much more tobacco it 
 would take to throw him into an apoplectic fit. " Can I 
 see you alone for a few moments, Senator Burleigh ? " 
 asked Mr. Howland, at length. 
 
 " Certainly!" and the two proceeded to the library, 
 carefully closing the door behind them. " Will you be 
 seated, sir?" said the senator, as he observed the rest 
 less walk of this scholarly visitor. 
 
 "Pardon me, if I decline, senator! I can assure you 
 that my visit here this afternoon is a painful one, and I 
 am almost unable to control my emotions. I can only 
 do so by walking back and forth a habit of mine when 
 unusually excited but not wishing to keep you in any 
 undue suspense, I will come at once to the subject. I 
 have called to ask you to co-operate with me, in annul-
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 91 
 
 ling the marriage contract between your nephew and my 
 daughter, Grace ; it is a failure, sir decidedly so for 
 both parties concerned." 
 
 Senator Burleigh looked up with an almost frightened 
 expression. "What, sir? do I hear aright? you have 
 called to ask me to help you in obtaining a divorce for 
 these parties ?" 
 
 " Most assuredly, sir." "And you a clergyman I 
 can t believe you mean what you say ! You, doubtless, 
 have much cause to complain of George s neglect and 
 recklessness ; but a man must sow his wild oats, and 
 he evidently delayed the crop until after marriage ; 
 but, with a little patience, all will be right." 
 
 " My friend, there is only one incentive which- will 
 give a person that patience, and that is love ; and I 
 found, to my utter astonishment, that my daughter does 
 not love your nephew any more than he does her ; and 
 you, with your sound judgment, can see that such a 
 marriage is but a farce." 
 
 " I don t know about that, Mr. Rowland. I cannot 
 see any reason why George does not care for his wife, 
 although he may not seem to, for the time being ; he 
 chose her from among many others, and he had no 
 mercenary motive for so doing." 
 
 "A man, Senator Burleigh, whose wife has no influence 
 over him, for his good, in the earlier part of married 
 life, certainly cannot hope to gain that influence later 
 on. A man who absents himself from his wife, and 
 associates with others continually thus placing her at 
 a disadvantage with herself and the world does not 
 love her."
 
 92 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 " Well, well, that may be so ; but there are few happy 
 marriages, and it surely sets a bad example for one 
 (without some great criminal cause) to set marriages 
 lightly to one side ; and, for the sake of society at large, 
 I do not endorse your sentiments." 
 
 " I am not considering society" said the minister, 
 " but the moral and spiritual natures of two individuals, 
 who have started out in life, mismated and uncongenial ; 
 who, I believe, if they remedy their mistake in time, can 
 gravitate to conditions more compatible with their moral 
 lives and happiness. I have no confidence in people 
 keeping in a darkened condition, because they do not 
 want the world to know where they stand, or have not 
 the moral courage to throw open the windows of cir 
 cumstance, and let the sunlight of a good, wholesome 
 change come in ; in other words, do right, for the sake 
 of the right, not because people will praise or condemn, 
 but for the sake of your own soul and those connected 
 with you ; and this right principle can harm no one." 
 
 " I should like, Mr. Howland, to ask the advice of 
 others in this matter; I am at a loss how to decide." 
 
 " Certainly, if you so wish ; if you assist me in bring 
 ing about a separation between the two, it cannot be 
 kept private ; so we might as well take the ox by the 
 horns first as last. It is because my own married life 
 was so happy, and also I have been father and mother, 
 both, to my dear child ; and I feel I must look out for 
 her future peace and comfort, regardless of the world s 
 criticism." 
 
 So the senator called in Rev. Wilder, his friend 
 Newell, and Dr. Fay, and in a lawyer-like manner, laid
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 93 
 
 the case before them. The doctor gave a long and 
 scientific treatise upon different temperaments and their 
 relation to marriage, but the language was so labored 
 that the listeners could not tell at its close whether two 
 positives or two negatives should marry, or vice versa. 
 The elder was quick to take fire, and he thought he 
 saw a point wherein he could place his reverend brother 
 at a great disadvantage. " Do you, sir, claiming to be 
 a follower of Christ, our risen Savior, come here to 
 advocate divorce ? Do you not remember that the 
 Bible strictly forbids putting asunder what God has 
 joined together in holy marriage?" 
 
 Years ago, Edward Rowland had given up discussing 
 any theory from a biblical standpoint, so he simply said : 
 
 " I base my argument upon the ground of morality, 
 regardless of what can or cannot be proven in the sacred 
 books. Adultery arid wine drinking can be proven as 
 easily by reading detached passages as purity and 
 morality." 
 
 " Well, I have always contended," said Elder Wilder, 
 " that liberal theology taught looseness of morals, and 
 this afternoon has confirmed my opinion ; for I think it 
 one of the greatest sins to advocate free- divorce laws, 
 and one that will be punished by eternal suffering in the 
 world to come !" 
 
 "Would you prefer, Elder Wilder, to see two people 
 going down the hill of moral rectitude, quarreling, untrue 
 and unkind to each other, and keep them there, because 
 they are married or those same parties separated, 
 going in the opposite direction, happier and better in 
 their moral natures ? "
 
 94 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 " Well, I would rather they would go on, and commit 
 carnal sins, than to break the laws of God and man, 
 which cannot be forgiven ; for, from the sins of the flesh, 
 they can be washed white and clean in the blood of the 
 Lamb, but from the sins of the spirit and the law, 
 never / 
 
 " It is useless for me to argue this question with you, 
 Elder Wilder, for our premises are not the same, and 
 our conclusions must necessarily differ. While I am 
 willing to hear anyone s suggestion upon such a vital 
 question, it must be given with the spirit that he cannot 
 convince me, or shake my resolutions." 
 
 "I would simply say," broke in Newell, "in behalf of 
 my old friend s nephew, and in his absence, to notify 
 him of your feelings, and let the two most interested 
 husband and wife meet and decide for themselves, 
 regardless of outside influences ; and, furthermore, if 
 they both came to the conclusion that a separation was 
 inevitable, they should not take any legal action for two 
 years, and then they would have no reason to regret the 
 steps taken, in future years." 
 
 " I thank you, Mr. Newell, for your kindly interest 
 and foresight. I will proceed at once to arrange a meet 
 ing, if the senator will see his nephew, and lay the 
 matter before him." 
 
 "I will do so, at once," said the senator. "I have 
 been thinking seriously of taking George abroad, hop 
 ing, by change of scene and associations, to bring him 
 back to his kind-hearted self again." 
 
 So the party separated, each, doubtless, strong in his 
 own convictions of the moral rights of humanity. Sen-
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 95 
 
 ator Burleigh felt annoyed ; for, like all materialistic 
 people, he did not like to be shaken up in the ways of 
 life ; and, as he let his hand fall kindly on Newell s 
 shoulder, he said : " Well, old friend, your spiritual 
 impressions were right. The door is opened without 
 any effort on my part, which will allow George to go to 
 Europe, and his wife remain in America ; and that which 
 originated in the spirit realm ought to end well for each 
 and everyone concerned." 
 
 " Have no worriment about that, Jackson ! The laws 
 spiritual are more lasting than any laws man can make, 
 notwithstanding Brother Wilder s views to the contrary. 
 But I was surprised at the stand you took, Jackson, on 
 the divorce question, when you were so radical before 
 George was married. Then you seemed to look at the 
 subject as one of the most ordinary commercial affairs, 
 to be dissolved at will." 
 
 " I tell you what it is, Leland ; it s easy for people to 
 talk ; but when it comes home to them, it is a different 
 matter. You and I were arguing the question, the 
 pros and cons, doubtless, to see who would make the 
 strongest point. But when you bring theory down to 
 practice, and it is in your own family and blood, it is not 
 quite so easy. I am a much prouder man than I thought 
 I was ; and, socially, the Burleighs have stood well since 
 I have learned anything about their history, and I dis 
 like to have anything in my time which will leave a stain 
 on my family name. Divorce should not be considered 
 in the light of a disgrace, but it is, so long as the world 
 regards it so." 
 
 "You materialists can never get away from the world
 
 96 UNDER BLUE SKIES, 
 
 and its environments, Jackson ; while, with the occultist, 
 he grows broader and freer as the years go by ; and, 
 instead of my being as conservative in my views as I 
 was, I am more in touch with the life beyond, which 
 looks upon any event which transpires here in this life 
 as a slight lesson, compared with the important subjects 
 to be learned in the life of spirit." 
 
 Senator Burleigh had thought it would be a more 
 difficult task to break his future plans to Jerusha than 
 he found it to be. If there was one thing more than 
 another that pleased her, it was to get ahead of the 
 masculine sex; and it was with a well-satisfied air 
 after hearing the senator through that she told him 
 she had already purchased a home, and left him to 
 think she did so for just such an emergency. "Of 
 course," he said, "I shall continue your salary just the 
 same, and shall want your services on my return. I am 
 more than pleased to learn that your niece, Amelia, is 
 to join her future with my dear friend, Newell ; a better 
 man cannot be found so noble,. generous and true. If 
 we had more like him the world would be running on a 
 different track." 
 
 Jerusha did not deign to reply, but gave her cap 
 strings an extra twirl. "About Sam," continued the 
 senator, " he has informed me that he is anxious to 
 travel with his new invention and introduce it to the 
 public; but I don t know about Mary I shall have to 
 leave that with you." 
 
 " Don t you worry about her, for Nancy Ann Jones 
 has come into some property, and she told me, the other 
 day, she would have to keep a hired girl so as to be
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 97 
 
 popular. She hated to dreadfully, as she did not know 
 what to do with one, being accustomed to work herself. 
 I told her to keep right on with the hardest of the work, 
 and let Mary get into playing games, crocheting and 
 reading novels, as that was about all hired girls did now 
 adays, only taking time to starch their white skirts and 
 seeing their beaux on the back stoops. I don t say 
 that Mary is that kind of a girl I have never given her 
 much of any chance but I mistrust she has taken all 
 the time she wanted, doing a mighty lot of sparking with 
 Sam Knowles." 
 
 The senator smiled in spite of himself, but was 
 delighted to know he could close up Burleigh Place for 
 an indefinite length of time and leave those he was 
 interested in so well situated. Thus events shape them 
 selves many times, and we move on with them, as free 
 as the air we breathe, with but little knowledge of how 
 
 they may end. 
 
 * * 
 * 
 
 Beatrice Fay had not been idle during the summer 
 months. Naturally restless, she had flitted from one 
 resort to another, thus coming in contact with her old 
 associates. She was not slow to poison the minds of 
 all against Mrs. Montaigne ; she went so far as to insin 
 uate but she was too subtle to say boldly what she 
 thought, and, furthermore, she knew that this was a sure 
 way to undermine a good character, and set people to 
 thinking evil of another she intimated that she had 
 every reason to doubt the legality of a marriage 
 between her former friend, Jerome Gerard, and this 
 lady. Society was quite sure, now, that Mrs. Mon-
 
 98 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 taigne s visit to Burleigh Place meant no good to its 
 inmates ; that she was an intriguing woman, and they 
 would some day find out all about her ; and even Mrs. 
 Dumont Hale, naturally kind hearted, but who believed 
 everything that Mrs. Fay told her, whispered to her 
 neighbor that she believed, that why George Burleigh 
 remained away from home, was so as to deceive the 
 world and make them think there was nothing between 
 them, and she had heard before how men had forced 
 their poor wives to be on friendly terms with their mis 
 tresses in order to escape criticism. 
 
 Poor, weak society ! How contented it was to take 
 this morsel, and roll it under its tongue because it was 
 sweet, and to learn that some other family was in trou 
 ble beside their own. Yes there was more than one 
 closet that held a hideous skeleton, and dear, loving 
 humanity of the higher grade knew all about these 
 dark secrets, which were only covered up by the dra 
 pery of fashion. Of course, these draperies were of 
 rich material, and covered with flowers made of golden 
 threads, and to the common passer-by they not only 
 hung gracefully, but were the most beautiful drapery 
 they had ever seen. It does not seem possible that 
 in those elegant homes there could be sights too horri 
 ble to be shown up to the daylight of truth, and refined 
 Boston, at least, should escape, where intellect pre 
 dominated, and the arts and sciences were bountifully 
 sustained ; but no, cities, like people, cannot be judged 
 by reputation or external appearance. 
 
 The thought may arise in the minds of many why 
 Mrs. Fay should persist in harming a person who had
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 99 
 
 never injured her. We see it every day, and there are 
 no greater enemies to moral character than envy and 
 jealousy. Senator Burleigh s name was never coupled 
 with that of ladies. There was a romance in his youth 
 that was known to every mother who had a marriageable 
 daughter, and designing widows had given line in 
 vain so it was George Burleigh, and not the uncle, 
 that society fastened its fangs upon, not to rend him to 
 pieces oh, no ! he was a man ! But the woman in 
 the case let no thread of her garment remain white so 
 long as there was mud in their brains, and ink in their 
 hearts, to be thrown at her at a moment s notice. 
 
 One evening, after Sir Wallace and Beatrice had worn 
 threadbare all the topics of the day, and were truly 
 tired of one another, Sir Wallace broke the silence with 
 the words, " By Jove, Bee, I nearly forgot to tell you 
 that I have a lovely surprise for you something I 
 learned at the club ; it came straight, too so now, my 
 dear, don your best attire and be ready at ten o clock 
 to take a morning drive." 
 
 " What for, Wallace ? it s too early ! I don t like to 
 rise before daylight, and you know it ! " 
 
 " Most assuredly, lady fair ! I know the fact ; but 
 you will miss what I have to show you, if you are not 
 up in season. You are, doubtless, aware that one of the 
 Cunard steamers bound for Europe, will not wait for 
 people, wishing to see her passengers aboard, to finish 
 their toilets." 
 
 " Do tell me who they are, Wallace; you know there 
 are some people who are not worth going across the 
 street to look at."
 
 too UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 " Well, it would spoil the surprise, if I told you, and 
 you liked to be surprised, and it is a difficult thing to one 
 of your varied experiences. Here it is autumn, and some 
 of your friends have not put ,in an appearance in the 
 city yet, and you, with your busy brain, ought to be 
 calculating what has become of them." 
 
 " I do not think much about people, who do not 
 think of me. I can assure you, that to worry about the 
 moves of other people, who are no great benefit to 
 one s life, shows one to be imbecile but I will be ready 
 to go with you, according to appointment." 
 
 The next morning, Mrs. Fay looked charming in 
 her lovely wrap and delicate blue hat, as she wheeled 
 down the street with Sir Wallace, and came in sight of 
 the steamer s deck. 
 
 " Have you your glass, Beatrice ? " he asked ; but 
 she showed by her face that she did not need a glass to 
 distinguish who the people were, who were fast settling 
 themselves to say good-bye to those on shore. One 
 glance of her keen eyes and she took in the situation, 
 and she felt intuitively that something had come to her 
 which would change her entire destiny. How distinctly 
 those people stood out from all the rest of the crowd in 
 her mental vision. Senator Burleigh and George; Mrs. 
 Stanton and Marian, Dr. Fay with Mrs. Montaigne 
 leaning on his arm, and little Flossie. 
 
 "Are you ill?" asked Sir Wallace, suddenly noticing 
 how rapidly her countenance changed. 
 
 " Let us go home," she answered, " I do not need 
 to stay here, to see the sequel of this wonderful romance." 
 
 " Why, what is the matter, Beatrice ? I call it all a
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 101 
 
 good joke, especially on you and me: Two people, whom 
 we admire very much, are going abroad, and have really 
 forgotten to bid us a sweet good-bye. 
 
 " Bah ! don t talk in that tone you irritate me. 
 Tell me what, you know about it." 
 
 " I learned that your worthy uncle had married Mrs. 
 Montaigne ; of course, that is a good match, for she is 
 very much of a lady, and the little girl, Flossie, is a 
 beauty and a wonder. You remember that mystic, 
 Newell the confirmed old bachelor, we all thought he 
 has fallen in love with a country milkmaid and is to 
 marry later." A look of sarcasm flitted over her face. 
 " But, now," he continued, " for the cream of it all 
 Mr. and Mrs. George Burleigh have separated !" this 
 time, a look of real astonishment came into her eyes 
 " but not legally ; if they go on mutually disliking each 
 other for two years more, then the strong arm of the law 
 will cut them asunder. And oh ! ye gods! here is the 
 farce following the tragedy. I, who was brought up in 
 the Church of England, that deemed a divorce a dis 
 grace and a crime, learned that this was all brought 
 about by Mrs. Burleigh s father, a Unitarian clergyman, 
 who is installed as pastor of a church in a New England 
 town. But about the other parties Mrs. Stanton and 
 her daughter I learn it was a mere coincidence their 
 sailing on the same vessel as the others, not knowing 
 each other s plans until all was arranged." 
 
 " Oh, Wallace, please stop ! I may look stupid this 
 morning, and am not feeling like myself, but I am not 
 so dull as to swallow a fish story like that, and neither 
 are you. It is simply a little plot, and not a deep one
 
 102 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 either ; it is as open as the face of that clock, that we 
 see in the distance. Of course that smoothed-faced, 
 inanimate girl and her mother arranged it. It is just 
 what you might expect of a lackadaisical kind of woman 
 like Marian Stanton when the world thinks they are 
 sleeping, they are generally wide awake. 
 
 "Well, it may be so, Beatrice, but how do you 
 think it will end?" 
 
 "End? Why, in marriage between the two!" 
 
 "But, you know, Beatrice, you have given the 
 world a very different idea about the episode in George 
 Burleigh s life. Won t you have to rewrite the whole 
 drama, and change your characters?" 
 
 " Not a bit of it, so long as I am not implicated. 
 You know my leading lady is the widow Montaigne. 
 I shall not change her, but make her the instigator of 
 the entire plot." 
 
 " O, Beatrice, you should have been a man and a 
 politician ! Washington needs just such brains as yours, 
 to fix matters comfortable for the rich and the great, let 
 ting the poor and unprotected go to the wall; but it looks 
 to me more like a rebuke from nature herself to us both 
 to you, for misrepresenting facts in life ; to me, for 
 being a confirmed roue that these two people, whom 
 we would have liked to have held in our lives, have 
 quietly slipped out ; and you, in this case, I believe, are 
 prophetic, and the God of love will crown their lives 
 with marriage and happiness." 
 
 That evening Mrs. Fay sat long, seemingly in deep 
 reflection. At last she arose hastily to her feet, and 
 calling her French maid, Annette, said : "I want you
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 103 
 
 to gather up everything I possess that is blue, especially 
 the painting Under Blue Skies, and bring them all to 
 me." It took some time to do this, for not only much of 
 her wardrobe, but many articles about the room, and 
 ornaments she wore about her person were of this color. 
 As the autumn evening was chilly, and she had a slight 
 cough, she had ordered a fire in the open grate. How 
 restless she was, as she paced to and fro, and how small 
 the room seemed to her. "Hasten, hasten, Annette! 
 How slow you are ! " 
 
 " Where shall I place them ? " 
 " Beside my easy chair, in front of the grate." 
 At last they lay in a heap beside her. How 
 much they looked like the fleecy clouds in the 
 sky, pinned here and there with a star, .for she 
 wore the most delicate shades of blue and of 
 the most gauzy material. "Thus I break with 
 the past ! " she said, and one by one the red flames 
 caught up the articles, and like a flash they were out of 
 sight of the beholder. The last one to burn was the 
 painting ; was it the oil, or the canvas, that caused it to 
 burn so slowly ? The odor that arose from it, had a 
 sickening effect ; the draught no longer carried the 
 smoke up the chimney, but returned it into the room, 
 almost choking the fair woman who looked on in silence. 
 At last, nothing remained but the red coals, which shed 
 a lurid light, in which seemed to appear figures, that 
 linked her with the past. There was the face of her 
 mother, her husband and her lover, for many of the burnt 
 articles were gifts from these three, and their spirits 
 seemed to be there witnessing the destruction. She
 
 104 UNDER BLUE SKIES, 
 
 became so terrified, she could hardly breathe. Annette 
 sprang to her side, asking what she could do for her. 
 " Hand me that bottle of morphine ! you see I cannot 
 live without it, I must quiet down." 
 
 " But I would not take so much, madam ! " said the 
 maid, noticing the large quantity she had poured into the 
 glass. " I am so afraid of those wicked drugs, for my 
 old grandmother used to say there were twelve evil 
 spirits linked to the person who had this habit, and who 
 would never leave them until they had their life." 
 
 A peal of laughter broke from Beatrice s lips. "Thus, 
 I pledge myself to the wicked twelve !" said she, hold 
 ing up the glass, " and may I hold with them high car 
 nival while on earth, being ready to dance with them 
 the diabolical cotillion down below when my time 
 shall come;" and drinking the contents, she tossed the 
 glass into the fire, shivering it to atoms. 
 
 As truly as one can link themselves with higher 
 powers, going step by step up the hill of progress, so can 
 spirits, embodied in flesh, call to their lives and spiritual 
 forces, decarnated individuals whose motives are evil, 
 proving to every scientific mind that one does not stand 
 wholly alone in crime, and that education and refinement 
 are the only means of redeeming a criminal ; that in the 
 place of the prison and the gallows, there should be the 
 schoolhouse, and the workshop ; the greatest liberty 
 for the expansion of the higher powers, and the least 
 for the exercise of the lower. Children should be taught 
 that while they exercise their will power, it should be 
 done with a knowledge of the occult forces around them. 
 Our worst criminals have wondered at the rapid transit
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 105 
 
 of their fall, when once given over to evil ; and goodness 
 has a speedy return, when it is purely unselfish a rare 
 condition to find in this selfish world of ours. 
 
 George Burleigh had every reason to believe that a 
 person was sufficiently punished for all mistakes or sins 
 committed while in the body, for it made but little 
 difference what he undertook to do, those who had for 
 merly known him threw out the impression, many times 
 unconsciously to themselves, that he would not apply 
 himself to any line of business or a profession. This 
 he keenly felt, and to make matters still more trying to 
 himself, and a tendency to find fault with his fate, he 
 had fallen deeply in love with Marian Stanton. 
 
 This young lady was unlike many around her, for 
 she had the power, as actors would say, " to take in 
 the situation." Some would not care, if they did not 
 premeditate a wrong, how the world would judge 
 them. To avoid the appearance of evil she thoroughly 
 believed in, for she knew that the adder tongue of 
 scandal would wag many times where people s motives 
 were good but the appearances were the opposite. 
 Leaving America on the same vessel with her friend s 
 husband, at a time when that friend was having domestic 
 trouble, she was well aware that the motive would be 
 misunderstood, and one could not convince society that 
 it was simply a coincidence, so the only course for her 
 to follow was to keep entirely aloof from him. This 
 was a more difficult matter than she imagined, for the 
 two families moved in the same circle, and Marian s 
 mother did not share in her opinion, as her income 
 made her independent, and she saw no reason why she
 
 io6 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 should change her plans to accommodate society s 
 verdict. 
 
 It has been said by thorough readers of human 
 nature that it is natural for mankind to strive for the 
 unattainable, and this seems to apply to love as well as 
 to science. George could see no reason why he could not 
 fall in love, simply because he had made one terrible 
 mistake in that direction. " Should a man never walk 
 again because he had once broken a limb?" he thought. 
 Miss Stanton s beauty, her pure life, and love of art, 
 made her popular everywhere, and called to her side 
 many admirers. It is natural for most people to be very 
 jealous when in love, and the attention of others made 
 him unhappy, which allowed his uncle to discover his 
 feelings. 
 
 " George," said the senator, " I am not only aston 
 ished, but provoked at your conduct for the last few 
 months ! " 
 
 " Why, uncle? " he asked, thinking he referred to his 
 gay life, and knowing he had lately been a model of 
 propriety, in comparison to what he had been, and not 
 thinking that his uncle had divined his secret. 
 
 " Really, George, you have been away from your 
 wife less than a year, and are not legally free, and you 
 have made yourself quite conspicuous, and must have 
 annoyed Miss Stanton by your attention to her ! Now, 
 explain yourself!" 
 
 George flushed a deep red, and replied: "I think, Uncle 
 Jack, it will be quite impossible for me to do so ! One, 
 to hear you talk, uncle, would judge that I could make 
 myself over at will, and also, that one must be eternally
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 107 
 
 punished for not having the proper judgment to select 
 the right companion for a wife at first." 
 
 " You are so impulsive, George, and are affected by 
 beauty, that I shall have no confidence in your affection 
 for Miss Stanton unless thoroughly tested." 
 
 " I know what you mean, Uncle Jack, but if you knew 
 what I had suffered by my past folly, you would know I 
 could stand any test, providing I thought my affections 
 were returned; but I cannot hope for much in that 
 direction, for she seems to look upon me as the world 
 generally does as though I had committed an unpar 
 donable sin." 
 
 " Well, well ! we will let the matter drop now, 
 George, but hold a tight rein on those impulses of yours, 
 which have deceived you once, and may again." 
 
 Mrs. Stanton and Marian decided to leave London for 
 Italy. As time rolled on Mrs. Stanton had observed 
 that her daughter seemed troubled or worried over some 
 secret, which she could not win from her, and thought a 
 change of scene was necessary. 
 
 Why is it, that to some spots on this earth, nature 
 seems more kind than to others, the air more balmy, 
 the flowers perpetual? Italy, the land of song, of 
 love and beauty, may have drawbacks unseen to the 
 casual observer, to offset its natural advantages. 
 
 It was what would be called a glorious day here in 
 America with its changeable climate, but was simply an 
 ordinary pleasant day in Italy, and hardly that, for the 
 wind denoted a storm, when a party of young people 
 (who were travelers as were the Stantons) had arranged 
 an outing, and a sail on the lake. Of course, Marian,
 
 io8 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 the "American beauty," was invited. A young gentle 
 man of rank had been very persistent in his attentions 
 to her, and was the leading spirit of the party. He was 
 one of that class of persons, who would never pay any 
 attention to [other people s advice, no matter how 
 superior their judgment, or how long their experience 
 in comparison with his own. While this may be a very 
 happy disposition for the person, it is many times very 
 unfortunate for others ; for the man who had charge of 
 the boats, remarked: " This is breezy weather, sir, and I 
 think you best take a guide along who knows our 
 waters well." " Oh, nonsense," he replied, " I have 
 never seen a fairer day or a bluer sky." " Ay, ay ! " 
 said the boatman, "blue skies are like life you never 
 know how soon they may darken and change." 
 
 Regardless of the warning, the party embarked to 
 enjoy a thoroughly good time. All went merry until a 
 slight wind seemed to come up so suddenly, that the 
 party felt chilled ; all exclaimed, " Let us return, it is 
 getting cold." They were nearing the shore when the 
 storm burstfuriously upon them. Not every one can man 
 age a boat, and it was impossible with this frail bark, 
 especially, when the manager loses his presence of mind. 
 Marian and the two young ladies were not half so 
 frightened as the gentleman who was rowing. Snap, 
 went one oar, and round and round turned the boat. 
 " Hold fast to the boat, or all our lost," said Marian; 
 " I am sure I can make my voice heard above the wind, 
 by some one on the shore, who can aid us." Out across 
 the waters rang the sweet woman s voice for help. 
 
 A party of Americans had arrived that afternoon, and
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 109 
 
 among them was George Burleigh, who had gone out 
 with the others to watch the result of the storm. How 
 quickly he knew that full, resonant tone ; and throwing 
 off coat and hat, he jumped into the water just as he 
 saw the boat upset, and the man who should have ren 
 dered all the assistance in his power, turned and swam 
 towards the shore leaving the ladies at the mercy of the 
 waves, and Marian clinging to the boat. George was an 
 expert swimmer and struck out for the one he loved, 
 but she would not let go of the side of the boat and 
 shouted to him to save the other two first who had 
 not the strength to hold on to the boat and herself last. 
 
 It did not require so much time as it did strength on 
 his part to rescue the two ladies, as by this time there 
 were plenty on the shore to assist them when they 
 reached there ; but the boat with Marian was drifting 
 farther and farther away and her strength could hold 
 out no longer and she sank out of sight. George saw 
 that it must be an almost superhuman effort on his part 
 to swim rapidly enough to reach her by the time she 
 arose to the surface the second time. His uncle, who 
 had hastened to the scene of the disaster, exclaimed, 
 with others, "You can t save her, and you will only 
 lose your own life by trying ; " but he paid no heed and 
 struck out desperately to reach the side of the woman 
 he loved. 
 
 It takes much longer than one would imagine, 
 with a boathouse locked and no boats available, 
 to go to the rescue of people in such trying circum 
 stances. A young man, who had lived long by the 
 water and was not timid, at last succeeded in launching
 
 no UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 a boat, and started to the assistance of George and 
 Marian, both of whose strength had almost deserted 
 them. As the boat approached them, George, with the 
 instinct that characterizes drowning persons, seized the 
 side, and with the aid of the rescuer, both were soon 
 inside and shortly upon shore. 
 
 The talk of the hour was the bravery of George, and, 
 of course, he was a hero ; but, like all passionate, impul 
 sive people, when the reaction came, it was he who was 
 sick and not Marian but not seriously. 
 
 Marian s strongest peculiarity was gratitude, and there 
 were plenty to tell her how the young man had risked 
 his life to save her, and she could not be cold and 
 distant to such an ardent and sincere lover. George, 
 like most men of his type, took advantage to gain her 
 love, as she changed from her former cold way to one of 
 tenderness, and to make matters more complicated to 
 the mind of Marian, she had received a long letter from 
 her friend, Grace, saying that she should never try to 
 unite herself with her husband again, for she had become 
 very much attached to a young Unitarian clergyman, 
 and when the time had expired that she had promised 
 to wait and she was legally free, she should remarry, 
 and in conclusion, she said: "If George could only love 
 and marry a woman like yourself, Marian, I should be 
 more than happy, for I realize that he has many noble 
 qualities, and because I cannot call them out from his 
 nature does not prove that no one else can." Marion 
 was astonished when she read this letter from her former 
 little light-hearted friend, braving public opinion, which 
 she, herself, had quailed before, determined to crush out
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. ui 
 
 this love which she had long experienced for him, rather 
 than to meet public censure. 
 
 It is circumstances, which are thrown around people, 
 that push them into the whirlpool of love and passion, 
 over which they have no control. There was surely no 
 premeditation on the part of Marian to be thus 
 influenced by the love of her life ; but reason seemed 
 to be paralyzed; for, if she had used it, she would have 
 realized that the object of her affections was not situated 
 in her own eyes or the eyes of the world, as he should 
 be ; was he not bound by the chains of custom, fashion 
 and law? and to be in them was slavery, as much as 
 ever bound the black man in the South. True, the 
 time may come, she had theorized, when a man or 
 woman divorced, would not be looked upon as a 
 criminal in the eyes of the world, but the people who 
 hugged their chains and were slaves to a custom and 
 lived in conditions that demoralized them and held them 
 in sin, would be the ones who would meet the condem 
 nation of every thoughtful mind ; but it was not so 
 to-day and how could she so have forgotten the fact, 
 and allowed Cupid to play such pranks with her? 
 Human resolutions and plans are many times like 
 feathers, the breath that blows them hither and thither 
 comes from a source we cannot see, and we wonder at 
 the results. No two persons could be more thoroughly 
 in love or abandon themselves to the passion than 
 Marian and George ; on her part it seemed a reaction 
 from cold formality to genial affection, and George, 
 like the majority of men, cared but little for the world s 
 opinion when it interfered with his strongest desires.
 
 H2 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 One bright morning we find our American friends 
 seated looking out upon the blue waters of the lake. 
 Mrs. Stanton and Senator Burleigh had always been 
 the best of friends ; in fact, it was one of that kind of 
 platonic friendships that were rarely commented upon 
 and never criticized. It was generally understood that 
 neither wished to marry, and no two people could 
 sympathize more thoroughly with each other than they, 
 for those they loved were in the spirit side of life. Mrs. 
 Stanton could see the practical side of human nature as 
 well as the spiritual, and many long and pleasant talks 
 they had had together concerning the important ques 
 tion, " Does death end all ? " and while the senator 
 would hurl an avalanche of materialistic ideas at her, 
 enough to confuse an ordinary brain, Mrs. Stanton, 
 woman-like, would always wind up with the remark, 
 "You will be convinced some day." 
 
