OCSB LIBRARY 
 
 X- 
 
 p 
 
 ' 
 
 i 
 
 J
 
 WILL BE PUBLISHED IN APRIL, 
 
 BY THE AUTHOR OF 
 
 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY, 
 
 Play and Profit in My Garden, 
 
 In this volume the Author details his own very suc- 
 cessful experience in gardening for both recreation and 
 profit. 
 
 How he realized $2,000 from the sale of fruit and vege- 
 tables raised on two-and-a-quarter acres, besides pro- 
 viding an abundant home supply, and how others can 
 do it. 
 
 One Vol., 12mo, $1.5O. 
 DODD & MEAD, PUBLISHERS.
 
 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 BY 
 
 THE REV. EDWARD P. ROE. 
 
 As feathers to the arrow's flight 
 
 A surer course impart t 
 So truth when winged by fancy light 
 
 May sooner reach the heart. 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 
 DODD, MEAD & COMPANY, 
 751 BROADWAY. 
 
 1876.
 
 Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year igjj, by 
 
 D O D D & M EAD. 
 la the Office of the Librarian ol Congress, at Washington.
 
 THIS BOOK 
 
 is 
 
 REVERENTLY DEDICATED 
 1O THE MEMORY 
 
 OP 
 MY SAINTED MOTHER.
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 PAO*. 
 
 PREFACE >. s. 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 Love Unknown. 7 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 Love Known 16 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 Launched 23 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 Cold Water. 30 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 A Hornet's Nest 37 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 " Starve Then." 43 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 A Good Samaritan 49 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 Yahcob Bunk 5,6 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 Land at Last 64 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 The New Broom 71
 
 VI CONTENTS. 
 
 PAOK. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 Too Much alike 78 
 
 CHAPTER XIL 
 Blue Biood. ,\ 85 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 Deacon Gudgeon's Sou 93 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 The result of First Love 98 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 Very Cold 109 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 She Speaks to Him 1 14 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 Promoted 1 18 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 Just in Time 125 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 Rescued 134 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 Miss Ludolph Makes a Discovery 141 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 What is the Matter With Him 149 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 Is He a Gentleman ? 157 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 Christine's Idea of Christians 165 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 Equal to an Emergency j6j
 
 CONTENTS. vil 
 
 PAOX. 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 The Revelation 185 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 Night Thoughts 195 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 Darkness. . . . 201 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 Miss Ludolph Commits a Theft 219 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 A Miserable Triumph ... 227 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 Life Without Love 238 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 Dennis's Love put to Practical Use 249 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII. 
 The Two Heights 266 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 Beguiled 277 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 Both Dennis and Christine Learn Something Surprising 2b6 
 
 CHAPTER XXXV. 
 The Two Pictures 298 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVI. 
 Regret 312 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVII. 
 Remorse 327 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVIII. 
 An Apparition. 338
 
 Viil CONTENTS. 
 
 PACK, 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIX. 
 If He Knew 351 
 
 CHAPTER XL. 
 The Gates Open 363 
 
 CHAPTER XLI. 
 Susie Winthrop appears again 376 
 
 CHAPTER XLII. 
 Suggestive Pictures and a Prize 385 
 
 CHAPTER XLI1I. 
 Fire ! Fire ! 391 
 
 CHAPTER XLIV. 
 Baron Ludolph Learns the Truth, 399 
 
 CHAPTER XLV. 
 " Christine awake ! for your life ! " 407 
 
 CHAPTER XLVI. 
 On the Beach 420 
 
 CHAPTER XLVII. 
 " Prayer is mighty." Christine a Christian 433 
 
 CHAPTER XL VIII. 
 Christine's Grave 444 
 
 CHAPTER XLIX. 
 Susie Winthrop 452 
 
 CHAPTER L. 
 Dr. Artcn Struck by Lightning 461 
 
 Cin-YPTER LI. 
 Bill Cronk's Toast 470 
 
 CHAPTER LH. 
 " Every Harrier Burned Away." 481
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 I SHALL say but few words in regard to this first child 
 of my imagination. 
 
 About one year ago our hearts were in deepest sym- 
 pathy with our fellow citizens of Chicago, and it occurred 
 to me that their losses, sufferings, and fortitude might 
 teach lessons after the echoes of the appalling event had 
 died away in the Press ; and that even the lurid and de- 
 structive flames might reveal with greater vividness the 
 need and value of Christian faith. 
 
 I spent some days among the smouldering ruins, and 
 then commenced the following simple story which has 
 grown into larger proportions than at first intended. But 
 comparatively a small portion of the narrative is occupied 
 with the fire, for its scenes are beyond description, and too 
 strange and terrible to be dwelt upon. Therefore the thread 
 of my story is carried rapidly through that period of un- 
 paralleled excitement and disaster.
 
 T PREFACE. 
 
 Nearly all the scenes introduced are historical, and arc 
 employed to give their terrible emphasis to that which is 
 equally true in the serenest and securest times. 
 
 E.P. R.
 
 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 LOVE UNKNOWN. 
 
 FROM its long sweep over the unbroken prairie, a 
 heavier blast than usual shook the slight frame house. 
 The windows rattled in the casements, as if shivering in 
 their dumb way in the December storm. So open and 
 defective was the dwelling in its construction, that eddy- 
 ing currents of cold air found admittance at various 
 points in some instances carrying with them particles 
 of the fine, sharp, hail-like snow that the gale was driving 
 before it in blinding fury. 
 
 Seate'd at one of the windows, peering out into the 
 gathering gloom of the swiftly coming night, was a pale, 
 faded woman, with lustrous dark eyes. An anxious light 
 shone from them, as she tried in vain to catch a glimpse 
 of the darkening road that ran about fifty yards distant 
 from the house. As the furious blast shook the frail ten- 
 ement, and circled round her in chilly currents from many 
 a crack and crevice, she gave a short, hacking cough, and 
 drew a thin shawl closer about her slight frame. 
 
 The unwonted violence of the wind had its effect upon 
 anolher occupant of the room. From a bed in the corner 
 near the stove came a feeble, hollow voice, 
 
 "Wife! 1
 
 8 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY 
 
 In a moment the woman was bending over the bed, 
 and in a voice full of patient tenderness answered, 
 
 " Well, dear." 
 
 " Has he come ? " 
 
 "Not yet; but he must be here soon." 
 
 The word " must "was emphasized in such a way as to 
 mean doubt rather than certainty, as if trying to assure 
 her own mind of a fact about which painful misgivings 
 could not be banished. The quick ear of the sick man 
 caught the tone, and in a querulous voice he said, 
 
 " O ! if he should not get here in time, it would be 
 the last bitter drop in my cup, now full and running over." 
 
 " Dear husband, if human strength and love can ac- 
 complish it, he will be here soon. But the storm is in- 
 deed frightful, and were the case less urgent, I could 
 almost wish he would not try to make his way through it. 
 But then we know what Dennis is ; he never stops to 
 consider difficulties, but pushes right on and if if he 
 doesn't if it is possible, he will be here before very long." 
 
 In spite of herself, the mother's heart showed its anx- 
 iety, and too late for remedy, she saw the effect upon her 
 husband. He raised himself in bed with sudden and un- 
 wonted strength. His eyes grew wild and almost fierce, 
 and in a sharp, hurried voice, he said, 
 
 " You don't think there is clanger ? There is no fear 
 of his getting lost ? If I thought that I would curse God 
 and die. 
 
 " O Dennis, my husband, God forbid that you should 
 speak thus. How can you feel so toward our best friend ? " 
 
 " What kind of a friend has He been to me, pray ? 
 Has not my life been one long series of misfortunes ? 
 Have 1 not been disappointed in all my hopes? I once 
 believed in God and I tried to serve Him. But if, as I have 
 been taught, all this evil and misfortune was ordered and 
 made my inevitable lot by Him, He has not been my
 
 LOVE UNKNOWN. 9 
 
 friend, but my enemy. He's been against me, not for 
 me." 
 
 In the Winter twilight the man's emaciated, unshorn 
 face had the ghostly, ashen hue of death. From cavern, 
 ous sockets his eyes gleamed with a terribly vindictive 
 light, akin to insanity, and, in a harsh, high voice, as un- 
 D atural as his appearance and words, he continued : 
 
 "Remember what I have gone through ! What I have 
 suffered ! How often the cup of success that I was rais- 
 ing to my Mps has been dashed to the ground ! " 
 
 " But, Dennis, think a moment." 
 
 " Ah ! haven't I thought till my heart is* gall and my 
 brain bursting ? Haven't I, while lying here, hopelessly 
 dying, gone over my life again and again ? Haven't I 
 lived over every disappointment, and taken every step 
 downward a thousand times ? Remember the pleasant, 
 plentiful home I took you from, under the great elms in 
 Connecticut. Your father did not approve of your mar 
 rying me, and said I was only a poor school-teacher. But 
 you know then that I had every prospect of getting the vil- 
 lage academy, but with my luck another got ahead of me. 
 Then I determined to study law. What hopes I had ! 1 
 already grasped political honors that seemed within my 
 reach, for you know I was a ready speaker. If my friends 
 could only have seen that I was peculiarly fitted for pub- 
 iic life and advanced me sufficient means, I would have 
 returned it tenfold. But no ; I was forced into other 
 things for which I had no great aptness or knowledge, 
 and years of struggling poverty and repeated disappoint- 
 ment followed. At last your father died and gave us 
 enough to buy a cheap farm out here. But why go over 
 our experience in the West? My plan of making sugar 
 from the sorghum, which promised so brilliantly, has 
 ended in the most wretched failure of all. And now money 
 has gone, health has gone, and soon my miserable lire
 
 I0 BARRIERS BURNED AWAV. 
 
 will be over. Our boy must come back from college, and 
 you and the two little ones what will you do ? " and the 
 man covered his head with the blanket and wept aloud. 
 His poor wife, borne clown by the torrent of his sorrow, 
 was on her knees at his bedside, with her face buried in 
 her hands, weeping also. 
 
 But suddenly he started up. His sobs ceased. The 
 tears congealed upon his face. His eyes grew hard and 
 fierce, and his hands clenched. 
 
 " But he was coming," he said. " He may get lost in 
 the storm this bitter Winter night." 
 
 He grasped his wife roughly by the arm. She was as- 
 tonished at his sudden strength, and raised a tearful, star- 
 tled face to his. It was well she could not see its terri- 
 ble expression in the dusk ; but she shuddered as he 
 hissed in her ear, 
 
 " If this should happen if my miserable death is the 
 cause of his death if my accursed destiny involves him, 
 your staff and hope, in so horrible a fate, what have I to 
 do but curse God and die ? 
 
 It seemed to the poor woman that her heart would 
 burst with the agony of that moment. As the storm had 
 increased, a terrible dread had chilled her very soul. 
 Every louder blast than usual had caused her an internal 
 shiver, while for her husband's sake she had controlled 
 herself outwardly. Like a shipwrecked man who is cling- 
 ing to a rock, that he fears the tide will submerge, she had 
 watched the snow rise from one rail to another along the 
 fence. When darkness set in it was half way up to the 
 top rail, and she knew it was drifting. The thought of 
 her ruddy, active, joyous-hearted boy, whose affection and 
 hopefulness had been the broad track of sunlight on her 
 hard path the thought of his lying white and still beneath 
 one of these great banks, just where she could never know 
 till Spring rains and suns revealed to an indifferent stran-
 
 LOVE UNKNOWN. n 
 
 ger his sleeping-place, now nearly overwhelmed her also, 
 and even her faith wavered on the brink of the dark gulf 
 oi despair into which her husband was sinking. Left to 
 herself, she might have sunk for a time, though her sin- 
 Cere belief in God's goodness and love would have tri- 
 umphed. But her womanly, unselfish nature, her long 
 habit of sustaining and comforting her husband, came to 
 her aid. Breathing a quick prayer to heaven, which was 
 scarcely more than a gasp and a glance upward, she asked, 
 hardly knowing what she said 
 
 " And what if he is not lost ? What if God restores 
 him safe and well ? " 
 
 She shuddered after she had thus spoken, for she saw 
 that her husband's belief in the hostility of God had 
 reached almost the point of insanity. If this test failed, 
 would he not, in spite of all she could say or do, curse 
 God and die, as he had said ? But she had been guided 
 in her words more than she knew. He that careth for the 
 fall of the sparrow, had not forgotten them in their sore 
 extremity. 
 
 The man in answer to her question relaxed his hold 
 upon her arm, and with a long breath fell back on his 
 pillow. 
 
 " Ah ! " said he, " if I could only see him again safe 
 and well, if I could only leave you with him as your pro- 
 tector and support, I believe I could forgive all the past 
 and be reconciled even to my hard lot." 
 
 " God gives you opportunity so to do, my father, for 
 here I am safe and sound." 
 
 The soft snow had muffled his footsteps, and his ap- 
 proach had been unnoted. Entering in at the back door, 
 and passing through the kitchen, he had surprised his pa- 
 rents in the painful scene above described. As he saw 
 his mother's form in dim outline kneeling at the bed, her 
 r ace buried in its covering, as he heard his father's sig-
 
 12 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 nificant words, the quick-witted youth realized the situa- 
 tion. While he loved his father dearly, and honored him 
 for his many good traits, he was also conscious of his 
 faults, especially this most serious one now threatening 
 such fatal consequences that of charging to God the 
 failures and disappointments resulting from defects in his 
 own character. It seemed as if a merciful Providence 
 was about to use this awful dread of his death a calam- 
 ity that rose far above and overshadowed all the past 
 as the means of winning back the alienated heart of this 
 weak and erring man. 
 
 The effect of his sudden and unexpected presence in 
 the sick room was most marked. The poor mother who 
 had shown such self-control and patient endurance before, 
 now gave way utterly, and clung for a few moments around 
 her son's neck with hysterical energy, then in strong reac- 
 tion, fainted away. The strain upon her worn and over- 
 taxed system had been too severe. 
 
 At first his father could only look through the dusk at 
 the outline of his son with a bewildered stare, his mind 
 too weak to comprehend the truth. But soon he too was 
 sobbing for joy. 
 
 But when his wife suddenly became a dead and life- 
 less weight in his son's arms, and he in wild alarm cried, 
 " Mother, what is the matter ? Speak to me ! O I have 
 killed her by my rash entrance," the sick man's manner 
 changed, and his eyes again became dry and hard, and 
 even in the darkness had a strange glitter. 
 
 " Is your mother dead ? " he asked in a low, hoarse 
 voice. 
 
 " O mother, speak to me," cried his son, forgetting for 
 a time his father. 
 
 For a moment there was death-like silence. Then the 
 young man groped for an old settle in the corner of the 
 room, and laid his mother tenderly upon it and sprang for
 
 LOVE UNKNOWN. 13 
 
 a light, but as he passed his father's bed that same strong 
 grasp fell upon his arm that his mother had shuddered un- 
 der a little before, and the question was again hissed in 
 his ear, " Is your mother dead ? " For a moment he had 
 no power to answer, and his father continued, 
 
 " What a fool I was to expect God to show mercy or 
 kindness to me or mine while I was above ground. You 
 are only brought home to suffer more than death in seeing 
 your mother die. May that God that has followed me all 
 my life, not with blessings " 
 
 " Hush, father ! " cried his son, in loud, commanding 
 tones. " Hush, I entreat," and in his desperation he ac- 
 tually put his hand over his father's mouth. 
 
 The poor woman must have been dead, indeed, had 
 she long remained deaf to the voice of her beloved son, 
 and his loud tones partially revived her. In a faint voice 
 she called, 
 
 " Dennis ! " 
 
 With hands suddenly relaxed, and hearts almost stilled 
 in their beating, father and son listened for a second. 
 Again, a little louder, through that dark and silent room, 
 was heard the faint call, 
 
 " Dennis ? " 
 
 Springing to her side, her son exclaimed, 
 
 " O mother, I am here ; don't leave us ; in mercy don't 
 leave us." 
 
 " It was I she called," said his father. 
 
 With unnatural strength he had tottered across the 
 room, and taking his wife's hand, cried, 
 
 " O Ethel, don't die ; don't fill my already full cup to 
 overflowing with bitterness." 
 
 Their familiar voices were the best of remedies. Af- 
 ter a moment she sat up, and passing her hand across her 
 biow as if to clear away confusion of mind, said, 
 
 "Don't be alarmed; it's only a faint turn. I don't
 
 14 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 nonder though that you are frightened, for I never was 
 so before." 
 
 Poor woman, amid all the emeigencies of her hard lot, 
 she had never in the past given way so far. 
 
 Then, becoming aware of her husband's position, she 
 exclaimed 
 
 " Why, Dennis, my husband, out of your bed you will 
 catch your death." 
 
 " Ah, wife, that matters little if you and Dennis live." 
 
 " But it matters much to me," cried she, springing up. 
 
 By this time her son had struck a light, and they were 
 able to look on each other's faces. The unnatural strength, 
 the result of excitement, was fast leaving her husband. 
 The light revealed him helplessly leaning on the couch 
 where his wife had laid. His face was ashen pale, and he 
 was gasping for breath. Tenderly they carried him back 
 to his bed, and he was too weak now to do more than 
 quietly lie upon it and look at them. After replenishing 
 the fire, and looking at the little ones that were sleeping 
 in the outer room, they shaded the lamp, and sat down at 
 his bedside, while the mother asked her son many eagei 
 questions as to his escape. He told them how he had 
 struggled through the snow till almost exhausted, when he 
 was overtaken by a farmer with a strong team, and thus 
 enabled to make the journey in safety. 
 
 As the sick man looked and listened, his face grew 
 softer and more quiet in its expression. 
 
 Then the young man, remembering, said, 
 
 " I bought the medicines you wrote for, mother, at 
 Blankville. This, the druggist said, vould produce quiet 
 sleep, and surely father needs It after the excitement of 
 the evening." 
 
 The opiate was given, and soon the regular, quiet 
 breathing of the sick man showed that it had taken effect. 
 A plain but plentiful supper, which the anxious mother had
 
 - LOVE UNKNOWN. 15 
 
 prepared hours before, was placed upon the kitchen table, 
 and the young man did ample justice to it. For the mo- 
 ment the cravings of his heart were satisfied in meeting 
 his kindred after absence, he became conscious of the 
 keenest hunger. Toiling through the snow for hours in 
 the face of the December storm, had taxed his system to 
 the utmost, and now he felt the need of food and rest. 
 After supper he honestly meant to watch at his father's 
 bedside, while his mother slept ; but he had scarcely seat- 
 ed himself on the old settle, before sleep, like an armed 
 man, overpowered him, and in spite of all his efforts he was 
 soon bound in the dreamless slumber of healthful youth. 
 But with eyes so wide and lustrous that it would seem 
 sleep could never close them again, the wife and mother, 
 pale and silent, watched between he r loved ones. The 
 troubled expression was gone, for the ranks of her little 
 band had closed up, and all were about her in one more 
 brief rest in the forward and uncertain march of life. She 
 seemed looking intently at something far off something 
 better discerned by the spiritual than the natural eye. Dis- 
 appointments had been bitter, poverty bard and grinding, 
 but she had learned to escape into a large world that was 
 fast becoming real to her strong imagination. While her 
 husband was indulging in chimerical visions of boundless 
 prosperity here on earth, which he would bring to pass by 
 some lucky stroke of fortune or invention, she also was 
 picturing to herself grander things which God would re- 
 alize to her beyond time and earth. When alone, in mo- 
 ments of rest from incessant toil, she would take down the 
 great family Bible, and with her finger or some desciip- 
 tion of the " new heavens and new earth " as the connect- 
 ing link between her promise and her strong realization of 
 it, she would look away with that intent gaze. The new 
 world, purged from sin and sorrow, would rise before her 
 with more than Eden loveliness. Her spirit would revel
 
 1 6 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 in its shadowy walks and sunny glades, and as the crown- 
 ing joy she would meet her Lord and Saviour in some se- 
 cluded place, and sit listening at His feet like Mary of old. 
 Thus ; in the strong illusion of her imagination, Christ's 
 words seemed addressed directly to her, while she looked 
 up into His face with wrapt attention. Instead of reading 
 her Lord's familiar sayings, she seemed to listen to them as 
 did the early disciples. After a little time she would close 
 the Bible and go back to her hard practical life with an 
 awed yet strengthened hopeful expression, like that which 
 must have rested on the disciples' faces on coming down 
 from the Mount of Transfiguration. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 LOVE KNOWN. 
 
 HOUR after hour passed. The storm was dying away, 
 and at times, through broken rifts in the clouds, stars 
 would gleam out. Instead of the continued rush and roar, 
 the winds blew in gusts at longer intervals, and nature 
 seemed like a passionate child that had cried itself to 
 sleep. The fitful gusts were like the involuntary sobs that 
 heave the breast, till at last quiet and peace take the place 
 of stormy anger. 
 
 It seemed as if the silent watcher never could with- 
 draw her gaze from the beautiful world of her vision. 
 Never had it seemed so near and real before, and she was 
 unconscious of the lapse of time. Suddenly she heard 
 her name called : 
 
 " Ethel ! " 
 
 If the voice had come from the imaginary world pre-
 
 LOVE KNOWN. 17 
 
 sent to her fancy, it could not have startled her more for 
 a moment. Then she realized that it was her husband 
 wno spoke. He had called her name in his sleep, and yet 
 it seemed a call of God. At once it flashed through her 
 mind that in dreaming of a glorious and happy future, 
 she was forgetting him and his need. 
 
 She turned the light upon his face. Never had he 
 looked so pale and wan, and she realized, as never be- 
 fore, that he might be near his end. In an agony of self- 
 reproach and yearning tenderness she knelt at his bed- 
 side and prayed as she never prayed before. Could he 
 go home ? Could he be received, feeling toward his Father 
 as he did ? He had talked of forgiving when he stood so 
 sorely in need of Christ's forgiveness. And she had been 
 forgetting that need, when every moment might involve 
 her husband's salvation. Out of his sleep he had called 
 her to his help. Perhaps God had used his unconscious 
 lips to summon her. With a faith naturally strong, but 
 greatly increased by the vision of the night, she went, as 
 it were, directly into the presence of her Lord, and en- 
 treated in behalf of her husband. 
 
 As she thus knelt at the bedside, with her face burieo 
 in the covering, she felt a hand placed softly on her head, 
 and again her husband's voice called 
 
 " Ethel ! " 
 
 She looked up and saw that he was awake now, his 
 eyes fixed on her with an expression of softness and ten- 
 derness that she had not seen for many a long day. The 
 old, restless, anxious light had gone. 
 
 " What were you doing, Ethel ? " he asked. 
 
 " Praying that you might see that God loved you that 
 you might be reconciled to Him." 
 
 Two great tears gathered in the man's eyes. His lips 
 quivered a moment, then he said, brokenly 
 
 " Surely God must love me, or He would nevei have
 
 1 8 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 given me a wife who would watch and pray for me 
 the long Winter night." 
 
 " O Dennis, forgive me ; I cannot deceive you ; for a 
 time I forgot you, I forgot everything, and just wandered 
 through oaradise alone. But in your sleep you called me 
 to your help, and now it seems as if I could not be happy 
 even there without you. I pray you, in Christ's stead, be 
 reconciled to God," she pleaded, falling into the familiar 
 language of Scripture, as she often did under strong emo- 
 tion. Then, in low, thrilling words, she portrayed to him 
 the " new earth " of her vision, wherein " God shall wipe 
 away all tears, and there shall be no more death, neither 
 sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain." 
 She showed him how there all might still be well that 
 eternity was long enough to make up for the ills of our 
 brief troubled life here. But his mind seemed preoccu- 
 pied. These future joys did not take that hold upon him 
 that she longed to see. His eyes seemed to grow dim in 
 tender, tearful wistfulness, rather than become inspired 
 with immortal hopes. At last he spoke : 
 
 " Ethel, it seemed as if I heard some one calling me. 
 I woke up and there you were praying for me. I 
 heard my name, I heard God's name, and I knew that, 
 you were interceding for me. It seemed to break my hard 
 heart right up like the fountains of the great deep to see 
 you there, praying for me, in the cold, cold room. (The 
 room was not cold ; it was not the Winter's chill that he 
 was feeling, but a chill that comes over the heart even in 
 the tropical Summer.) " Then, as you prayed, a great 
 light seemed to shine into my soul. I saw that I had been 
 charging God unjustly with all my failures and misfor- 
 tunes, when 1 had to thank myself for them. Like a wil- 
 ful child, I had been acting as if God had but to carry 
 out my wild schemes. I remembered all my unreasona- 
 ble murmurings and anger ; I remembered the dreadful
 
 LOVE KNOWN. 19 
 
 words I was on the point of uttering to-night, and for a 
 moment it seemed as if the pit would open and swallow 
 me up." 
 
 He paused for breath, aud then went on. 
 
 " But as my despairing eyes glanced restlessly around, 
 they fell upon the face of my son, noble and beautiful 
 even in sleep, and I remembered how God had brought 
 him safely back. Then your low, pleading tone fixed my 
 attention again. It seemed to me that God's love must 
 be better and stronger than human love, and yet you had 
 loved me through all my folly and weakness : so perhaps 
 had He. Then I felt that such a prayer as you were of- 
 fering could not remain unheard you seemed to pray so 
 earnestly. I felt that I ought to pray myself, and I com- 
 menced calling out in my heart, ' God be merciful to me 
 a sinner." Then, while I prayed, I seemed to see my Sa- 
 viour's face right above your bowed head. O how re- 
 proachfully He looked at me, and yet His expression was 
 full of love, too. It was just such a look, I think, that 
 He fixed on Peter when he denied Him. Then it seemed 
 that I fell down at His feet and wept bitterly, and as I did 
 so the look of reproach passed away, and only an expres- 
 sion of love and forgiveness remained. A sudden peace 
 came into my soul which I cannot describe ; a rush of 
 tears into my eyes, and when I had wiped them away, I 
 saw only your bowed form praying praying on for me. 
 And Ethel, dear, my patient, much-enduring wife, I be- 
 lieve God has answered your prayer. I feel that I am a 
 new man." 
 
 " God be praised ! " exclaimed his wife with streaming 
 eyes. Then in a sudden rush of tenderness, she clasped 
 her husband to her heart, her strong love seeming like the 
 echo of God's love, the earnest here on earth of that above 
 where all barriers shall pass away. 
 The sound of their voices toward the last had awaken-
 
 20 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 ed their son, and he now stood beside them with wet eyes 
 and heaving breast. 
 
 When his wife rose from her embrace, she saw that her 
 husband was very weak. For a few moments he gasped 
 for breath. Then getting a little easier, he looked up and 
 saw his son, and exclaimed 
 
 "Thank God my boy, thank God you are here. 
 Ah, my son, I have learned much since we spoke to- 
 gether last. I have seen that I have much more need 
 of forgivness than to forgive. Thanks to your mother's 
 prayers, I believe, I feel sure that I am forgiven." 
 
 "More thanks to God's love, Dennis," said his wife. 
 "God wanted to forgive you all the time more than we 
 wanted Him to. Thank God, who is rich in mercy, for 
 His great love wherewith He loved us. He is long suffer- 
 ing to us-ward, not willing that any should perish." 
 
 "Those are sweet words, wife, and I have found them 
 true." 
 
 For a little time they sat with clasped hands, with 
 hearts too full to speak. Faint streaks along the Eastern 
 horizon showed that the dawn was near. The sick man 
 gave a slight shiver, and passed his hands across his eyes 
 as if to clear away a mist, and then said feebly, 
 
 "Dennis, my son, won't you turn up the lamp a little 
 and fix the fire ? The room seems getting so cold and 
 dark." 
 
 The wife looked at her son in quick alarm. The stove 
 was red-hot, and the lamp no longer shaded, stood openly 
 on the table. 
 
 The son saw that he must take the lead in the last sad 
 scene, for in the presence of death the heart of the loving, 
 constant woman clung to her husband as never before. 
 Throwing herself on her knees by his side, she cried with 
 loud, choking sobs, 
 
 " O Dennis, husband, I fear you are leaving me !'
 
 LOVE KNOWN. 2T 
 
 " Is this death ? " he asked of his son, in an awed tone. 
 
 " I fear it is, father," said the young man gently. 
 
 After a moment his father said composedly, 
 
 " I think you are right. I feel that my end is near. 
 Ethel, darling, for my sake try to be calm during the 
 last few moments I am with you." 
 
 A few stifled sobs and the room was still. 
 
 " I have but little time to put my house in order, 
 and if I had months I could not do it. Dennis, I leave 
 you little else than debts, embarrasments, and the 
 record of many failures. You must do the best you can. 
 I am not able to advise you. Only never love this world 
 as I have. It will disappoint you. And whatever happens, 
 never lose faith in the goodness of God. This has been my 
 bane. It has poisoned my life here, and had it not been 
 for this dear wife, it would have been my destruction here- 
 after. For long years only her patient love has stood 
 oetween me and a miserable end. Next to God I com- 
 mit her and your little sisters to your care. Be true to 
 this most sacred trust." 
 
 Ethel, dear, my more than wife, my good angel, 
 what shall I say to you ? " And the man's lip quivered, and 
 for a time he could say no more. But an unwonted com- 
 posure had come into his wife's manner. The eyes were 
 gaining that intent look which was their expression when 
 picturing to herself scenes in the life beyond. 
 
 " O Dennis, we seem just on the confines of a glorious 
 world, it is so near, so real it seems as if but a step 
 would take us all into it. O if you could but see its beau- 
 ties, its glories, if you could hear the music, you would 
 not fear to enter. It seems as if we were there together 
 now." 
 
 "O Ethel, come back, come back," cried her husband 
 piteously. " I am not worthy of all that. I have no heart 
 for glory now. I can see only my Savour's face looking
 
 12 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 at me with love and forgiveness. That is heaven enough 
 for me, and when you come my cup will be more than 
 full. And now farewell for a little while." 
 
 For a few moments they clung to each other. Then 
 the little girls were brought, and their father pressed his 
 cold lips to their warm, fresh young faces, wondering at a 
 scene they could not understand, and tearful because of 
 the tears of others. 
 
 He was now going very fast. Suddenly he turned to 
 his son and said, 
 
 " Dennis, repeat to me that verse, ' This is a faithful 
 saying.' " 
 
 With a hoarse voice and broken by emotion, his son 
 complied 
 
 " This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all accepta- 
 tion, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." 
 
 " Of whom I am the chief," said his father emphatically. 
 
 " And yet " his face lighting up with a wan smile, like 
 a sudden ray of light falling on a clouded landscape before 
 the sun sinks below the horizon " and yet forgiven." 
 
 By and bye he again whispered 
 
 " Forgiven ! " 
 
 Then his eyes closed, and all was still. They thought 
 he was gone. But as they stood over him in awed, breath- 
 less silence, his 1'ps again moved. Bending down, they 
 heard in faint, fai away tones, like an echo from the other 
 side, 
 
 " Forgiven I "
 
 LAUNCHED. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 LAUNCHED. 
 
 SCARCEL / was the last word spoken when a sudden glcry 
 filled the room. So brilliant was the light that mother 
 and son were startled. Then they saw what had been un- 
 noted before, that day had broken, and that the sun, 
 emerging from a single dark cloud, was shining, full 
 orbed / into the apartment with a light that, reflected from 
 myriads of snowy crystals, was doubly luminous. Never- 
 theless it seemed to them a good omen, an earnest, an 
 emblem of the purer, whiter light into which his cleansed 
 and pardoned spirit had entered. The snow-wrapped 
 prairie was indeed pure and bright, but it was cold, whereas 
 no tropical Summer was ever so warm as the Father's em- 
 brace, receiving home the long absent, erring, but for- 
 given child. 
 
 Though the bereaved wife believed that a brighter 
 dawn than that which made the world resplendent around 
 her, 'had come for her husband, still a sense of desolation 
 came over her, which only those can understand who 
 have known the loss of one who filled the greater part of 
 time, thought, and heart. As she saw her first and only 
 love, the companion of a life which, though hard, still had 
 the light and solace of mutual affection as she saw him 
 ao still, and realized that she would hear him speak no 
 more complain no more (for even the weaknesses of 
 those we love are sadly missed after death) a flood ol
 
 4 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 that natural sorrow, which Christianity consoles, but was 
 never designed to prevent, overwhelmed her, and she gave 
 way utterly. 
 
 Her son took her in his arms and held her silently, 
 believing that unspoken sympathy was worth more at such 
 a time than any words. 
 
 After the convulsive sobbing had somewhat ceased, he 
 struck the right chord by saying " Mother, father is not 
 lost to us. He himself said good-bye only for a little 
 while. Then you have us to love and think of; and re- 
 member, what could we do without you ? " 
 
 The unselfish woman would have tried to rise from a 
 bed of death to do anything needed by her loved ones, 
 and this reminding her of those still dependent on her 
 care, proved the most potent of restoratives. She at once 
 arose and said, 
 
 " Dennis, you are right. It is indeed wrong for me to 
 give way thus, when I have so much to be thankful for 
 so much to live for. But, oh Dennis, you cannot under- 
 stand this separation of husband and wife, for God said, 
 " they twain shall be one flesh ; and it seems as if half my 
 very life had gone, as if half my heart had been wrenched 
 away, and only a bleeding fragment left." 
 
 The patter of feet was heard on the kitchen floor ; the 
 door opened, and two little figures in white trailing night- 
 gowns entered. At first they looked in shy wonder and 
 perplexity at their tall brother, whom they had not -seen 
 for months, but at his familiar voice, recalling many a 
 romp and merry time together, they rushed to his arms 
 as of old. 
 
 Then they drew near the bed to give their father his 
 iccu3tomed morning kiss ; but as they approached, he 
 sceried so still that awe began to creep over their little 
 faces. A dim recollection of the farewell kiss given a few 
 hours before, when scarcely awake, recurred to them.
 
 LAUNCHED. 25 
 
 " Father," said the eldest, (about five), " we want to 
 give you good-morning kiss." 
 
 Seldom had their father been so sick or irritable but 
 that he reached out his arms to his little ones and gave 
 them a warm embrace that soothed and did him more 
 good than he realized. The influence of trusting chil- 
 dren is sometimes the most subtile oil that can be thrown 
 on the troubled waters of life. 
 
 But as the little ones saw that their father made no re- 
 sponse to their approach and appeal, they timidly drew a 
 step nearer, and looked into his wasted, yet peaceful face, 
 with its closed eyes and motionless repose, and then turn- 
 ing to their mother, said in a loud whisper, with faces full 
 of perplexity and trouble, 
 
 " Is papa asleep ? " 
 
 The little figures in their white drapery, standing over 
 their dead father, waiting to perform the usual, well-re- 
 membered household rite, proved a scene too touching 
 for the poor mother's self-control, and again she gave way 
 to an irresistible burst of sorrow. But her son, true to 
 his resolution to be the stay and strength of the family, 
 hastened to the children, and taking them by the hand, 
 said gently, 
 
 " Yes, little ones, papa is asleep. It may be a long 
 time before he wakes up, but he surely will by-and-by, and 
 then he will never be sick any more. Come, we will go 
 into the other room and sing a pretty hymn about papa's 
 sleep." 
 
 The thought of hearing their brother sing, lured them 
 away at once, for he had a mellow tenor voice that seemed 
 to the little girl's sweeter than a bird's. A moment latei 
 the widow's heart was comforted by hearing those words 
 that have been balm for so many wounds : 
 " Asleep in Jesus ! blessed sleep ! 
 From which none ever wakes to weep."
 
 26 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 Then putting on his sisters' flannel wrappers, he sat 
 them down by the fire, telling stories in the meantime to 
 divert their thoughts from the scene they had just wit- 
 nessed. 
 
 Thus no horror of death was suffered to enter their 
 young minds. They were not brought face to face \\ith a 
 dreadful mystery they could not understand, but which 
 would leave a sinister impression for life. Gradually they 
 would learn the truth, but still the first impression would 
 remain, and their father's death would ever be to them a 
 sleep from which he would wake by-and-by, " never to be 
 sick any more." 
 
 He set about preparations for their simple morning 
 meal so deftly and easily as to show that it was no unac- 
 customed task. A sister older than himself had died 
 while yet an infant, leaving a heartache till he came 
 God's best remedy. Then two sisters had died after his 
 day, and he was compelled to be to his mother daughter 
 as well as son, to make himself useful in every household 
 task. His father had been wrapped up in useless inven- 
 tions, vain enterprises, and was much away. So mother 
 and son were constantly together. He had early become 
 a great comfort and help to her, God blessing her in this 
 vital respect, though her lot seemed hard in other ways. 
 Thus while he had the heart and courage of .a man, he also 
 had the quick, supple hand and gentle bearing of a woman, 
 when occasion required. As proof of his skill, a tempting 
 meal from the simplest materials was placed smoking on 
 the table, and the little girls were soon chatting content- 
 edly over their breakfast. In the meantime the wife with- 
 in had drawn near her dead husband and taken his cold 
 hand. For awhile she dwelt on the past in strong and 
 traif.il agony, then in accordance with long-established 
 habit, her thoughts went forward into the future. In im- 
 agination she was present at her husband's reception in
 
 LAUNCHED. 27 
 
 heaven. The narrow,, meagre room melted away, and her 
 feet seemed on the "golden pavement." The jubiknt 
 clash of heavenly cymbals thrilled her heart. She seemed 
 taking part in a triumphal march, led by celestial minstrel- 
 sy, toward the throne. She saw her husband mount iis 
 white glistening steps, so changed, and yet so like h>s 
 former self when full of love, youth and hope. He ap- 
 peared overwhelmed with a sense of unworthiness, but his 
 reception was all the more kind and reassuring. Then 
 as he departed from the royal presence, crowned with 
 God's love and favor forever, though he had all heaven 
 before him, he seemed looking for her as that he longed 
 for most, and her strong effort to reach his side aroused 
 her from her revery as from a dream. But her vision had 
 strengthened her, as was ever the case, and the bitterness 
 of grief was past. Imprinting along kiss on her husband's 
 cold forehead, she joined her family in the outer room witb 
 calm and quiet mien. Her son saw and understood the 
 change in his mother's manner, and from long experience 
 knew its cause. 
 
 We need not dwell on what followed preparations for 
 burial, the funeral, the return to a home from which one 
 who had filled so large a place had gone a home on 
 which rested the shadow of death. These are old familiar 
 scenes, acted over and over every day, and yet in the little 
 households where they occur there is a terrible sense of 
 novelty as if then happening for the first time. The fam- 
 ily feel as if they were passing through a chaotic period, 
 the old world breaking up and vanishing, and a new for- 
 mation and combination of all elements that make up life, 
 taking place. 
 
 Four days after the death a small procession passed 
 from the farmhouse to the church, and from, thence to the 
 graveyard. Shivering with cold, on the bleak snow-clad 
 prairie, they laid away in the frozen earth the body of one
 
 *8 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 who was himself in the warmth and comfort of the " Fath- 
 er's house." 
 
 Many changes followed. Their country home and 
 farm was given up and sold. Part of a small house in the 
 village had been rented as their future residence. A very 
 small annuity from some property in the East, left by her 
 father, and Dennis's labor, were all the family had to de- 
 pend on now a meagre prospect for the present. 
 
 But Dennis was very sanguine. For in this respect 
 he had his father's temperament. The world was all before 
 him, and Chicago, the young and giant city of the West, 
 seemed an Eldorado, where fortune, and perhaps fame, 
 might soon be won. Not only would he place the family 
 beyond want, but surround them with every luxury. 
 
 Dennis, wise and apt as far as his knowledge went, was 
 in some respects as simpleand ignorant as a child. There 
 were many phases and conditions of society of which he 
 had never dreamed. Of the ways of the rich and fashion- 
 able, of the character of artificial life, he had not the 
 remotest experience. He could not see nor understand 
 the distinctions and barriers that to the world are more 
 impassable than those of ignorance, stupidity, arid even 
 gross immorality. He would learn to his infinite surprise, 
 that even in a Western democratic city, men would be 
 welcomed in society, whose hand no pure woman or hon- 
 orable man ought to touch, while he, a gentleman by birth, 
 education, and especially character, would not be recog- 
 nized at all. He would discover that wealth and the 
 endorsement of a few fashionable people, though all else 
 were lacking, would be a better passport than the noblest 
 qualities and fine abilities. Of course there must be out- 
 ward polish. la the former case, entrance would be 
 secured at once through the jealously guarded barriers ; 
 it; Jie latter it must be won inch by inch. 
 
 As we follow him from the seclusion of his simple
 
 LAUNCHED. 39 
 
 country home out into the complicated life of the world, 
 all this will become apparent. 
 
 Long and earnest was the conversation between moth- 
 er and son before they separated. Pure and noble were 
 the maxims that she sought to instill into his mind. They 
 may not have been worldly wise, but they were heavenly 
 wise. Though some of her advice in the letter might avail 
 little, since she knew less of the world than her son, still 
 in its spirit it contained the best of all wisdom, profitable 
 for this life and the life to come. But she sent him forth 
 to seek his fortune and theirs with less solicitude than most 
 mothers have just cause to feel, for she knew that he had 
 Christian principle, and had passed through a discipline 
 that had sobered and matured him far beyond his years. 
 She saw however in every word and act his father's san- 
 guine temperament. He was expecting much, hoping faf 
 more, and she feared that he also was destined to many a 
 bitter disappointment. Still she believed that he possessed 
 a good strong substratum of Common sense, which, com- 
 bined with the lessons of faith and patience that God 
 had taught him, would prove the ballast his father had 
 lacked. 
 
 She sought to modify his towering hopes and rose-col- 
 ored visions, but to little purpose. Young, buoyant, in 
 splendid health, with a surplus of warm blood tingling in 
 every vein, how could he take a prudent, distrustful view 
 of the world ? It seemed to beckon him smilingly into 
 any path of success he might choose. Had not many won 
 the victory ? and who ever felt braver and more deter- 
 mined than he, with the needs of the dear ones at home 
 added to his own incentives and ambitions? So, with 
 many embraces, lingering kisses and farewell words, that 
 lost not their meaning though said over and over again, 
 they parted. The stage carried him to the nearest rail- 
 way station, and the express train bore him rapidly towaid 
 2*
 
 30 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 the great city where he expected to find all that a man's 
 heart most craves on earth. 
 
 Sanguine as his father, constant as his mother, with a 
 nature that would go right or wrong with tremendous en- 
 ergy, as direction might be given it, he was destined to 
 live no tame, colorless life, but would either enjoy much, 
 or else suffer much. But to his young heart, swelling with 
 hopes, burning with zeal to distinguish himself and pro- 
 vide for those he was leaving, even the bleak snow-clad 
 prairie seemed an arena in which he might accomplish a 
 vague something. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 COLD WATER. 
 
 THE train, somewhat impeded by snow, landed Dennis 
 in Chicago about nine P. M. In his pocket he had ten 
 dollars, ample seed corn, he believed, for a golden harvest. 
 This large sum was expected to provide for him till he 
 found a situation, and received the first instalment of sal- 
 ary. He would inform his employer, when he found him, 
 how he was situated, and ask to be paid early and often. 
 
 Without a misgiving he shouldered the little trunk 
 that contained his wordly effects, and stalked off to a neigh- 
 boring hotel, that, from its small proportions, suggested a 
 modest bill. With a highly important msn-of-the-world 
 manner he scrawled his name in an illegible, student-like 
 hand on the clingy clog-eared register. With a gracious, 
 condescending air he ordered the filthy, tobacco-stained 
 porter to take his trunk to his room. 
 
 The bar-room was the only place provided for stran- 
 gers. Regarding the bar with a ho!y horror, he got away
 
 COLD WATER. 3! 
 
 from it as far as possible, and seated himself by the stove, 
 on which simmered a kettle of hot-water, for the concoc- 
 tion of punches, which seemed more in demand at that 
 hotel than beds. Becoming disgusted with the profanity 
 ana obscenity down stairs, he sought refuge in the cold, 
 miserable little room assigned to him. Putting on his 
 overcoat, he wrapped himself up in a coverlid and threw 
 himself down on the outside of the bed. 
 
 The night passed slowly. He was too uncomfortable, 
 too excited to sleep. The scenes of the past blended con- 
 fusedly with visions of the future, and it was nearly morn- 
 ing when he fell into an unquiet slumber. 
 
 When at last aroused by the shriek of a locomotive, he 
 found that the sun was up and shining on the blotched 
 and broken wall above him. A few moments sufficed for 
 his toilet, and yet, with his black curling hair, noble fore- 
 head, and dark, silken upper lip, many an exquisite would 
 have envied the result. 
 
 His plan was simple enough dictated indeed by the 
 necessities of the case. He must at once find a situauou 
 in which he could earn sufficient to support his mother i'.td 
 sisters and himself. Thence he could look around till h.2 
 found some calling that promised most. Having left col 
 lege and given up his chosen profession of the law, he had 
 resolved to adopt any honest pursuit that seemed to lead 
 most quickly to fortune. 
 
 Too impatient to eat his breakfast, he sallied forth into 
 the great city, knowing not a soul in it. His only recom- 
 mendations and credentials were his young, honest face, 
 and a letter from his minister, saying that he was a mem- 
 ber of the church in Blankville, " in good and regular 
 Standing," and, " as far as he knew, a most worthy young 
 man ; " rather meagre capital amid the competitions of 
 a large city. But, with courage bold and high, he strode 
 off toward the business part of the town.
 
 32 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 As he passed the de'pot it occurred to him that an 
 opening might exist there. It would be a good post of 
 observation, and perhaps he would be able to slip home 
 oftener. So he stopped and asked the man in the ticket- 
 off ce blandly, 
 
 " Do you wish to employ a young man in connection 
 with this depot or road in any capacity ? " 
 
 The ticket-man stared at him a moment through his 
 window, frowned, and curtly said, 
 
 " No ! " 
 
 Then went on counting, what seemed to poor Dennis, 
 millions of money. The man had no right to say yes or 
 no, since he was a mere official, occupying his own little 
 niche, with no authority beyond. But an inveterate feud 
 seemed to exist between this man and the public. He 
 acted as if the world in general, instead of any one in par- 
 ticular, had greatly wronged him. It might be a meek 
 woman with a baby, or a bold, red-faced drover, a deli- 
 cately-gloved or horny hand that reached him the change, 
 but it was all the same. He knitted his brows, pursed up 
 his mouth, and dealt with them in a quick, jerking way. as 
 if he could not bear the sight of them, and wanted to be 
 rid of them as soon as possible. Still these seem just the 
 peculiarities that find favor with railroad corporations, and 
 the man would probably vent his spite against the public 
 throughout his natural life. 
 
 From him, however, Dennis received his first dash of 
 cold water, which he minded but little, and went on his 
 way with a good-natured laugh at the crusty old fellow. 
 
 He was soon in the business part of the city. Apply- 
 ing at a large dry goods store, he was told that they wanted 
 a ca^h boy ; " but he would not do one quarter his size 
 would answer." 
 
 ; ' Then I will go where they want the other three- 
 fourths and pay accordingly, said Dennis, and stalked out
 
 COLD WATER. 33 
 
 He continued applying at every promising place, Imt 
 to no purpose. It was mid-winter ; trade was dull ; and 
 with clerks idling about the stores, employers were in no 
 mood to add to their number. 
 
 At last he found a place where an assistant book- 
 keeper was wanted. Dennis's heart sprang up within him, 
 but sank again .as he remembered how little he knew of 
 the art. But I can learn quickly, he thought to himself. 
 
 The irian looked carelessly at his poor little letter, and 
 then said, in a business-like tone, 
 
 " Show me a specimen of your handwriting." 
 
 Poor Dennis had never written a good hand, but at 
 college had learned to write a miserable scrawl, in rapidly 
 taking notes of lectures. Moreover, he was excited, and 
 could not do himself justice. Even from his sanguine 
 heart hope ebbed away ; but he took the pen and scratched 
 a line or two, of which he himself was ashamed. The 
 man looked at them with an expression of mild disgust, 
 and then said 
 
 " Mr. Jones, hand me your ledger." 
 
 The head book-keeper passed the volume to his em 
 ployer, who showed Dennis entries looking as from cop- 
 per-plate, and quietly remarked 
 
 " The young man we employ must write like that, and 
 thoroughly understand book-keeping. Good-morning, 
 sir." 
 
 Dennis walked out, feeling almost as crestfallen as if 
 he had been convicted of stealing, but the noon-day sun 
 was shining in the sky, the streets were full of life and 
 bustle, and hope revived. 
 
 " I will find the right niche before long," he said to 
 himself, and trudged on. 
 
 Some time after he entered a retail drygoods store. 
 
 "Yes, they wanted a young man there, but he was 
 rather old."
 
 34 
 
 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 Still as the merchant saw that Dennis was fine looking, 
 would appear well behind the counter, and make a taking 
 salesman with the ladies, he stopped to parley a moment 
 more. 
 
 " D: you understand the business ? " 
 
 " No sir, but I can soon learn, for I am young and 
 strong." 
 
 " Strength is not what is needed, but experience. 
 Ours is not the kind of work for Paddies." 
 
 ' Well, sir," said Dennis, rather shortly, " I'm not a 
 Paddy." 
 
 The dapper little retailer frowned slightly at Dennis' 
 tone, and continued. 
 
 " You spoke as if main strength was the principal 
 thing. Have you had any experience at all ? " 
 
 " No sir ! " 
 
 But seeing intelligence in the young man's face, and 
 scenting a sharp bargain, he said, 
 
 " Why then, you would have to begin at the very be- 
 ginning, and learn the name of everything, its quality, etc." 
 
 " Yes sir ; but I would do my very best." 
 
 " Of course, of course, but nothing can take the place 
 of experience. I expect, under the circumstances, you 
 would look for very little remuneration the first year?" 
 
 " How much could you give ? " 
 
 The man named a sum that would not have supported 
 Dennis alone. 
 
 He replied that though his services might not be worth 
 more than that, he was so situated that he could not take 
 a very small salary. 
 
 '' Then bring something besides ignorance to the mat- 
 kst," said the man, turning on his heel. 
 
 Dennis was now hungry, tired, and disappointed. In- 
 deed the calls of appetite became so clamorous that he 
 sought a cheap restaurant. After demolishing a huge plate
 
 COLD WATER. 35 
 
 >f such viands as could be had at little cost, he sat brood- 
 ing over a cup of coffee for an hour or more. The world 
 wore so different an aspect from what it had on the morn- 
 ing, that he was lost in a sort of dull, painful wonder. 
 
 But the abundant meal and slight element of coffee 
 that colored the luke-warm water, quite heartened him 
 again. He resolved to go back to his hotel and find a 
 more quiet and comfortable place in which to lodge until 
 something permanent offered. He made what he consid- 
 ered sufficient inquiry as to the right direction, and re- 
 solved to save even the car-fare of five cents by walking 
 the distance. 
 
 But whether he had not understood the directions 
 rightly, or whether, brooding over the events of the day, 
 his mind had been too preocupied to heed them, he found 
 to his great disgust, after walking two or three miles, that 
 he had gone away instead of toward his destination. An- 
 gry with himself, out of humor with all the world, the 
 latent obstinacy of his nature began to manifest itself. 
 Though everything went " contrairy," there was one thing 
 under his control himself and he would make that do 
 the bidding of his will. 
 
 Turning on his heel, he resolved with dogged resolu- 
 tion to walk back the whole distance. He would teach 
 himself a lesson. It was fine business, just when he need- 
 ed his wits so sorely, to commence blundering in this 
 style. No wonder he had failed during the day ; he de- 
 served to fail in other respects, since in this one he had 
 not shown the good sense of a child. 
 
 When people are " out of sorts," and things are going 
 wrong, the disposition to blame somebody or something is 
 almost universal. But we think that it will be found a 
 safe general rule, that the nobler the nature, the less wor- 
 thy of blame, the greater tendency to blame self rather 
 than anything else. Poor Dennis had no great cause for
 
 !j6 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 bitter self-reproaches, and yet he plodded on with an in- 
 tense feeling of self-disgust. 
 
 To think that after New England schools and three 
 years in college he should write such a hand and have no 
 definite knowledge of book-keeping ! " What had he learn- 
 ed, he'd like to know ? " Then to go and lose his way like 
 a country bumpkin, as he was and he gnawed his lips 
 with vexation. 
 
 The street-cars glided often and invitingly by, but he 
 would- not even look at them. 
 
 At last, foot-sore and fairly aching with cold and fa- 
 tigue, he reached the little hotel, which appeared more 
 miserable, obscure, and profane than ever. But a tempt- 
 ing fiend seemed to have got into the gin and whiskey bot- 
 tles behind the red-nosed bartender. To his morbid 
 fancy and eyes, half-blinded with wind and cold, they Ap- 
 peared to wink, beckon, and suggest 
 
 " Drink and be merry ; drink and forget your troubles. 
 We can make you feel as rich and glorious as a prince, in 
 ten minutes." 
 
 For the first time in his life Dennis felt a strong temp- 
 tation to drink for the sake of the effects. When was a 
 man ever weak that the devil did not charge down upon 
 him ? 
 
 But the evil and ruin wrought in one case proved an- 
 other's safeguard, for the door opened and a miserable 
 wreck of a man entered. As Dennis looked at his blotch- 
 ed, sodden face, trembling hand, shuffling gait, and general 
 air of wretchedness, embodying and suggesting the worst 
 ills of humanity, he decided not to drink for the sake of 
 the effects. 
 
 Then came another rush of self-disgust that he had 
 even entertained such a temptation, and he flung himseh 
 off supperless to bed. 
 
 As he bowed that night he could not pray as usual.'
 
 A HORNET'S NEST. 
 
 37 
 
 For anger, passion with one's self, as well as with any one 
 else, renders true prayer impossible. But he went through 
 the form, and then wrapped himself up as before. The 
 wearied body soon mastered the perturbed mind, and he 
 fell into a heavy sleep that lasted till morning. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 A HORNET'S NEST. 
 
 DENNIS awoke greatly refreshed and strengthened. 
 For half an hour he lay quietly thinking over the scenes 
 of the preceding day ; something of his old anger return- 
 ed, but he compressed his lips, and with a face expressing 
 the most resolute purpose, determined that the day before 
 him should tell a different story. Every faculty and ener- 
 gy he possessed should be skilfully bent to the attainment 
 of his objects. Wise deliberation should precede every- 
 thing. He would write a few lines to his mother, decide 
 as to a lodging place, and then seek better success in an- 
 other part of the city. He went to the bar and inquired 
 as to nls bill, and found that so far as bed and meals were_ 
 concerned, such as they were he could not find anything 
 cheaper in the city, the house evidently not depending on 
 these for its revenue. Disgusted as he was with his sur- 
 roundings, he resolved to lose no time in looking for a 
 new boarding place, but, after writing to his mother, start 
 off at once in search of something permanent. He was in 
 no mood to consult personal pleasure or wishes, and the 
 saving of time and money settled the question. 
 
 Where should he write ? There was no place save a desk 
 at the end of the bar. Looking askance at the half-filled,
 
 38 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 villanously-smelling bottle at his elbow, he wrote in a hand 
 stiff and unnatural (for he had resolved to change his scrawl 
 to a business hand at once), the following note : 
 
 CHICAGO, ILL., Jan. roth. 
 
 " DEAR MOTHER : I arrived safely, and am very well. 
 I did not, yesterday, find a situation suited to my taste, 
 but expect better success to-day. I am just on the point 
 of starting out on my search, and when settled will write 
 you full particulars. Many kisses for yourself and the 
 little girls. Your affectionate son, 
 
 " DENNIS." 
 
 *' There ! there is nothing in that to worry mother, and 
 soon I shall have good news for her." If he had seen its 
 reception, he would have learned differently. The intu- 
 itions of love are keen, and this formal negative note in 
 the constrained hand, told more of his disappointment 
 than any words. While he knew it not, his mother was 
 suffering with him. She wrote a letter in reply full of 
 general sympathy, intending to be more specific when he 
 gave her his confidence. 
 
 Dennis folded the letter most carefully and mailed it 
 for he was now doing the least thing with the utmost pre- 
 cision with the air of one who meant to find out the 
 right thing to do, and then to do it to a hair's breadth. 
 Nothing should go wrong that day. So quite early in the 
 morning he again sallied forth. 
 
 Not far from the hotel there was a new grocery store 
 at the point of being opened by two young men, formerly 
 cieiks, but now setting up for themselves. They stood at 
 the door receiving a cart load of goods as Dennis ap- 
 proached. He had made up his mind to ask at every op- 
 portunity, and take the first thing that promised fairly; he 
 would also be very polite. Touching his hat to the young
 
 A HORNET'S NEST. 39 
 
 men, a little act pleasing them in their newly acquired 
 dignity of becoming heads of a firm, which as yet had no 
 subordinates, Dennis asked if they would need any assist- 
 ance. Graciously replying to his salutations, they an- 
 swered, 
 
 " Yes, they wanted a young man." 
 
 Dennis explained that he was from the country, and 
 showed the ministerial letter. The young grocers looked 
 wise over it, seemed pleased, said they wanted a young 
 fellow from the country, that was not up to city tricks. 
 Chicago was a hard place on young men spoiled most of 
 them. Glad he was a member of the church they were 
 not, but believed a man must be mighty good to be one. 
 As the young man they hired must sleep in the store, they 
 wanted one they could trust, and would prefer a church 
 member. 
 
 The salary they offere'd was not large, but pretty fair in 
 view of his having so much to learn, and it was intimated, 
 th'at if business was good, and he suited, it would be in- 
 creased. The point uppermost in their minds seemed to 
 be to find some one with whom they could trust their store 
 and goods, and this young man from the country, with a 
 letter from a minister, seemed a God-send. 
 
 They engaged him, but just as he was starting, with 
 heart swelling with self-satisfaction and joy, one of the 
 firm asked carelessly, 
 
 " Where are you staying ? " 
 
 " At Gamblin's Hotel." 
 
 The man turned sharply, and looked most suspiciously 
 at him, and then at his partner, who gave a low whistle of 
 .surprise, and also eyed the young man for a moment 
 abidance. Then the men stepped aside, and there was a 
 bnef whispered consultation. Dennis's heart sank within 
 him. He saw that something was wrong, but what, he
 
 40 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 had not the least idea. The elder member of the embtyo 
 firm now stepped up and said decidedly, 
 
 " Good-morning, young man ; we shall not need youi 
 services." 
 
 " What do you mean ? " cried Dennis in a voice of 
 mingled dismay and indignation. 
 
 The man's face was growing red as with anger, but he 
 said coldly, 
 
 " You had better move on. We understand." 
 
 " But / don't understand, and your course toward me 
 is most unjust." 
 
 Look here young man, we are too old birds to be 
 caught by any such light chaff as you have got about you. 
 You are a pretty church member, you are ! You are a 
 smart one, you are; nice boy, just from the country; sup- 
 pose you do not know that'Gamblin's Hotel is the worst 
 gambling hole in the city, and every other man that goes 
 there a known thief. Come, you had better move on if 
 you do not want to get into trouble. You will make noth- 
 ing here." 
 
 " But I tell you, gentlemen," cried Dennis, eagerly 
 
 " You may tell what you please. We tell you that we 
 would not believe any one from that den under oath. 
 Now you leave ! " 
 
 The last words were loud and threatening. The at- 
 tention of passers-by was drawn toward them, and Dennis, 
 saw that further words were useless. In the minds of 
 shrewd, but narrow business men, not over honest them- 
 selves, more acquainted with the trickery of the world 
 than its virtues, suspicion against any one is fatal, and 
 most assuredly so against a stranger with appearances un- 
 favorable. 
 
 With heart well nigh bursting with anger, disappoint- 
 ment, and shame, Dennis hastened away. He had been 
 regarded as a thief, or at best a blackleg, seeking the
 
 A CORNETS NEST. 41 
 
 position for some sinister purpose. This was the opening 
 scene of the day on which he determined that no mistakes 
 should be made, and here at the outset he had allowed 
 himself to be identified with a place of notorious ill-repute. 
 
 Reaching the hotel, he rushed up-stairs, got his trunk, 
 and then turned fiercely on thg red-nosed bartender 
 
 " Why did you not tell me what kind of a place this 
 was ? " 
 
 " What kind of a place is it ? " asked that functionary, 
 coolly, arms akimbo. 
 
 " You knew well enough. You knew I was not one 
 of your sort." 
 
 "You do not mean to say that this is a bad place, do 
 you ? " said the barkeeper in mock solemnity. 
 
 " Yes, the worst in Chicago. There is your money." 
 
 " Hold on here, my small chicken, there is some mon- 
 ey, but not enough by a jug full. I want five dollars out 
 of you before you take that trunk off." 
 
 " Why, this is sheer robbery," exclaimed Dennis. 
 
 "O no; just keeping up the reputation of the house. 
 You say it is the worst in Chicago must try and keep up 
 our reputation." 
 
 "Little fear of that; I will not pay it/' and Dennis 
 started for his trunk. 
 
 " Here, let that trunk alone ; and if yer do not give me 
 that five dollars cussed quick, I'll put a head on yer," and 
 he of the red nose put his hands on the bar in readiness 
 to spring over. 
 
 " I say, young feller," said a good-natured loafer stand- 
 ing by, " you had better gin him the five dollars ; for 
 Barney is the worst one in all Chicago to put a head on 
 a man." 
 
 n And will you stand by and see this outrage ? " said 
 Dennis, appealing to him. 
 
 " O gosh ! " said the man, " I've got quarrels 'nough of
 
 42 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 my own -without getting my head broke for fellers I don't 
 know. " 
 
 Dennis was almost speechless from indignation. Con- 
 scious of strength, his strong impulse for a moment was to 
 spring at the throat of the barkeeper and vent his rage on 
 him. For there is a latent tiger in every man. But a hand 
 seemed to hold him back, and a sober second thought came 
 over him. What ! Dennis Fleet, the son of Ethel Fleet, and 
 a professing Christian, brawling, fighting in a bar-room, 
 a gambling den, and going out to seek a situation that 
 required confidence and fair -appearing, all blackened, 
 bruised and bleeding. As the truth flashed upon him, in 
 strong revulsion of feeling, he fairly turned pale and sick. 
 
 " There's the money," said he, hoarsely, " and God for- 
 give you." 
 
 In a moment he had taken his trunk and was gone. 
 The barkeeper stared after him, and then looked at the 
 money with a troubled and perplexed face. 
 
 " Wai," said he, " I'm used enough to havin' folks ask 
 God to damn me, but I'm blessed if I ever had one to ask 
 him to forgive me, before. I'm plagued," said he after a 
 moment, as the thought grew upon him, " I'm plagued if I 
 wouldn't give him back the money if he hadn't gone so 
 quick." 
 
 With heart full of shame and bitterness, Dennis hasten- 
 ed down the street. At the corner he met a policeman, 
 and told him his story. All the satisfaction he got was - 
 
 " You ought not to go to such a place. But you're 
 lucky if they only took five dollars from you ; they don't let 
 off many as easy as that." 
 
 " Can I have no redress ? " 
 
 " Now look here ; it's a pretty ticklish thing to interfere 
 with them fellers. It'll cost you plaguey sight more'n that, 
 and blood, too, like enough. If you'll take my advice, you 
 wont stir up that hornet's nest."
 
 -STARVE THEN!' 43 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 "STARVE THEN!" 
 
 DENNIS now followed the natural impulse to go to 
 some distant part of the city, entirely away from the re- 
 gion that had become so hateful to him. Putting the 
 trunk on the front of a street-car, he rode on till in the 
 heart of the south side district, the great business centre. 
 He took his trunk into a wide, roomy hardware store, and 
 asked if he might leave it there awhile. Receiving a good- 
 natured permission, he next started off in search of a 
 quiet, cheap boarding place. Hrs heart was heavy, and 
 yet he felt thankful to have escaped as he had, for the 
 thought of what might have been his experience if Barney 
 had tried to fulfil his threat, sickened him. The rough 
 was as strong as he, and scenes of violence were his de- 
 light and daily experience. He rather gloried in a black 
 eye, for he always gave two in exchange, and his own 
 bruised, swollen member paved the way gracefully for the 
 telling of his exploits, as it awakened inquiry from the les- 
 ser lights among whom Barney shone. But what would 
 Dennis have done among the merchants with " a head on 
 him," as the barkeeper understood the phrase ? He would 
 have to return home, and that he felt was worse than 
 death. In fact, he came nearer to a desperate struggle 
 than he knew, for Barney rarely resisted so inviting an 
 opportunity to indulge his pugilistic turn, and had he not 
 seen the policeman going by just at that time, there would 
 have been no idle threats in the case.
 
 44 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 Dennis set his teeth with dogged resolution, determin- 
 ed to persevere in his search till he dropped in the street 
 if necessary. But as he remembered that he had less 
 than five dollars left, and no prospect of earning another, 
 his heart grew like lead. 
 
 He "spent several weary hours in the vain search for a 
 boarding house. He had little to guide him save short 
 answers from policemen. The places- were either too ex- 
 pensive, or else they were so coarse and low that he could 
 not bring himself to endure them. In some cases he de- 
 tected that they were accompanied by worse evils than 
 gambling. Almost in despair, tired, and very hungry (for 
 severe indeed must be the troubles that will affect the ap- 
 petite of healthful youth on a cold winter day), he stopped 
 at a small German restaurant and hotel in a side street 
 near where he had left his trunk. A round-faced, jolly 
 Teuton served him with a large plate of cheap viands, which 
 he cleared so quickly and asked for more, that the man 
 stared at him for a moment, and then stolidly obeyed. 
 
 " What do you ask for a small room and bed for a 
 night?" said Dennis. 
 
 " Zwei shillen," said the waiter with a grin ; " zat is if 
 you don't vant as big bed as dinner. Ve haf zwei shillen 
 for bed, and zwei shillen for every meal von dollar a day 
 sheap ! " 
 
 The place was comparatively clean. A geranium or 
 two bloomed in the window, and lager instead of fiery whis- 
 ky seemed the principal beverage vended. Dennis went 
 out and made inquiries, and every one in the neighbor- 
 hood spoke of it as a quiet, respectable place, though fre- 
 quented only by laboring people. " That is nothing against 
 it," thought Dennis. "I will venture to stay there for a 
 night or two, for I must lose no more time in looking for 
 a situation." 
 
 He took his trunk there, and then spent the rest of the
 
 "STARVE THEN!" 45 
 
 day in unavailing search. He found nothing that gave any 
 promise at all. In the evening he went to a large hotel 
 and looked over the files of papers. He found a few ad- 
 vertising for clerks and experts of various kinds, but more 
 seeking places. But he noted down everything hopeful, 
 and resolved that he would examine the morning papers 
 by daylight for anything new in that line, and be the first 
 on hand. His new quarters, though plain and meagre, 
 were at least clean: Too weary to think or even to feel 
 more than a dull ache in his heart, he^ went through the 
 form of devotion, and slept heavily till the dawn of the 
 following day. Poor fellow ! it seemed to him that he had 
 lived years in those two days. 
 
 He was up by daylight, and found a few more adver- 
 tisements that looked as if they might lead to something. 
 As early as it was possible to see the parties, he was on 
 the ground, but others were there as soon as himself. 
 They had the advantage of some knowledge and experi- 
 ence in the duties required, and this decided the question. 
 Some spoke kindly, and suggested that he was better fitted 
 for teaching than business. 
 
 " But where am I to find a position at this season of 
 the year, when every place is filled ? " explained Dennis. 
 " It might be weeks before I could get anything to do, and 
 I must have employment at once." 
 
 They were sorry hoped he would do well turned 
 away and went on doing well for themselves. But the 
 majority merely satisfied themselves that he would not an- 
 swer their purpose, and bade him a brief, business-like 
 good-morning. And yet the fine young face, so troubled 
 and anxious, haunted a good many of those who summa- 
 lily dismissed him. But "business is business." 
 
 The day passed in fruitless inquiry. Now and then he 
 seemed on the point of succeeding, but only disappoint- 
 ment resulted. There were at that season of the year few 
 3
 
 46 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY 
 
 situations offering where a living salary was p'aid, and for 
 these skilled laborers were required. Dennis possessed 
 no training for any one calling, save perhaps that of 
 teacher. He had merely the fragment of a good general 
 education, tending toward one of the learned professions, 
 iie had fine abilities, and undoubtedly would have stood 
 high as a lawyer, in time. But now that he was suddenly 
 called upon to provide bread for himself and those he 
 loved, there was not a single thing of which he could say 
 " I ^understand this, sir, and can give you satisfaction." 
 He knew that if he could get a chance at almost any- 
 thing, he could soon learn enough to make himself more 
 useful than the majority employed, for few had his will and 
 motive to work. But the point was to find some one who 
 would pay sufficient for his own and mother's support 
 while he learned. 
 
 It is just under such circumstances that so many men, 
 and especially women, make shipwreck. Thrown sud- 
 denly upon their own resources, they bring to the great 
 labor-market of the world general intelligence, and also 
 general ignorance. With a smattering of almost every 
 thing, they do not know practically how to do one thing 
 well. Skilled hands, though backed by neither heart nor 
 brains, push them aside. Take the young men or the 
 young women of any well-to-do town or village, and make 
 them suddenly dependent upon their own efforts, and how 
 many would compete in any one thing with those already 
 engaged in supplying the market? And yet just such 
 helpless young creatures are every day compelled to shift 
 for themselves. If to these unfortunates the paths of 
 honest industry seem hedged and thorny, not so those of 
 sin. They are easy enough at first, if any little difficulty 
 with conscience can be gotten over ; and the devil and 
 fallen humanity doing his work, stand ready to p.ish the 
 wavering into them.
 
 "STARVE THEN!" 47 
 
 At the close of the next day, spent in weary search, 
 Dennis met a temptation to which many would have yield- 
 ed. As a last resort he had been going around among the 
 hotels, willing to take even the situation of porter, if noth- 
 ing better offered. The day was fast closing, when, worn 
 out and dejected, he entered a first-class house, and made 
 his usual inquiry. The proprietor looked at him for a 
 moment, slapped him on the back and said, 
 
 " Yes, you are the man I want, I reckon. Do you 
 drink ? no ! migh.t have known that from your face. Do 
 not want a man that drinks for this place. Come along 
 with me, then. Will give you two and a half a day if you 
 suit, and pay you every night. I pay my help promptly ; 
 they aint near so apt to steal from you then." 
 
 And the man hurried away, followed by Dennis with 
 beating heart and flushed, wondering face. Descending a 
 flight of stairs, they entered a brilliantly lighted basement, 
 which was nothing less than a large, elegantly-arranged 
 bar-room, with card and lunch tables, and easy chairs 
 for the guests to smoke and tipple, in at their leisure. All 
 along one side of this room, resplendent with cut glass 
 and polished silver, ran the bar. The light fell warm and 
 mellow on the various kinds of liquors, that were arranged 
 as temptingly as possible to the thirsting souls frequenting 
 the place. 
 
 Stepping up to the bulky man behind the bar the land- 
 lord said 
 
 " There, Mr. Swig, is a young man who will fill capital- 
 ly the. place, of the chap we dismissed to-day for getting 
 tight. You may bet your life from his face that he don't 
 drink. You can break him in in a few days, and you won't 
 want a better assistant." 
 
 For a moment a desperate wish passed through Dennis's 
 mind, " O that wrong were right." Then, indignant with 
 himself, he spoke up firmly,
 
 48 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 " I think I have a word to say in this matte!." 
 
 " Well, say on, then ; what's the trouble ? " 
 
 "I cannot .do this kind of work." 
 
 " You will find plenty harder." 
 
 " None harder for one believing as I do. The Bible 
 Bays ! Woe unto him that giveth his neighbor -drink.' I 
 will starve before I will do this, work." 
 
 The man stared at him for a moment, and then coolly 
 replied, 
 
 " Starve then ! " and turned on his heel and walked 
 away. 
 
 Dennis also rushed from the place, followed by the 
 coarse jeering laugh of those who witnessed the scene. In 
 his morbid, suffering state their voices seemed those of 
 mocking demons. 
 
 The night had now fallen. He was too tired and dis- 
 couraged to look any further. Wearily he plodded up the 
 street, facing the bitter blast filled with snow that had com- 
 menced falling. . 
 
 This then was the verdict of the world " Starve ! " This 
 was the only prospect it offered that same brave world 
 that had so smilingly beckoned him on to great achieve- 
 ments, and unbounded success, but a few days ago: 
 " Starve ! " Every blast that swept around the corners 
 howled in his ears " Starve ! " Every warmly clad passen- 
 ger hurrying unheedingly by seemed to say by their indif- 
 ference, 
 
 " Starve ! who cares ? there is no place for you, noth- 
 ing for you to do." 
 
 The hard, stern resolution of the past few days, not to 
 yield an inch, to persist to hew his way through every 
 difficulty, began to flag. His very soul seemed crushed 
 within him. Even upon the threshold of his life, in his 
 strong, joyous youth, the world had become to him what i*
 
 A GOOD SAMARITAN. 49 
 
 literally was that night, a cold, wintry, stormy place, with 
 a black, lowering sky and hard, frozen earth. 
 
 His father's old temptation recurred to him with sud- 
 den and great power. " Perhaps father was right," he 
 mused. " God was against him, and is also against me, 
 his son. Does He not visit the iniquity of the fathers 
 upon the children unto the third and fourth generation ? 
 Not but that He will save us at last, if we ask Him, but 
 there seems some great wrong that must be severely pun- 
 ished here. Or else if God does not care much about 
 our present life, thinking only of the hereafter, there must 
 be some blind fate or luck that crushes some and lifts up 
 others." 
 
 Thus Dennis, too sad and morbid to take a just view 
 of anything, plodded on till he reached his boarding place, 
 and stealing in as if he had no business to be there, or 
 anywhere else, sat down in a dusky corner behind the 
 stove, and was soon lost to surrounding life, in his own 
 miserable thoughts. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 A GOOD SAMARITAN. 
 
 DENNIS was too good a Christian, and had received 
 too deep a lesson in his father's case, to become bitter, 
 angry, and defiant, even if he had believed that God was 
 against him. He would have felt that it was simply his 
 duty to submit to endure patiently. Somehow, until to- 
 day, his heart had refused to believe that God could be 
 against.any of His creatures. In fact, it was his general 
 impression that God had everything to do with his being
 
 50 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 a good Christian, but very little with his getting a good 
 place. The defect in his religion, and that of his mother 
 too, was to a ceitain extent, that both separated the spirit- 
 ual life of the soul too widely from present life with its 
 material, yet essential cares and needs. At this point 
 they, like multitudes of others, fell short of their full priv- 
 ilege, and enjoyment of God's goodness. His mother had 
 cheered and sustained her hard lot by hopes and visions 
 of the better life beyond by anticipating joys to come. 
 She had never fully learned how God's love, like the sun- 
 light, could shine upon and brighten the thorny, rocky 
 way, and cause the thorns to blossom, and delicate fra- 
 grant flowers to grow in the crevices, and bloom in shaded 
 nooks, among the sharp stones. She must wait for her 
 consolation. She must look out of her darkness to the 
 light that shone through the portals of the tomb, forgetting 
 that God caused His servants to sing at midnight, in the 
 inner prison, the deepest dungeon, though scourged and 
 bleeding. 
 
 Unconsciously her son had imbibed the same ideas. 
 Most devoutly he asked every day tcf be kept from sin, 
 that he might grow in the Christian life ; but he did not 
 ask or expect, save in a vague, general way, that help 
 which a wise, good, earthly father would give to a young, 
 inexperienced child, struggling with the hard, practical dif- 
 ficulties of this world. As the days grew darker and more 
 full of disappointment, he had asked with increasing earn- 
 estness that he might be kept from sin from falling be- 
 fore the many and peculiar temptations that assailed him \ 
 and we have seen how God answered his prayer, and kept 
 him where so many would have fallen. But God meant 
 to show him that His goodness extended farther than he 
 thought, and that He cared for His children's well-being 
 now as truly as in the hereafter, when He gathered them 
 home into His immediate presence. But Dennis could
 
 A GOOD SAMARITAN. 51 
 
 not see this now. As far as he thought at all on the sub- 
 ject, he had the vague feeling that God was either trying 
 his faith or meting out some righteous judgment, and he 
 must do the best he could, and only see to it that he did 
 not sin and give way morally. 
 
 Yet, in the thick night of his earthly prospects, Den- 
 nis still loved and trusted God. He reasoned justly, that 
 if at last brought to such a place as heaven, no matter 
 what he suffered here, he had only cause for unbounded 
 gratitude. And he felt sure that ajl would be right in the 
 end, but now feared that his life would be like his father's, 
 a tissue of disappointments, and that he, an unsuccessful 
 voyager, storm-tossed and shipwrecked, would be thrown 
 upon the heavenly shore by some dark crested billow 
 of misfortune, instead of sailing into port with flying 
 colors. 
 
 Thus Dennis sat lost in gloomy musings, but too wea- 
 ried in mind and body to follow any line of thought long. 
 A few stern facts kept looming up before him, like rocks 
 on which a ship is drifting. He had less than a dollar in 
 his pocket. It was Friday night. If he did not get any- 
 thing to do Saturday, how was he going to live Sun- 
 day and the days that followed ? Then his dependent 
 mother and sister rose up before him. They seemed to 
 his morbid fancy hungry and cold, and their famine-pinch- 
 ed faces full of reproach. His head bowed lower, and he 
 became the very picture of dejection. 
 
 He was startled by a big, hearty voice at his side, ex- 
 claiming 
 
 " What makes yer so down in the mouth ? Come take 
 a drink, and cheer up ! " 
 
 Raising his eyes, he saw a round, red face, like a har- 
 vest moon, shining full upon him. It was somewhat kindly 
 in its expression, in keeping with the words. Rough as 
 was the courtesy, it went straight to the lonely, discour-
 
 52 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 aged heart of the young man, and with moistened eyes, 
 he said 
 
 " I thank you for speaking to me in a tone that has a 
 little human touch in it, for the last man that spoke to me 
 left an echo in my ear that I would gladly get out of it." 
 
 " Bad luck to him, then ! Give us your fore-foot ; 
 there ! (with a grip like a vise). Bill Cronk never went 
 back on a man he took to. I tell yer what, stranger," said 
 he, becoming confidential, " when I saw yer glowering and 
 blinking here in the corner as if yer was listening to yer 
 own funeral sermon, I be ( ) if I could take a com- 
 fortable drink. Come, now, take a good swig of old rye, 
 and see how things will mellow up." 
 
 Our good Samaritan in this case was a very profane and 
 disreputable one, as many are in this medley world. He 
 had a great, kindly nature, that was crawling and groveling 
 in all sorts of low, unseemly places, instead of growing 
 straight up toward heaven. 
 
 "I hope you will think me none the less friendly if I 
 decline," said Dennis. " I would drink with you as quick 
 as with any man living, but it is a thing I never do, except 
 in sickness." 
 
 "O yer temperance, are yer ? well I don't think none 
 the wuss of yer for standing by yer colors. Between us, it 
 would be better for me if I was a little more so. Hang it 
 all ! I take a drop too much, now and then. But what is 
 a fellow to do, roughing it up and down the world like me ? 
 I should often get lonely and mope in the coiner as you 
 did, if I didn't get up steam. When I am down in the 
 mouth I take a drink to liven me up, and when I feel good 
 I take a drink to make me feel better ; when I would not 
 take a drink on my own hook, I meet somebody that I 
 oaghc to drink with. It is astonishing how many occas'ons 
 there are to drink, specially when a man's travelling, like 
 me."
 
 A GOOD SAMARITAN. 53 
 
 " No fear but what the devil will make occasion 
 enough, ' said Dennis. 
 
 " What has the devil got to do with it ?" asked the mar 
 gruffly. 
 
 Just then the miserable wretch entered who, appearing 
 opportunely in Gamblin's Hotel, had cured Dennis of his 
 desire to drink, when weary and despondent, for the sake 
 of the effects. For a moment they looked at the blear- 
 eyed, trembling wreck of a man, and then Dennis asked, 
 
 " Had God any hand in making that man what he is ? " 
 
 " I should say not," said Bill Cronk emphatically. 
 
 "Well, I should say the devil had," said Dennis; "and 
 there behind the bar are the means used the best tool he 
 has got, it seems to me ; for with it he gets hold of men 
 with some heart and soul in them, like you. " 
 
 The man winced under the words that both conscience 
 and experience told him were true; at the same time he 
 was propitiated by Dennis' good opinion of him. He gave 
 a big, good-natured laugh, slapped Dennis on the shoulder, 
 and said : 
 
 " Wai, stranger p'raps you're right. 'Taint every tem- 
 perance lecturer though that has an awful example come 
 in just at the right time so slick. But you've stood by yer 
 color, and we wont quarrel. Tell us, now, if it aint private, 
 what yer so chopfallen about ? " 
 
 Dennis told his story, as grateful for this rough sym- 
 pathy as a thirsty traveller would be in finding a spring 
 though surrounded by thorns and rocks. 
 
 The round jolly face actually grew long and serious 
 through interest in the young man's tribulations. 
 
 After scratching a shaggy but practical head for a few 
 moments, Bill in the vernacular of his trade spoke as fol- 
 lows : 
 
 " Seems to me the case is just this : here you are a 
 young blooded colt, not broken to either saddle or thills 
 3*
 
 54 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 here you are whinnying around a market where they want 
 nothing but dray horses. People look shy at you usually 
 do at a strange hoss. Few know good pints when they 
 see 'em. When they find you aint broke into nolhin', they 
 want you to work for nothin'. I see how you can't do 
 this. And yet fodder is runnin' short, and you must do 
 somethin'." 
 
 Bill having dealt in live-stock all his life, naturally 
 clothed his thoughts in language drawn from familiar ob- 
 jects, and Dennis, miserable as he was, half smiled at the 
 close parallel run between him and a young, useless colt ; 
 but he only said, 
 
 " I don't think there is a cart-horse in all Chicago that 
 feels more broken down and dispirited than I do to-night." 
 
 " That may all be, too," said Bill, " but you'd feel a lit- 
 tle oats mighty quick, and a cart-hoss wouldn't. But I 
 know the pints, whether it be a man or a hoss you'd take 
 kindly to work of the right sort, and it would pay any one 
 to take you at your own terms, but you can't make 'em 
 see it. If I was in a situation to take you, I'd do it in a 
 minute. Hang it all. I can't do much for you, either. I 
 took a drop too much in Cleveland t'other night, and some 
 of the folks in the house looked over my pocket-book and 
 left me just enough to get home with." 
 
 Dennis shook his head reproachfully and was about to 
 speak 
 
 " I know what you're going to say," said Bill, heading 
 off another temperance lecture. " I'll take a drink by and 
 bye, and think over what you've said, for I can't think 
 much until I get a little steam up. But now we must try 
 and see some way out of the fog for you." And again in 
 absence of the wonted steam he scratched the shaggy 
 head vigorously. 
 
 " Seems to me the best thing for you is to do as I did 
 when I first broke the home pasture and started out on a
 
 A GOOD SAMARITAN. 55 
 
 rampage. I just grabbed the fust job that came along, 
 good, bad or indifferent always kept doing something. 
 You can look for a bird in a bush quite as well when, 
 you've got one in the hand as when you haint. To be sure 
 I wasn't as squeamish as you are. I'd jumped at the offer 
 you had this afternoon ; but I reckon I'd taken toll too 
 often to be very profitable. But in this way I always kept 
 agoin' never got down underfoot so the stronger ones 
 could tread on me. AVhen it comes to that, I want to die. 
 Now if you've got plenty of clear grit little disposed to 
 show the white feather though, to-night, aint yer ? " 
 
 Dennis flushed up, and was about to speak almost 
 angrily. 
 
 " There ! there ! " said his new friend. " I said yer 
 wasn't a cart-hoss, one touch of the spur and up goes tail 
 and ears, and then look out. Are yer ashamed to do any 
 kind of honest work ? I mean kinder pious work that 
 hasn't any smack of the devil you're so afraid of, in it?" 
 
 " No ! work is just what I want." 
 
 " Would you black boots, now ? " 
 
 Dennis winced, thought a momentf and then with a 
 manly flush said 
 
 " Yes, before I would take a cent of charity from any 
 living soul." 
 
 " Give us 5 r er fore-foot again ; you're the kind of crit- 
 ter I like to invest in for you'd improve on a feller's 
 hands. No fear about you; the only thing is to get you 
 in harness before a load that will pay to haul." 
 
 Suddenly he got up, strode to the bar-room door, look- 
 ed out into the night, and came back again. 
 
 " I think I know of a way in which you can make two 
 or three dollars to-morrow." 
 
 " How ? " exclaimed Dennis, his whole face lighting up 
 with hope. 
 
 " Go to a hardware store, invest in a big wooden sr.ow
 
 56 BARRIERS .bURNEU AWAY. 
 
 shovel, and clean off sidewalks before stores. You can 
 pick up a good many quarters before night, like enough." 
 
 " I will do it," said Dennis, heartily, " and thank you 
 warmly for the suggestion, and for your kindly interest 
 generally," and he looked up and felt himself another man. 
 
 " Gosh ! but it takes mighty few oats to set you up ! 
 But come, and let us have a little plain, substantial fodder. 
 I will drink nothing but coffee, to-night, out of compliment 
 to you." 
 
 " Cheered, comforted, and hopeful, Dennis sat down 
 with his good Samaritan, and made a hearty supper, after 
 which they parted with a strong, friendly grip, and sincere 
 good wishes, Cronk, the drover, going on farther west, 
 and Dennis to the rest he so sorely needed. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 YAHCOB BUNK. 
 
 BEFORE retiring Dennis as usual took his Bible from 
 his trunk to read a chapter. He was now in a very differ- 
 ent mood from that of a few hours ago. The suggestion 
 of his bar-room acquaintance was a light upon his way. 
 And with one of Dennis's age and temperament, even a 
 small hope is potent. He was eager for the coming day in 
 order to try the experiment of wringing bread and oppor- 
 tunity for further search out of the wintry snows. 
 
 But that which had done him the most good -more 
 than he realized was the kindness he had received, rough 
 though it was ; the sympathy and companionship of an- 
 other human being, for if he had been cast away on a 
 desert island he could not have bee'n more isolated than 
 in the great city, with its indifferent multitudes.
 
 YAHCOB BUNK. 
 
 57 
 
 Moreover the generous supper was not without its de- 
 cided influence ; and with it he had drank a cup of good 
 coffee, that nectar of the gods whose subtile, delicate in- 
 fluence is felt in body and brain, in every fibre of the na- 
 ture not deadened and blunted by stronger and coarser 
 stimulants. He who leaves out physical causes in ac- 
 counting for mental and moral states, will usually come 
 wide of the mark. 
 
 But while giving the influences above referred to their 
 due force, so far from ignoring, we would acknowledge 
 with emphasis the chief cause of man's ability to receive 
 and appreciate all the highest phases of truth and good, 
 namely, God's help asked for and given. Prayer was a 
 habit with Dennis. He asked God with childlike faith for 
 the bestowment of every Christian grace, and those who 
 knew him best saw that he had no reason to complain that 
 his prayers were unanswered. 
 
 But now at a time when he would most appreciate it, 
 God was about to reveal to him a truth that would be a rich 
 source of help and comfort through life, and a sudden 
 burst of sunshine upon his dark way at the present hour. 
 He was to be shown how he might look to heaven for help 
 and guidance in respect to his present and earthly in- 
 terests, as truly as in his spiritual life. 
 
 As he opened his Bible his eyes caught the words of 
 our Lord, " Launch out into the deep and let down your 
 nets for a draught." 
 
 Then Peter's answer " Master, we have toiled all the 
 night and have taken nothing : nevertheless, at Thy word 
 I will let down the net." 
 
 The result " They inclosed a great multitude of 
 fishes." 
 
 With these words light broke in upon his mind. " If 
 our Lord," he mused, "helped His first disciples catch 
 fish, why should He not help me to find a good place ? *
 
 58 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 Then unbelief suggested " It was not for the sake of the 
 fish ; they were only means to a higher end." 
 
 But Dennis, who had plenty of good common sense, at 
 once answered this objection " Neither do I want position 
 and money for low selfish purposes. My ends are the 
 best and purest, for I am seeking my own honest living and 
 the support of my mother and sisters the very imperative 
 duties that God is now imposing on me. Would God re- 
 veal a duty and no way of performing it ? " 
 
 Then came the thought " Have I asked Him to help 
 me ? Have I not been seeking in my own wisdom, and 
 trusting in my own strength ? And this too when my igno- 
 rance of business, the dull season of the year, and every 
 thing was against me, when I specially needed help. Lit- 
 'tle wonder that I have fared as I have." 
 
 Turning the leaves of his Bible rapidly he began 
 searching for instances of God's interference in behalf of 
 the temporal interests of His servants for passages where 
 earthly prosperity was promised or given. After an hour 
 he closed the Bible with a long breath of wonder, and 
 said to himself, 
 
 " Why, God seems to care as much for the well-being 
 and happiness of His children here, as He will when- He 
 gets us all about Him in the blessed home above. I've 
 been blind for twenty-one years to one of the grandest 
 truths of this Book." 
 
 Then as the thought grew upon him, he exclaimed joy- 
 ously, " Take heart, Dennis Fleet ; God is on your side in 
 the struggle for an honest success in this life, as truly as 
 in your fight against sin and the devil." 
 
 It was long before he slept that night, but a truth had 
 been revealed that rested and strengthened him more than 
 the heavy slumbers after the weary days that had preceded. 
 
 The dawn of the Winter morning was cold and faint,
 
 YAHCOB BUNK. 
 
 59 
 
 when Dennis appeared in the bar-room the next day. 
 The jolly- faced Teuton was making the fire, stopping often 
 to blow hi? cold fingers, and wasting enough good breath 
 to have kindled a furnace. * His rubicund visage, sur- 
 rounded by shaggy hair and beard of yellow, here appear- 
 ed in the dust and smoke he was making like the sun 
 rising in a fog. 
 
 " Ilillo ! " he said on seeing Dennis ; " vat you up dis 
 early for ? Don't vant anoder dinner yet, I hope ? " 
 
 "I will take that in good time," said Dennis; "and 
 will want a bigger one than that which so astonished you 
 at first." 
 
 " O my eyes ! " said the German ; " den I go and tell 
 de cook to begin to get him right avay." 
 
 Laughing good-naturedly Dennis went to the door and 
 looked out. On side-walk and street the snow lay six or 
 eight inches deep, untrodden, white and spotless, even in 
 the heart of the great city. " How differently this snow will 
 look by night," thought he ; " how soiled and black. Per- 
 haps very many come to this city in the morning of life 
 like this snow,. pure and unstained ; but after being here 
 awhile they become like this snow when it has been tossed 
 about and trodden under every careless foot. God grant 
 that however poor and unsuccessful I may remain, such 
 pollution may never be my fate." 
 
 But feeling that he had no time for moralizing if he 
 would secure bread for the coming day of rest, he turned 
 and said to the factotum of the bar-room 
 
 " How much will you give to have the snow cleared off 
 the side-walk in front of your house ? " 
 
 " Zwei shillen." 
 
 " Then I will earn my breakfast before I eat it, if you 
 will lend me a shovel." 
 
 " I taut you vas a shentlemans," said the German star- 
 ing at him.
 
 60 BARRIERS BURNED AWAtf. 
 
 " So I am ; just the shentlemans that will clean off your 
 sidewalk for ' zwei shillen,' if you will let him." 
 
 " You vant to do him for exercise ? " 
 
 " No ! for zwei shillings." 
 
 " I taut you vas a shentlemans," said the man, still 
 staring in stolid wonder at Dennis. 
 
 " Didn't you ever know of a gentleman who came from 
 Germany to this country and was glad to do anything for 
 an honest living ? " 
 
 " Often and often I haf. You see von here," said the 
 man with a grin. 
 
 " Well, I am just that kind of a gentleman. Now if 
 you will lend me a shovel I will clean off your side-walk 
 for two shillings, and be a great deal more thankful than 
 if you had given me the money for nothing." 
 
 " Little fear of dat," said the man with another grin. 
 " Vel you are de queerest Yankee in Chicago, you are ; I 
 tink you are 'bout haf sherman. I tejl you vat here, 
 vat's your name ? if you clean off dat side-walk goot, you 
 shall haf breakfast and dinner, much as you eat, vidout 
 von cent to pay. I don't care if de cook is cooking all 
 day. I like your vat you call him spunk." 
 
 " It's a bargain," said Dennis, " and if I can make a 
 few more like it to-day, I shall be rich." 
 
 " You may vel say dat. I will go into de market and 
 see if dare be enough for me to keep my part of de bar- 
 gain goot." 
 
 For half an hour Dennis worked away lustily, and then 
 called his task-master and said, 
 
 ( ' Will you accept the job ? " 
 
 Surveying with surprise the large space cleared, and 
 looking in vain for reason to find fault, he said, 
 
 " I kin say nothin' agin him. I hope you will eat your 
 dinner as quick. Now come into your breakfast." 
 
 He pretended to be perfectly aghast at Dennis's on-
 
 YAHCOB BUNK. 6l 
 
 slaught on the buckwheat cakes, and rolled up his eyes de- 
 spairingly as each new plate was emptied. 
 
 Having finished, Dennis tipped him a wink, and said, 
 
 " Wait till dinner time." 
 
 " Ah ! dare vill be von famine," said the German in a 
 tone of anguish, wringing his hands. 
 
 Having procured the needful implement, Dennis start- 
 ed out, and though there was considerable competition, 
 found plenty to do, and shovelled away with little cessa- 
 tion till one o'clock. Then counting his gains, found that 
 he had paid for his shovel, secured breakfast and dinner, 
 and had a balance on hand of $2.50, and he had nearly 
 half a day yet before him. He felt rich nay more than 
 that, he felt like a man who, sinking in a shoreless ocean, 
 suddenly catches a plank that bears him up, while shore 
 appears in the distance. 
 
 " This is what comes from asking God to help a fellow," 
 said he to himself. " Strange, too, that He should answer 
 my prayer in part before I asked, by causing that queer 
 jumble of good and evil, Bill Cronk, to suggest to me this 
 way of turning an honest penny. I wish Bill was as good 
 a friend to himself as he is to others. I fear that he will 
 go to the dogs. Bless me ! the gnawings of hunger are 
 bad enough, but what must be those of conscience ? I think 
 I can astonish my German friend to-day as never before," 
 and shouldering his shovel he walked back to dinner, feel- 
 ing like a prince bearing aloft the insigniaof his power. 
 
 When he entered the bar and lunch-room, he saw that 
 something was wrong. The landlord met him instead of 
 his jolly, satirical friend. 
 
 Now the owner of the place was a wizen-faced, dried- 
 up old anatomy, who seemed utterly exhaling away in to- 
 bacco smoke, while his assistant was becoming spherical 
 generally under the expansive power of lager. It was his 
 custom to sit up and smoke most of the night, and there-
 
 b2 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 fore get down late in the morning. When he appeared, 
 his assistant told him of the bargain he had made with 
 Dennis, as a good joke. But old Hans hadn't any faculty 
 for jokes. Dollars and cents and his big meerschaum 
 made up the two elements of his life. The thought of 
 losing zwei shilings or zwei cents by Dennis, or any one 
 else, caused him anguish, and instead of laughing, his fun- 
 loving assistant was aghast at seeing him fall into a passion. 
 
 " You be von big fule. Vat for we keep mens here 
 who haf no money ? You should cleared him off, instead 
 of making bargains for him to eat us out of de house." 
 
 " We haf his trunk," said Jacob, for that was his name. 
 
 " Nothin' in it," growled Hans, and yet somewhat mol- 
 lified by this fact. 
 
 When Dennis appeared, he put the case without any 
 circumlocution 
 
 "I make my livin' by keepin' dis house. I can no 
 make my livin' unless everybodies pay me. I haf reason 
 to link dat you haf no money. Vat ish the truf ? Cause 
 if you haf none, you can no longer stay here." 
 
 " Have I not paid for everything I have had so far ? " 
 said Dennis. 
 
 " Dat ish not de question ? Haf you got any moneys ?" 
 
 " What is your bill in advance up to Monday morning ? " 
 
 " Zwie dollar and a quarter if you take breakfast." 
 
 " Deduct breakfast and dinner to-day for clearing off 
 the sidewalk." 
 
 " Dat ish too much ; you did it in half hour." 
 
 " Well, it would have taken you three. But a bargain 
 is a bargain, the world over. Did not you promise it ? " 
 to Jacob. 
 
 " Yah ! and you shall haf him, too, if I be de loser. 
 Yahcob Bunk is not the man to go back on his wort." 
 
 " Vel den," said old Hans, " von dollar seventy-five to 
 Monday morning."
 
 YAHCOB BUNK. 63 
 
 " There is the money ; now let me have my dinner, for 
 I am in a hurry." 
 
 At the sight of money Hans at once became the most 
 obsequious of hosts, and so would remain while it lasted. 
 But Dennis saw that his purchased courtesy would change 
 the moment it was gone, and he trembled at his narrow 
 escape from being thrust out into the Wintry streets, friend- 
 less, penniless, to beg or starve equally hard alternatives 
 to his mind. 
 
 " Come Yahcob, thou snail, give the shentlemans his 
 dinner," said Hans. 
 
 Jacob, who had been looking, on with heavy, stolid 
 face, now brightened up on seeing that all was right, and 
 gave Dennis a double portion of the steaming pot-pie, and 
 a huge mug of coffee. When Dennis had finished these 
 and crowned his repast with a big dumpling, Jacob came to 
 him with a face as long and serious as his harvest moon of 
 a visage could be made, and said 
 
 " Dare is nothing more in Chicago, you haf cleaned it 
 out. We must vait till de evenin' train comes before we 
 haf supper." 
 
 " That will be time enough for me," said Dennis, laugh- 
 ing, for he could laugh to-day at little things, and started 
 off again with his shovel.
 
 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 LAND AT LAST. 
 
 DURING the latter part of a busy afternoon, Dennis 
 came to a spacious, elegant store before which the snow lay 
 untouched save as trodden by passers-by. Over the high 
 arched door-way were the words in gilt letters " Art build- 
 ing," and as far as a mere warehouse for beautiful things 
 could deserve this title, this place did, for it was crowded 
 with engravings, chromos, paintings, bronzes, statuary, and 
 every variety of ornament. With delighted eyes and lin- 
 gering steps he had passed slowly through this store a few 
 days previous in his search, but had received the usual cool 
 negative. He had gone reluctantly out into the cold street 
 again as Adam might have gone out of Paradise. 
 
 A large florid looking man with a light curling mus- 
 tache, now stood in the door-way. His appearance was 
 unmistakably that of a German of the highest and most 
 cultivated type. And yet when he spoke, his English was 
 so good that you only detected a foreign accent;. 
 
 Strong vexation was stamped upon his face as he look- 
 ed at the snowy, untidy sidewalk. 
 
 "Mr. Schwartz," he asked of one of his clerks, "was 
 Pat here this morning ? " 
 
 " Yes sir." 
 
 " Was he perfectly straight ? " 
 
 " I cannot say that he was, sir." 
 
 " He is off" on a spree again. Send him to me the mo- 
 nent he returns."
 
 LAND AT LAST. 65 
 
 " Shall I clear your sidewalk ? " said Dennis, stepping 
 up and touching his hat respectfully. 
 
 " Yes," said the gentleman scarcely looking at him, 
 " and when through come to the office for your money,'' 
 and then he walked back into the store with a frowning 
 brow. 
 
 Though Dennis was now pretty thoroughly fatigued 
 with the hard day's work, he entered on this task with a 
 good will as the closing labor of the day, hoping from the 
 wide space to be cleared to receive proportionate recom- 
 pense. And yet his despatch was not so great as usual, for 
 in spite of himself his eyes were continually wandering 
 to the large show windows, from which smiled down upon 
 him Summer landscapes, lovely faces that seemed all the 
 more beautiful in contrast with the bleak and darkening 
 street. 
 
 He was rudely startled from one of the stolen glances 
 at a sweet, girlish face that seemed peering archly at him 
 from a corner, by the loud tones and strong brogue of 
 " Pat " returning thus late to his neglected duties. 
 
 " Bad luck to yez ! what yez doin' here ? " 
 
 " Clearing. the sidewalk," said Dennis, laconically. 
 
 " Give me that shovel, or I'll knock bloody blazes out 
 of yez." 
 
 Dennis at once stood on the defensive, and raised his 
 tool threateningly. At the same time seeing a policeman, 
 he called out 
 
 " Will you please cause this drunken fellow to move 
 on?" 
 
 The officer was about to comply, when the Irishman 
 with a snort like that of a mad bull, rushed to the door of 
 the out-building, wrenched it open, and leaving it so, tore 
 down the long store, crying 
 
 " Misther Ludolph ! Misther Ludolph ! here's a bloody 
 spalpane a doin' my work."
 
 66 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 He had scarcely got half way to the office before there 
 was a crash and a general commotion. 
 
 Pat, in his blind rage, and steps uncertain from the ef- 
 fects of whiskey, had struck a valuable marble, and it^lay 
 broken on the floor. This catastrophe sobered him, and 
 he stood looking at the destruction he had wrought in 
 dismay. His employer, the gentleman whom Dennis had 
 seen at the door, now appeared upon the scene in a tow- 
 ering passion, and scrupled not to heap maledictions upon 
 the head of the unfortunate Hibernian. 
 
 " What do you mean by rushing through the store in 
 this mad style ? " he demanded. 
 
 " There's an impudent fellow outside a doin' my work," 
 said Pat. 
 
 " Why didn't you do it yourself, instead of going off 
 to the gin-mills this morning ? Didn't I warn you ? Didn't 
 I tell you your last spree should be the last in my employ .' 
 Now, begone ! you drunken idiot, and if you ever show 
 your face on these premises again, I'll have you arrested 
 and compel payment for this marble, and it will take every 
 cent you have got in the world, and more too." 
 
 " Ah ! Misther Ludolph, if you'll only give me one 
 more " 
 
 " I tell you be off! or I will call the policeman at 
 once." 
 
 " But Bridget and the childer will starve." 
 
 " What's Bridget and the children to me ? If you 
 wont take care of them, you can't expect other people to. 
 Begone ! " said his employer, advancing threateningly and 
 stamping his foot. 
 
 Pat looked around in vain for help the clerks were 
 but fainter echoes of their master. 
 
 Seeing his case to be hopeless, he turned about and 
 hurried away, his big red face distorted by many contend- 
 ing emotions. Nor did he stop until he reached one of
 
 LAND AT LAST. 67 
 
 fhe fatal " gin-mills," and soon drowned memory and trou- 
 ble ir. huge potations of the fiery element that was cle- 
 ^stroying him, and bringing wretchedness to " Bridget and 
 the childer." 
 
 Again Dennis had a lesson on drinking for the effects. 
 
 He rapidly completed his work and entered the store. 
 A clerk handed him fifty cents. 
 
 " May I see Mr. Ludolph a moment ? " he asked, for 
 he had learned that this was the proprietor's name from 
 the scene he had witnessed through the open door. 
 
 " Yes," replied the clerk, " he is in the office there ; but 
 I guess you won't find him very smooth this evening," 
 looking at the same time suggestively toward, the broken 
 marble. 
 
 But Mr. Ludolph was not in as bad a humor as was 
 imagined. This thrifty Teuton had not lost much by the 
 mishap of the afternoon, for a month or two of wa^es was 
 due Pat, and this kept back would pay in the main for the 
 injury he had done. His whole soul being bent on the ac- 
 quirement of money, for reasons that will be explained 
 further on, his momentary passion soon passed away when 
 he found he had sustained no material injury. To Den- 
 nis's knock he responded in his usual tone. 
 
 " Come in ! " and Dennis stood in a warm, lighted, cozy 
 office, where the object of his quest sat writing rapidly, 
 with his back to the door. Dennis waited respectfully till 
 the facile pen glided through the sentence, and then Mr. 
 Ludolph looked up. Dennis's bearing and appearance 
 was so unmistakably that of a gentleman, that Mr. Lu- 
 dolph, not recognizing him as the person who had cleared 
 his sidewalk, rose courteously and said : 
 
 " Did 'you wish to see me ? " 
 
 " Yes sir," replied Dennis, " I understand that you dis- 
 missed a person in your employ this afternoon. I would 
 respectfully apply for his place, .f it is not promised."
 
 68 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 The gentleman smiled and said 
 
 " You are mistaken, I think. ' I discharged a drunken 
 Irishman, who had been porter and man-of-all-work about 
 the store, this afternoon ; but I have no place vacant, 
 young sir, that you would care to fill." 
 
 " If you think me competent to fill the position of por- 
 ter and your man-of-all-work, I would be very glad to ob- 
 tain it, that is if it will support me and those dependent 
 on me." 
 
 The merchant muttered to himself, " I thought he was 
 a gentleman." 
 
 Then, as this was a business matter of some import- 
 ance, he caused Dennis to stand full in the light, while he 
 withdrew somewhat in the shadow, and gave it his atten- 
 tion with characteristic shrewdness and caution. 
 
 " You seem rather above the situation you ask for," he 
 said. 
 
 " I am not above it in circumstances," said Dennis, 
 and it certainly is better than shoveling snow all day." 
 
 " Are you the man that just cleaned my sidewalk ? " 
 
 " I am, sir." 
 
 " You must be aware that your general appearance is 
 very different from that of the man discharged to-day, and 
 from those seeking the menial place in question. Can 
 you explain this fact satisfactorily?" 
 
 " I can readily explain it, and I hope satisfactorily. 
 At any rate I shall be perfectly open." And Dennis told 
 him briefly, but plainly, just how he was situated. 
 
 As the keen man of the world watched with the closest 
 scrutiny the honest young face, he believed every word. 
 Accustomed to deal with all classes of men from child- 
 hood, he had learned to read them as the open page of a 
 book. 
 
 He asked coolly, however, " Have you no recommen- 
 dations ?
 
 LAND AT LAST. 69 
 
 Dennis produced the ministerial letter, which Mr. Lu- 
 dolph glanced at with good-natured contempt. 
 
 " This is all right," he said ; " superstition is an excel- 
 lent thing for some minds. I managed Pat a year through 
 his priest, and then he got beyond the priest and me 
 too." 
 
 This undisguised contempt of all that he held sacred, 
 and the classing of true faith with gross superstition, 
 pained Dennis ; and his face showed it, though he said 
 nothing. 
 
 " There," said the gentleman, " I did not mean to hurt 
 your feelings, but to the educated in our land, these 
 things seem very childish." 
 
 "I would serve you none the worse," said Dennis with 
 quiet dignity, " if I believed that the duty I owed to you I 
 owed also to God." 
 
 Mr. Ludolph looked as if a new idea had struck him, 
 smiled, and said 
 
 " Most people's religion, as far as my experience has 
 gone, is not of this practical kind. But I believe that I 
 can trust you, and your face and story are worth much 
 more to me than this letter. A scamp might possess that 
 as well as an honest youth like you. Now, as to terms 
 I will give you forty dollars a month for the first two 
 months, and then, if you develop and take well to the 
 work, I will give you sixty." 
 
 Dennis thought that this, with close economy, would 
 enable him to live and support his mother and sisters, and 
 he accepted the terms. 
 
 " Moreover, to show the advantage of telling a straight- 
 forward story, you may sleep in the store the building 
 will be safer for having some one it. I will pay you at 
 the end of every week as long as you suit, so that you can 
 commence sending something to your mother immedi- 
 ately. You see that I take an interest in you," said the 
 4
 
 yo BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 shrewd man, :< and expect you to take an irterest in my 
 business, and work for me as for yourself." 
 
 Simple, honest Dennis could not see that Mr. Ludolph 
 cared infinitely more for himself than all the world rom- 
 binr.d, and made it his life-study to get the most out of it 
 with the least cost to himself. Under the words that seemed 
 so kind and considerate Dennis's heart swelled with the 
 strong and grateful purpose to spare himself in no way in 
 the service of such an employer. The wily man saw this, 
 and smiled to himself over the credulity of mankind. 
 
 " Have you enough to last till next Saturday night ? " 
 he asked. 
 
 " I will make it last," said Dennis, sturdily. 
 
 " That is rig"ht," said Mr. Ludolph, " stand on your own 
 feet if you can. I never give any more help than will 
 barely enable a man to keep himself," a maxim which not 
 only had the advantage of being sound, but of according 
 exactly with his disposition. 
 
 After a moment's thought, Mr. Ludolph spoke in a tone 
 so sharp, and manner so stern, that Dennis was startled: 
 
 " Mark me, young man, I wish a plain understanding 
 in one respect you take Pat's place, and I expect you to 
 do Pat's work. I wish no trouble to arise from your being 
 above your business." 
 
 " You will have none," said Dennis, quietly and firmly. 
 
 " All right, then. Mr. Schwartz will show you about 
 closing up the store. Be here early Monday morning, and 
 remember that all depends upon yourself." 
 
 In the depths of his grateful heart Dennis felt how 
 much the success of that day and every day of life de- 
 pended on God. 
 
 Mr. Ludolph put on his coat and gloves and went out 
 with Dennis into the store. 
 
 " Gentlemen, ' said he to his clerks, " this young man, 
 Dennis Fleet bv name, will take the place of Pat Murphy,
 
 THE NEW BROOM. 71 
 
 discharged to-day. Mr. Schwartz, will you show him what 
 it is necessary to do to-night ? He will be here on Mon- 
 day morning at the usual time for opening the store, and 
 after that will sleep in the building." 
 
 The clerks looked at him for a moment, as they might 
 at a new piece of furniture, or labor-saving machine, and 
 then coolly finished their duties, and followed their em- 
 ployer. Mr. Schwartz showed him about closing up the 
 store, the furnace, etc., and Dennis saw that his place was 
 no sinecure. Still it was not work, but its lack that he 
 dreaded, and his movements were so eager and earnest 
 that a faint expression of surprise and curiosity tinged 
 the broad stolid face of Mr. Schwartz, but he only but- 
 toned his coat to the chin and muttered " new broom," 
 and went his way homeward, leaving Dennis to go his 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE NEW BROOM. 
 
 THE following Sabbath was a bright Winter day with- 
 out, but bright Summer in Dennis's heart. He inquired 
 his way to a neighboring Church, and every word of 
 prayer, praise and truth fell on a glad, grateful spirit. 
 Worship was a joy, not a duty. Returning, he wrote a 
 long letter to his mother, telling her all he had passed 
 through, especially dwelling on the truth he had discov- 
 ered of God's wish to make this life happy and success- 
 ful, as well as the life beyond. 
 
 In closing, he wrote : " Here am I, Dennis Fleet, who 
 a few days ago thought the world scarcely large enough 
 for what I meant to do, standing contentedly and graw-
 
 j2 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 fully in Pat Murphy' > shoes. I will not conceal from you, 
 speaking figuratively (the fates forbid that it should be 
 literally true), that I hope to outgrow them, and arrive at 
 something better before many months pass. In the me'an 
 time I am indeed thankful for the means of winning hon- 
 est bread for us all. It is quite a come-down from the 
 classics and law to the position of porter and man-of-all 
 work in a picture and music store, but if God means me 
 to rise He can lead me upward from my lowly stand-point 
 as well as from the most favored that I could have chosen 
 for myself. I have learned that if I will trust Him and 
 do present duty thoroughly, He will not forget me." 
 
 On Monday morning, half an hour before the specified 
 time, Dennis stood at the store. Impatiently he walked 
 up and down before what would become the scene of joys 
 and sorrows, such as he had never before experienced. 
 But we will not anticipate. 
 
 In due time Mr. Schwartz appeared. He gave Den- 
 nis a cool nod, and said : 
 
 ' : Glad to see you so prompt " then muttered again 
 to himself " new broom." 
 
 In Mr. Schwartz's slow plodding soul the fire of enthu- 
 siasm had never burned. He was eminently conserva- 
 tive, and looked with wary suspicion on anything that ap- 
 peared like earnestness. In the midst of a driving, bust- 
 ling Western city, he stuck in the mud of his German 
 phlegm, like a snag in the swift current of the Mississippi. 
 Yet Mr. Ludolph found him a most valuable assistant. 
 He kept things straight. Under his minute supervision 
 every thing had to be right Saturday night as well as Mon- 
 day morning, Dec. 3ist as well as Jan. ist. He was one 
 who through life would be satisfied with a subordinate po- 
 sition, conscious of the lack of enterprise needful to push 
 his own way in the world. His painstaking, methodical 
 spirit v/as just the kind to pervade a large warehouse like
 
 THE NEW BROOM. 73 
 
 that he had in charge, and prevent loss and confusion in 
 the multiplicity of objects it contained. Pat's careless 
 Irish ways had vexed his soul beyond words, and now 
 Dennis's eager manner suggested a hair-brained Yankee 
 youth who would raise a dust for a week and then be off 
 ai something else. He was therefore cool and curt, seek- 
 ing by frostiness of manner to nip the budding enthusiasm 
 that annoyed him. 
 
 Dennis heeded him not, but bent every faculty to the 
 mastery of the duties required of him. He was to mop 
 out the store with damp cloths, so as to raise no dust, to 
 look after the furnace and^ graduate the heat throughout 
 the building, to receive boxes, to assist in packing and un- 
 packing pianos and other musical instruments that occu- 
 pied part of the upper floors, and to make himself gen- 
 erally useful. So far from being an easy position, it was 
 one that required great strength and dispatch, and these 
 had been Pat's qualities save when drink got the better of 
 him. For one of his age, Dennis was very strong, and 
 his experience in helping his mother in household duties 
 had made him quick and dexterous, where most young men 
 would have been awkward and slow. After a day or two 
 Mr. Schwartz relaxed his grimness somewhat, for if Den- 
 nis worked eagerly, he also worked well for a new begin- 
 ner. Still it would require several years of well doing to 
 satisfy old Schwartz that all was right. But keen Mr. Lu- 
 dolph, with his quick insight into character, watched this 
 " new broom " a few days, and then congratulated himself 
 on gaining another decided help toward the object near- 
 est his heart. 
 
 The other clerks were of German descent, and under 
 Mr. Schwartz's rigid system, each one filled his appropri- 
 ate niche, and performed carefully the duties assigned. 
 
 Even to Dennises uncultivated eye there was a rigidity 
 and formality about the whole establishment not artistic.
 
 74 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 At first it was but a feeling a vague impression that grew 
 apon him without his scarcely knowing why. He soon 
 discovered however that every thing was arranged square- 
 ly, according to system, order, and not with a view of 
 placing in the best lights and shadows the beautiful things 
 to be sold. He saw that Mr. Ludolph was annoyed by 
 the same defect. One bright day, when every thing stood 
 out 'with glaring distinctness, he seemed provoked beyond 
 measure by this inartistic rigidity, and stormed through 
 the store at a great rate. 
 
 "This art-building and everybody and every thing in it 
 look as if they swallowed a yam-rod," snarled he. Mr. 
 Schwartz, can't you teach the young men to throw a little 
 ease and grace into the arrangement of the articles under 
 their charge ? " 
 
 Mr. Schwartz looked at him with a blank, impassive 
 face, and his employer felt that he might as well ask an 
 elephant to teach dancing. 
 
 Turning suddenly on a stolid youth, he exclaimed, 
 " By the gods ! if you have not arranged all the statuettes 
 on your counter in straight lines, and half of them with 
 their backs towards the door at which our customers enter ! 
 Here, gather round me while I give you some ideas of ar- 
 rangement." 
 
 They gathered around him, while with hands of skill 
 and taste he grouped every thing artistically. The effect 
 of a little transposition was marvellous, and Mr. Schwartz 
 acknowledged that they looked doubly pretty and inviting. 
 Dennis stood at a respectful distance, but was a close 
 observer. He was the only one who gained much benefit 
 from the lesson, because tliL- only one capable of receiv- 
 ing it. With quick, appreciative eye he saw the grouping 
 needful to produce the desired effect. 
 
 As Mr. Ludolph looked up he caught Dennis's intelli- 
 gent gaze.
 
 THE NEW BROOM. 
 
 75 
 
 "That is right, Fleet," he said ; "you learn, toe, if you 
 can, and when you are dusting around, see if you cannot 
 combine a little order and grace together." 
 
 From that day forward the hand and taste of Dennis 
 Fleet began gradually, and almost imperceptibly at first, 
 to give a new aspect and create a new atmosphere in ^e 
 "Temple of Art." But at first he was kept busy, enough 
 at his humble routine duties. Every one felt and ex- 
 pressed a little surprise at his getting into harness so 
 quickly, but the heavy atmosphere that Mr. Schwartz per- 
 vaded was not conducive to conversation or emotions, 
 however faint. All went forward quietly and orderly, like 
 well oiled machinery. Customers received every atten- 
 tion, and though many no doubt had the undefined feeling 
 that something was wrong in the arrangement of the store, 
 they all found an abundance of beautiful things suited to 
 the taste and purse of each, and so trade was good, even 
 though the holiday season was over. 
 
 As for Dennis, he was to a certain extent in Paradise. 
 Nature had given him a deep, 'earnest love of the beauti- 
 ful, and keen perception of it. 
 
 Though his days were busy indeed, he found time 
 gradually to study every pretty thing in the store. Though 
 much was mystery to him as yet, he felt himself over the 
 threshold of a beautiful world the world of art. When 
 a boy in New England he had taken drawing-lessons, and 
 had shown remarkable aptness. While at college, also, he 
 had given some attention to drawing and coloring, but cir- 
 cumstances had prevented him following the bent of his 
 taste, but now the passion awoke with ten-fold force, and 
 he had not been in his place a week, before he began to 
 make sketches of little things that pleased him. Some of 
 the pictures and bronzes became almost dear, and he 
 would view their sale with a feeling akin to regret. Early 
 in the morning, when refreshed and brightened by the
 
 y6 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 night's rest, he would walk through the store as through 
 fairy-land, and forgetting that he was a humble servitor, 
 would feel as if all were his. But in fact was not his pos- 
 session truer than that of many whose palace walls glow 
 with every rich gem of art, and yet whose eyes are 
 blind and hearts dull to the beauty they have paid for ? 
 
 But a few days after his arrival a little incident occur- 
 red that was hard and practical enough, and might justly 
 cause him to feel that he occupied a humble place, not 
 only in the world of art, but the world in general. There 
 had been a day of rain, slush, and mud. One of the 
 younger clerks had been sent out on an errand, and came 
 in well splashed. Drawing off his boots, he threw them 
 to Dennis, saying 
 
 " Here you, Fleet ! black my boots as quick as you 
 can. I must go out again." 
 
 Dennis reddened, and for a moment drew himself up 
 as if he had been struck. The young man saw it and 
 said in a loud, coarse tone that could be heard by several 
 customers 
 
 " Vat ! you above your biz ? I thought it would be so." 
 
 Dennis acted with decision. He meant to have the 
 matter settled at once. Picking up the muddy boots, he 
 marched straight into Mr. Ludolph's office. That gentle- 
 man looked up, impatient at interruption, and saw his 
 man-of-all-work standing before him with the splashed 
 boots dangling in his hands. 
 
 " Well ! what is it ? " asked he sharply. 
 
 " Mr. Berder threw me those boots and told me to 
 black them. Is this a part of my duty here ? " said Den- 
 nis, in a firm, quiet tone. 
 
 " Curse it all," said Mr. Ludolph, with much irritation; 
 M 1 thought there would be trouble with your uppishr-ess." 
 