 This morning, before the young people had appeared 
 upon the scene, they had been trying to solve the rid 
 dle, of the affection between her daughter and his 
 nephew, and had been far from arriving at a conclusion ; 
 but now, as George and Marian appeared, looking so 
 young, happy and hopeful, these two who had had their 
 experiences in the years agone, had not the heart to 
 rebuke them. George proposed to take a row with 
 Marian, just to show to the people that if they had been 
 in danger, they were not afraid of the lake \\hen wind 
 and wave were right. Mrs. Stanton at first demurred, 
 but the senator agreed with the young people, that the 
 lake could be compared to life, that there could be 
 pleasure and sunshine, even if there had been storm and
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 113 
 
 disaster. They had agreed to row near the shore, and 
 as they did so, a little girl selling flowers called out in 
 her rich, musical voice, "Violets ! Violets !" and seemed 
 much astonished at the amount of coin that George 
 threw at her feet, and thought she must return an equal 
 amount of flowers ; so she tossed bunch after bunch into 
 the boat until Marian was almost covered with the beau 
 tiful, blue flowers, and many of them floated on the 
 water beside the boat. 
 
 " Oh, look, Senator Burleigh ! " exclaimed Mrs. Stan- 
 ton ; " where have we seen this scene before ? It is the 
 same, and still not the same." 
 
 " I think," said he, "that if in place of the brunette, 
 you had a blonde, you would see once more the same 
 scene as in Mrs. Fay s painting, Under Blue Skies. 
 
 " Yes, that is it ; the boat, the flowers, the lovers and 
 the skies. Someone has remarked that nature is always 
 trying to repeat itself, but I never expected to see it in 
 art! " 
 
 " Well, I at once recognized the scene," he answered ; 
 " but there is a great difference in the characters and it 
 brings the thought to my mind quite forcibly, that it 
 makes all the difference in the world, the kind of a woman 
 that is in the boat of a man s life. If I have been 
 informed correctly and I think I have Beatrice Fay 
 crushed out the soul of Jerome Gerard, and ruined his 
 life. Your daughter, my dear friend, will resurrect the 
 soul of my nephew, and beautify his life. No matter 
 how blue the skies, or fair the scene, our destinies are 
 made up and controlled from the powers within, and not 
 from the power without."
 
 114 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 Boston society has been much admired by other cities 
 for its exclusive culture and refinement of manners 
 which one fails to see even among the creme de la creme 
 elsewhere. But like everything overdrawn in life, it 
 becomes most unnatural at times, for the very refine 
 ment will not allow any radical moves on the part of 
 those who are once initiated into its circles. 
 
 Beatrice Fay had gone rapidly down the hill, morally, 
 in the last year. It requires but little argument to prove 
 that a woman will stoop to do things in the way of vice 
 and crime, which a man would shrink from doing. Why, 
 do you ask ? Because she knows so far as the world 
 goes, her character is irredeemable ; if she keeps her 
 head above the waters of fashionable life if her ways are 
 evil she must do so by bold measures, or else with the 
 subtle cunning of a devil. There were many wives and 
 mothers who shuddered when she entered their homes, 
 for they knew it was like the trail of a serpent, but what 
 could they do ? What had she done ? Nothing that was 
 publicly known, and to slander her would do no good, 
 for they realized that with such a weapon as that, Mrs. 
 Fay would turn it sharply against them ; so the sword 
 of society, which is calumny, would have to lie rusty in 
 its scabbard so far as she was concerned. But there was 
 one point, however, that all observed, and were not slow 
 to point out to her gentleman admirers, and that was her 
 rapidly failing health. Men do not, as a usual thing, 
 tolerate sickly women to amuse themselves with they 
 hear enough of aches and pains, from wives, sisters and 
 mothers, and many of those troubles,they have but little 
 sympathy with, for they think they are purely of the
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 115 
 
 nervous order. Oxygen, which they breathe, when 
 attending to business saves them from many ills which the 
 flesh is heir to; but they are quite conceited about the 
 matter, and think it is their superior knowledge of life 
 and health which causes them to have such a strong 
 nervous system. 
 
 Beatrice Fay never complained and was always gay, 
 brilliant, and apparently happy ; only occasionally did 
 she seem to reflect, and that was when she and Sir 
 Wallace Reynolds had a confidential talk together, 
 which was now quite a rare occurrence. One afternoon 
 in the beautiful spring, she had been listening to the 
 news from him, and seemed to take it as a matter of 
 course, until he spoke about the Burleigh affairs. 
 
 " Why, Beatrice, I have just learned of George Bur- 
 leigh s wife remarrying, and of course the engagement 
 of George and Marian Stanton will follow, as they are 
 both in Europe. And, by Jove, Bee, you were right 
 about those people after all ! I do believe it was a 
 scheme put up by that wily senator and Mrs. Stanton 
 to secure a good match for their two heirs-at-law." 
 
 "Of course, I was right," she replied; " and now, 
 Wallace, be frank and tell me your plans, for I know 
 you are up to something of late ; in fact, I am wonder 
 ing how long this strain of morality will last." 
 
 " I will tell you, Beatrice. I am going to change my 
 mode of life, and settle squarely down. Living so long 
 in this country I have imbibed many of the American 
 customs, and I am beginning to think there is no greater 
 hell than to be obliged, year in and year out, to kill time." 
 
 " Why don t you study to be a clergyman, Wallace ? "
 
 H6 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 " Oh, that would be about the thing I follow now, 
 only I would have to take upon myself a greater amount 
 of care, for all the sport I could enjoy would have to be 
 taken on the sly. I fear I have not the respect for the 
 cloth that I was educated to have. No, I am not going 
 to aspire to anything in the professional line. Mrs. 
 Hale has lost her agent in New York, who has looked 
 after her property and I have accepted the position at a 
 good salary ; and, furthermore, she has offered to give 
 me a home with her; in other words, she has really 
 adopted me." 
 
 Mrs. Fay looked at him in a strange and startled 
 manner, which gradually became one of extreme con 
 tempt. "Ah, you will then leave Boston?" 
 
 " Yes, a little later ! " 
 
 Who could divine what was passing in this woman s 
 mind ? Surely, the man beside her could not ; if he 
 could have had that power he would not have so willingly 
 acceded to the request she now expressed to him. 
 
 " Well, Wallace, I have little to say about any 
 one s plans in life ; every one ought to know what 
 is best for them to do ; advice from a friend, no 
 matter how sincere it may be, has many times injured 
 the one it was intended to help, oftener than the 
 contrary. I have a notion this morning, which will 
 no doubt surprise you, as I am not looked upon as 
 a woman with the least bit of sentiment. To-morrow, 
 you know is Memorial Day, and I want to go out 
 to my husband s grave, and carry some flowers, and I 
 would like to have you purchase them for me. See, 
 here is my purse ; don t be sparing, but bring them
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 117 
 
 to-morrow at ten o clock, and we will drive out there. 
 My wretched cough is so bad, I do not feel like buying 
 the flowers ; the east winds of Boston are like ones ene 
 mies they find you out and make you uncomfortable. 
 Now, will -you go, Wallace? " 
 
 "Why, of course, Beatrice ; but, do you feel well 
 enough? " 
 
 " Never mind about that ; I will go, as children say, 
 living or dead, so remember the day and hour." 
 
 This conversation gave her a feverish excitement, 
 which made her look so badly, that Sir Wallace called 
 for a glass of wine for her, which she drank eagerly. 
 
 " Beatrice, why don t you take better care of your 
 self?" 
 
 " Please tell me why I should ?" she answered. "Who 
 cares for me ? No one ! so don t give it a moment s 
 thought. Any one who has moved in society ten years 
 with their eyes open, will lose all conceit about love and 
 friendship being eternal ! I will rely on you, nevertheless, 
 to carry out this foolish fancy of mine. Poor Fred," 
 she murmured " he loved flowers, and he loved me 
 two very perishable things to cling to in this life ; and I 
 well, I grow weak and sentimental, I do believe, as I 
 lose my vitality ; but I must go and rest, so au revoir 
 till to-morrow." 
 
 As she departed she left a peculiar influence over the 
 mind of Sir Wallace. He could not understand this* 
 strange freak of hers ; he never did have much compre 
 hension of her nature. "Well," he said to himself, 
 "as I am about to break all old ties which have bound 
 me, I don t know of any better wsy to commence, than
 
 n8 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 by taking this melancholy ride to the grave of my for 
 mer sweetheart s husband, and cover it over with flowers 
 a grim sarcasm upon the gayeties of life, I must con 
 fess." 
 
 Some say that a woman of the world never reflects, 
 and a man very rarely. Left alone, Sir Wallace found 
 himself thrown into a deep reverie; and so keenly did 
 life appear to him from an external point of view that he 
 voiced his own reflections. " A woman should never 
 become dissipated ; they don t know where to stop. 
 Yes, a woman should be pure, even as the angels in 
 heaven are. I suppose," he thought, " that in order to 
 have her blend more perfectly with one of the impure 
 specimens of mankind called a f rouc, J that she must have 
 no knowledge of the world and its vices. When purity 
 and vice meet in such a unison, how the angels must 
 rejoice over the harmony it produces. But men are not 
 entirely at fault over the existing customs ; they will 
 never change their habits, so long as society does not 
 condemn their vices, or bar the doors of homes against 
 them. To educate the moral standard of men, one 
 needs to shock them, by the world becoming so lenient 
 toward the vices of women, that men can see by obser 
 vation the extremes of sin and thus reform themselves." 
 
 Sir Wallace kept on with his reflections, and so earnest 
 did he become that one would almost think he had an 
 audience ; and perhaps he did of disembodied spirits 
 for mankind communicates and deals with beings of 
 that order more than they imagine. " Look at Mrs. 
 Fay, for instance ; it is not wine, flirtation or late 
 nights, which is killing her; it is, I believe, morphine
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 119 
 
 for she could not keep up upon any ordinary stimulant. 
 The way she carries on her intrigues astonishes the 
 most blase of us ; wine, perhaps, would make her 
 coarse, but morphine makes her vicious. Who is it that 
 says There is a spark of divinity in us all? I must 
 allow there is a little in Beatrice, by remembering her 
 dead young husband after years of forgetfulness, and I 
 will attend to her request but, somehow, I feel she will 
 not have many opportunities to make many demands 
 upon mytime in the future, when I am once settled as a 
 thorough New York business man." 
 
 We always think, when nature smiles upon us, and 
 the sun (that orb that has received so much worship in 
 ages past) beams brightly, that there never should have 
 been introduced into this world the angel of sorrow, 
 accompanied by that grim monster Death! We have 
 many times said to ourselves, if we had been the 
 maker and designer of all life, death, at least, would 
 have been left out of the plan. Mankind does not take 
 kindly to the great lesson of opposites. He thinks he 
 could appreciate joy without suffering pain, and he 
 cannot comprehend, by reason alone, why all things in 
 nature must die in order to live again in a new form, 
 proving conclusively that finite mind cannot compre 
 hend infinitude. 
 
 This particular morning of our story, Sir Wallace 
 Reynolds felt unusually happy, just as if a load of care 
 had been removed, an-d as he walked down the street, 
 if it had not seemed vulgar, he would have whistled a 
 tune as he was wont to do in his boyhood days. At 
 the florist s he selected many rare and beautiful flowers,
 
 120 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 and even went so far as to have a set piece arranged in 
 violets and smilax, with the word " Remembrance" and 
 as the frosts of declining years crept over his head, he 
 often remarked, that on this occasion he must have 
 been impressed by some power outside of himself. 
 
 When he arrived at the hotel he found Mrs. Fay s 
 maid, Annette, awaiting for him, who said " she had 
 not seen her mistress this morning, but had received 
 orders from her last night that he was to take the 
 flowers to her room personally, to see if they met with 
 her approval." It was but the work of a moment to 
 return to the carriage, and taking all the flowers he 
 could conveniently carry he returned. On entering, he 
 did not at once sense that awful stillness, which once 
 experienced, can never be forgotten. "Why, Beatrice ! 
 not up yet ? " and he stepped lightly to the bedside, 
 only to start back with horror at the sight. " Oh, 
 Annette! Annette! come quickly, she is dead!" he 
 shouted, and without a thought of what he was doing, 
 he placed the flowers in their beautiful profusion upon 
 the bed beside her. " Go telephone for a doctor, 
 quick ! " The maid did not move, but kept repeating, 
 " Mon Dieu ! won Dieu !" so he was obliged to do the 
 errand himself. 
 
 It did not take long in this case for the white-haired 
 physician to find the cause of her death, which is very 
 liable to be far from accurate in many cases. " An 
 overdose of morphine, sir ; whether intentional or 
 not, God only knows! Now, take my advice," he 
 continued, laying his hand on the arm of the now 
 truly sorrowful man, " don t look into it too deeply ;
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 121 
 
 my certificate will read heart failure. Just notify 
 friends ! " 
 
 The conclusion and advice awoke all the dormant facul 
 ties of Sir Wallace, and he realized now all that Beatrice 
 Fay had foreseen, when she asked him to go to the 
 cemetery with her. She took this way to bring the 
 fact to his mind, that she depended upon him to go 
 with her dead body to that place and perform the last 
 rites one can bestow upon those connected with us in 
 life. A cablegram to the uncle abroad in regard to 
 disposing of the effects of the deceased, and a despatch 
 to Mrs. Dumont Hale completed the business. 
 
 People think, and with good reason, that there is little 
 or no feeling among society people, but in this case they 
 would have been disappointed, for no mother could 
 have done more for her own child than Mrs. Hale did 
 for her dead friend, and when she returned to her car 
 riage after the services she remarked to Sir Wallace : 
 * Do you know, Beatrice did look beautiful in that 
 casket. Just as she did when she was young, in that 
 painting that I gave her, Under Blue Skies. 1 I had 
 such a strange dream about her and that picture the 
 night that she died. I thought that she went up out of 
 my sight in a bright flame of fire, and all those beau 
 tiful things that Annette says she burned one night I 
 could see them all, one by one, go up in the flames 
 with her, and I said the next morning it was a bad 
 omen and it was. We cannot afford to lose such 
 women as she so bright and witty, for we are awfully 
 tame in society, are we not, Sir Wallace?" and she 
 tapped his arm lovingly.
 
 122 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 " Tame ? Society women, tame ? That does not 
 express it ! As I look at them now, they just miss 
 being idiots ! " 
 
 Dr. Fay directed Mrs. Hale to dispose of Beatrice s 
 personal effects as she deemed best, and, with the 
 exception of a few keepsakes, she gave them all to 
 Annette, who made a cross and declared that they were 
 too nice for her, and she would sell them, simply keep 
 ing enough for her dot when she returned to sunny 
 France to be married ; but the rest of the money, it 
 should go for prayers to help her kind mistress soul 
 through purgatory. It would have been useless argu 
 ing the question with this girl that there was no use 
 praying for the dead. Her quick French mind saw the 
 point that then it would be no use praying for the 
 living, and who dare say that prayer, does not at times 
 raise many a poor, down-cast heart ? Mrs. Hale 
 thought it her duty to say something in an orthodox 
 way of the foolishness of such an act, but Annette 
 would only reply : "They are either alive, or they are 
 not, and the father of our church has told me many 
 times that we live beyond the grave, and I will do all I 
 can to make my mistress stay in the dark passages of 
 purgatory as easy as possible, by prayers of the 
 faithful." 
 
 A superstition, do you say ? Yes, doubtless ; but 
 truly more reasonable than the cold, stern theology 
 which lays their loved ones away with the feeling that 
 not even a prayer can reach them ; that they go at 
 once to eternal bliss, as a recompense for their belief, or 
 at once into the realms of eternal torment, for not
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 123 
 
 accepting the dogmas of an impossible and ridiculous 
 
 religion. 
 
 * * 
 * 
 
 It is a fortunate thing in this age of the world tha 
 occasionally one can see a happy, affectionate couple in 
 married life ; where there are children, which is the 
 cause many times in binding people more closely 
 together, it is not such a rare occurrence as where there 
 are none ; but if one could not sight now and then 
 happiness in the conjugal state, the tendency to single 
 blessedness would be greater than it is at the present 
 time. It is not an unusual thing to hear the youths of 
 the nineteenth century declare that marriage is a failure. 
 Men and women many times say one can have much 
 more to do with for themselves if they remain single, 
 and greater freedom, and not that eternal catering to 
 one, who in nine cases out often, is totally unlike them 
 selves, in taste and disposition. People grow selfish and 
 skeptical, and when they do come in contact with a 
 happy married couple, who have been so for a number 
 of years, it is a surprise to them, and really a delight. 
 If old, they feel young again, and recall how pleased 
 they used to feel over the first flowers of spring, when 
 they found one unexpectedly in their pathway. 
 
 Leland Newell and his wife, Amelia, were singled 
 out as a model couple. While extremely fond of one 
 another and their interests identical, still they were 
 thoroughly alive in public work, and as interested in 
 other people s lives as if they were their nearest kin. 
 
 Marriage with them had fully proved that love is 
 the great redeeming element of life, and that humanity
 
 124 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 could not have too much of its power, providing it came 
 to them purely and naturally. To make other people 
 happy because they were happy seemed their greatest 
 life work. Aunt Jerusha had frequently remarked that 
 she thought they were a little "too soft," and she had 
 said to Nancy Ann Jones that it was her opinion, to make 
 marriage a success, that one should be older than the 
 other, consequently would know more of life and could 
 lead the other along with the halter of matrimony 
 which she would not have around her neck for no 
 amount of money. She said it did not make any differ 
 ence which was the older of the two the man or the 
 woman so long as it mixed a little common sense into 
 the business. She liked to have it occur on the woman s 
 side once in a while to even up social life, which to her 
 was unjust, and many times right down mean towards 
 her own sex. She had a great deal of respect for 
 Leland Newell, but not one bit for his religion, and 
 when he asked the privilege of opening up the grand 
 old parlor at Burleigh Place fora large circle or seance, 
 as it was fashionable to call them, she reluctantly 
 consented. Amelia was enthusiastic and told her she 
 would doubtless see wonders, as they were expecting 
 several prominent mediums from Boston, and if they 
 could not produce wonders in mediumship, where the 
 very air one breathes is full of occultism, then it would 
 be useless to look for them in any other city. Of course 
 it would not do to slight anyone who was inclined to 
 open the door of their souls for angel visitants to take a 
 seat therein, and many were invited who had just given 
 themselves up to a power outside of their own individu-
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 125 
 
 ality which they did not fully understand, and the 
 control was imperfect. 
 
 When all had gathered, and formed themselves into a 
 horseshoe circle, and the singing commenced, Jerusha 
 put on her strongest glasses, and sat upright and prim, 
 awaiting results which would remind one of a cat 
 watching a mouse. A medium from the classic city arose 
 and with eyes looking heavenward, spoke long and elo 
 quently upon the law of harmony, the exercise of which 
 was so necessary to those who had passed through the 
 thin veil of immortality. For a while all were silent, 
 when a loud Indian warwhoop resounded through the 
 room ; it seemed to be a signal for many mediums to 
 give up to their familiar spirits, and soon there was a 
 chatter in the Indian tongue, and it so disgusted Jerusha, 
 that she would express herself in regard to her feelings 
 toward the red savages. 
 
 "Why, Amelia!" said she, in a loud whisper, 
 "I wouldn t let such tramps as Indians into this 
 house if they were alive, and you know I wouldn t; 
 and why should I be pleased to see them because 
 they are dead ? I don t know but I like a dead Indian 
 better than a live one, but I can t see what good they 
 can do for anyone." 
 
 "They are nearer the earth, madam," said a fair- 
 haired young man who had overheard Jerusha s whisper, 
 " and when they passed from earth, had no religious pre 
 judices to prevent them from returning, and can control 
 mediums easier." 
 
 " You may be right, about their being nearer the 
 earth," answered Jerusha; "for a tribe came along here
 
 126 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 last summer, and were a dirty-looking set. I never heard 
 of them controlling anyone only by the use of the 
 tomahawk." 
 
 " Don t you think," inquired Amelia, "that it was 
 their complexion that made them so dark ? One is not 
 to blame for that, unless they make one for themselves, 
 that God has not given them." 
 
 A lady present spoke up sharply to Amelia : "One 
 has as good a right to make a complexion as they have 
 teeth or hair ! " 
 
 But no one took up the discussion, so more singing was 
 called for, and loud raps were heard ; lights flashed, and 
 tests were given profusely, but none that satisfied Jerusha, 
 who persisted in asking every spirit who came, how old 
 they were when they died, and where they were buried, 
 and if they could not answer or give their name, she said 
 that dying had made fools of them, and completely 
 destroyed their memory. All look shocked at such out 
 spoken remarks, and it was a relief when it was 
 announced that a great medium would go under control; 
 and when they declared that he would do all the mir 
 acles that Christ performed, the interest became intense. 
 Jerusha watched with eager eyes, for surely something 
 was going to happen unusual. He soon went into a 
 series of contortions, and when he threw back his head, 
 and opened his mouth wide, and turned purple, Jerusha 
 darted from the room, and when she returned the lights 
 had been lowered, so no one* could see exactly just 
 what she was doing. The medium was cold, and rigid, 
 and they soon heard a gurgle followed by a scream from 
 the medium, and Jerusha s voice exclaiming, "You re
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 127 
 
 all right, now ! " She had put down his throat a spoon 
 ful of "hot drops," which she always had on hand in 
 case of sickness. 
 
 " What is the matter?" everyone asked. 
 
 As soon as the medium could speak, he gasped 
 " I m dying !" 
 
 " I thought so," said Jerusha, " when I went out ; but I 
 can tell you all, that I know fits and shocks when I see 
 people have them. Don t you be scart," she con 
 tinued, shaking him vigorously; "you will be all right 
 soon ; your stomach was upset. I thought so when I 
 saw how yellow you looked. No spirits about it. I m 
 not so sure, but some spirits taken internally would do 
 you good, say rum, sulphur and molasses taken in the 
 spring." 
 
 Some present laughed, others were angry, especially 
 the medium who had talked so eloquently about divine 
 harmony ; she was so very angry that she exclaimed 
 she "did not believe in allowing an orthodox old maid 
 to attend a circle." This did not please another lady, 
 who would not see forty again, who told this medium 
 emphatically "that it was better to be an old maid 
 than to have six husbands and not live with one of 
 them." 
 
 Above the confusion, the voice of the great medium 
 arose, saying that the conditions were broken for that 
 evening, and thought it best to adjourn to some future 
 time and place, for he could truly say that there was 
 not a particle of skin left upon his throat or stomach. 
 Nancy Ann Jones said she would be pleased to have 
 them come to her house, and she would see that no dis-
 
 ia8 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 believers would be allowed to attend and she looked 
 hard at Jerusha. Leland Newell and his wife poured oil 
 on the troubled waters ; and Jerusha, who had no bad 
 motive in all her eccentric ways, said she had prepared 
 a nice luncheon for them, and if the medium would eat 
 some of her peaches and new sweet cream, his stomach 
 would feel better; and she thought they would enjoy 
 something to eat after having such a hard time wrestling 
 
 with the spirits. 
 
 * * 
 
 * 
 
 Single people theorize much more about the affairs of 
 life than married ones, simply because they have more 
 time to observe and remember their observations. 
 When one hears bachelors and old maids discuss the 
 problems of domestic economy, how to rear and edu 
 cate children, one would judge that they knew from 
 actual experience ; but in fact, they only know by theo 
 rizing from cause to effect one way to judge of life, 
 but not so correct. Senator Burleigh had formed an 
 opinion about the emotional nature of his nephew, and 
 was determined to test George s admiration and love for 
 Miss Stanton. He believed that passion and fancy had 
 much to do with his sentiments toward that young lady, 
 and George s past had given him good reasons for think 
 ing so. He had confided his doubts to Mrs. Stanton, 
 and he now wrote her, asking her co-operation in 
 carrying out his plans. This she quickly acceded to, 
 willing to carry out any scheme that was not too haz 
 ardous. Take a widow and a bachelor past fifty years, 
 thorough people of the world, and unassuming George 
 Burleigh would have but little chances of escaping any
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 129 
 
 plot they might promulgate ; he had surprised his uncle 
 by saying that when he and Marian were married they 
 would settle down at Burleigh Place, and that he had 
 chosen farming as his occupation. He reasoned that 
 trades and professions were overcrowded by ambitious 
 New England girls and boys, who expected to step 
 from the commercial and manufacturing interests to the 
 Presidential chair, or to be queens of society ; that only 
 the occupation of farming the majority of people would 
 ignore, but with love as an incentive, George could see 
 roses where others saw only thorns. 
 
 One day the senator was walking leisurely down the 
 boulevards of Paris, when his eyes were caught and held 
 by a girl whose striking resemblance to Marian Stanton 
 caused him to stop and purchase some of the fruit which 
 she was selling. Her once radiant beauty was sadly 
 marred by the marks left by that dread disease, small 
 pox ; but the eyes and features were perfect, and into 
 the long head of the New England senator came an idea 
 of how to test George s affection, and try him in the 
 crucible of endurance of human love. It did not take 
 very long to arrange with the girl fruit-vendor to have 
 her portrait painted by paying her for her time ; and 
 with the draping of lace and peculiar poise of the head, 
 which was one of Marian s characteristics, he now had 
 in his possession a striking resemblance of her with the 
 marks of disease plainly visible. 
 
 One morning, when George had been expatiating on 
 Marian s beauty, his uncle brought up the question, the 
 relation of the sexes and the affection between them, 
 and what it should be founded upon. George argued
 
 130 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 that his love for Marian was of the mind and soul, and 
 not mere bodily attraction. Now was the time, thought 
 his uncle, to show him the picture. At first, George 
 flatly refused to believe it was Marian, proving our 
 intuitions are safer guides than our eyes or reason. He 
 argued that she would have written if she had been ill, 
 but his uncle reminded him that it had been weeks they 
 had not heard from mother or daughter, and in the 
 senator s letter, which he had just received from Mrs. 
 Stanton,she mentioned that Marian was now well and 
 happy, inferring that she had been otherwise. 
 
 We have often been told that facts are stubborn things, 
 and when one cannot meet them with reason they better 
 go around them, as one would a tree in the path, than 
 run up against it. People who have impulsive and emo 
 tional natures are always criticized by those more cool 
 and level-headed ; but, as if Mother Nature wished to 
 help and compensate them for having a temperament 
 which excites the criticism of the world, helps them to 
 go through any trial of life easier and quicker than those 
 of the opposite kind. Friends wonder and enemies are 
 chagrined at the way emotional people pass through the 
 hardships of life. It was a dash of cold water upon this 
 young and ardent lover to have his idol marred and to 
 prove to himself that his senses did have a strong hold 
 upon him. Who can deny the power of physical beauty 
 in man or woman ? All great men, and even nations, 
 have felt its sway. He did not give his uncle the benefit 
 of seeing his disappointment very long, for he hastily 
 left the room, and took every pains to avoid him until 
 he had conquered the greatest enemy we have, and that
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 131 
 
 is self. When he did appear he was quite self-poised 
 and seemed extremely happy. 
 
 " Uncle Jack," said he, one evening, " of course, when 
 you showed that portrait I was taken back a little and 
 realized how much a few ugly marks will change one s 
 appearance, but I know now that I do not love her for 
 form or feature, but for her mind and soul." As his 
 uncle made no reply he went on enthusiastically: " You 
 see we love people when they have lost every trace of 
 physical beauty, for there is no attraction in old age, 
 and I am sure I should love Marian then, and she would 
 love me, and I am glad to have another opportunity to 
 test my love for her. I believe some wise power gives 
 me these chances." 
 
 "Spoken nobly, George! and true nobility never 
 goes unrewarded. Let me tell you a little romance of 
 my own life which will go to prove that one can love an 
 ideal for years, which has no physical hold upon an 
 individual. When I was a young man I was engaged 
 to a beautiful girl, and while we were riding one evening 
 my horse became frightened and we were thrown out 
 and my betrothed killed. I have never ceased to love 
 her, and many times of late I have fancied, George, that 
 she is near me to guide and protect me. Well, I sup 
 pose that is because I am growing old and weak." And 
 he wiped the perspiration from his brow as if relating 
 this episode had cost him an effort. 
 
 " I believe, Uncle Jack, she is near you, for you never 
 get into the awful scrapes that I and some others have ; 
 so it must be that some guardian angel keeps you on 
 the right track, while some less fortunate of the human
 
 132 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 brotherhood are like ships without a captain, liable to 
 strike the sharp reefs of life and sink. You must 
 acknowledge, Uncle Jack, that life is not all physical, 
 but the better part of it is spiritual." 
 
 George had just finished reading to himself one of 
 Marian s last letters, wherein she dwelt quite enthusias 
 tically upon the beauty of some lace she had recently 
 purchased, of the most delicate cream and the most 
 exquisite pattern. The idea struck George that in none 
 of her letters did she ever refer to her changed appear 
 ance, or seem to make any difference in her purchases 
 for her own use, any different than she would have 
 made if still possessed her former beauty. As his uncle 
 was sitting near, enjoying his fragrant Havana, George 
 thought he would just mention to him the thought that 
 came to his mind from reading Marian s letter. "Uncle 
 Jack, what do you think of Marian s taste in purchasing 
 some rare old lace for a dress, delicate in shade and 
 texture? Will it be becoming to a person who who 
 " and he stopped, as if ashamed of the thought. 
 
 His uncle looked up with a quizzical smile, and 
 helped him out by saying : "A person whose face is 
 quite red, and blotched by sickness eh, my boy ? " 
 
 " I don t care, Uncle Jack, but it is not a bit like 
 Marian s good sense." 
 
 Now, this sly old uncle did not care to have George 
 think too much about the matter, for fear he would call 
 for the picture, criticize it more carefully, and see 
 through the deception before he had been fully disci 
 plined that a man can live with and love a wife who has 
 lost her beauty. "It is like this, George. A woman
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 133 
 
 never knows when she ceases to be beautiful. Just 
 look around you, and you will see thousands of ladies 
 resorting to art to assist beauty, and you will not see 
 one man in a hundred doing the same." 
 
 "True ! but Marian is so unlike other women." 
 
 " Pooh, pooh, my boy, that is the way lovers always 
 talk. They never can see any imperfections in their 
 sweethearts until after marriage then they see too 
 many ! " 
 
 This conversation did not disturb George s equilib 
 rium, for he sang and whistled as merrily as ever, and 
 their tete-a-tete was interrupted by a call from Dr. and 
 Mrs. Fay and Flossie, who looked as if they had been 
 taking the greatest tonic in the world which is Happi 
 ness. Whether it be found in a hut or in a palace, it 
 gives buoyancy to the step, flushes the cheek, sparkles 
 the eye, and makes everything in the mundane world 
 beautiful. 
 
 The doctor commenced talking of the occult sciences. 
 "Why," said he, " not to investigate the spiritual side of 
 life to-day, puts one down as a person who has lost the 
 capacity of feeling, and is too indolent to think." 
 
 George was interested, and proposed forming a party 
 for that evening, and visit a celebrated psychic, who had 
 lately appeared in Paris and was attracting the atten 
 tion of the scientific and thoughtful minds of the city. 
 
 To witness the genuine phenomena of the spiritual 
 science, is to be convinced. Senator Burleigh and all 
 the party present that evening banished from their minds 
 any cobwebs of doubt that may have been there. The 
 senator had seen his lost love, in a clear light, etherealized
 
 134 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 so plainly that every feature was visible ; the continuity 
 of life was to him now a fact, and like all persons who 
 become convinced of these facts, late in life, it seemed 
 to him, that hitherto he had been in a Rip Van Winkle 
 sleep, and had just awakened to life to know that it is 
 not all of life to live here, but more reasonable to look 
 beyond and know something of the hereafter. 
 
 It caused them all much joy, a few days later, to 
 receive a letter informing them that Mrs. Stanton and 
 Marian would soon be with them, and prepare for the 
 wedding of George and Marian, which would occur in 
 June, after which they all would return to their dearly 
 beloved America. 
 