 "There shall be no trouble whatever," said Dennis; 
 * but 1 prefer to take my orders from you, and not from
 
 THE NEW BROOM. 77 
 
 Mr. Berder. If you say this is expected, the disagreea- 
 ble task shall be done as well as I can do it." 
 
 Mr. Ludolph looked sharply at the young man for a 
 moment and hesitated. In his heart he felt that he was 
 speaking to a gentleman, and that it was not the thing to 
 ask of him such menial work. But his irritation and de- 
 sire to crush out anything like insubordination, prevailed. 
 Still, rather than directly order it, he appealed to the cus- 
 tom of the past, and stepping to the door of the office he 
 called 
 
 " Mr. Schwartz, come here ! Did Pat black the shoes 
 of the gentlemen of this store ? " 
 
 " Yes sir." 
 
 " You took Pat Murphy's place, did you not ? " 
 
 " Yes sir," said Dennis. 
 
 " It seems to me, then, that this settles the question ; " 
 said Mr. Ludolph, coolly, turning to his writing, but he 
 furtively and carefully watched Dennis's course. 
 
 Determined to show that he was not above his busi- 
 ness, that he accepted the bitter with the sweet, Dennis 
 went up-stairs to his room, got blacking and brush, and 
 taking his station in a comer where Mr. Ludolph could 
 plainly see him through the glass doors of his office, he 
 polished away as vigorously as if that were his only call- 
 ing. Mr. Ludolph looked and smiled. His was a nature 
 that could be pleased with a small triumph like this. But 
 the other clerks, seeing Mr. Bercler's success, and deter- 
 mining to do their part, also, in taking Dennis " down a 
 peg," as they expressed it, brought their boots, too, and 
 Mr. Berder came with his again in the afternoon. Den- 
 nis cleaned and polished away in full view of Mr. Lu- 
 dolph, who began to realize with vexation that his man -of- 
 all-work would have little time for the duties of the store, 
 if he were installed general boot-black of the establish- 
 ment But, after this, cold and snow kept the streets drr 
 4*
 
 78 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY.' 
 
 and clean for some time, and the matter passed on with- 
 out further ni)tice. A pair of boots were seldom brought 
 to him, and when they were, they were cleaned without -\ 
 word In the mean time, his ability and faithfulness in the 
 discharge of his regular duties, and in some slight degree 
 his taste and judgment, began to be recognized, and Mr. 
 Ludolph congratulated himself that in giving Dennis Pat 
 Murphy's shoes, he had made a decided change for the 
 better. 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 TOO MUCH ALIKE. 
 
 ONE of the duties that Dennis enjoyed most was tne 
 opening of new goods. With the curiosity and pleasure 
 of a child he would unpack the treasures of Art consigned 
 "to his employer, and when a number of boxes were left at 
 the front door, he was eager to see the contents. During 
 his first three weeks at the stone there had not been many 
 such arrivals of goods and pictures. They were working 
 off the old stock bought before the holidays. But now new 
 things were coining in. Chief of all, Mr. Ludolph was 
 daily expecting pictures imported directly from Europe. 
 
 One afternoon early in February a large flat box was 
 brought to the store. Mr. Ludolph examined its marks, 
 smiled, and told Dennis to open it with great care, cuttir 
 every nai 1 with a chisel. There was little need of caution 
 ing him. He would have bruised his right hand rather 
 than mar one line of beauty. 
 
 The " Art Building " contained two or three small show- 
 rooms, where the more valuable pictures could be exhibit- 
 ed in better light. Into one of these the large box was
 
 TOO MUCH ALIKE. 
 
 79 
 
 carried, and most carefully opened. The two clerks who 
 were helping Dennis laughed at his eager interest, and 
 called him under their breath a " green 'un." Mr. Schwartz 
 looked upon him as a mild sort of a lunatic. But Mr. Lu- 
 dolph, 1 who stood near, to see if the picture was all safe 
 and right, watched him with some curiosity. His manner 
 was certainly very different from Pat Murphy's at such a 
 time, and his interest both amused and pleased him. 
 
 When at last the picture was lifted from the box and 
 placed on a large easel, all exclaimed at its beauty save 
 Dennis. On looking at him, they saw that his eyes had 
 filled with tears, and his lips were quivering so that he 
 could not have spoken. 
 
 " Is she a relation of yours ? " asked Mr. Schwartz in a 
 matter-of-fact tone. 
 
 A loud laugh followed this sally from such an unusual 
 source. Dennis turned on his heel, left the room, and 
 busied himself with duties in a distant part of the store, 
 the rest of the day. It seemed to him that they were like 
 savages bartering away gold and pearls, whose value they* 
 could not understand ; much less could they realize his 
 possession of a nature of exquisite sensibility to beauty. 
 
 When all were gone he returned to the room, and sat 
 down before the picture in wrapt attention. It was indeed 
 a fine work of Art, finished in that painstaking manner 
 characteristic of the Germans. 
 
 The painting was a Winter scene in Germany. In the 
 far back ground rose wooded and snow-clad hills. Near- 
 er in the perspective was a bold bluff, surmounted by a 
 half ruined castle. Beneath them flowed a river now a 
 smooth glare of ice, and in the distance figures were 
 wheeling about upon skates. In the immediate foreground 
 ware two persons. One was a lovely young girl, dressed 
 in black velvet trimmed with ermine. The basque fitted 
 closely to her person, revealing its graceful outlines, and
 
 80 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 was evidently adapted to the active sport in which she was 
 engaged. While the rich warm blood mantled her cheeks, 
 the snow was not whiter than her temples and brow. A 
 profusion of wavy hair flowed down her shoulders, scatter- 
 ed threads of which glistened like gold in the slanting rays 
 of the sun. Her eyes (that were not of a pale china blue, 
 but of a deep violet rather) were turned half in scorn and 
 half in sympathy with the full, smiling mouth, upon the 
 figure of a young man kneeling at her feet, making awk- 
 ward attempts to fasten her skate to the trim little foot. 
 It was evident that the favor was too much for him, and 
 that his fluttering heart made trembling and unskilful 
 hands. But the expression of the maiden's face clearly 
 indicated that her heart was as cold towards him as the ice 
 on which he knelt. 
 
 The extreme beauty of the picture and its exquisite 
 finish fascinated Dennis, while the girl's face jarred upon 
 his feelings like a musical discord. After gazing fixedly 
 for a long time, he said 
 
 " What possessed the man to paint such a lovely face 
 and make its expression only that of scorn, pride, and 
 heartless merriment ? " 
 
 All the long night the face haunted and troubled him. 
 He saw it in his dreams. It had for him a strong interest 
 that he could not understand that strange fascination 
 which a very beautiful thing that has been marred and 
 wronged has for some natures. So powerful was this im- 
 pression upon his sensitive nature, that he caught himself 
 saying, as of a living being 
 
 " O that I could give to that face the expression God 
 meant it to have." 
 
 And then he laughed at his own folly. 
 
 His wakefulness caused him to over-sleep the next 
 morning, and lie was later than usual in getting through 
 the routine duties of the store. At length, about 9 o'clock,
 
 TOO MUCH ALIKE. 8l 
 
 dusty and begrimed from mopping, feeding the furnace, 
 etc., he stood with duster and brush in hand before the 
 painting that had so disturbed his rest. He was in his 
 shirt sleeves, and in careful economy had a large coarse 
 apron of ticking girded about his person. His black dis- 
 hevelled locks looked like an inverted crow's nest, and 
 altogether he was unpresentable, appearing more like the 
 presiding divinity of a dust heap than of an " Art Building." 
 
 After gazing a few moments on the scornfu^beautiful 
 face that might have obtained its haughty patrician linea- 
 ments from the old barons of the ruined castle just above, 
 he seemed to grow conscious of this himself, and shrank 
 behind the picture half ashamed, as if she could see him. 
 
 While engaged a few moments in cleaning off some 
 stains and marks upon the frame, he did not hear a light 
 footstep in the room. Finishing his task, he stepped out 
 from behind the picture with the purpose of leaving the 
 apartment, when a vision met his gaze which startled him 
 to that degree that he dropped his brush and duster clatter- 
 ing upon the floor,-and stood transfixed with not only eyes 
 open wide but mouth also. There before him, in flesh and 
 blood it seemed, stood the lady of the picture the same 
 dress, the same beautiful blonde face, and chief of all the 
 same expression. He was made conscious of his absurd 
 position by a suppressed titter from the clerks at the door, 
 and a broad laugh from Mr. Ludolph. The beautiful face 
 turned toward him for a moment, and he felt himself looked 
 over from head to foot. At first there was an expression 
 of vexation at the interruption, and then as if impressed by 
 the ludicrousness of his appearance, the old laughing, scorn- 
 ful expi ^ssion returned. Casting a quick, furtive glance 
 a.t the picture, which seemed to satisfy him, Dennis, with 
 hot cheeks, gathered up his tools and beat a hasty retreat. 
 As he passed out, Mr. Ludolph asked good-naturedly- 
 
 " Why, Fleet, what is the matter ?"
 
 8a BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 " Indeed, sir, I hardly know," answered the bewildered 
 youth, " but it seems to me that I have lost my wits since 
 that picture came. For a moment I thought that the lady 
 on the canvas had stepped out upon the floor." 
 
 " Now that you speak of it," exclaimed Mr. Ludolph 
 advancing into the room, " there is a striking resemblance." 
 
 " N onsense ! father," Dennis heard the young lady say ; 
 " you are too old to flatter. As for that hair-brained youth 
 of the d^t-brush, he looked as if he might have the fail- 
 ing of poor Pat, and not always be able to see straight." 
 
 At this Dennis's cheeks grew hotter still, while a low 
 laugh from one or two of the clerks near showed that they 
 were enjoying his embarrassment. 
 
 Dennis hastened away to his room, and it was well that 
 he did not hear the conversation that followed. 
 
 " O no ! " responded Mr. Ludolph, "that is not Den 
 nis's failing. He is a member of a church in ' good and 
 regular standing.' He will be one of the 'pillars' by and 
 bye." 
 
 " You are always having a fling at superstition and the 
 superstitious," said his daughter laughingly. " Is that the 
 reason you installed him in Pat's shoes ? " 
 
 " Can you doubt it my dear ? " replied her father in 
 mock solemnity. " Remember our experience with Dea- 
 con Gudgeon." 
 
 The girl crimsoned to her hair and gnawed her lip with 
 vexation, evidently recalling some very unpleasant epi- 
 sode of the past. 
 
 " A truce to all that," she said ; " you will have no fur- 
 ther trouble on that score." 
 
 There was keen scrutiny for a moment in her father's 
 face, and her answer gave him evident satisfaction. It 
 was clear that his remark had in it more than mere bad 
 inage. In fact Mr. Ludolph was too long headed and 
 wily to use many careless, pointless words.
 
 TOO MUCH ALIKE. 83 
 
 "Well! " said she as if anxious to change the subject, 
 " I think your new factotum fails decidedly in good man 
 ners, if nothing else. He stared most impudently at me 
 when he came out from behind the picture. I should have 
 reprimanded him myself if I had not been so full of laugh 
 at his ridiculous appearance." 
 
 " That's the joke of it. It was as good as a play to see 
 aim. I never saw a man more startled and confused. He 
 evidently thought for a moment, as he said, that the girl 
 in the painting had stepped out upon the floor, and that 
 you were she." 
 
 " How absurd ! " exclaimed his daughter. 
 
 " Yes, and now while I think of it, he glanced from you 
 to the picture to satisfy himself that his senses were not 
 deceiving him, before he started to come away." 
 
 " I cannot see any special resemblance," she replied, 
 at the same time inwardly pleased that she should be 
 thought like the beautiful creature on the canvas. 
 
 " But there is a strong resemblance," persisted her fa- 
 ther, "especially in general effect. I will prove it to you. 
 There is old Schwartz; he is not troubled with imagina- 
 tion, but sees things just as they are. He would look at 
 you, my dainty daughter, as if you were a bale of wool, 
 and judge as composedly and accurately." 
 
 "I fear, my father," replied she smilingly, "that you 
 have conspired with him to pull the entire bale over my 
 eyes. Buc let him come." 
 
 By this time Dennis had returned, and commenced 
 dusting some pictures near the entrance, where he could 
 see and hear. He felt impelled by a curiosity that he could 
 not resist. Moreover he had a little natural vanity in wish- 
 ing to show that he was not such a fright, after all. It was 
 hard for him to remember that he stood in Pat Murphy's 
 shoes. What difference did it make to the lady whether 
 such as he was a fri<rht or not ?
 
 84 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 Mr. Schwartz entered, and at Mr. Ludolph's bidding 
 looked at the living and the painted girl. In his slow sen- 
 tentious tones, one could not help feeling that he was tell- 
 ing just how things appeared to him. The young lady 
 stood beside the painting and unconsciously assumed the 
 expression of her fair shadow. Indeed it seemed an expres- 
 sion but too habitual to her face. 
 
 " Yes," he said, " there is a decided resemblance close 
 in dress close in complexion color of hair much the same 
 eyes much alike Miss Ludolph not quite so tall," etc. 
 Then with an awkward attempt at a compliment, like an ele- 
 phant trying to execute a quickstep, he continued, 
 
 " If I may be permitted to be so bold as to speak ex- 
 press an opinion I should beg leave to say that Miss 
 Ludolph favors herself more favored is better looking," 
 he blurted out at last, backing out of the door at the same 
 time, with his brow bathed in perspiration from the throes 
 of this great and unwonted effort at gallantry. 
 
 " Bah ! " said Dennis to himself, " the old mote left out 
 the very chief thing in tracing the likeness the expression ! 
 Look at her now as she listens to his awkward attempt at 
 compliment. And she is looking at him with the same 
 scornful, laughing face that the girl in the picture wears 
 towards the bungling admirer at her feet. He is right in 
 one thing though, she is better looking." 
 
 But the moment Mr. Schwartz's bulky figure vanished 
 from the door-way, Miss Ludolph caught the critical, intelli- 
 gent gaze of Dennis Fleet, and the expression of her face 
 changed instantly to a frown. But to do her justice, it was 
 more in vexation with herself than him. With innate del- 
 icacy of feeling she saw that it looked like small vanity to 
 be standing there while comparisons like the above were 
 instituted. Her manner at once became cold, observant, 
 and thoroughly self-possessed. She stepped out into iha
 
 TOO MUCH ALIKE. 85 
 
 store, and by a few, keen, critical glances, seemed to take 
 in its whole effect. Again disapprobation clouded her fair 
 brow, and she pronounced audibly but one word "stiff" 
 Then she passed into her father's private office. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 BLUE BLOOD. 
 
 DENNIS'S mind was a chaos of conflicting feelings. As 
 had the picture, so the beautiful girl, that it by strange co- 
 incidence so strongly resembled, deeply interested him. It 
 cquld not be otherwise with one of his beauty-loving nature. 
 And yet the impression made by the face in the painting of 
 something wrong, discordant, was felt more decidedly in 
 respect to the living face. 
 
 But before he had time to realize what had just passed, 
 the lady and her father appeared at the door of the office 
 and he heard Mr. Ludolph say 
 
 " I know you are right my dear. It's all wrong. The 
 arrangement of the store is as stiff and methodical as if we 
 were engaged in selling mathematical instruments. But 
 I have not time to attend to the matter, and there is not 
 one in the store that has the least idea of artistic combina- 
 tion, unless it is Fleet. I have noticed some encouraging 
 symptoms in him." 
 
 " What ! he of the duster and mop ? I fear our case is 
 desperate, then, if he is our best hope." 
 
 Dennis's cheeks were burning again, but turning his 
 back he rubbed away harder than ever at a Greek god that 
 he was polishing. But they gave him no thought. Speak 
 ing with sudden animation the young lady said,
 
 86 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 " Father, I am a great mind to try it myself, that is, if 
 you are willing." 
 
 " Bu% my daughter, I could not permit you to be en- 
 gaged in any such employment before our customers." 
 
 " Certainly not ! I would come early in the morning, 
 before art-customers are stirring. I really would enjoy 
 the task greatly, if I had any one to help me who could in 
 some faint degree comprehend the effects I wished to pro- 
 duce. The long Spring mornings soon to come, would be 
 just the time for it. To what better use could I put my 
 taste and knowledge of art, than in helping you and fur- 
 thering our plan for life ? " 
 
 Mr. Ludolph hesitated between his pride and strong 
 desire to gain the advantages which this offer would se- 
 cure. Finally he said, 
 
 " We will think about it ; I am expecting a great many 
 new and beautiful things early in the Spring, and no doubt 
 it would be well then to re-arrange the store completely, 
 and break up the rigid system into which we have fallen. 
 In the mean time I appreciate your offer, and thank you 
 warmly." 
 
 Dennis's heart leaped up within him at the thought of 
 instruction from such a teacher, and longed to offer his 
 services. But he rightly judged that they would be re- 
 garded as an impertinence at that time. The successor 
 of Pat Murphy was not expected to know anything of art, 
 or have any appreciation of it. So he bent his head lower, 
 but gave Jupiter Olympus such a rubbing down as the god 
 had deserved long ago. In a moment more Miss Ludolph 
 passed him on her way out of the store, noticing him no 
 more than his dust-brush. 
 
 The development of this narrative now requires a 
 more full and definite statement in regard to Mr. Ludolph 
 and his daughter. He was the younger son of a noble
 
 BLUE BLOOD. 87 
 
 but impoverished German family, and was intensely proud 
 of his patrician blood. His parents knowing that he 
 would have to make his own way in the world, had sent 
 him, while a mere boy, to this country, and placed him in 
 charge of an old friend and distant relative, who was en- 
 gaged in the picture-trade in New York. He had here 
 learned to speik English in his youth with the fluency and 
 accuracy of a native, but had never become Americanized, 
 so strongly had he inherited family pride and clung to the 
 traditions of his own land. 
 
 He showed great business ability in his chosen calling, 
 especially displaying remarkable judgment in the selec- 
 tion of works of art. So unusual was his 'skill in this di- 
 rection, that when twenty-one he was sent abroad to pur- 
 chase pictures. For several years he travelled through 
 Europe. He became quite cosmopolitan in character, 
 and for a time enjoyed life abundantly. His very business 
 brought him in contact with artists and men of culture, 
 while his taste and love of beauty were daily gratified. 
 He had abundant means, and money could open many 
 doors of pleasure to one who, like him, was in vigorous 
 health and untroubled by a conscience. Moreover, he 
 was able to spend much time in his beloved Germany, and 
 while there the great ambition of his life entered his 
 .heart. His elder brother, who was living in exclusive 
 pride and narrow economy on the ancient but diminished 
 ancestral estate, ever received him graciously. This bro- 
 ther had married, but had not been blessed or cursed with 
 children, for the German baron, with his limited finances, 
 could never decide in what light to regard them. Too 
 poor to mingle with his equals, too proud to stoop to those 
 whom he regarded as inferiors, he had lived much 
 alone, and grown narrower and more bigoted in his family 
 pride day by day. Indeed, that he was Baron Ludolph, 
 was the one great fact of his life. He spent hours in con-
 
 88 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 ning over yellow, musty records of the ancient grandeur 
 of his house, and would gloat over heroic deeds of ances- 
 tors he never thought of imitating. In brief, he was like 
 a small barnacle on an old and water-logged ship, that 
 once had made many a gallant and prosperous voyage 
 richly freighted, but now had drifted into shallow water 
 and was falling to decay. He made a suggestion, how- 
 ever, to his younger brother, that wakened the ambition 
 of his stronger nature, and set him about what became his 
 controlling purpose, his life-work. 
 
 " Make a fortune in America," said his brother, " and 
 come back and restore the ancient wealth and glory of 
 your family." 
 
 The seed fell into receptive soil, and from that day the 
 art and pleasure-loving citizen of the world became an 
 earnest man with a purpose. But as he chose his purpose 
 mainly from selfish motives, it did not become an enno- 
 bling one. He now gave double attention to business and 
 practical economy. He at once formed the project of 
 starting in business for himself, and of putting the large 
 profits resulting from his judicious selection of pictures 
 into his own pocket. 
 
 He made the most careful arrangements, and secured 
 agencies that he could trust in the purchase of pictures 
 after he should return to the United States. 
 
 While in Paris, on his way back, an event occurred that 
 had a most untoward influence on his plans and hopes. 
 He fell desperately in love with a-beautiful French woman. 
 Like himself, she was poor, but of patrician blood, and was 
 very fascinating. She attracted him by her extreme beauty 
 and brilliancy. She was very shrewd, and could seem 
 anything she chose, being a perfect actress in fhe false, 
 hollow lite of the world. In accordance with Parisian 
 ideas, she wanted a husband to pay her bills, to be a sort 
 of protector and base of general operations. Here was
 
 BLUE BLOOD. 89 
 
 a man who promised well, fine looking, and if not rich, 
 capable of making large sums of money. 
 
 She insinuated herself into his confidence, and ap 
 peared to share his enthusiasm for the darling project of 
 his life. He felt that with such a beautiful and sympa- 
 thetic woman to spur him on and share his success, earth 
 would be a Paradise indeed ; and she assured him, in 
 many delicate and bewitching ways, that it would. In 
 brief, he married her; and then learned, in bitterness, 
 anger, and disgust, that she had totally deceived him. To 
 his passionate love she returned indifference ; to his de- 
 sire for economy, unbounded extravagance, contracting 
 debts which he must pay to avoid disgrace. She showed 
 an utter unwillingness to leave the gayety of Paris, laugh- 
 ing to his face at his plan of life, and assuring him that 
 she would never live in so stupid a place as Germany. 
 His love died hard. He made every appeal to her that 
 affection could. He tried entreaty, tenderness, coldness, 
 anger, but all in vain. Selfish to the core, loving him not, 
 utterly unscrupulous, she trod upon his quivering heart as 
 recklessly as the stones of the street. Soon he saw that, 
 in spite of his vigilance, he was in danger of being be- 
 trayed in all respects. Then he grew hard and fierce. 
 The whole of his strong German nature was aroused. In 
 a tone and manner that startled and frightened her, he 
 said : 
 
 " We sail for New York in three days. Be ready. If 
 you prove unfaithful to me if you seek to desert me, I 
 will kill yon. I swear it not by God, for' I don't believe 
 in Him. If he existed, such creatures as you would not. 
 But I swear it by my family pride and name, which are 
 dearer to me than life, if you leave a stain upon them you 
 shall die. You need not seek to escape me. I would fol- 
 low you through the world. I would kill you on the crowd- 
 ed street anywhere, even though I died myself the next 
 moment. And now look well to your steps."
 
 go BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 The glitter of his eye was as cold and remorseless as 
 the sheen of steel. She saw that he meant, and would do 
 just what he said. 
 
 This woman had one good point, at least it turned out 
 to be such in this case. She was a coward naturally, and 
 her bad life made her dread nothing so much as death. 
 Her former flippant indifference to his remonstrances now 
 changed into abject fear. He saw her weak side, learned 
 his power, and from that time forward kept her within 
 bounds by a judicious system of terrorism. 
 
 He took her to New York and commanded her to ap- 
 pear the charming woman she could, if she chose. She 
 obeyed, and rather enjoyed the excitement and deceit. 
 His friends were delighted with her, but he received their 
 congratulations with a grim, quiet smile. At times, though, 
 when she was receiving them with all grace, beauty, and 
 sweetness, the thought of what she was, seemed only a 
 horrid dream. But he had merely to catch her eye with 
 its gleam of fear and hate, to know the truth. 
 
 He felt that he could not trust to the continuance of 
 her good behavior, and was anxious to get away among 
 strangers as soon as possible. 
 
 He therefore closed up his business relations in New 
 York. Though she had crippled him greatly by her ex- 
 travagance, he had been able to bring out a fair stock of 
 good pictures, and a large number of articles of virtu, 
 selected with his usual taste. The old firm finding that 
 they could not keep him, offered all the goods he wanted 
 on commission. So in a few weeks he started for Chi- 
 cago, the most promising city of the West, as he believed, 
 and established himself there in a modest way. Still 
 the chances were even against him, for he had involved 
 himself heavily, and drawn to the utmost on his credit in 
 starting. If he could not sell largely the first year, he 
 was a broken man. For months the balance wavered,
 
 BLUE BLOOD. g t 
 
 and he rived with financial ruin on one side, and domestic 
 ruin on the other. But, with a heart of ice and nerves of 
 steel, he kept his hand on the helm. 
 
 H's beautiful collection, though in an unpretentious 
 store, at last attracted attention, and after some little time 
 it became the thing in the fashionable world to go there, 
 and from that time forward his fortune was made. 
 
 When his wife became a mother, there was a faint hope 
 in Mr. Ludolph's-heart that this event might awaken the 
 woman within her, if aught of the true woman existed. 
 He tried to treat her with more kindness, but found it 
 would not answer. She mistook it for weakness and giv- 
 ing way on his part. From first to last she acted in the 
 most heartless manner, and treated the child with shame- 
 less neglect. This banished from her husband even the 
 shadow of regard, and he cursed her to her face. Thence- 
 forth will and ambition controlled his life and hers, and 
 with an iron hand he held her in check. She saw that 
 she was in the power of a desperate man, who would sac- 
 rifice her in a moment if she thwarted him. 
 
 Through cowardly fear she remained his reluctant but 
 abject slave, pricking him with the pins and needles of 
 petty annoyances, when she would have pierced him to 
 the heart had she dared. This monstrous state of affairs 
 could not last forever, and had not death terminated the 
 unnatural relation, some terrible catastrophe would no 
 doubt have occurred- Having contracted a Western fe- 
 ver, she soon became delirious, and passed away in this 
 unconscious state, to the intense joy and relief of her 
 husband. 
 
 But the child lived, thrived, and developed into the 
 graceful girl whose beauty surpassed, as we have seen, 
 even the painter's ideal. Her father at first cared little 
 for the infant, but secured it every attention. ' But as it 
 developed into a pretty girl, with winning ways, and rich
 
 92 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 promise, he gradually associated her with his hopes and 
 plans, till at last she became an essential part of his am- 
 bition. 
 
 His plan now was briefly this: He would entangle 
 himself with no alliances or intimate associations in Amer- 
 ica, nor would he permit his daughter to do so. His only 
 object in staying here was the accumulation of a large for- 
 tune, and to this for a few years he would bend every en- 
 ergy of mind and body. As soon as he felt that he had 
 sufficient means to live in such style as befitted the ancient 
 and honorable name of his family, he would return to 
 Germany, buy all that he could of the ancestral estate 
 that from time to time had been parted with, and restore 
 his house to its former grandeur. He himself would then 
 seek a marriage connection that would strengthen his so- 
 cial position, while his daughter also should make a bril- 
 liant alliance with some member of the nobility. Mr. 
 Ludolph was a handsome, well-preserved man; he had 
 been most successful in business, and was now more rap- 
 idly than ever accumulating that which is truly a power 
 with Europeans of blue blood, as with democratic Ameri- 
 cans who are satisfied to have their vital fluid of the ordi- 
 nary red color. Moreover, his daughter's beauty promised 
 to be such, that, when enhanced by every worldly advan- 
 tage, it might well command attention in the highest cir- 
 cles. He sought with scrupulous care to give her just 
 the education that would enable her to shine as a star 
 among the high-born. Art, music, and knowledge of lit- 
 erature, especially the German, were the main things to 
 which her attention was directed, and in her father, with 
 his richly stored mind, faultless taste, and cultured voice, 
 she had an instructor such as rarely falls to the lot of the 
 most favored.
 
 DEACON GUDGEON'S SON. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 DEACON GUDGEON'S* SON. 
 
 WHEN his daughter was a young miss of fourteen, a 
 trouble occurred that might have sadly marred Mr. Lu- 
 dolph's finely spun web by which he sought to catch the 
 golden prizes of the future. 
 
 Christine, for that was her name, was then a merry 
 school girl, attending one of the best and most fashionable 
 institutes for young ladies in the city. On her way to and 
 fro she had been strongly attracted by a ruddy-faced youth 
 who seemed equally smitten by her charms. 
 
 She was then in the transition period, when neither 
 child nor woman : she had the wayward fancies of the 
 earlier state, without the self-control and knowledge of the 
 latter. At the same time the womanly nature awakening 
 within her like the first dawning of early Spring, made her 
 heart susceptible to the awkward attentions of her un- 
 known admirer, who as yet was shrouded in mystery, and 
 therefore delightful romance. One day when returning 
 home, he following as usual her distant and respectful 
 shadow, some rude little boys threw snowballs at her. 
 The unknown turned upon them like a lion, and as they 
 were all much smaller than himself, soon put them to 
 ignominious flight. He then hastened to her side and 
 asked if she were hurt. From that hour he became a hero, 
 a Bayard in her eyes, and her little feminine soul, that 
 must exalt and deify the creature of clay before it can 
 5
 
 94 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 truly love, surrendered at discretion. Qualities most at- 
 tractive to woman had been displayed courage toward 
 the world, gallantry and tenderness toward herself. He 
 could be. a protector. What more could her heart ask 01 
 seek ? She doted on the unknown. She would paint his 
 handsome face in such glowing colors as would make both 
 immortal, and in fact a round-faced youth with bloody 
 face and staring eyes in all stages of artis-tic mutilation 
 began to fill the hidjclen nooks of her portfolio. At times 
 the object of her constant thought would beam upon her 
 with one eye, she having been interrupted before she could 
 put in the other. In the same way other features would 
 be painfully lacking, but her loving fancy would fill them 
 out, and she would gaze devotedly on what others, not 
 possessed by her strong illusion, would regard as a fit sub- 
 ject for a coroner's inquest. 
 
 But though he remained in romantic mystery and main- 
 tained his incognito, she was not unknown to him. This 
 Chicago youth had forgotten his boyish innocence years 
 ago. He was shrewd, and had come of a shrewd tribe. 
 He was in fact the eldest son of Deacon Gudgeon, a well- 
 to-do fish-monger and green-grocer. But his father, am- 
 bitious in his way as Mr. Ludolph in his, had meant him 
 for great things, and had kept him out of the stall, so that. 
 Christine, who had often stopped with her father at the 
 Deacon's stand to order fish and oysters, had never seen 
 him there nor suspected the relation. The only daughter 
 of rich Mr. Ludolph was a grand " catch," and father and 
 son rejoiced in secret, though with fear and trembling over 
 the state of affairs. It was of course deemed best that he 
 should remain unknown till Christine had committed her- 
 self so far, or had become so attached to him, that she 
 could or would not draw back. If a secret, private mar- 
 riage could be brought about, they would avail themselves 
 of that, for however it might result, much could be wrung
 
 DEACON GUDGEON'S SON. 
 
 95 
 
 from Mr. Ludolph's pride, and some advantageous com- 
 promise effected. While this mine was being dug under 
 his feet, Mr. Ludolph thought of his daughter as a little 
 school girl, who had learned to conjugate " love," as any 
 other verb, only from her grammar. 
 
 But the fever of her first passion went on with little in- 
 terruption till it reached the crisis of " sweet idolatry." 
 For a few weeks after her rescue from the snow-battlers, 
 she could hardly have refused him anything. But the 
 wary youth over-reached himself in his own shrewdness. 
 His father's caution also held him back. They must not 
 frighten tnis rare bird by too precipitate action- till fairly 
 within the toils. 
 
 Meantime Christine having loved blindly all her girlish 
 nature could, began to grow a little critical. Gradually it 
 dawned upon her that the hero ever present to her fancy 
 was somewhat different from the flesh and blood youth of 
 the street. 
 
 Certain coarse ways and ungrammatical expressions 
 jarred upon her refined and sensitive nature. His mystery 
 began to grow suspicious instead of romantic. In bitter- 
 ness of heart she reproached herself for thus seeing spots 
 on the sun of her existence, but so it was, and these feel- 
 ings soon tinged her manners with a slight coldness at their 
 stolen interviews to and from school. This alarmed the 
 conspirators, and they felt that the time had come for de- 
 cisive action. 
 
 The next afternoon she saw her unknown admirer walk- 
 ing up the street to meet her. Unconsciously she com- 
 pared his swagger with the courtly bearing of her father, 
 and wondered at the difference. He was pomaded, pei- 
 fumed, and dressed to a greater degree than usual, and this 
 annoyed her. Moreover his face wore a -most sentimental, 
 lugubrious aspect, and she with strange perversity felt like 
 laughing. But she tried to meet him with a smile, as usual.
 
 j6 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 In a voice that he meant to be deeply affecting he said 
 "Christine, I'm agoin' away a far away from these 
 scenes of joy and love." 
 
 To her surprise, no regret but rather a sense of relief 
 ft] ed her heaTt in view of his absence her faithful heart 
 that she so often had promised would ever be true. 
 
 He went on to state that though he had fine prospects 
 great prospects, stil) the world would ever be " a sandy 
 sarah, a howlen wilderness, an unimproved prairie, without 
 her. Would she not marry him ? they would enter Para- 
 dise together ? " 
 
 All this might have sounded very heavenly and invit- 
 ing three weeks ago, but she was fast becoming disen- 
 chanted now. Her superior knowledge of geography 
 made " Sandy Sarah " too much for her, and when he 
 looked around to see the effect of his set speech, he found 
 her shaking with laughter. Then he reproached her, and 
 she laughed half hysterically all the more, for she was ex- 
 cited, worried, and hardly knew what she did. Then he 
 threatened her spoke vaguely of her having committed 
 herself promised and told her she had gone too far to 
 draw back, that she was in his power, etc. At this she 
 began to cry. Then he told her if she would only marry 
 him, it would be all right. But she cried all the more, and 
 felt she would rather die than marry him. Her excite- 
 ment and emotion attracted the attention of passers-by. 
 At last a gentleman stopped and asked \\hat was the 
 matter. 
 
 " I want to go home," said she. 
 
 " Where is your home ? " 
 
 " No. Wabash avenue." 
 
 "Why, my child, you're going right away from home." 
 At this she looked in quick alarm at her companion. The 
 unknown, perplexed, and anxious, felt that he must do 
 something or the game was lost, so he said stoutly
 
 DEACON GUDGEON'S SON. 
 
 97 
 
 " She's my sister, I will see her home safe." 
 
 The spell was^now broken utterly. She had caught 
 nim in a downright lie; and all confidence was at once 
 gone 
 
 " lie is not my brother," she cried. " He is a bad boy, 
 and I won't do what he wants me to." 
 
 The gentleman, who was a father and worthy citizen, 
 at once comprehended the case. 
 
 " Come with me, my child," he said ; " of course he is 
 not your brother one could see that half a block off. As, 
 for you, young man, leave, or I'll put you in charge of a 
 policeman." 
 
 The unknown needed no second warning, but slunk 
 quickly around the corner. 
 
 Christine saw in great alarm that she was in a part of 
 the city utterly unknown to her, but the gentleman took her 
 hand, and kindly reassuring her, soon brought her to fa- 
 miliar ground, but did not leave her till she ran up the 
 steps of her father's house. He then gave a low whistle 
 of surprise, and said to himself, 
 
 " If Ludolph does not look after his daughter as well 
 as his business, he will rue it. Though our acquaintance 
 is slight, I think I ought to tell him," and a few days after 
 he did, but the facts came to his knowledge sooner. 
 
 The next day Christine was too sick and worried to go 
 out. She was also afraid to go, for the vague threats she 
 had heard were all the more dreadful because vague and 
 mysterious. 
 
 Her father asked anxiously what was the matter, and 
 she said " a headache," she might justly have added a 
 heartache ; for the change from her ideal world of love and 
 happiness was great and cruel, and one that as yet she 
 could not understand. She despised herself, feared her 
 father, and dreaded her former lover more than all. Ev- 
 ery thing seemed chaotic and full of danger. A guilty
 
 98 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 fear of exposure and some kind of punishment, haunted 
 her, and what astonished and perplexed her most, was 
 that her former love had changed to utter loathing. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 THE RESULT OF FIRST LOVE. 
 
 THE day following, in order to escape suspicion, Chris- 
 tine went to school. She saw the unknown hovering about 
 in the distance, but dropping her veil she took a street-car 
 and escaped him. In the afternoon she joined herself to 
 a party of girls, instead of coming home alone, as had 
 been her custom. Again she saw him, but gave no sign 
 of recognition. Two days having passed safely, she began 
 to breathe more freely. 
 
 That evening, as she and her father sat in their luxu- 
 rious sitting-room, she was startled by a sharp ring at the 
 door. The father noticed her alarm and wondered at it 
 for a moment. But when the girl announced " Deacon 
 Gudgeon and son on business," all anxiety passed from 
 her face. What had she to do with Deacon Gudgeon and 
 son ? 
 
 " [ suppose he wants his money," said Mr. Ludolph ; 
 "ask him if he has brought his bill." 
 
 The girl soon returned with a long bill, (for Mr. Lu- 
 dolph was a good liver), but every article was charged at 
 only half price. 
 
 "What does this mean?" exclaimed Mr. Luclolph. 
 " Old dudgeon is not the man to take off fifty per cent, 
 fiom a bill for nothing," and he went down to solve the 
 mystery. 
 
 There was a cool, wary glitter in the Deacon's eye, but
 
 THE RESULT OF FIRST LOVE. 
 
 99 
 
 outwardly he was all smiles and graciousness, and wanted 
 to shake hands, but Mr. Ludolph conveniently did hot see 
 this. Everybody in the market called him " Deacon," 1: ut 
 Mr. Ludolph, in his punctilious pride, would not allow 
 himself even this slight familiarity toward one of the fish- 
 monger's class, and he called him simply Mr. Gudgeon 
 and his manner to such was ever as cool and yet as smil- 
 ing and bright as the glitter of an icicle. 
 
 " Mr. Gudgeon," he said, in an easy yet distant cour- 
 tesy, " there seems some mistake about this bill. I am 
 charged but half the usual price for the provisions I have 
 had." 
 
 Mr. Gudgeon grinned, shuffled, and intimated in an 
 obscure, bungling way, that, under the present " circum- 
 stances," he would not expect to charge Mr. Ludolph as 
 other customers. 
 
 " Indeed, sir, said Mr. Ludolph coldly, regarding his 
 strangely acting guest as if he had lost his wits, " I know 
 of no circumstances that should prevent me from paying 
 you a fair price for what I buy. I am abundantly able." 
 
 " No doubt, no doubt, abundantly able," said the Dea- 
 con with emphasis, as if relishing the fact. " Well, well, 
 sir, pay me what you like. It's all in the family he ! he 1 
 (with a constrained laugh) as people say, you know." 
 
 " What do you mean ? " demanded Mr. Ludolph sternly. 
 
 " P'raps she hasn't told you." 
 
 " Has your father lost his reason lately ? " asked Mr. 
 Ludolph in a perplexed tone of the son, who was shuffling 
 about looking very uneasy and abashed, now that he was 
 in the rich man's house he had so longed to enter. 
 
 Deacon Gudgeon saw that he could play the game of 
 hide-and-seek no longer that he must come out boldly. 
 But now, that he was in the presence of the proud man, and 
 finished gentleman, standing strong and secure in the 
 sanctity of his own home the home that he was seeking
 
 100 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 to invade by the vilest trickery, and unblushing effrontery, 
 even his brazen face showed some confusion, but he made 
 a bold plunge into the midst of things, resolving to reach 
 the crisis at once. 
 
 " IV not lost my reason, Mr. Ludolph," he said. " In- 
 deed, 1 come here to talk reason, to have a just under- 
 Standin'. You see before you a man and a father. I have 
 a deep and nataral interest in my offspring (with a wave 
 of his hand toward the shuffling youth who stood a little 
 in the back-ground, with his hands in his pockets, making 
 most uneasy efforts to appear at ease. The " offspring " 
 was undoubtedly a " chip of the old block.") It is quite 
 nataral that young folks, when they git growed up, should 
 leave father and mother and hum, and cleave to another. 
 It's also quite nataral that parents would like to know who 
 that other is. The s'lection of a partner for life is a sol- 
 emn thing, and parents can't always approve of the s'lec- 
 tion their offspring makes. My son " (with another stately 
 wave toward the offspring) " has made his s'lection, and 
 his love is recippercated. I can't say that I have any ob- 
 jection to his choice in fact I quite admire his taste. 
 Permit me to inform you that your daughter has promised 
 to marry my son." 
 
 During the oration from the Deacon, Mr. Ludolph had 
 turned all sorts of colors ; but he soon jumped to the 
 conclusion that it was a barefaced effort at black-mailing. 
 He remembered that when the door-bell rang Christine 
 had shown confusion, but when the Deacon and his son 
 \vere announced, only indifference; so he said 
 
 " You accursed fool, my daughter never saw your son." 
 
 " Call her," said the Deacon, coolly. 
 
 With a heart full of anger and disgust, Mr. Ludolph 
 called up the stair? in a loud, harsh voice 
 
 "Christine, come here a moment." 
 
 Trembling, and full of misgivings, Christine obeyed.
 
 THE RESULT OF FIRST LOVE. xc i 
 
 But the moment she saw the unknown she had so idol- 
 ized, she covered her face with her hands and tried to es- 
 cape. But her father seized her sternly and almost roughly 
 by the arm, and asked in a tone he had never used to her 
 before 
 
 " Christine, what does all this mean ? " 
 
 " You see, you see," squeaked the Deacon exultingly. 
 
 " Silence ! " said Mr. Ludolph in a voice of thunder. 
 " Let the girl speak," and thoughts of her mother sick- 
 ened his heart. " Is she to be the same ? " he queried. 
 " and has she commenced so early ? " 
 
 " Christine, do you know this boy ? " emphasizing the 
 word. 
 
 " Yes," put in the Deacon, " don't yer know this young 
 man 1 " emphasizing his term. 
 
 " Yes," said Christine faintly. 
 
 " Did you ever promise to marry this boy ? " said her 
 father. 
 
 " No ; he wanted me to marry him day before yester- 
 day, and I wouldn't." 
 
 Her father groaned, and she saw that his face was 
 ashen pale. 
 
 " Where did you meet him ? " he asked hoarsely. 
 
 " On my way home from school." 
 
 " How long has this been going on ? " 
 
 " It is about three months since I first saw him, but I 
 never knew who he was till to-night." 
 
 Her father again groaned. " Deceit ! deceit ? " 
 
 This stung Christine to the quick, and she cried pas- 
 sionately 
 
 "I never told a lie, but he did," pointing to her quon- 
 dam lover, \\ho stood with trembling knees, and a face that 
 he tried vainly to keep bold. " I know I have acted like 
 a fool," she continued, " and I have suffered enough in 
 consequence. But I was young and inexperienced, and 
 5*
 
 T02 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 did not know what I was doing. It all seems like a silly, 
 horrid dream, but now that it is done I won't lie about it." 
 Aud she told the whole story without any concealment, 
 Htr father watched her with a scrutiny that pierced her 
 very soul. He then cross-questioned her more searchingly 
 than the keenest lawyer, for more than life his ambition 
 and honor were at stake. With his thorough knowledge 
 of character and the world, he saw that he had obtained 
 from her the whole truth, and at the same time he clearly 
 detected the scheme of the Gudgeons. As he turned to 
 them, the Deacon was fairly startled, so terrible was his 
 expression. They saw that in Mr. Ludolph they had 
 caught a tartar. 
 
 " There is the door," he said in the deep suppressed 
 voice of passion. 
 
 The young man with a frightened look, started, but 
 the Deacon stood his ground. 
 
 " Look ahere, Mr. Ludolph, not so fast. My son's 
 blighted 'fections require rapparition. You can't expect 
 this matter to blow over," he added more plainly, " without 
 some good reason." 
 
 " How much do you mean by a good reason ?" said 
 Mr. Ludolph warily. 
 
 " You're a rich man ; you couldn't afford a scandal like 
 this to come out ; I mean a good round sum." 
 
 " I perceive you mean business, Mr. Gudgeon," said 
 Mr. Ludolph ; " let us proceed in a business-like way," 
 and he stepped to the door and called two of his servants, 
 an intelligent German man and an English woman. 
 
 When they appeared Mr. Ludolph continued in an affa- 
 ble matter-of-fact tone. " Now, Mr. Gudgeon, let us settle 
 this little affair between us, as I have other things on hand 
 this evening that require my attention. Just name the 
 sum before these witnesses that will satisfy your claim, and 
 we can soon end this transaction."
 
 THE RESULT OF FIRST LOVE. 
 
 103 
 
 " The Deacon's eyes glittered avariciously, and he be- 
 lieved he was having everything his own way. But he 
 hesitated, not daring' to name the sum he longed to. 
 
 " Come," said Mr. Ludolph impatiently, " do not be 
 afraid to speak out." 
 
 " Well," said the Deacon, brassily, " I'll settle with yer 
 for ten thousand dollars." At the same time he was evi- 
 dently frightened at the sum he had named. 
 
 " All right," said Mr. Ludolph coolly, and he stepped 
 to a small secretary and wrote the following : " On the pay- 
 ment of ten thousand dollars from Mr. Ludolph I will give 
 him a receipt in full for my claim against him. Is that 
 satisfactory ? " asked he. 
 
 " O cartainly, cartainly," said the exultant Deacon ; 
 " but you'd hardly expect a man and father to do it for 
 less, in view of such carcumstances as -" 
 
 " No words," said Mr. Ludolph firmly. 
 
 " O, I see, I understand ; we'll settle quietly," said the 
 Deacon with a significant wink. 
 
 "That is the better way," said Mr. Ludolph coolly. 
 " Just please sign that paper, so that I can be sure that 
 there will be no further trouble." 
 
 The Deacon at once scrawled his name. Mr. Ludolph 
 had his servants witness the signature, then dismissed the 
 woman. 
 
 He then sat down at his secretary again, wrote a fev* 
 lines, and said to his man, 
 
 " Here, Brandt, take this note to police station No. , 
 and give it to officer Brown." 
 
 " What do you mean ? " asked the Deacon in sudden 
 alarm. 
 
 " I mean to lodge you and your son in jail," said Mr. 
 Ludolph coolly. " You .have both taken part in a conspir- 
 acy to blackmail. You have given me written and legal 
 proof."
 
 104 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 The Deacon turned pale, and his son began to whine 
 and snuffle. Christine had tried to escape from a scene 
 that was painful aad sickening beyond words, but her 
 father sternly commanded her to remain. He meant thai 
 she should receive an impression that would last. 
 
 " You cannot afford to have this come out," snarled 
 the Deacon ; " it will make your daughter the town talk." 
 
 " I can stand it if yqji can," said Mr. Ludolph quietly. 
 
 "O father," pleaded Christine, "give him anything 
 rather than subject me to this mortification." 
 
 "You have subjected yourself to it," said her father. 
 " Romantic, gushing girls that bestow their affections in 
 the streets on fishmonger's sons, must expect the natural 
 consequences. 
 
 His tone was so cold and remorseless that all saw that 
 it was useless to oppose his iron will. The Deacon, who 
 was a large, powerful man, felt a strong impulse in his 
 desperation, to try force in order to recover from Mr. Lu- 
 dolph the proof of his guilt, but his wary adversary coolly 
 drew a revolver and said, 
 
 " That will not answer, Mr. Gudgeon." 
 
 Christine was almost ready to faint, and the teeth of 
 her former hero were fairly chattering with fright. But the 
 Deacon now came out in his worst light. He belonged 
 to the reptile class of humanity that can crawl anywhere 
 to do anything that selfishness prompts. He had sneaked 
 into a Christian church, and pulled over his black life the 
 sacred garb of religion. -By arts and wire-pulling he came 
 to be elected an officer, and then he made his deaconship 
 as prominent in the market as his sign over the fish-stall. 
 But he appreciated Christian faith, and was as true to it 
 as Judas Iscariot. But now fearing the loss of his eccle- 
 siastical honors, and also hoping to move Mr. Ludolph, 
 he whined, 
 
 " As a mar. and a father devoted to his offspring, I
 
 THE RESULT OF FIRST LOVE. 105 
 
 may have gone too far in this matter. But when you come 
 to know that I am a member of the church, in fact one of 
 the pillars, I know that you wont bring a cause of reproach 
 and stumbling." 
 
 "Maik that, Christine," said Mr. Ludolph; "your 
 would-be father-in-law is a pillar in the church. It must 
 be a queer institution that requires such pillars to uphold 
 it," he added with a sneering laugh. 
 
 " O please let us off this time, and we wont trouble you 
 no more," pleaded father and son in doleful chorus. 
 
 Mr. Ludolph thought a moment. If he prosecuied the 
 Deacon and his son, they having buffered all they could, 
 would become bitter enemies, bent on revenge. If he let 
 them go, but held the paper in terrorem over them, they 
 would have the strongest motive possible to keep still and 
 let him alone. He therefore said, 
 
 " Not because you are a 'pillar,' nor because you do 
 not richly deserve punishment, do I let you off, but because 
 I have no time to willingly waste on men of your stripe. 
 Sportsmen do not shoot vermin unless they must to get rid 
 of them. But I warn you plainly that if either you or your 
 son tr.ouble me or my daughter again, I will Have you 
 arrested, and punished to the extent of the law, if it take 
 all and more than the preposterous sum you named. Now 
 begone." 
 
 The Deacon and his son slunk off like whipped curs. 
 
 Mr. Ludolph then turned to his daughter, and said 
 icily. 
 
 " This time I have saved you from disgrace and shame. 
 The next time you are guilty of such a folly, you shall 
 abide the consequences. Go to your room, think over 
 this scene, and look down into this pit of all uncleanness 
 into which you so nearly fell." 
 
 With every fibre in her body tingling with shame and 
 self-disgust, Christine crept away to the welcome solitude
 
 106 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY, 
 
 of her own room. She put out the light so that she might 
 not even see her own face in the mirror. 
 
 Mr. Luclblph told the detective when he came that on 
 farther investigation he had concluded not to ask the 
 arrest of a certain party, and gave the man ten dollars for 
 his trouble, and so the matter ended. From that time 
 forth the Gudgeons sailed as wide of Mr. Ludolph as 
 timorous mariners of the maelstrom. 
 
 But Christine had received a lesson she could never 
 forget. Every feature in the humbling scene seemed 
 ourned into her very soul as with caustic. 
 
 For some weeks after the events above described Mr. 
 Ludolph treated his daughter with cold distrust. Chris- 
 tine saw that his confidence in her was gone. She was 
 very unhappy. She fairly turned sick when she thought 
 of the past. The words love and romance, were nauseat- 
 ing. She had lived in the world of romance and mystery ; 
 she had loved all that her girlish nature could, and how 
 had it ended ? However wrongly and unjustly, she 
 had, by the inevitable laws of association, connected 
 these words with the fishmonger and son ; and within a 
 week after her miserable experience she became as utter an 
 unbeliever in human love and happiness flowing from it, 
 as her father had taught her to be in God and the joy of 
 believing. Though seemingly a fair young girl, her father 
 had made her worse than a pagan. She believed in noth- 
 ing save art and her father's wisdom. He seemed to em- 
 body the culture and worldly philosophy that now became, 
 in her judgment, the only things worth living for. To 
 gain his confidence became her great desire. But this 
 had received a severe shock. Mr. Ludolph lost all faith in 
 everything save money and his own will. Religion was to 
 him .a gross superstition, with which he associated Pat 
 Murphy's priest and Deacon Gudgeon woman's virtue 
 and truth, poeuc fictions.
 
 THE RESULT OF FIRST LOVE. 
 
 107 
 
 He watched Christine narrowly, and said just enough 
 to draw out the workings of her mind. He then decided 
 to tell his plan for life, and give her strong additional 
 motives for doing his will. The picture he portrayed of 
 the r uture, dazzled her proud, ambitious spirit, and opened 
 to her fancy what then seemed the only path of happiness. 
 She entered into his projects with honest enthusiasm, and 
 bound herself by the most solemn promises to aid in 
 carrying them out. But in bitterness he remembered one 
 who had promised with seeming enthusiasm before, and 
 distrusted and watched his daughter with lynx-eyed vigi- 
 lance. 
 
 But gradually he began to believe in her somewhat, as 
 he saw her looking foward with increasing eagerness to 
 the heaven of German fashionable life, wherein she, rich, 
 admired, allied by marriage to some powerful noble fami- 
 ly, should shine a queen in the world of art. 
 
 " I have joined her selfishness to mine," he said, rubbing 
 his hands in self-gratulation. " I have blended our ambi- 
 tions and sources of hope and enjoyment, and that is 
 better than all her promises." 
 
 At the time that Dennis saw first the face that was so 
 beautiful and yet so married by pride and selfishness, Chris- 
 tine was about eighteen, and yet as mature in some respects 
 as a woman of thirty. She had the perfect self-possession 
 that familiarity with the best society gives. Mr. Ludolph 
 was too shrewd to seek safety in seclusion. He went with 
 his daughter into the highest circles of the city, and Chris- 
 tine had crowds of admirers and many offers. All- this she 
 enjoyed, but took coolly as her right, as a Greek goddess 
 might the incense that rose in her temple. She was too 
 proud and refined to flirt in the ordinary sense of the 
 word, and no one could complain that she gave much en- 
 couragment. But this was all the more stimulating to the 
 Chicago youth, and each one believed with confidence in
 
 108 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 his peculiar attractions, that he might succeed where all 
 others had failed. They were unaware that they had a 
 rival in some as yet unknown German nobleman. At last 
 it passed 'into a proverb that the beautiful and brilliant 
 girl who was so free and courtly in society, was as cold 
 and unsusceptible as one of her father's statues. 
 
 Thus it would seem that when circumstances brought 
 the threads of these two lives near each other, that of 
 Dennis and Christine, the most impassable barriers rose 
 betweea them, and that the threads could never be woven 
 together, nor the lives blended. 
 
 She was the daughter of the wealthy, aristocratic Mr. 
 Ludolph. He was her father's porter. Next to the love 
 of art, pride and w.orldly ambition were her strongest 
 characteristics. She was an unbeliever in God and relig- 
 ion, not from conviction, but from training. She knew 
 very little about either, and what light she had came to 
 her through false mediums, murky and discolored. 
 
 She did not even believe in that which in many young 
 hearts is religion's shadow, love and romance. Her fath- 
 er did not take a more worldly and practical view of life, 
 than she. 
 
 In marked contrast we have seen the character of 
 Dennis Fleet, drawing its inspiration from such different 
 sources. 
 
 Could two human beings be more widely separated 
 separated in that which divides more surely than continents 
 and seas ? 
 
 There was but one point of contact their mutual love 
 of art. 
 
 But if Dennis could have seen her warped, deformed 
 moral nature, as clearly as her beautiful face and form, he 
 would have shrunk from her almost in loathing. But while 
 recognizing defects, he shared the common delusion, that 
 the lovely ou 'ward form and face must enshrine much that
 
 VERY COLD. 
 
 109 
 
 was noble and ready to blossom into good, if the right mo- 
 tives could be presented. 
 
 As for Christine, she had one chance for life, one 
 chance for heaven. She was young. Her nature had not 
 so hardened and crystallized in evil as to be beyond new 
 and happier influences. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 VERY COLD. 
 
 WHEN Dennis entered Mr. Ludolph's store, Christine 
 was absent on a visit to New York, and on her return, re- 
 sumed her old routine. At this time she and her father 
 were occupying a suite of rooms at a fashionable hotel. 
 Her school-days were over, Mr. Ludolph preferring to 
 complete her education himself, in" accordance with his 
 peculiar views and tastes. She was just passing into her 
 nineteenth year, and looked out upon the world from the 
 vantage points of health, beauty, wealth, accomplishments 
 of the highest order, and the best social standing. Assur- 
 ance of a long and brilliant career possessed her mind, 
 while pride and beauty were like a coronet upon her brow. 
 She was the world's ideal of a queen. 
 
 And yet she was not truly happy. There was ever a 
 vague sense of unrest and dissatisfaction at heart. She 
 saw that her father was proud and ambitious in regard to 
 her, but instinctively felt that he neither loved nor trusted 
 her to any great extent. She seemed living in a palace of 
 ice and at times felt that she was turning into ice herself; 
 but her very humanity and womanhood, deadened and 
 warped though they were, cried out against the cold vi a life 
 without God or love. In the depths of her soul she felt
 
 HO BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 that something was wrong, but what, she could not under 
 stand. It seemed that she had everything that heart could 
 wish, and that she. ought to be satisfied. 
 
 She at last concluded that her restlessness was the 
 prompting of a lofty ambition, and if she chose she could 
 win world-wide celebrity as an artist. This, with the whole 
 force of her strong nature, she had determined to do, and 
 for over two years had worked with an energy akin to en- 
 thusiasm. She had resolved that painting should be the 
 solid structure of her success, and music its ornament. 
 
 Nor were her dreams altogether chimerical, for she had 
 remarkable talent in her chosen field of effort, and had been 
 taught to use the brush and pencil from a child. She could 
 imitate with skill and taste, and express with great accuracy 
 the musical thought of the composer. But she could not 
 invent and create new effects, and this had already begun 
 o trouble her. Bnt she worked hard and patiently, de- 
 .ermined to succeed. So great had been her application, 
 that her father saw the need of rest and change, and there- 
 fore her visit to New York. 
 
 She had now returned strengthened, and eager for her 
 former studies, and resumed them with tenfold zest. 
 
 The plan of re-arranging the store on artistic principles, 
 daily, grew in favor with her. It was just the exercise of 
 taste she delighted in, and she hoped some day to indulge 
 it on palace walls that would be her own. Her -father's 
 pride caused him to hesitate for some time, but she said 
 
 " Why, Chicago is not our home ; we shall soon be 
 thousands of miles away. You know how little we really 
 care for the opinions of people here : it is only our own 
 pride and opinion that we need consult. I see nothing 
 lowering or unfeminine in the work. I shall scarcely touch 
 a thing myself, merely direct ; for surely among allin your 
 employ there must be one or two pairs of hands not so ut- 
 terly awkward but that they can follow plain instructions.
 
 VERY COLD. 1If 
 
 My taste shall do it all. We are both eaily risers, and the 
 whole change can be made before the store is opened. 
 Moreover," she added (with an expression indicating that 
 she would have little difficulty in ruling her future German 
 castle, and its lord also), " this is an affair of our own. 
 Those you employ ought to understand by this time that it 
 is neither wise nor safe to talk our business outside." 
 
 After a moment's thought she concluded 
 
 " I really think that the proper arrangement of every 
 thing in the store as to light, display, and effect, so that 
 people of taste will be pleased when they enter, would add 
 thousands of dollars to your sales, and this rigid system 
 of old Schwartz's, which annoys us both beyond endur- 
 ance, will be broken up. 
 
 Won over by arguments that accorded with his incli- 
 nations, Mr. Ludolph gave his daughter permission to 
 carry out the plan in her own way. 
 
 She usually accompanied her father to the store in the 
 morning. He, after a brief glance around, would go to 
 his private office and attend to correspondence. She would 
 do whatever her mood prompted. Sometimes she would 
 sit down for a half hour before one picture ; again she 
 would examine most critically a statue, or a statuette. 
 Whenever new music was received, she looked it over anc' 
 carried off such pieces as pleased her fancy. 
 
 She evidently was a privileged character, and no one 
 save her father exercised the slightest control over her 
 movements. She treated all the clerks, save old Schwartz, 
 as if they were animated machines ; and by a quiet order, 
 as if she had touched a spring, would set tfcem in motion 
 to do her bidding. The young men in the store were all 
 of German descent, and rather heavy and undemonstra- 
 tive. Mr. Schwartz's system of order and repression had 
 pretty thoroughly quenched them. They were educated to 
 the niches they filled, and seemed to have no thqught
 
 II2 BARRIERS BURNED AWA\. 
 
 beyond ; therefore they were all unruffled at Miss Lu 
 dolph's air of absolute sovereignty. Mr Schwartz was as 
 obsequious as the rest, but as second to her father in 
 power, was permitted some slight familiarity. In fact this 
 heavy, stolid prime minister both amused and annoyed 
 her, and she treated him much as a child might an ele- 
 phant at times giving him the sugar plum of a compli- 
 ment, and oftener pricking him with the pin of some 
 caustic remark. To him she was the perfection of 
 womankind her reserved, dispassionate manner, her 
 steady, unwearied prosecution of a purpose, being just 
 the qualities that he most honored ; and he worshipped 
 her reverently at a distance as an old astrologer might 
 some particularly bright fixed star. No whisking comets 
 or changing satellites for old Schwartz. 
 