 It was not George, but his uncle, who appeared 
 extremely nervous, as the time approached for the 
 arrival of Marian and her mother; so much so, that 
 George misunderstood, thinking it was sympathy for his 
 own feelings in "regard to Marian s changed appearance. 
 One morning, when his uncle seemed more abstracted 
 than usual, George rallied him, saying: " Don t you 
 worry about me, Uncle Jack, I m all right. Braced right 
 up to the occasion, and Marian won t see the least look 
 of surprise." 
 
 Taken completely off his guard, his uncle replied 
 quickly, " It isn t you that I am thinking about, its 
 myself. You know, George, I have never ". He 
 stopped short realizing he was about to spoil his whole 
 scheme. 
 
 "Well, what, uncle?" 
 
 "Oh, nothing of consequence, only, I suppose when 
 you two young people are married, Marian s mother
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 135 
 
 and myself will be rather in the way. It is a pity that 
 people cannot die when they have ceased to be of any 
 benefit or happiness to others, without committing 
 suicide." 
 
 George laughed heartily. " Why, Uncle Jack, if you 
 feel that way and I don t see why you should you had 
 better many the widow, and that would fix matters all 
 right." 
 
 " No, my boy! To marry without love, for convenience 
 sake, would be committing another kind of suicide. 
 Mrs. Stanton and I both have known true love, and there 
 is no counterfeitting the real and we both believe that 
 it comes to one but once in a lifetime. I guess I will 
 be all right on that farm you are to have under cultiva 
 tion, and at my club so don t you worry, my boy." 
 
 " Of course, you are solid anywhere. I merely men 
 tioned the marriage question to cheer you up a little." 
 
 The old senator smiled as he lit another cigar and 
 said softly under his breath : " That boy could always 
 be twisted around and never suspect it, and if he can 
 only be placed in the right hands he can be twisted into 
 the strongest rope that circumstances ever twined, for 
 at heart he is as good as gold." 
 
 It was late in the evening when the expected mother 
 and daughter arrrived, and the latter being heavily 
 veiled and both being tired, they, as soon as the first 
 greetings were over, retired to their rooms. So the 
 expected scene which the senator had anticipated, he 
 saw at a glance would be delayed. So thinking to arise 
 early in the morning he would manage to escape a 
 scene, but, alas ! for one s good resolutions. The heavy
 
 136 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 wings of Morpheus kept his eye lids closed longer than 
 usual, and when he appeared in the parlor, Mrs. Stanton 
 and George and the rest were waiting for Marian and 
 himself. He stepped quickly along ; Marian flitted to 
 his side, radiant in her cream and lace morning dress 
 and a complexion which an artist would despair of ever 
 reproducing. George looked thunderstruck. Mrs. 
 Stanton laughed heartily, and Marian blushed a deep 
 scarlet to observe George s surprised manner and the 
 senator s guilty countenance. How long this would 
 have lasted no one knows, if Flossie had not appeared 
 upon the scene and rushed up to Marian with the 
 words, " Why, there isn t a single henpeck or scratch 
 upon you. You don t look a bit like that ugly old 
 picture I saw up in Uncle Burleigh s bureau drawer, 
 does she, mama?" Mrs. Stanton explained as best she 
 could, and George took it good naturedly saying he 
 should go to work and fall in love with Marian all over 
 again, and thought the way for him to get revenge was 
 to go down among the slums, catch the smallpox and 
 give it to all the family. 
 
 It was a merry crowd that gathered around the table 
 that morning, comparing notes of travel and adventures, 
 and building hopes of the future years with a desire 
 that any event they might meet they would be fully 
 prepared to master it. 
 
 * * 
 * 
 
 How many wedding bells ring out on the clear air 
 their merry chimes, indicating that they are harbingers of 
 joy, peace and happiness, when, alas ! many times, they 
 prove to be omens of evil, crime and despair. We see
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 137 
 
 daily, young persons starting out in the world, entering 
 the holy bonds of wedlock with the very best intentions, 
 but have lived to taste the bitter fruits of an unhappy 
 marriage. They are just as liable to meet with a failure 
 in this venture as if their motives were intensely selfish. 
 George and Marian preferred a quiet wedding service, 
 surrounded by a few relatives and friends. Under the 
 circumstances, it was the only kind that could be 
 indulged in, and follow out the lines of good taste. 
 Whenever a man or woman has made one mistake in the 
 matrimonial world, and they enter the relationship 
 again with another, if they celebrate the event publicly, 
 they are usually persons of no refinement of mind or del 
 icacy of feeling, and with a total disregard of public crit 
 icism. It is a bold effrontery, as much as to say "My 
 past mistakes do not frighten me, and I ll make more if 
 I choose." 
 
 To follow the bride and groom on their wed 
 ding trip, we would soon find ourselves de trop, but we 
 could not note two more ardent lovers than George and 
 Marian. They seemed created for one another, physic 
 ally, mentally and spiritually ; one balanced the other s 
 deficiencies, thus making up any defect of nature,should 
 any exist, and this is the truest kind of wedlock. 
 
 While the young people were traveling, Senator Bur- 
 leigh and Dr. Fay s family were devoting their time to 
 the study of that which pertained to the spiritual and 
 invisible. They did not think, at first, that they would 
 pursue their inquiries, but when one is walking on the 
 road of investigation, he must keep on to the end, which 
 is eternity. It was amusing, however, to hear them talk
 
 138 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 about their friends in America, whom they thought had, 
 doubtless, been standing still, and had not come in touch 
 with this wonderful phenomena ; when, in fact, they had 
 only commenced to learn the alphabet, which Leland 
 Newell had been teaching humanity for years, and was 
 now daily living in the grand philosophy of spiritual 
 light. Human nature is as prone to conceit as a flower 
 garden is to weeds, and this self esteem is as rank and 
 as deep rooted. 
 
 The autumn was approaching when the newly-mar 
 ried couple returned to Paris, and now the great theme 
 of interest was " home." Every living creature has a 
 feeling in their organization of an abiding place, be it a 
 dry goods box or a palace. They cling to the one or 
 the other, through the great law of association ; and, 
 perhaps here will come in the law of equality when we 
 reach the spiritual life. It is so much easier to give up 
 the dry goods box, that the street gamin calls his home, 
 than the palace for few will seek the former, but the 
 latter will soon be occupied by foreign elements to those 
 who once inhabited it. People waiting for the homes of 
 others are common occurrences. 
 
 When they had finally embarked, and the weather 
 would allow, they would gather on the deck and talk 
 over and discuss the wonders of the occult philosoph, 
 and the great changes the knowledge of it would make 
 in the affairs of the world. One evening, as they were 
 expressing themselves quite emphatically how they 
 would drive these spiritual truths home to the people in 
 Burleigh, George looked up, with a twinkle in his eye ? 
 and remarked that he was afraid there would be but few
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 139 
 
 of their intimate friends there to convert. "Well," said 
 the senator, " you can rest assured there is one who is 
 not converted, and that is Jerusha ; but I guess you are 
 right about the rest of them, as I was reading, a short 
 time ago, in the Burleigh Times, of a beautiful temple 
 being erected by our old friend, Newell, which is dedi 
 cated to the use of the spirit world and to humanity. 
 Amelia has written that her Aunt Jerusha would spend 
 hours in explaining the impossibility of communication 
 between the two worlds, and held on to the idea that 
 when a person was dead, they would have had enough 
 of this life, and would be quite willing not to meddle 
 with the affairs of people here." 
 
 " Yes, you know that Aunt Jerusha used to say to 
 me : You can t fool, or change me over. I was not 
 cut out from any common pattern ; and, after making 
 me, they must have thrown it away, and used some 
 other to make up humanity, that they can twist around 
 easier than they can me. 
 
 After the party had reached home and settled down 
 to the realities of life, it was arranged that there should 
 be a celebration of the anniversary of the erection of 
 the Spiritual Temple, which had now become a factor in 
 the town of Burleigh. Prejudice was fast melting away, 
 for there is no way to conquer it so quickly as to place 
 a cause on equal footing, financially, with those who 
 oppose it. A feast of good things and an overflow of 
 soul was to be in order, as if nature was joining in the 
 happy event. 
 
 It was the most beautiful day one could im 
 agine, after Dame Nature had dressed herself in her
 
 140 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 autumn attire. The programme was arranged that the 
 principal address should be made by President Newell, 
 followed by Senator Burleigh s experience in the occult 
 science abroad, and, to add variety to the occasion, and 
 a dash of romance, the Unitarian clergyman, husband of 
 George Burleigh s first wife, was to give an address on 
 "the relation of his Church to the great spiritual prob 
 lem of the age," entitled, " Only a Step." 
 
 There is many a liberal minister who would be only 
 too glad to take that step if he was sure of his ground, 
 which is a good, solid salary. They have not the moral 
 courage to step from the easy carriage of the Church, 
 and walk the hard and thorny road of moral reforma 
 tion. It is so much easier to sit in the rocking chair of 
 comfort, and be fanned by the perfumes of refinement 
 than to sit down on the cold stones of new ideas and 
 feel the harsh breath of adverse criticism, and break the 
 bread of life to the hungry multitude, as the Nazarene 
 did, for the love of simple truth and humanity. 
 
 An improvised poem was to be given by Marian, who 
 returned from the study of the ancient lore in the East 
 filled with spiritual light, which bubbled from her lips 
 like foam on the wine. George acted as musical director. 
 
 Our little medium, Amelia, was now one of the most 
 successful platform test interpreters, and would devote 
 much of the time in delivering messages from those 
 just behind the veil. This caused Jerusha to make 
 many spicy remarks, and she was overheard to say to 
 her niece by one of the neighbors: " Amelia Bigelow 
 Newell, don t you go up on that stage, or whatever you 
 call it (am glad it ain t a pulpit, anyway), and make a
 
 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 141 
 
 downright fool of yourself. I would rather go out with 
 a lantern the darkest night that ever was, and when it 
 rained, too, and take down all the names on those old 
 grave stones, and help you get them into your head, 
 than to have any of my relations give gibberish that a 
 Hottentot would be ashamed of, and no one could 
 understand." 
 
 Amelia promised on the old family Bible that she 
 would not undertake what she could not do; that her 
 tests would be as correct as Baker s old spelling-book 
 and as true as the Bible. 
 
 This so relieved Jerusha s mind that she took hold of 
 the cooking with renewed earnestness, and said to Mary 
 and Sam (who had lately married, and still retained their 
 positions in the Burleigh family), that these spiritual 
 folks and mediums might talk all they wanted to about 
 angels and blue skies, she guessed they would appre 
 ciate a good old-fashioned, orthodox dinner, as well as 
 common people, and she should not be afraid to test 
 them on that point and she guessed they would 
 recognize this test much easier than half they did get ; 
 which always seemed to her to distress some of them terri 
 bly, to remember the facts the mediums told them about 
 their own relations. 
 
 Sam winked at Mary, and showed her on the 
 sly his last invention, which he said would be in 
 every household, to be used to communicate with the 
 invisible world, and he whispered that when it was com 
 pleted, he was going to fasten one on Aunt Jerusha s 
 bedstead, and force her to hear from those dead live 
 folks whether she wanted or not.
 
 142 UNDER BLUE SKIES. 
 
 The celebration was a pronounced success, and as 
 that glorious queen of the night arose in all its beauty, 
 there were merry feet dancing in the hall connected 
 with the Temple ; for this new religion was a natural 
 one, that reached the old and young alike, for the 
 joyous laughter that pealed out on the clear air, came 
 from hearts overflowing with love and hope. In the 
 place of death, was life, and none were saddened by the 
 past, for now they looked on all such experiences as 
 grand lessons, fitting them to step forward into that 
 larger school of spiritual growth, the bright Summer- 
 land of the future, where they were to ascend step by 
 step the ladder of knowledge, until they stood upon the 
 mountain of spiritual enlightenment. 
 
 We must say to them now " Au revoir" leaving 
 them under the blue skies of our fair America, going 
 bravely onward to that land, arched with the blue 
 skies of the great Hereafter.
 
 JASON AND MATILDA.
 
 JASON AND MATILDA. 
 
 VfES, that is a sensible match!" said one of the 
 1 deacons in the Methodist church, as the couple just 
 united passed down the aisle. Rufus Hazleton, the 
 youngest son of Squire Hazleton, was good looking and 
 good natured, and was considered by the community as 
 quite a "catch;" but Matilda Reynolds, the school 
 teacher, was called one of the smartest girls in the State 
 of Vermont, and one of the plainest. But the inhabitants 
 of the little town of Waybridge, had decided long ago, 
 that a handsome girl should be feared by the stalwart 
 sons of the "Green Mountain State ;" a girl who had 
 good health and could work was far more to be desired 
 than one with a fairer face and a delicate constitu 
 tion. 
 
 The thought flashes into the mind of one, seeing these 
 very plain people, how could the Maker of human 
 beings, admitting this was His special labor (which many 
 doubt), make a person so very unattractive in form and 
 feature, when He has it in His power to make them 
 exactly opposite if He chose ; but Nature, which ever 
 tries to make up in one respect what she loses in 
 another, gives lavishly in goodness what she witholds 
 in beauty ; and this was the case with Matilda Reynolds, 
 now Matilda Hazelton. Her hair was brown and glossy, 
 but she would part it in the middle, and draw it tightly 
 back from her broad, high forehead, and for fear it would
 
 146 JASON AND MA TILDA. 
 
 break into a ripple or curl, tie it tightly with a string, 
 and twist it into a knob back of her head, which stood 
 out in such startling distinctness, that one could not tell 
 whether it was used as a weapon of defense or placed 
 there from sheer necessity. The young ladies of Way- 
 bridge had never heard of the classic knot or the low 
 Grecian coil. Matilda had a good complexion, and the 
 brightest, keenest gray eyes in the world ; but her nose 
 was long and sharp, her teeth irregular, and her mouth 
 firm but large. Perhaps one could have overlooked the 
 plain face, if there had been one line of beauty in her 
 form ; but, no, she was built like a man, tall and com 
 manding, but not a curve in her figure ; and what made 
 her seem more masculine, she was a number of inches 
 taller than her husband, who walkedwith an easy swing 
 ing gait, while Matilda would put her feet down as firmly 
 as one of the old colonial captains. 
 
 Rufus was to have the Hazelton farm, and Father 
 and Mother Hazelton were to live with them, and 
 although Matilda s shoulders were broad, and she her 
 self capable, still she started out in life with her share 
 of life s burdens. When, after three children had been 
 born to them, and stimulated her to greater exertions, 
 it seemed to have an opposite effect upon Rufus, who 
 grew more and more shiftless. After the old people 
 died, Matilda felt it her duty to take her father and 
 invalid brother home to live with her. As Rufus had 
 borrowed money from time to time from Deacon Suth 
 erland, Hazleton Farm, at the time our story opens, 
 was heavily mortgaged. But this was not the only 
 farm in Waybridge with a mortgage upon it. The
 
 JASON AND MA TILDA. 147 
 
 farmers in this section had become discouraged ; there 
 was no market for their produce, and no energy in the 
 community. Jason Reynolds, her brother, had become 
 lame, and could render but little assistance, and while 
 she had two brothers in New York City, only one of 
 them ever remembered that he had relations in the 
 green hills of Vermont, and he only partly realized the 
 close economy which had to be exercised in order to 
 keep the family together, for people in the city fall into 
 the habit of thinking that everything grows on a farm, 
 and, consequently, farmers want for nothing. 
 
 Matilda s father had brought up a family of nine 
 children, four of whom were living at this time, and had 
 educated them better than the average young people in 
 that vicinity, and, like many another New England 
 farmer, as soon as they were old enough to be of any 
 assistance to him, he allowed them to go out into the 
 world to the large cities. How quickly children forget 
 the roof tree that sheltered them in their childhood; 
 forgetting the white hairs of father and mother in the 
 busy whirl of city life ; forgetting their duties toward 
 those who cared for them when they could not care for 
 themselves. They always had the excuse that if they had 
 remained at home and worked, New England could not 
 compete with the fast growing and productive West. 
 Those who did remain at home settled down into a 
 monotonous way of living, for Waybridge was six 
 miles from the railroad and soon ran behind other 
 towns of its size. 
 
 Whenever Rufus had any young stock suitable for 
 the market, Deacon Sutherland would happen along for
 
 148 JASON AND MATILDA. 
 
 his interest money, offer a low figure and drive them 
 
 home. 
 
 * * 
 
 It was a beautiful autumn day, and the golden light 
 touched up the high hills of Vermont, painting a scene 
 which the beholder would never forget. Matilda 
 Hazelton, tired and worn with a hard day s work, sat 
 down in the large sitting room at Hazelton farm, and 
 listened to the heavy breathing of Rufus, who had 
 dropped to sleep in his chair ; watched the sad, patient 
 face of Jason as he bent over his book, and thoughts of 
 her children, especially the little one who was fast 
 fading from her sight the idol of her heart and the 
 situation of all their lives arose before her mental vision 
 in all its helplessness, and for the first time in her life 
 she broke down under the terrible pressure, and could 
 not keep back the tears that ran down her careworn 
 face. 
 
 Some women, and in fact the majority of them, 
 are easily moved to tears ; they will cry over nothing, 
 and as a relief to their over taxed nerves a good cry is 
 better than a good dinner. Not so with Matilda 
 Hazleton ; she rarely cried, no matter how intense 
 her suffering; she had schooled herself to never give 
 way to a grief that could not be averted ; but when 
 she did cry, one could only think of the storms which 
 arose amid the green mountains, that came so sudden 
 and heavy, that the tall trees bent in humility before it, 
 that all nature trembled in unison with it. 
 
 It was the cry from a heart that knew the deep-toned 
 thunder of adverse circumstances, and the vivid light-
 
 JASON AND MATILDA. 149 
 
 ning of discouragement which surrounded her. It was 
 no wonder that the household was alarmed, that the chil 
 dren crept about and spoke only in whispers, that Rufus 
 dropped his snuffbox, saying "Why, don t! Matilda, 
 you know it won t change a thing." Of course she 
 knew it, but it was no use ; she had faced the situation 
 of Hazleton farm, and as the panoramic view of the lives 
 of those she loved so dearly passed before her vision, 
 the picture was so dark and dreary, so bereft of all that 
 makes life worth the living, she felt she must cry, or go 
 insane. 
 
 There was one sympathetic heart in that household 
 which never failed to reach all who were suffering and 
 in sorrow, and that was her brother, Jason Reynolds. 
 Who could help loving him ? With what subtle magnet 
 ism did old and young, high and low, rich and poor 
 come under his influence. His beautiful, spiritual face, 
 so classic in its outline one could think only of a 
 Grecian god. Whoever looked into those deep, grey 
 eyes, saw a love for others greater than a love for self, 
 which made him the highest type of a religious man a 
 humanitarian. James Brown, a confirmed infidel and 
 skeptic, had often said that the Methodist Church would 
 not be fit to exist if it did not contain two moral people 
 like Matilda and Jason Reynolds. And while poverty 
 was ever at the heels of his life, he would not allow his 
 heart to become poor and barren. 
 
 It was the life of love that the Nazarene had taught 
 which attracted him to the Church, for his reason had 
 ever battled with the narrowness of its creed and its 
 lack of charity for those outside its limits, while too
 
 i$o JASON AND MA TILDA. 
 
 often it served as a cloak to cover the sins of some 
 brother or sister enrolled upon its list. But he would 
 always say: "The more one had a knowledge of the 
 sins of the world the more zealously should one work in 
 their deeds of love to counteract it " so he had a help 
 ing hand and a smile for everyone. When Matilda 
 turned to him in her sorrow and despair, it was not to 
 receive a stone, but the bread of life, for if we cannot 
 give anything else, we can give love, which many times 
 lifts the weight from the spirit and sets it free. 
 
 " My dear sister," he said, in those deep, mellow 
 tones, " I know it will all come out right, and you will 
 save the old farm, I am sure of it ; just let the thought 
 rest for a while, and light will come to you." 
 
 " Oh, Jason, I have prayed and prayed ; I have talked 
 it over with the pastor and members of the church and 
 they give me no hope, and say if it is the will of God for 
 me to pass through this affliction I must submit But I 
 cannot see my dear ones go to the poorhouse without a 
 struggle." 
 
 " Did you ever think, Matilda, that if the so-called 
 Christians would pray less and think more upon the 
 practical subjects of life, many of its burdens would be 
 averted ? It may seem strange to you to hear me talk 
 so, but I truly believe God helps those who would help 
 themselves, and work is as acceptable in His sight as a 
 prayer, and much more effectual in this work-a-day 
 world of ours. I wish you would go over and talk with 
 Lemuel Hackett, and in the meantime I will see if I can 
 think of some means whereby we can help ourselves." 
 
 But that night the duties pressed heavily upon
 
 JASON AND MATILDA. 151 
 
 Matilda, for Flossie, the youngest, grew rapidly worse, 
 and as she left her for a moment to go below for some 
 cooling drink she heard her voice calling, "Mama! 
 Mama! come here; I am on the stairs." Hastily 
 returning she saw standing above her on the stairs her 
 fever-stricken child, and catching her in her arms, 
 before she could reach her room the little spirit had 
 flown. 
 
 While Matilda s spirit bent under this blow it did not 
 break, and the weeks rolled on and it seemed nothing 
 would rouse her from the lethargy of despair which had 
 fallen upon her. But a stimulant came from a source 
 she little thought of. She had been telling the family 
 one morning of a dream she had had of how Grand 
 father Hazelton had returned and said : " I will help you 
 save the farm, Matilda ; so cheer up." And as a climax 
 to this dream, when she was passing through the hall 
 she glanced up and saw her little Flossie standing on 
 the stairs, which was too much for her overtaxed heart, 
 and for the first time in her life she fainted away. 
 Rufus, Jason and the two children, Mary and George, 
 gathered around her. " What was the matter?" And 
 when she told them that she had a real vision, it threw 
 the family into great excitement. It was not every 
 New England farmhouse that could boast of such an 
 occurrence, and it was not to be put down as a trick of 
 the imagination or a passing fancy. 
 
 Again Jason urged Matilda to call upon Lemuel 
 Hackett. " For you know we can never tell who may 
 be of help in time of need ; and although his ways are 
 odd, he has abundance of common sense and sometimes
 
 152 JASON AND MA TILDA. 
 
 one can add to another s courage, even if they cannot 
 form a line of action." And so Matilda rapped at Aunt 
 Jerusha Hackett s door, and asked to see Lemuel. 
 
 I suppose every country town has its characters, but 
 for an original, typical Yankee one would have to go far 
 to find one like Lemuel Hackett. He was considered 
 one of the best scholars in town. The old folks had 
 often been heard to say: " If Lem had gone on to New 
 York town with Washington and John Reynolds, and 
 slicked up a bit, he would have been just as smart a 
 man." But, no ; he preferred to stay on the old farm, 
 stick to his slang and his potatoes, and floor everyone 
 in argument, either political or biblical, until, when any 
 one wanted to know anything out of the general run, 
 they would say: "Go and ask Lem Hackett." He 
 was not much surprised to see the tall, spare form of 
 Matilda in the front room waiting for him, but, as he 
 had been to school with her, and knew her sterling 
 qualities, he realized that it was something more than 
 an ordinary event which brought her there to seek 
 advice of him. 
 
 Matilda told him first about the encumbrance on the 
 farm, of Deacon Sutherland s dishonest means of 
 obtaining all they raised at the lowest prices, and last, 
 not least, her dream of Grandfather Hazelton, and her 
 vision of Flossie on the stairs and her prayers un 
 answered, her heart still burdened with these sad condi 
 tions of life. 
 
 "Gosh all hemlock, Matilda!" said he he run his 
 hands through his carroty red hair " You don t tell me 
 that you are discouraged, that you have been dreaming
 
 JASON AND MA TILDA, 153 
 
 dreams and seeing visions, as the old patriarchs used to 
 do ? Gee whitaker ! I don t wonder that your nerves 
 are all unstrung, and I have always had my opinion of 
 Deacon Sutherland, if he does belong to the Methodist 
 Church. I tell you what, Matilda, I know an idea is 
 going to strike you, and soon too ; it is the tall trees 
 that catch the storms and when struck by lightning 
 they don t get blasted, but they do get somewhat twisted 
 and turned ; and as I look your case over, I see you 
 are going to be struck with an idea, and don t be 
 alarmed if it twists you out of the old path, and turns 
 you into a new one, and gives you a mighty shaking up. 
 Rufus was telling me this morning about your seeing 
 visions, and dreaming dreams, and Darn it all, I said 
 to him, I don t see why she shouldn t, for I don t see 
 why we don t need them just as much in these days as 
 they did in Bible times; and, by jiminy , the Bible is just 
 full of spirits and angels, who went tramping around 
 trying to help folks ; and if we don t need help up here 
 on these Vermont hillside farms, as much as they did 
 in Jerusalem, I d like some one to rise up and tell the 
 reason why;" and Lemuel flourished his long arm in the 
 air, and came so near knocking off Matilda s Sunday 
 bonnet, that she started back in actual fear. " Now, 
 thisjis my advice : Have a plan, no matter if it is not a 
 good one, and stick to it ; then call a meeting of your 
 family, and whatever you plan to do let them take hold 
 and help you. I don t believe in one person doing it all, 
 and if it is a success it helps all ; this four or five 
 out of a family standing back to see if the person pull 
 ing is going to flounder in the mud, or get on to dry
 
 1 54 JASON AND MA TILDA. 
 
 land, doing a powerful lot of looking on and finding 
 fault, is against my religion; and, by cracky, if your folks 
 and neighbors can t help you now, you just tell them 
 you won t need them when your are dead and an angel 
 that s the long and short of it. Now, Matilda, you can 
 count on me, wherever the idea strikes, whether it is as 
 high as the steeple, or low as my pig pen. Gosh all 
 hemlock ! if the idea is too big to tackle alone, I ll catch 
 hold and tackle it with you." 
 
 Matilda thanked him from the bottom of her heart 
 for the good cheer and determination to help her in 
 whatever she might undertake ; for she knew she could 
 depend upon this angular, homely, common sense 
 Yankee as much as she could upon the sun rising on the 
 morrow. 
 
 Lemuel Hackett watched Matilda s retreating form 
 from the window, and then turned and walked delib 
 erately up to the old brass-framed looking-glass that 
 Aunt Jerusha had hung between the windows of her 
 best square room. "Well, I do declare," said he; "the 
 picture I see in that glass is far from being a handsome 
 man. The hair is too red, the face too long, and the 
 eyes too small, and they squint ; and the skin is speck 
 led like a duck s egg, and the bones hung together on 
 wires. But, one thing I can say of this individual if he 
 isn t a beauty, he is gosh darned smart; for if some 
 women came to ask my advice, I shouldn t have thought 
 so ; but Matilda was a smart girl, and she is a smart 
 woman, and if she had not had confidence in my advice 
 she never would have come ; for it is confidence that 
 makes business go, and the old mare slow, and the
 
 JASON AND MA TILDA. 155 
 
 churches grow ; and a few more people like Matilda to 
 advise with me will make me a poet," and he went 
 
 whistling out to his cornfield. 
 
 * * 
 
 * 
 
 All inspiration is not from above. One may breathe 
 in a certain intelligence from nature, until they become 
 inspired. Inspiration seems to be the awakening of one s 
 higher powers, and the cause thereof, many times, may 
 come from human sorrows as well as from heavenly joys. 
 In fact, it seems the soul will have to be cast down 
 before it can be lifted up ; and thus inspiration and intel 
 ligence many times comes from human life. There is 
 no greater sorrow in this world than to see the wretched 
 condition of one we love, and, at the same time, be 
 unable to help them out of their wretchedness. This 
 seemed to be the exact case of Jason Reynolds. He 
 was bound by the laws of pain and disabled physique, 
 and, no matter how warm his heart, or how quick his 
 brain, so far in life he had been a burden to others, and 
 the heavy part of the burden had fallen on his sister, 
 whom he deemed already overweighted with the cares 
 of life. If he could only help her, even in the slightest 
 degree ! This had been the constant prayer of his life, 
 the deepest desire of his heart. It was this feeling to 
 help Matilda at this time of her life which caused him to 
 scan closely the advertising columns of a New York 
 paper which brother Washington sent him weekly. For 
 a moment his heart stood still, as his eyes rested on 
 these words : 
 
 "Wanted. Board, in the country, for four people; 
 Vermont preferred. Anyone desiring to take a family
 
 156 JASON AND MATILDA. 
 
 of this size, can receive good payment for the same. 
 Address, A. W. M., P. O. Box 1140, New York 
 City." 
 
 Then it was that Jason Reynolds was inspired ; he 
 could see it all as plain as day. He knew that those 
 people would come to Vermont, and to them. How did 
 he know it, do you ask ? Well, he was inspired. He 
 had the idea, which, as Lemuel said, would strike 
 Matilda. He felt so happy in the thought, that his mind 
 seemed to leap from cause to effect, until the whole plan 
 was consummated. Yes, he would write to brother Wash 
 ington, and have him go and see the parties and make 
 the arrangements. Dear Washington, he would help 
 fix up the house of course, he would. It was with this 
 happy feeling that he found Matilda, sitting dejectedly 
 alone by the window, with that heavy frown of despair 
 that was fast settling upon her face. 
 
 " I have found the right idea, Matilda, to help you 
 out of your difficulties. I have found it ! " and his 
 face lighted with the bright hope of expectancy. 
 
 Matilda Hazelton was not a sanguine woman, or nerv 
 ous, or excitable ; and she had an overshare of common 
 sense ; she looked up calmly at her brother, and said: 
 
 " What do you mean, Jason ? " 
 
 " We are going to take city boarders, Matilda ! " 
 
 " Where are we to get them ? " 
 
 "Why, here," and he read to her the "ad. " he had 
 found. 
 
 Jason did not stop to hear one objection, but, as if his 
 brain was on fire, he unfolded the plan of how they could 
 keep boarders another summer. But Matilda was a
 
 JASON AND MA TILDA. 1 5 7 
 
 woman who could see two sides of every question, and 
 she said to Jason: "Why, don t you know, we haven t any 
 suitable furniture ; and we have no knowledge of how 
 these people live, and what they would require." 
 
 But, one by one, Jason met the objections and settled 
 them. " Why, you know, Matilda, that Washington 
 has never failed us, and he will loan the money for the 
 furniture, and he can write us all about the habits of 
 these people." For Jason did not realize the difference 
 in the habits between city and country people, and the 
 phrase " Love thy neighbor as thyself," would not be 
 applicable in New York society. 
 
 " But, you know, Jason, that Mary is not old enough 
 to be of much help, and I fear that I cannot carry it on 
 alone ; and I dread to undertake what I might make a 
 failure of." 
 
 " Now, Matilda, what is the matter with my turning 
 cook myself? I have read that many a man receives a 
 higher salary for cooking than a professor of a college ; 
 and we have all winter to perfect the plan, and I know 
 this is the thing to do ; and if Washington can t raise 
 all the money, don t you think John would help ? " 
 
 Matilda shook her head. " You know that brother 
 John always looked out for himself first, and when 
 people do that way, you know they never have time, 
 money or love for anyone else ; but I will write at once 
 and you must do so also, and we will see what comes of 
 it." 
 
 So they both sent long letters to the brothers in New 
 York and with the letters went many a prayer. Ah ! 
 how much pain, or pleasure is carried in a letter ; it is
 
 158 JASON AND MA TILDA. 
 
 only a little paper and ink, but still it has changed the 
 destiny of many a person ; how many characters have 
 been revealed by these white missives, that otherwise 
 might have remained unknown. If people only knew it 
 would they write more or less ? If every letter was an 
 exclamation point in their own private history, would 
 they make that history better or worse, do you think ? 
 For, surely, those two letters traveling from the green 
 hills of Vermont to the busy city of New York, proved 
 to be but searchlights turned on to the lives of two 
 men, to bring out the good and bad that were in them. 
 Those brothers, going to their places of business, little 
 thought of what was traveling toward them, to awaken 
 or deaden the love in their hearts for the old home and 
 kindred ties. Ah, the good that can be done by one 
 single act of kindness ! How few realize it ! 
 
 A few evenings later, Lemuel Hackett called in at the 
 Hazelton homestead, and stretched his long legs before 
 the fire and pitched into discussing politics and religion 
 until Rufus fairly shuddered, for he was not an argu 
 mentative man, neither was he a thinker; he was will 
 ing to let the world go along in an easy way, provided 
 he could be comfortable. Lemuel mentally said to him 
 self: "Talking with Rufus Hazelton is just like milking 
 a farrar cow;" and he turned quickly around to Matilda, 
 and, in his high, sharp voice, said " Has it come ? " 
 
 She was knitting and not expecting this question, as 
 she had been listening to the dreadful things he had 
 been saying for the sake of argument; she did not at 
 first know what he referred to. " Why, what do you 
 mean, Lemuel?"
 
 JASON AND MATILDA. 159 
 
 "Why, the idea ! Has it hit you, yet ? " And then 
 she told him what she and Jason had planned to do. 
 He gave a low whistle, and sat a long time in deep 
 reflection, and then said: "I am afraid, Matilda, that 
 the idea has struck you on the wrong side ; ideas are 
 cranky things, and you can t always tell where they are 
 going to hit, and this one I am afraid of." 
 
 "Well, Lemuel, what is there about this to be afraid 
 of?" 
 
 " Well, you see, I have read a good deal on the sub 
 ject, and, supposing they come, you can never fill them 
 up. You see, these city folks live to eat, and don t eat 
 to live. I tell you, Matilda, it would be a hopeless 
 job." 
 
 " Lemuel, we don t have any sale for what we raise, 
 and why not let them eat it up ? " 
 
 " Oh, that isn t it, altogether ! They are cranky and 
 difficult to please. My cousin, Mary Jane Hackett, 
 worked at one of the hotels up in the mountains, and 
 she heard one of the city girls say to another one, that 
 she hadn t slept all night, for thinking what she was 
 going to have for breakfast. Now, you needn t tell me, 
 that when people set such a sight by vittles and drink, 
 someone hasn t got to be a slave to their appetite ; and, 
 by jiminy, I hate to see you undertake it and break 
 down." 
 
 Matilda s heart sank within her, for there was some 
 sense in what Lemuel had said ; they would be difficult 
 and hard to please. At this juncture, Jason appeared 
 at the door and said : " I declare, Lem, you are proving 
 a regular wet blanket ! These people may not be the
 
 160 JASON AND MA TILDA. 
 
 kind you have pictured, in the least ; and, no one who 
 has to work, can expect all roses and no thorns ; and 
 in a desperate case one should resort to the great law of 
 expediency." And, in a clear, logical manner, he 
 reasoned that city boarders were not angels or devils, 
 and if others had entertained them, they could. 
 
 But nothing so reassured Lemuel as the knowledge 
 that they were to have Washington Reynold s advice. 
 We all have our ideals, and Jason could not have touched 
 a tenderer chord than to have mentioned the name of 
 Washington Reynolds. He worshipped him; and had 
 been heard to say, that, " If George Washington was the 
 father of his country, Washington Reynolds was the 
 father of the town;" and as Washington had sent gifts, 
 letters and papers to every inhabitant of the town, when 
 ever Lemuel would get excited in an argument and 
 would say, "If Washington Reynolds, of New York City, 
 was here this minute, he would agree with me," would 
 settle the point in the minds of the people, and it is no 
 wonder he looked upon him as his patron saint 
 
 "Byjiminy ! whatever he says to do, I shall stand by ; if 
 he says take the city boarders, why take them; and if you 
 don t have enough to fill them up, why I ll turn my farm 
 in, and go to raising poultry, beef and vegetables, so 
 they can go home once in their lives and say they had 
 
 enough to eat." 
 
 * * 
 * 
 
 When the two brothers received and read their let 
 ters, the effect they produced upon them was opposite. 
 Washington wrote to the parties, that he thought he 
 knew of a family that would take them for the summer,
 
 JASON AND MA TILDA. 1 61 
 
 and do all they could to please and entertain them ; and 
 asked an interview, which was granted, and was 
 astonished at the coincidence that he knew Mr. Moore in 
 business circles, and was presented to the wife, daughter 
 and nephew. They had wealth and influence, but Mr. 
 Moore had been advised by his physician to have com 
 plete rest and change, and they had made up their minds 
 to go far enough away from the city so he would have 
 no temptation to run back to look after his business. 
 A change in our surroundings, if taken at the right time, 
 would save many doctors bills and many lives. 
 
 Before arrangements were entirely completed Wash 
 ington concluded to lay the case before his brother 
 John, to see if he could suggest anything better, little 
 thinking that he had thrown the matter out of his mind 
 entirely. The next morning he stepped into his office, 
 with a " Good morning, John. I would like to see you 
 a few moments on family matters." What a tall hand 
 some man John Reynolds was, with his dark hair, deep 
 blue eyes, and glossy side whiskers ; what elegant poise 
 of the head, and easy manner he possessed ; no wonder 
 he was called the handsomest man who walked Broad 
 way. He knew it, for it was by his fine appearance that 
 he had arisen to be one of the partners in the firm, and 
 had given him an entree into a wealthy southern family 
 and enabled him to marry an heiress. Washington was 
 fine looking also, but of an entirely different type. His 
 hair was light and sunny ; he wore no beard and his 
 face was so full of light and love, that everyone set him 
 down for a professional man, for he certainly looked 
 like an actor posing as a philanthropist.
 
 1 62 JASON AND MATILDA. 
 
 11 Well, what is it? " said John. 
 
 "Have you heard from home, lately?" 
 
 " Heard from home ! " exclaimed John, thinking his 
 city residence was referred to. 
 
 Washington seeing what was in his mind, asked : 
 " Have you heard from Matilda, lately ? " 
 
 " Why, I believe I got a letter a week ago, but I 
 haven t read it yet been so busy." 
 
 " Well, don t you think you had better take a little 
 time and read it, now?" 
 
 John took the letter out of his desk, and as he pro 
 ceeded in the reading a heavy frown gathered on his 
 brow ; as he finished the letter, he threw it down, 
 saying : " I am disgusted ! " 
 
 "Why," said his brother, " are you not going to help 
 them?" 
 
 "No; are you? " 
 
 "Yes, certainly." 
 
 " Why, Wash, you re a fool ! I tell you our brothers 
 and sisters had as good a chance to get on in the world 
 as we ; and, in fact, Rufus Hazleton had a better one, 
 and as for my letting all New York City know that my 
 family in Vermont are so poor that they have to take 
 boarders, I won t and that s an end of it." 
 
 "John, Matilda is not to blame for Rufus lack of 
 energy, and she being a woman, has not the oppor 
 tunity as we men." 
 
 " Well, I know lots of women who have succeeded." 
 
 " So have 7, but not as she has been situated. You 
 can t tie a bird s wings and tell it to fly. You know 
 she took good care of our father and mother in their
 
 JASON AND MATILDA. 163 
 
 old age, and was to them a stay and comfort, and she 
 and Rufus could not be at home taking care of the old 
 people, and at the same time be out in the world earn 
 ing money; and for what she did for our parents, if not 
 for her sake, we should try to help them." 
 
 " I want you to understand, Washington Reynolds, 
 that I don t owe my father and mother anything," was 
 the heartless reply. 
 
 " Not owe them anything? " and the portly form of 
 Washington seemed to grow larger and larger, while 
 that of the brother shrank into the size of a pigmy 
 such a powerful effect has the spirit over the human 
 organism. 
 
 " Did you take care of yourself in childhood, John ? 
 Did not your father give you a better education than 
 other farmers gave their sons ? Did not your mother 
 stand over you when you were racked with fever? " 
 
 " Oh, bosh ! My folks did what they had to do, and 
 and I don t see as I owe a debt of gratitude to them or 
 anybody else. I worked night and day to succeed, and 
 I have, and nothing shall pull me back. I have no 
 sympathy or high flown sentiments ; you will only pull 
 yourself down by trying to help them up ; I shall look 
 out for myself, and I advise you to do the same, and 
 when we are old we shan t have to ask others to look 
 out for us." 
 
 " Oh, John ! You may not always be able to control 
 circumstances ; you have only to look around you to 
 see men who are rich to-day who will be poor to-morrow ; 
 if I were you, I would give one less fashionable dinner, 
 and do this act of kindness for those who have a claim
 
 1 64 JASON AND MA TILDA. 
 
 upon you, for if anything should happen to you the 
 world will forget you while your people will not." 
 
 " I don t intend to let anything happen ! " and he 
 turned angrily away. 
 
 Washington stood and mused over the words of his 
 brother, and before his spiritual vision the future was 
 unrolled of his brother s life. It was so dark and drear 
 he would have called him back again to reconsider his 
 decision, for he truly loved him ; but no, the die was 
 cast, and the good that John Reynolds could have done 
 was past and gone forever. 
 
 * * 
 
 * 
 
 The money came from the noble and loving-hearted 
 brother Washington, and with it came full directions 
 how to refurnish and repaint the old house, and how to 
 beautify the grounds. He even went into details as to 
 the variety of food, and the manner of serving it. 
 
 Matilda was not like some New England housewives ; 
 she did not expect to change the habits of people who 
 visited her, even if she thought her way the better way. 
 She knew that in order to please she must adapt her- 
 seif to the circumstances ; and to please people who 
 were paying them money was absolutely necessary. 
 Breakfast at nine, dinner at two, supper at six, were 
 hours out of all reason and unheard of in the little 
 town of Waybridge, and would have made her a deal of 
 trouble if she had changed her own hours for meals, 
 which were six, twelve and five. 
 
 Is it true, that some people attract sorrows as other 
 do money? Surely it seemed that this family had more
 
 JASON AND MA TILDA. 165 
 
 than its share of the vicissitudes of life. With their 
 minds at ease, and occupied with the plans for the com 
 ing summer, the family would have been comparatively 
 happy, if something had not occurred to pull at the 
 heartstrings of Matilda. George Reynolds, her son, 
 was nineteen, and one of the brightest, handsomest 
 young men in town, and, like many another young man, 
 had tired of the monotony of the hill-side farm, and, 
 with others of his age, had fallen into vicious ways, and 
 had been known to come home much the worse for hard 
 cider, mixed with alcohol the latter being made in the 
 sugar orchards during the spring. There is not so mucji 
 difference between a strict prohibition State and its 
 opposite, as many people think. "The difference is this : 
 The prohibition States succeed in consuming the worst 
 kind of liquor which is expressed to them, and in not 
 only making the worst kind of drunkards, but sneaks 
 and hypocrites. 
 
 One day, Matilda thought it was her Christian duty to 
 talk to George. She did so, and was astonished at his 
 views of life. He said he could not content himself 
 during the long, lonesome winters, buried up in snow, 
 with a class of people who never got out but once a 
 week, and then only to go to church to listen to a man 
 who, he believed, did not know any more about religion 
 than he did. 
 
 " Oh, don t talk that way, George." 
 
 " Well, anyway, he don t know anything about human 
 nature when he says that all the fun in this world is from 
 the devil and I don t believe the minister is any better 
 than anybody."
 
 1 66 JASON AND MA TILDA. 
 
 His mother was shocked to hear him talk so about 
 her beloved pastor. 
 
 " Do you know, George, that he is working to save 
 your soul and the souls of others ? " 
 
 " Well, mother, let him stop as far as mine is con 
 cerned, for I don t believe that a man who slanders God 
 in the way he does has any influence with Him ; for if I 
 thought God was as mean as he preaches He is, and 
 made folks just for the purpose of damning them, I 
 wouldn t give Him standing room around here." 
 
 "Oh, George, you don t realize what you are talking 
 ajt>out. You have been listening to that infidel, James 
 Brown, I know; you don t see God s divine justice." 
 
 " I don t want to see it ! Why, take as good a fellow 
 as Uncle Jason, and if he didn t believe all the creed 
 he d be damned forever. I d rather be a heathen." 
 
 Matilda talked over the condition of her son s mind 
 with the brothers and sisters in the church, and the 
 minister, and she found that she was only one of the 
 many mothers who could not hold their sons in the 
 straight pathway of Christian duty and rectitude, so they 
 concluded to send away for a revivalist and have a series 
 of meetings and have a course of lectures on temper 
 ance. Among the many amusing ideas advanced of 
 how to stop intemperance, Albina Bennett s took the 
 prize, when she suggested to have all the apple trees cut 
 down and to stop making maple sugar. 
 
 Lemuel Hackett, who had listened night after night to 
 see how they were going to stop up the holes in the 
 threadbare subject of intemperance, could hold in no 
 longer, and arose in the meeting and made a speech.
 
 JASON AND MA TILDA. 167 
 
 " Brothers and sisters of this Methodist society : I never 
 heard such foolishness as I have heard in this meeting 
 house this week, and to cap the climax, Sister Bennett s 
 ideas are the worst. It s no wonder St. Paul said, Let 
 women keep silent in the churches. 
 
 At this juncture the maiden lady referred to arose in 
 great wrath, to say, "Well, St. Paul was an old bachelor 
 like you, and it s a good thing he ain t alive to-day." 
 
 But Lemuel paid no heed to her and continued with 
 his speech. " I ve no patience with this string govern 
 ment of our boys and girls ; some screw is loose in this 
 community somewhere. Someone on the top shelf of 
 the church may be setting a bad example of dishonesty 
 and some other vices on the sly, which our boys espe 
 cially have found out." 
 
 This did not seem to please some members of the 
 society, but as Lemuel had always paid liberally they 
 had to hear him out. 
 
 Deacon Sutherland arose, and in calm and awful 
 tones, said he felt called upon by God to say that 
 Lemuel Hackett was slandering the Church of Christ. 
 
 " Amen ! amen ! " shouted Albina Bennett. 
 
 "Furthermore," continued the deacon, "no brother 
 has any right to throw cold water upon our efforts." 
 
 One old lady, who was a little ignorant, asked : 
 " Before the meeting went on she would like to know 
 what they were reviving religion for? Was it dead or 
 had it fainted away? Wasn t God smart enough to run 
 his own business ? And if God had made a hell, why 
 not let Him have some folks to put into it and not try to 
 save them ? " Another member jumped up amid a roar
 
 1 68 JASON AND MATILDA. 
 
 oflaughter from the younger ones, and said : " I move 
 that no woman be allowed to speak again in this meet 
 ing ; if they do, I believe the church steeple will totter 
 and fall." 
 
 Lemuel arose and said : " If the coat hadn t fitted 
 some present, they would not have put it on ; and if the 
 Bible was true, it said, to know the truth was to speak 
 it ; and every good Christian ought to wash their own 
 dirty linen before going out around seeking that of out 
 siders ; and, in fact, he would like to shout it, so the 
 angels above could hear, that if our boys and girls had 
 not seen people on top shelves and high places doing 
 wrong, they would not have tried to lock ai ms with the 
 devil and shun the life of Christ, as he saw them doing 
 all around him ;" and he sat down with groans from 
 some, and amens from others ; and one of the toughs 
 who had attended the meeting for fun, called out : 
 " Bully for you, old Lem !" and Albina Bennett fainted 
 away. 
 
 In vain the mild Rev. Robinson tried to calm the 
 troubled waters ; he prayed loud and fervently ; he 
 wiped his eyes frequently with his fine linen handker 
 chief, but the meeting broke up with a great deal of 
 feeling, and although he pressed brothers and sisters 
 hands warmly, as they bade him "good-night," he felt 
 unhappy and distressed over the lack of union among 
 them. Some wicked boys say that they hid behind the 
 door and saw him kiss Albina Bennett on the sly ; and 
 that Deacon Sutherland walked home with Widow Gray, 
 and was overheard to say to her : " Let us stick together, 
 dear sister, with the wax of righteousness. Of course,
 
 JASON AND MATILDA. 169 
 
 the devil will try to part us ; still, let us stick together 
 stick together." 
 
 Matilda appealed to Jason after she found that there 
 was no satisfaction in the revival meetings, as matters 
 were going on just the same in George s habits. 
 
 Jason stood thoughtfully, looking out upon the trees 
 loaded with snow ; and the beauty of the sun, reflected 
 on the hard, white crust, was lost to his artistic nature, 
 as he reflected on the monotony it must produce on the 
 minds of the young around him. " Matilda," he said, 
 " we can t keep the boys and girls of New England 
 where you and I were kept years ago ; first, remember 
 the families are much smaller, and they have not the 
 same vital powers which enabled their grandfathers to 
 work all day cutting trees and their grandmothers to 
 spin, and then, in the evening, ride on an ox sled to an 
 apple-paring. People don t seem to take in the situa 
 tion and supply the want of the age, especially in a 
 town like this. Something should be done in the way 
 of giving dances ; and the social nature is not very 
 active on an empty stomach and a glass of cold water." 
 
 " Would you have them drink, Jason ?" 
 
 " Not anything that would harm them ; but coffee, 
 sweet cider and home-made beer will not harm any 
 one ; and half the people drink liquor just for the sake 
 of being social, I believe." 
 
 "Well, you had better organize some parties, for 
 with you as a leader, I know they will come to no harm ; 
 your life has always been blameless and above reproach, 
 and with you I know it will all come out right." 
 
 And so the long, tedious winter took wings, and flew
 
 1 70 JASON AND UfA TILDA. 
 
 into the past; it would always remain one of the happy 
 spots in their memory, when sadder hours and darker 
 
 days met them in the future. 
 
 * * 
 * 
 
 When the spring opened and the Hazletons had 
 remodelled the old place inside and out, it did not 
 please the community at large, but as the Moores, from 
 New York, had decided to board with them, they felt 
 they must do it. People in the country do not like to be 
 disturbed in their notions, and they had not painted 
 their house white, with green blinds, which people 
 were accustomed to see so much a row of which 
 reminds one of a cemetery; and George and Jason 
 had made seats, and swings, and placed out door 
 games, which had been sent on by their expected 
 boarders. Deacon Sutherland rode over and gave 
 them his opinion about such foolishness, but did not 
 say anything against the improvements, as he expected 
 some day to own the farm ; he did not endorse the 
 scheme of having boarders, but he did not forget to 
 take every thing that was of any use to him for interest 
 money, much to the disgust of Jason and Matilda, who 
 were fast getting their eyes open. 
 
 At the next prayer meeting the deacon prayed 
 earnestly for those members who were decking them 
 selves out in fine feathers to please the pride of the 
 inhabitants of that wicked city, New York. Matilda 
 and Jason looked at each other the one, with 
 sorrow for the mm s hypocrisy; the other, with a firm 
 determination in her mind to free herself from his 
 clutches, if human exertion could do it So life went
 
 JASON AND MA TILDA, 1 7 
 
 on with the under current of events, unseen upon 
 the surface, perhaps, but making up a web of which 
 we are all daily weaving. 
 
 When the boarders did arrive they proved to be very 
 charming people. Eugene Moore had been abroad to 
 study the art of painting ; he was refined and genial, 
 and generous to a fault. He and Jason became warm 
 friends, and as the latter had considerable talent, 
 Eugene offered to become his teacher. Miss Minnie 
 Moore would walk, talk and laugh with George Hazel- 
 ton as freely as if he were city born and bred, and 
 before the season was half over it was plain to see that 
 love was making greater reformation in the habits and 
 character of this young man than religion could possi 
 bly have done. 
 
 The Moores were delighted with Hazelton farm. 
 What delicious food was put before them ; such butter, 
 cream and fruit they had never before eaten. Mr. 
 Moore said " it seemed strange to have a chicken that 
 was a chicken ;" and they could not imagine how all 
 the housework could be accomplished with no more 
 friction than there appeared to be, minus servants, 
 bustle, dirt and noise. If they had had a glimpse behind 
 the scenes, they would have found everyone of the fam 
 ily working in a systematic manner, under the general 
 ship of Matilda, whose "aide-de-camp was Jason ; and 
 the great incentive of all of them, was saving the old 
 farm. 
 
 Andrew Moore was what is termed a self made 
 
 man ; in the sense that he had worked hard during his 
 
 ays and harder still by studying nights ; and by his
 
 i?2 JASON AND MA TILDA. 
 
 wonderful perseveraiTce and energy, he had amassed a 
 large fortune. It has been said many times, that a self- 
 made man is only half made ; meaning that they lack a 
 certain polish that a man who has not had such a strain 
 upon his resourses possesses. But if such people lack in 
 polish, they surely gain in strength and worldly wisdom. 
 Here was a man who would accept no theory or scheme 
 until it had been burned in the crucible of his reason ; 
 in fact his whole nature was fitted to become a radical 
 thinker. He looked upon those who leaned upon 
 priests or clergymen, with the same pity as he would if 
 they were obliged to use crutches to enable them to 
 walk. He was not harsh in his criticism toward others, 
 but extremely tolerant ; for his own family had steadily 
 grown from the most conservative church to the most 
 liberal ; and he had been heard to say that there was 
 hope for them, and that in time they could trust and 
 rely upon their own moral natures. 
 
 He met, and became acquainted with James Brown, 
 known in Waybridge as the " the infidel," who was a man 
 of strong character and considerable means ; many slur 
 ring remarks were made about "old Brown" as they called 
 him, and his family also, which consisted of a wife and two 
 lovely girls. True, he paid his debts, was kind to the poor, 
 did not speak ill of his neighbors, and was very indus 
 trious, but he did not accept the creed of the Methodist 
 Church. In fact, the religious world, generally speaking, 
 had no scheme of God, or of the hereafter which he 
 could indorse. ,He would say : " If I am to be damned 
 for my unbelief, then damned it is ! I will never die a 
 hypocrite or a liar." He was always fearless in speaking
 
 JASON AND MATILDA. 173 
 
 for the right, and many a quarrel was averted, and law 
 suit withdrawn by the advice and influence of James 
 Brown ; but his influence extended to those outside of 
 the church,for the Rev. Robinson had called him " God s 
 accursed" in one of his sermons, and Deacon Sutherland 
 had been heard to shout a loud, " Amen !" but his amen 
 did not have the weight it would have had, if the day 
 before he had not cheated in a horse trade which the 
 entire town knew about, and which the outsiders con 
 demned, and the church members wished had been 
 done a little more slyly. 
 
 As soon as Andrew Moore had been to church a few 
 times (and he went to please those who had a sympathy 
 for old and bygone customs, to listen to old ideas), he 
 learned the history of nearly everyone in town, for the 
 members of the church had not outgrown the sin of 
 backbiting and scandalizing others, forgetting the Bible 
 teachings of " Love thy neighbor as thyself." Moore 
 and Brown would discuss the question of religion and 
 the hereafter for hours, and when this occurred they 
 would always attract a crowd. Moore, with all. his dis 
 gust for the forms and teachings of many of the churches 
 was no materialist ; he believed in the soul and in the 
 identity of the individuality, and no sophistry, like the 
 theories of some of the advanced thinkers, who believe 
 that the soul can return and inhabit another body, thus 
 losing the experience of the past and one s identity, could 
 catch him. 
 
 He would say : " I do not believe in the annihilation 
 of one s individuality ; it is only another form of mate 
 rialism, which means a loss of all our experience in life,
 
 1 74 JASON AND MA TILDA. 
 
 which has been so hard to gain ; it is more repulsive 
 than the idea that death ends all ; for, what object could 
 there be in creation if we could be re-wound like a 
 clock, and at each turn of the wheel lost what had been 
 previously gained ? Nature is progressive, and rolls 
 forward and onward, and not downward and backward, 
 
 in all forms of life." 
 
 * * 
 * 
 
 It is true that Paris is a year in advance of the New 
 York styles and that city is many years ahead of most 
 of the New England towns. Eugene Moore had, one 
 hot morning in July, donned a white flannel lawn-tennis 
 suit, and was taking a stroll over the hills before break 
 fast, to find a view for his canvas ; Matilda and Jason 
 were both in the mysteries of the culinary art, when 
 Lemuel Hackett, who had, as usual, arisen very early to 
 get a start in his farm work, caught a glimpse of young 
 Moore. Now, while Lemuel had good sense upon poli 
 tics or religion, fashion was completely beyond his ideas. 
 He was nearsighted, and not quick to take in a situa 
 tion ; so, not waiting to finish his task, he rushed breath 
 less into the presence of Matilda and Jason. 
 
 " I tell you what, Matilda, you just step back a bit, 
 and Jason and I will just sneak that young fellow into 
 the house, unbeknown to anyone." 
 
 "Who do you mean?" said they both in a breath. 
 
 " Why, your darn fool of a city boarder. He don t 
 seem to know when he ought to go out, or when to 
 stay in ! " and he pulled Jason to the door, and pointed 
 over the hill. At that moment the figure of the young 
 artist loomed up in sight.
 
 JASON AND MATILDA. 175 
 
 Matilda s curiosity was like most of her sex, and she 
 followed close behind Jason, and the thought flashed 
 into her mind what Lemuel thought of her boarder. 
 She rarely laughed, as she as rarely cried, but she did 
 laugh this morning until the tears rolled down her face. 
 She saw the ludicrous side of life, as well as she saw the 
 serious, and with the same strength. Jason, at first, did 
 not realize what had so disturbed Lemuel, but when he 
 did, his mirth joined Matilda s in such a happy chorus 
 that even the birds stopped their songs. 
 
 " By gosh ! I don t see what there is to laugh about. 
 Perhaps you think, Matilda, that folks ought to be 
 clothed like the lilies of the field, that the Bible tells 
 about? But I say, that if that fellow don t know 
 enough to put his pants on over his drawers, then some 
 one ought to tell him. Our girls round here are used 
 to seeing folks in their shirt sleeves, but I ll be darned 
 if that fellow seems to know that he must draw the line 
 there. At first, I thought it was a spirit, for you know, 
 Matilda, the Bible says that God made a ladder for 
 spirits to troop up and down on, to accommodate Jacob. 
 I didn t know but He was repeating the thing. But when 
 he began to whistle and shout for your old dog, Tray, I 
 said : This is no angel, but a regular darn fool ! Now, 
 you may laugh all you please, but I think there is such 
 a thing as morality in the world, and I have read about 
 their going without clothes in some of the shows in 
 New York City, but I don t think they ought to be 
 allowed to here." 
 
 The more Matilda would try to talk, the harder she 
 would laugh, and she did get things mixed up. At
 
 176 JASON AND MATILDA. 
 
 last she did say : " Why, Lem, that is a lawn-tennis 
 suit." 
 
 "A what?" 
 
 "A lawn-tennis suit," she said. 
 
 " Oh," said Lem, " made of lawn ! So much the 
 worse. My cousin, Mary Ann, had a dress made of 
 lawn, and the first time she brushed past some black 
 berry bushes, she tore the darn thing most all off of 
 her." 
 
 " No, Lem ; I mean white flannel clothes, such as 
 they wear in New York when they play out-door 
 games ; of course, no one wears them that has to work, 
 and I suppose that is what set the fashion so they 
 would not be mistaken for the working class." 
 
 "Do you mean to tell me, Matilda Hazelton, that 
 folks are ashamed to work?" 
 
 " Why, I suppose so," said she. " You know there 
 has always been two classes, the rich and the poor, ever 
 since the time that Christ hadn t a place to lay his 
 head." For Matilda was a woman who had good 
 reasons for all human actions. 
 
 " Gosh all hemlock ! If that don t beat the Dutch ! 
 It seems to me they ought to be ashamed to think they 
 don t know enough to work." 
 
 "Why," said Jason, "they may know enough, but 
 they don t have to work, having enough money to do 
 and dress as they please." 
 
 "Well, I suppose they can," said Lem, with a deep- 
 drawn sigh; " but I ll be darned if I thought there was 
 such a difference between the rich and the poor, and 
 that folks had to go decked out in white to let the
 
 JASON AND MATILDA. 177 
 
 others know that they belonged to the upper crust. 
 Why. we might as well have a king and queen. This- 
 free country, that our forefathers, and mothers too, 
 fought and bled for, and that God Almighty keeps a 
 special eye on, as I always supposed if it conies to 
 such a pass, it takes my appetite away, so I couldn t 
 eat the best breakfast in the land." And he stalked 
 mournfully home without his usual happy whistle. 
 
 This conversation so worried Lemuel, that he resolved 
 to tackle Mr. Moore on the first occasion. This gentle 
 man had taken a decided liking to Lem, on account of 
 his originality ; Mr. Moore always making him feel at 
 ease, so that he appeared at his best when talking with 
 him. " I say, colonel," said Lem one morning, " what 
 is all this talk about the rich and the poor? I ve read 
 something about it in the New York papers, but always 
 thought it was the darn lies of those newspaper fellows, 
 who can lie faster than a horse can trot, but something 
 came up the other morning that set me to thinking." 
 
 " Oh," said Mr. Moore, with a smile, " you mean 
 labor and capital ! Well, there is no real trouble, or 
 there should not be. It is like this, my friend the 
 rich man claims he is taking the greatest risk, and ought 
 to have the greatest gain." 
 
 " Why, ain t there lots of things," said Lem, " that a 
 man does, where he risks his life, like going down into 
 coal mines, and lots of other things and what greater 
 risk can a man take than his own life? " 
 
 "Why, the risk of his money, Mr. Hackett ! I 
 know many a man who would risk his life for his 
 money, but not his money for his life."
 
 i?8 JASON AND MA TILDA. 
 
 " Well, that ain t according to Scripture, colonel, for 
 it says, What profiteth a man if he gain the whole 
 world and loseth his own soul ? 
 
 " That is not preached much to-day, any more than 
 the text, Give all thou hast to the poor and follow me. 
 If they should carry that out literally the church doors 
 would be closed. No ! I suppose men will go on 
 accumulating money to curse future generations with 
 until the end of time. I may be as bad as the rest, but 
 I do try and spend some during my life, which I believe 
 is doing some good." 
 
 " Gee whitaker ! You open every pore in my darn old 
 body, and make me sweat more than I ever -did in 
 haying. According to your ideas, we ve got a King 
 here in America, and his name is Gold, and you ve got 
 to get a hold on him some way, or else you ve got to 
 be put down and rubbed out ! Ideas," said Lem, getting 
 excited and waving his arms in the air, "goodness, hard 
 work and education is all darn foolishness if you ain t 
 got money that s about the size of it, ain t it, colonel ?" 
 and Lem s face was so red that you could not tell where 
 the hair commenced. 
 
 " Tut, tut, my friend, not quite so bad as that ; but I 
 must confess that in our large cities, it builds a wall too 
 high for an ordinary individual to climb without money, 
 
 unless he wishes to take the risk of breaking his neck." 
 
 * * 
 * 
 
 Mr. Moore and James Brown had formed a Liberal 
 Club and started a course of Sunday lectures, and 
 among the speakers was a friend of the Moore family, 
 Miss Ellen Willard. She was to remain with the
 
 JASON AND MATILDA. 179 
 
 Hazletons on the farm, and old and young seemed 
 strongly attached to her. Her eloquent speaking on 
 Sunday evenings rilled the hall to its utmost capacity. 
 What could be wrapped up in so small a woman that 
 her words seemed divine ? She looked like a child in 
 figure, but her face was of one who had passed under 
 the rod of affliction, and was matured far beyond her 
 years ; her hair was so glossy and brown that it looked 
 like the wing of a thrush ; her eyes were dark blue, 
 large and dreamy, but black and full of fire when filled 
 with the subject which she handled with so much skill. 
 She was a humanitarian in her belief, but was unlike 
 some of the reformers of the day she did not speak 
 above the people but directly to them. There was that 
 rapport between herself and audience which individu 
 alized the thought and made it seem like a plea or word 
 of advice to each and every one. Time and place were 
 forgotten in the enchantment of her musical voice, the 
 truth of her thought and above all the inspiration that 
 seemed to be back of every word she uttered. 
 
 None of her hearers were more charmed than Jason 
 Reynolds ; his soul responded to every thought and 
 emotion of this beautiful speaker. Matilda, no less 
 than others, felt the power of this woman s magnetic 
 presence, but she was one who did not break away from 
 old ideas easily and fall in with everything new; her 
 belief was native fruit, and anything grafted on the old 
 tree must be of superior quality. 
 