 As for Dennis, she treated him as she probably had 
 Pat Murphy, and for several days had no occasion to no- 
 tice him at all. In fact he kept out of her way, choosing 
 at first to observe rather than be observed. She became 
 an artistic study to him, for her every movement was 
 grace itself with one exception ; there was no softness 
 or gentleness in her manner. Her face fascinated him 
 by its beauty, though its expression troubled him. It 
 was so unlike his mother's, so unlike what he felt a wo- 
 man's ought to be. But her eager interest in that which 
 was becoming so dear to him art, would have covered a 
 multitude of sins in his eyes, and with a heart abounding 
 in faith and hope, not yet diminished by hard experience, 
 he believed that the undeveloped angel existed within her. 
 But he remembered her frown when she first noticed him 
 looking at her ; the shrewd Yankee youth saw that her 
 pride would not brook even a curious glance. But while 
 he kept at a most respectful distance he felt that there 
 was no such a wide gulf between them as she imagined. 
 By birth and education he was as truly entitled to her ao-
 
 VERY COLD. irj 
 
 quaintance as the young men who sometimes came into 
 the store with her and whom she met in society. Position 
 and wealth were alone wanting, and in spite of his hard 
 experience and lowly work he felt that there mi'St be some 
 way for him, as for others, to win these. 
 
 He longed for the society of ladies, as every right- 
 feeling young man does, and to one of his nature the 
 grace and beauty of woman was peculiarly attractive. If 
 before she came, the lovely faces of the pictures had filled 
 the place with a sort of witchery, and created about him 
 an atmosphere in which his artist-soul was awakening into 
 life and growth, how much more would it*be true of this 
 living vision of beauty that glided in and out every day. 
 
 " She does not notice me," he at first said to him- 
 self, any more than do these lovely shadows upon the 
 canvas. But what need I care ? I can study both them 
 and her, and thus educate my eye, and I hope my hand, 
 to imitate and perhaps surpass their perfections, in time." 
 
 But this cool philosophic mood did not last very long. 
 It might answer very well in regard to the pictures on the 
 walls, but there was a magnetism about this living breath- 
 ing woman that soon caused him to long for the privilege 
 of being near her and speaking to her of that subject 
 that interested them both so deeply. Though he had 
 never seen any of her paintings to know them, he soon 
 saw that she was no novice in art, and looked at every- 
 thing with the eye of a connoisseur. In reverie he had 
 many a spirited conversation with her, and trusted that 
 some day his dreams would become real. He had the 
 romantic hope that if she should discover his taste and 
 strong love of art she might at first bestow upon him a 
 patronizing interest which would gradually grow into 
 respect and acknowledgeed equality.
 
 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 SHE SPEAKS TO HIM. 
 
 AFTER the plan for the rearrangement of the store had 
 been determined upon, Miss Ludolph commenced study- 
 ing its topography. She went regularly through the build- 
 ing examining closely every part and space, sometimes 
 sketching a few outlines in a little gilt book. It would 
 seem that she was seeking by her taste to make the show 
 rooms pictures in themselves, wherein each part should 
 blend harmoniously, and create one beautiful effect. Den- 
 nis saw what was coming. The carrying out the plan he 
 had heard discussed, and he wished with intense longing 
 that he might be her assistant. But she would as soon have 
 thought of sending for Pat Murphy. She intended to 
 select one of the older clerks to aid her. Still Dennis 
 hoped that by some strange and happy turn of fortune, 
 part of this work might fall to him. 
 
 Every spare moment of early morning and evening he 
 spent in sketching and studying, but he sadly felt the need 
 of instruction and money to buy materials. He was mere- 
 ly groping his way as best he might, and he felt that Miss 
 Ludolph could teach him so much if she would only con- 
 descend to the task. He was willing to be a very humble 
 learner at first. If in some way he could only make known 
 his willingness to pick up the crumbs of knowledge that 
 she might be willing out of kindness to scatter in his way, 
 he might expect something from ordinary good nature. 
 
 But a week or two passed without his receiving so
 
 SHE SPEAKS TO HIM. Hg 
 
 much as a glance from those cold blue eyes that rested so 
 critically on all that passed before them ; and on an un- 
 lucky day in March all hope of any help from her, van- 
 ished. 
 
 Under the influence of Spring the streets were again 
 becoming muddy and wet, and his duty as boot-black in- 
 creased daily. He had arranged to perform this menial 
 task in a remote corner of the store, as much out of sight 
 as possible. The duty had become still more disagreeable 
 since the young lady haunted the place, for he feared she 
 would learn to associate him only with the dust and black- 
 ening brush. 
 
 Just behind where he usually stood, a good picture had 
 been hung, under Mr. Schwartz's system, simply because 
 it accurately fitted the space. It was in wretched light, 
 and could never be seen or appreciated there. Miss Lu- 
 dolph in her investigations and plannings discovered this 
 at a time most unfortunate for poor Dennis. Whilst pol- 
 ishing away one morning on the huge jumble of leather 
 that inclosed Mr. Schwartz's broad understanding, he sud- 
 denly became conscious that she was approaching. It 
 seemed that she was looking directly at him, and was 
 about to speak. His heart thumped like a trip-hammer, 
 his cheeks burned, and blur came over his eyes, for he was 
 diffident in ladies' presence. Therefore he stood before 
 her the picture of confusion, with the big boot poised in 
 one hand, and the polishing brush in the other. With the 
 instincts of a gentleman, however, he made an awkward 
 bow, feeling, though, that under the circumstances, his 
 politeness could only appear ridiculous. And he was right. 
 It was evident from the young lady's face, that her Keen 
 perception of the ridiculous was thoroughly aroused. But 
 for the sake of her own dignity (she cared not a jot for 
 him), she bit her lip to control her desire to laugh in his 
 face, and said rather sharply
 
 Il6 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 " Will you stand out of my way ? " 
 
 She had spoken to him. 
 
 He was so mortified and confused that in his effort to 
 obey, he partially fell over a bronze sheep, designed to 
 ornament some pastoral scene, and the heel of Mr. 
 Schwartz's heavy boot came down with a thump that made 
 everything ring. There was a titter from some of the 
 clerks. Mr. Ludoph, who was following his daughter, ex- 
 claimed, 
 
 " What's the matter, Fleet ? You seem rather unsteady, 
 this morning, for a church member." 
 
 For a moment he had the general appearance usually 
 ascribed to his unlucky stumbling-block. But by a strong 
 effort he recovered himself. Deigning no reply, he set his 
 teeth, compressed his lips, picked up the boot, and pol- 
 ished away as before, trying to look and feel regardless of 
 all the world. In fact he looked as proud as she ever had. 
 But for the time not noticing him, she said to her father 
 
 " Here is a specimen. Look where this picture is hung. 
 In boot-black corner I should term it. It would not sell 
 here in a thousand years, for what little light there is would 
 be obscured much of the time by somebody's big boots 
 and the artist in charge. It has evidently been placed 
 here in view of one principle alone dimension ; its length 
 and breadth according with the space in ihe corner. You 
 will see what a change I will bring about in a month or 
 two, after my plans are matured," and then strolled to an- 
 other part of the store. But before leaving, Miss Ludolph 
 happened to glance at Dennis's face, and was much struck 
 by its expression. Surely Pat Murphy never would 01 
 could look like that. For the first time the thought enter 
 ed her mind that Dennis might be of a different clay and 
 character from Pat. But the next moment his expression 
 of pride and offended dignity in such close juxtaposition to 
 the big boot he was twirling almost savagely around, again
 
 SHE SPEAKS TO HIM. uj 
 
 appealed to her sense of the ludicrous, and she turned 
 away with a broad smile. Dennis, looking up, saw the 
 smile and guessed the cause ; and when, a moment after, 
 Mr. Schwartz appeared, asking in his loud, blunt way? 
 
 " My boots ready ? " 
 
 He felt like flinging both at his head, and leaving the 
 store forever. Handing them to him without a word, he 
 hastened up-stairs, for he felt that he must be alone. 
 
 At first his impulse was strong to rebel, to assert that 
 by birth and education he was a gentleman, and must be 
 treated as such, or he would go elsewhere. But as the 
 tumult in his mind calmed, the case became as clear to him 
 as a sum in addition. He had voluntarily taken Pat Mur- 
 phy's place, and why should he complain at Pat's treat- 
 ment. He had pledged his word that there should be no 
 trouble from his being above his business, and he resolved 
 to keep his word till Providence gave him better work to 
 do. Then he remembered that the hands of his Divine 
 Lord and Master had done as humble work as his, and 
 was ashamed of his pride. He bathed his hot face in 
 cool water, breathed a brief prayer for strength and pa- 
 tience, and went back to his tasks strong and calm.
 
 Il8 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. . 9 
 
 PROMOTED. 
 
 LATE in the afternoon of the same day (which was Sat- 
 urday), as Mr. Ludolph was passing out of the store on 
 his way home, he noticed the table that he had arranged 
 artistically some little time before, as a lesson to his clerks. 
 Gradually it had fallen back into its old straight lines and 
 rigid appearance. He seemed greatly annoyed. 
 
 " What is the use of re-arranging the store," he mut- 
 tered. " They will have it all back again on the general 
 principle of a ramrod, in a little while. But we have put 
 our hands to this work, and it shall be carried through 
 even if I discharge half of these wooden-heads." 
 
 Then calling the clerk in charge, he said 
 
 " Look here, Mr. Berder, I grouped the articles on this 
 counter for you once, did I not ? " 
 
 "Yes sir! " 
 
 " Let me find them Monday morning just as I arranged 
 them on that occasion." 
 
 The young man looked as blank and dismayed as if he 
 had been ordered to swallow them all before Monday 
 morning. 
 
 He went to work and jumbled them up as if that was 
 grouping them, and then asked one or two of the other 
 clerks what they thought of it. They shook their heads, 
 stud said it looked worse than before. 
 
 " I vill study over him all day to-morrow, and den vill
 
 PROMOTED. 
 
 119 
 
 come early Monday and fix him," and the perplexed youth 
 took himself off. 
 
 Dennis felt almost sure that he could arrange it as Mr 
 Ludolph had, or with something of the same effect, but 
 did not like to offer his services, not knowing how they 
 would be received, for Mr. Berder had taken a special de- 
 light in snubbing him. 
 
 After the duties of the store were over, Dennis wrote 
 to his mother a warm, bright, filial letter, portraying the 
 scene of the day in its comic light, making all manner of 
 fun of himself, that he might hide the fact that he had suf- 
 fered. But he did not hide it, as a return letter proved, 
 for it was full of sympathy and indignation that her son 
 should be so treated, but also full of praise for his Chris- 
 tian manliness and patience. 
 
 " And now, my son," she wrote, "let me tell you of at 
 least two results of your steady, faithful performance of 
 your present humble duties. The money you send so reg- 
 ularly is more than sufficient for our simple wants. We 
 have every comfort, and I am laying something by for sick- 
 ness and trouble, for both are pretty sure to come before 
 long, in this world. In the second place you have given 
 me that which is far better than money comfort and 
 strength. I feel more and more that we can lean upon 
 you as our earthly support, and not find you a ' broken 
 reed.' While so many sons are breaking their mother's 
 hearts, you are filling mine with hope and joy. I am no 
 prophetess, my son, but from the sure word of God I pre- 
 dict for you much happiness and prosperity for thus cheer 
 ing and providing for your widowed mother. Mark my 
 words. God has tried you and not found you wanting. 
 He will soon give you better work to do work more in 
 keeping with your character and ability." 
 
 This prediction was fulfilled before Dennis received 
 the letter containing it, and it happened on this wise.
 
 120 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 Early Monday morning Mr. Berder appeared and at- 
 tempted the hopeless task of grouping the articles on his 
 table, in accordance with Mr. Ludolph's orders. After an 
 hour's work he exclaimed in despair, 
 
 " I cannot do him to save my life." 
 
 Dennis at a distance, with a half amused, half pitying 
 face, had watched Mr. Berder's wonderful combinations, 
 and when Rip Van Winkle was placed between two togaed 
 Roman Senators, and Ichabod Crane arranged as if mak- 
 ing love to a Greek Goddess, he came near laughing out- 
 tight. But when Mr. Berder spoke, he approached and 
 said kindly and respectfully 
 
 " Will you let me try to help you ? " 
 
 "Yes," said Mr. Berder, "you cannot make things 
 vorse." 
 
 Acting upon this ungracious permission, Dennis folded 
 his arms and studied the table for five minutes. 
 
 " Come," said Mr. Berder, " standing dare and looking 
 so vise as an owl, von't help matters. Mr. Ludolph will 
 be here soon." 
 
 " I am not losing time," said Dennis, ana a moment 
 proved he was not, for having formed a general plan for 
 its arrangement, he went rapidly to work, and in a quarter 
 of an hour, could challenge Mr. Ludolph or any other 
 critic to find serious fault. 
 
 " There ! I could do better if I had more time, but I 
 must go to my sweeping and dusting, or Mr. Schwartz 
 will be down on me, and he is pretty heavy, you know. I 
 never saw such a man, he can see a grain of dust half 
 across the store." 
 
 Mr. Berder had looked at Dennis's quick skillful mo- 
 tions in blank amazement, and then broke out into un- 
 wonted panegyric for him, 
 
 " I say, Vleet, dat's capital! Where you learn him?" 
 Then in a paroxysm of generosity he added,
 
 PROMOTED. Iai 
 
 " Dar's a quarter for you." 
 
 " No I thank you," said Dennis, " I did not do it foi 
 money." 
 
 " Vat did the fool do it for, den, I'd like to know," 
 muttered Mr. Berder, the philosophy of his life resuming 
 its former control. " Saved a quarter, anyhow, and vat's 
 more, know vare to go next time de old man conies down 
 on me." 
 
 A little after nine Mr. and Miss Ludolph came in, and 
 paused at the table. Dennis, unnoticed, stood behind 
 Benjamin Franklin and Joan of Arc, placed lovingly to- 
 gether on another counter, face to face, as if in mutual 
 admiration, and from his hiding place watched the scene 
 before him with intense anxiety. One thought only filled 
 his mind would they approve or condemn his taste, for 
 he had arranged the table on a plan of his own. His 
 heart leaped up within him when Mr. Ludolph said 
 
 " Why, Berder, this is excellent. To be sure you have 
 taken your own method, and followed your own taste, but 
 I find no fault with that, when you produce an effect like 
 this." 
 
 " I declare, father, chimed in Miss Ludolph, " this ta- 
 ble pleases me greatly. It is a little oasis in this great 
 desert of a store. Mr. Berder, I compliment you on your 
 taste. You shall help me re-arrange, artistically, every 
 thing in the building." 
 
 Dennis in his agitation, came near precipitating Ben- 
 jamin Franklin into the arms of Joan of Arc, a position 
 scarcely in keeping with either character. 
 
 -" Yes, Christine, that is true," continued Mr. Ludolph, 
 " Mr. Berder will be just the one to help you, and I am 
 glad you have found one competent. By all the furies ! 
 just compare this table with the one next to it, where the 
 Past, Present, and Future have not the slighest regard for 
 each other, and satyrs and angels, philosophers and ban-
 
 122 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 dits are mixed up about as closely as in real life. Here, 
 Beider, try your hand at this counter also ; and you, young 
 men, gather round and see what a difference, when art 
 instead of mathematics rules the world of Art. If this 
 thing goes on, we shall have the golden age tn.ck again in 
 the store. >; 
 
 Mr. Berder, though somewhat confused, had received 
 all his compliments with bows and smiles. But Dennis, 
 the moment the thrill of joy was over that he had pleased 
 Mr. and Miss Ludolph's fastidious taste, felt himself red- 
 dening with honest indignation that Mr. Border should 
 carry off all his laurels before his face. Bui he resolved 
 to say nothing, knowing that time would right him. When 
 Mr. Luclolph asked the young men to step torward, he 
 came with the others. 
 
 " That's right, Fleet," said Mr. Ludolph again, " you 
 can get a useful hint, too, like enough." 
 
 " Nonsense, father," said Miss Ludolph, in a tone not 
 so low but that Dennis heard it, " why spoil a good sweep- 
 er and duster by putting uppish notions in his head. He 
 keeps the store cleaner than any man you ever had, a n d I 
 don't soil my dresses as I used to." 
 
 Dennis's color heightened a little, and his lips grew 
 firmer together, but he gave no other sign that he heard 
 this limitation of his hope and ambition. But it cut him 
 rather_deep. The best he could ever do, then, in her view 
 was to keep her dresses from being soiled. 
 
 In the meantime Mr. Berder had shown great embar- 
 rassment at Mr. Ludolph's unexpected request. After a 
 few moments of awkward hesitation he stammered out 
 that he could do it better alone. The suspicion of keen 
 Mr. Ludolph was at once aroused, and he persisted 
 
 "O come, Mr. Herder, we don't expect you to do youi 
 best in a moment, but a person of your taste can certainly 
 make a great change for the better in the table before you."
 
 PROMOTED. 
 
 123 
 
 In sheer desperation the entrapped youth attempted 
 the task, but he had not bungled five minutes before Mr. 
 Ludolph said sharply, 
 
 " Mr. Berder, you did not arrange this table." 
 
 " Veil," whined Mr. Berder, " I didn't say dat I did." 
 
 " You caused us to believe that you did," said Mr. Lu- 
 dolph, his brow growing dark. " Now, one question, and 
 I wish the truth : Who did arrange this table ? " 
 
 " Vleet, dare, helped me," gasped Mr. Berder. 
 
 " Helped you ? Mr. Fleet, step forward, if you please, 
 for I intend to have the truth of this matter. How much 
 help did Mr. Berder give you in arranging this table ? " 
 
 "None, sir," said Dennis, looking straight into Mr. 
 Ludolph's eyes. 
 
 All looked with great surprise at Dennis, especially 
 Miss Ludolph, who regarded him most curiously. How 
 different he appears from Pat Murphy, she again thought. 
 
 " Some one has told a lie, now," said Mr. Ludolph 
 sternly. " Mr. Fleet, I shall put you to the same test that 
 Berder failed in. Arrange that counter sufficiently well 
 to prove that it was your hands that arranged this." 
 
 Dennis stepped forward promptly, but with a pale face 
 and compressed lips. Feeling that both honor and suc- 
 cess were at stake, he grouped and combined every thing 
 as before, as far as the articles would permit, having no 
 time to originate a new plan. As he worked, the clerks 
 gazed in open astonishment, Mr. Ludolph looked signifi- 
 cantly at his daugnter, while she watched him with some- 
 thing of the same wonder which we have when one of the 
 lower animals show human sagacity and skill. 
 
 Mr. Ludolph was Napoleonic in other respects than his 
 ambition and selfishness. He was shrewd enough to 
 " promote on the field for meritorious services." There- 
 fore, as Dennis's task approached completion, he said 
 
 " That will do, Mr. Fleet, you can finish the work at
 
 124 
 
 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 your leisure. Mr. Berder, you are discharged from this 
 day for deception. I would have borne with your incom- 
 petency if you had been truthful. But I never trust any 
 one who has deceived me once," he said, so sternly that 
 even Christine's cheek paled. " Mr. Schwartz will settle 
 with you, and let me never ?ee or hear from you again. 
 Mr. Fleet, I promote you to Mr. Berder's counter and 
 
 pay." 
 
 Thus this man of the world, without a thought of pity, 
 mercy, or kindly feeling in either case, gave one of his 
 clerks a new impetus towards the devil, and another an 
 important lift up to better things, and then went his 
 way, congratulating himself that all things had worked 
 together for his good, that morning, though where he would 
 find another Dennis Fleet to fill Pat's place, now vacant 
 again, he did not know. 
 
 But Miss Ludolph looked at Dennis somewhat kindly, 
 and with a little honest admiration in her face. He 
 was so different from what she had supposed him to be as 
 a matter of course, and had just done in a quiet manly 
 way a thing most pleasing to her, so she said with a smile 
 that seemed perfectly heavenly to him, 
 
 " You are above blacking boots, sir," and then think- 
 ing that a cut at his discomfited rival would gratify him, 
 she turned to Mr. Berder and said, " And you, sir, it 
 seems, are fit for nothing else." 
 
 She would have known her mistake if she had heard 
 Dennis's soliloquy when left to himself, "How could she 
 hit him when he was down."
 
 JUST IN TIME. 135 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 JUST IN TIME. 
 
 Ar the close of the day on which Dennis received his 
 promotion, and his horizon was widened so unexpectedly, 
 Mr. Ludolph in passing out, noticed him engaged as usual 
 on one of Pat Murphy's old tasks. He stopped and 
 spoke kindly, 
 
 " Well, Fleet, where am I going to find a man to fill 
 your place made vacant to-day ?" 
 
 " Would you be willing to listen to a suggestion from 
 me?" 
 
 " Certainly." 
 
 " If a young boy was employed to black boots, run er- 
 rands, and attend to minor matters, I think that by 
 industry I might for a while fill both positions. In a short 
 time the furnace will require no further attention. I am 
 a very early riser, and think that by a little good manage- 
 ment, I can keep the store in order and still be. on hand 
 to attend to my counter when customers are about." 
 
 Mr. Ludolph was much pleased with the proposition, 
 and said promptly, 
 
 " You may try it Fleet, and I will pay you according 
 ly. Do you know of a boy who will answer ?" 
 
 " I think I do, sir. There is a German lad in my mis 
 sion class that has interested me very much. His fathei 
 is really a superior artist, but is throwing himself away 
 with drink, and his mother is engaged in an almost hope- 
 less effort to support the family. They have seen, much 
 better days, and their life seems very hard in contrast with 
 the past." 
 6*
 
 126 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 " Can we trust such a boy ? Their very necessities 
 may lead to theft." 
 
 " They are not of the thieving sort, sir. I am satisfied 
 that they would all starve father than touch a penny that 
 did not belong to them." 
 
 " Very well, then, let him come and see me ; but I will 
 hold you responsible for him." 
 
 Mr. Ludolph being in a good humor was disposed to 
 banter Dennis, so he said 
 
 " Do you find time to be a missionary, also ? Are you 
 not in danger of becoming a "jack at all trades ?" 
 
 " I am not entitled to the first character, and hope to 
 shun the latter. I merely teach a dozen boys in a mis- 
 sion school on Sundays." 
 
 " When you ought to be taking a good long nap, or 
 off on the lake for fresh air and a change." 
 
 " I should be dishonest if I spent my Sabbaths in that 
 way." 
 
 " How so ?" 
 
 " I should give the lie to my profession and belief. I 
 must drop the name of Christian when I live for myself." 
 
 " And if you should drop it, do you think you would 
 be much the loser ?" 
 
 " Yes sir/' said Dennis with quiet emphasis. 
 
 " You are expecting great reward in some sort of a 
 paradise, for your mission work, etc. ?" 
 
 " Nothing done for God is forgotten or unrewarded." 
 
 " Believing that, it seems to me that you are looking 
 after self-interest as much as the rest of us," said his em- 
 ployer with a shrewd smile. 
 
 Looking straight into Mr. Ludolph's eyes, Dennis said 
 earnestly 
 
 " Without boasting, I think that I can say that I try to 
 serve you faithfully. If you could see my heart, I am 
 sure you would rind gratitude for your kindness, part of
 
 JUST IN TIME. I2 7 
 
 my motive, as well as my wages. In the same manner, 
 while I do not lose sight of the rich rewards God promis- 
 es and daily gives for the little I can do for Him, I am cer- 
 tain that I can do much out of simple gratitude and love, 
 and ask no reward. 
 
 " Ignorance is certainly bliss in your case, young 
 man. Stick to your harmless superstition as long as you 
 can." 
 
 And he walked away muttering " Delusion, delusion! 
 I have not said a word or done a thing for him in which I 
 had not in view my interests only, and yet the poor young 
 fool sees in the main disinterested kindness. Little 
 trouble have the wily priests in imposing on such victims, 
 and so they get their hard earned wages and set them 
 propagating the delusion in mission schools, when mind 
 and body need change and rest. Suppose there is a su- 
 preme being in the universe, what a monstrous absurdity 
 to imagine that he would trouble himself to reward this 
 Yankee youth for teaching a dozen ragamuffins in a ten- 
 ement house mission school." 
 
 Thus Mr. Ludolph's soliloquy proved that his own pride 
 and selfishness had destroyed the faculty by which he 
 could see God. The blind are not more oblivious to 
 color, than he to those divine qualities which are designed 
 to win and enchain the heart. A man may sadly mutilate 
 his own soul. 
 
 At a dinner-table where coarse abundance was con- 
 spicuously absent, and a few delicate dishes of the 
 choicest viands made the bill of fare, Mr. Ludolph and 
 his daughter discussed the events of the day. 
 
 " 1 am glad,'' said the latter, "that he is willing to fill 
 Pafb place, foi he keeps everything so clean. A dusty 
 slovenly store is my abomination. Then it shows that he 
 has no silly, uppish notions so common to these Ameri- 
 cans. (Though born here, Miss Ludolph never thought 
 herself otherwise than a German lady of rank.) But J
 
 J2 8 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 do not wish to see him blacking boots again. Yet he is 
 an odd genius. How comically he looked bowing to me 
 with one of Mr. Schwartz's big boot describing a graceful 
 curve on a level with his head. Let old Schwartz black his 
 own boots. He ought to as a punishment for carrying 
 around so much leather. This Fleet must have seen 
 better days, for he is as different from Pat Murphy as 
 bronze from cast iron. He is like all Yankees, however, 
 sharp after the dollar, though he seems more willing to 
 work for it than most of them." 
 
 " I'll wager you a pair of gloves," said her father, 
 " that they get a good percentage of it down at the mis- 
 sion school. He is just the subject for a cunning priest, 
 because he sincerely believes in their foolery. He be- 
 longs to a tribe now nearly extinct, I imagine the mar- 
 tyrs, who in old-fashioned times, died for all sorts of 
 delusions." 
 
 " How time mellows and changes everything. There 
 is something heroic and worthy of art in the ancient mar- 
 tyrdoms, while nothing is more repulsive than modern 
 fanaticism. It is a shame, though, that this young man, 
 with mother and sisters to support, should be robbed of 
 his hard earnings as was Pat Murphy by his priest, and I 
 will try to open his eyes some day." 
 
 " I predict for you no success." 
 
 " Why so ? he seems intelligent." 
 
 " I have not studied character all my life in vain. He 
 would regard you, my fair daughter, as the devil tempting 
 him in the form of an angel of light." 
 
 " He had better not be so plain spoken as yourself." 
 
 " O, no need of Fleet's speaking; his face is like the 
 open page of a book." 
 
 " Indeed ! a face like a sign-board is a most unfortu- 
 nate one, I should think.'' 
 
 " Most fortunate for us. I wish I could read every 
 one as I can Fleet."
 
 JUST IN TIME. I2 g 
 
 ^ 
 
 u You trust no one, I believe, father." 
 " I believe what I see and know." 
 
 '' I wish I had your power of seeing and knowing. But 
 how did he get his artistic knowledge and taste." 
 
 " That I have not inquired into fully, as yet. I think 
 he has an unusual native aptness for these things, and 
 gains hints and instruction where others would see noth- 
 ing. And as you say, in the better days past he may have 
 had some advantages." 
 
 " Well, said she, " if my greyhound, Wolf here should 
 go to the piano and execute an opera, I should not have 
 been more astonished than I was this morning." 
 
 And then their conversation glided off on other topics. 
 
 After dessert, Mr. Ludolph lighted a cigar and sat 
 down to the evening paper, while his daughter went to 
 the piano and evoked from it true after-dinner music 
 light, brilliant, mirth-inspiring. Then both adjourned to 
 their private billiard-room. 
 
 The scene of our story now changes from Mr. Lu- 
 dolph's luxurious apartments in one of the most fashion- 
 able hotels in the city to a forlorn attic in De Kovan 
 street. It is the scene of a struggle as desperate, as 
 heroic, against as tremendous odds as was ever carried on 
 in the days of the Crusades. But as the foremost figure 
 in this long, weary conflict, was not an armed and pano- 
 plied knight, but merely a poor German woman, only God 
 and the angels took much interest in it. Still upon this 
 evening she was almost vanquished. She seemed to have 
 but one vantage point left on earth. For a wonder, her 
 husband was comparatively sober, and sat brooding 
 with head in his hands over the store where a fire was 
 slowly dying out. The last coal they had was fast turning 
 to ashes. From a cradle came a low, wailing cry. It was 
 that of hunger. On an old chest in a dusky corner sat a
 
 130 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 boy about thi 'teen. Though all else was in shadow, his 
 large eyes shone with unnatural brightness, and followed 
 his mother's feeble efforts at the wash-tub with that expres- 
 sion of premature sadness so pathetic in childhood. Un- 
 der a rickety deal table three other and smaller children 
 were devouring some crusts of bread in a ravenous wav 
 like half-famished young animals. In a few moments they 
 came out and clamored for more, around not their father; 
 no intuitive turning to him for support but the poor over- 
 tasked mother. The boy came out of his corner and tried 
 to draw them off and interest them in something else, but 
 they were like a pack of hungry little wolves. The boy's 
 face was almost as sharp and famine-pinched as his moth- 
 er's, but he seemed to have lost all thought of himself in 
 his soriowful regard for her. As the younger children 
 clamored and dragged upon her, the point of endurance 
 was passed, and the poor woman gave way. With a de- 
 spairing-cry she sank upon a chair and covered her face 
 with her apron. 
 
 " O mine Gott, O mine Gott," she cried, " I can do not 
 von more stroke if ve all die." 
 
 In a moment her son had his arms around her neck, 
 and said 
 
 " O moder, don't cry, don't cry. Mr. Fleet said, God 
 would surely help us in time of trouble if we would only 
 ask Him." 
 
 " I've ask Him, and ask Him, but de help don't come. 
 I can do no more," and a tempest of despairing sobs 
 shook her gaunt frame. 
 
 " The boy seemed to have got past tears, and just fixed 
 his large eyes, full of reproach and sorrow, on his father. 
 
 The man rose and turned his bloodshot eyes slowly 
 around the room. The whole scene, with its meaning, 
 seemed to dawn upon him. His mind was not so clouded 
 by the fumes of liquor but that he could comprehend the
 
 JUST IN TIME. 13! 
 
 supreme miserj of the situation. He heard his children 
 crying fairly howling for bread. He saw the wife he had 
 sworn to love and honor, where she had fallen in her un- 
 equal conflict, brave, but overpowered. He remembered 
 the wealthy burgher's blooming, courted daughter, that he 
 had lured away to marry him, a poor artist. He remem- 
 bered how in spite of her father's commands and mother's 
 tears, she had left home and luxury to follow him through- 
 out the world because of her faith in him, and love for 
 him how under her inspiration he had risen to great 
 promise as an artist till fame and fortune became almost 
 a certainty, and then under the debasing influence of his 
 terrible appetite, he had dragged her down and down, till 
 now, prematurely old, broken in health, broken in heart, he 
 saw her fall helplessly before the hard drudgery that she 
 no longer had strength to perform. With a sickening hor- 
 ror he remembered that he had taken even the pittance 
 sho had wrung from that washtub, not to feed his Children, 
 but his accursed appetite for drink. Even his purple, 
 bloated face grew livid as all the past rushed upon him, 
 aod despair laid an icy hand upon his heart. 
 
 A desperate purpose formed itself within his mind. 
 
 Turning to the wall where hung a noble picture, a 
 lovely landscape, whose rich coloring, warm sunlight, and 
 rural peace, formed a sharp, strange contrast with the 
 meagre, famine-stricken apartment, he was about to lift 
 it down from its fastening when his hand was arrested by 
 r word 
 
 " Father ! " 
 
 He turned, and saw his son looking at him with his 
 great eyes full of horror and alarm, as if he were coin- 
 mitting a murder. 
 
 " I tell you I must, and I vill," said he savagely. 
 
 His wife looked up, sprang to his side, and with her 
 hands upon his arm, said,
 
 132 
 
 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 " No, Berthold, you must not, you shall not sell dut 
 picture." 
 
 He silently pointed to his children crying for bread. 
 
 " Take de dress off my back to sell, but not dat pic- 
 ture. Ve may as well die before him goes, for ve cer- 
 tainly vill after. Dat is de only ting left of de happy past. 
 Dat, in Gott's hands, is my only hope for de future. Dat 
 picture tells you vat you vas, vat you might be still if you 
 would only let drink alone. Many's de weary day, many's 
 de long night, I've prayed dat dat picture vould vin you 
 back to your former self, ven tears and suffering vere in 
 vain. Leave him, and some day he vill tell you so plain 
 vat you are, and vat you can be, dat you break de horrid 
 spell dat chains you, and your artist-soul come again. 
 Leave him, our only hope, and sole bar against despair 
 and death. I vill go and beg a tousand times before dat 
 picture's sold ; for if he goes, your artist-soul no more 
 come back, and you're lost, and ve all are lost." 
 
 The man hesitated. His good angel was pleading with 
 him, but in vain. 
 
 Stamping his foot with rage and despair, he shouted 
 hoarsely, " It is too late, I am lost now." 
 
 And he tore the picture from its fastening. His wife 
 sank back against the wall with a groan as if her very soul 
 was departing. 
 
 But before his rash steps could leave the desolation he 
 had made, he was confronted by the tall form of Dennis 
 Fleet. 
 
 The man stared at him for a moment as if he had been 
 an apparition, and then said in a hard tone, 
 
 " Let me pass ! " 
 
 Dennis had knocked for some time, but such had been 
 the excitement within, no one had regarded. He had, 
 therefore, heard the wife's appeal and its answer, and from 
 what he knew of the family from his mission scholar, the
 
 JUST IN TIME. I35 
 
 boy Ernst, comprehended the situation in the main. When, 
 therefore, matters reached the crisis, he opened the door 
 and met the infatuated man as he was about to throw 
 away the last relic of his former self and happier life. 
 With great tact he appeared as if he knew nothing, and 
 quietly taking a chair he sat down with his back against 
 the door, thus barring egress. In a pleasant, affable tone, 
 he said, * 
 
 " Mr. Bruder, I came to see you on a little business 
 to-night ; as I was in something of a hurry, and no one 
 appearing to hear my knock, I took the liberty of com- 
 ing in." 
 
 The hungry little ones looked at him with their round 
 eyes of children's curiosity, and for a time ceased their 
 clamors. The wife sank into a chair and bowed her head 
 in her hands with the indifference of despair. Hope had 
 gone. A gleam of joy lighted up Ernst's pale face at the 
 sight of his beloved teacher, and he stepped over to his 
 mother and commenced whispering in her ear, but she 
 heeded him not. The man's face wore a sullen, danger- 
 ous, yet irresolute expression. It was evident that he 
 half believed that Dennis -was knowingly trying to thwart 
 him, and such vas his mad frenzy he was r^ady for any 
 desperate deed.
 
 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 RESCUED. 
 
 IN a tone of suppressed excitement, which he tried in 
 vain to render steady, Mr. Bruder said 
 
 "You haf he advantage of me, sir. I know not your 
 name. Vat is more, I am not fit for bissiness dis night 
 indeed, I haf important bissiness elsewhere. You must 
 excuse me," he added sternly, advancing toward the door 
 with the picture. 
 
 " Pardon me, Mr. Bruder," said Dennis politely. " I 
 throw myself entirely on your courtesy, and must ask as a 
 very great favor that you will not take away that picture 
 till I see it, for that, in part, is just what I came for. I 
 am in the picture trade myself, and think that I am a tol- 
 erably fair judge of paintings. I heard accidentally you 
 had a fine one, and from the glimpse I catch of it, I think 
 I have not been misinformed. If it is for sale, perhaps I 
 can do as well by you as any one else. I am employed in 
 Mr. Ludolph's great store, the "Art Building." You 
 probably know all about the place." 
 
 " Yes, I know him," said the man, calming down some- 
 what. 
 
 ' And now sir," said Dennis, with a gentle winning 
 courtesy impossible to resist, " will you do me the favo 
 of showing me your picture ? " 
 
 He treated poor Bruder as a gentleman, and he hav- 
 ing leally been one, instinctively inclined toward return 
 in^ like courtesy. Therefore h-j said
 
 RESCUED. 
 
 '35 
 
 " O certainly, since yon vish to see him. I suppose I 
 might as well sell him to you as any von else." 
 
 Mr. Bruder was a man of violent impulses, and his 
 mad excitement was fast leaving him under Dennis s cool 
 business-like manner. To gain time was now the great 
 desideratum. 
 
 The picture having been replaced upon the wall, Mr. 
 Bruder took the lamp and held it so as throw as good a 
 light as possible. 
 
 Dennis folded his arms calmly and commenced its 
 study. He had meant to act a part, to pretend deep in- 
 terest and desire for long critical study, that he might se- 
 cure more time, but in a few moments he became honestly 
 absorbed in the beautiful and exqusitely finished land- 
 scape. 
 
 The poor man watched him keenly. Old associations 
 and feelings, seemingly long dead, awoke. As he saw 
 Dennis manifest every mark of true and growing appre- 
 ciation, he perceived that his picture was being studied by 
 a connoisseur. Then his artist-nature began to quicken 
 into life again. His eyes glowed, and danced rapidly 
 from Dennis to the painting, back and forth, following up 
 the judgment on each and every part, which he saw writ- 
 ten in the young man's face. As he looked and watched, 
 something like hope and exultation began to light up his 
 sullen, heavy features thought and feeling to spiritualize 
 and ennoble what but a little before had been so coarse 
 and repulsive. 
 
 Ernst was looking at .Dennis in wrapt awe, as if he 
 were a messenger from heaven. 
 
 The poor wife, who had listened in a dull apathy to the 
 conversation, raised her head in sudden and intelligent 
 interest when the picture was replaced on the wall. It 
 would seem that her every hope was bound up in that. 
 As she saw Dennis and her husband standing before it, as
 
 136 BARRIERS BURNED AWAV. 
 
 she saw the face of the latter begin to change somewhat 
 toward his old former self, her whole soul came into her 
 great blue eyes, and she watched as if more than life were 
 at stake. 
 
 If that meagre apartment with its inmates, their con- 
 trasts of character, their expressive faces, could have then 
 been portrayed, it would have made a picture with power 
 to move the coldest heart. 
 
 At last Dennis drew a long breath, turned and gave his 
 hand to the man, saying with hearty emphasis, 
 
 " Mr. Bruder, you are an artist." 
 
 The poor man lifted his face to heaven with the same 
 expression of joy and gratitude that had rested on it long, 
 long years ago ,when his first real work of art had received 
 similar praise. 
 
 His wife saw and remembered it, and with an ecstatic 
 cry that thrilled Dennis's soul, exclaimed: 
 
 "Ah, mine Gott be praised, mine Gott be praised, his 
 artist-soul come back." 
 
 And she threw herself on her husband's neck, and 
 clung to him with hysteric energy. The man melted down 
 completely, and bowing his head upon his wife's shoul- 
 ders, his whole frame shook with sobs. 
 
 " I will be back in half an hour," said Dennis, hastily, 
 brushing tears from his own eyes. " Come with me, Ernst." 
 
 At the foot of the stairs Dennis said : 
 
 " Take this money, Ernst, and buy bread, butter, tea, 
 milk, and coal, also a nice large steak, for I am going to 
 take supper with you to-night. , I will stay here and watch, 
 for your father must not be permitted to go out." 
 
 " O Gott bless you, Gott bless you," said the boy, and 
 he hurried away to do his errand. 
 
 Dennis walked up and down before the door on guard. 
 Ernst soon returned, and carried the welcome food up- 
 stairs. After a little time he stole down again and said.
 
 RESCUED. 
 
 137 
 
 " Father's quiet and queer like. Mother has given 
 the children a good supper and put them to bed. Better 
 come now." 
 
 " In a few moments more ; you go back and sit down 
 quietly and say nothing." 
 
 After a little Dennis went up and knocked at the door. 
 Mrs. Bruder opened it, and held out her hand. Her 
 quivering lips refused to speak, but her eyes filled with 
 grateful tears. The. children were tucked away in bed. 
 Ernst crouched by the fire eating some bread and butter, 
 for he was cold and half-famished. Mr. Bruder sat in the 
 dusky corner with his head in his hands, the picture of 
 dejection and sorrow. But as Dennis entered, he rose 
 and came forward. He tried to speak, but for a moment 
 could not. At last he said, hoarsely, 
 
 " Mr. Fleet, (for dat is your name, my boy tells me), 
 you haf done me and mine a great kindness. No matter 
 vat the result is, I tank you as I never tanked any living 
 being. I believe Gott sent you, but I fear too late. You 
 see before you a miserable wreck. For months and years 
 I have been a brute, a devil. Dat picture dare show you 
 vat .1 vas, vat I might haf been. You see vat I am," he 
 added, with an expression of intense loathing and self- 
 disgust. " I see him all to-night as if written in letters of 
 fire, and if dare is a worse hell than de von I feel within 
 my soul, Gott only knows how I am to endure him." 
 
 " Mr. Bruder, you say I have done you a favor." 
 
 " Gott knows you haf." 
 
 " I want you to do me one in return. I want you to 
 let me be your friend, said Dennis, holding out his hand. 
 
 The man trembled, hesitated ; at last he said, bro- 
 kenly 
 
 " I am not fit to touch your hand." 
 
 " Mr. Bruder," said Dennis, gently, " I hope that I am 
 a Christian."
 
 138 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 " Still more, den, am I am unfit ever to be in your pres- 
 ence." 
 
 " What ! am I greater than my Master ? Did not Christ 
 take the hand of every poor struggling man on earth that 
 would let Him ? Come, Mr. Bruder, if you have any real 
 gratitude for the little I have done to show my interest in 
 you and yours, grant me my request." 
 
 " Do you really mean him ? " he gasped. " Do you 
 really want to be drunken old Berthold Bruder's friend ? " 
 
 " God is my witness, I do," said Dennis, still holding 
 out his hand. 
 
 The poor fellow drew a few short, heavy breaths, and 
 then grasped Dennis's hand, and clung to it as a drown- 
 ing man might. 
 
 " Oh ! " said he, after a few moments of deep emotion, 
 " I feel that I have a plank under me now." 
 
 " God grant that you may soon feel that you are on the 
 Rock Christ Jesus," said Dennis, solemnly. 
 
 Fearing the reaction of too great and prolonged emo- 
 tion, Dennis now did every thing in his power to calm 
 and quiet his new found friends. He told them that he 
 boarded at a restaurant, and asked him if he might take 
 supper with them. 
 
 " Him is yours already," said Mr. Bruder. 
 
 " No it isn't," said Dennis, " not after I have given it 
 to you. But I want to talk to you about several matters, 
 for I think you can be of great service to me." 
 
 And he told them of his experience during the day ; 
 how he had been promoted, and that he wanted Ernst to 
 come and aid him in his duties. Then he touched on the 
 matter nearest his heart his own wish to be an artist, his 
 need of instruction, and how by his increase of pay he 
 had now the means of taking lessons, and still be able to 
 support his mother and sisters. 
 
 " And now, Mr. Bruder, I feel that I have been very
 
 RESCUED. 139 
 
 fortunate in making your acquaintance. You have the 
 touch and tone that I would be overjoyed to acquire. 
 Will you give me lessons ? " 
 
 " Yes, morning, noon, and night, vithout von cent of 
 pay.' 
 
 " That will not do. I'll not take one on those terms." 
 
 "I vill do vatever you vant me to," said the man, sim- 
 ply. " I vish I could be led and vatched over as a little 
 child." 
 
 Dennis saw his pathetic self-distrust, and it touched 
 him deeply. 
 
 " As your friend," he said wifh emphasis, I will not ad- 
 vise you to do anything that I would not do myself." 
 
 So they arranged that Ernst should come to the store 
 in the morning, and Dennis three nights in the week for 
 lessons. 
 
 All made a hearty supper save Mr. Bruder. He ha.d 
 reached that desperate stage when his diseased stomach 
 craved drink only. But a strong cup of tea, and some 
 bread that he washed down with it, heartened him a little, 
 and it was evident that he felt better. The light of a faint 
 hope was dawning in his face. 
 
 Dennis knew something of the physical as well as 
 moral struggle before the poor man, and that after all it 
 was exceedingly problematical whether he could be saved. 
 
 Before he left he told Mrs. Bruder to make him some 
 very strong coffee in the morning, and to let him drink it 
 through the day. As for Bruder, he had resolved to die 
 rather than touch another drop of liquor again. 
 
 But how many poor victims of appetite have been 
 haunted to the grave by such resolves shattered and 
 gone almost as soon as made. 
 
 After a long, earnest talk, in which much of the past 
 was revealed on both sides, Dennis drew a small Testa- 
 ment from his pocket and said.
 
 140 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 Mr. Bruder, I wish to direct your thoughts to a better 
 Friend than I am or can be. Will you let me read you 
 something about Him ?" 
 
 " Yes, and tank you. But choose something strong- 
 suited to me." 
 
 Dennis did read something strong the story of the 
 Demoniac of Gadara, and left him " sitting at the feet of 
 Jesus clothed and in his right mind." 
 
 " Mr. Bruder, permit me as your friend to say that I 
 think that is the only safe place for you. Your better self, 
 your true manhood has been overpowered by the demon 
 of intemperance. I do not undervalue human will and 
 purpose, but I think you need a divine, all-powerful De- 
 liverer." 
 
 " I know you are right," said Mr. Bruder. " I haf re- 
 solved ober and ober again, only to do vorse, and sink 
 deeper at de next temptation, till at last I gave up trying. 
 Unless I am sustained by some strength greater dan mine, 
 I haf no hope. I feel dat your human sympathy and 
 kindness vill be a great help to me, and somehow I take 
 him as an earnest dat Gott vill be kind to me too." 
 
 " O ! Mr. Fleet," he continued, as Dennis rose to go, 
 "how much I owe to you. I vas in hell on earth ven you 
 came. I vould haf been in hell beneath before morning. 
 I proposed, from the proceeds of dat picture, to indulge 
 in von more delirium, and den seek to quench all in de 
 vaters of de lake." 
 
 Dennis shuddered, but said, 
 
 " And I believe that God purposes that you should 
 have a good life here, and a happy life in heaven. Co- 
 work with Him." 
 
 " If He vill help me, I'll try," said the man, humbly. 
 " Goot night, and Gott bless you," and he almost crushed 
 Dennis' hand. 
 
 As he turned to Mrs. Bruder, he was much struck by
 
 MISS LUDOLPH MAKES A DISCOVERY. 14, 
 
 her appearance : she was very pale, and a wondeful light 
 shone from her eyes. She took his hand in both of hers, 
 and looked at him for a moment with an expression he 
 could never forget, and then slowly pointed heavenward 
 without a word. 
 
 Dennis hastened away, much overcome by his own 
 feelings. But the silent, deserted streets seemed lumin- 
 ous, such was the joy of his heart. 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 MISS LUDOLPH MAKES A DISCOVERY. 
 
 SEVERAL hours were measured off from a neighboring 
 steeple before Dennis's excited mind was sufficiently calm 
 to permit sleep, and even then he often started up from 
 some fantastic dream, in which the Bruders and Mr. and 
 Miss Ludolph acted many strange parts. At last he 
 seemed to hear exquisite music. As the song rose and 
 fell, it thrilled him with delight. Suddenly it appeared to 
 break into a thousand pieces, and fall scattering on the 
 ground like a broken string of pearls, and this musical 
 crash, as it were, awoke him. The sun was shining brightly 
 into the room, and all the air still seemed vibrating with 
 music. He started up and realized that he had greatly 
 over-slept. Much vexed he commenced dressing in haste, 
 when he was startled by a brilliant prelude on the piano, 
 and a voice of wonderful power and sweetness struck into 
 an air that he had never heard before. Soon the whole 
 building was resonant with music, and Dennis stood spell- 
 bound till the strange, rich sounds died away, as before, 
 in a few notes from the instrument that had seemed in his 
 dream, like the song breaking into glittering fragments. 
 7
 
 142 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 " It must be Miss Ludolph," thought Dennis. " And 
 can she sing like that ? What an angel true faith would 
 make of her ! O how could I over-sleep so ! " And he 
 dressed in breathless haste. In going down to the second 
 floor, he found a piano open and new music upon it, 
 which Miss Ludolph had evidently been trying, but she 
 was not there. Yet a delicate peculiar perfume which the 
 young lady always used, pervaded the place, even as her 
 song had seemed to pulsate through the air after it had 
 ceased. She could not be far off. Stepping to a picture 
 show-room over the front door, Dennis four%I her sitting 
 quietly before a large painting, sketching one of the fig- 
 ures in it. 
 
 " I learned from Papa that you were a very early riser," 
 said she looking up for a moment, and then resuming her 
 work. " I fear there is some mistake about it. If we are 
 ever to get through rearranging the store, you will have to 
 curtail your morning naps." 
 
 " I most sincerely beg your pardon. I never over- 
 slept so before. But I was out late last night, and passed 
 through a most painful scene, that so disturbed me that I 
 could not sleep till nearly morning, and I find to my great 
 vexation that I have over-slept. I promise you it shall 
 not happen again." 
 
 " I am not sure of that, if you are out late in Chicago, 
 and passing through painful scenes. I should say that 
 this city was a peculiarly bad place for a young man to be 
 out late in." 
 
 " It was an experience wholly unexpected to me, and 
 I hope it may never occur again. It was a scene ol trouble 
 that 1 had no hand in making, but which even humanity 
 would not permit me to leave at once." 
 
 " Not a scene of measles or small-pox, I hope. I am 
 told that your mission people are indulging in these things 
 most of the time. You have not been exposed to any 
 Contagious disease ? "
 
 MISS LUDOLPH MAKES A DISCOVERY. I43 
 
 " I assure you I have not." 
 
 " Very well ; be ready to assist me to-morrow morning, 
 for we have no slight task before us, and I wish to com- 
 plete it as soon as possible. I shall be here at half-past 
 six, and do not promise to sing you awake every morning. 
 Were you not a little startled to hear such unwonted 
 sounds echoing through the prosaic old store ? " 
 
 " I was indeed. At first I could not believe that it 
 was a human voice." 
 
 " That is rather an equivocal compliment." 
 
 " I did not mean to speak in compliment at all, but to 
 say in all sincerity that I have seldom heard such heavenly 
 music." 
 
 " Perhaps you have never heard very much of any. 
 kind, or else your imagination overshadows your other 
 faculties. In fact I think it does, for did you not at first 
 regard me as a painted lady who had stepped from the 
 canvas to the floor ?" 
 
 " I confess that I was greatly confused and startled." 
 
 " In what respect did you see such a close resemb- 
 lance ?" 
 
 Dennis hesitated. 
 
 " Are you not able to tell ?" asked she. 
 
 " Yes," said Dennis with heightened color, " but I do 
 not like to say." 
 
 " But I wish you to say," said she with a slightly impe- 
 rious tone. 
 
 " Well then, since you wish me to speak frankly, it was 
 your expression. As you stood by the picture you un- 
 consciously assumed the look and manner of the painted 
 girl. And all the evening and morning I had been 
 troubling over the picture and wondering how an artist 
 couM paint so lovely a face, and make it express only 
 scorn and pride. It seemed to me that such a face ought 
 to have been put to nobler uses."
 
 144 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 Miss Ludolph bit her lip and looked a little annoyed, 
 but turning to Dennis she said with some curiosity, 
 
 " You are not a bit like Pat Murphy. How did you 
 come to take his place ?" 
 
 " I am poor, and will gratefully do any honest work 
 rathci than beg or starve." 
 
 ' I wish all the poor were of the same mind, but from 
 tf>e way they drag on us who have something to give, I 
 think the rule works usually the other way. Very well, that 
 will answer ; since you have asked Papa to let you con 
 tinue to do Pat's duties, you had better be about them, 
 though it is not so late as you think," and she turned to 
 her sketching in such a way as to quietly dismiss him. 
 
 She evidently regarded him with some interest and cu 
 riosity as an unique specimen of the genus homo, and 
 looking upon him as a humble dependent, was inclined to 
 speak to him quite freely and draw him out for her amuse- 
 ment. 
 
 On going down stairs he saw that Mr. Ludolph was 
 writing in his office. He was an early riser, and some- 
 times entering the side door by a pass key before the 
 store was opened, would secure an extra hour for busi- 
 ness. He shook his head at Dennis, but said nothing. 
 
 By movements wonderfully quick and dextrous Dennis 
 went through his wonted tasks, and at eight o'clock, the 
 usual hour, the store was ready for opening. 
 
 Mr. Ludolph often caught glimpses of him as he dart- 
 ed to and fro, his cheeks glowing, and every act suggest- 
 ing superabundant life. 
 
 He sighed, and said 
 
 " After all that young fellow is to be envied. He is 
 getting more out of existence than most of us. He en- 
 joys everything, and does even hard work with a zest that 
 makes it play. There will.be no keeping him down, for 
 he seems possessed by the concentrated vim of this driv-
 
 MISS LUDOLPH MAKES A DISCOVERY. 
 
 '46 
 
 ing Yankee nation. Then he has a world of delusions be- 
 side that seem grand realities. Well, it is a sad thing, to 
 grow old and wise." 
 
 Indeed it is, in Mr. Ludolph's style. 
 
 When Dennis opened the front door, there was Ernst 
 cowering in the March winds, and fairly trembling in the 
 flutter of his hopes and fears. Dennis gave him a hearty 
 grasp of the hand and drew him in, saying 
 
 " Don't be afraid, I'll take care of you." 
 
 The boy's heart clung to him as the vine tendril clasps 
 the oak, and upheld by Dennis' strength, he entered what 
 was to him wonder-land indeed. 
 
 Mr. Ludolph looked him over as he and his daughter 
 passed out on their return to breakfast, and said 
 
 " He will answer if he is strong enough." 
 
 He saw nothing in that child's face to fear. 
 
 Dennis assured him with a significant glance, which 
 Mr. Ludolph understood as referring to better fare, that 
 " he would grow strong fast now." 
 
 Miss Ludolph was at once interested in the boy's pale 
 face and large, spiritual eyes ; and she resolved to sketch 
 them before the good living had destroyed the artistic effect. 
 
 Under kindly instruction, the boy took readily to his 
 duties, and promised soon to become very helpful. At 
 noon Dennis took him out to lunch, and the poor, half- 
 starved lad feasted as he had not for many a long day. 
 
 The afternoon mail brought Dennis his mother's letter, 
 and he wondered that her prediction should be fulfilled 
 even before it reached him, and thus again his faith was 
 braced, and his confidence in God increased. He smiled 
 and said to himself, 
 
 " Mother lives so near the heavenly land that she 
 seems to get the news thence before any one else." 
 
 During the day a lady who was talking to Mr. Ludolph 
 turned and said to Dennis
 
 146 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 " How prettily you have arranged this table. Let me 
 see; I think I will take that little group of bronzes. They 
 make a very nice effect together." 
 
 Dennis with his heart swelling that he had arrived at 
 the dignity of salesman, did them up quickly and deftly, 
 and handed them to her with much politeness, which evi- 
 dently pleased the lady. 
 
 Mr. Ludolph looked on as if all was a matter of course 
 while she was present, but afterwards said, 
 
 " You are on the right track, Fleet. You now see the 
 practical result of a little thought and grace in arrange 
 ment: In matters of art, people will pay almost as much 
 for these as for the things themselves. The lady would not 
 have bought those bronzes under Berder's system. When 
 things are grouped rightly, people see just what they want, 
 and buy the effect as well as the articles." 
 
 And with this judicious praise, Mr. Ludolph passed 
 on, better pleased with himself even than Dennis. 
 
 But as old Bill Cronk had intimated, such a peck of 
 oats was almost too much for Dennis, and he felt that he 
 was in danger of becoming too highly elated. 
 
 After closing the store, he wrote a brief but graphic 
 letter to his mother, describing his promotion, and express- 
 ing much sympathy for poor Berder. Regarding himself on 
 the crest-wave of prosperity, he felt a strong commisera- 
 tion for every degree and condition of troubled humanity, 
 and even could sigh over unlucky Berder's deserved tribu- 
 ations. 
 
 About eight o'clock he started to see his new friends 
 in De Kovan street, and take his lesson in painting. They 
 welcomed him warmly, for they evidently looked upon him 
 as the rope that was drawing them out of the engulfing 
 vave-3 to land. 
 
 The children were very different from the clamorous 
 little wolves of the night before. No longer hungry, they
 
 MISS LUDOLPH MAKES A DISCOVERY. I47 
 
 were happy in the corner, with some rude playthings, talk 
 ing and cooing together like a flock of young birc's. Ernst 
 was washing up the tea-things, while his mother tended 
 the baby, recalling to Dennis, with a rush of tender i.iem- 
 ories, his own mother and his boyhood tasks. Mr. B:u- 
 der still sat in the dusky corner. The day had been a 
 bitter, hard one for him. Having nothing to do in the 
 present, he had lived the miserable past over and over 
 again. At times his strength almost gave way, but his 
 wife would say, 
 
 " Be patient ! your friend Mr. Fleet will be in soon." 
 
 From a few hints of what had passed, Dennis saw the 
 trouble at once. Mr. Bruder must have occupation. Aftei 
 a few kindly generalities, they two got together, as con 
 genial spirits, before the rescued picture ; and soon both 
 were absorbed in the mysteries of the divine art. 
 
 As the wife looked at the kindling, interested face of 
 her husband, she murmured to herself over and ovei 
 again like the sweet refrain of a song 
 
 " His artist-soul haf come back ; it truly haf." 
 
 The lesson that night could be no more than a talk on 
 general principles and rules. But Mr. Bruder soon found 
 that he had an apt scholar, and Dennis' enthusiasm kindled 
 his own flagging zeal, and the artist-soul awakening within 
 him as his wife believed, longed to express itself as of old 
 in glowing colors. 
 
 Moreover his ambition was renewed in this promising 
 pupil. Naturally generous, and understanding his noble 
 profession, he felt his poor benumbed heart stir and glow 
 at the thought of aiding this eager aspirant to become what 
 he had hoped to be. He might live again in the richer 
 and better guided genius of his scholar. 
 
 " I will send you by Ernst in the morning some sketch- 
 ing paper, materials, and canvas, and you can prepare 
 some studies for me. I will let him bring some drawings
 
 I4 8 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 and colorings that I have made of late in odd moments, 
 and you can see about how advanced I am, and what 
 faults I have fallen into while groping my own way. And 
 I am going to send you some canvas, too, and I am pretty 
 sui s that if you paint a picture, Mr. Ludolph will buy it." 
 
 The man's face brightened visibly at this. 
 
 " Wiil you let your friend make a suggestion ?" con-' 
 inued Dennis. 
 
 " You can command me," said Mr. Bruder with em- 
 phasis. 
 
 " No ; friends never do that ; but I would like to sug 
 gest that at first you take some little simple subject, that 
 y.ou can soon finish up, and leave efforts that require more 
 time for the future. That picture there shows what you 
 can do, and you need to work now more from the com- 
 mercial standpoint than the artist's." 
 
 After a moment's thought, the man said, 
 
 " You are right. As I look around dis room, and see 
 our needs, I see dat you are right. Do' I meant to attempt 
 something difficult to show Mr. Ludolph vat I could do." 
 