 "What was there," thought Matilda, " about this 
 woman which recalled another person, another scene, 
 years ago?" The picture in her memory was very
 
 1 80 JASON AND MA TILDA. 
 
 different, as she saw once more the winter night at Dea 
 con Sutherland s house : A young girl, scarcely fifteen, 
 with large blue eyes and golden hair, modest and shy in 
 manner ; but this same young girl was thrust out from 
 that home under most terrible circumstances. True, 
 Matilda knew that Deacon Sutherland was the cause of 
 it all, but she had the old-fashioned idea of wrong 
 doing in women ; and he had repented, been baptized, 
 and taken into the church, and no one prayed louder or 
 more fervently than he, or was more assured that Christ 
 had washed away his sins. He had called her notice to 
 an account in a paper, how Nellie Blake, the girl who 
 had her home with him, had died suddenly in a Massa 
 chusetts hospital. But the moment Matilda came into 
 the presence of this talented lady, she could only see 
 one person, think of one face of the past, which turned 
 appealingly to hers years ago. If she had been a woman 
 of imagination, she would have given it but little 
 thought ; but she was not, and it worried her, for she 
 was a righteous woman, and had no confidence in people 
 who winked at sin, especially in woman. She, of course, 
 believed in total depravity it was part of her creed ; but 
 she communed and prayed with Deacon Sutherland, 
 whose soul was washed by the blood of Christ as white 
 as snow. 
 
 As the days glided by, and she saw the growing 
 attachment between the lady and Jason, she was deter 
 mined in some way to test her impressions of this 
 woman. She sent for Deacon Sutherland one day, when 
 it was disagreeable and stormy, and the ladies could not 
 go out. She had interest to pay on the mortgage, and
 
 JASON AND MA TILDA. 1 8 r 
 
 she wanted to consult him about transferring it to 
 another party. Jason had recommended James Brown, 
 but she had not fully decided upon that point ; but 
 Jason would insist that, while he was not a Christian, he 
 was, at least, an honest man. This particular afternoon, 
 when the business was completed, except signing some 
 papers, she said : " Step into the front room, Deacon, 
 and I will get pen, ink and paper. Miss Willard was 
 alone, reading ; and, as the tall form of Matilda entered 
 the room, accompanied by the deacon, she looked up 
 and smiled, but quickly dropped her eyes. Matilda 
 said: " Deacon Sutherland, Miss Willard." As if she 
 had received an electric shock, Ellen Willard rose to her 
 feet. The deacon, who was portly, and inclined to apo 
 plexy, fairly turned purple. He looked directly into the 
 eyes of the woman before him, and almost uttered the 
 words aloud : " Has the dead come to life ? " but he did 
 not ; for if there is one thing more than another that 
 saves a villian, it is their self-possession ; he only bowed 
 stiffly, and took up the pen and signed his name delib 
 erately, as if nothing had happened to disturb him. 
 
 When they returned to the kitchen, if Matilda had 
 doubts of Miss Willard s identity, she had none now, 
 for the story flitted over the face of that trembling 
 woman, which was painted by that invisible spirit within, 
 as if an artist had placed it upon canvas. Deacon Suth 
 erland spoke in a stifled voice : " Where did that woman 
 come from ?" 
 
 " You think you know her, do you ? " 
 
 " I ? Yes no ! She resembles one whom I believed 
 to be dead, and it gave me quite a start."
 
 1 8a JASON AND MA TILDA. 
 
 " Well, Deacon, I fear, same as you, that the girl who 
 went out of your home in disgrace years ago, is sitting 
 in yonder parlor. Your sin of the past has found you 
 out again ! " 
 
 " There you are mistaken," said he ; " for if repent 
 ance and forgiveness of sin is not true in our creed, then 
 it s not worth the paper it is written on," and he brought 
 his fist down upon the table to enphasize the thought. 
 
 " But, are you sure, Brother Sutherland, that you 
 have atoned for the past, by doing good deeds in the 
 present?" 
 
 " I don t have to do anything of the sort ! It is 
 belief, and not deeds, that saves the soul ! If you think, 
 Sister Hazelton, that you are going to get to heaven on 
 your own merits, as the wicked and cursed infidels tell 
 about, you ll find yourself outside the gates of Paradise ; 
 for it is believe and be saved, or if not, be damned, 
 as I understand the creed ; it says nothing about deeds. 
 I fear some dreadful evil will fall upon our town and 
 church in consequence of these liberal meetings. You 
 are the cause of it all, and you will be punished for it, 
 and, if I can have my way, before the winter has come, 
 we will have a church meeting called, and see if good 
 Christians can harbor infidels, and still keep their 
 standing in the church." 
 
 The deacon was thinking more of losing his hold upon 
 the Hazelton place than of his humility in facing a 
 wrong nearly forgotten ; so, slamming the door after 
 him, he drove away. 
 
 Matilda said not a word to any one in regard to her 
 conversation with Brother Sutherland, but waited, like a
 
 JASON AND MA TILDA. 183 
 
 sensible woman, for fate to turn the table of events. 
 
 The following Saturday, Miss Willard, who loved to 
 play and walk with the younger members of the house 
 hold, came in with hair unbound, flushed cheeks, and 
 said to Matilda, in her flute-like voice : " I feel like a 
 child again, only far happier than I was when a child ;" 
 and her eyes filled with tears. 
 
 Matilda was not an unkind woman at heart, but she 
 could not resist the temptation of letting her know that 
 she knew who she was. " Yes, you look now as I 
 remembered you when a child, only the last time you 
 were much unhappier." 
 
 There came a look of anguish into the dark, deep blue 
 eyes. "Ah ! my dear Mrs. Hazelton, I am a very differ 
 ent woman than my childhood would have warranted ; my 
 youth was marred by the reckless hand of others ; but the 
 picture has been retouched by one good woman s heart, 
 and, I trust, made brighter by my own personal efforts." 
 
 This was not what Matilda expected her to say ; evi 
 dently she did feel keenly the mark of sin that was upon 
 her. Matilda felt that she would not again go to hear 
 her speak until she had given her more of her confi 
 dence ; so she missed the morning service, and as the 
 others had all gone for a drive, and as Miss Willard 
 rested preparatory to her evening lecture, Matilda was 
 surprised when she stepped into the parlor and stood 
 before her. 
 
 " Mrs. Hazelton, you did not come to hear me speak 
 this morning, and I missed your frank, intelligent face ; 
 for I depend upon my audience as much as they do 
 upon me. Why were you not there ?"
 
 184 JASON AND MA TILDA. 
 
 How long the time seemed before Matilda answered 
 her tone was not angry or cold, but sad and determined. 
 " I could not, Miss Willard. I should have thought of 
 one person, and of that person s past life." 
 
 "And her name?" asked Miss Willard, in a trembling 
 voice. 
 
 " Was Nellie Blake, and her sin, scarlet" answered 
 Matilda. 
 
 Ellen Willard seemed to grow inches taller, and her 
 voice was as clear as a bell as she asked : "Mrs. Hazel- 
 ton, what is sin ?" 
 
 Matilda did not answer. 
 
 " Oh, Mrs. Hazelton, hear me !" and the woman who 
 had stood so erect a moment ago, now knelt at the feet 
 of her who was about to judge her life. " Listen," said 
 she; "I realize that you know my story as it came to 
 you years ago, but not as it really was. When my 
 father left me with Deacon Sutherland, who was his old 
 school friend, I was but a mere child ; and a more timid 
 one could scarcely be found ; I was afraid of thunder 
 and lightning and shrank from strangers; I was not 
 developed in the least through the mind or soul. You 
 cannot imagine how unkind and cruel Mrs. Sutherland 
 was to me ; she would beat and abuse me, and pray to 
 God to forgive her ; and my horrid, lonely childhood 
 is one of the chief causes of my hating the shams and 
 pretences of religion. I had no one else to turn to but 
 Deacon Sutherland, who was ever kind and gentle to 
 me ; and as the years went on, I grew to look upon 
 him as the one who knew what was right or wrong 
 for me better than any one else. Do you ask where
 
 JASON AND MA TILDA. 1 85 
 
 my conscience was ? I realized none, for the conscience, 
 like art, has to be trained and developed ; and in 
 the higher animals, which we call human beings, 
 it is slow to appear. 
 
 "It is the old story, my dear woman, of a man taking 
 advantage of a child. What I did, I did with no 
 idea of the results. You call it a sin, I call it 
 a mistake, for I had no bad motive. When I 
 was turned into the street that cold, bitter night in Jan 
 uary, it was by a woman who was supposed to have a 
 conscience, and a professed Christian. Did she? Even 
 Deacon Sutherland was not wholly hardened, then; he 
 came after me and would have taken me back into his 
 home, but I would not go, but he had that influence 
 over me, that I took the money and letter and went to 
 the city as he directed me, and it was not until I was in 
 a hospital, sick unto death that I realized my condition, 
 and my relationship to him, and to the world. It was 
 a fearful awakening for a child scarcely fifteen; but it 
 was impressed upon my mind by a Catholic nurse, who 
 thought I was going to die, and wished me to confess 
 to the priest. My child died, and I lay as one dead, 
 and was even pronounced so by the attending physician, 
 and it was then that the letter was written to Deacon 
 Sutherland, and I give him the credit of thinking I was 
 dead. 
 
 " I look back to those hours of unconsciousness, 
 and I believe I must have been in a trance ; for when I 
 came to myself I was as old in thought as I am]to-day. I 
 had from that moment the divine gift of inspiration, and 
 as I was slowly recovering, I attracted the attention of
 
 1 86 JASON AND MA TILDA, 
 
 a woman who took delight in visiting the sick to add to 
 their comforts. Day after day she came to my cot, and 
 learned the story of my life; she listened to my songs and 
 wondered at my poetry, and finally adopted and 
 educated me as her own child. 
 
 "Dear Mother Williard! Why are there not more 
 women like you?" and the tears streamed down her 
 face. "In her life, she gave me her love, and at her death 
 she left me her fortune, with the injunction that I should 
 help humanity. I have never turned from my path of 
 duty, helping all upward to a higher life. I feel I have 
 expiated my part of the wrong, even if done in ignor 
 ance, by keeping many a young girl from ruin. I do- 
 not know why I came back to this place ; it was fate, 
 some would say, but I believe there are higher laws that 
 work for our good and others that we do not under 
 stand. Now, my good woman, if this was the story of 
 your own child, and she was situated as I was, what 
 would you want some woman like yourself to say to 
 her?" 
 
 The sunlight was fast fading in the Hazleton parlor, 
 and the old clock in the hall ticked, ticked with the 
 beating of this woman s heart that knelt there in- 
 humility and sorrow. Ah, Matilda Hazleton ! Can 
 you put down the long years of prejudice, which is a 
 part of yourself? Can you forget the one unpardonable 
 sin that your mind has clung to for these long, long 
 years ? Remember, sin is sin, and not to be forgiven in 
 a woman, no matter if this woman is good and great 
 now. You know what she has been can you forgive 
 her?
 
 JASON AND MATILDA. 187 
 
 The deep, grey eyes of Matilda Hazleton looked 
 upon the kneeling form ; tick, tick, sounded the old 
 clock in the hall in unison with the beating of their 
 hearts. Was it a trick of the imagination, or fancy, that 
 Matilda heard the same little voice of her angel child : 
 "Mama! mama! Here I am on the stairs!" Then 
 there flashed through her mind the thought, " What if 
 this child had lived and been left unprotected and alone 
 like Nellie Blake !" She would want some woman like 
 herself to decide what would be right for the highest 
 good of her loved one. She must decide, and decide 
 quickly, but it was not such an easy matter for her to 
 do. 
 
 " If you were my own, and were kneeling to some 
 other heart than mine, I should want that woman to 
 say " And there was a long pause. " I should want 
 that woman to say " 
 
 " Mama ! come quick ! here I am on the stairs ! " 
 
 "Arise! neither do I condemn thee " and these 
 words lifted the soul of Matilda Hazleton nearer to the 
 
 gates of Paradise than it had ever been lifted before. 
 
 * * 
 * 
 
 It was to be the last lecture by Miss Willard, that 
 Sunday evening after the interview with Matilda. The 
 hall was crowded, for young and old came in from 
 adjoining towns. Miss Willard was to leave for New 
 York the next morning, and as she stood before that 
 large audience, and saw so many bright and interesting 
 faces of both sexes, she thought to herself, " It is these 
 same young people that go to our large cities, and it is 
 to these that I will speak to-night." Her subject was
 
 1 88 JASON AND MATILDA. 
 
 the words used by Matilda " Arise ! neither do I con 
 demn thee ! " 
 
 What a plea it was for all womankind, and what a 
 concise argument, that sin was sin, regardless of sex ; 
 that a mistake in a man should not be over-looked 
 any more than a mistake in a woman ; and no man in 
 that audience went away with the idea that he could 
 be faultless and his companion guilty. 
 
 There was one man who came in with a slouched hat 
 and muffled throat, who escaped the notice of many, but 
 not of Lemuel Hackett, who had attended the Liberal 
 Club meetings quite regularly. He said to one of his 
 neighbors that he had prayed too frequently and com 
 muned too often not to know Deacon Sutherland. If 
 Lem had observed more closely he would have seen a 
 hard, determined look upon the face of that man as he 
 walked rapidly downstairs after the close of the lecture. 
 
 Deacon Sutherland had retrograded since that cold 
 winter night when Nellie Blake had been forced from 
 his home. His wife had not been more yielding in 
 temper since that event, and she died with all the old 
 bitterness in her heart, that her creed would naturally 
 engender. All conscientious scruples he killed out of 
 his mind ; his god was money ; he used the church as 
 the means to the end of obtaining it, by having a hold 
 upon the people; so any words that he may have heard 
 uttered at the lecture had no effect upon a heart like his. 
 
 Much of the sunshine seemed to go out of the Hazleton 
 home when the sweet voice of Ellen Willard was no 
 longer heard. Jason had declared his love and had 
 received only one word "Wait!" The sympathetic
 
 JASON AND MA TILDA. 189 
 
 tie between Matilda and Jason soon made her realize 
 how unhappy he was. She surmised that he had 
 been refused by the object of his affections, the cause 
 of which to him was unknown. So, womanlike, she 
 thought if she could divert his mind from Ellen Wil- 
 lard, that she would be doing him a lasting favor. So 
 she undertook a task that many a person before and 
 since have tried, and ninety-nine out of every hundred 
 have made of it a total failure. 
 
 "Jason," said Matilda, as she stood behind him one 
 evening, " don t you believe in equal marriages?" 
 
 "What do you mean?" asked he. 
 
 " Why, that their conditions in life should be similar. 
 Now, for instance, if a woman was six or seven years 
 older than you, would you marry her?" 
 
 " Why, of course ! If I loved her that would have 
 no weight. Why should it, if it was love?" 
 
 " Well, Jason, if a woman was richer than a man, 
 wouldn t that make a difference, and make him feel 
 uncomfortable? " 
 
 " No, Matilda ! " and a sharp pang shot through his 
 heart, as he remembered that he was poor and Ellen 
 Willard rich. " It would, indeed, be a misfortune ; but I 
 will repeat, that if it is love, I don t see as it will make 
 any difference who holds the pocket-book." But he saw 
 that Matilda was beating about the bush, and not open 
 ing her mind freely to him. " What is it you wish to 
 say ? Do you think Miss Willard does not love me, 
 and are trying to prepare my mind for it?" 
 
 " No, it is not that, Jason, that worries me ; but you 
 are a man with all a man s prejudices. Can t you think
 
 190 JASON AND MA TILDA. 
 
 of anything that could occur in a woman s life that you 
 can t forgive?" 
 
 "Anything! Why, what do you mean, Matilda?" 
 
 " Any sin, Jason !" 
 
 " I can conceive of no sin that I could not forgive, if 
 a person had repented and risen above it. I might feel 
 differently about a crime like murder for it always 
 seemed to me that this life was too short to repent of 
 anything so dreadful as that." 
 
 " Oh, Jason, you don t realize what you are talking 
 about. The woman that you love, committed at one 
 period of her life, the greatest sin that a woman can 
 commit against herself and society." 
 
 Jason staggered back as if shot. " I understand you, 
 Matilda, but do you know the partner of this sin?" 
 
 ".Yes ! You were ill, and do not remember Nellie 
 Blake ; but she and Ellen Willard are one and the 
 same, and the man was Deacon Sutherland ! Now, do 
 you not see, Jason, a wide difference between your life 
 and hers?" 
 
 Tick, tick, sounded the old clock, as it did a few 
 evenings previous. This idealist, who had lived in a 
 realm of fancy, why could he not die then and there ? 
 But no, the heart, like the clock, beat on. "Matilda," 
 he said in a low tone, " you will never know what I 
 suffer at this moment ; but tell me, did you forgive the 
 man? Did you see for him hope and redemption? 
 You prayed and communed with him in church ; did 
 you forgive him ? " 
 
 "Yes, Jason, because it was my Christian duty to 
 do so."
 
 JASON AND MATILDA. 191 
 
 "Do you think I am less a Christian than you, 
 Matilda?" 
 
 " No, Jason, you are the purest heart in all the 
 world." 
 
 " Then remember this while Ellen Willard may 
 never marry me (she, doubtless, having no confidence 
 .in me), I love her well enough to forgive and forget all. 
 I shall never tear her down from the high pinnacle of 
 regard where I have placed her, because her life, like 
 the lily, commenced in the mud. Love, to be love, 
 must be great enough to love for its own sake, and not 
 
 from the selfishness of the human heart." 
 
 * * 
 * 
 
 Mr. Moore seemed to realize that Jason Reynolds 
 was a changed man ; he tried in various ways to call 
 him out ; but, no, Jason was one of those persons who 
 cannot share with another any part of his sorrow. He 
 was over generous in wishing others to mingle with his 
 joys, but his sorrows were sacred ; neither could he ask 
 of another favors to advance his own life ; he was not 
 proud, but retiring and diffident ; and it is just such 
 natures as these, if they can come in contact with the 
 right people, have offered to them what others seek in 
 in vain for ; but the point should always be to come in 
 contact with those deep enough to see good moral 
 worth, and broad enough to take in the situation that 
 such a person cannot use the sledge-hammer of bluff 
 and cheek to knock their way through the world. 
 
 As the time drew near for the Moores to return to 
 their city home, Mr. Moore would find himself repeat 
 edly in a brown study trying to solve the problem, how
 
 192 JASON AND MATILDA. 
 
 he could approach this delicate and sensitive nature, 
 without making him feel ill at ease and unhappy. He 
 was sitting one day on a rustic seat under the apple- 
 tree near the house, when Jason with brush and palette 
 was trying to reproduce the lovely tints of the sky, as 
 the fleecy clouds seemed to kiss the high green hills, 
 and shadows cast their reflection in the water in the 
 valley below. 
 
 " Jason," said Mr. Moore, "let me see that picture ! " 
 
 He held up the unfinished sketch, before the keen, 
 critical eye of this New York financier. 
 
 " Ah ! There is outline for you, and clearly defined 
 too, and when finished it will be a masterpiece. Do you 
 know, you are a genius ; I should know that scene if I 
 saw the painting in China." 
 
 Jason modestly bowed at the compliment, and Mr. 
 Moore continued : " But I am not one of those people 
 who tell persons they are a genius, and then let them 
 go and die in an attic. No ! I know the temperament 
 that belongs to a genius, and I never saw one who could 
 push themselves along in the world, any more than a 
 train of cars could, without any engine ; and I have been 
 writing your brother Washington, and he and I have 
 concluded we can give you writing enough in our two 
 offices, to pay all your expenses and still give you time 
 enough to study art in New York for three years, and 
 then it s my opinion you can go it alone. What say 
 you, Jason? " 
 
 He could only grasp his hand, saying : "You have 
 anticipated my dearest wish. I would gladly go to-mor 
 row, as I know I cannot help Matilda on the farm ; but
 
 JASON AND MATILDA. 193 
 
 the time may come when I can sell a picture to aid 
 her." 
 
 " There you are again, thinking too much of others 
 and too little of yourself; but New York will make you 
 selfish enough." 
 
 " Well, if it should, Mr. Moore, I would no longer be 
 an artist, for a narrow mind and a selfish heart, don t go 
 hand in hand with an artistic life; one law would kill the 
 other, for art plays on the finer strings of the harp of 
 life, and it would be no question in my mind which 
 would snap first, if a person was foolish enough to play 
 both tunes at the same time one for art, the other for 
 self." 
 
 But George Hazelton did not have the same good 
 luck with Mr. Moore, when he boldly asked him to get 
 him a position in New York. He was in hopes to some 
 day call this man father-in-law, but that did not make 
 him timid, but all the more bold. Mr. Moore took off his 
 eye glasses and rubbed them carefully, adjusted them on 
 his nose, and then took in the height of this young aspir 
 ant for city honors. 
 
 "Why, young man, you astonish me! Get you a 
 situation until I see more genuine stuff in you than I 
 have? Why, you lusty young fellow, use your head 
 and hands a little here, to help that dear mother of yours 
 pay off the mortgage on this farm, that she has been 
 talking to me about. When that is paid, and you have 
 helped to do it, come to my office and I can find plenty 
 for you to do." 
 
 George was a little crestfallen, but was determined 
 not to give it up. He said : " One could not make a
 
 194 JASON AND MA TILDA. 
 
 cent on an old New England farm and compete with 
 the West." 
 
 " Nonsense, boy ! You ve heard that argument from 
 people who are too shiftless to work, and too lazy to die. 
 These farms once supported large families of boys and 
 girls, and the land is not exhausted yet, but it won t run 
 itself. Where there is a will, there is always a way. 
 This generation wants to go to the front without fighting 
 one battle." 
 
 There is no class of men so hard to appeal to as self- 
 made men. They are apt to say, " I succeeded with 
 out money, and why can t you ? You can, if you will 
 try!" Such men entirely forget that with each fifty 
 years adds greater responsibilities to life, and far less 
 energy in people to meet coming events. George saw 
 there was no other way than to bend to the emergency 
 of the case, and try ! So he went at once to his mother, 
 and talked it over, and said : " When you go to see 
 James Brown about the transfer of the mortgage, I want 
 to go with you and get some good plan to be at work 
 upon." 
 
 " Infidel " Brown was only too glad to help a Chris 
 tian who had to turn to him from the dishonesty of a 
 brother church member ; for one of the peculiarities of 
 a materialist is the manner they have of probing a sore 
 when they think it is morally needed. Matilda got some 
 plain truths told her, and some glaring errors shown up 
 in Deacon Sutherland s accounts. " Now, Mrs. Hazel- 
 ton," said Mr. Brown, "don t you trust too much to 
 Providence and city boarders. Keep more than one 
 iron in the fire, and let this young man s zeal here keep
 
 JASON AND MA TILDA. 195 
 
 it hot. Now, of course, your boarders may come again, 
 and they may not ; but commence this Fall to get up 
 your wood, and join with Lem Hackett, who has good 
 oxen, and make sugar in the spring, as you used to do. 
 Your city friends will find a market for all you ll make ; 
 and, instead of giving away to old scoundrels like Dea 
 con Sutherland and myself, keep your young stock, and 
 sell it when you can, and make the profits yourself. 
 I ll stock you with hens, and agree to take all of your 
 eggs, and that will buy more than one gown for your 
 Mary, as it does for my girls. 
 
 " Now, young man, don t think because this is a small 
 way to do business, that there s nothing in it. Remember, 
 it is easier to get over hills than it is to climb a moun 
 tain, especially when you ve got to walk yourself, and 
 I m sure that if you follow these plans, I shall have my 
 payment and interest without putting you about any." 
 
 Matilda and George went home with lighter hearts 
 than they had had for many a day. How dependant 
 humanity is for some strong hand to draw away the 
 curtain of doubt, that they may look at the light 
 beyond. 
 
 * * 
 
 * 
 
 If our readers will please step into that airship of the 
 mind, which we are to have in the future in reality, and 
 fly over three years, they will find a few changes in the 
 town of Waybridge, if not in our characters. 
 
 Some New England towns seem dead and buried. 
 It would take a cyclone of events to resurrect them to 
 life, even for a few hours ; but there is no rule but what 
 there is an exception, and this town seemed to prove the
 
 196 JASON AND MA TILDA. 
 
 exception. When one person has made a small success 
 in life in a business way it is quite enough to find 
 many imitators, who usually go to work with entirely 
 different methods, and, consequently, make a decided 
 failure. Matilda had lifted the mortgage from the old 
 Hazelton farm, which had rested over it like a hawk, 
 ready to pounce down upon its victim at the first occa 
 sion. Others had followed her example, and as all 
 efforts make changes, Waybridge had grown to be quite 
 a flourishing town. 
 
 When Matilda had the house repaired, it was repainted 
 not in the old-fashioned colors of white, with green 
 blinds, but in brighter colors ; and the grounds were no 
 longer neglected for want of a little care, and filled up 
 with wood and rubbish, but were blooming with trees 
 and flowers. "Ideal," an artist would say. "Perfectly 
 foolish," the old-fashioned farmer declared. Matilda, 
 with the help of her son, George, had made money 
 from the three sources of income eggs, sugar and 
 boarders ; and when the Green Mountain boy pre 
 sented himself at Mr. Moore s office, looking quite 
 smart in his new store suit, he was readily placed, and 
 there was a merry twinkle in the old man s eye, as 
 George recounted in detail how he had helped his 
 mother succeed, although Mr. Moore had noted during 
 the summers how the young man progressed. 
 
 "Every day that you worked on that old farm, when 
 you did not want to do it, my boy, will be worth thou 
 sands of dollars to you in the future, for the success of 
 life is doing what we might not naturally like to do." 
 
 And, strange to say, Jason Reynolds succeeded, in an
 
 JASON AND MATILDA. 197 
 
 artistic sense, and he and Ellen Willard were married, 
 and were working together earnestly for art and human 
 ity. Every picture that Jason made, there must be a 
 copy of it sent to Matilda ; and every book that Ellen 
 read, found its way to the old farmhouse. " Why, 
 bless her heart, was she not the grandest woman in the 
 world," they both would say. It was with difficulty 
 that Jason impressed upon Ellen s mind that she should 
 never be made to feel uncomfortable about the past. 
 "Why," said he, "if men thought they were to be 
 made to suffer for their past mistakes there would be 
 but few brides in New York." 
 
 Mens past mistakes are always labelled " Wild oats; " 
 the paper containing the seed is supposed to be sealed 
 forever, not to be opened for planting, as they would not 
 bring forth good crops ; but, alas ! too many men are 
 fond of farming, and keep right on regardless of wife, 
 home and family. 
 
 * * 
 
 * 
 
 The only excitement in the intellectual field worth 
 recounting, in Waybridge, was the great church trial, 
 which succeeded in breaking up the Methodist Church 
 entirely. Matilda Hazelton was tried on the charge 
 that she was the means of starting an opposition society, 
 called the " Liberal Club "; that she had " harbored in her 
 house, infidels, and people of bad repute," but the last 
 clause was a hard one to prove, as Lemuel Hackett was 
 bound to have proof, and no one seem willing to 
 acknowledge being the author of the accusation (although 
 Matilda suspected it was Deacon Sutherland). How 
 ever, it was not discussed.
 
 198 JASON AND MA TILDA. 
 
 Ministers from all the adjoining towns attended 
 that church trial ; they went over Matilda s life, from 
 childhood up, and found no flaw ; she was a hard 
 working, charitable, and sincere Christian, and Lem 
 uel Hackett asked the question, " How was she 
 accountable for the religious belief of the Moore 
 family, and how could she be blamed when she did 
 not know what their religion was before they came 
 there?" The old elders and doctors of divinity could 
 not answer this question of Lemuel s, and so they 
 fell back upon that "old scapegoat," the devil. He 
 tempted Matilda and Jason by first putting the idea into 
 their heads (he, Jason would have also been tried had 
 he been there) to write that they wanted city boarders ; 
 others lived in Waybridge and had never taken the 
 wicked people from New York to board. When Matilda 
 said to them, " How could I save the farm ? " " Why," 
 said those divine gentlemen, "you could have lost your 
 farm, and gone to the poor-house; you much better have 
 done that, than prove an enemy to Christ." It was 
 such poor logic, that even some of the church members 
 rebelled; they could not see the point how Matilda s 
 taking boarders could injure the cause of Jesus of 
 Nazareth; so Lemuel Hackett and several others with 
 drew from the church. 
 
 The Reverend Minot Robinson found he could not 
 exist without money, any more than other men, so he 
 left his wife and children in Waybridge and went 
 with some revivalists, and soon after, Albina Bennett 
 disappeared, and the rumor was circulated that she was 
 gone away with her beloved pastor. As time went on,
 
 JASON AND MATILDA. 199 
 
 and Mrs. Robinson did not hear from her husband, she 
 sickened and died with the quick consumption, as they 
 call every disease they do not understand in Vermont ; 
 and the two little ones were taken into the custody of 
 the Liberal Club to be supported and educated. 
 
 In the two years which followed the above events, 
 those who were connected by the bonds of love and 
 blood to the inmates of the Hazelton farm, had their 
 experiences in this busy world as well as those in Way- 
 bridge. 
 
 Many times in our sorest need, and in our hardest 
 struggles, we sometimes think that we are alone ; that 
 no one else connected with our lives can be so badly 
 pressed, but this is quite false to all of nature s laws. 
 She shows no partiality; the just and the unjust share 
 alike her sunshine and her rain, only some are more 
 protected from the storms and the heat of life, by the 
 umbrella of prosperous circumstances; but many times 
 the soul of mankind, which is the gem of life, has to 
 struggle on unaided, be its setting brass, copper or 
 gold. 
 
 John Reynolds failed in his business ; and as his 
 friends had all been superficial ones, they dropped off 
 from his life, like the leaves in autumn ; his wife, 
 always vain and heartless, pinned her faith upon one of 
 the junior members of the firm, who had been more 
 dishonest than the others, and had put by a sum of 
 money ; and for this man she left her husband in his 
 great financial distress, which so wore upon him that he 
 became a bankrupt mentally and physically. One day, 
 poor, sick and worn out, he came into his brother
 
 200 JASON AND MA TILDA. 
 
 Washington s office for more assistance ; no matter how 
 foolishly he spent the money, he never refused him. 
 This day he seemed more haggard and ill than usual, 
 and asked : " What shall I do, Washington, and how 
 can I ever regain my health and spirits in this accursed 
 place?" 
 
 The mellow rays of the sun lit up the benign face of 
 Washington Reynolds with a glory divine ; and looking 
 at the crestfallen man, he could not keep the tears from 
 his eyes as he said, in a low voice: "John, go to 
 Matilda ; go to the green hills of Vermont ; go back ta 
 home and earlier associations, and get the right kind of 
 advice and stimulus to battle this life of ours with." 
 
 "No, no! Wash, I can t do that; it was you, not I, 
 who helped Matilda in her need years ago and I 
 should find no welcome there." 
 
 " Yes, you would, John. Matilda may be like some 
 of the less beautiful flowers of earth, but she has the 
 sweet fragrance of soul, which is greater than anything 
 else, as it enables her to have a large heart and a broad 
 mind ; and she will take in the situation, that you need 
 both rest and love, and she will give them to you, frei y." 
 
 So one warm spring day Matilda saw a feeble, prema 
 turely old man walking up the hill ; by that subtle law 
 of sympathy she was drawn, half unconsciously, to the 
 door, and before her stood her brother John, the same 
 boy she had loved in her childhood no matter how 
 changed the same to her now and forever. For once 
 in his life he felt the keen thrill of gratitude to the all- 
 prevailing spirit of love, that here on the green hills of 
 Vermont he found one heart loyal and true. Matilda
 
 JASON AND MA TILDA. 201 
 
 told him he could stay just as long as he wanted to ; for 
 when she had sent back the money she had borrowed 
 of Washington years ago, he had returned the same, 
 .and double the amount, and sent with it the words : 
 "Keep it, so if sickness should come, you will never 
 again have to mortgage the old place." 
 
 Who will say but what " it is more blessed to give than 
 to receive" and that rewards and punishments are not 
 always delayed for a future existence, but here and 
 now we many times receive both. 
 