 " That will all come in good time ; and now, my friend, 
 good-night." 
 
 The next day was far more tolerable for poor Bruder, 
 because occupied, and he found it much easier to resist 
 the clamors of appetite. 
 
 Dennis's sketches interested him greatly, for though 
 they showed the natural defects of one who had received 
 little instruction, there was both power and originality in 
 their execution. 
 
 " He, too, can be an artist, if he vill," was his emphatic 
 comment after looking them over. 
 
 lie prepared one study, to be continued under his own 
 eye, and another for Dennis to work at alone. 
 
 Afterwards he sat down to something for himself. He 
 thought a few moments, and then outlined rapidly as his
 
 WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH HIM. 
 
 149 
 
 subject, the figure of a man dashing a wine glass to the 
 ground. 
 
 As he worked, his wife smiled encouragement to him 
 as of old, and often looked upward in thankfulness to 
 heaven. 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH HIM ? 
 
 THE sun was just tinging the eastern horizon with light 
 when Dennis sprang from his bed on the following morn- 
 ing. He vowed that Miss Ludolph should never have 
 cause to complain of him again ; for, great as was the 
 luxury of being wakened by such exquisite music, it was 
 one that he could not afford. 
 
 It must be confessed that he gave a little more care 
 than usual that morning to his toilet. But his resources 
 were very limited; still, as nature had done so much for 
 him, he could not complain. By half past six his duties 
 in the store were accomplished, and brushed and fur- 
 nished up as far as possible, he stood outside the door 
 awaiting his fair task-mistress. Sometimes he wondered 
 at the strange fascination she exercised over him, buc gen- 
 erally ended by ascribing it to her beauty and love of art. 
 
 A little after the time appointed she appeared with her 
 father, and seemed pleased at Dennis' readiness for work. 
 
 " I shall not have to sing you awake this morning,' 
 she said, " and I am glad, for I am in a mood for busi- 
 ness." 
 
 She was attired in a close-fitting walking-dress that set 
 off her graceful person finely. It was evident that her 
 energetic nature would permit no statuesque repose while 
 7*
 
 150 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY". 
 
 Dennis worked, but that she had come prepared for active 
 measures. 
 
 She had inherited a good constitution, which under hef 
 father's direction, had been strengthened and confirmed 
 by clue regard to hygienic rules. Therefore she had 
 reached the stage of early womanhood abounding in 
 vitality and capable of great endurance. Active, grace- 
 ful motion was as natural to her, as for a swallow to be 
 on the wing. The moment she dropped her book, pallet, 
 or pencil, she was on her feet, her healthful nature seeming 
 like a mountain brook, that checked for a time in its flow, 
 soon overleaps its bounds and speeds on swifter than 
 ever. But the strange part of this super-abundant activi- 
 ty was, that she never seemed to do anything in an abrupt 
 way, as from mere impulse. Every act glided into anoth- 
 er as smoothly and gracefully as the undulations of a ser- 
 pent. Her lithe willowy figure, neither slight nor stout, 
 was peculiarly adapted to her style of movement. She 
 delighted in the game of billiards, for the quick move- 
 ments and varied attitudes permitted, and the precision 
 required, were all suited to her taste ; and she had gained 
 such marvellous skill that even her father, with his prac- 
 tised hand, was scarcely her match. 
 
 As she tripped lightly on before up the long winding 
 stairs to the show-room over the front door where their 
 labors were to commence, she appeared to Dennis the 
 very embodiment of grace and beauty. And yet she' 
 seemed so cold and self-centered, so devoid of warm 
 human interest in the great world of love, joy, and suffer- 
 ing, that she repelled while she fascinated. 
 
 " It the blood should come into the cheeks of one of 
 her father's statues, and the white marble eyes turn to 
 iioltjt blue, and the snowy hair to wavy gold, and it should 
 spiing from its pedestal into just such life, it would be 
 more like her than any woman I ever saw," thought Den-
 
 WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH HIM? 151 
 
 nis as he stood for a moment or two waiting to do her 
 bidding. 
 
 Her plans had been pretty thoroughly matured and 
 she acted with decision. Pointing to the side Apposite 
 the door at which they had entered, and which would 
 natu rally strike the eye of the visitor first, she said, " I 
 wish all the pictures taken down from that side and placed 
 around the room so that I can see them."- 
 
 She commenced as an absolute dictator, intending to 
 give no hint of her plans and purposes except as con- 
 veyed by clear terse orders. But these had so intelligent 
 and appreciative an interpreter in Dennis, that gradually 
 her attention was drawn to him as well as to his work. 
 
 He had his step-ladder ready, and with a celerity de- 
 cidedly pleasing, soon placed the pictures safely on the 
 floor, so that she could still see them and judge of their 
 character. Though his quick dextrous manner and care- 
 ful handling of the pictures were gratifying, it must be 
 confessed that his supple form, the graceful and varied 
 attitudes he unconsciously assumed in his work, pleased 
 her more, and she secretly began to study him as an 
 artistic subject, as he had studied her. 
 
 In her complacency she said 
 
 " So far, very well, Mr. Fleet. I congratulate myself 
 that I have you to assist me, instead of that awkward 
 cheat of a Berder." 
 
 " And I assure you, Miss Ludolph, that I have longed 
 intensely for this privilege ever since I knew your pur- 
 pose." 
 
 " You may have cause to repent, like many another 
 whose wishes have been gratified, for your privilege will 
 involve a great deal of hard work." 
 
 ' The more the better," said Dennis warmly 
 
 " How so ? I should think you had more to do now 
 than you would care about."
 
 ! 5 2 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 " Work is no burden to one of my years and strength, 
 provided it is suited to one's tastes. Moreover, I confess 
 that I hope to derive great advantages from this labor." 
 
 "In what way ?" she asked with a slight frown, imagin- 
 ing him thinking of extra pay. 
 
 " Because unconsciously you will give me instruction, 
 and 1 hope that you are not unwilling that I should gain 
 such hints and suggestions as I can from the display of 
 your taste that I must witness." 
 
 " Not at all," said she laughing, " I see that you are 
 ambitious to learn your business and rise in the store." 
 
 " I am ambitious to gain a knowledge of one of the 
 noblest callings." 
 
 " What is that ?" 
 
 " Art." 
 
 "AY r hat!" said she with a half-scornful smile, "are 
 you a disciple of art ?" 
 
 " Yes ; why not ?" 
 
 "Well, I do not wish to hurt your feelings, but to tell 
 you the honest truth, it seems but the other day that you 
 were Pat Murphy." 
 
 " But am I a Pat Murphy ?" he asked with gentle dig- 
 nity. 
 
 " No, Mr. Fleet. I will do you the justice to say that 
 I think you very much above your station." 
 
 " I am sufficiently a democrat, Miss Ludolph, to be- 
 lieve that a man can be a man in any honest work." 
 
 " And I, Mr. Fleet, am not in the least degree a demo- 
 crat." 
 
 Which fact she proceeded to prove by ordering him 
 about fot the next hour like the most absolute little despot 
 that ever queened it over a servile province in the dark 
 ages. Hut it was rather difficult to keep up this style of 
 dictatorship with Dennis. He 'seemed so intelligent and 
 polite that she often had it on her tongue to ask his opin
 
 WHAT IS THE -MATTER WITH HIM? 153 
 
 ion on certain points. Toward the last she did so, and 
 the opinion he gave, she admitted to herself, was judici- 
 ous ; but for a purpose of her own she disregarded it, and 
 took a different way. 
 
 Dennis at once saw through her plan of arrangements. 
 In the centre of that side of the room which he had 
 cleared, she caused him to hang one of the largest and 
 finest pictures, which, under Mr. Swartz's management had 
 been placed in a corner. Around the central painting all 
 the others were to be grouped, according to color, subject, 
 and merit. At the same time each wall was to have a 
 character of its own. Such a task as this would require 
 no little thought, study and comparison ; and Miss Lu- 
 dolph was one to see delicate points of difference, which 
 most observers would not notice. It was her purpose to 
 make the room bloom out naturally like a great flower. 
 This careful selection of pictures was necessarily slow, 
 and Dennis rejoiced that their mutual work would not 
 soon be over. 
 
 To her surprise she often saw his eyes instinctively 
 turning to the same picture that she was about to select, 
 and perceived that he had divined her plan without a word 
 of explanation, and that his taste was constantly accord- 
 ing with hers in producing the desired effects. Though 
 all this filled her with astonishment, she revealed no sign 
 of it to him. At eight she said 
 
 '" That will do for to-day ; we have made a good begin- 
 ning, better indeed than I had hoped. But how is it, Mr. 
 Fleet, since you are such an uncompromising democrat, 
 you permit a young lady to order you about in this style ?" 
 
 Dennis smiled and said 
 
 " It seems perfectly natural for you to sptak in this 
 way, and it does not appear offensive as it mi^nt in an- 
 other. Moreover I have voluntarily taken thi position 
 and am honor-bound to accept all it involves."
 
 *54 
 
 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 " But which was the controlling motive of your mind?" 
 
 " Well, a few seem born to command, and it is a pleas- 
 ure to obey," said Dennis, paying a strong but honest 
 compliment to the natural little autocrat. 
 
 "Indeed, Mr. Fleet, do church members flatter?" said 
 she, secretly much pleased. 
 
 " I did not mean to flatter," said he flushing. " They 
 who have power should use it like the All-powerful 
 gently, considerately." 
 
 It was her turn to flush now, and she said, 
 
 " O, I perceive, the compliment was the sugar-coating 
 of the little homily to follow." 
 
 " I have no such diplomacy as you credit me with," 
 said Dennis, looking straight into her eyes with honest 
 frankness. "I merely spoke my passing thought." 
 
 " But he has fine eyes," said she to herself, and then 
 she said to him, 
 
 " Very well, I certainly will give you credit for being 
 very different from poor old Pat. Be ready again to- 
 morrow at the same hour," and with a smile somewhat 
 kindly she vanished. 
 
 Somehow to Dennis she seemed to take the light out 
 of the room with her. The pictures suddenly looked 
 tame and ordinary, and everything commonplace. Here 
 was an effect not exactly artistic, which he could not un- 
 derstand. He sighed, he scarcely knew why. 
 
 But the day's duties came with a rush, and soon he 
 was utterly absorbed in them. 
 
 That evening Dennis was much cheered by Mr. Bru- 
 der's comments on his sketches. 
 
 " Considering de advantages you haf had, and de lit- 
 tle time you can give, dey are very goot. You haf fallen 
 into de natural faults of dose who work alone, but ve can 
 soon cure dese. Now here is some vork on coloring dat 
 I vont you to do under my eye, and dat study on outlining
 
 WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH HIM? 
 
 155 
 
 you can take home. Moreover, I can give you some les- 
 sons ; n outlining from my own picture." And Mr. Bru- 
 der showed him what he had done. 
 
 Dennis saw in the clear vigorous profile the artist's 
 thought, and congratulated himself that his teacher was a 
 master in his profession. 
 
 For two hours they worked and talked, and*Dennis felt 
 that every such lesson would be a long step forward. 
 
 Poor Bruder looked more and more like himself every 
 day, but God only knew how he had to struggle. 
 " I don't know how him vill end," he said. " I pray 
 nearly every minute, but sometimes I feel dat I must 
 drink even do' I die dat moment." 
 
 It was disease as well as appetite that he was fighting, 
 for appetite indulged beyond a certain point becomes dis- 
 ease. 
 
 His wife's face was different also the sharp look of 
 misery fading out of it. Dennis noticed the changes, and 
 thought to himself while walking home, 
 
 "After all, the highest art is the bringing out on the 
 living face all we can of God's lost image. How beauti- 
 ful the changes in these two poor people's faces, and the 
 best part of it is, that they are the reflex of changes go- 
 ing on in the soul, the imperishable part." 
 
 Then in quick and natural transition, his mind reverted 
 to Christine Ludolph, and the thought of her face, which 
 God had fashioned so fairly, but which was already sadly 
 marred by sin, becoming fixed and rigid in pride and self- 
 ishness, was as painful as if, according to an old legend, 
 her lithe, active form should gradually turn to stone. But 
 if the reverse could ever be true, if the beautifying Chris- 
 tian graces could dwell within her soul and light up her 
 face, as lamps some rare and quaint transparency, there 
 would then be a loveliness that would realize the artist's 
 fondest ideal.
 
 156 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 Musing thus, what wonder that he vowed then and 
 there, under the starlight, to pray and work for her til! 
 the new life should illumine her heart. Little dreamed 
 Christine as she slept that night, that the first link of a 
 chain that might bind her to heaven, had been forged. 
 
 The dawn was late and lowering, the following morn- 
 ing. Great masses of clouds swept across the sky, and 
 soon the rain was falling in gusty torrents. Dennis rose 
 and hastened through his duties as before, and was ready 
 at the hour appointed, but had little hope of seeing Miss 
 Ludolph that morning. Still he opened the door and 
 looked up the street. To his surprise he saw her coming, 
 attended by her father's valet. Only part of her glowing 
 face was visible, for she was encased from head to foot in 
 a light and delicate suit of rubber. 
 
 Dennis opened the door, and she stepped quickly in, 
 scattering spray on every side like a sea-nymph. Dennis 
 looked at her with open-eyed admiration and surprise, 
 which both amused and pleased her. 
 
 " True enough," she thought, " his face is like a sign 
 board." 
 
 She seemed to him as she threw off her wet coverings, 
 like an exquisite flower, that, the breeze lifting after a 
 storm, scatters the burdensome rain drops on every side > 
 and stands up more beautiful and blooming than ever. 
 " You were not expecting me, I imagine," she said. 
 
 Well I must admit I scarcely did, and yet I could not 
 help looking for you." 
 
 " Isn't that a distinction without a difference ?" she 
 asked. with a pleasant smile, for she was pleased at not 
 finding the store closed and dark. 
 
 " 1 am very glad you have come," he replied, flushing 
 slightly with pleasure, " for it would have been a long, 
 dreary morning if you haJ not." 
 
 Dennis thought he referred to the lack of occupation
 
 IS HE A GENTLEMAN? 
 
 157 
 
 He did not know, nor did she notice that he meant the 
 lack of herself. 
 
 " Well," said she, " I am glad you like the work, for 
 you are destined to enough of it." 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 IS HE A GENTLEMAN? 
 
 The days and weeks that followed were to Dennis such 
 as only come once in a lifetime, and not in every lifetime 
 either. A true, pure love was growing up within his heart 
 growing as the little child developes in strength and 
 pleasurable life, and yet unconsciously to itself. It seemed 
 as if some strong magician's wand had touched the world 
 or him-. Everything was transfigured, and no wonder-land 
 was more full of interest than that in which he existed. 
 His life was a waking dream, in which nothing was distinct 
 or definite, but all things abounded in hope and happy 
 suggestion. He compared them afterwards to a tropical 
 island of the Pacific, a blissful fragment of life by itself, 
 utterly distinct from the hard struggling years that pre- 
 ceded, and the painful awakening that followed. 
 
 Even the place of his daily toil was pervaded by a 
 beautiful presence. For many days he and Christine 
 worked together, and at last her eyes had rested on, and 
 her fingers touched nearly everything in the store, and 
 therefore all was associated with her. Throughout their 
 labors his quick sympathy and appreciation, made him al- 
 most hands and feet to her, and she regarded him as a 
 miracle of helpfulness one of those humble, useful crea- 
 tures who was born to wait upon and interpret the wishes 
 of the rich and great. His admiring glances disturbed
 
 158 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 her not, nor raised any suspicion in her mind she had 
 been accustomed to these for years, and took them as a 
 matter of course. 
 
 She treated the young men whom she met in society 
 with a courtly ease and freedom, but her smiles and rep- 
 artee ever seemed like brilliant moonlight that had no 
 warmth ; and while no restraint appeared, she still kept all 
 at a distance. There was a marked difference in her in- 
 tercourse with Dennis. 
 
 Regarding him as too humble to ever presume upon 
 her frankness, she daily spoke more freely, and more truly 
 acted out herself before him. She was happy and in her ele- 
 ment among the beautiful works of art they were arrang- 
 ing, and in this atmosphere her womanly nature, chilled 
 and dwarfed though it was, would often manifest itself in 
 ways as sweet as unexpected. Under no other circum- 
 stances could she have appeared as well. She as often 
 spoke to herself in racy comment on what was before her, 
 as to Dennis, and ever and anon would make some pleas- 
 ant remark to him, as she might throw a dainty morsel to 
 her greyhound, Wolf, as he looked wistfully at her while 
 she dined. At the same time it must be confessed that 
 she had a growing respect for him, as she daily saw some 
 new proof of intelligence and taste but both education 
 and disposition inclined her instinctively to the old feudal 
 idea that even genius, if poor, must wait a humble servitor 
 on wealth and rank, and where a New England girl would 
 have been saying to herself " This gifted, educated man is 
 my equal, and whether I want to or not, I ought to treat 
 him as such," she was not troubled at all. To her, he was 
 her father's clerk and man-of-all-work, a most useful, trust- 
 ed and agreeable servant, and as such she was kind to 
 him, as the little Autocrat was to every one that pleased 
 her. She was a benign queen to obedient subjects, but 
 woe unto them if otherwise.
 
 IS HE A GENTLEMAN? 
 
 159 
 
 To Dennis, however, though he realized it not, she was 
 becoming as the very apple of his eye. He was learning 
 to regard her with a deeper interest because of the very 
 defects that he plainly recognized. While on the one hand 
 he had the enthusiastic love of admiration, on the other 
 he felt the tenderer and greater love of pity. He tried to 
 accout t for his feelings toward her by the usual sophis- 
 tries of unconscious lovers. It was friendship ; it was ar- 
 tistic interest in her beauty; it was the absorbing unselfish 
 regard of a Christian for one providentially and specially 
 commended to him to lead out of darkness into light. 
 How could he help thinking of one for whom he prayed 
 night and morning and every hour in the day ? It was all 
 this, but he was soon to learn that it was a great deal more. 
 And so the days <3f work and companionship passed ; the 
 spell worked on with increasing and bewildering power, 
 and the crisis could not be delayed much longer. 
 
 One morning, the latter part of April, she seemed more 
 gracious than usual. Their labors were drawing to a close, 
 and as he had proved so tasteful and efficient in the store, 
 she concluded that he might be equally useful in other 
 ways and places. She could command him at the store, but 
 not in respect to a task that she had in view ; so she adopted 
 a little feminine artifice as old as the time that Eve handed 
 Adam the apple, and looked at him in such a way that he 
 could not refuse. 
 
 Blind honest Dennis of course saw nothing of this little 
 strategy of which he was destined to be the happy willing 
 victim, and his love expanded and bloomed under the 
 genial light of her presence-and kindness like the flowers 
 of the convolvulus in a bright dawn of June. She brought 
 her general graciousness to^. definite and blissful climax 
 by saying when about to leave 
 
 " Well, Mr. Fleet, you have done better than usual to- 
 day, and I certainly must give you credit for possessing 
 more taste than any young man of my acquaintance."
 
 160 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. ' 
 
 Dennis's heart gave as great a bound as if the laurel 
 crown of all the Olympic games had been placed upon his 
 brow. 
 
 " I am now going to ask a favor," she continued. 
 
 " You may command me, Miss Ludolph," interrupted 
 Dennis. 
 
 '' No, not in this case," she replied, " Whatever you 
 do will be regarded as a personal favor to me. At the same 
 time it will afford you scope for such display of your taste 
 as will secure many compliments." 
 
 " If I am able to satisfy you I shall be more than com- 
 pensated," said Dennis with a bow. 
 
 She smiled and thought to herself, " That isn't bad for 
 Pat Murphy's successor," and explained as follows : 
 
 Some young ladies and gentlemen have decided upon 
 giving a rare and elegant entertainment, consisting of mu- 
 sic, tableaux, and statuary. Now in regard to the two lat- 
 ter parts, we need above all things some person of taste 
 like yourself, whose critical eye and dexterous hand will 
 ensure every thing to be just right. You will be a sort of 
 general stage manager and superintendent, you know. I 
 feel sure you will be all the more willing to enter upon this 
 work when you know that the proceeds are to go towards 
 the Church of the Holy Virgin. This is going to be a 
 very select affair, and the tickets are five dollars each. 
 
 " Is it a Protestant church ? " asked Dennis in some 
 trepidation. 
 
 " O certainly," she answered with a peculiar smile, " an 
 Episcopal church." 
 
 " It seems a strange name for a Protestant church," 
 said Dennis. " It is enough for me that you wish it; at 
 the same time it certainly is 3. pleasure to contribute what 
 lit lie I can towards any Christian organization." 
 
 " Come, Mr. Fleet, you are narrow," she said with a 
 controversial twinkle in her eye. " Why not towards a 
 Catholic church ? "
 
 IS HE A GENTLEMAN? 161 
 
 " I fear that all people with decided religious opinions 
 are sometimes regarded as narrow," he answered with a 
 smile. 
 
 " That is an inadequate answer to my question," she 
 said, "but I will not find fault since you have so good-na- 
 turedly acceded to my request. Come to No. Wabash 
 avenue at three this afternoon. Papa gives you a leave of 
 absence." 
 
 She vanished, and figuratively the sun went down to 
 Dennis, and he was in twilight till he -should see her again. 
 He looked forward to the afternoon with almost feverish 
 eagerness, for several reasons. It would be his first intro- 
 duction to " good society," for as such the unsophisticated 
 youth regarded his invitation. He had the natural longing 
 of a young, healthful nature for companionship of those 
 of his own age and culture, and his life in the great city 
 had often been very lonely. He expected to be treated 
 as an equal as a matter of course, at the artistic entertain- 
 ment in which he was to participate. In his business re- 
 lations at the store he had taken a subordinate position 
 and made up his mind to the logical consequences. But 
 now that he was invited to a private house, and would ap- 
 pear, ^there possessing all the qualities of a gentleman, he 
 surely would be treated as one. 
 
 "Is not this Chicago, where nearly all its citizens were 
 poor a few years ago ? " he thought ; " and surely if what 
 Miss Ludolph says is true, I have advantages in my taste 
 over most poor young men." 
 
 Moreover it was his ideal of an entertainment, where 
 art and music should take the place of the coarser pleas- 
 uies of eating, drinking, and dancing. 
 
 Chief of all, Christine would be there, and even he in 
 his blindness became a little uneasy and self-conscious as 
 he realized how this thought towered above the others. 
 
 She had given him a list of the things he was to bring
 
 162 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 with him in the afternoon, and he occupied every spare 
 moment in getting them ready. At quarter past two he 
 summoned the carman of the store and they loaded up 
 the miscellaneous cargo needed for the coming mysteries, 
 and by three, all were before the large elegant mansion to 
 which he had been directed. Dennis rang the bell and 
 was shown by a servant into the front parlor, where he 
 found Miss Ludolph, Miss Brown, a tall, haughty brunette 
 and the young lady of the house, Miss Winthrop, a bright, 
 sunny faced blonde, and two or three other young ladies 
 of no special coloring in character, being indebted mainly 
 to their toilets for their attractions. 
 
 Dennis bowed to Miss Ludolph, and then turned to- 
 ward the other ladies as if expecting as a matter of course 
 to be introduced. No introduction came, but his expect- 
 ant manner was so obvious, that M-iss Ludolph colored, 
 looked annoyed, and the young ladies tittered outright. 
 
 Advancing a step or two she said coldly, " Mr. Fleet, 
 you may help Mapes carry the things into the back parlor, 
 and then we will direct you as to the arrangement." 
 
 Dennis crimsoned painfully. At first he was too con- 
 fused to think, and merely obeyed mechanically. Then 
 came the impulse to say boldly that this kind of thing might 
 answer at the store, but not here, and he nearly carried it 
 out : but soon followed the sober second thought that such 
 action would bring a blight over all his prospects, and in- 
 volve the loss of his position at the store. Such giving 
 way to passion would injure only himself. They would 
 laugh, and merely suffer a momentary annoyance ; to him 
 and his the result would be most disastrous. Why should 
 he let those who cared not a jot for him cause such sad 
 injury ? 
 
 By the time he had carried his first armful into the 
 back parlor, he had resolved for his mother and sisters' 
 sakes that he would go through the following scenes as
 
 IS HE A GENTLEMAN? ^3 
 
 well as he could, and then turn his back on society till he 
 could enter it a recognized gentleman ; and with com- 
 pressed lips and flashing eye he mentally vowed that that 
 day should soon come. 
 
 As he was unpacking his materials he could not help 
 hearing the conversation in the front parlor. 
 
 " Did you ever see such presumption ? " exclaimed 
 Miss Brown. " He evidently expected to be introduced, 
 and that we should rise and courtesy all around." 
 
 " He must have seen better days, for he certainly ap- 
 peared like a gentleman," said Miss Winthrop. 
 
 " I should hardly give that title to a man who swept a 
 store out every morning," replied Miss Brown. 
 
 " No indeed ! " chorused the three colorless young 
 ladies. 
 
 " I know nothing about this young man," said Miss 
 Winthrop ruffling her plumage somewhat for an argument, 
 of which she was fond, " but as a case in hand, suppose 
 a highly educated and refined man for some reason swept 
 a store out every morning what would you call him ?" 
 And she looked around as if she had given a poser. 
 
 The colorless young ladies looked blank their natu- 
 ral expression. 
 
 " Nonsense," said the positive Miss Brown, " such 
 men don't sweep stores. He may have passed current in 
 some country village, but that is not our set." 
 
 " But the case is certainly supposable," retorted Miss 
 Winthrop, more intent upon her argument than Dennis. 
 " Come, what does the Countess say ? " she asked, turning 
 to Christine, for that was the familiar name by which she 
 went among her young companions. 
 
 " The case is not supposable, but actual" she answered, 
 so distinctly that it seemed that she meant Dennis to hear. 
 " As far as I have any means of judging he is a refined, 
 educated man, and I have learned from papa that his
 
 1 64 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 motive in sweeping the store is the support of his mothef 
 and sisters certainly a very worthy one. To your ques- 
 tion, Susie, I answer unhesitatingly that in accordance with 
 your American principles and professions he is a gentle- 
 man, and you ought to treat him as such. But you Ameri- 
 cans are sometimes wonderfully inconsistent, and there is 
 often a marvellously wide margin between your boasted 
 equality and the reality. Now in Europe these questions 
 have been settled for ages, and birth and rank define a 
 person's position accurately." 
 
 " I neither boast nor believe in equality," said Miss 
 Brown with a toss of her head. (Her father was a mighty 
 brewer, but he and his were in character and antecedents 
 something like the froth on their own beer. All they had 
 and were had but recently come out of the hops.) 
 
 Miss Winthrop was a little embarrassed at finding her 
 supposable case a real one, for it might involve some prac- 
 tical action on her part. Many an ardent advocate of the 
 people in theory practically give them the cold shoulder, 
 and are content to stay on the summit of Mt. Olympus. 
 She was a girl of good impulses and strong convictions of 
 abstract right, but never had either the courage or much 
 opportunity to carry them out. She was of the old Boston 
 family of Winthrops, and therefore could meet Miss Lu- 
 dolph on her own ground in the way of pedigree. 
 
 But however Dennis fared she felt that she must look 
 after her argument, and having conquered theoretically as 
 far as America was concerned, determined to carry war 
 into Europe, so she said 
 
 "Are you not mistaken in saying that birth and rank 
 only settle position abroad ? Some of the most honored 
 names there, are or were untitled." 
 
 "O certainly, but they were persons of great genius, 
 and genius is the highest patent of nobility. But I leave 
 you republicans to settle this question to suit yourselves.
 
 CHRISTINE'S IDEA OF CHRISTIANS. 165 
 
 I am going to look after the preparations for this evening, 
 as I have set my heart on a success that shall ring through 
 the city." 
 
 But they all flocked after her into the back parlor, now 
 doubly interesting as it contained an object of curiosity 
 in Dennis Fleet a veritable gentleman who swept a store. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 CHRISTINE'S IDEA OF CHRISTIANS. 
 
 THE large apartment where the amateur performers 
 expected to win their laurels was now filled with all the 
 paraphernalia needed to produce musical, artistic, and 
 stage effects. Much had been gathered before Dennis's 
 arrival, and his cart-load added all that was necessary. 
 Everything seemed in inextricable confusion. 
 
 " The idea of having anything here to-night," exclaimed 
 Miss Winthrop. " It will take us a week to get things ar- 
 ranged." 
 
 "The thing is hopeless," said the blank young ladies. 
 
 Even Christine looked somewhat dismayed, but she 
 said, " Remember we have till half past eight." 
 
 " I will call two or three of the servants," said Miss 
 "brown. 
 
 " I beg of you do not, at least not yet," exclaimed 
 Christine. "What will their clumsy hands do in work 
 like this, but mar everything ? I have great faith in Mr. 
 Fleet's abilities," she continued, turning toward Dennis 
 with an enchanting smile, and resuming the tactics of the 
 morning. Though the smile went to Dennis's heart like 
 a fiery arrow, his pride, thoroughly aroused, made him cold 
 and self-possessed. He naturally assumed the manner 
 8
 
 1 66 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 which only the true gentleman can when offended, who, 
 though wronged, chooses not to show his feelings save by 
 a grave, quiet dignity. In view of their action and man- 
 ner, he consciously felt himself tkeir superior, and this 
 impression like an atmosphere was felt by them also; and 
 as they looked upon his tall, erect form, manly bearing, 
 his large dark eyes, in which still lurked the fire of an hon- 
 est indignation, they felt the impossibility of ordering him 
 about as they might Mapes the carman. They regarded 
 him for a moment in awkward silence, not knowing what 
 to do or say. Even haughty Christine was embarrassed, 
 for the stronger spirit was present and thoroughly aroused, 
 and it overpowered the weaker natures. Christine had 
 never seen Dennis look like that, and did not know that 
 he could. He was so different from the eager, humble 
 servitor that heretofore had interpreted her very wishes, 
 even before spoken. Moreover, the success of their en- 
 tertainment now depended upon him, and she felt that he 
 was in a mood that required delicate treatment, and that 
 she could not order him around in Pat Murphy's role, to 
 which she had practically assigned him. And yet if she 
 had known him, she might, for he had made up his mind 
 to go through even the most menial service with proud hu- 
 mility, and then be careful not to be so caught again ; and 
 when Dennis had resolved upon a thing, that settled the 
 question so far as he was concerned. Seeing Christine's 
 hesitation and embarrassment, he stepped forward and 
 said 
 
 " Miss Ludolph, if you will indicate your wishes I will 
 carry them out as rapidly as possible. I can soon bring 
 order out of this confusion ; and you must hav^e some plan 
 of arrangement." 
 
 She gave him a quick, grateful glance, that thawed 
 more of his ice than he cared to have melt so quickly. 
 
 " Of course we have," said she. " This is but the ner
 
 CHRISTINE'S IDEA OF CHRISTIANS. 167 
 
 vous hesitation before the shock of a battle that has all 
 been planned on paper. Here is our programme." 
 
 " All battles do not go forward in the field as planned 
 on paper, if my feeble memory serves me," said Miss Win- 
 throp maliciously. 
 
 "I grant you that," said Christine quietly, '* and you 
 need not tax your memory so greatly to prove it." 
 
 She was now very kind and gracious to Dennis, believ- 
 ing that to be the best policy. It usually is, but she re- 
 ceived no special proof of it from him ; he listened alike 
 to request, suggestion, and compliment. There was noth- 
 ing sullen or morose in his appearance, nothing resentful 
 or rude. He heard all she said with the utmost respect, 
 and carried out her wishes with that dexterous, graceful 
 promptness for which he had few equals. At the same 
 time his manner was that of one who thoroughly respected 
 himself that of a refined and cultured person, who, hav- 
 ing become committed to a disagreeable part, performed 
 it only with the protest of dignified silence. 
 
 As his first step, he cleared a space for action, and ar 
 ranged every thing to be in view when needed. The ra- 
 pidity with which order emerged from confusion, was 
 marvellous to the young ladies. 
 
 Then he took their programme, studied it a few mo 
 ments, and compared it with the pictures and photographs 
 of the scenes they wished to imitate. He then arranged 
 for these one after another, placing every thing need- 
 ed within reach, and where it could readily be seen, 
 making the combinations beforehand as far as possible. 
 As he worked so intelligently and skilfully, requiring so 
 few explanations, the young ladies exchanged significant 
 glances, and strolled into the front parlor. They must 
 express an opinion. 
 
 " I declare, Christine," said Miss Winthrop, " it is a 
 shame that you did not introduce him, for he is a gentle- 
 man. He works like a captive prince."
 
 1 68 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 " How romantic ! " gushed the colorless young ladies. 
 
 " Nonsense ! " said Miss Brown, " 1 hate to see any one 
 in his position so stuck up." 
 
 As soon as she had seen Dennis fairly at work just like 
 her mothers servants, or her father's men, she felt that he 
 ought to be treated as such riches and not usefulness 
 being Miss Brown's patents of nobility ; and she resolved 
 if possible to lower his ridiculous pride, as she regarded 
 it. Miss Brown, though a very handsome, stylish girl of 
 a certain type, was yet a better judge of her father's beer 
 than of many other things, and no more understood Den- 
 nis's feelings than she did Sanscrit. 
 
 Christine said nothing, but admitted to herself with a 
 secret wonder, that Dennis inspired her with a respect, a 
 sort of fear, that no other man had, save her father. 
 There was something in his manner that afternoon, though 
 altogether respectful, that made her feel that he was not 
 to be trifled with. This impression was decidedly height- 
 ened when, a few moments later, Miss Brown, pursuant 
 of her resolution to lower Dennis's pride, ordered him in 
 an offensive manner to do something for her that had no 
 connection with the entertainment. At first he acted as 
 if he had not heard her, but his rising color showed that 
 he had. In spite of warning glances from Christine and 
 Miss Winthrop, she repeated her request in a loud, impe- 
 rious tone. 
 
 Dennis drew himself up to his full height, and turning 
 his dark flashing eyes full upon her, said firmly and qui- 
 etly 
 
 " I am ever ready to offer any service that a gentleman 
 can to a lady, but surely I am not your footman." 
 
 " Your pride is ridiculous, sir. You are to help, and 
 will be paid for it. This is my house, and I expect 
 persons of your position, while in it, to do as they are 
 bidden."
 
 CHRISTINE'S IDEA OF CHRISTIANS. i&g 
 
 " Since such are the rules and principles of your house, 
 permit me at once to leave you in full possession," and he 
 was about to retire with manner as coid as Mr. Ludolph 
 himself could have assumed, and as haughty, when a light 
 band fell upon his arm. Looking down he met the deep 
 blue eyes of Christine Ludolph lifted pleadingly to his. 
 
 " Mr. Fleet, you need not do what is asked. It is not 
 right to require it. In fact we all owe you an apology." 
 Then, in a low, quick tone, she added, " Will you not stay 
 as a favor to me ? " 
 
 She felt his arm tremble under her hand, there was a 
 moment's hesitation, then he replied in the same manner. 
 
 " Miss Ludolph, you can command me on this occa- 
 sion " (there was no promise for the future), and then he 
 turned to his work as if resolved to see and know nothing 
 but it, till the ordeal ended. In spite of herself Christine 
 blushed, but taking Miss Brown by the arm she led her 
 aside and gave her a vigorous lecture. 
 
 " Are you mad, Miss Brown," she said. " Do'you not 
 remember that nearly a thousand dollars' worth of tickets 
 are sold, and that, the people will be here by half past 
 eight, and at nine we must appear. Even after what he 
 has done, if you should drive him away, the thing would 
 be a failure, and we would be the ridiculous town-talk for 
 a year." 
 
 " But I hate" 
 
 " No matter what you hate, treat him as you please 
 to-morrow. We need him now." And so the petted, wil- 
 ful girl, spoiled by money and flattery, was kept under re- 
 straint. 
 
 A great deal of preparation was required for the last 
 two pieces on the programme, and the young ladies group- 
 ed themselves gracefully not far off while Dennis worked. 
 Christine explained from time to time as the natural 
 leader of the party. Still an awkward silence followed
 
 170 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 the scene above described. On the philosophical princi- 
 ple, I suppose, that nature abhors a vacuum, this silence 
 could not long endure, and one of the colorless young la- 
 dies asked a question that led to more than she intended, 
 and, indeed, more than she understood, 
 
 " Christine, what do you do with yourself Sundays ? 
 Your pew is not occupied once in an age." 
 
 " I usually paint most of the day, and ride out with 
 papa in the afternoon when it is pleasant." 
 
 " Why you are a perfect little heathen," they all ex- 
 claimed in chorus. 
 
 " Yes, I suppose I am worse than a Pagan," she said, 
 "for I not only do not believe in your superstitions," but 
 have none of my own." 
 
 " What do you believe in then ? " asked Miss Winthrop. 
 
 " Art, music, fame, power." 
 
 She announced her creed so coolly and decidedly that 
 Dennis lifted a startled face to hers. She saw his grieved, 
 astonished expression, and it amused her very much. 
 Henceforth she spoke as much for his benefit as theirs. 
 
 " If you would be equally honest," she continued, " you 
 would find that your creeds also are very different from the 
 one in the prayer-book." 
 
 " And what would mine be, pray ? " asked one of the 
 colorless young ladies. 
 
 " I will sum it up in one sentence. Miss Jones, keep 
 in the fashion." 
 
 " I think that you are very unjust. I'm sure I go to 
 church regularly, and attend a great many services in Lent 
 and on Saints' days. I've been confirmed, and all that." 
 
 "Yes, it is the thing to do in your set. Now, here is 
 ?vliss Winthrop, a Presbyterian, who manifests quite an- 
 othei religious phase." 
 
 " Pray what is mine ? " asked that lady, laughing. 
 
 " O you want hair-splitting in regard to the high doc-
 
 CHRISTINE'S IDEA OF CHRISTIANS. 17. 
 
 trines clear, brilliant arguments, cutting like sharp, mei- 
 ciless steel into the beliefs of other denominations. T'-en, 
 after your ism has been glorified for an hour, on Sunday 
 morning, and all other isms pierced and lashed, you de- 
 scend from your intellectual heights, eat' a good dinner, 
 take a nap, and live like the rest of us* till the next Sab- 
 bath, when (if it is a fine day) you climb some other theo- 
 logical peak, far beyond the limits of perpetual snow, 
 and there take another bird's-eye view of something that 
 might be found very different if you were nearer to it." 
 
 " And what is my phase ? " asked Miss Brown. 
 
 "O you are an out-and-out sinner, and do just what 
 you please, in spite of priest or prayer-book," said Chris- 
 tine with a laugh in which all the ladies joined. 
 
 "Well," said Miss Brown, "I do not think that I am 
 worse than the rest of you." 
 
 " Not in the least," replied Christine. " We all have 
 some form of religion, or none at all, as it accords with 
 our peculiar tastes." 
 
 " And you mean to say that having a religion or not, 
 is a mere matter of taste, asked Miss Winthrop. 
 
 " Yes, I should say it was, and practically that it ts. 
 You ladies, and nearly all that I have met, seem to choose 
 a style of religion suited to your tastes ; and the tastes of 
 many incline them to have no religion at all." 
 
 "Why, Miss Ludolph," exclaimed Miss Winthrop, hei 
 cheeks glowing with honest dissent and zeal for the truth. 
 " Our religion is taken from the Bible. Do you not be 
 lieve in the Bible ? " 
 
 " No ! not in the sense that you ask the question ; nor 
 you either, my charming Miss Winthrop." 
 
 " Indeed I do, every word of it," said the orthodox 
 young lady, hotly. 
 
 " Let me test you. Miss Brown, have you such a book 
 in the house ? O yes, here is an elegantly-bound copy
 
 172 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 but looking as if never opened. And now, Miss Win 
 throp, this city is full of all sorts of horrid people, living 
 in alleys, and tenement houses several layers deep ; they 
 are poor, half naked, hungry, and sometimes starving: 
 mai;y are in prison, and more ought to be ; many are 
 strangers, more utterly alone and lonely .in our crowded 
 streets than on a desert island : they are suffering from 
 varieties of disgusting disease, and having a hard time 
 generally. How many hungry people have you fed ? How 
 many strangers (I do not mean distinguished ones from 
 abroad), have you taken in and comforted ? How many 
 of the naked have you clothed ? And how long is your 
 list of the sick and imprisoned that you have visited, my 
 luxurious little lady ? " 
 
 A real pallor overspread Miss Winthrop's sunny face, 
 for she saw what was coming, but she answered hon- 
 estly 
 
 " I have done practically nothing of all this ;" then 
 she added, " papa and mamma are not willing that I 
 should visit such places and people. I have asked that I 
 might, but they always discourage me, and tell of the 
 awful experiences of those who do." 
 
 " Then they don't believe the Bible, either," said Chris- 
 tine. " For if they did they would insist ori your doing it ; 
 and if you believed you would do all this in spite of them, 
 for see what is written here. The very Being that you 
 worship and dedicate your churches to, will say, because 
 not doing this, ' Depart from me, ye cursed, into ever- 
 lasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.' And 
 this is but one of many similar passages. Now all this is 
 a monstrous fable to me. The idea of any such experi- 
 ence awaiting my light-hearted little Sybarite here !" 
 
 Miss Winthrop had buried her face in her hands, and 
 was trembling from head to foot. The words of God 
 never seemed so real and true before, as now while utter- 
 ed by an unbeliever.
 
 CHRIS PINE'S IDEA OF CHRISTIANS. 
 
 173 
 
 " I don't believe there is any such place t>r things," 
 said Miss Brown bluntly. 
 
 " There spake my mature and thoughtless friend who 
 is not to be imposed upon," said Christine with a touch of 
 irony in her tone. 
 
 Dennis had listened in sad wonder. Such words of 
 cynical unbelief were in dark, terrible contrast with the 
 fair young face. He saw the mind and training of her 
 father in all she . said, but he bitterly condemned the 
 worldly, inconsistent life of multitudes in the church who 
 do more to confirm unbelievers than all their sophistries. 
 But as she went on seemingly having the argument all 
 her own way, his whole soul burned to meet and refute 
 her fatal views. For her own sake and the others, as well 
 as for the dishonored name, of his Lord, he must in some 
 way turn the tide. Though regarded as a humble servitor, 
 having no right to take part in the conversation, he de- 
 termined that his hands must lift up the standard of truth 
 if no others would or could. To his joy he found that 
 the programme would soon give him the coveted oppor- 
 tunity. 
 
 Christine went on with a voice as smooth and musical 
 as the flow of a stream over a glacier. 
 
 " I have read the Bible several times, and that is more 
 than all of you can say, I think. It is a wonderful book, 
 and has been the inspiration of some of our best art. 
 There are parts that I enjoy reading very much for their 
 sublimity and peculiarity. But who pretends to live as 
 this old and partially obsolete book teaches ? Take my 
 father for instance. All the gentlemen in the church that 
 I know of, can do, and are accustomed to do, just what 
 he does, and some" I think do much worse ; and yet he is 
 an infidel as you would term him. And as to the ladies, 
 not the Bible, but fashion rules them with a rod of iron. 
 I have cut free from it all, and art shall be my religion and 
 the inspiration of my life." 
 8*
 
 1 74 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 As Christine talked on, the twilight deepened, and 
 Dennis worked with increasing eagerness. 
 
 " After all," she continued, " it is only history repeat- 
 ing itself. The educated mind to-day stands in the same 
 relation to Christianity that the cultured mind of Greece 
 and Rome stood to the older mythology in the second 
 century. The form of religion was kept up, but its belief 
 and power were fast dying out. The cities abounded in 
 gorgeous temples, and were thronged with worshippers, 
 but they sacrificed at the dictates of fashion, custom, and 
 law, not of faith. So our cities are adorned with splen- 
 did churches, and fashion and the tastes of the congre- 
 gation decide as to the form of service. They differ 
 widely from each other, and all differ from the Bible. 
 The ancients gave no more respect to what was regarded 
 the will of their imaginary deities than do modern Chris- 
 tians to the precepts of the Bible. People went to the 
 ceremonies, got through with them, and then did what 
 they pleased ; and so they do now. 
 
 " Take for instance one of your commonest doctrines, 
 that of prayer : the majority have no practical belief in 
 it. My father has taken me, and out of curiosity I have 
 attended several prayer meetings. The merest fraction 
 of the congregation are present at the best of times, and if 
 the night is stormy, the number out is painfully small. Yet 
 all profess to believe that the Lord of heaven and earth 
 will be present, and that it is His will that they should be. 
 Your Bible teaches that the Being who controls completely 
 the destiny of every person, will be in the midst of those 
 gathered in His name, to hear and answer the peti 
 tions. If this is true, then no earthly ruler was ever so 
 neglected and insulted, so generally ignored as this very 
 Deity to whom you ascribe unlimited power, and from 
 whom you say you receive life and everything. An east- 
 ern despot would take off the heads of those who treat-
 
 CHRISTINE'S IDEA OF CHRISTIANS. 175 
 
 ed him in such style, and a republican politician would 
 scoff at the idea of giving office to such lukewarm follow- 
 ers. Why here in Christian Chicago the will of God is no 
 more heeded by the majority than that of the Emperor 
 of China, and the Bible might as well be the Koran. 
 Looking at these facts from my impartial standpoint, I am 
 driven to one of two alternatives : either you regard your 
 God as so kind and good, so merciful, that you can tres- 
 pass on His forbearance to any extent, and treat Him 
 with a neglect and indifference that none would manifest 
 toward the pettiest earthly potentate, and still all be well ; 
 or else you have no real practical belief in your religion. 
 Though not very charitably inclined, I cannot think quite 
 so meanly of human nature as to take the former view, so 
 I am driven to the latter. For surely no man who wished 
 to live and prosper, no woman who loved her husband 
 and children, could so coolly and continually disregard 
 the Deity in whom they profess to believe with the old 
 Greek Poet, they " live, move, and have their being." 
 
 The twilight deepened, and Christine continued, her 
 words portraying the decline of faith according, ominously 
 with the increasing gloom. 
 
 " Why, in order to see the truth of what I am saying, 
 look at the emblem of your faith the Cross. All its his- 
 torical associations are those of self-denial, and suffering 
 for others. The Founder of your faith endured death 
 upon it. He was a great good man like Socrates, though 
 no doubt a mistaken enthusiast. But what He meant. He 
 said plainly and clearly, as for instance, ' Whosoever doth 
 not bear his cross and 'come after Me, cannot be My dis- 
 ciple.' I admit that in the past He had a wonderful fol- 
 lowing. In the ages of martyrdom multitudes left all and 
 endured all that He did for His sake. But so there have 
 been other great leaders with equally devoted followers. 
 But in this practical age religious enthusiasm has but lit-
 
 I 7 b BARRIERS BURNED AWA\. 
 
 tie chance. What crosses do the members of the Church 
 of the Holy Virgin take up ? and what are borne by your 
 great rich Church, Miss Winthrop ? The shrewd people 
 of this day manage better, and put their crosses on top of 
 the church. I suppose they reason that the stone tower 
 can carry it for the whole congregation on the principle 
 of a labor-saving machine. But honestly your modern 
 disciples are no more like their Master than one of the 
 pale, slim, white-kidded -gentlemen who will be here to- 
 night, is like Richard Cceur de Leon as he led a charge 
 against the Moslems. Your cross is dwindling to a mere 
 pretty ornament an emblem of a past that is fast fading 
 from men's memories. It will never have the power to 
 inspire the heart again, as when the Crusaders " 
 
 At that moment their eyes were blinded by a sudden, 
 dazzling light. There was a general and startled excla- 
 mation, and then, awe-struck and silent, they gazed as if 
 spell-bound upon a luminous cross blazing before them. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 EQUAL TO AN EMERGENCY. 
 
 THE fiery cross that so awed Christine and her little 
 group of auditors, was to be the closing scene of the 
 evening entertainment. It was of metal, and by a skilful 
 adjustment of jets was made to appear as if all aflame. 
 While the others were intent on Christine's words, and she 
 m the interest of her theme had quite forgotten him, Den- 
 nis made all his arrangements, and at the critical- point 
 narrated in the preceding chapter, he turned on the gas 
 with the most startling effect. It seemed a living, vivid 
 refutation of Christine's words, and even she turned pale.
 
 EQUAL TO AN EMERGENCY. 177 
 
 After a moment, for the emblem to make its full impres- 
 sion, Dennis stepped out before them all, his face lighted 
 up by the luminous cross. They admitted that no Crusa-. 
 der could look more earnest and brave than he. 
 
 " Miss Ludolph," he said in firm yet respectful tones, 
 " I should evermore be unworthy of your respect and con- 
 fidence, what is more, I should be false to myself, false to 
 my faith, should I remain silent in view of what I have 
 been compelled to hear. That sacred emblem has not 
 spent its meaning, or its power. Millions to-day would die 
 for the sake of Him who suffered on it. Many even of 
 those weak, inconsistent ones that you have so justly con- 
 demned, would part with life rather than the faint hope 
 that centres there," pointing to the radiant symbol. 
 
 " You are rude, sir," said Christine, her face pale, but 
 her eyes flashing in turn. 
 
 " No, he is right ! he is right ! " exclaimed Miss Win- 
 throp, springing up with tears in her eyes. " Undeserving 
 as I am of the name of Christian, I would die, I know I 
 would die, before I would give up my poor little hope, 
 though I confess you make me fear that it is a false one. 
 But its the best I have, and I msan it shall be better. I 
 think a good touch of persecution that would bring peo- 
 ple outyvvould do the Church mere good than anything else.' 
 
 " Pardon me, Miss Ludolph," continued Dennis; " but 
 I appeal to your sense of justice. Could I be a true man 
 and be silent, believing what I do ? Could I hear the name 
 of my Best Friend thus spoken of, and say not one word 
 in His behalf? 
 
 " But I spoke most highly of the Christ of the Bible." 
 
 " You spoke of Him as a great, good, but mistaken 
 m'Mi, an enthusiast. To me He is the mighty God, my 
 Divine Saviour, to whom I owe infinitely more than life. 
 You know that I mean no disrespect to you," he added 
 with gentle but manly courtesy. " I regret more deeply
 
 I 7 8 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 than words can express that you honestly think as you do. 
 But if I as honestly believe the Bible, am I not acting as 
 you said a true follower ought ? For I assure you it is a 
 heavier cross than you can ever know, to speak thus un- 
 bidden where I am regarded only as a serving-rnan. But 
 would I not be false and cowardly, if I held my peace ? 
 And if you afterwards should know that I claimed the 
 name of Christian, would you not despise me as you re- 
 membered this scene ? " 
 
 Christine bit her lip and hesitated, but her sense of 
 justice prevailed, and she said 
 
 " I not only pardon you, but commend your course in 
 view of your evident sincerity." 
 
 Dennis replied by a low bow. 
 
 At this moment there was a loud ring at the door. 
 
 " There come the gentlemen," exclaimed Miss Brown. 
 " I am so glad. O dear, what a long, uncomfortable 
 preachment we have had ; now for some fun." 
 
 The colorless young ladies had stared first at Christine, 
 and then at the cross, in blank amazement. 
 
 At the word " gentlemen " they were all on the alert and 
 ready for real life ; but Miss Winthrop left the room for a 
 short time. 
 
 A handsome, lively youth entered, scattering bows and 
 compliments on every side with the off-hand ease of an ac- 
 complished society man. He paid no heed to Dennis, evi- 
 dently regarding him as the showman. 
 
 " Well, ladies, you have done your part," he said, "your 
 arrangements seem complete." 
 
 " Yes, Mr. Mellen ; but where is Mr. Archer, our tenor ?" 
 asked Christine. " We have only three-quarters of an hour 
 for music rehearsal, before -,ve must retire to dress for out 
 parts." 
 
 " Bad news for you, Miss Ludolph," said Mr. Mellen, 
 coming: to her side ; " Archer is sick and can't corne."
 
 EQUAL TO AN EMERGENCY. J 79 
 
 " Can't come ? " they all exclaimed in dismayed chorus. 
 
 " AY hat is the matter ?" asked Miss Winthrop anxiously, 
 coming in at that moment. 
 
 " Matter enough," said Miss Brown poutingly, " that 
 horrid Archer has gone and got sick. I do believe he did 
 it on purpose. He did not know his parts near as well as 
 he ought, and he has taken this way to get out of it." 
 
 " But he promised me he would study them all the morn- 
 ing," said Christine. " O I am so sorry. What shall we 
 do ? Our entertainment seems fated to be a failure," and 
 she spoke in a tone of deep disappointment. 
 
 " I assure you I feel the deepest sympathy for you," 
 said Mr. Mellen, looking tenderly at Christine, " but I did 
 my best. I tried to drag Archer here out of his sick-bed, 
 and then I ran around among some other good singers 
 that I know, but none would venture. They said the mu- 
 sic was difficult, and would require much practice, and that 
 now is impossible." 
 
 " O isn't it too bad," mourned Miss Winthrop. " The 
 programme is all printed, and the people will be so disap- 
 pointed. We can't have that splendid duet that you and 
 Mr. Archer were to sing together, Christine. I have a 
 score of friends who were coming to hear that alone." 
 
 " O as for that matter, half our music is spoiled," said 
 Christine dejectedly. " Well this is the last time I attempt 
 anything of the kind. How in the world we are going to 
 get out of this scrape, I do not know. The tickets are so 
 high, and so much has been said, that the people are ex- 
 pecting a great deal, and there is every prospect of a most 
 lame and impotent conclusion." 
 
 A general gloom settled upon the faces of all. At this 
 moment Dennis stepped forward hesitatingly and said to 
 Christine 
 
 " Have you the music that Mr. Archer was to sing? " 
 
 " Certainly ! do you suppose it was of the kind that
 
 l8o ,. BARRIERS BURNED A\VAV. 
 
 he could make up out of his head?" said Miss Brown 
 pertly. 
 
 " Will you let me see it ? If you are willing, perhaps I 
 can assist you in this matter." 
 
 All turned toward him with a look of great surprise. 
 
 " What do you think of that from the man who sweeps 
 Mr. Ludolph's store ? " asked Miss Brown in a loud whisper. 
 
 " I think the fellow is as presuming as he is ignorant," 
 said Mr. Mellen so plainly that all heard him. 
 
 : ' It is not presuming, sir, to offer a kindness where it 
 is needed," said Dennis with dignity, "and my ignorance 
 is not yet proved. The presumption is all on your part.' 
 
 Mr. Mellen flushed and was about to answer angrily, 
 when Miss Winthrop said hastily but in a kindly tone 
 
 " But really Mr. Fleet, much of our music is new and 
 very difficult." 
 
 " But it is written, is it not ? " asked Dennis with a 
 smile. 
 
 Christine looked at him in silent wonder. What would 
 he not do next ? But she was sorry that he had spoken, 
 for she foresaw only mortification for him. 
 
 " O give him the music by all means," said Miss Brown, 
 expecting to enj oy his blundering attempts to sing what was 
 far beyond him. " There, I will play the accompaniment. 
 It's not the tune of Old Hundred that you are to sing now, 
 young man, remember." 
 
 Dennis glanced over the music, and she commenced 
 playing a loud, difficult piece. 
 
 He turned to Miss Ludolph and said, 
 
 " I fear you have gu r en me the wrong music. Miss 
 Brown is playing something not written here. " 
 
 They exchanged significant glances, and Miss Winthrop 
 said 
 
 " Play the right music, Miss Brown." 
 
 She struck into the music that Dennis held, but played
 
 EQUAL TO AN EMERGENCY. 181 
 
 it so out of time, that no one could sing it. Dennis laid 
 down his sheets on the piano and said quietly, though with 
 flushed face, 
 
 " I did not mean to be obtrusive. You all seem greatly 
 disappointed at Mr. Archer's absence and the results, and 
 1 thought that in view of the emergency it would not be 
 presumption to offer my services. But it seems thai [ am 
 mistaken." 
 
 " No, it is not presumption," said Miss Winthrop. " It 
 was true kindness and courtesy, which has been ill re- 
 quited. But you see, to be frank, Mr. Fleet, we all fear 
 that you do not realize what you are undertaking." 
 
 " Must I of necessity be an ignoramus because, as 
 Miss Brown says, I sweep a store ? " 
 
 " Let me play the accompaniment," said Christine, 
 with the decided manner of her own that few resisted, 
 and she went correctly through the difficult and brilliant 
 passage. Dennis followed his part with both eye and ear, 
 and then said * 
 
 " Perhaps I had better sing my part alone first, and 
 then you can correct any mistakes." 
 
 There was a flutter of expectation, a wink from Mr. 
 Mellen, and an audible titter from Miss Brown. 
 
 " Certainly," said Miss Ludolph, who thought to her- 
 self "If he will make a fool of himself, he may," and 
 she played the brief prelude. 
 
 Then prompt upon the proper note, true to time and 
 note, Dennis's rich, powerful tenor voice startled, and then 
 entranced them all. He sang the entire passage through, 
 with only such mistakes as resulted from his nervousness 
 and embarrassment. 
 
 At the close, all exclaimed in admiration save Miss 
 Brown, who bit her lip in ill-concealed vexation, but she 
 said with a half sneer 
 
 " Really, Mr. What-is-your-name, you are almost equal 
 to Blind Tom."
 
 l82 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 " You do Blind Tom great injustice," said Dennis. " I 
 read my music." 
 
 " But how did you learn to read music in that style ? " 
 asked Christine. 
 
 " Of course it took me years to do so. But no one 
 could join our musical club at college who could not read 
 anything placed before him." 
 
 " It must have been small and select, then." 
 
 " It was." 
 
 " How often had you sung that piece before ? " asked 
 Miss Brown. 
 
 " I never saw it before," answered Dennis. 
 
 "Why it is just out," said Christine. . 
 
 "Well, ladies and gentlemen, our troubles are over 
 .it last," said Miss Winthrop. " Mr. Fleet seems a good 
 genius equal to any emergency. If he can sing that 
 difficult passage, he can sing anything else we have. We 
 had better run over our parts, and then to our toilets." , 
 
 One of the colorless young Ladies played the accpm- 
 paniments, her music making a sort of neutral tint, against 
 which their rich ana varied voices came out with better 
 effect. They sang rapidly through the programme. Den- 
 nis sustaining his parts correctly, and with taste. He 
 could read any music placed before him like the open 
 page of a book, and years of practice enabled him to sing 
 true, and with confidence. As he sang one thing after 
 another with perfect ease, their wonder grew, and when 
 in the final duet with Christine, they both came out 
 strongly, their splendid, thoroughly-trained voices blend- 
 ing in perfect harmony, they were rewarded with a spon- 
 taneous burst of applause, in which even Miss Brown was 
 compelled to join. 
 
 Christine said nothing, but gave Dennis a quick, grate- 
 ful glance, which amply repaid him for the martyrdom 
 she had led him into that afternoon.
 
 EQUAL TO AN EMERGENCY. jgj 
 
 He acknowledged the plaudits of the others with a 
 slight, cool bow, but her thanks with a warm flush of plea 
 ure, and then turned to complete his arrangements as if 
 nothing had happened. There was not the slightest show 
 of exultation, or of a purpose to demand equality in view 
 ot what had happened. His old manner returned, and he 
 acted as if they all were strangers to him. They ex- 
 changed significant, wondering glances, and after a brief 
 consultation, retired to the dining-room, where coffee and 
 sandwiches were waiting. Miss Winthrop and Christine 
 sincerely hoped that Miss Brown would invite Dennis out, 
 but she did not, and as it was her house, as she had said, 
 they could not interfere. Dennis heard the clatter of knives 
 and forks, and saw that he was again slighted ; but he did 
 not care now. Indeed in the light of the sacred emblem 
 before which he had stood, he had learned to have a genu- 
 ine pity for them all. 
 
 He remembered how the rich and great of the world 
 had treated his Master. 
 