 Deacon Sutherland s health had failed rapidly in the 
 last year ; he was bent and white-haired, moody and 
 silent. One night, a storm was raging in all its fury in 
 Waybridge ; nature seemed to be repellant, like many 
 of her children, to the ways of light and peace. That 
 night the deacon was stricken down suddenly, and as 
 he lay upon his bed racked with pain, he called one of 
 his men to his bedside. Tom," said he, "I want you 
 to ride over to the Hazelton farm and bring Matilda 
 back with you." 
 
 " It s a dreadful night, Deacon, and she may not want 
 to come." 
 
 " Tell her it s a case of life and death, and it con 
 cerns herself and others as well as me." 
 
 Not long after Matilda s tall form stood by the bed 
 side of the terror-stricken man. Some think that sin 
 ners are only frightened when they are to die on the 
 gallows or rack, but when one knows they must die, 
 unless their souls are fitted for the change, the place 
 where they give up life makes no difference to them. 
 Death is death to them, and it is always the condition
 
 202 JASON AND MATILDA. 
 
 of the mind, and not the spot they occupy, that brings 
 to them the terror. 
 
 "What can I do for you, Deacon Sutherland?" 
 asked Matilda. 
 
 " You can help me repair a great wrong that I have 
 done, and restore to one what belongs to her ! " and in 
 broken words he told Matilda that he had received 
 money from time to time from Nellie Blake s father, 
 who is now living in California, and now wanted his 
 child once more. " I want you should give these let 
 ters and money to her," and he handed her a large 
 package. "And now, Matilda, I have known you for 
 many long years, and I know you are just and noble ; 
 but your life is limited to this location, and while I have 
 never done any good with my money, I want to leave 
 it to some one who is out in the world, who I know 
 will make good use of it in helping others ; and of all 
 the people I know, there is no one who would be more 
 faithful to the trust than your brother Jason, and I have 
 willed my property to him. I know he is a man who 
 can rise above the prejudices of old ideas, for he has 
 proved that by his marriage. He worshipped the God 
 of love in his boyhood, and it has made a noble man of 
 him in his middle life. I worshipped at the shrine of 
 gold, and how at the last moment what does it amount 
 to ! nothing only the consciousness that after my 
 death this good man may make some good use of the 
 money I accumulated. If I had only known, if I could 
 only have seen the truth, that, as we sow, we shall reap 
 in this life, and as we think, so we are at death ; and of 
 the future, to me, it is nothing."
 
 JASON AND MA TILDA. 203 
 
 These were the last words of Deacon Sutherland, as 
 the curtain of death fell over his life and shut him out 
 from nothing into the great something the Hereafter. 
 
 * * 
 * 
 
 George Hazelton steadily improved in New York, and 
 unlike most country-raised lads, did not imagine that he 
 owned the city. When the engagement of George 
 Hazelton and Minnie Moore was announced, many sar 
 castic remarks were made in regard to Andrew Moore s 
 judgment for his daughter s future. Men who had 
 insipid sons to dispose of, would make it a point to say 
 something unpleasant before Mr. Moore, if they chanced 
 to meet him in social circles ; but the old merry twinkle 
 would come into his eyes, as he would say : " No dudes 
 for me. I am only too glad to give my daughter s life 
 into the care of a man who has backbone enough to 
 help his mother clear a mortgage off an old Vermont 
 farm, which, at that time, was almost an impossibility. 
 If my fortune should take wings and fly away, as I see 
 daily that some of those of my friends and colleagues 
 are doing, this Green Mountain* boy will shake himself 
 free from his surroundings, and stand on his feet and 
 commence life over again, while half of the city boys, 
 especially sons of wealthy men, when the reverses of 
 life meets them, resort to gambling, and, if that fails 
 them (which it always does) they take to drink, won t 
 work, and so ruin their families." Matilda had two 
 cottages built near the main building of the Hazelton 
 place. She had that long head which saw into the 
 future farther than a day. "These cottages are for 
 Jason and Ellen and George and his wife," she told the
 
 204 JASON AND MA TILDA. 
 
 neighbors. "They will want to come from the city in 
 the summer for rest and change, and Rufus and I are 
 getting along in years, and need a rest also. I do not 
 think old people are called upon to bring up two fami 
 lies, and George and Minnie, with their children, will be 
 happier in their cottage than in our home." This was 
 quite an idea in Waybridge, for the grandparents were 
 usually neglected, or set one side like old furniture sup 
 posed to be useless, unless they helped take care of the 
 grandchildren. 
 
 Mary said to her mother, " Don t borrow any trouble 
 about my children, for I am resolved to be an old maid, 
 for what would a New England home be without one?" 
 No inducement from the relatives in New York could 
 make her visit them. " I must stay with father and 
 mother," she would say ; " we can t all go flying over 
 the world, or the old nest called home would soon fall 
 to pieces. . So, the good and faithful girl proved a 
 solace and a comfort to the feeble steps of those who 
 had stayed and strengthened hers in childhood. 
 
 The town of Waybridge was thrown into excitement 
 a few years after the disappearance of Rev. Minot Rob 
 inson, by the return of Albina Bennett The town was 
 growing to be a popular summer resort ; it supported 
 several lodges, and had the largest Liberal Club, and the 
 best circulating library in the State. Albina could not 
 have fallen into a wasp s nest and been less welcomed. 
 They all remembered her long tongue ; they had, many 
 of them, suffered from her sly insinuations, when she 
 was a leader and prime mover of all occasions in the M. 
 E. Church. Many a heart has been broken, many a
 
 JASON AND MA TILDA. 205 
 
 reputation ruined by the malicious slander of the envi 
 ous and jealous ; such people do not openly say much, 
 but will put out a word here and there ; give a signifi 
 cant look, or tell a cutting joke, which leaves the fabric 
 of lies to be woven out of just such rotten stuff as these 
 human vampires spin and weave. It became too warm 
 for Albina, even among her old friends, and she, like 
 many another, turned to Matilda. She flounced into 
 the Hazelton home one morning, and in a high falsetto 
 voice, retailed her woes. 
 
 " You say," said Matilda, " that you have been talked 
 about, and unjustly?" 
 
 " Well," said Albina, hesitatingly, as the keen grey 
 eyes of Matilda looked into hers, " they can t prove 
 anything about me and the Rev. Mr. Robinson." 
 
 " Albina, you know there are many things in this 
 world, which happen, that do not need legal proof to 
 convince the people; some things are found out by intui 
 tion, and when once established in the minds of the com 
 munity all you could say would have no effect. You 
 ought to remember that passage in the Bible, that all 
 good Christians should avoid the appearance of evil. 
 People here believe that you went away and lived with 
 your former pastor, and broke his wife s heart, and left 
 his two little children on the world to receive charity; if 
 you both were guiltless, the effect was the same, as you 
 did not try to remedy the impression." 
 
 Albina seemed to writhe under these words of Matil 
 da s. " I won t live with my relatives," said Albina, 
 " and what shall I do ? This is my home and I am not 
 contented anywhere else."
 
 206 JASON AND MA TILDA. 
 
 " I would take my past experience as a lesson ; I 
 would solemnly resolve never to injure another hi man 
 being; the world is wide and this is only one small 
 corner of it. I would leave the place as some people 
 will have to leave Paradise, by losing their inheritance 
 there; if you had not eaten of the forbidden fruits of sin, 
 the serpent of events would not have turned and stung 
 you ; when you have the right condition of mind and 
 heart toward humanity you will find a welcome here and 
 everywhere." 
 
 Albina shed a few tears, but the next morning her 
 trunk and satchel were seen on the stage, and Way- 
 bridge and Albina were parted forever. 
 
 Lemuel Hackett had improved more than any man in 
 town. He said, it took the hot water of common sense 
 to take the swelling down from his head ; but when his 
 mind once opened to the vastness of creation, and that 
 this world of ours was only one of many equally as great 
 it would be apt, he said, to knock out old ideas from 
 anyone s head ; he said he did not see how one could 
 progress very much unless they accepted the law of 
 progression here and hereafter ; this putting seed into 
 the ground, and looking at it would never raise a crop ; 
 and it was so with ideas you can t stand still. His 
 provincialism of language would cling to him, and it 
 was not an unusual thing, in his speeches before the 
 Liberal Club, to break out with a " Gosh all hemlock!" 
 No one did more for the education of Rev. Minot 
 Robinson s children than did this Green Mountain 
 farmer, whose heart was gold, and whose motives were 
 as pure as the brooks which ripple those beautiful hills
 
 JASON AND MA TILDA. 207 
 
 that have endeared themselves to all who know them as 
 the years roll by. 
 
 Mr. Moore had concluded to build a summer resi 
 dence in one corner of the Hazelton farm. "The city," 
 he would say, "is all right for the young, but I am 
 sure, as my wife and I grow more feeble, we shall stay 
 longer in our summer home, close to the heart of nature, 
 and close to Matilda, one of nature s grandest results." 
 
 While others changed as time rolled on, Matilda 
 kept her old customs that she practiced in the days of 
 her poverty. She made her candles then ; she made 
 them now, not for the use of lighting the rooms, but to 
 place in long rows in the windows when any of the 
 loved ones were expected on the late train from New 
 York. She would say : "The candles are doing more 
 good now than they would in a dozen Catholic 
 churches." 
 
 All of the characters, my kind reader, that you have 
 felt an interest in, whether located in city or town, had 
 times when life seemed dark and dreary, but when they 
 came in sight of the old Hazelton farm, and saw the 
 lights that were placed in the windows by the hand of 
 one strong, loving woman, they could each and all, 
 repeat the old familiar words 
 " Mid pleasures and palaces, where er the heart may 
 
 roam, 
 
 There s no place so dear to me, there s no place like 
 home."
 
 MOONLIGHT.
 
 MOONLIGHT 
 
 OR 
 
 THE DIVINE SPIRIT IN ESTERIA ST. CLAIR. 
 
 WELL, Ned, how do you like her?" 
 " Like whom, Sis ? " 
 
 " Why, Miss St. Clair ; there she is coming down the 
 walk with that stout elderly lady, who, by the way, is 
 her aunt, and very wealthy ; and Miss St. Clair is an 
 heiress in her own right." 
 
 " Oh ! I see her now," said the young man. " I was 
 presented to her a few evenings ago at Hotel Clyde ; 
 and I sized her up as one of that kind of females who 
 are so different from the average of womankind, that a 
 man has to spend a lifetime to find out her peculiarities. 
 I tell you, my dear sister, I am too lazy to fall in love 
 with one of those rare specimens of humanity." 
 
 "You have told the truth this time, Ned ; you are too 
 indolent to accomplish much in life, anyway. But I am 
 like almost everyone at the hotel. I literally adore her ; 
 and even the envious and jealous, when once in the circle 
 of her magnetism forget the littleness of their own 
 natures and grow larger in her life." 
 
 "Then you think, sister mine, that it is magnetism, 
 more than wealth or beauty, that gives Miss Esteria St. 
 Clair the prominence of being the leading belle of 
 .the season ?" 
 
 " No, indeed ! Ned Bruce, I don t mean that ; she is
 
 212 MOONLIGHT. 
 
 a handsome woman, but she has wonderful gifts ; and 
 the best gift of all is to know how to manage people." 
 
 "Yes, that is a rare gift, for most of them are refrac 
 tory beasts, at best." 
 
 The lady who had provoked the above conversation 
 walked leisurely by, and nodded to the two persons who 
 had discussed her so freely. There are characteristics 
 hard to describe, and so there are faces. Esteria St. 
 Clair was a tall brunette ; but all the outlines of her 
 form were rounded out with a goodly amount of flesh, 
 without being corpulent ; her hair took a dozen shades 
 just as the sun struck upon it, from a reddish auburn 
 to a coal black, but generally one would be safe to say 
 it was a chestnut brown ; but such thick, glossy hair it 
 was, and such heavy, arching eyebrows, and such large 
 brown eyes, which, like her hair, varied in coloring, 
 would be hard to find ; her complexion was light and 
 brilliant no tinge of olive or brown swept over her 
 cheek or brow, and some blondes might well envy her 
 that clear white skin ; but her greatest charm was in her 
 expression, which was wonderful. A more mobile face 
 was rarely seen ; it was one that not only expressed the 
 emotions of her own mind, but the thoughts and feelings 
 of others who were talking with her, until one would 
 almost imagine they were being photographed upon 
 this listener s mind and heart ; her feet and hands were 
 daintily small, her movements full of grace and dignity. 
 Nature had played no pranks with Esteria St. Clair, but 
 had gone to work in a masteiful manner, and had made 
 a grand, noble woman, with a fine body, a quick mind 
 and a sensitive heart, and then to see how lavish Dame
 
 MOONLIGHT. 213 
 
 Fortune could be, had bestowed upon her wealth and 
 position, and as a crowning touch to it all, as nature 
 sometimes retouches the rose with a morning blush, 
 she had given her the most bewitching smile and the 
 sweetest voice in the world. 
 
 Back of Ned Bruce and his sister stood a gentle 
 man who had watched intently the lady who was the 
 subject of their conversation, and with a look of amuse 
 ment laid his hand lightly on Ned s shoulder, with the 
 words : 
 
 " I tell you what, Ned, I should like you to take me 
 to Hotel Clyde and introduce me to this paragon of 
 perfection ! " 
 
 "Ah! is that you, Rob? Why are you not out 
 visiting your patients, or your lady love, or some old 
 ladies home, or some employment more practical than 
 looking after beautiful belles ? " 
 
 "Ned, you beat all the fellows to urge others to work 
 and attend to their duties, when those are the two 
 things you make a study of your life to skip over ; 
 and if Miss Bruce will release you for a while, we will 
 take a stroll over to the hotel, as I am tired and nervous 
 to-night." 
 
 "With pleasure, Dr. Belmont ! I know more of your 
 labors than does this scapegrace brother of mine, and if 
 he can afford you a little recreation, I am only too 
 glad." 
 
 I do not think two men could be more dissimilar than 
 Dr. Robert Belmont and Ned Bruce (a talented New 
 York lawyer), or two men more attached to each other. 
 Dr. Belmont was light, lair as a girl, and with a strong
 
 2i 4 MOONLIGHT. 
 
 physique; everything was in keeping, and from his 
 well-trimmed mustache, to his polished boots he was in 
 every way a gentleman; his face was marred somewhat 
 from seeing life from its shady side, and had upon it that 
 look of determination not to go beyond in thought what 
 could not be proven by material laws. By nature this 
 man was a poet and a dreamer, but his life and mind 
 had always been in constant battle with the aspirations 
 of the soul, which he thought were beyond his reach. 
 
 Ned Bruce s hair was dark, short and curly ; to comb 
 it would be out of the question with him ; a dip in the 
 water, a run of the fingers through the hair, would 
 suffice to make his toilet. He was short, with a well- 
 built frame ; his forehead projected, especially over his 
 deep gray eyes, as much as to say : " I observe all that 
 is going on, and I have a big storehouse of reason to 
 lay you away in." He was a born lawyer, with that 
 skepticism which looked through the shams and pre 
 tenses of life, back to the motive which actuated every 
 individual deed. He reasoned that a man or woman 
 who took upon themselves burdens they did not have 
 to take, acted from the height of foolishness ; his line 
 of conduct was always to get the most with the least 
 exertion. 
 
 When the young men arrived at the hotel, Miss 
 St. Clair was on the broad, open piazza, holding, one 
 might say, an informal reception. She was called a 
 great talker, but the truth was she had the art of mak 
 ing everyone else talk; and just as the young men 
 arrived, she had succeeded in drawing out from an old 
 farmer a description of country life. Farmer Gray had
 
 MOONLIGHT. 215 
 
 suddenly become rich, and his wife and daughter had 
 convinced him that they must see a little of the world. 
 What a picture it was that they all painted before them; 
 the old-fashioned words rolled out, and the old jokes 
 told with a hearty laugh, with now and then a " Yes, I 
 see," or " Right back of the lane, was it not, Mr. Gray?" 
 from Miss Esteria to help the old man along; there was 
 the smell of the new-mown hay, the blush of the old 
 garden rose, the hum of the bee amid the honeysuckle 
 vines, brought vividly before those fashionable guests 
 at Hotel Clyde. The wife and daughter would have 
 been more pleased if the old gentleman had been safe 
 in his room; they knew that Miss St. Clair was at the 
 bottom of it who had got him to talk of his past life 
 in order to get a little happiness out of (to him) the 
 uncomfortable surroundings. As he rose to go, he said: 
 " Gosh, Miss, you ought to be farmer s wife; you know 
 just how a man feels who longs for the old milk pail and 
 the green meadows of his old home." 
 
 A smile rippled over the faces of those who heard 
 the remark, for the belle of Hotel Clyde had no more 
 knowledge of a farm than a daisy. She held out her 
 hand to Ned Bruce, who introduced his friend, Dr. Bel- 
 mont ; but she never looked up or noticed them again. 
 The two men walked away soon, as they had remained 
 longer than they had intended. 
 
 "Well, Rob," said Ned, "what do you think of 
 her?" 
 
 " It is no longer a secret to me wherein lies this 
 woman s power. I call it the great law of human sym 
 pathy. She is very sensitive, with a temperament which
 
 2i6 MOONLIGHT. 
 
 belongs entirely to artistic people, and one that is out of 
 place in fashionable society; if nature has made no mis 
 take in body or mind, she certainly has misplaced this 
 lady s artistic life, for she never can thrive on the food 
 that the world will serve up to her. I tell you, Ned, I 
 am fortunate in being engaged to Nettie Filmore, or I 
 might do the foolish thing and fall in love with her, and 
 I made up my mind a wife should not have an organi 
 zation I see this young lady has." 
 
 "Yes, Rob, I keep subtracting the qualities a wife 
 should not have, and I have got it down to a cypher ; 
 and, as I don t care to be a figure-head, I shan t carry 
 that cypher along in my life." 
 
 And, with a hearty ring of laughter, he bade his friend 
 good night. 
 
 Dr. Belmont was frequently called .to Hotel Clyde 
 professionally, in serious as well as trifling cases ; he was 
 young, good-looking and popular. It was not an unu 
 sual thing for some of those dames of society to feel 
 the need of medical aid when digestion was impaired by 
 overeating, or nerves unstrung by lack of sleep. This 
 morning the case was a critical one, and just as he was 
 about to go down the broad staircase, he heard a merry 
 ripple of laughter, and Miss St. Clair s well-modulated 
 voice in the hall below him. 
 
 " Why, Donna, you look really fine with this red rose ; 
 so let me pin it on your frock." 
 
 "Bress your heart, honey, youse so unlike de swell 
 ladies ob dis here hotel. I tole my ole auntie youse de 
 light ob de house; she says, Reg lar sunshine, she is. 
 No, she ain t, says I; nuffin like ole hot sunshine she s
 
 MOONLIGHT. 217 
 
 jes like moonlight, an I gets to callin you Miss 
 Moonlight, as I cum near twistin my tongue up in a 
 knot tryin to say dat ar name ob yourn." 
 
 "Well, Donna, I think that is a nice name, and I like 
 nicknames." 
 
 " So does I, Miss, but de ole preacher said t other 
 night that nicknames ar dat wicked dat he wuz shamed 
 ob all de darkies round here usin dem. Says he : 
 What ef de Lord had called Moses, Mose, and Solo 
 mon, Sol? One ole nigger spoke up, Jes as good, ef 
 de Lord called loud enuff. You shut up, Brudder 
 Pete-. You look hyar, preacher ; you jes practice 
 what you preach ; my name is Peter Ephriam Silas 
 Brown. Now, Miss Moonlight, you jes git married 
 an take me long wid you all de gals git married ef 
 dey can its de fashion, but de gals in dis here hotel 
 would jump forty feet ef dey could ketch a man." 
 
 "Well, Donna, I ll promise to take you if I get mar 
 ried ; but I am not so anxious as to perform any of 
 those gymnastic feats you mention," and with a pull of 
 Donna s woolly curls she ran down stairs. 
 
 Robert Belmont stopped for a moment to reason why 
 he had listened to that conversation, and the thought 
 came forcibly home to him that the colored girl s ideas 
 were right about the influence that Mi.ss St. Clair shed 
 about her ; it was truly like the soft, lovely light of the 
 moon it held what it attracted ; and many a time 
 when his nerves had been exhausted, and heart cast 
 down, he felt refreshed and cooled under its influence 
 whenever he came in contact with her, and henceforth 
 he would associate her in his thoughts with the moon-
 
 2i8 MOONLIGHT. 
 
 light, and if he ever came to know her well he would 
 
 call her by this name so well suited to her. 
 
 * * 
 * 
 
 There was a great flutter in the hotel over a fresh 
 arrival Lord Clarence Harcourt, of London single, 
 rich and fine-looking ; what a prize ! There had been 
 so many broken-down nobles arrive in the fashionable 
 world, that a rich one was an unusual occurrence ; 
 though, of Course, papas and mammas had been glad to 
 marry their daughters to these poor lords. 
 
 Mrs. Augustus St. Clair adjusted the folds of her rich 
 gown, put on her strongest eye-glasses, and said softly 
 to herself : " At last he has come! That is the man 
 for Esteria," and she tapped her fan emphatically. 
 "Now, my husband and Esteria can find no fault with 
 him, and the world will say I have made a success of 
 my niece s life ; not that I would sell Esteria I don t 
 have to she is rich so is he money should always 
 wed money that is my theory ; but beauty needs a 
 title, and here it is." She was too wise and worldly to 
 make any confidants of any of her sisters in the matri 
 monial game ; she kept her plans to herself. 
 
 Lord Harcourt was a typical English gentleman of 
 the world ; a most confirmed sensualist, covered over 
 with formal, quiet English manners ; his dark brown 
 beard was trimmed in the latest style, his hair was 
 parted a la English, but not to give any one the idea 
 that he was of the " dude " stamp ; his love of sports 
 was one of his strongest characteristics, and to be 
 thought well of in the world of fashion, the height of 
 his ambition. He loved no one so well as Lord Clarence
 
 MOONLIGHT. 219 
 
 Harcourt himself; next his thoroughbred, his dog and 
 gun. Of course, if he should ever marry, he would be 
 proud of his wife but to love a woman "I guess 
 not !" he would exclaim : " it would be only a waste of 
 time." A wife at his time of life was a necessity a 
 man of thirty, who had lived so long in society, was 
 liable to be looked upon as a"ra^"if unwed, and 
 women were shy of that class of men. He would go to 
 America and find a wife ; but he fluttered from city to 
 city, from hotel to hotel, and was about to give it up 
 when he arrived at Hotel Clyde, and mingling among 
 the guests, was introduced to Miss Esteria St. Clair, and 
 made to feel very comfortable by her austere aunt. The 
 flattery of this lady, which fed his vanity, the indiffer 
 ence of the young lady, which excited his pique, settled 
 the question that he would make this girl his wife. A 
 few weeks later, when writing home to a friend, he said : 
 
 " Dear Jack : I suppose you are wondering what I 
 am doing over in this blasted country. Well, old fel 
 low, I am looking for a wife, which is not a hard task, 
 for the marriageable girls are literally thrown at the 
 head of a live lord. A man with a title can come over 
 here with the worst of records, and he can sail back 
 with a couple of millions, a fool of a wife, an old pork- 
 packing father-in-law, and a mother-in-law who helped 
 the old man on in trade by making candles. But, by 
 Jove ! I have found a young lady who does not come 
 under this head ; very handsome, quite brilliant, a little 
 sentimental, and money all made in gold mines. 
 
 "The aunt has made up her noble mind that I am the 
 man society has made up its mind that I am the man
 
 220 MOONLIGHT. 
 
 I have made up my mind that I am the man; and now, 
 who in the world can say I am not the man ; and 
 whether the girl is pleased with my loving disposition or 
 not later on, I don t care. How do you find the time 
 flying with you ? Keep your eye out for a fast span, 
 as I shall run over with my bride in the autumn ; and 
 don t you forget, old boy, to drink to my good health. 
 Yours, &c." 
 
 Society had fanned itself asleep over the affair, and as 
 the gay young lord had predicted, the cards were out, and 
 Mrs. Augustus St. Clair was up to her eyes with the 
 care of the trousseau, for in October, Miss Esteria 
 
 St. Clair was to be married to Lord Clarence Harcourt. 
 
 * * 
 * 
 
 Dr. Belmont found that one of his cases at the hotel 
 was past all medical aid; it was a young girl who had 
 been stopping at the hotel for a week past, friendless and 
 unknown; as her physical sufferings grew more intense, 
 he concluded he must tell her that she could not live 
 but a short time ; this is not an easy task for a doctor, 
 and one not called for in many cases. He knew the 
 story of this girl s life, and it would not permit his con 
 science to allow her to go into the great beyond with 
 no thought or preparation. 
 
 Words fail to depict the wild terror of that mere 
 child when she came face to face with death caused by 
 a false idea of the other life. To some it may be easy 
 to die, but with others there is no horror greater. Look 
 ing wildly at him for a moment, she moaned, " I want 
 to see some good, kind lady." 
 
 " Would not a clergyman do, or a priest?"
 
 MOONLIGHT. 221 
 
 "Oh, no! do get the tall, brown-eyed lady! She 
 was kind to me, and has a tender heart." 
 
 " Do you mean Miss St. Clair? " 
 
 "Yes! Yes!" 
 
 Dr. Belmont hesitated before he could make up his 
 mind to ask her, or any of the gay throng below, for 
 he did not have the greatest confidence in the sympathy 
 of women of fashion ; he shrank from asking a young 
 woman to share the secret of this poor storm-tossed 
 soul, about to be launched into eternity. What would 
 she say to her? He had not long to wait, as the pain 
 was more intense, the anguish greater, the entreaties 
 more earnest for some woman to come to her side. He 
 resolved to try the experiment and see if some lady 
 outside of the servants would go through with him this 
 ordeal. Hastily going below into a small parlor where 
 the creme de la crime was to be found at this hour, he 
 briefly stated that one of his patients was dying and 
 requested the sympathy of one of her own sex. 
 
 If a bombshell had exploded in their midst, it would 
 not have created a greater mental disturbance. One 
 explained: " O, doctor! don t ask me; I have not the 
 least bit of courage." Another said : " Why not call a 
 clergyman?" Another: "I am so liable, dear doctor, 
 to faint!" But amid all these exclamations Esteria 
 St. Clair arose and said in her clear, ringing voice : " I 
 will go ! " 
 
 "Why, my dear," said her aunt, "you are beside 
 yourself! It may be some contagious disease." 
 
 " No," said the doctor, " do not be afraid on that 
 point."
 
 222 MOONLIGHT. 
 
 " Miss St. Clair, I earnestly protest against your 
 going," said Lord Harcourt. 
 
 At this juncture, Esteria s uncle, who was playing his 
 favorite game of whist, and rarely spoke in his life, 
 threw down his cards, saying : " My lord, don t dic 
 tate to that girl she knows where to go and when ; 
 and can be trusted anywhere." 
 
 This speech so upset the entire company, that the 
 little old maid got the latest scandal mixed up, so that 
 she did not know whether her dear friend ran off with 
 the coachman or her dear mother. Mrs. Augustus St 
 Clair, feeling that something must be said, remarked : 
 
 " Oh, well go, my dear ; " and turning to Lord 
 Harcourt, said : " Esteria is very noble hearted." 
 
 " That means," said he in a low tone, " another name 
 for being a fool." 
 
 The worldly dame looked keenly at him from out 
 the corner of her eye, and there crept through her 
 sluggish brain a suspicion that perhaps this man had 
 not all the requisites to make her niece happy ; but she 
 did not dwell upon the thought, and simply said : " I 
 hope you will not be contaminated in this affair, 
 Esteria." 
 
 Miss St. Clair drew herself up to her full height as 
 she turned to follow the doctor, with the words : " How 
 could a dying girl contaminate me ? " 
 
 " Sure enough," said an old lady, " why, bless her 
 heart" 
 
 Esteria hastened to the bedside of the sufferer, who 
 looked up with a smile, saying : " I knew you would 
 come ; " and requesting Dr. Belmont to retire to the
 
 MOONLIGHT. 223 
 
 parlor adjoining, she commenced in a low, strained 
 voice to pour into the ears of Esteria the secret of her 
 life. Only a word now and then reached the ears of 
 the doctor, but he distinctly heard Esteria say : " Great 
 God ! can such things be ? " but the story was finished 
 at last, and then, like an undisciplined child, she wailed r 
 " Oh, kind lady, tell me what will become of me ? " 
 
 There are supreme moments in many people s lives 
 when one seems to be lifted out of their own thought 
 and become inspired ; such an event had overtaken 
 Esteria ; to settle the great problem of the soul here 
 after was beyond one of her years, but she talked to 
 that troubled soul of the love of God, of the beautiful 
 world beyond, as if those subjects had been the con 
 stant thought of her life. The doctor heard her say : 
 " You did not come into the world by volition of your 
 own ; you have found the circumstances beyond your 
 control ; God is greater than any creature that He has 
 created, so be brave to meet any fate that He may have 
 in store for you, and rejoice that you can escape from a 
 world that has made you so wretched." 
 
 "Yes," said the dying girl, "I have faith, I repent, 
 and I believe that all will be well." 
 
 These thoughts are the grand trinity of all religions 
 in every country. 
 
 She then sank into a stupor that so resembled death, 
 that Esteria, frightened, called to the doctor. 
 
 "She is not dead," he said; and soon she opened 
 her eyes and exclaimed : " Oh ! I saw my dead mother, 
 and she said : My poor little girl, come with me, for it 
 is beautiful where I live ; but, dear lady, I shall leave
 
 224 MOONLIGHT.. 
 
 the burden of my life with you ; for I feel that through 
 you many who suffer as I have can be saved. God 
 bless and keep you. 
 
 The curtain has fallen on the last act of this girl s life. 
 
 When Esteria turned to Dr. Belmont, he saw a white 
 and anguished face before him ; she spoke so low he 
 could hardly distinguish the words : " Oh, the agony of 
 it all ! Oh ! the crime of it all ! Will life ever seem 
 the same to me again? I feel I have grown so old 
 to-night;" and sinking into a chair, she gave herself up 
 to the emotion she could no longer restrain. 
 
 Dr. Belmont drew near, forgetting that he and she 
 were each promised to another, and struggled to resist 
 the temptation of pouring out his love and sympathy 
 for her. He believed the greatest act a soul can do is 
 to suffer for another, and this Esteria had done to the 
 fullest extent. 
 
 " I will remain and prepare this body for burial," said 
 she ; " take my purse and get the finest casket and the 
 whitest flowers you can find ; for it is the least we can 
 do for her." 
 
 "Well," said the doctor, "but the ceremonies?" 
 
 " What ceremonies?" 
 
 "Why, a priest or clergyman." 
 
 "The greatest ceremony that can be held over the 
 dead is love, and that will be missing. What can be 
 said for her, now ? What should have been done for 
 her soul should have been done when she was 
 alive." 
 
 " But, my dear Miss St. Clair, we must consider the 
 speech of people."
 
 MOONLIGHT. 225 
 
 " Oh ! you mean the people of society who criticise 
 what they will not aid? Well, I will consent to a short 
 prayer, but no loud music or long sermon shall be heard 
 over this body which held a soul so bruised by the 
 world, that for her sufferings the angels well might weep." 
 
 * * 
 * 
 
 After the excitement caused by this death was over r 
 Lord Harcourt took in the situation as only a man of 
 the world can, that Esteria had passed through some 
 little experience that had not sweetened her ideas of 
 life ; and at this particular juncture shone forth one of 
 this gentleman s peculiarities. He never missed an 
 occasion where he could make a strong point without 
 availing himself of it ; less worldly men would have 
 quizzed Esteria or joked her about her sad face, but not 
 Lord Harcourt. " I must ingratiate myself with her 
 now or never," he thought. 
 
 One evening he said : " I believe we all need a 
 change of scene, and what rides we will all take over 
 the country ; but, by the way, did you know that I can- 
 sing ? By Jove ! yes I do believe I can do better than 
 half of these would-be professionals." 
 
 And, much to the astonishment of Esteria, he walked 
 gaily to the piano, and ran his fingers over the keys- 
 and soon the room was filled with the sweetest melody 
 one ever heard. A finer tenor voice would be hard to- 
 find, and his musical education had been perfect ; such 
 sweet old ballads, and dear old Spanish songs, that 
 Esteria drew near to him, perfectly charmed. He 
 stopped with a gay laugh, saying : " Why, you seem 
 surprised, my dear."
 