 Then too Christine's kind, grateful glance seemed to 
 fall upon him like a warm ray of sunlight. 
 
 After they were through and about to dress for their 
 parts, Miss Brown put her head within the door and said 
 shortly 
 
 " You will find some lunch in the dining-room. ' ; 
 
 " Dennis paid no heed to her, but he heard Miss Win- 
 throp say, 
 
 " Really, Miss Brown, that is too bad after what he " 
 has done and shown himself to be, I wonder that he does 
 not leave the house." 
 
 " He will not do that till all is over," said Christine. 
 
 " Then he may as soon as he chooses," said Miss 
 Brown. She was a girl of violent prejudices, and from 
 her very nature would instinctively dislike such a person 
 as Dennis Fleet.
 
 1 84 BARRIERS BURNED AWAV. 
 
 " Well," said Miss Winthrop, " he is a gentleman, and 
 ne gave the strongest proof of it when he quietly and mod- 
 estly withdrew after achieving a success that would have 
 turned any one's head, and which ought to have secured 
 him full recognition." 
 
 " I told you he was a gentleman," said Christine briefly, 
 " and I consider myself a judge," and then their voices 
 passed out of hearing. 
 
 Dennis having arranged everything so that he could 
 place his hands right upon it, found that he had half an 
 hour to spare. He said to himself, "Miss Ludolph is 
 wrong. I shall leave the house a short time ; I am a most 
 unromantic individual, for no matter what, or how, I feel, 
 I will get hungry. But I am sure Miss Brown's coffee'and 
 sandwiches would choke me. I have already swallowed 
 too much from her to care for any more, so here's for a 
 restaurant." 
 
 Miss Winthrop hastened through her toilet in order 
 that she might come down and speak to Dennis while he 
 was alone. She wished to thank him for his course and 
 his vindication of the truth, and assure him that she both 
 respected and would treat him as a true gentleman. She 
 went into the back parlor, but he was not there ; then she 
 passed to the dining-room, but found only servants clear- 
 ing away and preparing for the grand supper of the even- 
 ing. 
 
 In quick alarm she asked, 
 
 " Where is Mr. Fleet ? " 
 
 "Is it the man in the back parlor, mum? He's just 
 after goin' out." 
 
 " O girls," exclaimed Miss Winthrop, lushing up stairs, 
 " Mr. Fleet has gone." 
 
 And there was general consternation.
 
 THE REVELATION. 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 THE REVELATION. 
 
 THE toilets of the young ladies were nearly completed, 
 but without waiting to put another touch, all hastened to 
 the place where they had left Dennis. One of the color- 
 less voung ladies appeared upon the scene with a shawl 
 around her bare shoulders, and a great deal of color on 
 one cheek, and none on the other as yet, but this slight 
 discrepancy was unnoted in the dire calamity they feared. 
 
 Many were the exclamations and lamentations. 
 
 " Why, the people will be here in fifteen minutes," said 
 Miss Winthrop in a nervous tremor. 
 
 "Did he leave no word?" asked Miss Brown of the 
 servants. 
 
 " No word, mum," was the dismal echo. 
 
 " What shall we do ?" they said, looking at each other 
 with blank faces ; but none could answer. 
 
 " I do hate such proud, stuck-up people. There" is no 
 managing or depending on them," said Miss Brown spite- 
 fully. , 
 
 Miss Winthrop bit her lips to keep from saying to her 
 hostess what would be more true than polite. There was 
 a flash of anger in Christine's dark blue eyes, and she said 
 coldly, 
 
 " I imagine that you have finished the business this 
 time, Miss Brown. But I confess that I am greatly sur- 
 prised, for he said I could depend upon him for to* 
 night"
 
 1 86 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 " So you can," said Dennis, coming in behind them. 
 " f am sorry you have had this needless alarm. But the 
 fact is. I am a plain, ordinary mortal, and live in a very 
 material way." 
 
 "There was plenty of lunch in the dining-room," said 
 Miss Brown tartly. " You need not have gone out and 
 made all this trouble." 
 
 " Pardon me for slighting your hospitality" said Den- 
 nis with emphasis on the word, " but I am very fastidious 
 as to the seasoning of my food." 
 
 "Again significant glances were exchanged, and there 
 was a suppressed titter at Miss Brown's expense. She 
 darted a blank look at Dennis, and left the room. 
 
 " I can assure you, ladies," added he, " that all is ready. 
 I can lay my hand on whatever is needed in a moment, 
 you need give yourselves no further anxiety." 
 
 There was a general stampede for the dressing rooms, 
 but Miss Winthrop lingered. When Dennis was alone 
 she went up to him and frankly gave her hand, saying, 
 
 " Mr. Fleet, I wish to thank you for your course to-day. 
 Between Miss Ludolph's unwitting sermon, and your brave 
 and unexpected vindication of our faith, I hope to become 
 more deserving of the name of Christian. You are a gen- 
 tleman, sir, in the truest and best sense of the word, and 
 as such it will ever be a pleasure to welcome you at my 
 father's house," and she gave him her card. 
 
 A flush of grateful surprise and pleasure mantled Den- 
 nis's face, but before he could speak she was gone. 
 
 The audience were now thronging in. By half past 
 eight the performers were all in the back parlor, and there 
 was a brilliant array of actors and actresses in varied and 
 fanciful costume, many coming to the house dressed for 
 their part. There were gods and goddesses, shepherds, 
 shepherdesses, and angels, crusaders who would take leave 
 of languishing ladies, living statuary, and tableaux of all
 
 A REVELATION. jg; 
 
 sorts. Dennis was much shocked at the manner in which 
 ladies exposed themselves in the name of art, and for the 
 sake of effect. Christine seemed perfectly Greek and 
 Pagan in this respect, yet there was that in her manner 
 that forbade the wanton glance. But as he observed the, 
 carriage of the men around him, he was more than satis- 
 fied that no plea of art could justify the " style," and felt 
 assured that every pure minded woman would take the 
 same view if she realized the truth. Under the names of 
 fashion and art much is done in society that would be 
 simply monstrous on ordinary occasions. 
 
 The music, as far as possible, was in character with 
 the scenes^ The entertainment went forward with great 
 applause. Every one was radiant, and the subtle exhil- 
 arating spirit of assured success glowed in every eye, and 
 gave a richer tone and coloring to everything. 
 
 Christine appeared in several and varied characters, 
 and Dennis had eyes only for her. The others he glanced 
 over critically as the artist in charge, and then dismissed 
 them from his thoughts, but on Christine his eyes rested 
 in a spell-bound admiration that both amused and pleased 
 her. She loved power of every kind, and when she read 
 approval in the cultured and critical eye of Dennis Fleet, 
 she knew that all the audience were applauding. 
 
 But Dennis had little time for musing, so great was the 
 strain upon him to prevent confusion. His voice excited 
 great surprise and applause, many inquiring vainly who he 
 was. When he and Christine sang together, the audience 
 were perfectly carried away, and stormed and applauded 
 without stint. Indeed it seemed that they could not be 
 satisfied. The call was so urgent that several asked 
 Christirie"""to sing again, and she did so alone. For ren 
 minutes she held the audience perfectly entranced, ;.nd 
 none more so than Dennis. Usually she was too cold in 
 aU that she did, but now in her excitement she far surpass-
 
 1 88 BARRIERS ^BURNED AWAY. 
 
 ed herself, and he acknowledged that he never heard such 
 music before. 
 
 The very soul of song seemed breathed into her, and 
 every nook and coiner of the house appeared to vibrate 
 jvith melody. Even the servants in distant rooms said that 
 it seemed that an angel was singing. After she ceased, 
 the audience sat spell-bound for a moment, and then fol- 
 lowed prolonged thunders of applause, the portly brewer, 
 Mr. Brown himself, leading off again and again. 
 
 " Now let the tenor sing alone," he said, for though a 
 coarse man, he was hearty and good-natured. 
 
 The audience emphatically echoed his wish, but Den- 
 nis as decidedly shook his head. 
 
 Then came a cry, " Miss Ludolph and the Tenor 
 again," and the audience took it up with a clamor that 
 would not be denied. 
 
 Christine looked inquiringly at Dennis, and he replied 
 in a low tone, 
 
 " You command me this evening." 
 
 Again she thanked him with her eyes, and from a music 
 stand near, chose a magnificent duet from Mendelssohn, 
 in which he must sing several difficult solos. 
 
 " Will that answer ? " she asked. 
 
 " Act your pleasure. I am familiar with it," he said, 
 smiling at the way she had circumvented him in his refusal 
 to sing alone. 
 
 Christine sat down and played her own accompaniment, 
 while Dennis stood at her side. He determined to do his 
 best and prove that though he swept a store, he could also 
 do something else. Many of the strains were plaintive, and 
 his deep and unconscious feeling for his fair companion 
 in song, gave to his voice a depth, and at times a pathcs 
 that both thrilled and touched the heart, and there were 
 not a few wet eyes in the audience. Unconsciously to 
 himself and all around, he was singing his love, and even
 
 A REVELATION. i8g 
 
 Christine, though much preoccupied with her part, won- 
 dered at the effect upon herself, and recognized the deep 
 impression made upon the audience. 
 
 As the last notes died away the sliding doors were 
 closed. 
 
 Dennis had achieved a greater success than Christine, 
 because singing from the heart he had touched the heart. 
 His applause could be read in moist eyes and expressive 
 faces, rather than in noisy hands. She saw and under- 
 stood the result. A sad, disappointed look came into her 
 face, and she said in a low, plaintive tone, as if it were 
 wrung from her, 
 
 "There must be something wrong about me. I fear 1 
 shall never reach true art. I can only win admiration, 
 never touch the heart." 
 
 Dennis was about lo speak eagerly, when they were 
 overwhelmed by the rush and confusion attendant on the 
 breaking up of the entertainment. 
 
 Part of the older guests at once left for their homes, 
 and the rest stayed for supper. 
 
 The parlors were to be cleared as soon as possible for 
 dancing. Christine was joined by her father, who had sat 
 in the audience, scarcely believing his eyes, much less his 
 ears. Was that the young man who was blacking old 
 Schwartz's boots the other day ? 
 
 His daughter was overwhelmed with compliments, but 
 she took them very coolly and quietly, for her heart was 
 full of bitterness. That which her ambitious spirit most 
 desired she could not reach, and to the degree that she 
 loved art, was her disappointment keen. She almost en- 
 ried poor Denrfls, but she knew not the secret of his suc- 
 cess ; nor did he, either, in truth. His old manner returned, 
 and he busied himself in rapidly packing up everything 
 that he had brought. Mr'. Ludolph, who had received a 
 brief explanation from Christine, came and said kindly, 
 9
 
 190 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 " Why, Fleet, you have blosson ed out strongly to-day. * 
 
 " Indeed, sir, I think I have never had a more rigorous 
 pruning," was the reply. 
 
 When the story had been told him in full, he under- 
 stood the remark. Christine was waiting for the crowd to 
 disperse somewhat, in order to speak to Dennis also, for 
 her seiibe of justice and genuine admiration impelled her 
 to warm and sincere acknowledgment. But at that mo- 
 ment Mr. Mellen came in exclaiming, 
 
 " Miss Ludolph, they are all waiting for you to lead the 
 dance, for to you is given this honor by acclamation, and 
 I plead your promise to be my partner," and he carried 
 her off, she meaning to return as soon as possible, as she 
 supposed Dennis would remain. 
 
 A moment after, light airy music was heard in the front 
 parlor, followed by the rhythmical cadence of light feet and 
 the rustle of silks like a breeze through a forest. 
 
 For some reason, as she went away Dennis's heart 
 sank within him. The strong excitements of the day re- 
 acted, and a strange sense of weariness and despondency 
 crept over him. The gay music in the other room seemed 
 plaintive and far away, and the tripping feet sounded like 
 the patter of rain on Autumn leaves. The very lights ap- 
 peared to turn dimmer, and the color to fade out of his life. 
 
 Mechanically he packed up the few remaining articles, 
 to be called for in the morning, and then leaned heavily 
 against a pillar, intending to rest a moment before going 
 out into the night alone. 
 
 Some one pushed back the sliding- door a little and 
 passed through the room. Through the opening he caught 
 a glimpse of the gay scene within. Suddenly Christine 
 appeared floating lightly through the waltz in her gauzy 
 drapery as if in a white vapory cloud. Through the nar- 
 row opening she seemed a radiant, living portrait. But 
 her partner whirled her out of his line rf vision. Thus in
 
 A REVELATION. ig\ 
 
 the mazes of the dance she kept appearing and disappear- 
 ing, flashing on sight one moment, leaving a VJHank in the 
 crowded room the next. 
 
 " So it will ever be, I suppose," he said to himself bit- 
 terly; "chance and stolen glimpses my only privilege." 
 
 Again she appeared, smiling archly on the man whose 
 arm clasped her waist. 
 
 A frown black as night gathered on Dennis's brow 
 then a sudden pallor overspread his face to his very 
 lips. 
 
 The revelation had come ! Then for the first time he 
 knew knew it as if written in letters of fire before him, 
 that he loved Christine Ludolph. 
 
 At first the knowledge stunned and bewildered him, 
 and his mind was a confused blur ; then as she appeared 
 again, smiling upon and in the embrace of another man, 
 a sharp sword seemed to pierce his heart. 
 
 Dennis was no faint shadow of a man who had frittered 
 away what little heart he originally had, in numberless 
 flirtations. He belonged to the male species, with some- 
 thing of the pristine vigor of the first man, who said of 
 the one woman of all the world " This is now bone of my 
 bones, and flesh of my flesh ; " and one whom he had 
 first seen but a few short months since, now seemed to 
 belong to him by the highest and divinest right. But 
 could he ever claim his own ? 
 
 In his morbid, wearied state, there seemed a " great 
 gulf fixed " between them. For a moment he fairly felt 
 faint and sick, as if he had received a wound. He was 
 startled by hearing Miss Winthrop say at his side 
 
 " Mr. Fleet, you will not leave yet. I have many friends 
 wishing an introduction to you. What is the matter ? You 
 really look sick. 1 ' . 
 
 At her voice he flushed painfully. He was so vividly 
 conscious of his love himself that he felt tnat every one
 
 192 
 
 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 else must be able to see it, and darkness and solitude nour 
 seemed a refuge. Recovering himself by a great effort, 
 he said 
 
 " Pardon me, I do I am not well nothing is the mat- 
 ter a little rest and I will be myself again." 
 
 " No wonder. You have been taxed every way beyond 
 mortal endurance, and I think. that it is a shame the way 
 you have been treated. Pray do not judge Chicago so- 
 ciety altogether by what you have seen here. Let me get 
 you some refreshment, and then I will acquaint you with 
 some people who can recognize a gentleman when they 
 meet him." 
 
 " No, Miss Winthrop," said Dennis courteously but 
 firmly, " you are not in your own home, and by staying I 
 would not accept your hospitality. I appreciate your kind- 
 ness deeply, and thank your friends who have expressed a 
 willingness to make myacquaintance. It would not be 
 right to stay longer in this house than is necessary. I do 
 not feel resentful. I have no room in my memory for Miss 
 Brown and her actions, but at the same time self-respect 
 tequires that I go at once," and he took his hat. 
 
 " ] am not surprised that you feel as you do. But give 
 me the pleasure of welcoming you at my own home as 
 soon as possible," she said, and gave her hand to him in 
 parting. 
 
 Dennis took it respectfully and bowed low, saying, 
 
 " I shall not willingly deny myself so great a pleasure," 
 and was gone. 
 
 " Christine came in a few moments later, and found 
 only servants clearing the room for dancing. 
 
 " Where is Mr. Fleet ? '' she asked. 
 
 " Gone, mum." 
 
 " Yes,'' said ,Miss Winthrop, coming in at the same 
 time, " he has gone now in very truth ; and I don't think 
 the power exists that could lead him to darken these doors
 
 A REVELATION. 
 
 193 
 
 again. I doubt if I ever come myself. I never saw a 
 clearer instance of of well shoddy" 
 
 " It seems to me that you Christians are as proud as 
 any of us." 
 
 " Isn't there a difference between pride and self re- 
 sr. ect ? I am satisfied that if Miss Brown were in trouble, 
 or poor, Mr. Fleet would be the first to help her. O Chris- 
 tine, we have treated him shamefully ! " 
 
 " You seem to take a wonderful interest in this un- 
 known knight in rusty armor." (Dennis's dress was de- 
 cidedly threadbare.) 
 
 " I do," said the impulsive girl frankly, " because he is 
 wonderfully interesting. What man of all the large audi- 
 ence present to-night, could have acted the part he did. 
 I am satisfied that that man is by birth and education a 
 gentleman. Are you ready, with your aristocratic notions, 
 to recognize chiefly Miss Brown's title to position? What 
 could her coat-of-arms be but the dollar symbol and beer 
 barrel ? " 
 
 " Come, remember she Is our hostess." 
 
 " You are right ; I should not speak so here ; but my 
 indignation gets the better of me." 
 
 " Would you invite him to your house ? " 
 
 " Certainly. I have ; and what is more, he has prom- 
 ised to come. Supposing that he is poor, are not many 
 of your noblemen as poor as poverty ? My parlors shall 
 be haunted only by men of ability and character." 
 
 " You are not going to shut out this little heathen," 
 said Christine, putting her arm about her friend. 
 
 " Never ! " said Miss Winthrop, returning the embrace 
 with double warmth. Then she added sadly, " You are not 
 an unbeliever from conviction and knowledge, Christine, 
 but from training and association. While I admire and 
 honor your father as a splendid and gifted man, I regret 
 his and your skepticism more deeply than you can ever 
 know."
 
 194 
 
 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 " Well, Susie," said Christine with a smile, " if they shut 
 out such as you from your Paradise, I do not wish to go 
 there." 
 
 " If with my clear knowledge of the conditions of en- 
 trance, I shut myself out, I will have no right to complain," 
 said Miss Winthrop sadly. 
 
 But the absence of twsuch belles could not long re- 
 main unnoted, and having been discovered, they were 
 pounced upon by half a dozen young gentlemen, clamor- 
 ous for the honor of their hand for the " German." 
 
 In spite of herself, Christine was vexed and annoyed. 
 Dennis had seemed, in his obscurity, a nice little bit of 
 personal property, that she could use and order about as 
 she pleased. He had been so subservient and eager to 
 do her will, that she had never thought of him otherwise 
 than her " humble servant." But now her own hand had sud- 
 denly given him the role of a find gentleman. Christine 
 was too logical to think of continuing to order about, as 
 she might Pat Murphy, a man who could sing Mendels- 
 sohn's music as Dennis had. 
 
 She congratulated herself that the arrangement of the 
 store was nearly completed, and only one show-room un- 
 finished. 
 
 " I suppose he will be very dignified when we meet 
 again," she thought to herself. " I should not be at all 
 surprised if my impulsive little friend Susie loses her 
 heart to him. Well, I suppose she can to any one she 
 choses. As for me, rich or poor, stupid or gifted, the 
 men of this land are all alike," and with a. half sigh she 
 plunged resolutely into the gayeties of the evening, as if 
 to escape from herself.
 
 NIGHT THOUGHTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI, 
 
 NIGHT THOUGHTS. 
 
 DENNIS passed out of the heavy, massive entrance tc 
 the wealthy brewer's mansion with a sense of relief as if 
 escaping from prison. The duskyness and solitude of 
 the street seemed a grateful refuge, and the night wind 
 was to his flushed face like a cool hand laid on a feverish 
 brow. He was indeed glad to be alone, for his was one 
 of those deep, earnest natures that cannot rush to the 
 world in garrulous confidence when disturbed and per- 
 plexed. There are many sincere but shallow people who 
 must tell of and talk away every passing emotion. Not 
 of the abundance of their hearts, for abundance there is 
 not, but of the uppermost thing of their hearts their 
 mouths must speak, even though the subjects be of the 
 delicate nature that would naturally be hidden. Such 
 mental constitutions are at least healthful. Concealed 
 trouble never preys upon them like the canker in the bud. 
 Everything comes to the surface and is thrown off. 
 
 But at first Dennis scarcely dared to recognize the 
 truth himself, hd the thought of even telling his mother, 
 was repugnant, For half an hour he walked the streets 
 in a sort of stupor. He was conscious only of a heavy, 
 aching heart and a wearied, confused brain. All the time, 
 however, he knew an event had occurred that must for 
 good or evil affect his entire existence ; but he shrank 
 with nervous dread from grappling with the problem. As 
 the cold air refreshed and revived him, his strong, practi-
 
 I9 6 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 cal mind took up the question almost without volition or 
 his part, and by reason of his morbid, wearied state, only 
 the dark and discouraging side was presented. The 
 awakening to his love was a very different thing to Den- 
 nis, and to the majority in this troubled world, from the 
 blissful consciousness of Adam when for the first time he 
 saw the fair being whom he anight woo at his leisure, amid 
 embowering roses, without fear or thought of a rival. 
 
 To Dennis the fact of his love, so far from promising 
 to be the source of delightful romance and enchantment, 
 was clearly seen the hardest and most practical question 
 of a life full of such questions. 
 
 In his strong and growing excitement he spoke to him- 
 self as to a second person, 
 
 " O, I see it all now. Poor, blind fool that I was to 
 think that by coveting and securing every moment in her 
 presence possible, I was only learning to love art. As I 
 saw her to-night, so radiant and beautiful, and yet in the 
 embrace of another man, and evidently an ardent admirer, 
 what was art to me ! As well might a starving man seek 
 to satisfy himself by wandering through an old Greek 
 temple, as for me to turn to Art alone. One crumb of 
 warm, manifested love from her would be worth more 
 than all the cold, abstract beauty in the universe. And 
 yet what chance have I ? What can I hope for more than 
 a passing thought and a little kindly condescending inter- 
 est ? Clerk and man-of-all-work in a store, poor and 
 heavily burdened, the idea of my loving one of the most 
 wealthy, admired, and aristocratic ladies in Chicago ! It 
 is all very well in story books for peasants to fall in love 
 with princesses, but in practical Chicago the fact of my 
 attachment to Miss Ludolph would be regarded as one of 
 the richest jokes of the season, and such a proof of coun- 
 try rusticity and folly by Mr. Ludolph, as would at once 
 secure my return to pastoral life."
 
 NIGHT THOUGHTS. 
 
 197 
 
 Then hope whispered, " But you can achieve position 
 and wealth as others have, and then can speak your mind 
 from the standpoint of equality." 
 
 But Dennis was in a mood to see only the hope'ess 
 side that night, and exclaimed almost aloud " Non- 
 sense ! Can it be even imagined that she, besieged by 
 the most gifted and rich of the -city, will wait for a poor 
 unknown admirer? Mr. Mellen, I understand approaches 
 her from every vantage ground save that of a noble char- 
 acter, but in the fashionable world how little thought is 
 given to this draw-back," and in his perturbation he strode 
 rapidly and aimlessly on, finding some relief in mere phys- 
 ical activity. 
 
 Suddenly his hasty steps ceased, and even in the dusk 
 of the street, his face gleamed out distinctly, so great was 
 its pallor. Like a ray of light, a passage from the Word 
 of JGod revealed to him his situation in a new aspect. It 
 seemed to him almost that some one had whispered the 
 words in his ear, so distinctly did they present them- 
 selves 
 
 " Be ye net unequally yoked together with unbelievers." 
 
 Slowly -and painfully he said to himself, as if recogniz- 
 ing the most helpless barrier that had yet been dwelt 
 upon 
 
 " Christine Ludolph is an infidel." 
 
 Not only the voice of reason, and of the practical 
 world, but also the voice of God seemed to forbid his 
 love, and the conviction that he must give it all up, became 
 as clear as it was painful. The poor fellow leaned his 
 head against the shaggy bark of an elm that stood in a 
 shadowy square which the street lamps could but fa illy 
 penetrate, and watered the gnarled roots with manj hot 
 tears. 
 
 The night wind swayed the budding branches OJ tie 
 great tree and they sighed over him as if in sympathj 
 9*
 
 I 9 8 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 The struggle within his soul was indeed bitter, for 
 though thus far he had spoken hopelessly, he had not 
 been altogether hopeless, but now that conscience raised 
 its impassable wall high as heaven, which he must not 
 break through, his pain was so great as to almost unman 
 him and only such tears as men can weep fell from his 
 eyes. In anguish he exclaimed 
 
 " That which might have been the chief blessing of 
 life has become my greatest misfortune." 
 
 Abov-i him the gale caused two fraying limbs to ap- 
 pear to moan in echo of the suffering beneath. 
 
 ' This then must be the end of my prayers in her be- 
 half my ardent hope and purpose to lead her to the 
 truth she to walk through honored sunny paths to ever- 
 lasting shame and night, and I through dark and painful 
 way- to light and peace, if in this bitter test I remain 
 faithful. Surely there is much to try one's faith. And 
 yet it must be so as far as human foresight can judge." 
 
 Then a great pity for her swelled his heart, for he felt 
 that her case was the saddest after all, and his tears flowed 
 faster tha:\ ever. 
 
 Human voices now startled him some late revellers 
 passing homeward. The tears and emotion, of which we 
 never think of being ashamed when alone with Nature 
 and its Author, he dreaded to have seen by his fellows, 
 and hastily wiping his eyes, he slunk into the deeper 
 shadow of the tree, and they passed on. Then, an old 
 trait asserting itself, he condemned his own weakness and 
 wavering spirit. Stepping from the sheltering trunk 
 against which he was leaning, he stood strong and erect. 
 
 The winds were hushed as if expectant in the branch- 
 es above - 
 
 ' Dennis Fleet," he said, " you must put your foot on 
 this folly here and now." 
 
 He bared his head and looked upward.
 
 NIGHT THOUGHTS. 199 
 
 " O God," he said solemnly, " if this is contrary to 
 Thy will Thy will be done." 
 
 He paused a moment reverently, and then turned on 
 his heel and strode resolutely homeward. 
 
 A gust of wind crashed the branches overhead togeth 
 er like the clash of cymbals in victory. 
 
 The early Spring dawn was tinging the eastern horizon 
 before the mansion of the rich brewer was darkened and 
 the gay revel ceased. All the long night, light airy music 
 had caused late passers by to pause a moment to listen, 
 and to pity or envy the throng within as disposition might 
 dictate. Mr. Brown x was a man who prided himself on 
 lavish .and rather coarse hospitality. A table groaning 
 under costly dishes, and every variety of liquor that 
 diseased appetite could crave, was the crowning feature, 
 the blissful climax of all his entertainments ; and society 
 from its highest circles furnished an abundance of anxious 
 candidates for his suppers, who ate and criticised, drank 
 to, and disparaged, their plebeian host. - 
 
 Mrs. Brown was heavy in every sense of the word, and 
 with her huge person encased in acres of silk and festooned 
 with no end of black lace, she waddled about and smiled 
 and nodded good-naturedly at everybody and everything. 
 
 It was just the place fora fashionable revel, where the 
 gross repulsive features of coarse excess are veiled and 
 masked somewhat by the glamour of outward courtesy 
 and good-breeding. 
 
 At first Christine entered into the dance with great 
 zest and a decided sense of relief. 
 
 She was disappointed and out of sorts with herself. 
 Again she had failed in the object of her intense ambition, 
 and though conscious that through the excitement of the 
 occasion, she had never sung better, yet she plainly saw in
 
 200 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 the different results of her singing and that of Dennis 
 Fleet that there was depth in the human heart which she 
 could not touch. She could secure only admiration, super- 
 ficial applause. The sphere of the true artist who can 
 touch and sway the popular heart, seemed beyond her abil- 
 ity. By voice or pencil she had never yet reached it. She 
 had too much mind to mistake the character of the admi- 
 ration she excited, and was far too ambitious to be satisfied 
 with the mere praise bestowed on a highly accomplished 
 girl. She aspired determined to be among the first, and 
 to be a second rate imitator in the world of Art was to her 
 the agony of a disappointed life. And yet to imitate with 
 accuracy and skill, not with sympathy, was the only power 
 she had as yet developed. She saw the limitations of her 
 success more clearly than any one else, and chafed bitter- 
 ly at the invisible bounds she could not pass. 
 
 The excitement of the dance enabled her to banish 
 thoughts that were both painful and humiliating. More- 
 over to a nature so active and full of physical vigor, the 
 swift, graceful motion was a source of keen enjoyment. 
 
 But when after supper many of the ladies were silly, 
 and the gentlemen were either stupid or excited, as might 
 be the action of the " invisible spirit of wine " upon their 
 several constitutions when after many glasses of cham- 
 pagne Mr. Mellen began to effervesce in frothy sentimental- 
 ity, and a style of love-making simply nauseating to one 
 of Christine's nature, she looked around for her father in 
 order to escape from the scenes that were becoming re- 
 volting. 
 
 Though of earth only in all the sources of her life arid 
 hopes, she was not earthy. If her spirit could not soar and 
 sing in the sky, it also could not grovel in the mire of gross 
 materialiL 
 
 Some little time therefore before the company broke up, 
 on the plea of not feeling well, she lured her father away
 
 NIGHT THOUGHTS. 2OI 
 
 from his wine, cigars, and a knot of gentlemen who were 
 beginning to talk a little thick and incoherently, and ma- 
 king their adieux amid many protestations against their 
 early departure, drove homeward. 
 
 " How did you enjoy yourself? " asked her fathei. 
 
 " Very much the early part of the evening, not at all 
 the latter part. To sum up, I am disgusted with Mr. Mel- 
 ten and these Browns in general, and myself in particular." 
 
 "What is the matter with Mr. Mellen? I understand 
 that the intriguing mammas consider him the largest game 
 in the city." 
 
 " When hunting degenerates into the chase and capture 
 of insects, you may style him game. Between his cham- 
 pagne and silly love-making, he was as bad as a dose of 
 ipecac." 
 
 Christine spoke freely to her father of her admirers, 
 usually making them the themes of satire and jest. 
 
 " And what is the trouble with our entertainers ? " 
 
 " I am sorry to speak so of anyone whose hospitality I 
 have accepted, but unless it is your wish I hope never to 
 accept it again. They all smell of their beer. Everything 
 is so coarse, lavish, and ostentatious. They tell you as 
 through a brazen trumpet on every side ' We are rich.' " 
 
 " They give magnificent suppers," said Mr. Ludolph in 
 apology. 
 
 " More correctly, the French cook they employ gives 
 them. I do not object to the nicest of suppers, but prefer 
 that the Browns be not on the carte de menu. From the 
 moment Our artistic programme ended, and the entertain- 
 ment fell into their hands, it began to degenerate into an 
 orgy. Nothing but the instinctive restraints of good breed 
 ing prevents such occasions from ending in a drunken 
 revel." 
 
 " You are severe. Mr. Brown's company is not a bad 
 type of the entertainments that prevail in fashionable life."
 
 202 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 " Well it may be true, but they never seemed to me so 
 lacking in good taste and refinement, before. Wait till we 
 dispense choice viands and wines to choicer spirits in our 
 own land, and I will guarantee a marvellously wide differ- 
 ence. Then the eye, the ear, the mind, shall be feasted, 
 as well as the lower sense." 
 
 " Well I do not see why you should be disgusted with 
 yourself. I am sure that you covered yourself with glory, 
 and was the belle of the occasion." 
 
 " That is no great honor, considering the occasion. 
 Father, strange as it may seem to you, I envied your man- 
 of-all-work, to-night. Did you not mark the effect of his 
 singing ? " 
 
 " Yes, and felt it in a way that I cannot explain to 
 myself. His tones seemed to thrill and stir my very heart. 
 I have not been so affected by music for years. At first I 
 thought it was surprise at hearing him sing at all, but I 
 soon found that it was something in the music itself." 
 
 " And that something I fear I can never grasp never 
 attain." 
 
 " Why, my dear, they applauded you to the echo." 
 
 " I would rather see one moist eye as the tribute to my 
 singing, than to be deafened by noisy applause. I fear I 
 shall never reach high art. Men's hearts sleep when I do 
 my best." 
 
 " I think you are slightly mistaken there, judging from 
 your train of admirers," said Mr. Luclolph turning off a dis- 
 agreeable subject with a jest. The shrewd man of the 
 world guessed the secret of her failure. She must feel 
 herself, before she could touch feeling. But he had syste- 
 matically sought to chill and benumb her nature, meaning 
 it to awake and revive at just the time, and under just the 
 circumstances that should accord with his controlling am- 
 bition. 
 
 Then reverting to Dennis he continued,
 
 DARKNESS. 
 
 203 
 
 "It won't answer for Fleet to sweep the store any 
 longer, after the part he played to-night. Indeed I doubt 
 if he would be willing to. Not only he, but the world will 
 know that he is capable of better things. What has oc- 
 curred will awaken inquiry, and may soon secure him good 
 business offers. I do not intend to part readily with so 
 capable a young fellow. He does well whatever is re- 
 quired, and therefore I shall promote him as fast as is pru- 
 dent. I think I can make him of great use to me." 
 
 "That is another thing that provokes me," said Chris- 
 tine. " Only yesterday morning he seemed such a useful 
 humble creature, and last evening through my own foil} 
 he developed into a fine gentleman; and I shall have to 
 say ' By your leave, sir ; ' ' Will you please do this ? ' if 1 
 dare ask anything at all." 
 
 " I am not so sure of that," said her father. " My im- 
 pression is that Fleet has too much good sense to put on 
 airs in the store. But I will give him more congenial 
 work ; and as one of the young gentleman clerks, we can 
 ask him up now and then to sing with us. I should much 
 tnjoy trying some of our German music with him."
 
 204 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 DARKNESS. 
 
 THE next morning Christine did not appear at the late 
 breakfast, where her father with contracted brow and 
 capricious appetite, sat alone. Among the other unex- 
 pected results of the preceding day she had taken a very 
 severe cold, and this, with the reaction from fatigue and 
 excitement, caused her to feel so seriously ill that she 
 found it impossible to rise. Her father looked at her, and 
 was alarmed, for her cheeks were flushed with fever, her 
 head was aching sadly, and she appeared as if threatened 
 with one of those dangerous diseases whose earlier symp- 
 toms are so obscure, and yet so much alike. She tried to 
 smile, but her lip quivered, and she turned her face to 
 the wall. 
 
 The philosophy of Mr. Ludolph and his daughter was 
 evidently adapted to fair weather and smooth sailing. 
 Sickness, disease, and the possible results, were things 
 that both dreaded more than they ever confessed to each 
 other. It was most natural that they should, for only in 
 health or life cou'id they enjoy or hope for anything. By 
 their own belief their horizon was narrowed down to time 
 and earth, and they could look for nothing beyond. In 
 '.Mr. Ludolph's imperious, resolute nature, sickness always 
 iuvakcned anger as well as anxiety. It seemed like an 
 enemy threatening his dearest hopes and most cherished 
 ambition, therefore the heavy frown upon his brow as he 
 pushed away the scarcely tasted breakfast.
 
 DARKNESS. 
 
 205 
 
 To Christine the thought of death was simply horrible, 
 and with the whole strength of her will she ever sought to 
 banisn it. To her it meant corruption, dust, nothingness. 
 With a few drawbacks she had enjoyed life abundantly, 
 and clung to it with the tenacity of one who believed it 
 was all. With the exception of some slight passing indis- 
 position, both she and her father were seldom sick; and 
 for a number of years now had voyaged on over smooth, 
 sunny seas of prosperity. 
 
 Christine's sudden prostration on the morning follow- 
 ing the company, was a painful surprise to both. 
 
 " I will have Dr. Arten call at once," he said, at part- 
 ing, " and will come up from the store early in the day to 
 see you." 
 
 And Christine was left alone with her French maid. 
 
 Her mind was too clouded and disturbed by fever to 
 think coherently, and yet a vague sense of danger - 
 trouble oppressed her, and while lying in a half-uncon- 
 scious state between sleeping and waking, a thousand 
 fantastic visions presented themselves. But in them all 
 the fiery Cross and Dennis Fleet took some part. At 
 times the Cross seemed to blaze and threaten to burn her 
 to a cinder, while he stood by with stern accusing face. 
 The light from the Cross made him luminous also, and the 
 glare was so terrible that she would start up with a cry of 
 fear. Again, they would both recede till in the far dis- 
 tance they shone like a faint star, and then the black dark- 
 ness that gathered round her was more dreadful than the 
 light, and with her eyes closed she would reach out her 
 hot hands for the light to return. Once or twice it shorie 
 upon her \\ith soft mellow light, and Dennis stood point- 
 ing to it, pleading so earnestly and tenderly that tears 
 gathered in her eyes. Then all was blurred and distorted 
 again. 
 
 Within an hour after her father left, she found Dr,
 
 206 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 Arten feeling her pulse and examining her symptoms. 
 With a great effort she roused herself, and looking at the 
 Doctor with an eager inquiring face said: 
 
 " Doctor, tell me the truth. What is the matter ? " 
 
 lie tried to smile and evade her question, but she 
 would not let him. 
 
 " Well, really, Miss Ludolph," he said, " we can hardly 
 tell yet what is the matter. You have evidently caught a 
 very severe cold, and I hope that is all. W T hen I come 
 this evening I may be able to speak more definitely. In 
 the mean time I will give you something to soothe and re 
 duce your fever." 
 
 The French maid followed the Doctor out, leaving the 
 door ajar in her haste, and in an audible whisper said: 
 
 "I say, Docteur, is it not de small-pox ? Dare is so 
 much around. Tell me true, for I must leave dis very- 
 minute. " 
 
 " Hush, you fool," said the Doctor, and they passed 
 out of hearing. 
 
 A sickening dread made Christine's heart almost stand 
 still. When the woman returned she watched her most 
 narrowly as she asked : 
 
 " What did the Doctor say to you ?" 
 
 The maid replied in French that he said she must be 
 still and not talk. 
 
 " But you asked him if I had the small-pox. What did 
 he say ?" 
 
 "Ah Mademoiselle, you make one grand meestake. I 
 ask for a small box to keep your medicine in dat it make 
 
 no smell." 
 
 
 
 From the woman's lie in evading her question, and 
 from the fact that she was redolent with camphor used as 
 a preventive, and kept as far away as she could, near the 
 windovvs, Christine gathered a most painful confirmation 
 of her fears. For a time she lay almost paralyzed by 
 dread.
 
 DARKNESS. 
 
 207 
 
 Then as the medicine relieved her of fever and un 
 clouded her mind, thought and conscience awoke with 
 terrible and resistless power. As never before she real- 
 ized what cold dark depths were just beneath he: gay 
 pleasure-loving life and how suddenly skies bright and 
 radiant with the richer promise of the future, could be- 
 come black and threatening. Never had earthly life 
 seemed so attractive, never had her own prospects seemed 
 so brilliant, and her hopes of fame, wealth, and happiness 
 in her future German villa more dazzling than now when 
 tliey stood out against the dark back-ground of her fears. 
 
 " If instead of going forward to all this delight, I become 
 an object of terror and loathing even before I die, and 
 something that must be hidden out of sight as soon a? 
 possible after, what conceivable fate could be worse ? 
 That such a thing is possible, proves this to be. a dreadful 
 and defective world, with all its sources of pleasure. Surely 
 if there were a God he would banish such horrible evils." 
 
 " There is no God there can't be any, at least none 
 such as the Bible reveals. How often I have said this to 
 myself. How often my father has said it to me ; and yet 
 the thought of Him torments me often even when well." 
 
 " Why does this thought come so persistently now ? I 
 settled it long ago, under father's proof, that I did not be- 
 lieve in Him or the superstitions connected with His name. 
 Why don't the question stay settled ? Other superstitions 
 do not trouble me. Why should that Cross continually 
 haunt me ? Why should the man who died thereon have 
 the power to be continually speaking to me through His 
 Words that I.have read. I believe in Socrates as much as 
 I do in Him, and yet I recall the Greek sage's words with 
 an effort, and cannot escape from the Nazarene's. All is 
 mystery and chaos and danger. We human creatures are 
 like frothy bubbles that glisten and dance for a moment 
 on a swift black tide that seems flowing forever, and yet 
 nowhere."
 
 2o8 BARRIERS BURNED AW AM. 
 
 Then her thoughts recurred to Dennis. 
 
 "That young Fleet seemed to believe implicitly in what 
 he said yesterday, and he lives up to what he believes. I 
 would give the world for his delusion, were it only for it 
 comforting and sustaining power for this life. If he were 
 very sick, he would be imagining himself on the threshold 
 of some sort of heaven or paradise, and would be calm 
 and perhaps even happy, where I am so supremely wretch- 
 ed. I find that I have nothing absolutely nothing to sus- 
 tain me not even the memory of good deeds. I have 
 not even lived the unselfish life that Socrates recommends, 
 much less the holy life of the Bible." 
 
 '' I have pleased myself. Well, believing as I have been 
 taught, that seemed the most sensible course. Why 
 doesn't it seem so now ? " 
 
 Thus tossed on a sea of uncertainty and fear, Chris- 
 tine, in darkness and weakness, grappled with those mighty 
 questions which only He can put to rest Who said 
 
 " Let not your heart be troubled ; ye believe in God ; 
 believe also in Me." 
 
 Dennis walked resolutely home. He felt himself ada- 
 mant in his stern resolution. He at least had the death- 
 like peace that follows decision ; the .agony of conflict was 
 over for a time; and, as he thought, forever. 
 
 From mere exhaustion he slept heavily, and on the fol- 
 lowing day with white face and compressed lips entered 
 on his work. And work it truly now became; for the old 
 glamour was all gone, and life looked as. practical and 
 hard as the stones of the street. Even the pictures on the 
 walls seemed to him but things for sale, representing 
 money values, and money appeared the beginning, middle, 
 and eliding of the world's creed. Like the unsubstantial 
 mirage had vanished the beautiful, happy life of the past
 
 DARKNESS. 
 
 209 
 
 few weeks. Around him were the rocks and sands of the 
 desert, through which he must toil with weary bleeding 
 feet till he reached the land watered by the river of life. 
 Reason and duty, as he believed, forbade the existence of 
 this foolish passion, and he must, and would destroy it, 
 but in his anguish he felt as if he had resolved to torture 
 himself to death. 
 
 "And she will never know what I suffer never know 
 the wealth of heart I have lavished upon her. I am glad 
 she will not, for the knowledge of my love would make no 
 more impression on her cold, proud nature than a drop of 
 warm Summer rain falling on the brow of yonder marble 
 statue of Diana. She would only be amazed at my pre- 
 sumption. She feels that she shines down on me like the 
 sun, and that I am a poor little satellite that she could 
 blot out altogether by causing her father to turn me out 
 into the street again, which undoubtedly would be done 
 should I reveal my feelings." 
 
 And he was right. 
 
 " Come ! " said he to himself, breaking from his pain- 
 ful revery, " no weakness ! You have your way to make 
 in the world, and your work to do ; God will help you, and 
 no creature shall hinder you," and he plunged resolutely 
 into his duties. 
 
 Mr. Ludolph was late in reaching the store thct morn- 
 ing, and Dennis found himself secretly hoping, in spite of 
 himself, that Christine would accompany him. His will 
 and heart were now in distinct opposition, and the latter 
 would not obey orders. 
 
 When Mr. Ludolph appeared, it was with a frowning, 
 clouded brow. Without a word he passed into his, private 
 office, but seemed so restless and troubled in his manner 
 that Dennis felt something was wrong. Why should he 
 take such an interest in this man ? Why should ne care ? 
 The other clerks did not not one save himself had noticed
 
 2io BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 anything different. Poor Dennis was to learn that he had 
 a disease of many and varied symptoms. 
 
 After something over an hour had passed, Mr. Ludolph 
 started from his desk, took his hat and cane as with the 
 purpose of going out a very unusual thing at that time. 
 But as he was passing down the store, he met Dr. Arten 
 opposite Dennis's counter. 
 
 " Well," said Mr. Ludolph impatiently. 
 " I will call again this evening," said the Doctor, pru- 
 dently non-committal. " Your daughter has caught a very 
 severe cold. I hope it is nothing more than a cold, bul 
 so many troublesome diseases commence with these ob- 
 scure symptoms, that we have to wait till further develop- 
 ments reveal the true nature of the case." 
 
 " You doctors make no headway in banishing disease 
 from the world,'' snarled Mr. Ludolph. " There is small- 
 pox around is there not ?"' 
 
 " Yes, I am sorry to say there is a great deal of it, but 
 if you remember the history of that one disease, I think 
 you will admit your remark to be unfair." 
 
 " I beg your pardon, Doctor, but I am anxious, and all 
 out of sorts, as I ever am in sickness " (when affecting 
 himself, he might justly have added). "It seems such 
 a senseless, useless evil in the world. The idea of you 
 Christians believing a benevolent Being rules the world, 
 and that he permits small-pox. Can it be possible that 
 my daughter has contracted this loathsome horror? " 
 
 u Well, it is possible, but I hope not at all probable. 
 We doctors are compelled to look at the practical rather 
 than the theological side of the question. It is possible 
 for a.'iv one to have this disease. Has your daughter been 
 vaccinated ? " 
 
 " Xo ! " growled Mr. Ludolph. " I don't believe in vac- 
 c'.nation. It is as apt to vitiate th^ system as protect it." 
 " 1 am sorry for that," said the Doctor looking grave.
 
 DARKNESS. 211 
 
 Keen Mr. Ludolph saw and lead, his physician's ex- 
 piession accurately. Seizing his hand he said eagerly 
 
 " Pardon me, Doctor, you can understand a father's 
 fee'ings. Watch this case night and day. Spare no pains, 
 and be assured I will regret no expense," and he hastened 
 away to his daughter's bedside. 
 
 No prisoner at the bar ever listened with more interest 
 than Dennis. If it had been his own case they were dis- 
 cussing it would not have touched half so nearly. 
 
 But a moment before, Christine in her pride, wealth 
 and beauty, seemed destined to go through life as in a. tri- 
 umphant march. Now he saw her to be a weak human 
 creature, threatened as sorely as the poorest and humblest. 
 Her glorious beauty, even her life, might pass away in Le 
 Grand Hotel as surely as in a tenement house. The very 
 thought thrilled him with fear. Then .1 great pity rushed 
 into his soul like a tide, sweeping everything before it. 
 His stern resolution to stifle and trample upon his love, 
 melted like a snow wreath, and every interest of life cen- 
 tred in the darkened room where Christine tossed and 
 moaned in the deeper darkness of uncertainty and doubt. 
 The longing to go to her to comfort and help, was so in- 
 tense that it required the utmost effort of reason and will 
 to prevent such rash action. He trembled at himself at 
 the strength of his feelings, and saw that though he might 
 control outward action, his heart had gone from him be- 
 yond remedy, and that his love, so long unrecognized, was 
 now like the principal source of the Jordan, that springs 
 from the earth a full grown river, and that he could not 
 help it. 
 
 Mr. Ludolph found little comfort at his daughter's bed- 
 side. Sending her maid away, who was glad to go, Chris- 
 tine told what she had overheard. Small-pox seemed in 
 the mind of every one, but this was not strange since it 
 was so prevalent in the city.
 
 212 B \RRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 " O father, what shall I do what shall I do, if this 
 should be the case ? Janette will leave me, and there will 
 be no one to take care of me. I know I will die, and I 
 might as well, as to be made hideous by this horrible dis- 
 ease. No, I would rather live, on any terms, for to die is 
 to be nothing. O father, are you sure the Bible is all 
 false ? There is so much in it to comfort the sick. If I 
 could only believe in such a life hereafter as Susie Win- 
 throp does, I would as soon die as not." 
 
 " No," said Mr. Ludolph firmly, " your only chance is 
 to get well. There is no use of deceiving ourselves. I 
 have secured the services of the most skilful of physicians, 
 and will see that you have every attention. So try to be 
 as calm as possible, and cooperate with every effort to 
 baffle and banish disease. After all it may be nothing 
 more than a severe cold-" 
 
 So then in very truth this world was all. In bitterness 
 and dread she realized how slight was her hold upon it. 
 To her healthful body pain was a rare experience, but now 
 her head and every bone ached, and the slightest move- 
 ment caused increased suffering. But her mental trpuble 
 was by far the greatest. Often she murmured to herself 
 " O that I had been trained to the grossest superstitions, 
 so that I might not look down into this black bottom- 
 less gulf that unbelief opens at my feet," and she tossed 
 and moaned most piteously. 
 
 Mr. Ludolph returned to the store in an exceedingly 
 worried and anxious state. As he entered he caught Den- 
 nis's eager questioning gaze, and a thought struck him : 
 
 " Perhaps this young fellow, through his mission school, 
 may know of some good trustworthy woman who would act 
 as nurse,'' and coming to Dennis he explained what is 
 already known, and then asked if he knew of any one, or 
 could find a suitable person. 
 
 Dennis 'listened eagerly, thought a moment, and then 
 said with a ilushed face and in a low tone :
 
 DARKNESS. 213 
 
 " I think my mother would be willing to come. She 
 has had the small-pox .and wou'd not be afraid." 
 " But would she be willing: ?" 
 
 O 
 
 "I think I could persuade her," said Dennis. 
 
 Mr. Ludolph though a moment, then said: 
 
 " I think she would be the one of all others, for she 
 must be very much of a lady, and I would not like to put 
 my daughter in charge of a common coarse woman. You 
 may rest assured that I would reward her liberally." 
 
 " She would not come for money, sir." 
 
 "What then?" 
 
 Dennis flushed now more deeply than before. He 
 had been speaking for his mother from his own stand- 
 point, and now he hardly knew what to say, for he was not 
 good at evasion. But he told the truth, if not all the 
 truth. " We feel \ ery grateful to you for the means of 
 support, and a chance in life .when the world was very 
 dark. You have since promoted me " 
 
 " Nonsense !" said Ludolph, somewhat touched though, 
 " yo .1 have earned every dollar you have received, and 
 you coming has been of advantage to me also. But if 
 you" mother will meet this need, should it occur, neither 
 of you will have cause to regret it," and he passed on to 
 his office, but soon after left again and did not return that 
 day. 
 
 To Dennis the hours dragged on like years, full of 
 suspense and mental tumult. At times he would bow his 
 head behind his counter, and pray in tearful fervor for the 
 object of his constant thought. The day was rainy and the 
 store empty of customers, for which he was most thank- 
 ful, as he would have made the poorest of salesmen. At 
 last the hour for closing arrived, and he was left to him- 
 self. In the solitude of his own room he once more 
 looked the situation fairly in the face. With his head 
 bowed in his hands he thought, "Last night I thought to 
 10
 
 ai ^. BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 tear this love from my heart, but to-night I find that this 
 would be to tear out my heart itsell. I cannot do it. It 
 is my strongest conviction that I can no more stop loving 
 her than I can stop living. Unconsciously this love has 
 grown until now it is my master, and it is folly to make 
 any more resolves only to be as weak as water when I 
 least expect it. What shall I do ?" 
 
 Motionless, unconscious of the lapse of time, he re- 
 mained hour after hour absorbed in painful thought. Cir- 
 cumstances, reason, the Bible, all seemed to frown upon his 
 love, but though it seemed hopeless, his whole nature re- 
 volted against the idea of its being wrong. 
 
 " It cannot be wrong to love, purely and unselfishly," 
 he muttered ; " such love as mine seems to carry its own 
 conviction of right with it an inner consciousness that 
 seems so strong and certain, as to be beyond argument, 
 beyond everything ; and yet if God's Word is against it, I 
 must be wrong, and my heart is misleading me." 
 
 Again in unbroken silence an hour passed away. 
 Then the thought struck him 
 
 " It is not contrary to God's action ! He so loved the 
 world unbelievers and all as to give His best and dear- 
 est! Can it be wrong to be God-like ?" 
 
 "It is not wise, it is not safe," prudence whispered, 
 " to give a worldly, unbelieving spirit the power to influ- 
 ence you that she will have who is first in your heart. 
 What true congeniality can there be ? What fellowship 
 hath righteousness with unrighteousness, or what part hath 
 he that believeth with an infidel ? As the most intimate 
 friend and companion in life, you should seek one who 
 truly can be one with you in all things, and most assuredly 
 S'j in this vital respect.'' 
 
 "Ah. "thought Dennis, " that would have been very 
 good advice to give awhile ago. If from the first I could 
 have understood my feelings and danger, I might have
 
 DARKNESS. 215 
 
 steeled my heart against and avoided the influences that 
 have brought me to this. But now the mischief is done. 
 The words that now, in spite of myself, continually run in 
 my mind, are " What God hath joined together let not man 
 put asunder." It seems as if some resistless power had 
 joined my soul to hers, and I find no strength within my- 
 self to break the bond. I am not usually irresolute. I 
 think I have principle, and yet I feel I would not 
 dare make the most solemn vow against this love. I 
 should be all the more weak because conscience does not 
 condemn me. It seems to have a light that reason and 
 knowledge know not of. And yet I wish I could be more 
 sure. I wish I could say to myself, I may be loving hope- 
 lessly, but not sinfully. I would take the risk. Indeed I 
 cannot help taking it. O that I could find light, clear and 
 unmistakable." 
 
 He rose, turned up his lamp, and turned to the Pau- 
 line precepts. These words struck his eye 
 
 " Art thou bound unto a wife ? Seek not to be loosed." 
 Then above, the words " How knowest thou, O man, 
 whether thou shalt save thy wife, even though she be an 
 unbeliever ?" 
 
 " Am I not bound bound, by that which is God's link 
 in the chain ? It does not seem as if the legal contract 
 could change or strengthen my feelings materially, and 
 while honoring the inviolable rite of marriage, which is 
 Goc^s law and society's safety, I know that nothing can 
 more surely bind me to her, so that the spirit, the vital 
 part of the passage, applies to me. Then if through this 
 love I could save her ; if by prayer and effort I could bring 
 her feet into the paths of life, I should feel repaid for all 
 that I could possibly suffer. She may slight my human 
 love with its human consummation, but God will not let a 
 life of prayer and true love be wasted, and she may learn 
 here, or know hereafter, that though the world laid many 
 rich gifts at her feet, I brought the Best of all."
 
 2l6 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY, 
 
 He looked out, and saw that the early Spring dawn 
 was tinging the horizon. 
 
 " A good omen," he said aloud. " Perhaps the night 
 o( this trouble is past, and the dawn is coming. I am 
 convinced that it is not wrong ; and I am resolved to 
 make the almost desperate attempt. A mysterious hope, 
 coming from I know not where or what, seems to beckon 
 and encourage me forward." 
 
 Dennis was young.
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 MISS LUDOLPH COMMITS A THEFT. 
 
 MR. LUDOLPH on his return found Christine suffering 
 from a nervous horror of the small-pox. From her indis- 
 creet and callous maid, intent on her own safety, and pre- 
 paring to extenuate her own flight should her fears prove 
 true, Christine learned that the city was full of this loath- 
 some disease, and her feelings were harrowed by exagger- 
 ated instances of its virulent and contagious character. 
 
 " But you will surely stay with me," pleaded Christine. 
 
 " Mademoiselle could not expect dat." 
 
 " Heartless ! " muttered Christine. Then she said, 
 " Won't you go for Susie Winthrop ? O how I would like 
 to see her now." 
 
 " She vould not come, no von vould come who knew." 
 
 Christine wrung her hands and cried, " O I shall die 
 alone and deserted of all." 
 
 " No you shall not," said her father, entering at that 
 moment ; " so do not give way, my dear. Leave the room, 
 stupid ! " (to the maid", who again gladly escaped, resolving 
 not to enter till the case was decided). " I have secured 
 the best of physicians, and the best of nurses, and by to- 
 night or to-morrow morning we will know about what to 
 expect. I cannot help hoping still that it is only a severe 
 cold." 
 
 And he told her of Dennis' offer of his mother's ser- 
 vices.
 
 2 r8 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 " I am sure I would like her, for somehow 1 picture to 
 myself a kind motherly person. What useful creatures 
 those Fleets are. They are on hand in emergencies when 
 one so needs help. It seemed very nice to have young 
 Fleet my humble servant ; but really, father, he deserves 
 promotion." 
 
 " He shall have it, and I doubt not will be just as 
 ready to do your bidding as ever. It is only common- 
 place people whose heads are turned by a little pros- 
 perity. Fleet knew he was a gentleman before he came to 
 the store." 
 
 " Father, if I should have the small-pox and live, would 
 my beaut would I become a fright ? " 
 
 " Not necessarily. Let us hope for the best. Make 
 the most of the world, and never endure evils till they 
 come, are my maxims. Half of suffering is anticipation of 
 possible or probable evil." 
 
 " Father," said Christine abruptly, " I believe you are 
 right, you must be right, and have given me the best com- 
 fort and hope that truthfully can be given. But this is a 
 strange cruel world. We seem the sport of circumstances, 
 the victims of hard, remorseless laws. One bad person 
 can frightfully injure another person" (a spasm distorted 
 her father's face). " What accidents may occur! Worst 
 of all are those horrible, subtle, contagious diseases which 
 none can see or guard against ! Then to suffer, die, cor- 
 rupt, faugh ! To what a disgusting end, to what a lame 
 and impotent conclusion does the noble creature, man, 
 come ! My whole nature revolts at it. For instance, here 
 am I a young girl, capable of the highest enjoyment, with 
 everything to live for, and lured forward by the highest 
 hopes ami expectations : and yet in spite of all the safe- 
 guards you can place nround me, my path is in the midst 
 of dangers, and now perhaps I am to be rendered hideous,
 
 MISS LUDOLPH COMMITS A THEFT. 219 
 
 if not killed outright, by a disease the very thought of which 
 fills me with loathing. What I fear has happened, and 
 may happen again. And what compensation is there for it 
 all ? what can enable one to bear it a41 ? O that I couLI 
 believe in a God and a future happier life." 
 
 " And what kind of a God would He be who, hiring 
 the power to prevent, permits, or orders, as the Bible 
 teaches, all these evils ? I am a man of the world, and 
 pretend to nothing saint-like or chivalric, but do you think 
 I am capable of going to Mr. Winthrop and striking down 
 his daughter Susie with a loathsome disease ? Arid yet if 
 a minister or priest should come here, he would begin to 
 talk about the mysterious providence, and submission to 
 God's will. If I am to have a God, I want one at least 
 better than myself." 
 
 " You must be right," said Christine, with a weary 
 moan. " There is no God, and if there were, in view of 
 what you say, I could only hate and fear Him. How cha- 
 otic the world is ! But it is hard." After a moment she 
 added shudderingly, " // is horrible. I did not think of 
 these things when well." 
 
 " Get well and forget them again, my dear. It is the 
 best you can do." 
 
 "If I get well," said Christine almost fiercely, " I shall 
 get the most I can out of life, cost what it may," and she 
 turned her face to the wall. 
 
 A logical result of his teaching, but for some reason it 
 awakened in Mr. Ludolph a vague foreboding. 
 
 The hours dragged on, and late in the afternoon the 
 hard driven physician appeared, examined his patient and 
 seemed relieved. 
 
 " If there is no change for the worse," he said cheerily, 
 ' if no new symptoms develop by to-morrow, I can pro- 
 nounce this merely a severe cold, caused by state of sys-
 
 220 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 tern and too sudden check of perspiration." And the doc- 
 tor gave an opiate and bowed himself out. 
 
 Long and heavily Christine slept. The night that Den- 
 nis filled with agonizing prayer and thought, was to her a 
 blank. While he in his strong Christian love brought 
 hea\ en nearer to her, while he resolved on that which would 
 give her a chance for life happy life, here and hereafter, 
 she was utterly unconscious. No vision or presentiment 
 of good, like a struggling ray of light, found access to her 
 darkened spirit. So heavy was the stupor induced by the 
 opiate, that her sleep seemed like the blank she so feared, 
 when her pleasurable ambitious life should end in nothing- 
 ness. 
 
 So I suppose God's love meditates good, and resolves 
 on life and joy for us, while our hearts are sleeping, dead 
 to Him dead in trespasses and sins benumbed and par- 
 alyzed so that only His love can awaken them. Like a 
 vague yet hope-inspiring dream, this truth often enters the 
 minds of those who are wrapped in the spiritual lethargy 
 that may end in death. God wakes, watches, loves, and 
 purposes good for them. When most unconscious, per- 
 haps another effort for our salvation has been resolved 
 upon in the councils of heaven. 
 
 But ambition more than love, earthly hopes rather than 
 heavenly, kept Mr. Ludolph an anxious watcher at Chris- 
 tine's side that night. A smile of satisfaction illumined 
 his somewhat haggard face as he saw the fever pass away 
 and the dew of natural moisture come out on Christine's 
 brow, but there was no thankful glance upward. Immu- 
 nity from loathsome disease was due only to chance and 
 tie physician's skill, by his creed. 
 
 The sun was shining brightly when Christine awoke, 
 and by a faint call startled her father from a doze in the 
 great arm-chair.
 
 MISS LUDOLPH COMMITS A THEFT. 221 
 
 " How do you feel, my dear ? " he asked. 
 
 She languidly rubbed her heavy eyes, and said "she 
 thought she was better she felt no pain." The opiate 
 had not yet lost its effect. But soon she greatly revived, 
 and when the Doctor came he found her decidedly better, 
 and concluded that she was merely suffering frona a severe 
 cold, and would soon regain her usual health. 
 
 Father and daughter were greatly relieved, and their 
 spirits rose. 
 
 "I really feel as if I ought to thank somebody," said 
 Christine. " I am not going to thank the Doctor, for I 
 know what a bill is, coming, so I will thank you. It was 
 very kind of you to sit up the long night with me." 
 
 Even Mr. Ludolph had to remember that he had 
 thought as much of himself as of her, in his anxiety. 
 
 " Another lease of life," said Christine, dreamily look- 
 ing into the future, " and as I said last night, I mean to 
 make the most of it." 
 
 " I can best guide you in doing that," said her father, 
 looking into his daughter's face with keen scrutiny. 
 
 " I believe you, and intend to give you the chance. 
 When can we leave this detested land, this city of shops 
 and speculators ? To think that I, Christine Ludolph, am 
 sick, idle and perhaps have endangered all by reason of 
 foolish exposure in a Brewer's tawdry, money-splashed 
 house ! Come, father, when is the next scene in the brief 
 drama to open ? I am impatient to go home to our beloved 
 Germany and enter on real life." 
 
 " Well, my dear, if all goes well, we can enter on our 
 true career a year from next Fall a short year and a halt 
 Do not blame the delay, for it will enable us to live in Ger- 
 many in almost royal style. I never was making money 
 so rapidly as now. I have invested in that which cannot 
 depreciate, and thus far has advanced beyond belief-
 
 222 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 buildings in the business part of ('ie city. Rents are pay- 
 ing me from twenty to a hundred per cent. At the same 
 lime I could sell out in a month. So you see you have 
 only to cooperate to preserve health and strength to 
 enjoy all that money can insure ; and money can buy 
 almost everything." 
 
 Christine's eyes sparkled as the future opened before 
 her, and she said with emphasis, " If / could preserve 
 health and strength, I would live a thousand years." 
 
 " You can do much toward it. Every chance is in favor 
 of prudence and wise action ;" and much relieved, her 
 father went to the store. 
 
 Business had accumulated, and in complete absorp- 
 tion he gave himself to it. With an anxiety beyond 
 expression, Dennis, flushed and trembling, ventured to 
 approach. 
 
 Merely glancing to see who it was, Mr. Ludolph, with 
 his head bent over his writing, said : 
 
 " Miss Ludolph is better no fear of small-pox, I 
 think you need not write to your mother greatly 
 obliged."' 
 
 It was well for Dennis that his employer did not 
 look up. The open face of Mr. Ludolplvs clerk expressed 
 more than friendly interest in his daughter's health. 
 He went to his tasks with amour tain of fear lifted from 
 his heart. 
 
 But the thought of her lying alone and sick at the 
 hotel, seemed very pathetic to him. Love filled his heart 
 \vith moie sympathy for Christine upon her luxurious 
 couch, i'i npid convalescence, than for all the hopeless 
 suffcrir.g of Chicago. What could he do for her ? She 
 s'e:nrd so far off, so high and distant, that he could not 
 reach her. If he ventured to send anything, prudence 
 whispered that she would regard it as an impertinence.
 
 MISS LUDOLPH COMMITS A THEFT.. 22 J 
 
 But love can climb every steep place, and prudence is not 
 its Grand Vizier. 
 
 Going by a fruit-store in the afternoon he saw some 
 elegani strawberries, the first in from the South. He 
 bough' a basket, decorated it with German ivy obtained 
 at a flower-stand, and spirited it up-stairs to his room as 
 if it were the most dangerous of contraband. In a dis- 
 guised hand he wrote on a card "For Miss Ludolph." 
 Calling Ernst, who had little to do at that hour of the day, 
 he said 
 
 " Ernst, my boy, take this parcel to Le Grand Hotel, 
 and say it is for Miss Christine Ludolph. Tell them to 
 send it right up, but on no account remember, on no 
 account, tell any one who sent it. Carry it carefully in just 
 this manner." 
 
 Ernst was soon at his destination, eager to do any- 
 thing for his friend. 
 
 After all, the day had proved a long one for Christine. 
 Unaccustomed to the restraints of sickness, the enforced 
 inaction was very wearisome. Mind and body both 
 seemed weak. The sources of chief enjoyment when well, 
 seemed powerless to contribute much now. In silken 
 robe she reclined in arm-chair, or languidly sauntered about 
 the room. She took up a book only to throw it down 
 again. Her pencil fared no better. Ennui gave to her 
 fair young face the expression of one who had tried the 
 world for a century and found it wanting. 
 
 She was leaning her elbow on the window-sill, gazing 
 vacantly into the street, when Ernst appeared. 
 
 "Janette," she said suddenly, "do you see that boy ? 
 He is employed at the store; go bring him up here, I want 
 him, ' and with more animation than she had shown that 
 day, she got out materials for a sketch. 
 
 ' ; 1 must get that boy's face," she said, " before good 
 living destroys all his artistic merit."
 
 224 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY 
 
 Ernst was unwilling to come, but the maid almost drag- 
 ged him up. 
 
 "What have you got there?" asked Miss Ludolph \vith 
 a reassuring smile. 
 
 " Something for Miss Ludolph," stammered the boy, 
 looking very embarrassed. 
 
 Christine carefully opened the parcel and then exclaimed 
 with delight : 
 
 " Strawberries, as I live ! the very ambrosia of the gods. 
 Pa sent them, did he not?" 
 
 " No," said the boy hanging his head. 
 
 " Who did, then ? " said Christine looking at him keenly. 
 
 He shuffled uneasily but made no answer. 
 
 " Come, I insist on knowing," she cried, her wilful 
 spirit and curiosity both aroused: 
 
 The boy was pale and frightened, and she was men- 
 tally taking notes of his face. 
 
 But he said doggedly, " I can't tell." 
 
 " But I say you must. Don't you know that I am Miss 
 Ludolph?" 
 
 " I don't care what you do to me," said the little fellow, 
 beginning to cry, "I won't tell." 
 
 " Why won't you tell, my boy ? " said Christine cun- 
 ningly in a wheedling tone of voice. 
 
 Before he knew it, the frightened, bewildered boy fell 
 into the trap, and he sobbed : 
 
 " Because Mr. Fleet told me not to, and I wouldn't 
 disobey him to save my life." 
 
 A look of surprise, and then a broad smile at the 'rvhole 
 thing, stole over the young girl's face, at the gift, the 
 messenger, and at him who sent it. It was indeed a fiesh 
 and unexpected little episode, breaking the monotony of 
 the day as fresh and pleasing to her as one of the lus- 
 cious berries so grateful to her parched rnouth.
 
 MISS LUDOLPH COMMITS A THEFT. 225 
 
 " You need not tell me," she said soothingly, " if Mr. 
 Fleet told yo:: not to." 
 
 The boy saw the smile, and in a moment realizec "hat 
 he hid been tricked out of the forbidden knowledge. 
 
 His little face glowed with honest indignation, and 
 looking straight at Miss Ludolph with 'iis great eyes flash- 
 ing through the tears, he said : 
 
 " You stole that from me." 
 
 Even* she colored a little and bit her lip under the 
 merited charge. But all this made him all the more in- 
 teresting as an art study, and she was now sketching 
 away rapidly. 
 
 She coolly replied, however: "You don't know the 
 world very well, yet, my little man." 
 
 The boy said nothing, but stood regarding her with his 
 unnaturally large eyes filled with anger, reproach, and 
 wonder. 
 
 " Oh," thought Christine, " if I could only paint that 
 expression ! " 
 
 " You seem a great friend of Mr. Fleet," she said, 
 studying and sketching him as if he had been an inanimate 
 object. 
 
 The boy made no answer. 
 
 " Perhaps you do not know that I am a friend friend- 
 ly," she added, correcting herself, " to Mr. Fleet also." 
 
 " Mr. Fleet never likes to have his friends do wrong," 
 said the boy doubtingly. 
 
 Again she colored a little, for Ernst's pure and re- 
 proachful face made her feel that she had done a mean 
 thing, but she laughed and said : 
 
 " You see I am not in his mission class, and have never 
 had the instruction that you have. But after all. why do 
 you think Mr. Fleet better than other people ? " 
 
 "By what he does."
 
 22 6 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 " Th'at is a fair test ; \vhat has he" done ? " 
 
 " He saved us all from starving, and worse than starv* 
 ing." 
 
 Then with feminine tact she drew from him his story, 
 and it was told with the natural pathos of childhood and 
 deep feeling, and his gratitude caused him to dwell on the 
 part Dennis had taken with a simple eloquence, while his 
 rich and loved German accent made it all the more inter- 
 esting to Christine. She dropped her pencil, and when 
 he closed, her eyes, that were seldom moistened by the dew 
 of sympathy, were wet. 
 
 " Good-bye, my child," she said in a voice so kind and 
 sweet that it seemed as if another person had spoken. 
 " You shall come again, and then I shall finish my sketch. 
 When I get well I shall go to see your father's picture. 
 Do not be afraid ; neither you nor Mr. Fleet will be the 
 worse for the strawberries, and you may tell him that they 
 have done me much good." 
 
 When Dennis, wondering at Ernst's long absence, heard 
 from him his story, his mind was in a strange tumult, and 
 yet the result of his effort seemed favorable. But he 
 learned more fully than ever that Christine was not per- 
 fect, and that her faultless beauty and taste were but the 
 fair mask of a deformed spirit. But he dwelt in hope on 
 the feeling she had shown at Ernst's story. 
 
 "She seemed to have two hearts," said the boy, " a 
 good, kind one way inside the cold, hard outside one." 
 
 " That is about the truth," thought Dennis. " Good- 
 night, Ernst. I don't blame you, my boy, For you did 
 the best you could." 
 
 He had done better than Dennis knew.
 
 CHAPTER XXIX, 
 
 A MISERABLE TRIUMPH. 
 
 AFTER Ernst's departure Christine reclined wearily in 
 her chair, quite exhausted by even the slight effort she had 
 made, but her thoughts were busy. 
 
 " What a unique character that Dennis Fleet is i And 
 yet, in view of what he believes and professes, he is both 
 natural and consistent. He seems humble only in station, 
 and that is not his fault. Everything he does seems 
 marked by unusual good taste and intelligence. His ear- 
 lier position and treatment in the store must have been 
 very galling. I can hardly believe that the gentleman I 
 sang Mendelssohn's music with the other evening was the 
 same that I laughed at as he blacked old Schwartz's boots. 
 And yet he saw me laugh, and blacked the boots, con- 
 scious that he was a gentleman. It must have been very 
 hard. And yet I would rather do such work myself than 
 live on charity, and so undoubtedly he felt. It was very 
 fortunate that we got the store arranged before all this 
 occurred, for I could not order him about now, as I did. 
 The fact is I like servants, not dignified helpers ; and 
 knowing what I do, even if he would permit it, I could not 
 speak to him as formerly. But he did show wonderful 
 taste and skill in his help. See now that little ivory- 
 twined basket of luscious fruit : it looks just like him. If 
 he were only rich and titled, what a genuine nobleman he 
 would make. He is among the few men who do not weary 
 or disgust me so many are coarse and commonplace f
 
 228 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 cannot understand it, but I, who fear and care for no one 
 save my father, almost feared him when under Miss 
 Brown's insolence he looked as few men can. What a 
 jumble the world is ! He sweeps the' store, while insig- 
 nificant atoms of men are conspicuous in their littleness 
 by reason of high position. 
 
 " It was very kind of him to send me this tasteful srfi 
 after the miserable experience I caused him the other day. 
 I suppose he does it on the principle of returning good for 
 evil, as his creed teaches. Moreover he seems grateful that 
 father gave him employment, and a chance to earn twice 
 what he gets. He certainly must be promoted at once. 
 
 " Perhaps," thought she, smiling to herself, while a faint 
 tinge of color came into her cheeks, "perhaps, like "so 
 many others, he may be inclined to be a little sentimental 
 also, though he will never be as silly as some of them. 
 
 " What a noble part he acted toward those Bruders I 
 The heart of a pagan could not fail to be touched by that 
 poor little fellow's story, and it has made me believe that 
 I have more heart than I supposed. Sometimes, especi- 
 ally when I hear or read of some such noble deed, I catch 
 glimpses of a life infinitely better than the one I know, like 
 the sun shining through a rift in the clouds ; then they 
 shut down again, and father's practical wisdom seems the 
 best there is. 
 
 " At any rate," she said aloud, getting up and walking 
 the floor with something of tl^e old restless energy, " I in- 
 tend to live while I. live, and crowd into life's brief day all 
 that I can. I thank Mr. Fleet for a few sensations in what 
 would otherwise have been a monotonous, dreary after- 
 noon." 
 
 " What strawberries !" said Mr. Ludolph, coming in. 
 "Where did you get these? They are the first I have 
 seen."
 
 A MISERABLE TRIUMPH. 229 
 
 "Your man-of-all-work sent them to me," said Chris- 
 tine, daintily dipping one after another in sugar. 
 
 " Well, that is a good joke." , 
 
 ' A most excellent one, which I am enjoying, md .n 
 which you may share. Help yourself." 
 
 " And what has led him to this extravagant favor ? " 
 
 " Consistency, I suppose. As a good Christian he 
 would return good for evil ; and I certainly caused him 
 many and varied tortures the other day." 
 
 " No, he is grateful ; from first to last the callow youth 
 has been overwhelmed with gratitude that I have permit- 
 ted him to be worth to me double what I paid him." 
 
 " Well, you have decided to promote him, have you 
 not?" 
 
 " Yes, he shall have charge of the hanging of new pic- 
 tures, and the general arrangement of the store, so as to 
 keep up your tasteful and artistic arrangement. Moreover, 
 he shall meet customers at the door, and direct them just 
 where to find what they, want. He is fine-looking, polite, 
 spe; '<s English perfectly, and thus takes well. I can grad- 
 uall) work him in as general salesman, without creating 
 troublesome jealousies." 
 
 " What will old Schwartz say ? " 
 
 " Schwartz is good at finance and figures. I can trust 
 him, and he must relieve me more in this respect. He of 
 course knows that this is the more important work, and 
 will feel honored. As to the others, if they do not like it 
 I can find plenty who will. Fleet's good fortune will take 
 him quite by surprise. He was performing his old humble 
 duties as briskly and contentedly as usual to-day." 
 
 " I am surprised at that, for I should have supposed 
 that he would have been on his dignity somewhat, indica- 
 ting by manner at least that the time for a change had come. 
 He can indicate a great deal by manner, as you might have
 
 230 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 learned had you seen him under Miss Brown's insults and 
 my lack of courtesy. Well it does me good to find one 
 American whose head is not turned by a little success. 
 You are right though, I think, father ; that young fellow 
 can be very useful to you, and a decided help in hastening 
 (he time when we can leave this shop life, and enter our 
 Irue sphere. I am more impatient to go than words can 
 express, for life seems so brief and uncertain that we must 
 grasp things as soon as possible or we lose them forever. 
 Heavens ! what a scare I have had ! Everything seemed 
 slipping from my feet yesterday, and I sinking I know not 
 where. Surely by concentrating every energy we can be 
 ready to go by a year from next Fall." 
 
 " Yes, that is my plan now." 
 
 On the following day Dennis was again promoted and 
 his pay increased. A man more of the Pat Murphy type 
 was found to perform the coarse work of the store. As 
 Mr. Ludolph had said, he could hardly realize his good 
 fortune. He felt like one lifted out of a narrow restricted 
 valley to a breezy hill-side. He was now given a vant ge- 
 point from which it seemed he could climb rapidly, ana his 
 heart was light as he thought of what he would be able to 
 do for his mother and sisters. Hope grew sanguine as he 
 saw how he would now have the means to pursue his 
 beloved art-studies to far greater advantage. But chief of 
 all, his promotion brought him nearer the object of his all- 
 absorbing passion. What he feared would take him one 
 or two years to accomplish, he had gained in a day. Hope 
 whispered that perhaps it was through her influence in 
 some degree that he had obtained this advance. Could 
 she have seen and read his ardent glances ? Lover's hopes 
 will grow like Jonah's gourd, and die down again as 
 quickly. \Yords could not express his longing to see her 
 again, but for several days she did not come to the store.
 
 A MISERABLE TRIUMPH. 237 
 
 She merely sent him word to complete the unfinished show- 
 room in accordance with the plan on which they had been 
 working, leaving space on the sides of the room opposite 
 each otherfor two large pictures. Though much disap- 
 pointed, Dennis had carefully carried out her bidding. 
 
 Every evening the moment his duties permitted he 
 sought his instructor, Mr. Bruder, and with an eagerness 
 his friend? could not understand, sought to educate hand 
 and eye. Dennis judged rightly that mere business suc- 
 cess would never open to him a way to the heart of such a 
 girl as Christine. His only hope of winning even her 
 attention, was to excel in the world of art, where she hoped 
 to shine as a queen. Then to his untiring industry and 
 eager attention he added real genius for his tasks, and it 
 was astonishing what progress he made. When at the 
 close of his daily lesson Dennis had taken his departure, 
 Air. Bruder would shake his head, and cast up his eyes in 
 wonder, and exclaim : 
 
 " Dat youth vill astonish de vorld yet. Never in all 
 Germany haf I seen such a scholar." 
 
 Often till after midnight he would paint and study in 
 the solitude of his own little room. And now relieved of 
 duties in the early morning, he arranged an old easel in 
 the attic of the store, a sort of general lumber room, but 
 which had a good light for his purpose. Here he secured 
 two good hours daily, and often more ; and his hand grew 
 skilful, and his eye true, under his earnest efforts. But his 
 intense application caused his body to grow thin and his 
 face pale. 
 
 Christine had rapidly recovered from her illness, her 
 vital and elastic constitution rebounding back into health 
 and vigor like a bow rarely bent. She, too, was working 
 scarcely less eagerly than Dennis, and preparing for a 
 ti iumph which she hoped would be the earnest of the fame
 
 232 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 she meant to achieve. She no longer came to the store 
 with her father in the morning, but spent the best and early 
 hours of the day in painting, riding out along the Jake and 
 in the park in the afternoon. Occasionally she came to 
 the store in the after part of the day, glanced sharply round 
 to see that her tasteful arrangement was kept up, and ever 
 seemed satisfied. 
 
 Dennis was usually busy with customers at that time, 
 and though conscious of her presence the moment she 
 entered, found no excuse or encouragement to approach. 
 The best he ever received from her was a slight smile and 
 a cold bow of recognition, and in her haste and self-absorp- 
 tion she did not always give these. She evidently had 
 something on her mind by which it was completely preoc- 
 cupied. 
 
 " She does not even think of me," sighed Dennis ; " she 
 evidently imagines that there is an immeasurable distance 
 between us yet" 
 
 He was right , she did not think of him or scarcely 
 any one else, so absorbed was she with the thought of a 
 great success that now was almost sure. She had sent her 
 thanks for the berries by her father, which so frightened 
 Dennis that he had ventured on no more such favors. 
 She had interceded for his promotion, surely she had "paid 
 her debt, and was at quits. So she would have been if he 
 had only given her a basket of strawberries, but having 
 given his heart, and life-long love, he could scarcely be 
 expected to be satisfied. But he vowed after each blank 
 day all the more resolutely that he would win her attention, 
 secure recognition of his equality, and so be in position for 
 laying siege to her heart. 
 
 But a deadly blight suddenly came over all his hopes. 
 
 One bright morning the last of May, two large flat 
 boxes were brought to the store. Dennis was busy with
 
 A MISERABLE TRIUMPH. 233 
 
 customers, a^d Mr. Schwartz said in his blunt decided way 
 that he would see to the hanging of those pictures. They 
 v\ ere carried to the show-room in the rear of the store, and 
 Dennis at once concluded that they were something ery 
 fine, designed to fill the spaces he had left, and was most 
 anxious to see them. Before he was disengaged they 
 were lifted from their casing and were standing side by side 
 on the floor opposite the entrance, the warm rich morn- 
 ing sun falling upon them with fine effect. Mr. Schwartz 
 seemed unusually excited and perplexed for him, and stared 
 first at one picture, then at the other, in a manner indica- 
 ting that not their beauty, -but some other cause disturbed 
 him. 
 
 Dennis had scarcely had time to exclaim at the exquis- 
 ite loveliness and finish of the two paintings, before Mr. 
 Ludolph entered accompanied by Mr. Consoor, a well- 
 known artist, and Mr. Frame, proprietor of another large 
 picture-store, and several gentlemen of taste but of lesser 
 note, whom Dennis had learned to know by sight as habi- 
 tues of the "Temple of Art." He also saw that Christine 
 was advancing up the store with a lady and gentleman. 
 Feeling that his presence might be regarded as obtrusive, 
 he passed out, and was about to go away, when he heard 
 his name called. 
 
 Looking up he saw Miss Winthrop holding out her 
 hand, and in a moment more she presented him to her 
 father, who greeted him cordially. Christine also gave 
 him a brief smile, and said : 
 
 " You need not go away. Come and see the pictures." 
 
 Quick-eyed Dennis saw that she was filled with sup- 
 pressed excitement. Her cheeks, usually but slightly 
 tinged with pink, now by turns glowed and were pale. 
 Miss Winthrop seemed to share her nervousness, though 
 what could so excite them he could not divine. The
 
 *34 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 paintings, beautiful as they were, could scarcely be the ad- 
 equate cause ; and yet every eye was fastened on them. 
 
 One seemed the exact counterpart of the other in frame 
 and finish as well as subject. A little in the background, 
 upon a crag 01 erhanging the Rhine, was a castle massive, 
 frowning, and built more for security and defence than 
 comfort. The surrounding landscape was bold, wild, and 
 even gloomy. But in contrast with these rugged and 
 sterner features, was a scene of exquisite softness and ten-: 
 derness. Beneath the shadow of some great trees not far 
 from the castle gate, a young Crusader was taking leave 
 of his fair-haired bride. Her pale, tearful face, wherein 
 love and grief blent indescribably, would move the most 
 callous heart, while the struggle between emotion and the 
 manly pride that would not permit him to give way, in 
 the young chieftain's features, was scarcely less touching. 
 Beautiful as were the accessories of the pictures, their 
 main point was to portray the natural, tender feeling in- 
 duced by a parting that might be forever. At first they 
 all gazed quietly and almost reverently at the vivid scene 
 of human love and sorrow, save old Schwartz, who fidgeted 
 about as Dennis had never seen him before. Clearly 
 something was wrong. 
 
 " Mr. Schwartz," said Mr. Ludolph, " you may hang 
 the original picture on the side as we enter, and the copy 
 opposite. We would like to see them up, and in a better 
 light." 
 
 " Dat's it," snorted Mr. Schwartz, " I'd like to know 
 vich is vich. 
 
 " You do not mean to say that you cannot tell them 
 ap.irt? afhe original hung here some time, and you saw 
 it ever}' day." 
 
 " I do mean to say him." said Mr. Schwartz, evidently 
 much vexed with himself. " I couldn't have believed dat
 
 A MISERABLE TRIUMPH. 235 
 
 any von in de vorld could so impose on me. But de two pic- 
 tures are just de same to a pin scratch in frame, subject, 
 and treatment, and to save my life I cannot tell dem apart.' 
 
 Christine's face fairly glowed with triumph, and her 
 eyes were all aflame as she glanced at her friend. Miss 
 Winthrop came and took her cold, quivering hands into 
 her warm palms, but was scarcely less excited. Dennis 
 saw not this side scene, so intent was he on the pictures. 
 
 "Do you mean to say," said Mr. Consoor, stepping 
 forward, " that one of these paintings is a copy made here 
 in Chicago, and that Mr. Schwartz cannot tell it from the 
 original ? " 
 
 " He says he cannot," said Mr. Ludolph. 
 
 "And I'd like to see de von who can," said old 
 Schwartz gruffly. 
 
 " Will you please point out the original^" said one of 
 the gentlemen, " that we may learn to distinguish them ? 
 For my part they seem like the twins whose mother knew 
 them apart by pink and white ribbons, and when the rib- 
 bons got mixed she could not tell which was which." 
 
 Again Christine's eyes glowed with triumph. 
 
 "Well, really, gentlemen," said Mr. Ludolph, "I would 
 rather you would discover the copy yourselves. Mr. Con- 
 soor, Mr. Frame, and some others, I think, saw the origi- 
 nal several times." 
 
 "Look at Mr. Fleet," whispered Miss- Winthrop to 
 Christine. 
 
 She looked, and her attention was riveted to him. 
 Step by step he had drawn nearer, and his eyes were eag- 
 erly glancing from one to another as if following up a clue. 
 Instinctively she felt that he would solve the quesfcor, and 
 her little hands clenched, and her brow grew dark. 
 
 " Really," said Mr. Consoor, " I did not know that we 
 had an artist in Chicago who could copy the work of one
 
 236 HARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 of the best European painters, so that there need be a 
 moment's hesitancy in detecting differences, but it seems 
 I am mistaken. I am almost as puzzled as Mr. Schwartz." 
 
 " The frames are exactly alike," said Mr. Frame. 
 
 " There is a difference between the two pictures," said 
 Mr. Consoor slowly. " I can feel it rather than see it. 
 They seem alike line for line and feature for feature in 
 every part. But just where the difference lies and in what 
 it consists I cannot tell for the life of me." 
 
 With the manner of one who had settled a difficult 
 problem, Dennis gave out a sigh of relief so audibly that 
 several glanced at him. 
 
 " Perhaps Mr. Fleet .from his superior knowledge and 
 long experience can settle this question," said Christine 
 sarcastically. 
 
 All eyes were turned toward him. He flushed pain- 
 fully but said nothing. 
 
 " Speak up," said Mr. Ludolph good-naturedly, "if you 
 have any opinion to give." 
 
 " I would not presume to give my opinion among so 
 many more competent judges." 
 
 " Come, Mr. Fleet," said Christine with a covert taunt 
 in her tone, " that is a cheap way of making a reputation. 
 I fear the impression will be given that, you have no opin- 
 ion to give." 
 
 Dennis was now very pale, as he ever was under great 
 excitement. The old look came again that the young 
 ladies remembered seeing at Miss Brown's entertainment. 
 
 " Come, speak up if you can," said Mr. Ludolph, shortly. 
 
 "Your porter, Mr. Ludolph?" said Mr. Consoor, 
 remembering Dennis only in that capacity. " Perhaps he 
 has some private marks by which he can enlighten us." 
 
 Dennis now acted no longer as porter or clerk, but as 
 a man amon<r men.
 
 A MISERABLE TRIUMPH. 237 
 
 Stepping forward and looking Mr. Consoor full in the 
 face he said : 
 
 " I can prove to you, sir, that your insinuation is false 
 by simply stating that I never saw those pictures before. 
 The original had been removed from the store before 
 I came. I have had therefore no opportunity of know- 
 ing the copy from the original. But the pictures are differ- 
 ent, and I can tell precisely wherein I think the difference 
 lies." 
 
 " Tell it then," said several voices. Christine stood a 
 little back and to one side so that he could not see her face, 
 or he would have hesitated long before he had spoken. In 
 the firm, decided tones of one thoroughly aroused and sure 
 of his ground, he proceeded : 
 
 " Suppose this the copy," said he, stepping to one of 
 the pictures. (Christine breathed hard and leaned heavily 
 against her friend.) " I know of but one in Chicago capa- 
 ble of such exquisite work, and he did not do it indeed he 
 could not, though a master in art." 
 
 " You refer to Mr. Bruder ? " said Mr. Consoor. 
 
 Dennis bowed and continued : " It is the work of one 
 in whom the imitative power is wonderfully developed ; but 
 one having never felt, or unable to feel the emotions here 
 presented cannot portray them. This picture is but the 
 beautiful corpse of that one. While line for line, and 
 feature for feature, and even leaf for leaf on the trees is 
 faithfully exact, yet the soul, the feeling, the deep sorrow- 
 ful tenderness that you feel in that picture rather than see, 
 is wanting in this. In that picture you forget to blame or 
 praise, to criticise at all, so deeply are your sympathies 
 touched. It seems as if in reality two huma i hearts were 
 being torn asunder before you. This you know to be an 
 exquisite picture only, and can coolly criticise and dwell 
 on every part, and say how admirably it is dor.e.''
 
 238 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 And Dennis bowed and retired. 
 
 " By Jove, he is right," exclaimed Mr. Consoor ; and 
 approving faces and nodding heads confirmed his judgment. 
 But Dennis enjoyed not his triumph, for as he turned he 
 met Christine's look of agony and hate, and like lightning 
 it flashed through his mind " She painted the picture." 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 LIFE WITHOUT LOVE. 
 
 As Dennis realized the truth, and remembered what 
 he had said, his face was scarcely less full of pain than 
 Christine's. He saw that her whole soul was bent on an 
 imitation that none could detect, and that he had spoiled it 
 all. But Christine's wound was deeper than that. She 
 had been told again, clearly and correctly, that the sphere 
 of high, true art was beyond her reach. She felt that the 
 verdict was true, and her own judgment confirmed every 
 word Dennis uttered. But she had done her best ; there- 
 fore her suffering was truly agony the pain and despair at 
 failure in the most cherished hope of life. There seemed 
 a barrier which, from the very limitations of her being, she 
 could not pass. She did not fail from the lack of taste, 
 culture, or skill, but in that which was like a sixth sense 
 something she did not possess. Lacking the power to 
 touch and move the heart, she knew she could never be a 
 great artist. 
 
 Abruptly and without a word she left the room and 
 store, accompanied by the Winthrops. Dennis felt as if 
 he could bite his tongue out, and Christine's face haunted 
 him like a dreadful apparition. Wherever he turned he
 
 LIFE WITHOUT LOVE. 
 
 239 
 
 saw it so distorted by pain, and almost hate, that it scarcely 
 seemed the same that had smiled On him as he entered at 
 ter invitation. 
 
 " Truly God is against all this," groaned he to himself; 
 "'and what I in my weakness could not do, He has accom- 
 plished by this unlooked-for scene. She will now ever 
 regaid me with aversion." 
 
 Dennis, like many another, thought he saw God's plan 
 clearly from a mere glimpse at a .part of it. He at once 
 reached this miserable conclusion, and suffered as greatly 
 as if it had been God's will, instead of his own imagina- 
 tion. To wait and trust, is often the latest lesson we learn 
 in life. 
 
 Mr. Ludolph 's guests, absorbed in the pictures, at first 
 scarcely noticed the departures. 
 
 Christine," with consummate skill and care, kept her 
 relationship to the picture unknown to all save the Win- 
 throps, meaning not to acknowledge it unless she succeeded. 
 But in Dennis' startled and pained face she saw that he 
 had read her secret, and this fact also annoyed her much. 
 
 " I s*hould like to know the artist who copied this paint- 
 ing," said Mr. Consoor. 
 
 " The artist is an amateur, and not willing to come 
 before the public at present," said Mr. Ludolph so decid- 
 edly that no further questions were asked. 
 
 " I am much interested in that young clerk of yours," 
 said Mr. Frame. " He seems to understand himself. It 
 is so hard to find a good discriminating judge of pictures. 
 Do you expect to keep him ? " 
 
 :< Yes, I do," said Mr. Ludolph with such emphasis 
 that his rival in trade also pressed that point no farther. 
 
 " Well, really, Mr. Ludolph," said one of the gentlemen 
 " you deal in wonders, mysteries, and all sorts of astonish- 
 ing things here. We have an unknown artist in 'Chicago
 
 240 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 deserving an ovation ; you have in your employ a prince 
 of critics, and if I mistake not he is the same who sang at 
 Brown's some little time ago. Miss Brown told me that he 
 was your porter." 
 
 "Yes, I took him as a stranger and out of work, and 
 knew nothing of him. But he proved an educated and 
 accomplished man, who will doubtless be of great use to 
 me in time. Of course I promoted him when I found him 
 out." These last remarks were made more for Mr. 
 Frame's benefit than any one else. He intended that his 
 rival should knowingly violate all courtesy if he sought to 
 lure Dennis away. After admiring the paintings and other 
 new things recently received, the gentlemen bowed them- 
 selves out. 
 
 At the entrance of the store Mr. Winthrop feeling 
 awkwardly in the presence of the disappointed girl 
 pleaded business, and bade adieu with a warm grasp of 
 the hand, and many assurances that she had succeeded 
 beyond his belief. 
 
 " I know you mean kindly in what you say," said Chris- 
 tine, while not the slightest gleam lighted up her pale, sad 
 face. " Good-bye." 
 
 She, too, was relieved, and wished to be alone. Miss 
 Winthrop sought to comfort her friend as they walked 
 homeward. 
 
 " Christine, you look really ill. I don't see why you 
 take this matter so to heart. You have achieved a success 
 that would turn any head but yours. I could not believe 
 it possible had I not seen it. Your ambition and ideal 
 are so lofty that you will always make yourself miserable 
 by aiming at the impossible. As Mr. Fleet said, I do not 
 btiievs there is another in the city who could have done 
 so well, and if you can do that now, what may you not ac- 
 complish by a few years more of work ? "
 
 LIFE WITHOUT LOVE. 241 
 
 "That's the terrible part of it," said Christine with a 
 long sigh. " Susie, I have got my .growth. I can never 
 be a real artist, and no one living can ever know the bit- 
 terness of my disappointment. I do not believe in the im- 
 mortality that you do, and this was my only chance to live 
 bey ' nd the brief hour of my life. If I could only have won 
 for myself a place among the great names that the world 
 will ever honor, I might with more content let the candle 
 of my existence flicker out when it must. But I have 
 learned to-day what I have often feared, that Christine 
 Ludolph must soon end in a forgotten handful of dust." 
 
 " O Christine, if you could only believe ! " 
 
 " I cannot. I tried in my last sickness, but vainly. I 
 am more convinced than ever of the correctness of my 
 father's views." 
 
 Miss Winthrop sighed deeply. " Why are you so de- 
 spondent ? " she at last asked. 
 
 As if half speaking to herself, Christine repeated the 
 words, " ' Painted by one having never felt, or unable to 
 feel, the emotions presented, and therefore cannot portray 
 them.' That is just the trouble. I tried to speak in a 
 language I do not know. Susie, I believe I am about half 
 ice. Sometimes I think I am like Undine, and have no 
 soul. I know I have no heart, in the sense that you 
 have. 
 
 " I live a very cold sort of life," she continued with a 
 slight shudder. " I seem surrounded by invisible barriers 
 that I cannot pass. I can see beyond what I want, bui 
 cannot reach it. O Susie, if you knew what I suffered \vnen 
 sick ! Everything seemed slipping from me. And yet 
 ahy I should so wish to live, I hardly know, when my life 
 is so narrowed down." 
 
 " You see the disease but not the remedy," sighed 
 Susie.
 
 242 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY 
 
 f; What is the remedy ?" 
 
 " Love. Love to God, and I may add love for some 
 good man." 
 
 Christine stopped a moment and almost stamped her 
 foot impatiently. 
 
 " You discourage me more than any one else," she 
 cried. "As to loving God, how can I love merely a name ? 
 and even if He existed, how could I love a Being \\ho left 
 His world so full of vile evils ? As to human love, faugh, 
 I have had enough of romantic attachments." 
 
 " Do you never intend to marry ?" 
 
 " Susie, you are the friend of my soul, and I trust you 
 and you only with our secret. Yes, I expect to marry, but 
 not in this land. You know that in Germany my fathei 
 will eventually be a noble, the representative of one of the 
 most ancient and honorable families. We shall soon have 
 sufficient wealth to resume our true position there. A 
 husband will then be found for me. I only "stipulate that 
 he will be able to give me position among the first, and 
 gratify my bent for art to the utmost." 
 
 " Well, Christine, you are a strange girl, and your dream 
 of the future is stranger still." 
 
 " Sometimes I think that all is a dream, and may end 
 like one. Nothing seems certain or real, or turns out as 
 one expects. Think of it. A nobody who swept my father's 
 store the other day has this morning made such havoc in 
 my dream that I am sick at heart." 
 
 " But you cannot blame Mr. Fleet. He did it uncon- 
 sciously ; he was goaded on to it. No man would have 
 done otherwise. You surely do not feel hardly towards 
 him V '' 
 
 " We do not naturally love the lips and bless the voice 
 that tell us of an incurable disease. O no," she added, 
 "why should I think of him at all. He merely happened
 
 LIFE WITHOUT LOVE. 243 
 
 to point out what I half suspected myself. And yet the 
 peculiar way this stranger crosses my path from time to 
 time, almost makes me superstitious." 
 
 " And you seem to have peculiar power over him. 
 He would have assuredly left us in the lurch at our tableau 
 party had it not been for you, and I would not have blamed 
 him. And to-day he seemed troubled and pained beyond 
 expression when he read from your face, as I imagine, that 
 you were the author of the picture." 
 
 " Yes, I saw that he discovered the fact, and this pro- 
 vokes me also. If he should speak his thoughts " 
 
 " I do not think he will. I am sure he will not if you 
 caution him." 
 
 " That I will not do, and I think on the whole he has 
 too much sense to speak carelessly of what he imagined he 
 saw in a lady's face. And now, Susie, good-bye ; I shall 
 not inflict my miserable self longer upon you to-day, and I 
 am one who can best cure my wounds in solitude." 
 
 " Do you cure them, Christine, or do you only cover 
 them up? If I had your creed nothing could cure my 
 wounds. Time might deaden the pain, and I forget them 
 in other things, but I do not see where any cure could 
 come from. O Christine, you did me good service when 
 in the deepening twilight of Miss Brown's parlor you 
 showed me my useless, unbelieving life. But I do believe 
 now. The cross is radiant to me now more radiant than 
 the one that so startled us then. Mr. Fleet's words were 
 true, I know, as I know my own existence. I could die 
 for Him." 
 
 Christine frowned and said almost harshly, " I don't 
 believe in a religion so full of crosses and death. Why 
 could not the all-powerful Being you believe in take away 
 the evil from the world ? " 
 
 " That is just what He came to do. In that very
 
 244 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 character He was pointed out by His authorized forerun- 
 ner: ' Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of 
 the world.' " 
 
 " W hy does He not do it then ? " asked Christine pet- 
 iTantly. " Centuries have passed ; patience itself is 
 wearied out. , He has had time enough, if He ever meant 
 or had the power to fulfil the promise. But the world is 
 as full of evil and suffering as ever. Susie, I would not 
 disturb your credulous faith, for it seems to do you good. 
 But to me Christ was a noble but mistaken man, dead and 
 buried centuries ago. He can do for me no more than 
 Socrates. They vigorously attacked evil in their day, but 
 evil was too much for them, as it is for us. We must just 
 got the most we can out of life, and endure what we cannot 
 prevent or escape. An angel could not convert me to-day 
 no, not even Susie Winthrop, and that is saying more 
 still " and with a hasty kiss she vanished. 
 
 Susie looked wistfully after her, and then bent her 
 steps homeward with a pitying face. 
 
 Christine at once went to her own private room. Put- 
 ting on a loose wrapper she threw herself on a lounge, and 
 buried her face in the cushions. 
 
 Her life seemed growing narrow and meagre. Hour 
 after hour passed, and the late afternoon sun was shining 
 into her room when she arose from her bitter revery, and 
 summed up all in a few words spoken aloud, as was her 
 custom when alone. 
 
 " Must I, after all, come down to the Epicurean Philos- 
 ophy. : Let us eat, drink, and be merry, for to-morrow we 
 die? ' I seem on a narrow island, the ocean is all around 
 me, and the tide is rising, rising. It will cover soon where 
 I sland, and then what becomes of Christine Ludolph ? " 
 
 A look of anguish came into the fair young face, and a 
 slight shudder passed over her. She glanced around a
 
 LIFE WITHOUT LOVE. 245 
 
 room furnished in costly elegance. She saw her lovely 
 person in the mirror opposite, and exclaimed : 
 
 "What mystery it all is! I have so much, and yet so 
 utterly fail in having that which contents. ^1 have all that 
 wealth can purchase ; and multitudes act as if that were 
 enough. I know I am beautiful. I can see that yonder 
 for myself, as well as read it in admiring eyes. And yet 
 my maid is better contented than I, and the boy who 
 blacks the boots better satisfied with his lot than either of 
 us. I am raised so high that I can see how much more 
 there is or might be beyond. I feel like one led into a 
 splendid vestibule only .to find that the palace is wanting, 
 or that it is a mean hovel. All that I have only mocks me, 
 and becomes a means of torture. All that I am and have, 
 ought to be, might be, a mere prelude, an earnest and 
 preparation for something better beyond. But I am told, 
 and must believe, that this is all, and I may lose this in a 
 moment and forever. It is^as if a noble strain of music 
 commenced sweetly, and then suddenly broke down into a 
 few discordant notes and ceased. It is like my picture, all 
 very well, but with that which would speak to and move 
 the heart, year after year, when the mere beauty ceased to 
 to please, that life or something is wanting. What were 
 his words ? ' This picture is but the beautiful corpse of 
 the other,' and my life is but a cold marble effigy of a true 
 life. And yet is there any true and better life ? If there 
 is nothing better beyond, I have been carried forward too 
 far. Miss Brown thoroughly enjoys champagne and flir- 
 tations. Susie Winthrop is happy in her supers) ition, as 
 any one might be, could they believe what she does. But 
 I have gone past the power of taking up these things, as I 
 have gone past my childhood sports. And now what is 
 there for me ? My most dear and cherished hope a hope 
 that shone above my life like a sun has been blown away
 
 246 BARRIERS BURNED AWAVf. 
 
 by the breath of my father's clerk (it required no greater 
 power to bring me down to my true level), and I hoped to 
 be a queen among men, high-born, but crowned with the 
 richer coronet of genius. I, who hoped to win so high a 
 place that men would speak of me with honest praise, now 
 and in all future time, must be contented as a mere accom- 
 plished woman, deemed worthy perhaps in time to grace 
 some nobleman's halls who in the nice social scale abroad 
 may stand a little higher than myself. I meant to shine 
 and dazzle, to stoop to give in every case ; but now I must 
 take what I can get, with an humble ' Thank you,' " and 
 she clenched her little powerless hands in impotent revolt 
 at what seemed very cruel destiny. 
 
 She appeared at the dinner-table outwardly calm and 
 quiet. Her father did not share in her bitter disappoint- 
 ment, and she saw that he did not, and so felt more alone. 
 He regarded her success as rem'arkable (as it truly was), 
 having never believed she coujd copy a picture so exactly 
 as to deceive an ordinarily good observer. When, there- 
 fore, old Schwartz and others were unable to distinguish 
 between the pictures, he was more than satisfied. He was 
 sorry that Dennis had spoiled the triumph, but could 
 not blame him. At the same time he recognized in Fleet 
 another and most decided proof of intelligence on ques- 
 tions of Art, for he knew that his criticism was just. He 
 believed that when the true knight that his ambition would 
 choose appeared, with golden spurs and jewelled crest, 
 then her deeper nature would awaken, and she far surpass 
 all previous effort. Moreover, he did not fully understand 
 or erlcr into her lofty ambition. To see her settled in life, 
 tilled, rich, and a recognized leader in the aristocracy of 
 his ov.n land, was his highest aspiration as far as she was 
 concerned. 
 
 He commenced, therefore, in a strain of compliment to
 
 LIFE WITHOUT LOVE. 247 
 
 cheer his daughter and rally her courage, but she shook 
 her head sadly, and said so decidedly, "Father let us 
 change the subject," that with some surprise at her feel- 
 ings, he yielded to her wish, thinking that a little time and 
 experience would moderate her ideas and banish the pain 
 of disappointment. It was a quiet meal, each being occu- 
 pied by their own thoughts. Soon after he was immersed 
 in his cigar and some business papers for the evening. 
 
 It was a mild, summer-like night, and a warm, gentle 
 rain was falling. Even in the midst of a great city, the 
 sweet odors of spring found their way to the private parlor 
 where Christine sat by the window, still lost in painiul 
 thoughts. 
 
 " Nature is full of hope, and the promise of coming life. 
 So ought I to be in this my spring-time. Why am I not ? 
 If I am sad and disappointed in my spring, how dreary 
 will be my autumn, when leaf after leaf of beauty, health, 
 and strength drop away." 
 
 A muffled figure, seemingly regardless of the rain, 
 passed slowly down the opposite side of the street. 
 Though the person cast but a single quick glance toward 
 her window, and though the twilight was deepening, some- 
 thing in the passer-by suggested Dennis Fleet." For a 
 moment she wished she could speak to him. She felt very 
 lonely. Solitude had done her no good. Her troubles 
 only grew darker and more real as she brooded over them. 
 She instinctively felt that her father could not understand 
 her, and she had never been able to go to him for sympa- 
 thy. He was not the kind of person that any one would 
 seek for such a purpose. Christine was not inclined to 
 confidence, and there was really no one who knew her 
 deeper feelings, and who could enter into her real hopes 
 for life. She was so proud and cold that few ever though/ 
 of giving confidence, much less of asking hers.
 
 48 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 Up to the time of her last sickness she had been strong, 
 self-confident, almost assured of success. At times she 
 recognized dimly that something was wrong, as when sing- 
 ing her best she could only secure noisy, transient applause, 
 while she saw another on the same occasion, touch the 
 heart : but she shut her eyes to the unwelcome truth, and 
 determined to succeed. But her sickness and fears at that 
 time, and now a failure that seemed to destroy the ambi- 
 tion of her life, all united in greatly shaking her self- 
 confidence. 
 
 This evening, as never before, she was conscious of 
 weakness and dependence. With the instinct of one sink- 
 ing, her spirit longed for help and support. Then the 
 thought suddenly occurred to her, " Perhaps this young 
 stranger who so clearly pointed out the disease, may also 
 show the way to some remedy." 
 
 But the figure had passed on. In a moment more 
 piide and conventionality resumed sway, and she smiled 
 bitterly, saying to herself: 
 
 " What a weak fool I am to-night. Of all things do not 
 become a romantic Miss again." 
 
 She went to her piano and struck into a brilliant strain. 
 For a few moments the music was of a forced and defiant 
 character, loud, gay, but no real or rollicking mirth in it, 
 and it soon ceased. Then in sharp contrast came a sad, 
 weird German ballad, and this was real. In its pathos 
 her burdened heart found expression, and whoever listened 
 then would not merely have admired, they would have felt. 
 One song followed another. All the pent-up feeling of the 
 day seemed to find natural flow in the plaintive minstrelsy 
 of her own land. 
 
 Suddenly she ceased and went to her window. The 
 muffled figure stood in the shadow of an angle in the atti- 
 tude of a listener. A moment later it vanished in the dusk
 
 DENNIS' LOVE PUT TO PRACTICAL USE. 249 
 
 toward the business part of the city. The quick footsteps 
 died away and only the patter of the falling rain bar oke the 
 silence. Christine felt sure that it was Dennis. At first 
 her feeling was one of pleasure. His coming and evident 
 interest took somewhat, she scarcely knew why, from her 
 sense of loneliness. Soon her pride awoke, however, and 
 she said : 
 
 " He has no business here to watch and listen. ; I will 
 show him, with all his taste and intelligence, we have no 
 ground in common on which he can presume." 
 
 Her father had also listened to the music, and said to 
 himself: 
 
 " Christine is growing a little sentimental. She takes 
 this disappointment too much at heart. I must touch her 
 pride with the spur a little, and that will make her ice and 
 steel in a moment. It is no slight task to keep a girl's 
 heart safe till you want to use it. I will wait till the prac- 
 tical daylight of to-morrow, and then she shall look at the 
 world through my eyes again." 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 DENNIS' LOVE PUT TO PRACTICAL USE. 
 
 THE day following his unlucky criticism of the pictures 
 was one of great despondency to Dennis. He read in 
 Christine's face that he had wounded her sorely, and 
 though she knew it to be unintentional, would it not prej- 
 udice her^nind against him, and snap the slender thread 
 by which he hoped to draw across the gulf between them 
 the cord, and then the cable, that might unite their lives, 
 in tune ?
 
 250 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 In the evening his restless, troubled spirit drove him, in 
 spite of .the rain, to seek to be at least nearer to her. He 
 felt sure that in the dusk and wrapped in his greatcoat 
 he would not be noticed, but was mistaken, as we have 
 se<:n. He was rewarded, for he heard her sing as never 
 before, as he did not believe she could sing. For the first 
 time her rich, thoroughly trained voice had the sweetness 
 and power of feeling. To Dennis her song seemed like an 
 appeal, a cry for help, and his heart responded in the deep- 
 est sympathy. As he walked homeward he said to him- 
 self: 
 
 " She could be a true artist, perhaps a great one, for 
 she can feel. She has a heart. She has a taste and skill 
 in touch that few can surpass. I can scarcely believe the 
 beautiful coloring and faultless lines of that picture are 
 her work." 
 
 He longed for a chance to speak with her and explain. 
 He felt that he had so much to say, and in a thousand im- 
 aginary ways introduced the subject of her painting. He 
 hoped he might find her sketching in some of the rooms 
 again. He thought he -knew her better having heard her 
 sing, and that he could speak to her quite frankly. 
 
 The next day she came to the store, but passed him 
 without the slightest notice. He hoped she had not seen 
 him, and, as she passed out, so placed himself that she 
 must see him, and secured for his pains only a slight, cold 
 inclination of the head. 
 
 "It is as I feared," he said bitterly. "She detests me 
 for having spoiled her triumph. She is not just," he 
 added angrily. " She has no sense of justice, or she would 
 not blame me. What a mean-spirited craveu I woulj 
 have been had I shrunk away under her taunts yesterday. 
 Well, I can be proud too." 
 
 \Vben she came in again he did not raise his eyes, and
 
 DENNIS' LOVE PUT TO PRACTICAL USE. 25! 
 
 wheni she passed out, he was in a distant part of the store. 
 Christine saw no tall muffled figure under her window 
 again, though she had the curiosity to look. That even 
 thi* humble admirer whom she cared not a jot for should 
 show such independence, rather nettled and annoyed her 
 for a moment. But she paid no more heed to him than 
 to the other clerks. 
 
 But what was the merest jar to Christine's vanity, cost 
 Dennis a desperate struggle. It required no effort on her 
 part to pass him by without a glance. To him it was tor- 
 ture. In a few days she ceased to think about him at all, 
 and only remembered him in connection with her disap- 
 pointment. But she was restless, could settle down to no 
 work, and had lost her zest in her old pleasures. She tried 
 to act as usual, for she saw her father's eye was on her. 
 He had not much indulgence for anyone's weaknesses 
 save his own, and often by a little cold satire would sting 
 her to the very quick. On the other hand, his admiration, 
 openly expressed in a certain courtly gallantry, nourished 
 her pride but not her heart. Though she tried to keep up 
 her usual routine, her manner was forced before him, and 
 languid when alone. But he said : 
 
 " All this will pass away like a cold snap in Spring, 
 and the old zest will come again in a few days." 
 
 It did, but from a cause he could not understand, and 
 which his daughter with consummate skill and care con- 
 cealed. He thought it was only the old zest rallying after 
 a sharp frost of disappointment. 
 
 Dennis' pride gave way before her cool and unstudied 
 indifference. It was clearly evident to him that he had 
 no hold upon her life whatever, and how ever to gain any 
 he did not see. He became more and more delected, 
 
 " She must have a heart, or I could not love her so, but 
 it is so encased in ice I fear I can never reach it."
 
 25* BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 That something was wrong with Dennis, any friend 
 who cared for Lai. at all might see. The Bruders did, and 
 with the quick intuitions of woman, Mrs. Bruderhalf gues- 
 sed the cause. Mr. Bruder seeing preoccupation and 
 sometimes weary apathy in Dennis' face, would say, " Mr. 
 fleet is not well. 1 ' 
 
 Then, as even this slight notice of his different appear- 
 ance seemed to give pain, Mr. Bruder was patiently and 
 kindly blind to his pupil's inattention. 
 
 He faithfully kept up all his duties on Sunday as during 
 the week ; but all was now hard work. 
 
 Some little time after the unlucky morning which he 
 could never think of without an expression of pain, he went 
 to his mission-class as usual. He heard his boys recite 
 their lessons, said a few poor lame words in explanation, 
 and then leaned his head listlessly and wearily on his hand. 
 He was startled by hearing a sweet voice say : 
 
 " Well, Mr. Fleet, are you not going to welcome a new 
 laborer into your corner of the vineyard ? " 
 
 With a deep flush he saw that Miss Winthrop was in 
 charge of the class next to him, and that he had been ob- 
 livious to her presence nearly an hour. He tried to apolo- 
 gize. But she interrupted him, saying : 
 
 " Mr. Fleet, you are not well. Any one can see that." 
 
 Then Dennis blushed as if he had a raging fever, and 
 she was perplexed. 
 
 The closing exercises of t he school now occupied them, 
 and then they walked out together. 
 
 ; ' Mr. Fleet," she said, " you never accepted my invi- 
 tation. We have not seen you at our house. But perhaps 
 your circle of friends is so large that you do not wish to 
 add to it." 
 
 Dennis could not forbear <*. smile at the suggestion, but 
 he said in apology :
 
 DENNIS' LOVE PUT TO PRACTICAL USE. 253 
 
 " I do not visit any one, save a gentleman from vhom 
 I am taking lessons." 
 
 " Do you mean to say that you have no friends at all 
 in this great city ? " 
 
 " Well, I suppose that is nearly the truth, that is, in the 
 /tense you use the term. My teacher and his wife " 
 
 " Nonsense ! I mean friends of one's own age, people 
 of the same culture and status as yourself. I think we 
 need such society, as truly as food and air. I did not 
 mean those whom business or duty brought you in contact 
 with, or who are friendly or grateful as a matter of course." 
 
 " I have made no progress since my introduction to 
 society at Miss Brown's," said Dennis. 
 
 " But you had the sincere and cordial offer of introduc 
 tion," said Miss Winthrop, looking a little hurt 
 
 " I feel hardly fit for society," said Dennis, all out of 
 sorts with himself. " It seems that I can only blunder and 
 give pain. But I am indeed grateful for your kindness." 
 
 Miss Winthrop looked into his worn, pale face, and in- 
 stinctively felt that something was wrong, and she felt real 
 sympathy for the lonely young man, isolated among thou- 
 sands. She said gently but decidedly : 
 
 " I did mean my invitation kindly, and I truly wished 
 you to come. The only proof you can give that you ap- 
 preciate my courtesy, is to accept an invitation for to-mor- 
 row evening. I intend having a little musical entertain- 
 ment." 
 
 Quick as light flashed the thought, " Christine will be 
 there. ' He said promptly : 
 
 " I will come, and thank you for the invitation. If I 
 am awkward, you must remember that I have never min- 
 gled in Chicago society, and for a long time not in any." 
 
 She smiled merrily at him and said : 
 
 " Don't do anything dreadful, Mr. Fleet."
 
 254 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 He caught her mood, and asked what had brought 
 her down from her theological peak to such a valley of hu- 
 miliation as a mission school. 
 
 " You and Miss Ludolph," she answered seriously 
 1 Between you, you gave me such a lesson that afternoon 
 at Miss Brown's, that I have led a different life ever since. 
 Christine made all as dark as despair, and against that 
 darkness you placed the fiery Cross. I have tried to cling 
 to the true ;ross ever since. Now He could not say to me 
 ' Inasmuch as ye did it not.' And oh ! " said she, turning 
 to Dennis with a smile full of the light of heaven, " His 
 service is so very sweet ! I heard last week that teachers 
 were wanted at this mission-school, so I came, and am 
 glad to find you a neighbor." 
 
 Dennis' face also kindled at her enthusiasm, but after a 
 moment grew sad again. 
 
 " I do not always give so lifeless a lesson as to-day," 
 he said in a low voice. 
 
 " Mr. Fleet, you are not well. I can see that you look 
 worn and greatly wearied. Are you not in some way over- 
 taxing yourself?" 
 
 Again that sensitive flush, but he only said : 
 
 " I assure you I am well. Perhaps I have worked a 
 little hard. That is all." 
 
 " Well, then, come to our house and play a little, to- 
 morrow evening." she answered from the platform of a 
 street car, and was borne away. 
 
 Dennis went to his lonely room, full of self-reproach. 
 
 " Does she find Christ's service so sweet, and do I find 
 it so dull and hard ? Does human love alone constrain 
 me, and not the love of Christ ? Truly I am growrng weak. 
 Every one says I look sick ; I think I am, body and soul, 
 and am ceasing to be a man ; but with God's help I will 
 be one and what is more, a Christian. I thank you, Miss
 
 DENNIS' LOVE PUT TO PRACTICAL USE. 255 
 
 Winthrop ; you have helped me more than I have helped 
 you. I will accept your invitation to go out into the 
 world. I will no longer mope, brood, and perish in the 
 damp and shade of my own sick fancies. If I cannot \\ in 
 her, I can at least be a man- without her," and he felt bet- 
 ter and stronger than he had for a long time. The -day 
 was breaking again. 
 
 In accordance with a custom that was growing with 
 him ever since the memorable evening when Bill Cronk 
 befriended him, he laid the whole matter before his Heav- 
 enly Father, as a child tells an earthly parent all his heart. 
 Then he added one simple prayer, "Guide me in all 
 things." 
 
 The next day was brighter and better than its forerun- 
 ners. "For some reason I feel more like myself," he 
 thought. After the excitement and activity of a busy day, 
 he said : 
 
 " I can conquer this, if I must." 
 
 But when he made his simple toilet, and was on his 
 way to Miss Winthrop's residence, his heart began to flut- 
 ter strangely, and he knew the reason. Miss Winthrop 
 welcomed him most cordially, and put him at his ease in a 
 moment, as only a true lady can. Then she turned to 
 receive other guests. He looked around. Christine was 
 not there and his heart sank like lead. " She will not be 
 here," he sighed. But the guests had not ceased coming, 
 and every new arrival caused a flutter of hopes and fears. 
 He both longed and dreaded to meet her. At last, when 
 he had about given up seeing her, he suddenly saw her 
 advancing up the parlor on her father's arm. Never had 
 she seemed so dazzlingly beautiful. He was at that 
 instant talking to Mr. Winthrop, and for a few moments 
 that gei, "leman was perplexed at his incoherent answers, 
 a.iJ the changes in his face. Having paid their respects
 
 256 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 to the daughter, Mr. and Miss Ludolph came toward Mr. 
 Winthrop, and of course Dennis had to meet them. Hav- 
 ing greeted them warmly, Mr. Winthrop said : 
 
 " Of course you do not need an introduction to Mr 
 
 Fleet. 
 