 226 MOONLIGHT. 
 
 " Yes, I am. I never thought you were musical ; 
 but truly, you are a genius. Why did you never sing 
 before." 
 
 "Well, you know, I could not very well say to my 
 valet, You tell the people I am dying to sing to them ; 
 in fact, I pity the guests of many of the hotels, who 
 have to listen to every young elocutionist s latest recita 
 tion, or listen to some song out of time and tune, until 
 their only release is to rush out of doors, or lock them 
 selves in their rooms." 
 
 After this, Lord Harcourt followed up a train of 
 amusements a ball, a ride, or a dinner and when 
 Esteria would break out in sympathy over some unfor 
 tunate story, read or heard, he would laughingly say: 
 
 " Don t you worry over those kind of people ; why, 
 I have known them to go a couple of blocks out of 
 their way, just to have a tale of sorrow to pour into 
 some sympathetic ear like your own." 
 
 The wedding came off at the Hotel Clyde. The 
 flowers were the rarest, the music the finest, and the gifts 
 the most lavish ; for many a woman who could not 
 afford to give a common linen towel, whose husband 
 felt called upon to cheat someone out of a cool thousand 
 to meet his wife s demands such a woman would give 
 silver and gold to the beautiful Lady Harcourt. 
 
 A short time after this event, another wedding occurred 
 in a very quiet manner, in the little church near the hotel 
 Dr. Robert Belmont and Miss Nettie Filmore. The 
 world all prophesied that this, as well as the other one, 
 would be very happy ; but, alas ! the world knows very 
 little about such matters.
 
 MOONLIGHT. 227 
 
 There was one person who was not so sanguine that 
 this union would be a happy one. 
 
 Ned Bruce and his sister were walking slowly home 
 from the church, when he broke out with the remark : 
 
 " Why, Sis, don t you see that woman will make Rob 
 wretched ? Nature has got things mixed in her case 
 blue eyes, black hair, and a waxy skin ! Bah ! her tem 
 perament is against her ; she is wilful, and will want her 
 own way, which she has never had, and she is going to 
 carry it to the extent of being contrary ; and then, she 
 is the incarnation of selfishness. Lucky poor Rob has 
 no relatives they would be set out doors quick ; it is, 
 me and mine, 1 and not thee and thine, in her case. 
 No more quiet smokes with Rob, unless he comes to my 
 office, and then he will have to steal away from home." 
 
 " Why, Ned ! what a dark picture you have painted," 
 said Miss Bruce ; and she drew a little sigh, for she was, 
 way down in her heart, quite fond of her brother s hand 
 some friend, the doctor. 
 
 " Well, I ll tell you, Sis, marriages are mighty risky 
 nowadays. Why, you don t know what you enjoy ! 
 Don t you take your little hand-bag and go to New 
 York, and spend what you wish of your own money, 
 without saying a word to anyone ? Haven t I heard you 
 talk up to men twice your size without being knocked 
 down " 
 
 "What, Ned?" 
 
 " I mean, knocked down in argument. Now, you 
 just keep clear of the marriage venture; for I tell you, 
 if I had married Nettie Filmore, I should have killed 
 her or she me. The thousrht makes me think of a
 
 8 MOONLIGHT. 
 
 fight I once saw between a sly old cat and a terrier dog ; 
 he did beat at last, by pure brute force ; but not until 
 she had pulled all his hair out, and scratched out one 
 eye and that s the way it would end between Nettie 
 and me." 
 
 " Well, Ned, I am too plain to marry the man I 
 might care for, might not care for me." 
 
 " No, it s not that that keeps you single you have 
 
 too much common sense." 
 
 * * 
 
 * 
 
 Time flies rapidly, or slowly, according to the condi 
 tion of the mind and heart ; if one is very happy they 
 cannot remember the days even, or if the brain is very 
 busy you see the same effect ; but with those in sorrow 
 or unhappy conditions, the days, months and years are 
 doubled. 
 
 Three years in Europe, constantly traveling, had 
 developed our heroine from a sensitive, earnest girl 
 into a calm, clear-headed woman. Lady Harcourt had 
 discovered that life held many shams, and that the 
 greatest of all was an unhappy marriage, where one had 
 to appear that it was exactly the opposite ; but she was 
 too proud a woman to pin her heart on her sleeve to be 
 pecked at by the daws of the world. Lord Harcourt 
 had changed but little, only in temper ; marriage did 
 not improve his disposition, especially with a wife of the 
 temperament of Esteria. He was a man that really 
 wanted some one to find fault with, and his wife was 
 too popular with his world to openly disagree with her; 
 and she was too indifferent to him to curtail his liberty. 
 Wearying of constant travel, Esteria had begged to
 
 MOONLIGHT. 229 
 
 return to America and visit the place where they weie 
 married, where she now owned a summer house near 
 the Hotel Clyde. 
 
 Yes, he would go, as there was good fishing in that 
 vicinity, and with his horses, dogs, and trips into the 
 city, he could get along for a few months. 
 
 They had been settled but a few weeks when his 
 lordship came into the house one^day, much out of 
 temper (not an unusual thing). An accident had 
 occurred in front of their house, caused by one of his 
 dogs which had broken away from his keeper, and had 
 frightened a horse driven by our friend, Dr. Belmont, 
 accompanied by his wife, and the latter was thrown out 
 and seriously injured. 
 
 "Now, what are we to do?" asked Lord Har- 
 court. 
 
 " Why, open your home to them ; it was your dog 
 that caused the mischief, and if not, we should at least 
 be hospitable." 
 
 "Oh, yes! I am to blame, of course! and as you 
 don t believe in horse-racing, fox-hunting, or any sort 
 of sport which affords a man a good time, this occur 
 rence will afford you a good moral point ; but it doesn t 
 make any difference to me what you believe, or what you 
 do not, for I shall keep all the horses and dogs I want, 
 and go where I please." 
 
 " I have never complained, have I ? " 
 
 " No ! You are too smart not to see that it would do 
 no good, and you don t happen to be one of the crying 
 kind, either. I rather suspect you manage to look out 
 for number one, and get lots of amusement out of your
 
 23 MOONLIGHT. 
 
 charities and travels, so you can well afford to let me 
 go by myself." 
 
 After these slurring remarks, he turned on his heel, 
 ready to meet his guests with warm welcome. When 
 they appeared Lady Harcourt could hardly believe her 
 eyes ; could this be the tall, handsome doctor she had 
 met a few years ago ? His hair had turned prematurely 
 grey, his eyes sunken and heavy, his expression one of 
 constant care and worry, and altogether his general 
 appearance gave one the feeling that the man carried a 
 burden greater than he could bear. They had not long 
 to wait to find the cause of such a transformation. As 
 they were tenderly bringing his wife into the house, her 
 high, sharp voice reached their ears with the words, 
 "she knew they could carry her more carefully if they 
 tried, and the doctor knew it hurt her, and did it pur 
 posely " and many such remarks which shocked even 
 Lord Harcourt, who was well-bred enough to keep all 
 ill-timed words from the ears of his neighbors. 
 
 Time had not dealt kindly with Nettie Filmore Bel- 
 mont any more than it had with her husband ; she was 
 pretty no longer her skin was yellow and wrinkled, 
 her hair was pulled back from her narrow forehead, and 
 the snarl that was ever in her voice was painted on her 
 face. Dr. Belmont could only look pained and embar 
 rassed, but made his wife as comfortable as she would be, 
 and went down to Lord and Lady Harcourt. "lam 
 glad to see you once more looking so finely. I regret 
 to make you all this trouble, but trust that in a few days 
 my wife can be removed." 
 
 " Don t mention it; make yourself perfectly at home,"
 
 MOONLIGHT. 231 
 
 said Lord Harcourt; but before leaving the house he 
 said to his wife, " Don t imagine you can keep me here, 
 if by any chance that she-devil cannot be removed ; she 
 is the worst shrew* I ever saw, and has succeeded in 
 changing a once handsome doctor into a broken-down 
 old man." 
 
 Mrs. Belmont did not gain as was expected; it was 
 not only a fractured limb, but her spine was injured. 
 She was a woman, who, in her own home, could not 
 retain a servant long, and the doctor could find no one 
 who would take the care of her; he would have to give 
 up his practice and take care of her himself. But here 
 Lady Harcourt came to the rescue she would invite no 
 guests to be entertained at her home; and Lord Clarence 
 received a dispatch from a friend in Canada to join him 
 on a hunting tour. Lady Harcourt thought the doctor 
 best keep up his practice and leave his wife with her 
 until fully recovered. 
 
 The trial of having the care of the injured woman 
 took all the fortitude of Esteria, and the patience of the 
 doctor. One disagreeable person in a household can 
 work the discomfort of all the others. It is like the broken 
 main-spring of a watch without this perfect the rest of 
 the machinery is of little service. 
 
 Fate had thrown Esteria and Robert Belmont together 
 in order that they might know more of each other s 
 inner lives than they could have learned in years of 
 ordinary acquaintanceship. 
 
 It was a hazy, lazy summer day; the doctor had 
 driven away to visit his patients, the invalid was asleep, 
 and all about the place was quiet except Donna. She
 
 232 MOONLIGHT. 
 
 came running into Lady Harcourt s presence, exclaim 
 ing : "Oh, see ! Miss Moonlight, what I se got ! " 
 
 " Why, what have you ?" 
 
 " Dis hyer one wid er needle run fru him am er 
 bumblee-bee ; dat odder one am er skeeter. Now dat 
 bee he tried ter sting me, but he couldn t cotch me, 
 cause I dodge ; but bymeby he got ter sleep on er 
 rose-bush, and I cotched him ; but dat ar skeeter I 
 runned and dodged, but he bite me like de debbil." 
 
 " Why, Donna, what kind of language do you call 
 that?" 
 
 " Why, black ! Miss Moonlight, black ! You see, I 
 had ter bring dese tings in fer you ter see how dat doc 
 tor man am situated. I se watched an watched dat 
 sick woman, an I know she am er skeeter, she ll bite 
 him ; no use his dodgin it ef she wuz only er bee, 
 now, Miss Moonlight, he might run away an not git 
 hurt. I jes got myself in er awful scrape t other day. 
 I wouldn t er dun it fer five dollars. I wanted ter let 
 him know dat wife of hiz n wuz a skeeter an bit him, 
 and I dun got my foot right in it. He wuz er cornin 
 down stairs t other mornin , an I tended not ter hear 
 him, an I sed to ole Dinah : I wish dat sick woman 
 wuz a chicken. Why? sed Dinah. Cause I d like 
 ter wring her neck, fry her an* frow her ter de pigs. I 
 looked up an spected he d laff, but he looked so sad 
 an speckled like an ole hen. I jes run an butted my 
 head agin de stable do , but my skull wuz so thick dat 
 it didn t hurt; so I jes takes off my shoes an runs over 
 some thistles ter see how I d feel when I got pricked, 
 an it hurt mighty bad. Now I wants ter know, Miss
 
 MOONLIGHT. 233 
 
 Moonlight, what I kin do ter let de good doctor know 
 dat I se sorry." 
 
 " Offer to do him some little act of kindness, Donna, 
 and like all true gentlemen, he will know you are 
 repentant without saying a word." 
 
 * * 
 * 
 
 The summer had glided by. Mrs. Belmont had par 
 tially recovered, but would never be entirely well. 
 Esteria had passed a restless day, for some natures feel 
 the spiritual changes of the soul atmosphere as others 
 do the physical atmospheric changes. She had wan 
 dered from room to room, from the piazza to her studies 
 in the grove, and, at last, had strolled down into the 
 garden, and sank into one of the easy chairs that Donna 
 had .trimmed so profusely with flowers, that Esteria 
 looked like the picture of a fairy queen. She had been 
 sitting and dreaming in this secluded spot, forgetful of 
 fleeting time. The moon was shedding its pale rays 
 over the garden when she roused herself from her 
 reveries and thought of returning to the house, when 
 suddenly she became aware of a presence, and looking 
 up beheld Robert Belmont standing before her, pale and 
 resolute. As he discovered her sitting in the rays of 
 the moon, again there came to him the thought, how 
 much she resembled that bright orb; he had no idea 
 when he entered the garden of pouring out the anguish 
 of his heart into the sympathetic soul of Lady Harcourt. 
 But she, with that wonderful foresight which many 
 women of her temperament possess, threw up her hand 
 in a frightened manner, as if to warn him of the pain 
 which she felt he was about to inflict upon them both.
 
 234 MOONLIGHT. 
 
 But, alas ! there are times in all lives when the psychi 
 cal conditions are such that reason has no power over 
 them the emotions are like a stream without a dam, 
 and the person is thrown into it without any .power to 
 save themselves. 
 
 Robert Belmont had only thought of thanking 
 her for her kindness, and impressing upon her mind the 
 happiness her society had given him ; but the thought 
 that he was about to leave her home, and, perhaps, her 
 presence forever, overcame him, and forgetting all else 
 he told her of his great love for her, and the wretched 
 ness of his own life, and in his despair he could only 
 say, "What shall I do?" Many people had come to 
 her in her short life with these same words, "What shall 
 I do?" and her soul had always risen to the solution of 
 the problem, and given them some light and hope; but 
 to-night she felt how poorly her own life was sustained, 
 and her soul longed to cry out, "What shall we do ? " 
 
 She realized that this man would have made her 
 life happy ; that he was in her hands to be marred or 
 blest. If it was love, it would go on forever it could 
 not die ; it was only a question of adapting him to the 
 right rendering of it. It seemed a long time to the 
 nearly heart-broken man before Esteria spoke, and then 
 her voice trembled so it was hardly audible. " I realize 
 it all, Robert. Your love for me awakes a correspond 
 ing chord in my soul. It is not what can you do with 
 your life, but what can we do with our lives ? It is a 
 question whether this love of ours will make music for 
 the world, or discord. It will not be hard to settle the 
 question if we both realize the truth that love is not
 
 MOONLIGHT. 235 
 
 gauged from a physical standpoint, but from the mind 
 and soul. Time, distance and space have no power to 
 separate two thus united." 
 
 "But have we no remedy for the mistakes of mar 
 riage ? " 
 
 "Unfortunately, we have not. We made the mistake 
 ourselves, and belong to a class of society where two- 
 thirds are situated like ourselves. You might well 
 envy the circus clown whose wife frees him by 
 running away with some other performer. I might 
 envy my laundress whose husband beats and abuses her 
 until the courts free her from him. With us, we must 
 go on ; life is short especially for me and eternity is 
 beyond us." 
 
 " I have studied life from its material side, and fear if 
 I lose you now from my life, I shall lose you forever." 
 
 "No," answered Esteiia, "thought transfer has 
 become an established fact, and, mentally, who can 
 separate you from me ? and if the soul exists beyond, 
 which I believe, our love for each other will be con 
 tinued and intensified. You must live to carry out the 
 good which I believe we two, who are instruments in 
 the hands of a higher power, are destined to accomplish. 
 Promise, as you love me, to do what I desire. I shall go 
 to Europe in the autumn, I believe never to return. 
 Take up your life here with new courage and hope, and 
 wait patiently for the inspiration that my life can bring 
 to yours. My fortune is my own, and Lord Harcourt 
 would disdain accepting it for his own use, and does not 
 need to. I will place this fortune in your hands to use 
 for humanity in a plan I will send to you later when
 
 236 MOONLIGHT. 
 
 perfected ; and now, dear love, while we may not meet 
 again in this life, in the life to come we cannot be 
 separated." 
 
 Who could say that the embrace with which they 
 parted had aught of sin ? The world so gross in its 
 estimation of love, might condemn them, but not so with 
 the angels, for she had arisen from the love of self to 
 the love of humanity, and he? he would battle with 
 himself as one did of old in the garden of Gethsemane, 
 until he could say " not my will, but thy will be done." 
 He realized that she had floated out of his life and left 
 him upon the grand mountain of spiritual life, from 
 whence henceforth he must look at the world, never 
 again to descend into the material laws which had con 
 trolled him. 
 
 * * 
 
 Redcliff was a town well situated as a centre for any 
 enterprise, but the descendants of the original settlers 
 had drifted into an indifference which was surprising for 
 a town in so prosperous a State. It was not far from 
 New York City, and the farmers had become inde 
 pendent, and why should people care what became of 
 the town proper ? At the time our story opens Red- 
 cliff was a popular resort. Immense hotels were erected 
 in and around the place; the scenery was as fine as could 
 be found in any part of the country; business men could 
 enjoy the country air, and yet not be long away from 
 their great financial interests, and this is a requisite that 
 all consider in building up a summer resort. Money is 
 the aim and incentive of American life that must be 
 gained at the expense of pleasure, many times ; but
 
 MOONLIGHT. 237 
 
 when one can combine business and enjoyment, the 
 true-born Yankee is quick to avail himself of this 
 privilege. 
 
 Lady Harcourt soon closed her summer home after 
 the departure of the Belmonts. She wired her husband 
 to meet her in New York and to everyone she seemed 
 intensely pre-occupied. 
 
 * * 
 * 
 
 When Esteria St. Clair became of age her uncle took 
 her to his office and said to her: "My dear, sit down 
 and let me explain to you some of your business 
 affairs. I have always kept a secret the extent of your 
 fortune. Why ? Because I believed for your own wel 
 fare it was .the right course for me to pursue. I will 
 keep the secret from you no longer, as you are about 
 to take control of it yourself. One word of advice, 
 Esteria : Keep the amount of it to yourself, as far as the 
 world is concerned, and live quietly and reasonably, as 
 you have always done. Your father left you three mil 
 lion dollars, safely invested ; but you have been brought 
 up with the idea that it was but three hundred thou 
 sand, and this is all you or any one can make use of for 
 their own personal affairs. Three millions to-day is not 
 such a large fortune when we consider that there are 
 families who represent thirty or forty millions ; and if 
 you have no children, Esther, three millions will allow 
 you to carry out any idea you may have for the benefit 
 of the world, as I am independent and your only 
 relative." 
 
 Lady Harcourt was thinking of this conversation 
 when she happened to be passing the office of Ned
 
 238 MOONLIGHT. 
 
 Bruce, and concluded to step in and see that gentle 
 man. 
 
 " Ah, good morning, Lady Harcourt ; can I be of 
 any service to you ? " 
 
 "Yes, I wish to make my will ; also to deed over a 
 piece of property to a friend as a gift, before departing 
 for Europe. It is a friend of yours, also, and his life has 
 not been as happy as you and I might wish ; but in the 
 future, or a few years hence, you will see that he will 
 have no time for unhappiness. In the meantime, I wish 
 him to enjoy the books and rest that I am sure this 
 little retreat will afford our friend, Dr. Belmont." 
 
 Ned Bruce with difficulty repressed a whistle of 
 surprise ; but his habit of at once going to the motive of 
 one s acts, solved the problem of the friendship which 
 he knew existed between them. His surprise at the 
 extent of her fortune and what she destined it for, made 
 him think but little about the gift to Dr. Belmont. This 
 gift was a studio, fitted up, as he pictured to himself, in 
 a highly moral style, or it wouldn t be like a woman a 
 place in which a man could not enjoy himself if he 
 would. Lady Harcourt appointed him her agent to 
 buy a large tract of land which she named, situated in 
 the most romantic spot in Redcliff, to be held for future 
 use. 
 
 A week later Lord and Lady Harcourt were upon an 
 ocean steamer bound for Europe, attended by Donna 
 and his lordship s valet, and with more satisfaction to all 
 parties than one would at first imagine, considering that 
 Esteria was leaving her native land never to return. 
 Lord Harcourt was tired of living in a country which
 
 MOONLIGHT. 239 
 
 afforded so little that was perfected in the line of sport 
 for a gentleman of leisure ; Europe was none too old 
 for him. Lady Harcourt seemed to have a feverish 
 desire to visit once more the different -nations, not to see 
 the country, but to study the people with a view of 
 learning from the great mass of humanity as a whole, 
 what could be done for them in any individual enter 
 prise. She was also determined to educate Donna in a 
 business manner, for her future work; unlike many of 
 her race she took kindly to the idea. She had large 
 curiosity, which is an element most needed to make one 
 apply themselves to learn anything new. Lady Har 
 court would spend hours daily in teaching Donna how 
 to pay bills, to send telegrams or cablegrams, and to 
 travel from city to city without anyone to rely upon but 
 herself. 
 
 Three years glided by. Lord Harcourt, naturally 
 restless, had formed the habit of gambling, and spent 
 much of his time at Monte Carlo. This most attractive 
 place stands upon a promonotory, commanding a mag 
 nificent view. To say that the establishment was most 
 luxuriously fitted up, would be but a feeble way of 
 expressing it ; the rich and elegant tapestry, the soft 
 and delicate covering of the furniture, its carpets of 
 velvet, its rarest gems of art were incomparable. There 
 is no day in the year, even Sundays, but the doors of 
 this beautiful palace are thrown open to the eager 
 public, who throng in multitudes to cope with Dame 
 Fortune in the way of game. Monaco has become 
 famous by giving to the world this one place of vice, so 
 attractively surrounded with fine grounds, and so orderly
 
 240 MOONLIGHT. 
 
 conducted that even many who refrain from gambling 
 are only to anxious to gain seats in the spacious parlors 
 and balconies, or watch with interest the infatuated ones, 
 who are as liable to lose their heads in excitement over 
 the green table, as if they were intoxicated with wine. 
 
 One evening Lord Harcourt was called to leave his 
 seat at the table, by a messenger sent in by his valet. 
 No matter how important the message may be, it would 
 put him out of sorts, as he knew his seat would be 
 quickly taken, as many were waiting for their chance. 
 He was surprised to see only Donna s black, shiny face. 
 
 " What the devil do you want here ? " 
 
 "Well, you see, Massa Harcourt, my dear lady ain t 
 been well ob late, an she gits de idee dat ef she dies, 
 she wants her friends in Meriky ter take her back ter 
 de Ian ob her born place; so she says, Go, Donna, an 
 ask Lord Harcourt to sign dis hyer paper. 
 
 His lordship, anxious to return to the Casino, looked 
 carelessly over the paper, and seeing it was only some 
 official red tape, which had to be signed by him if the 
 remains of Lady Harcourt were removed by her friends 
 to America, he signed the paper and then whirled Donna 
 around, saying : " Now remember, you black imp, don t 
 you ever come to bother me with any such nonsense of 
 your mistress*. I won t even receive a letter hereafter. 
 
 You have ruined my game to-night, and it s all d 
 
 foolishness. Lady Harcourt is always talking of dying ; 
 there is no such good luck. She looks as she ever did, 
 and that means the perfection of health." 
 
 Donna backed away out of his reach, and with snap 
 ping eyes said : " De hoofs an de horns am er growin
 
 MOONLIGHT. 241 
 
 on you. I sees dem ; an bymeby de ole debbil will 
 hab you frowin on de sticks ter keep de fire way down 
 
 in his cook room." 
 
 * * 
 * 
 
 Dr. Belmont worked on unceasingly, giving himself 
 no time to think of the one great passion of his life ; it 
 was with a nervous start that he one day encountered 
 Ned Bruce on the street. The latter thought it about 
 time to inform his friend of his gift from Lady Har- 
 court. 
 
 " Hello, Rob ! I have a paper for you ; and guess 
 I ll go along and look over your property with you." 
 
 Seeing how astonished his friend looked, he added, 
 " Didn t you know, old fellow, that Lady Harcourt, 
 before going abroad, gave you her library and studio? 
 Well, here is your title, and I confess that I have a great 
 curiosity to see the place." 
 
 Robert Belmont suffered Ned to lead him away, the 
 latter chatting about the studio, saying it would doubt 
 less be nothing a man could care for, although Lady 
 Harcourt had said to him that she had changed it so as 
 to be suitable for a man s comfort. 
 
 When they reached the place they found a good- 
 sized, octagon-shaped structure, painted white, with 
 orange trimmings ; there were many stained-glass win 
 dows of various shapes, which admitted a soft orange 
 light ; the exterior was covered with flowering vines. 
 Ned almost lost his breath at the beauty and arrange 
 ments of the interior; the floor was of tiles of rare stone 
 and marble, covered with rich fur rugs ; the beautiful 
 divan and easy chairs were upholstered in orange and
 
 242 MOONLIGHT. 
 
 white plush ; the walls were covered with book-cases 
 and paintings ; the draperies were of white and orange 
 satin, and a marble tablet at the end of each shelf on 
 which was a description of the contents of each shelf, - 
 which were classified to represent different phases of life ; 
 by touching a spring over the divan a hidden music- 
 box was made to play all the favorite airs of Lady Har- 
 court ; hanging near the centre was a large gold censer, 
 and there was an elegant and commodious desk, fitted 
 up with everything one could imagine, with white and 
 gold trimmings, and over it some curious little drawers, 
 which attracted Ned s attention. 
 
 " By George, Rob ! what do you think is in here? " 
 
 " I m sure I cannot imagine," said Rob, who seemed 
 to be in a dream, and feared an awakening. 
 
 " Why, nothing more or less than good, first-class 
 Havana cigars ! I think we best try one now and see if 
 she was a good judge of the weed." 
 
 Above these drawers were shelves containing unique 
 cut-glass bottles full of cordials, prepared by Esteria, 
 who was a natural chemist ; and Dr. Belmont knew their 
 value in restoring exhausted nature, as he had used 
 them in sickness among his patients while he had been 
 domiciled at her home. Pipes of every description, 
 from all nations, lying here and there in dainty receivers, 
 excited Ned s admiration more than the paintings or 
 bric-a-brac. 
 
 Robert drew aside the drapery from one of the win 
 dows and exclaimed, " Look, Ned ! " The latter, turn 
 ing suddenly, was startled with the vision that met his 
 eyes. Was it the light of the moon, or was he becom-
 
 MOONLIGHT. 243 
 
 ing superstitious ? He thought it was Lady Harcourt 
 who seemed to stand before them, so lifelike was the 
 full-length portrait smiling at them from an easel near 
 the window. They were both silent for some moments, 
 when the doctor broke the silence. " Is it all a dream ? 
 Oh, the bitterness of the awakening !" 
 
 " No, Rob, it s no dream ; its stern reality. I tell you 
 what, as old ladies say, I ve had an awful turn to-night. 
 First, this room in all its appointments, so unlike what I 
 had expected, and the vividness of the picture so real 
 and lifelike has convinced me that Esteria Harcourt is 
 going to die ! She can t live ; no use in talking no 
 rounded out woman like herself, who comprehends a 
 man s needs in this life can remain on this earth long." 
 " It s the breadth of her nature as well as the depth, 
 that gives her this insight into human nature," answered 
 the doctor. 
 
 " That s just it," said Ned ; " I want women to see 
 that we poor devils who are battling in business life 
 need something more than a clean shirt, a religious tract 
 or even a good dinner." 
 
 While Dr. Belmont was a man of few words, Ned 
 perceived how deeply affected he was by these surround 
 ings. " I tell you what, old boy," said he, " I appre 
 ciate the motive which actuated the lady s heart, and 
 your realization of it ; and while I am not a least bit soft 
 about love, I respect it, and if there were more women 
 like Esteria Harcourt I would brace up and marry, by 
 
 George ! " 
 
 * * 
 * 
 
 Ned Bruce had given up his law office in New York
 
 244 MOONLIGHT. 
 
 City, and had decided to settle down in Redcliff; but 
 before doing so, he and his sister were to take a trip 
 to Europe, and visit their uncle, Sir Edward Bruce, an 
 eminent lawyer in London. By a strange coincidence 
 this firm had always been the solicitors of the Harcourts, 
 and Sir Edward was the confidential adviser of Lord 
 Clarence. 
 
 During Mr. and Miss Bruce s travels in Italy they 
 came in contact with Lady Harcourt and renewed their 
 acquaintance. Ned grew more enthusiastic over the 
 loveliness of her character, and came as near falling in 
 love with her as his skeptical mind would permit him ; 
 he would declare to his sister that he would like to 
 shoot Lord Harcourt for neglecting his wife so much. 
 Miss Bruce, with a mournful shake of her head, would 
 say: "I m sure, Ned, she can t live long; and such 
 men as he never know what they possess until they lose 
 the gem, and then they wonder why they did not attend 
 more carefully to the setting." 
 
 " Of course she will die, Sis! I have told Rob so, but 
 he could not endure the thought." 
 
 " Neither can I, Ned. There are so many foolish, 
 worthless women, who only act from a selfish standpoint, 
 not even making those around them happy, that it 
 would seem fairly wicked for God to take this beauti 
 ful woman out of his life." 
 
 " Then you don t believe, Sis, that whom the gods 
 love die young, or that there is a ghost of a chance for 
 a ghost to do any good hereafter ? I m am sure I don t 
 know how it is over there, for I never stopped over a 
 train to find out."
 
 MOONLIGHT. 245 
 
 Ned and his sister returned to London, but Lord 
 Harcourt lingered at Monaco over his wines and games. 
 Esteria faded slowly in the hot climate of Italy. 
 Autumn came on with all its varied coloring, the time 
 most fit to die, as one seemed to escape the dreariness 
 of winter, and like the rich, gay blanket of the Indian 
 chief, who wraps himself in it, and lies down to awaken 
 in the happy hunting grounds, so the soul can seem to 
 clothe itself in the gorgeous beauty of autumnal loveli 
 ness to awaken in a fairer and better land. 
 
 Chance or luck had been decidedly against Lord 
 Harcourt winning for a week ; he was cross and restless 
 to the degree that he was an annoyance to others. One 
 evening, disgusted, he strolled back to the hotel, hoping 
 he might, at least, find some one to divert his mind. 
 Two charming ladies were seated on the broad piazza, 
 and the thought occurred to him that he would sit down 
 a short distance from them and listen to what they 
 might be saying of the world outside, they being recent 
 arrivals. The frequenters of Monte Carlo were gener 
 ally so absorbed in gambling that the events of the 
 world outside had little or no effect upon them. The 
 younger lady was speaking. " I declare, Auntie, I 
 never was so shocked in my life ; I have not entirely 
 recovered from it yet" 
 
 " Oh, you mean the death of that beautiful lady ; you 
 were to tell me all about it, you know." 
 
 " Yes ; you know she was -a very wonderful woman. 
 She did not look the least bit sick ; and she was so 
 entertaining why, everyone, old and young, almost 
 worshipped her. The evening she died was the love-
 
 246 MOONLIGHT. 
 
 liest moonlight night you ever saw, and she was dressed 
 so exquisitely just as if she were going to the opera ; 
 she wore a heavy cream silk, covered with rare old lace, 
 pinned here and there with diamonds, which really 
 looked like stars peeping out of fleecy clouds ; and a 
 long white opera cloak lined with ermine and trimmed 
 with deep white ostrich feathers; the cloak had a hoed 
 that her maid had pulled over her beautiful hair. Some 
 one remarked that if the cloak were a red one she 
 would pass for gypsy queen, ready to read the future of 
 those around her. She laughed so merrily and said : 
 It will make no difference about the color of the cloak ; 
 you can imagine that it is red, and I feel like prophesy 
 ing to-night." So we all had our fortunes told, young 
 and old, and she said such strange things that many 
 believed them true, so carried away were they with its 
 charm. From fortune-telling her conversation drifted 
 into her belief of the destiny of the soul ; while all 
 young people generally run away from such subjects, 
 this evening they seemed held to her side. Why, 
 Auntie, her cheeks were so red one moment and then 
 so white, and her eyes shone like stars, that it seems 
 strange now that no one realized how really ill she was. 
 Her maid did speak to her once or twice, but she paid 
 no heed. She said : What a pleasure it would be for 
 some souls to sail out into another life on such a beauti 
 ful night as this. And she laughed a rippling laugh 
 that died away in a sigh ; then she laid her head over, 
 against the back of the chair, and the beautiful Lady 
 Harcourt was dead." 
 
 Lord Harcourt tried to rise to speak, but sank back 
 in his seat, powerless.
 
 MOONLIGHT. 247 
 
 " Why, Auntie," the young lady continued, " one 
 woman fainted away, and all the hotel was in confusion. 
 Twas just like a play, was it not? And here is the odd 
 part of it : When they said she was really dead, her 
 colored maid, whom we thought quite bright until then, 
 said : Dear Moonlight am not dead, she am only gone 
 to hebben to see dem dar, an* will come agin ter- 
 morrer, for she said so. How ridiculous ! " 
 
 The proprietor of the hotel remarked to the ladies 
 that the gentleman sitting near them was quite ill, and 
 suggested their retiring into the parlor. 
 
 The shock of the news to Lord Harcourtof his wife s 
 death, and the dramatic manner in which he learned it, 
 together with the excitement he had undergone the past 
 week, had caused the blood to rush to his brain, so that 
 he lost consciousness. When he came to himself, he 
 only thought of his personal grief in losing what was a 
 valuable possession to him ; it was his wife ; it was Lady 
 Harcourt ; it was the loss of a woman who had thrown 
 a lustre over his own life, which he lacked in his own 
 nature. 
 
 As he was being borne rapidly toward London he 
 thought if he could only see her face again, and make 
 her realize that in his heart of hearts he loved her as well 
 as he was capable of loving any one, he would give all 
 he hoped to possess in this world. Such strange con 
 tradiction is in the nature of man. Who can account 
 for their fancies or caprices? His first thought when 
 he arrived in London was to find fault with some one 
 for not letting him know of her death. He called at 
 his lawyer s and asked why his mail and telegrams had 
 not been forwarded to him.
 
 248 MOONLIGHT. 
 
 " Because, Lord Harcourt, here is your letter of 
 recent date, saying, on no account do so." 
 
 He then remembered that he had written not to forward 
 letters and telegrams while he was away on pleasure, as 
 he would not be annoyed with them. "But, did you 
 know, Sir Edward, that my wife was dead?" 
 
 "Great God! No!" 
 
 And the usually calm man of business walked back 
 and forth, saying: "The beautiful Lady Harcourt is 
 dead ! I know you have had several messages of late, 
 and now, perhaps, we best look them over." 
 
 They found one from a noted physician, simply say 
 ing : " Lady Harcourt died of heart disease at Hotel 
 Palace at ten o clock this evening ; " and another say 
 ing : " How are we to act in the matter?" Another of 
 later date, from the officials, read : " That as no one had 
 arrived to see to arrangements, Lady Harcourt had been 
 buried with all ceremonies due to her wealth and posi 
 tion." 
 
 Lord Harcourt groaned aloud. He had only himself 
 to blame, but that thought does not take away the sharp 
 edge of sorrow. 
 
 Ned, coming into his uncle s office, and seeing the look 
 of excitement upon the old gentleman s face, and not 
 seeing anyone else present, asked : 
 
 " What the deuce is the matter ? " 
 
 "The loveliest woman in all England is dead, Ned; 
 died among strangers." 
 
 " Who was she?" 
 
 "Lady Esteria Harcourt." 
 
 For a moment Ned was speechless.
 
 MOONLIGHT. 249 
 
 " Where in the devil was her husband ? " 
 
 Ned s own feeling of grief had, for the moment, made 
 him angry. 
 
 " He was a brute, anyhow ; neglected her shamefully. 
 Served him right, to lose the sweetest woman in all the 
 world ! " And turning, he left the room to inform his 
 sister, whom he knew would mourn sincerely. 
 
 " I will attend to the business arrangements, my 
 lord," said Sir Edward. "Under the circumstances, 
 and your present nervous state, I would not go to Italy; 
 twill do no good now. She was a woman who gave 
 much thought to her business affairs. This I know ; 
 and as she no doubt left a will, there will be no trouble 
 in settling up everything." 
 
 " I do not want any property she may have possessed; 
 I only want her," said the really penitent man. 
 
 "You should have thought of that, my lord, a few 
 years ago ; and while it might not have saved a life so 
 fragile as I always imagined hers to have been, it would 
 have sweetened your memory of her happiness, which 
 now you can lay no claim upon." 
 
 The wretched man reeled into the street, haunted by 
 the thoughts of the past; he would drown them in wine 
 and drugs, and forget, if possible, that the light of his 
 
 life had gone out forever. 
 
 * * 
 * 
 
 Robert Belmont had returned to the studio late one 
 evening, thinking to remain there and not disturb his 
 wife, who was growing more and more irritable. How 
 weary he was, and how tired and heavy his limbs, and 
 how restful seemed the soft, luxurious divan. He could
 
 250 MOONLIGHT. 
 
 not say how long he had slept ; he heard a voice, sweet 
 and faint, and then as it sounded nearer to him he dis 
 tinctly heard the words : "Robert, wake up! I am 
 with you ! " Starting from the couch, he saw, as plainly 
 as he saw the bookcases and paintings on the walls, 
 Lady Esteria Harcourt. It could not be any trick of 
 the imagination, for she was not dressed in anything he 
 had ever seen -her appear in. The rich, white opera 
 cloak had fallen oft from one arm and shoulder, and she 
 touched her heart with that infinite grace of movement 
 so characteristic of her. "Esteria, for God s sake, is it 
 you ? Speak to me ! " 
 
 "Yes, Robert; and now we will work together," and, 
 like a cloud, she faded from his sight. 
 
 Great drops stood upon his brow ; in all his medical 
 science there was no accounting for such a vision, unless 
 he had lost his mind. Arising hastily, he sat himself at 
 the desk, to see if he could concentrate his faculties 
 enough to write a prescription. He only wrote the 
 words : " Moonlight died at the Hotel Palace, Florence, 
 on October 2oth, at ten o clock." And he thought of 
 Shakspeare s words: "There are stranger things in 
 heaven and earth than are taught in men s phil 
 osophy." 
 
 When he received a cablegram from Ned Bruce a few 
 days later, announcing the death of Lady Harcourt, he 
 was not astonished nor puzzled when he saw that the 
 date coincided with what he had written on that eventful 
 night. Mind reading may be wonderful, but thought 
 transfer, or mental telegraphy, whether the person is in 
 or out of the body, is one of the most startling discov-
 
 MOONLIGHT. 251 
 
 eries of the nineteenth century. There will be but little 
 need of the word " separation " in our vocabulary. 
 
 When Ned arrived home from England, with the will 
 and designs of Lady Harcourt, and laid them before 
 Robert, the latter was deeply impressed with the ideas 
 she wished carried out. What a grand era this would 
 be, if more souls like the one just flown from these earthly 
 conditions, could be as magnanimous. 
 
 The conditions of the will read that Robert Belmont, 
 trustee, should take charge of the land already pur 
 chased in Redclift, and erect thereon a building accord 
 ing to the enclosed plans. This structure was to com 
 prise twelve halls, all situated on the ground floor, fully 
 fitted up to represent the arts and sciences, which were 
 most akin to common humanity : Music, painting, law, 
 oratory, drama, sculpture, religion, medicine, agricul 
 ture, architecture, psychometry and invention. Twelve 
 men and twelve women were to be selected, who had 
 become proficient in these arts and sciences, to preside 
 over these halls, which were to be thrown open to the 
 general public, in order that all might avail themselves 
 of the advantage of self-instruction. Really, nothing 
 was to be taught as a theory or system ; but the great 
 collection of books that were to be attached to each hall, 
 and the assistance which these attendants could give the 
 visitors, would make knowledge comparatively easy. 
 The place should be known as the Educational Home. 
 The twenty-four people should each receive good sala 
 ries, and have erected for them comfortable homes on 
 the grounds. There should be a park set aside for the 
 use of the poor, laid out with walks, drives, seats, etc.
 
 25* MOONLIGHT. 
 
 The duties of these twenty-four people should not only 
 be the care of the different departments they represented, 
 but they should go out as pilgrims and seek out the poor 
 students who were eager to help themselves by self-cul 
 ture. It was her plan that the institution should exist 
 but twenty-four years, although it was not absolute. At 
 the end of that time the property should be sold and 
 divided equally between the ones who were filling the 
 positions, she suggesting that by that time it might have 
 outlived its usefulness, and that much knowledge might 
 be withheld from the world, by holding on to an old 
 idea, when there was really a demand for a new 
 one. 
 
 The inexorable law laid down was harmony ; anyone 
 who produced the opposite should be tried by three of 
 the others, and, if found guilty, should lose his or her 
 position, which was one not liable to be lost easily, as 
 the salary exceeded any teacher s in the country. Lady 
 Harcourt doubtless thought that no progress could be 
 made where inharmony reigned ; that the invariable law 
 of good was unity, not dissolution, and she made this 
 law imperative. 
 
 She added several codicils to her original will ; she 
 bequeathed Harcourt Hall and a sufficient income to 
 her husband, and an income for Donna s support. If 
 Dr. Belmont should die before the twenty-four years 
 had expired, the enterprise should be carried out by 
 Ned Bruce and his sister. Lady Harcourt had found, 
 in her intercourse with these two people, the last year 
 of her life, that they were so devoted to Robert Bel- 
 mont s interests, they would be the proper ones to cany
 
 MOONLIGHT. 253 
 
 out this grand scheme to help humanity. Her personal 
 property was to be divided between her aunt, Miss 
 Bruce, Donna, and other lady friends. There was no 
 especial time stated when the building should be com 
 pleted, but as soon as circumstances would permit ; but 
 time and care were suggested to find the right people 
 for the right places, and an extensive travel to all parts 
 of the world to select books, instruments, statuary, etc., 
 
 for the home. 
 
 * * 
 * 
 
 During the following year, while the doctor and Ned 
 were completing plans for building the home and park, 
 two events occurred in which our readers may feel some 
 interest. Lord Harcourt married again, this time a 
 woman of wealth, but who was so coarse and unrefined, 
 that even his friends were surprised ; then close upon 
 the news of this marriage, came the death of Mrs. Bel- 
 mont. Like all small natures, the death of this woman 
 caused no ripple upon the stream of events ; no one 
 missed her, unless it was the doctor, who missed the 
 care of her. He reflected much over his unhappy mar 
 riage, and wondered if unhappiness was the incentive to 
 growth, as many believed. He thought not he was 
 too scientific to believe that, in this hard world of ours, 
 the best conditions were any too good for the soul s 
 development ; and he realized that what had come into 
 his life to beautify his existence was not misery and 
 darkness, but light and love. 
 
 Miss Bruce was to remain another year abroad after 
 the return of her brother to America ; and as Donna 
 positively refused to leave Italy until Dr. Belmontcame
 
 254 MOONLIGHT. 
 
 for the ashes of her dear mistress, Miss Bruce and she 
 were much together. It was not an unusual thing to 
 see Donna sitting beside the grave, and singing some old 
 negro melody, and arranging the flowers as she thought 
 would please " dear Moonlight." "I know she ain t 
 here," she would say to those who asked her why she 
 remained so long at the grave, "but hit pears ter me 
 dat she likes ter know dat some one am jes remember- 
 in what she liked ; an she lubbed deflowers, an always 
 called dem de angels thoughts, an such sweet sayin s. 
 I don t cry cause Moonlight done got fru wid dis 
 wicked worT, but cause she done lef po Donna in it 
 where I can t hear her voice, an yet I knows she can 
 hear mine. Oh, no ! she ain t settin roun singin 
 sa ms she s workin ter he p someone, sartin, sho ." 
 It has been said that a dog was more faithful than a 
 friend, but of all races, none are more true and devoted 
 where they love, than the negro race ; they are natur 
 ally dependent, and make the dark background to the 
 fairer Anglo-Saxon. 
 
 As soon as Robert Belmont could settle up his own 
 affairs, he left Ned Bruce in charge of the construction 
 of the buildings, and sailed for Europe. He knew full 
 well that a few millions would do the work more rap 
 idly than one would at first imagine ; as the country 
 soon took fire over the news of the new Educational 
 Home, workmen flocked from all parts of the country, 
 glad to work for good pay and a good paymaster, as 
 Lawyer Bruce had so established himself among the 
 people. We appear more for what we truly are, than 
 many people are aware of, especially among the lower
 
 MOONLIGHT. 255 
 
 classes, who sum human nature as correctly as the most 
 scientific observer. 
 
 When Robert arrived in Europe, he hastened at once 
 to Italy, as he not only knew of Esteria s wish, but his- 
 own heart prompted him to hasten to the spot where 
 one he loved so dearly had died and was buried. It 
 seemed only natural to the natives, who made pilgrim 
 ages to Lady Harcourt s grave with flowers, to see a 
 tall, handsome man beside the grave, whom they 
 thought was her husband, and with a sign of the cross 
 and a prayer to the all-loving Mother they would 
 silently steal away. 
 
 Donna, with that keen instinct which ever belongs- 
 to her race, felt that Dr. Belmont dreaded to remove 
 the body, as he would have to look at it to see if all 
 was right before it was cremated. She said one day : 
 
 " Don t yer feel werried boutseein dear Moonlight ; 
 ef she had been buried fur sebenteen years in dis hyer 
 col ground, it wouldn t skeer any one to look at her; 
 she talked dat over wid me, an I had her laid out jes r 
 as she wanted." 
 
 Thus encouraged he had the grave opened and the 
 casket placed before him. It was white, with silver 
 mountings, and its shape and upholstering made it seem 
 more like a couch than a coffin ; one might say that she 
 was not dead, but only sleeping. She was dressed in 
 the heaviest white silk, the neck and arms being cov 
 ered ; but over the sleeves and corsage was delicate 
 white lace held by bunches of the finest wax flowers ; 
 and over her small hands were drawn gauntlet gloves. 
 Her beautiful hair was arranged high upon her head r
 
 256 MOONLIGHT. 
 
 and a wreath of white orange blossoms which held a 
 thick lace veil, completely covering her face, and held 
 by one hand, so only the outline of the face could be 
 seen. The effect was marvelous. Robert remembered 
 once seeing a statue veiled which reminded him so 
 strongly of what he saw before him that it seemed it 
 must be the same. 
 
 "You were right, Donna, Moonlight is beautiful 
 even in death ; but we know her presence is ever near 
 us, and we must not weep over the garment which she 
 has laid aside for one more beautiful. We have a 
 natural body and a spiritual body ; we are sown in the 
 natural, but we are raised in the spiritual. What St. 
 Paul realized nineteen hundred years ago, but few real 
 ize to-day." 
 
 After all the arrangements were completed in regard 
 to the body of Esteria, Robert started on his tour to 
 gather the materials for the Educational Home. Donna 
 returned with Miss Bruce to America. They went at 
 once to the residence of Augustus St. Clair with Lady 
 Harcourt s personal effects. As the aunt took up one 
 by one the laces and jewels of her dear niece for she 
 truly loved Esteria she would wipe her eyes and say to 
 the others: "Too bad she had to die, when she was 
 married to a live lord." 
 
 "Yes," said Donna, "he was too much alive, and 
 dat s why dear Moonlight am dead." 
 
 Again Mrs. St. Clair adjusted her eyeglass, and took 
 the speaker into her thoughts, and once more there 
 came a faint impression that perhaps Esteria would have 
 been happier with some other person ; but ah, well !
 
 MOONLIGHT. 257 
 
 why regret it ? That is something that a person of fashion 
 guards against as faithfully as they do wrinkles ; it is 
 one of the worst misfortunes that can overtake them, 
 which will find a votary of society with depth of feeling 
 enough to have any lasting regrets or remorse. 
 
 During Robert s absence, Ned plunged into the work 
 with the enthusiasm of his nature, and had succeeded 
 in carrying out the plans to perfection. When the 
 doctor returned with rare collections he was surprised 
 to find the rooms ready for their reception. But it 
 took the united efforts of the trio, as Miss Bruce was 
 indispensable, to find the people best fitted for the 
 places ; it was arranged at last. In each hall were 
 twelve seats, and as the hall was fitted to paint, play or 
 study, the rooms could not at any time be overcrowded. 
 Did not the selfish take advantage of this opportunity ? 
 Certainly, they did. Is there anything under the sun 
 where the selfish will not crowd out the more deserving? 
 Regulations had to be made whereby no one pen-on 
 should occupy a seat longer than two hours at a time; 
 and while some departments were more frequented than 
 others, persons waiting for seats were cordially invited 
 to visit other rooms, and in this manner they became 
 interested in some other art or science besides their 
 own, and thus knowledge became more broad. Bigots 
 are manufactured from persons who are one-sided in 
 their opinions, caused by following too closely their own 
 pet ideas ; the best preacher, actor, or musician, in fact, 
 the best in any art or science, is the person who can 
 sympathize with any art besides their own ; in the man 
 ner of development art moves no longer in a straight
 
 258 MOONLIGHT. 
 
 line, but in a circle, which commences on earth, moving 
 slowly around all the phases of life, until it reaches the 
 life divine. 
 
 Money is a great incentive, and by its means they 
 succeeded in finding men and women who were strug 
 gling to gain a foothold in their profession ; and no 
 matter how clever, without money, they knew they 
 would have to wait until some brother or sister made a 
 vacancy by death ; and it was a relief to them to give 
 up the nervous tension of their lives, that a constant 
 worry about money always causes. One great cross to 
 some in accepting their duties, was the injunction that 
 they should go out as pilgrims to seek knowledge and 
 inspiration for the benefit of the home ; it is so natural 
 for some people to become rutted in one location. In 
 a letter that Lady Harcourt had written to Dr. Belmont, 
 to be opened after the home was in full progress, she 
 explained in a pointed manner the benefit of travel, and 
 the great necessity of coming in contact with the outside 
 world, in order to grow, and improve oneself, or to ben 
 efit any institution. 
 
 Dr. Belmont made all arrangements for the poorer 
 classes to visit the grounds and home, and prepared for 
 them the best of dinners and amusements. 
 
 The brightest and most versatile lady of all the staff 
 was of French extraction, but English education, and 
 who crossed the water to take charge of the musical 
 department. She first attracted Ned Bruce s attention 
 by overhearing a conversation between her and a 
 co-worker in which they were discussing the idea of 
 studying the varying moods of men and women in the
 
 MOONLIGHT. 259 
 
 marriage relation. The conversation was carried on with 
 more abandon than was customary in the halls of the 
 home. " Why," said the vivacious little French lady, 
 44 a good husband or wife is worth studying their moods 
 in order to hold their affections; it is never a stupid man 
 or woman who is variable. There is Lawyer Bruce, for 
 instance; he needs variety and change as much as light 
 and air, and I should judge, at heart he was true and 
 Joyal ; and !l know that if a woman would study him a 
 little, he would make a wife perfectly happy." 
 
 " There you are mistaken, my dear," said the other, 
 "he would want his way about everything; and I should 
 be as afraid of marrying a crusty old bachelor as I 
 would of sailing to Europe in a birch-bark canoe." 
 
 Ned pondered over this conversation, that was not 
 intended for his ears, and wondered where and when 
 mademoiselle had studied him so thoroughly. He con 
 cluded to know more of this little woman, who had all 
 along displayed a great amount of sense and tact. So 
 from a study of each other s characters, a warmer 
 attachment sprang up between them, which resulted in 
 the marriage of the two. They were warm-hearted and 
 -earnest and independent thinkers. Such a wedding as 
 the home gave them, and such dire prophecies from the 
 world without, but like the opinion of nine out of ten of 
 the marriages, the world was wrong. " Oh, dear," says 
 Dame Grundy, "those two people are too smart to live 
 together long very happily." 
 
 It is conceded by the majority, that in case of mar 
 riage, one, at least, should be a fool, in order preserve 
 the harmony that is required. If there is an institution in
 
 26o MOONLIGHT. 
 
 the world that requires brains, it is marriage ; and the 
 want of brains is what is filling our divorce courts at the 
 present day. It is like the large, noble ox yoked to the 
 small, stupid one ; it requires but a glance to see which 
 has the work to do ; but if the smaller one was mated 
 with its kind, the pull on the road of life would, at least, 
 be more equal. 
 
 The bride and groom crossed the ocean, as both had 
 relatives in the old country. It was with genuine 
 pleasure that Sir Edward grasped Ned s hand, say 
 ing : 
 
 " Well, my boy, you have done the right thing this 
 time, in not only choosing a bright wife, but making up 
 your mind, I hope, not to let the name of Bruce rub 
 itself out in a race of bachelors who dry up between 
 the leaves of some rusty old law book." 
 
 Ned s first inquiry was of Lord Harcourt. 
 
 "Well, you see," said his uncle, "we don t stand 
 still ; we either go up or down the hill of life, and in 
 his case it was decidedly going down, and more rapidly 
 than you would at first imagine, considering he was reared 
 as a gentleman. His wife was coarser, and more per 
 sistent in a life of pleasure than he ever thought of being ; 
 they quarrelled openly, and after he had run through his 
 fortune, she refused to live with him, as she was selfish 
 to the heart s core. The former Lady Harcourt, before 
 her death, knew that Harcourt Hall was heavily 
 mortgaged, and with her wonderful prescience, secured 
 it and fitted it up for this very emergency. When he 
 came to see me with his financial troubles, I told him of 
 this property, and at first he seemed to have a repugnance
 
 MOONLIGHT. 261 
 
 of going near it ; but when he did and saw how 
 bountifully she had fitted it up for his comfort, I truly 
 pitied him." 
 
 " I should like to see the place," said Ned, "but I 
 have no desire to meet him. Of course, Lady Harcourt 
 furnished it in her own exquisite taste," and he recalled 
 to himself the beauty of the studio. 
 
 "What?" said his uncle, turning quickly. "I see 
 that you were not very well acquainted with Lady Har 
 court; she did not furnish it to please her fancy, but to 
 meet his wants that was Lady Harcourt ! Why, finer 
 stables, kennels, billiard-rooms, and preserves stocked 
 with game cannot be found in all England. You would 
 never see a place better adapted for a retired sporting 
 man s life than this." 
 
 "Well, how did he receive all this kindness?" 
 
 " He was completely broken up over it ; cried like a 
 child, and said to me : I tell you, Sir Edward, my first 
 wife came as near perfection as possible in this world ; 
 she always considered others outside of herself; she 
 thought, doubtless, I would never change in my tastes. 
 I might not had she lived, so contrary is human nature ; 
 but I have had a big dose of vulgarity, and it has com 
 pletely sickened me. I tried to console him, telling 
 him his friends would enjoy the place if he did not. 
 Friends, said he, where are the friends of a sporting 
 man s or woman s life, when they are down in their 
 luck ? You can hold last year s snow, the froth of the 
 wine, the blush of the rose in your hand as easily ! 
 Bah ! I know the world, and it knows me. I have 
 nothing to offer it, and it has nothing for me, but a slur
 
 262 MOONLIGHT. 
 
 under its breath ! If I could die without the world 
 knowing it got the best of me, I would die happy ; but 
 I am one of those unfortunate devils who must live on 
 and suffer. 
 
 " Well, uncle, you and I cannot say but we have seen 
 the great law of retribution work out its penalty once in 
 this life ; so many slide along who have given others 
 pain and sorrow, seemingly iron-clad themselves, that 
 this story of Lord Harcourt s life is as refreshing to the 
 soul as a glass of spring water to the thirsty traveler in 
 the great desert." 
 
 " Let us hope," said Sir Edward, "that he may arise 
 from this fiery furnace of affliction, a redeemed and 
 nobler man ; he must have had some good qualities, or 
 he never could have been attracted to so lovely a life as 
 Lady Harcourt was." 
 
 * * 
 * 
 
 As the Educational Home grew in popularity, the 
 duties became more and more heavy upon Dr. Belmont. 
 He had consented to lecture monthly to the staff, and 
 to those whom they might invite to occupy the vacant 
 seats in the main hall. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Bruce still continued the most happy 
 couple in all Redcliff, much to the chagrin of those who 
 had predicted otherwise for them. One lady once 
 remarked to Mrs. Bruce : " Why, you can twist your 
 husband around your finger ; and who would ever have 
 believed it? " 
 
 " Oh, don t say that," said the little lady; "he is 
 chained as much as any husband ; but I cover the chains 
 so thick with roses that he never sees or hears them."
 
 MOONLIGHT. 263 
 
 " Too much work, my dear friend," remarked the 
 other ; " life is too short." 
 
 "What, for keeping the love of the best man in the 
 world ? I guess not ; what is worth having is worth 
 holding, and that is the mistake of half the married lives, 
 making no effort." 
 
 There was little excitement in the lives of those who 
 were connected with the home, so well-regulated was the 
 institution ; and had it not been for the foresight of Lady 
 Harcourt, requiring they should go out as pilgrims into 
 the world, their lives would have become quite monot 
 onous ; so it was a great event the birth of a daughter 
 to Mr. and Mrs. Bruce. Of course, she was a wonder 
 ful child ; such conditions of nature produce good 
 results. It was the decided opinion of all, that when 
 she was six months old she should have an appropriate 
 name, and it should be the loveliest christening possible; 
 so with its couch of roses, hung over with festoons of 
 vines, and the fountain wreathed in flowers, the scene 
 looked like fairyland. When the name was to be given 
 by the father, all waited in great expectation. Ned 
 Bruce had truly never thought of a name the child 
 was all right, the mother was all right, and a name was 
 of small consequence. Still they waited, and Mrs. Bruce 
 looked at her husband in despair, when Dr. Belmont 
 drew nearer, and his deep blue eyes flashed into Ned s 
 grey ones a communication that made Ned s hair stand 
 up more prominent than usual. His voice rolled out in 
 melodious bass, " the name of this child shall be Esteria 
 Belmont Bruce." 
 
 " Bress de Lord ; dat am a name wuth havin, " 
 exclaimed Donna.
 
 264 MOONLIGHT. 
 
 No baby ever received more gifts, and no one seemed 
 more happy than the doctor himself. 
 
 " That was a good dispatch you sent me," said Ned 
 to him afterward. " I was about to turn the case over 
 to the Judge, when you wired me silently the right 
 idea." 
 
 As little Esteria grew older, no one was more fond of 
 her than the doctor and Donna ; the latter was quite 
 indignant when more little Bruces appeared upon the 
 scene, and one day said to Miss Bruce: " Ef dat Mrs. 
 Bruce hab fohty er fifty mo h chiPun, she won t hab 
 anodder like little Esteria." 
 
 " Oh, she will never have that number," said Miss 
 Bruce, who was always anxious to check Donna s 
 extravagance of speech. 
 
 " It won t be her fault; it s cause she lacks de time," 
 answered Donna, bound to have the last word. 
 
 One day when Donna was sitting with little Esteria, 
 telling her of sunny Italy, and weaving wreaths of 
 flowers, who should appear but Master Robbie Bruce 
 with his smaller sister, and completely covered with 
 mud and dirt, and, boylike, threw a handful of it on 
 Donna s clean white apron. 
 
 "You go way, you imps o Satan, fore I breaks yo 
 neck." 
 
 Little Esteria looked on and naively said : "Where 
 did they come from I mean who made them ? " 
 
 "Why, de black debbil, hisse f, I do b lieve," 
 answered Donna. 
 
 "Are they not my brother and sister; did he make 
 me?"
 
 MOONLIGHT. 265 
 
 " No, he nebber made you, honey ! De angels made 
 you ! Dem two t ings am no mo related to you dan 
 dem frogs what we see t other night ; dey crawled into 
 dis worl somehow, an I wish they would crawl back 
 agin, fer dey will do no good anyway." At this moment 
 Master Rob concluded to try his muscle by knocking 
 his smaller sister over. 
 
 "Dar ! jes see him act up ! I tell you, he am bad 
 clean fru," and Donna marched off with little Esteria in 
 disgust. The thoughtful little maiden could not quite 
 understand why her brother and sister were made so 
 unlike her, and concluded she would ask the good 
 doctor, whom she loved devotedly, and he worshipped 
 her why the angels did not keep on making good 
 children, and let the old black Satan rest awhile from 
 making imps, who preferred mud instead of roses. This 
 is a question which has puzzled wiser heads than your 
 own, little Esteria. 
 
 * * 
 * 
 
 The Educational Home could not help but be 
 popular; theologians had put on their strongest glasses, 
 and visited it repeatedly, but they could not discover 
 any heresy taught, or social system advanced ; its staff 
 of attendants embraced all religions from the most con 
 servative to the most radical ; but it was noticed that 
 after years of companionship with a mind like that of 
 Dr. Belmont, the conservative grew more liberal in their 
 ideas of religious life, proving that the soul, in order to 
 grow, needs the best soil, like fruit and flowers. 
 
 Fifteen years had passed and gone in the history of 
 the home. One evening Ned, who was enjoying a
 
 266 MOONLIGHT. 
 
 smoke in the studio with the doctor, broached the con 
 tinuance of the institution after the twenty-four years 
 had expired, bringing up as argument the influence it 
 exerted for good in the State and country. 
 
 Dr. Belmont looked thoughtful for some time, and 
 then, as if from inspiration from the lovely originator of 
 the whole plan, said: "Ned, I would not change the 
 plan. I know you are comparatively a young man, and 
 have found your greatest happiness within its walls ; 
 but let the genius of the woman who created its thought, 
 support it to its end. With your fast growing family, 
 and the amount of wealth you have inherited in Eng 
 land, your own wealth and mine (which I shall leave to 
 Esteria, in your care), your duties in seeing to the edu 
 cation of your children, and what you will always do 
 for humanity, will be sufficient labor for one man s life. 
 Let it be sold, and those who have labored so faithfully 
 in it have the benefit of it, as Lady Harcourt desired. 
 Virtue too often goes unrewarded ; and you know, in 
 time, the sum set aside for the salaries will be exhausted, 
 and you would not only have to use your own fortune, 
 but resort to the contemptible system of begging from 
 men who are selfish in their exactions of what shall be 
 done with their money, as much as they were in accu 
 mulating it. You t best follow out the nine remaining 
 years faithfully, and let the good work die a healthy, 
 natural death, for others to follow its example if they 
 have the magnanimity to do so." 
 
 All noticed how delicate Dr. Belmont s health was 
 becoming. He had won the name of " the good doc 
 tor," and as he failed in health.it seemed that the world
 
 MOONLIGHT. 267 
 
 was more than anxious to have all his time and energy; 
 no matter what he did, or upon what subject he spoke, 
 his hearers were as sure of the inspiration back of his 
 words as they were that the sun arose in the heavens. 
 There is no mistaking divine inspiration ; all other arts 
 may have their imitators, but the crowning art of all 
 the divine spark struck from the fire of the soul, can 
 never be imitated. 
 
 One evening, after a long discourse, Dr. Belmont 
 spoke to Ned, and said : " I want to go to my studio." 
 
 This seemed strange to Ned, as it was the doctor s 
 habit to always go there after a visit to the home, but 
 one glance at his face convinced all who saw it, that the 
 shadow of death was there ; what he wished to say 
 was : " I want to be carried there," but his spirit, so 
 much stronger than his body, would not permit him to 
 express it in this manner. 
 
 Silently and slowly the noble staff of workers followed 
 this good man s last journey through the leafy forest 
 into the beautiful room he loved so dearly, intuitively 
 knowing it was the last time they would see him there 
 alive. Donna had lighted the censer and the room was 
 filled with its delicate perfume. As they entered the 
 room the sweet music of Beethoven s Moonlight Sonata 
 filled the air with melody, and the face of the dying 
 man lighted up with a halo of glory. 
 
 Donna had said to Miss Bruce many times during the 
 week : " De good doctor hab got to go, for I dreamed 
 dat Moonlight said hab eberyt ing ready, Donna/ an 
 while I kin stay wid you I shall lose de one fren* dat she 
 loved so well."
 
 268 MOONLIGHT. 
 
 As they placed him on a couch and gave him a 
 draught of wine, his voice rang out clear as a bell : "My 
 dear friends, you have labored with me unceasingly in 
 the good work. You have asked me many times what 
 was the great incentive in this life, preparing us for the 
 life to come ? It is the highest conviction of my soul 
 to-night, that it is Love love for some individual which 
 reaches outward to humanity, and upward to God. 
 Ned, dear friend, bend down and raise me a little ; 
 remember, my ashes are to mingle with hers. Donna, 
 draw the drapery from the window that I may look 
 once more upon the glorious moon. Yes, Ned she is 
 with me, and I rejoice to go out in its rays with her."
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY 
 
 Los Angeles 
 
 This book is DUE on the last date stamped below. 
 
 41584
 
 A 000 919 318