 Dennis had shrunk a little back, and at first they had 
 not noticed him. Mr. Ludolph said good-naturedly : 
 
 "Glad to see you, Mr. Fleet, and will be still more 
 glad to hear your fine voice." 
 
 But Christine merely bowed as to one with whom her 
 acquaintance was slight, and turned away. At first Den- 
 nis had blushed, and his heart had fluttered like a young 
 girl's ; but as she turned so coolly away, his native pride 
 and obstinacy were aroused. 
 
 " She shall speak to me and do me justice," he mut- 
 tered. " She must understand that I spoke unconsciously 
 on that miserable morrfing, and am not to be blamed. As 
 I am a man, I will speak boldly and secure recognition." 
 But as the little company mingled and conversed before 
 the music commenced, no opportunity offered. He de- 
 termined to show her, however, that he was no country 
 boor, and with skill and taste made himself agreeable. 
 
 Christine furtively watched him. She was surprised 
 to see him, as the idea of meeting him in society as an 
 equal had scarcely been realized before. But when she 
 saw him greeting one after another with grace and ease, 
 and that all seemed to enjoy his conversation, so that a 
 little knot of Miss Winthrop's most intelligent guests were 
 about, him at last, she felt that it would be no great conde- 
 scension on her part to be a little more affable. In her 
 heart, though, she had not forgiven the unconscious woids 
 that had smitten to the ground her ambitious hopes. 
 
 Then again, his appearance deeply inteiested her. 
 There was a suppressed excitement and power about him
 
 DENNIS' LOVE PUT TO PRACTICAL USE. 357 
 
 seen in the glow and fire of his dark eyes, and felt in his 
 tones, that stirred her languid pulses. 
 
 " He is no vapid society-man," she said to herself, and 
 her artist eye was gratified by the changes in his noble 
 face. 
 
 "Look at Fleet," whispered her father; "could you 
 believe he was sweeping the store the other day? Well, if 
 we don't find out his worth and get what we can from him, 
 the world will. We ought to have had him up to sing 
 before this, but I have been so busy since your illness that 
 it slipped my mind." 
 
 Miss Winthrop now led Christine to the piano, and she 
 played a classical piece of music in faultless taste. Then 
 followed duets, solos, quartets, choruses, and instrumen- 
 tal pieces, for nearly all present were musical amateurs. 
 Under the inspiration of this soul-stirring art, coldness and 
 formality melted away, and with jest and brilliant repartee 
 alternating with song, there gathered around Miss Win- 
 throp's piano such a group as could never grace the par- 
 lors of Miss Brown. Sometimes they would cany a new 
 and difficult piece triumphantly .through : again they would 
 break down, with much laughter and good-natured rallying. 
 
 Dennis, as a stranger, held back at first; but those who 
 remembered his voice at the Tableau party, were clamor- 
 ous to hear him again, and they tested and tried his voice 
 during the evening in many and varied ways. But he held 
 his own, and won .greener laurels than ever. He did his 
 very best, for he was before one he would rather please 
 than all the world ; moreover, her presence seemed to 
 inspire him to do better than when alone. Christine with 
 the others could not help listening with delight to his ' ch 
 clear tenor, and Mr. Ludolph was undisguised in his 
 admiration. 
 
 " I declare, Mr. Fleet, I have been depriving myself of
 
 ?5 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 a good deal of pleasure. I meant to have had JTJU up to 
 sing with us before, but have been under such a press of 
 business of late. But the first evening 1 am disengaged 
 you mast surely come." 
 
 Christine had noticed how quietly and almost indiffer- 
 ently Dennis had taken the many compliments showered 
 on him before, but now when her father spoke, his face 
 flushed, and a sudden light came into his eyes. Dennis 
 had thought, " I can then see and speak to her." Every 
 now and then she caught his eager questioning and almost 
 appealing glance, but he made no advances. " He thinks 
 I am angry because of his keen criticism of my picture. 
 For the sake of my own pride, I must not let him think 
 that I care so much about his opinion," and Christine 
 resolved to let some of the ice thaw that had formed 
 between them. Moreover, in spite of herself, when thrown 
 into his society, he greatly interested her. He seemed to 
 have just what she did not." He could meet her on her 
 own ground in matters of taste, and then, in contrast with 
 her cold negative life, he was so earnest and positive. 
 ' Perhaps papa spoke for us both," she thought, " and I 
 have been depriving myself of a pleasure also, for he cer- 
 tainly interests while most men only weary me." 
 
 Between ten and eleven, supper was announced ; not 
 the prodigal abundance under which the Brewer's table 
 gioaned, but a dainty elegant little affair, which inspired 
 and promoted social feeling, though the "spirit of wine' 
 was absent. The eye was feasted as truly as the palate. 
 Christine had stood near Dennis as the last piece was 
 Bung, and he turned and said in a low, eager tone: 
 
 " May I have the pleasure of waiting on you at 
 fupptr?" 
 
 Slie hesitated, but his look was so wistful that she 
 could not well refuse, so with a slight smile she bowed
 
 DENNIS' LOVE PUT TO PRACTICAL USE. 259 
 
 assent, and placed the tips of her little gloved hand on 
 his arm, which so trembled that she looked inquiringly 
 and curiously into his face. It was veiy pale, as was ever 
 the case when he felt deeply. He waited on her politely 
 bat silently at first. She sat in an angle, somewhat apart 
 from the others. As he stood by her side thinking how to 
 refer to the morning in the show-room, she said : 
 
 " Mr. Fleet, you are not eating anything, and you look 
 as if you had been living on air, of late very differently 
 from when you so efficiently aided me in the rearrange- 
 ment of the store. I am delighted you keep up the better 
 order of things." 
 
 Dennis' answer was quite irrelevant. 
 
 " Miss Ludolph," he said abruptly, " I saw that I gave 
 you pain that morning in the show-room. If you only 
 knew how the thought has pained me." 
 
 Christine flushed almost angrily, but said coldly : 
 
 " Mr. Fleet, that is a matter you can never understand, 
 therefore we had better dismiss the subject." 
 
 But Dennis had determined to break the ice between 
 them at any risk, so he said firmly but respectfully : 
 
 " Miss Ludolph, I did understand all, the moment 
 I saw your face that day. I do understand how you have 
 felt since, better than you imagine." 
 
 His manner and words were so assured and decided, 
 that she raised a startled face to his, but asked coldly and 
 in an indifferent manner: 
 
 " What can you know of my feelings ? " 
 
 " I know," said Dennis in a low tone, looking search- 
 ingly into her face, from which cool composure was fast 
 fading, " I know the dearest hope of your heart was (o be 
 among the first in art. You staked that hope on your 
 success in a painting that required a power that you do 
 not possess." Christine became very pale, but from her
 
 2 6o BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 eyes shone a light that most men would have quailed 
 before ; but Dennis' love was so true and strong, that he 
 could wound her for the sake of the healing and life he 
 hoped to bring, and he continued "On that morning 
 this cherished hope for the future failed you, not because 
 of my words, but because your artist eye saw that my 
 words were true. You have since been unhappy" 
 
 "What- right have you, you who were but a few days 
 since who are a stranger, what right have you to speak 
 to me thus ? " 
 
 " I know what you would say, Miss Ludolph," said 
 Dennis, a slight flush coming into his pale face. " Friends 
 may be humble and yet true. But am I not right ? " 
 
 " I have no claim on your friendship," said Christine 
 coldly. " But for the sake of argument, grant that you 
 are, what follows ? " and she looked at him more eagerly 
 than she knew. She felt that he had read her very soul, 
 and was deeply moved, and again the superstitious feeling 
 crept over her, " That young man is in some way connected 
 with my destiny." 
 
 Dennis saw his power and proceeded rapidly, for he 
 knew they might be interrupted any moment, and so they 
 would have been had anything less interesting than eating 
 occupied attention. 
 
 " I saw in the picture what in your eyes and mine 
 n-ould be a fatal defect the lack of life and true feeling 
 the lack of power to live. I did not know who painted it, 
 but felt that any one who could paint as well as that, and 
 yet leave out the soul as it were, had not the power to put 
 it in. No artist of such ability could willingly or igno 
 rantly have permitted such a defect." 
 
 Christine's eyes sank, their fire faded out, and her face 
 had the pallor of one listening to her doom. This deeper 
 feeling mastered the momentary resentment against the
 
 DENNIS' LOVE PUT TO PRACTICAL USE. 2 6\ 
 
 hand that was wounding her, and she forgot him, and all, 
 in her pain and despair. 
 
 In a low earnest tone Dennis continued : 
 
 " But since I have come to know who the artist is, 
 since I have studied the picture more fully, and have taken 
 the liberty of some observation," Christine hung on his 
 lips breathlessly, and Dennis spoke slowly, marking the 
 effect of every word" I have come to the decided belief 
 that the lady who painted that picture can reach the sphere 
 of true and'highest art." 
 
 The light that stole into Christine's face under his slow, 
 emphatic words was like a rosy dawn in June ; and the 
 thought flashed through Dennis' mind, " If an earthly hope 
 can so light up her face, what will be the effect of a heav- 
 enly one ? " 
 
 For a moment she sat as one entranced, looking at a 
 picture far off in the future. His words had been so ear- 
 nest and assured that they seemed reality. Suddenly she 
 turned on him a look as grateful and happy as the former 
 one had been full of pain and anger, and said : 
 
 " Ah, do not deceive me, do not flatter. You cannot 
 know the sweetness and power of the hope you are inspir- 
 ing. To be disappointed again, would be death. If you 
 are trifling with me, I will never forgive you," she added in 
 sudden harshness, her brow darkening. 
 
 " Nor would I deserve to be forgiven if I deceived you 
 in a matter that to you is so sacred." 
 
 " But how how am I to gain this magic power to 
 make faces feel and live on canvas ? " 
 
 "You must believe. You must feel yourself." 
 
 She looked at him with darkening face, and then in a 
 sudden burst of passion said, " I don't believe, I can't feel. 
 All this is mockery, after all." 
 
 " No ! " said Dennis, in the deep assured tone that evei
 
 262 BARRIERS BURNED AWA\. 
 
 calms and secures attention. " This is not mockery. ] 
 peak the words of truth and soberness. You do not be- 
 lieve, but that is not the same as cannot. And permit me 
 to contradict you when I say you do feel. On this subject 
 so near your heart you feel most deep'y feel as I never 
 knew any one before. This proves you capable of feeling 
 on other and higher subjects, and what you feel, your 
 trained and skilful hand can portray. You felt on the eve- 
 ning of that miserable day, and sang as I never heard you 
 before. Your tones then would move any heart, and my 
 tears fell with the rain in sympathy I could not help it." 
 
 Her bosom rose and fell tumultuously, and her breath 
 came hard and quick 
 
 " O, if I could believe you were right." 
 
 " I know I am right," he said so decidedly that again 
 hope grew rosy and beautiful in her face. 
 
 " Then again," he continued eagerly, " see what an ad 
 vantage you have over the most of us. Your power of hni 
 tation is wonderful. You can copy anything you see." 
 
 " Good-evening, Miss Ludolph. Where have you beer 
 hiding? I have twice made a tour of the supper-room in 
 my search," broke in the voluble Mr. Mellen. Then he 
 gave Dennis a cool stare, who acted as if unconscious of 
 his presence. An expression of disgust flitted across 
 Christine's face at the interruption, or the person perhaps 
 both, and she was about to shake him off that Dennis 
 might speak further, when Miss Winthrop and others came 
 up, and there was a general movement back to the parlors. 
 
 " Why, Christine, what is the matter ? " asked her 
 friend. "You look as if you had a fever. What has Mr. 
 Fleet been saying ? " 
 
 " O. we have had an argument on my hobby, Art, and 
 of course don't agree, and so got excited in debate." 
 
 Miss Winthrop glanced keenly at them and said :
 
 DENNIS' LOVE PUT TO PRACTICAL USE. 263 
 
 " I would like to have heard it, for it was Greek meet- 
 ing Greek." 
 
 " To what art or trade did Mr. Fleet refer ? " aske i Mr. 
 Mellen, with an insinuation that all understood. 
 
 " One that you do not undertsand,' said Christine 
 keenly. 
 
 The petted and spoiled millionnaire .flushed angrily a 
 moment, and then said with a bow : 
 
 " You are right, Miss Ludolph ; Mr. Fleet is ac- 
 quainted with one or two arts that I have never had the 
 pleasure of learning." 
 
 " He has at least learned the art of being a gentleman, 
 was the sharp retort. 
 
 The young man's face grew darker, and he said : 
 
 " From the sweeping nature of your remarks, I perceive 
 that Mr Fleet is high in your favor." 
 
 ' A poor pun made in poorer taste," was all the com 
 fort he got from Christine. 
 
 Dennis was naturally of a very jealous disposition 
 where his affections were concerned. His own love took 
 such entire possession of him that he could not brook the 
 interference of another, or sensibly consider that they "had 
 the same privilege to woo, and win if possible, that he had. 
 This rich and favored youth was especially distasteful to 
 him, and his presence awakened all his combativeness, 
 which was by no means small. 
 
 Mr. Mellen's most inopportune interruption and covert 
 .taunts provoked him beyond endurance. His face was 
 fairly white with rage, and for a moment he felt that he could 
 stamp his rival out of existence. In the low, concentrated 
 voice of passion he said : 
 
 " If Mr. Mellen should lose his property, as many do, 
 I gather from fiis remarks that he would still keep up his 
 idea of a gentleman on charity."
 
 2 &4 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 Mr. Mellen flushed to the roots of his hair, his hands 
 clenched. In the flashing eyes and threatening faces of 
 the young men, those witnessing the scene foresaw trouble. 
 A light hand fell on Dennis' arm, and Miss Winthrop said: 
 
 " Mr. Fleet, I wish to show you a picture, and ask your 
 judgment in regard to it." 
 
 Dennis understood the act, and in a moment more his 
 face was crimson with shame. 
 
 " Miss Winthrop, you ought to send me home at once. 
 I told you I was unfit for society. Somehow I am not 
 myself. I humbly ask your pardon." 
 
 " So sincere a penitent shall receive absolution at once. 
 You were greatly provoked. I trust you for the future." 
 
 "You may," was the emphatic answer. After that 
 pledge Mr. Mellen might have struck him and received no 
 more response than from a marble statue. 
 
 Mr. Mellen also took a sober second thought, remem- 
 bering that he was in a lady's parlor. 
 
 He walked away with his ears stinging, for the flattered 
 youth had never had such an experience before. The few 
 who witnessed the scene smiled significantly, and Chris- 
 tine-half contemptuously; but Miss Winthrop soon made 
 all serene, and the remaining hours passed away in music 
 and some dancing. Christine did not speak to Dennis 
 again, that is by word of mouth, but she thought of him 
 constantly, and their eyes often met on his part that same 
 eager, questioning look. She ever turned hers at once 
 away. But his words kept repeating themselves contin- 
 ually, especially his last sentence, when the unlucky 
 M r. Mellen broke in upon them, " You can copy any- 
 thing you see." 
 
 " How noble and expressive of varied feeling his face 
 is," she thought, watching it change under the playful bad 
 inage of Miss Winthrop.
 
 DENNIS' LOVE PUT TO PRACTICAL USE. 265 
 
 " How I would like to copy it. Well, you can ' You 
 can copy anything you see.' " Then like a flash came a 
 suggestion " You can make him love you, and copy feel- 
 ing, passion, life from the living face. Whether I can 
 believe or feel, myself, is very doubtlul. This I can do 
 he himself said so. I cannot love, myself, I must not ; I 
 do not wish to now, but perhaps I can inspire love in him, 
 and then make his face a study. As to my believing, he 
 can never know how utterly impossible his Faith is to me. 
 This is my one way out of darkness to the glory-crowned 
 heights of fame." 
 
 Then conscience entered a mild protest against the 
 cruelty of the thing. "Nonsense!" she said to herself; 
 " most girls flirt for sport, and it is a pity if I cannot with 
 such a purpose in view. He will soon get over a little 
 puncture in his heart after I have sailed away to my bright 
 future beyond the sea, and perhaps Susie will comfort him," 
 and she smiled at the thought. Dennis saw the smile and 
 was entranced by its loveliness. How little he guessed the 
 cause ! 
 
 Having resolved, Christine acted promptly. When 
 their eyes again met, she gave him a slight smile. He 
 caught it instantly and looked bewildered, as if he could 
 not believe his eyes. Again, when, a little later, at the ur- 
 gent request of many, he sang alone for the first time, and 
 again moved his hearers deeply by the real feeling in his 
 tones, he turned from the applause of all, with that same 
 questioning look, to her. She smiled an encouragement 
 that she had never given him before. The warm blood 
 flooded his face instantly. All thought that it was the 
 general chorus of praise. Christine knew that she had 
 caused it. Surprise and almost exultation came into her 
 face. " I half believe he loves me now," she said. She 
 threw him a few more kindly smiles from time to time as
 
 2 66 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 one might some glittering things to an eager child, and 
 every moment assured her of her power. 
 
 " I will try one more test," she said, and by a little 
 effort lured to her side the offended Mr. Mellen, and ap- 
 peared much pleased by his attention. Then unmistaka 
 bly the pain of jealousy was stamped on Dennis' face, and 
 she was satisfied. Shaking off the perplexed Mr. Mellen 
 again, she went to the recess of a window to hide her look 
 of exultation. 
 
 " The poor victim loves me, already," she said. " The 
 mischief is done. I have only to avail myself of what 
 exists from no fault of mine, and surely I ought to ; other- 
 wise the passion of the infatuated youth will be utterly 
 wasted, and do nobody any good." 
 
 Thus in somewhat a novel way Christine obtained a 
 new master in painting, and poor Dennis and his love were 
 put to use somewhat as a human subject might be if dis- 
 sected alive. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 THE TWO HEIGHTS. 
 
 
 
 DENNIS went home in a strange tumult of hopes and 
 fears, but hope predominated, for evidently she cared little 
 for Mr. Mellen. " The ice is broken at last," he said. It 
 was, but he was like to fall through into a very cold bath, 
 though he knew it not. 
 
 He was far too excited to sleep, and sat by his open 
 window till the warm June night grew pale with the light 
 of coming day. 
 
 Suddenly a bright thought struck him, a moment more
 
 THE TWO HEIGHTS. 267 
 
 it became an earnest purpose. " I think I can paint some- 
 thing, that may express to her what I dare not put in 
 words." 
 
 He immediately went up into the loft and prepared a 
 laige frame, so proportioned that two pictures could be 
 painted side by side, one explanatory and an advance 
 upon the other. Over this he stretched his canvas, and 
 sketched and outlined rapidly under the inspiration of his 
 happy thought. 
 
 Christine came with her father to the store, as had been 
 her former custom, and her face had its old expression. 
 The listless, disappointed look was gone. She passed on, 
 not appearing to see him while with her father, and Dennis' 
 heart sank again. " She surely knew where to look for 
 me if she cared to look," he said to himself. Soon after 
 he went to the upper show-room to see to the hanging of 
 a new picture. 
 
 " I am so glad your taste, instead of old Schwartz' 
 mathematics, has charge of this department now," said 
 a honeyed voice at his side. He was startled greatly. 
 
 " What is the matter ? Are you nervous, Mr. Fleet ? 
 I had no idea that a lady could so frighten you." 
 
 He was blushing like a girl, but said : " I have read 
 that something within, rather than anything without, makes 
 us cowards." 
 
 " Ah, then you confess to a guilty conscience ? " she re- 
 plied, with a twinkle in her eye. 
 
 " I do not think I shall confess at all till I .lave a 
 merciful confessor," said Dennis, conscious of a deeper 
 meaning than his light words might convey. 
 
 " ' Mercy is a quality not strained,' therefore unfit for 
 my use. I'll none of it, but for each offence impose un- 
 limited penance." 
 
 "But suppose one must sin?"
 
 2 68 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 " They must take the consequences then. Even your 
 humane religion teaches that," and with this parting arrow 
 she vanished, leaving him too excited to hang his picture 
 straight. 
 
 It all seemed a bewildering dream. Being so thor- 
 oughly taken by surprise and off his guard, he had said far 
 more than he meant. But had she understood him ? 
 Yes, better than he had himself, and laughed at his 
 answers with their covert meanings. 
 
 She spent the next two days in sketching and outlining 
 his various expressions as far as possible from memory. 
 She would learn to catch those evanescent lines, that 
 something which makes the human face eloquent, though 
 the lips are silent. 
 
 Dennis was in a maze, but he repeated to himself 
 jubilantly again, " The ice is broken." That evening at 
 Mr. Bruder's he asked for studies in ice. 
 
 " Vy dat is out of season," said Mr. Bruder with a 
 laugh. 
 
 " No, now is just the time. It is a nice cool subject 
 for these hot nights. Please oblige me : for certain rea- 
 sons I wish to be able to paint ice perfectly." 
 
 Arctic scenery was Mr. Bruder's forte, on which he 
 specially prided himself. He was too much of a gentle- 
 man to ask questions, and was delighted to find the old 
 zest returning in his pupil. They were soon constructing 
 bergs, caves, and grottos of cold blue ice. Night after 
 night they worked at this study. Dennis' whole soul 
 seemed bent on the formation of ice. After a month of 
 labor Mr. Bruder said : 
 
 " I hope you vill get over dis by fall, or ve all freeze 
 to death." 
 
 ' One of these days I shall explain," said Dennis, 
 smiling.
 
 THE TWO HEIGHTS. 269 
 
 
 
 The evening of the second day after the little ren- 
 counter in the show-room, Mr. Ludolph sat enjoying his 
 cigar, and Christine was at the piano playing a difficult 
 piece of music. 
 
 " Come, father," she said, " here is a fine thing just 
 from Germany. There is a splendid tenor solo in it, and 
 t want you to sing it for me." 
 
 " Pshaw ! " said her father, " why did I not think of it 
 before ? " and he rang the bell. " Here, Brandt, go down 
 to the store, and if Mr. Fleet is there, ask him if he will 
 come up to my rooms for a little while." 
 
 Brandt met Dennis on the store steps starting for his 
 painting lesson, but led him a willing captive to uncon- 
 sciously give Christine instruction. 
 
 She, whose strategy brought it all about, smiled at her 
 .success. It was not her father's tenor she wanted, but 
 Dennis' face ; and her father should unknowingly work 
 her will. The girl had learned so much from the wily 
 man of the world that she was becoming his master. 
 
 Dennis came and entered with a thrill of delight .what 
 was to him enchanted ground. Mr. Ludolph was affable, 
 Christine kind, but looked more than she said. 
 
 Dennis sang the solo, after one or two efforts, correctly. 
 Then Mr. Ludolph brought out a piece of music that he 
 wished to try ; Christine found others, and before they 
 knew it the evening had passed. Quite a knot of delighted 
 listeners gathered in the street opposite. This Christine 
 pointed out to her father with evident annoyance. 
 
 " Well, my dear," he said, " hotel life in a crowded city 
 renders escape from such things impossible." 
 
 But a purpose was growing in her mind of which she 
 spoke soon after. Throughout the evening she had studied 
 Dennis' face all she could without attracting notice, and 
 the thought grew upon her that at last she had found a 
 path to the success she so craved.
 
 270 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 " You seem to have gone to work with all your old zest," 
 said her father, as he cairfe out of his room the next morn- 
 ing and found Christine at her easel. 
 
 " I shall try it again," she said briefly. 
 
 " That is right," said he. " The idea of being daunted 
 by one partial failure ! I predict for you such success as 
 will satisfy even your fastidious taste." 
 
 " We will see," she said. " I hope too." But she would 
 not have her father know on what grounds. He might 
 regard the experiment as a dangerous one for herself as 
 well as Dennis, and she decided to keep her plan entirely 
 secret. 
 
 She now came to the store daily, and rarely went away 
 without giving Dennis a smile or word of recognition. 
 But he noticed that she ever did this in a casual manner, 
 and in a way that would not attract attention. He also 
 took the hint, and never was obtrusive or demonstrative, 
 but it was harder work for his frank open nature. When 
 unobserved, his glances grew more ardent day by day. 
 So far from checking these, she encouraged them, but, 
 when in any way he sought to put his feelings in words, 
 she changed the subject instantly and decidedly. This 
 puzzled him, for he could not understand that looks could 
 be painted, but not words. The latter were of no use to 
 her. But she led him on skilfully, and, from the unbounded 
 power his love gave her, played upon his feelings as adroitly 
 as she touched her grand piano. 
 
 Soon after the company at Miss Winthrop's, she said 
 to him : 
 
 " You received several invitations the other evening, 
 did you not ? '' 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " Accept them. Go into society ; it will do you good." 
 
 Thus he soon found himself involved in a round of so-
 
 THE TWO HEIGHTS. 27* 
 
 ciables, musicales, and now and then a large party. Chris- 
 tine was usually present, radiant, brilliant, the cynosure 
 of all eyes, but ever coolly self-possessed. At first she 
 would greet him with distant politeness, or pretend not to 
 see him at all, but before the evening was over would 
 manage to give him a half hour in which she would be 
 kind and even gentle at times, but very observant. Then 
 for the rest of the evening he would find no chance to ap- 
 proach. It appeared that she was deeply interested in 
 him, enjoyed his society, and was even becoming attached, 
 but for some reason she determined that no one should 
 notice this, and that matters should only go so far. Poor 
 Dennis could not know that he was only her unconscious 
 instructor in painting, paid solely in the coin of false smiles 
 and delusive hopes. At times, though, she would torture 
 him dreadfully. Selecting one of her many admirers, she 
 would seem to smile upon his suit, and poor Dennis would 
 writhe in all the agonies of jealousy, for he was very 
 human, and had all the normal feeling of a strong man. 
 She would then watch his face grow pale and his manner 
 restless, as quietly and critically as an entomologist the 
 struggles of an insect beneath his microscope. Again, she 
 would come to him all grace and sweetness, and his fine 
 face would light up with hope and pleasure. She would 
 say sweet honeyed nothings, but study him just as coolly 
 in another aspect. 
 
 Thus she kept him hot and cold by turns, now lifting 
 him to the pinnacle of hope, again casting him down into the 
 valley of fear and doubt. What she wanted of him was 
 just what sh'e had not feeling, intense varied, feeling, so 
 that, while she remained ice, she could paint as if she felt, 
 and with a gifted woman's tact, and with the power of one 
 loved almost to idolatry, she caused every chord of his 
 soul, now in happy harmony, now in painful discord, to
 
 <7 2 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 vibrate under her skilful touch. But such a life was 
 very wearing, and^he was failing under it. Moreover he 
 was robbing himself of sleep night and morning that he 
 might worli on his picture in the loft of the store, for 
 which he asked of pooi Mr. Bruder nothing but-ice. 
 
 Mrs. Bruder worried over him continually. 
 
 " You vork too hart. Vat shall ve do for you ? Oh, 
 my fren, if you love us do not vork so hart," she would 
 often say. But Dennis would only smile and turn to her 
 husband in his insatiable demand for painted ice. "At 
 last Mr. Bruder said : " Mr. Fleet, you can paint ice, as far 
 as I see, as veil as myself." 
 
 Then Dennis turned short around and said : " Now I 
 want warm, rosy light and foliage ; give me studies in 
 these." 
 
 " By de hammer of Thor, but you go to extremes." 
 
 " You shall know all some day," said Dennis, entering 
 on his new tasks with increasing eagerness. 
 
 But day by day he grew thinner and paler. Even 
 Christine's heart sometimes relented, for, absorbed as she 
 was in her own work and interests, she could not help 
 noticing how sadly he differed from the vigorous youth 
 who lifted the heavy pictures for her but a few short weeks 
 ago. But she quieted herself by the thought that he, was 
 a better artistic subject, and that he would mend again 
 when the cool weather came. 
 
 " Where shall we go for the two hot months ? " asked 
 her father the morning after the Fourth. 
 
 " I have a plan to propose," replied Christine. " Sup 
 pose we go to housekeeping/' 
 
 " What ! " said her father, dropping his knife and fcrk, 
 and looking at her in astonishment. "Go to all the ex- 
 pense of furnishing a house, when ,ve do not expect to 
 stay here much more than a j r e^ ? We ehowW harihy be 
 settled before we left it."
 
 THE TWO HEIGHTS. 
 
 2 73 
 
 " Listen to me patiently till I am through, and then I 
 will abide by your decision. But I think you will give me 
 credit for having a slight turn for business as well as art. 
 You remember Mr. Jones' beautiful house on the north 
 side, do you not ? It stands on St., well back, sur- 
 rounded by a lawn and flowers. There is only one other 
 house on the block. Well, Mr. Jones is embarrassed, 
 and his house is for sale. From inquiry I am satisfied that 
 a cash offer would obtain the property cheaply. The fur- 
 niture is good, and much of it elegant. What we do not 
 want what will not accord with a tasteful refurnishing, 
 can be sent to an auction-room. At comparatively slight 
 expense, if you can spare Mr. Fleet to help me during the 
 time when business is dull, I can make the house such a 
 gem of artistic elegance that it will be noted throughout- 
 the city, and next Fall some rich snob, seeking to vault 
 suddenly into social position, will give just what you are 
 pleased to ask. In the meantime we have a retired and 
 delightful home. 
 
 " Moreover, father," she continued, touching him on 
 his weak side, " it will be a good preparation for the more 
 difficult and important work of the same kind awaiting me 
 in my own land." 
 
 "Humph!" said Mr. Ludolph meditatively, "there 
 is more method in your madness than I imagined. I 
 will think of it, for it is too important a step to be taken 
 hastily." 
 
 Mr. Ludolph did think of it, and, after attending to 
 pressing matters in the store, went over to see the property. 
 A few days afterward he came up to dinner and threw the 
 deed for it into his daughter's lap. She glanced it over, 
 and her eyes grew luminous with delight and triumph. 
 
 " See how comfortable and happy I will make you in 
 return for this kindness," she said.
 
 a;4 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 " Oh, come," replied her father, laughing, " that is not 
 the point. This is a speculation, and your business repu- 
 tation is at stake." 
 
 " I will abide the test," she answered, with a significant 
 nod. 
 
 Christine wished the change for several reasons. 
 There was a room in the house that would just suit her 
 as a studio. She detested the publicity of a hotel. The 
 furnishing of an elegant house was a form of activity most 
 pleasing to her energetic nature, and she felt a very strong 
 wish to try her skill in varied effect before her grand effort 
 in the Ludolph Hall of the future. 
 
 But in addition to these motives was another, of which 
 she did speak to her father. In the privacy of her own 
 home she could pursue that peculiar phase of art study in 
 which she was absorbed. Her life had now become a 
 most exciting one. She ever seemed on the point of ob- 
 taining the power of portraying the eloquence of passion, 
 feeling, but there was a subtle something that still eluded her. 
 She saw it daily, and yet could not reproduce it. She 
 seemed to get the features right, and yet they were dead, or 
 else the emotion was so exaggerated as to suggest weak 
 sentimentality, and this of all things disgusted her. Every 
 day that she studied the expressive face of Dennis Fleet, 
 the mysterious power seemed nearer her grasp. Her 
 effort was now gaining all the excitement of a chase. She 
 saw before her just what she wanted, and : t seemed that 
 she had only to grasp her pencil or brush, and place the 
 fleeting expressions where they might always appeal to 
 the sympathy of the beholder. Nearly all her studies now 
 were the human face and form, mainly those of ladies, to 
 disarm suspicion. Of course she took no distinct ukeness 
 of Dennis. She sought only to paint .what his face ex- 
 pressed. At times she seemed about to succeed, and ex-
 
 THE TWO HEIGHTS. 
 
 2 75 
 
 citement brought color to her cheek and fire to her eye that 
 made her dazzlingly beautiful to poor Dennis. Then she 
 would smile upon him in such a bewitching, encouraging, 
 way, that it was little wonder his face lighted up with all 
 (he glory of hope. 
 
 If once more she could have him about her as when re- 
 arranging the store, and, without the restraint of curious 
 eyes, could play upon his heart, then pass at once to her 
 easel with the vivid impression of what she saw, she might 
 catch the coveted power, and become able to portray, as if 
 she felt, that which is the inspiration of all the highest forms 
 of art feeling. 
 
 That evening, Dennis, at Mr. Ludolph's request, came 
 to the hotel to try some new music. During the even- 
 ing Mr. Ludolph was called out for a little time. Availing 
 himself of the opportunity, Dennis said : 
 
 " You seem to be working with all your old zest and 
 hope." 
 
 " Yes," said she, " with greater hope than ever before." 
 
 " Won't you show me something that you are doing ? " 
 
 "No, not yet. I am determined that when you see 
 work of mine again, the fatal defect which you pointed 
 out shall be absent." 
 
 His eyes and face became eloquent with the hope 
 she inspired. Was her heart, awakening from its long 
 winter of doubt and indifference, teaching her to paint? 
 Had she recognized the truth of his assurance that she 
 must feel, and then she could portray feeling ; and had she 
 read in. his face and manner that which had created a kin- 
 dred impulse in her heart ? He was about to speak, the 
 ice of his reserve and prudence fast melting under what 
 seemed good evidence that her smiles and kindness might 
 be interpreted in accordance with his longings. She sa^ 
 and anticipated.
 
 S 7 6 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 " With all your cleverness, Mr. Fleet, I may prove you 
 at fault, and become able to portray what I do not feel 
 or believe." 
 
 " You mean to say that you work from your old stand- 
 point merely? " asked Dennis, feeling as if a sunny sky had 
 suddenly darkened. 
 
 " I do not say that at all, but that I do not work from 
 yours." 
 
 " And yet you hope to succeed ? " 
 
 " I think I am succeeding." 
 
 Perplexity and disappointment were plainly written 
 on his face. She, with a merry and half-malicious laugh, 
 turned to the piano, and sang : 
 
 From Mount Olympus' snowy height 
 The Gods look down on hu-man life : 
 Beneath contending armies fight ; 
 All undisturbed they watch the strife. 
 
 Dennis looked at her earnestly, and after a moment 
 said : " Will you please play that accompaniment again ? " 
 She complied, and he sang : 
 
 Your Mount Olympus' icy peak 
 
 Is barren waste, by cold winds swept : 
 
 Another height I gladly see 
 
 Where God o'er human sorrow wept. 
 
 She turned a startled and almost wistful face to him, 
 for he had given a very unexpected answer to her cold, 
 selfish philosophy, which was so apt and sudden as to 
 
 seem almost inspired. 
 
 " Do you refer to Christ's weeping over Jerusalem ? " 
 she asked. 
 
 " Yes/" 
 
 She sat for a little time silent and thoughtful, aud 
 Dennis watched her keenly. Suddenly her brow darkened, 
 and she said hitlerlv:
 
 BEGUILED. 2? j 
 
 " Delusion ! If he had been a God he would nr t have 
 idly wept over sorrow. He would have banished it." 
 
 Dennis was about to reply eagerly, when Mr. Ludulph 
 enteied, and music was resumed. But it was evident that 
 Dennis' lines had disturbed the fair skeptic's equanimity. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 
 BEGUILED. 
 
 DENNIS returned to his room greatly perplexed. There 
 was something in Christine's actions which he could not 
 understand. From the time of their first conversation 
 at Miss Wirfthrop's, she had evidently felt and acted differ- 
 ently. If her heart remained cold and untouched, if as 
 yet neither faith nor love had any existence, what was 
 the inspiring motive ? Why should deep discouragement 
 change suddenly to assured hope ? 
 
 Then again her manner was equally inexplicable. 
 From that same evening she gave him more encouragement 
 than he had even hoped to receive for months, but yet he 
 made no progress. She seemed to enjoy meeting him, and 
 constantly found opportunity to do so. Her eyes were 
 continually seeking his face, but there was something in 
 her manner in this respect that puteled him more than any- 
 thing else. She often seemed looking at his face, rathei 
 than at him. At first Christine had been furtive and 
 careful in her observations, but as the habit grew upon 
 her, and her interest increased, she would sometimes gaze 
 so steadily that poor Dennis was deeply embarrassed. 
 Becoming conscious of this, she would herseU coloi 
 slightly, and be mrre careful for a time.
 
 278 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY, 
 
 In her eagerness for success, Christine did not realize 
 how dangerous an experiment she was trying. She could 
 not look upon such a face as Dennis Fleet's, eloquent 
 with that which should 'never fail to touch a woman's 
 heart with sympathy, and then forget it when she chose. 
 Moreover, though she knew it not, in addition to her in- 
 terest in him as an art study, h ; s strong positive nature 
 affected her cool negative one most pleasantly. His ear- 
 nest manifested feeling fell like sunlight on a heart be- 
 numbed with cold. 
 
 Thus, under the stimulus of his presence, she found 
 that she could paint a sketch td%iuch better purpose than 
 when alone. This knowledge made her rejoice in secret 
 over the opportunity she could now have, as Dennis again 
 assisted her in hanging pictures, and affixing to the walls 
 ornaments of various kinds. 
 
 Coming to him one morning in the store, she said 
 
 " I am going to ask a favor of you again." 
 
 Dennis looked as if she were conferring the greatest of 
 favors. His face always lighted up when she spoke to him. 
 
 " It is very kind of you to ask so pleasantly for what 
 you can command," he said. 
 
 "To something of the same effect you answered 
 before, and the result was the rather disagreeable experi- 
 ence, I fear, at Miss Brown's." 
 
 Dennis' brow contracted a little, but he said heroi- 
 cally, " I will yes I will go to Miss Brown's again if you 
 wish it." 
 
 "How self-sacrificing you are," she replied with a half- 
 mischievous smile. 
 
 " Not as much so as you imagine," he answered, flush- 
 ing slightly. 
 
 " Well, set your mind at rest on that score. Though 
 not very- merciful, as you know, I would put no poor soul
 
 BEGUILED. 
 
 279 
 
 thiuiigh that ordeal again. In this case you will only 
 have to encounter one of the tormentors you met on that 
 occasion, and I will try to vouch for her better behavior. 
 Then she added seriously, " I hope you will not think 
 the task beneath you. You do not seem to have much 
 of the foolish pride that stands in the way of so many 
 Americans, and then" looking at him with a pleading 
 face " I have so set my heart upon it, and it would be 
 such a disappointment if you were unwilling." 
 
 Dennis felt ready to stoop down and black her boots 
 in the street had she asked him, and said : 
 
 " You need waste no more ammunition on one ready to 
 surrender at discretion." 
 
 " Very well ; then I shall treat you with all the rigors 
 of a prisoner of war. I shall carry you away captive to my 
 new castle on the north side, and put you at your old me- 
 nial tasks of hanging pictures and decoration in general. 
 As Eastern sovereigns built their palaces and adorned 
 their cities by the labors of those whom the fortunes of war 
 threw into their hands, so your skill and taste shall be use- 
 ful to me, and I, your head task-mistress," she added with 
 her insinuating smile, " will be ever present to see that there 
 is no idling, nothing but monotonous toil. Had you not 
 better have stood longer on the defensive ? " 
 
 Dennis held out his hands in mock humility and said -. 
 " I am ready for my chains. You shall see with what fo r - 
 titude I endure my captivity." 
 
 " It is well that you should show it somewhere, for you 
 have not in your resistance. But I parole you on your 
 honor to report at such times as I shall indicate and papa 
 can spare you." 
 
 And with a smile and a lingering look that seemed, as 
 before, directed to his face rather than himself, she passed 
 out
 
 8 So BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 That peculiar look often puzzled him, and at times 
 he would go to a glass and see if there was anything wrong 
 or unusual in his appearance. But now his hopes rose 
 higher than ever. She had been very gracious, certainly, 
 and invited intimate companionship. Dennis felt that she 
 must have read his feelings in his face and manner, and, to 
 his ingenuous nature, any encouragement seemed to prom- 
 ise all he hoped. 
 
 For a week after this he scarcely saw her, for she was 
 very busy making preliminary arrangements for the occupa- 
 tion of her new home. But one afternoon she suddenly 
 appeared, and said with affected severity : 
 
 " Report to-morrow at nine A. M." 
 
 Dennis bowed humbly. She gave him a pleasant smile 
 over her shoulder, and passed away as quickly -as she 
 came. It seemed like a vision to him, and only a trace of 
 her favorite perfume (which indeed ever seemed more an 
 atmosphere than a perfume) remained as evidence that 
 she had been there. 
 
 At five minutes before the time on the following day 
 he appeared at the new Ludolph mansion. From an open 
 window Christine beckoned him to enter, and welcomed 
 him with characteristic words : 
 
 " In view of your foolish surrender to my power, remem- 
 ber that you have no rights that I am bound to respect." 
 
 " I throw myself on your mercy. " 
 
 " I have already told you that I do not possess that 
 trait ; so prepare for the worst." 
 
 She was dressed in some light summer fabric, and her 
 rounded arms and neck were partially bare. She looked 
 so white and cool, so self-possessed, and, with all her smiles, 
 so devoid of warm human feeling, that Dennis felt a sud- 
 den chill at heart. The ancient fable of the sirens occurred 
 to'nim. Mifjht she not be luring him on to his own de-
 
 BEGUILED. 2 8 x 
 
 struction ? At times he almost hoped that she loved him ; 
 again, something in her manner caused him to doubt every- 
 thing. But, unlike Ulysses and his crew, there were no 
 friendly hands to bind and restrain, or put wax in his ears, 
 an i soon the music of her voice, the strong enchantment 
 of the love she had inspired, banished all thought of pru- 
 dence. His passion was now becoming a species of intox- 
 ication a continued and feverish excitement, and its influ- 
 ence was unhappy on mind and body. There was no rest, 
 peace or assurance in it, and the uncertainty, the tantalizing 
 inability to obtain a deftiite satisfying word, and yet the 
 apparent nearness of the prize, wore upon him. Some- 
 times, when late at night he sat brooding over his last in- 
 terview, weighing with the nice scales of a lover's anxiety 
 her every look and even accent, his own haggard face 
 would startle him. 
 
 Then again her influence morally was not good, and 
 his interest declined in everything save what was con- 
 nected with her. 
 
 Conscience at times told him that he was more bent 
 on gaining her love for himself, than in winning it for God. 
 He satisfied himself by trying to reason that when he had 
 won her affection his power for good would be greater, and 
 thus, while he ever sought to look and suggest his own love 
 in nameless little ways, he made less and less effort to remind 
 her of a better love than even his. Moreover she never 
 encouraged anything approaching religious conversation, 
 sometimes even repelling it decidedly, and so, though he 
 would scarcely acknowledge it, the traitorous fear sprang 
 up, that in speaking of God's love he might mar his 
 chances of speaking of his own. 
 
 In the retirement of his own room, his reveries grew 
 longer and his prayers shorter and less inspired by faith 
 and earnestness. At the mission-school,- Susie Winthrop
 
 282 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 noticed with regret that the lesson was 'often given in a 
 listless, preoccupied manner ; and even the little boys them- 
 selves missed something in the teacher once so interesting 
 and animated. From witnessing his manner when with 
 Christine, Miss Winthrop had more than suspected his 
 secret for some time, and she felt at first a genuine sym- 
 pathy for him, believing his love to be hopeless. From 
 the first she had found Dennis very fascinating, but when 
 she read his secret in his ardent glances to vard Christine, 
 she became conscious that her interest was rather greater 
 than passing acquaintance warranted, and like the good 
 sensible girl that she was, fought to the death the incipi- 
 ent fancy. At first she felt that he ought to know that 
 Christine was pledged to a future that would render his 
 love vain. But her own feelings made her so exceedingly 
 sensitive, that it was impossible to attempt so difficult and 
 delicate a task. Then as Christine seemed to smile upon 
 him, she said to herself " After all, what is their plan, but 
 a plan, and to me a very chimerical one. Perhaps Mr. 
 Fleet can give Christi v '-e a far better chance of happiness 
 than her father's ambition. And after all, these are mat- 
 ters in which no third party can interfere." So while re- 
 maining as cordial as ever, she prudently managed to see 
 very little of Dennis. 
 
 As we have seen, under Christine's merry and half-ban- 
 tering words (a style of conversation often assumed 
 with him), even the thought of caution vanished. She led 
 him over the moderately large and partially-furnished 
 house. There were women cleaning, and mechanics at 
 work on some of the rooms. As they passed along she 
 explained the nature of the decorations she '.vished. They 
 consisted largely in rich carvings in wood, and unique 
 frames. 
 
 " I wish you to help me design these, and see that they
 
 BEGUILED. 283 
 
 are properly put up, and to superintend the fresco-paint- 
 ers, and mechanics in general. Indeed, I think you are 
 more truly my prime-minister than captive." 
 
 " Not less your captive," said Dennis with a flush. 
 
 She gave him a bewildering smile and then studied its 
 effect upon him. He was in Elysium, and his eyes glowed 
 with delight at her presence and the prospect before him. 
 At last she led him into two large apartments on the sec- 
 ond floor that opened into each other, and said : 
 
 " These are my rooms ; that yonder is my studio," as 
 was evident from the large easel with canvas prepared 
 upon it. 
 
 They at once had to Dennis all the sacredness of a 
 shrine. 
 
 "I intend to make these rooms like two beautiful 
 pictures," said Christine, " and here shall be the chief 
 display of your taste." 
 
 Dennis could scarcely believe his ears, or realize that 
 the cold, beautiful girl who a few short months ago did not 
 notice him now voluntarily gave him such opportunities 
 to urge his suit. The success that a man most covets 
 seemed assured, and his soul was intoxicated with delight. 
 He said : 
 
 "You intimated that my tasks might be menial, but I 
 feel as I imagine a Greek artist must, when asked to 
 decorate the temple of a goddess." 
 
 " I think I told you once before that your imagination 
 overshadowed your other faculties." 
 
 Her words recalled the painted girl whom she by 
 a strange coincidence so strongly resembled. To hi*, 
 astonishment he saw the same striking likeness again. 
 Christine was looking at him with the laughing, scornful 
 expression that the German lady bent upon the awkward 
 lover who knelt at her feet. His face darkened in an 
 \nstant.
 
 284 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 " Have I offended you ? " she asked gently ; " I remem 
 her now you did not admire that picture." 
 
 "I liked everything about it save the expression of 
 the girl's face. I think you will also re.nember that [ 
 said that such a face should be put to nobler uses." 
 
 Christine flushed slightly, and for a moment was posi- 
 tively afraid of him. She saw that she must be more 
 careful, for she was dealing with one of quick eye and 
 mind. At the same time her conscience reproached her 
 again. The more she saw of him the more she realized 
 how sincere and earnest he was ; how different from ordi- 
 nary society-men, to whom an unsuccessful suit to a fair 
 lady is a mere annoyance. But she was not one to give up 
 a purpose readily for the sake of conscience or anything 
 else, and certainly not now, when seemingly on the point 
 of success. So she said with a slight laugh : 
 
 "Do not compare me to any of those old heathen 
 again," and having thus given a slight reason, or excuse, 
 for her unfortunate expression, she proceeded to beguile 
 him more thoroughly than ever, by the subtle witchery of 
 smiles, glances and words, that might mean everything or 
 nothing. 
 
 " You seem to have a study on your easel there," 
 said Dennis, as they stood together in the studio. "May- 
 I see it?" 
 
 " No," said she, " you are to see nothing till you see a 
 triumph in the portrayal of feeling and life-like earnest- 
 ness that even your critical eye cannot condemn." 
 
 She justly feared that, should he see her work^ h? 
 might discover her plan, for however she might disguise it, 
 something suggesting himself entered into all her studies. 
 
 " I hope you will succeed, but doubt it." 
 
 " Why ? " she asked quickly. 
 
 v Because we cannot portray what we cannot feel. The
 
 BEGUILED. 285 
 
 stream cannot rise higher than its fountain." Then he 
 added with heightened color, and some hesitation, " I fear 
 your heart is still sleeping," and he ^watched with deep 
 anxiety how she would take the questioning remark. 
 
 At first she flushed almost angrily, but recovering 
 self-possession in a moment, she threw upon him an arch 
 smile, suggesting all that a lover could wish, and said : 
 
 " Be careful, Mr. Fleet ; you are seeking to penetrate 
 mysteries that we most jealously guard. You know that 
 in the ancient temple there was an inner sanctuary 
 which none might enter." 
 
 "Yes, one might," said Dennis significantly. 
 
 With her long lashes she veiled the dark blue eyes that 
 expressed anything but tender feeling, and yet, so shaded, 
 they appeared as a lover would wish, and in a low tone 
 she answered: 
 
 " Well, he could not enter when he would, only when 
 permitted." 
 
 And she raised her eyes quickly to see the effect. And 
 she did see an effect that she would hav given thousands 
 to be able to transfer to canvas. 
 
 His face, above all she had ever seen, seemed* designed 
 to express feeling, passion ; and his wearing life had made 
 it so thin, and his eyes were so large and lustrous that 
 the spiritual greatly predominated, and she felt as if she 
 could almost see the throbs of the strong passionate heart. 
 
 Apart from her artistic purposes, contact with such 
 warm intense life had for Christine a glowing fascination. 
 She had not realized that in kindling and fanning this 
 flame of honest love to sevenfold power and heat, she 
 might be kindled herself. When, therefore, she saw the 
 face of Dennis Fleet eloquent with the deepest, strongest 
 feeling that human features can portray, another chord than 
 the artistic one was touched, and there was a low faint
 
 2 86 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 trill of that music which often becomes the sweetest har- 
 mony of life. 
 
 " And at some time in the future may I hope to enter? " 
 he asked tremulously. 
 
 She threw him another smile over her shoulder as she 
 turned to her easel a smile that from a true woman would 
 mean, You may, but which from many would mean nothing, 
 ard said vaguely: 
 
 " What is life without hope ? " and then, as matters were 
 going too fast and far, decisively changed the subject. 
 
 Seated at her easel she painted eagerly and rapidly, while 
 he measured the space over and around the fireplace with a 
 view to its ornamentation. 3he kept the conversation on 
 the general subject of art, and though Dennis knew it not, 
 every glance to his face was that of a portrait-painter. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 
 BOTH DENNIS AND CHRISTINE LEARN SOMETHING SUR- 
 PRISING. 
 
 DENNIS went back to the store in a maze of hopes and 
 fears, but hope predominated. Christine could not be in- 
 different and treat him as she did, if she had a particle of 
 sincerity, and with a lover's faith he would not believe her 
 false, though he knew her to be so faulty. 
 
 " At any rate," he said to himself, " in this new arrange- 
 ment I have all the opportunity a man could ask, and if I 
 cannot develop her plainly manifested interest into some- 
 thing more decisive by such companionship, I may as well 
 despair," and he determined to avail himself of every advan- 
 tage within his reach in making the most of what he deemer*
 
 DENNIS AND CHRISTINE SURPRISED. 287 
 
 a rare stroke of fortune. His greatly increased salary en- 
 abled him to dress with 'that taste and even elegance so 
 pleasing to a lady's eye, and he had withal acquired that 
 ease and grace of manner which familiarity with the best 
 society bestows. 
 
 It is also well to tell the reader that after some hes- 
 itation Dennis had confided his feelings to his mother, 
 and received from her the warmest sympathy. To 
 Ethel Fleet's unworldly nature, that he should fall in 
 love with and marry his employer's daughter, seemed em- 
 inently fitting, with just a spice of beautiful romance. 
 And it was her son's happiness and Christine's beauty that 
 she thought of, not Mr. Ludolph's money. In truth such 
 was her admiration for her son, she felt that with all her 
 wealth the young lady would receive a greater honor than 
 she conferred. Though Dennis wrote with the partiality 
 of a lover, he could not so portray Christine's character but 
 that his mother felt the deepest anxiety, and often sighed 
 in sad foreboding of serious trouble in the future. 
 
 From Mrs. Fleet's knowledge of her son's passion, 
 Christine, though she knew it not, received another advan- 
 tage of incalculable value. Dennis had painted an ex- 
 cellent little cabinet likeness of her, and sent it to his 
 mother. In the quiet of the night she would sit down be- 
 fore that picture, and by her strong imagination summon 
 her ideal of Christine, and then lead her directly to Christ, 
 as parents brought their children of old. Could such 
 prayers and faith be in vain ? Faith is often sorely tried 
 in this world, but never tried in vain. 
 
 Day after day Dennis went to Mr. Ludolph's new home 
 Curing the morning hours, and Christine's spell worked 
 with bewildering and increasing power. While she tor- 
 tured him with many doubts and fears, his hope grew to be 
 almost a certainty that he had at last made a place for him-
 
 288 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 self in her heart. Sometimes the whole story of his love 
 trembled on his lips, but she never permitted its utter- 
 ance. That she determined should be reserved for the 
 climax. He usually met her alone, but noticed that in 
 the presence of others she was cool and undemonstrative. 
 Mr. Ludolph rarely saw them together, and when he did, 
 there was nothing in his daughter's manner to awaken sus- 
 picion. This perfectly acted indifference in the presence 
 of others, and equally well acted regard when alone, often 
 puzzled Dennis sorely. But at last he concluded : 
 
 " She is wiser than I. She knows that I am in no con- 
 dition now to make proposals for her hand : therefore it is 
 better that there should be no recognized understanding 
 between us," and he would resolve to be as prudent as she. 
 Then again she would so awaken his jealousy and fears, 
 that he would feel that he must know his fate, that any- 
 thing was better than such torturing uncertainty. 
 
 As for Christine, two processes were going on in her 
 mind, one that she recognized, and one that she did not. 
 
 Her artistic aims were clear and definite. In the first 
 place she meant to perfectly master the human face as 
 it expressed emotions, especially such as were of a tender 
 nature ; and in the second place she intended to paint a 
 picture that in itself would make her famous. She chose 
 a most difficult and delicate subject of the character she 
 had ever failed in a declaration of love. When Dennis 
 commenced to work again in her presence, the picture 
 was well advanced. 
 
 In a grand old hall, whose sides were decorated with 
 armor and weapons, a young man stood pleading his cause 
 with a 1 idy whose hand he held. The young girl's face 
 was so averted that only a beautiful profile was visible, 
 but her form and attitude were grace itself. The lovers 
 stood in an angle of the hall near an open window, through
 
 DENNIS AND CHRISTINE SURPRISED. 289 
 
 which was seen a fine landscape, a picture within a picture. 
 But Christine meant to concentrate all her power and skill 
 on the young knight's face. This should be eloquent with 
 all the feeling and passion that the human face could ex- 
 press, and she would insure its truthfulness to life by copy- 
 ing life itself the reality. Dennis Fleet was the human 
 victim that she was offering on the altar of her ambition. 
 
 Much of the picture was merely in outline, but she 
 finished the form and features of the suppliant in all 
 save the expression, and this she meant to paint from 
 his face whenever she was in the right mood, and could 
 bring matters to a crisis. 
 
 After he had been coming to the house two or three 
 times a week for nearly a month, she felt that she was ready 
 for the final scene, and yet she dreaded it, she had staked 
 so much hope upon it. It also provoked her to find that 
 she was really afraid of him. His was such a strong, sin- 
 cere nature, that she felt increasingly the wrong of trifling 
 with it. In vain she tried to quiet herself by saying : " I 
 do not care a straw for him, and he will soon get over his 
 infatuation on Discovering the truth." 
 
 But she had a lesson to learn as well as he, for as we 
 have intimated, unrecognized as yet, there was a process 
 going on in her mind that in time would make strange 
 havoc in her cold philosophy. Her heart's long winter 
 was slowly breaking up ; her girlish passion, intense as 
 it was foolish, proved that she had a heart. Everything 
 had been against her. Everything in her experience 
 and education, and especially in her father's strong 
 character and prejudices, had combined to deaden and to 
 chill her ; and had these influences continued, she would 
 undoubtedly have become as cold and hard as some whom 
 we find in advanced lite with natures like the poles, where 
 the ire gathers year after year, but never melts.
 
 ago 
 
 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 But in Dennis Fleet she met a nature as positive as 
 she was becoming negative. He was so warm and earnesi 
 that when she commenced to fan his love into a stronger 
 rlame for purely artistic purposes, as she vowed to herself, 
 *ome sparks of the sacred fire fell on the cold altar of 
 J?er own heart and slowly began to kindle. 
 
 But this awakening would not now be that of a child 
 but of the woman. Therefore, Mr. Ludolph, beware ! 
 
 But she had yet much to learn in the hard, strange 
 school of experience before she would truly know herself 
 or her own needs. 
 
 Success in art, however, was still her ruling passion. And 
 though strange misgivings annoyed and perplexed her, 
 though her respect for Dennis daily increased, and at times 
 a sudden pity and softness made her little hands hesitate 
 before giving an additional wrench to the rack of uncer- 
 tainty upon which she kept him ; still, she would not for the 
 world have abandoned her purpose, and such compunctions 
 were as yet but the little back eddies of the strong current. 
 
 One day, the latter part of August, Christine felt her- 
 self in the mood to give the finishing touchito the principal 
 figure in her picture. The day was somewhat hazy, the 
 light subdued and favorable for artistic work. Though she 
 had prolonged and delayed Dennis' labors, to his* secret 
 delight and great encouragement, she could not keep him 
 employed much longer. 
 
 She sent for him to come over in the afternoon. " Some 
 brackets, carvings and pictures had come for her studio, 
 and she wished him to put them up," she said coolly as he 
 entered. 
 
 He had come glowing with hope and almost assurance, 
 for, the last time they parted, she had dismissed him with 
 unusual kindness. But here was one of those capricious 
 changes again that he could not under stand.
 
 DENNIS AND CHRISTINE SURPRISED. 
 
 291 
 
 She took her se?t at her easel, saying with a nod and 
 smile, " I can direct you here, for I am in a mood for 
 work this afternoon." 
 
 He bowed quietly and went on with his task. Hei 
 rather cool reception oppressed him, and the tormenting 
 question presented itself, for the hundredth time, " Can 
 she in any degree feel as I do ? " He longed to settle the 
 matter by plain straightforward action. 
 
 Her maid knocked at the door, saying : " The mail, 
 Mademoiselle." 
 
 A dainty note was handed her which seemed decidedly 
 pleasing, and Dennis noticed that as she read it she wore 
 a solitaire diamond on her finger that he had not seen 
 before. His latent jealousy was aroused. She saw that 
 her spell was working, and smiled. Soon she said : 
 
 " Mr. Fleet, you seem very grave. What is the mat- 
 ter?" 
 
 He answered curtly, " Nothing." 
 
 She looked at him with a pretty, pained surprise. At 
 the same time her heart smote her. His face was so pale 
 and thin, and indicated such real suffering that she pitied 
 him more than ever. But she would have suffered much 
 herself for the sake of success, and she was not one to 
 hesitate long over the suffering of another. She com- 
 pressed her lips as she said mentally, " Art is first, and 
 these transient feelings secondary. There is little in the 
 world but that has cost some one deeply." She thought a 
 profounder truth than she knew. 
 
 After a few moments Dennis said, in a tone that had a 
 jealous tinge : 
 
 " Miss Ludolph, your correspondent seems to interest 
 you deeply." 
 
 "And you also, I think," she replied with an arcb 
 smile ; " and you will be interested still more when you 
 know who she is." And she tossed him the note
 
 292 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY 
 
 " I have no right do not think me prying," said he, 
 flushing. 
 
 "I give the right,'' said she. "You know a lady can 
 give many rights if she chooses," she added significantly. 
 
 He looked at her eagerly. 
 
 Her eyes fell consciously, and her cheeks glowed with 
 excitement, for she felt that the critical moment had come. 
 But instantly her proud, resolute nature aroused as never 
 before, and she determined to make the most of the occa- 
 sion, let the consequences be what they might. Therefore 
 she worked eagerly and watched him closely. Never had 
 she been so conscious of power. She felt inspired, capa- 
 ble of placing on the canvas anything she chose. If in 
 this mood she could succeed in bringing into his face just 
 the expression she desired, she could catch it and fix it 
 forever, and with it make a laurel (not a hymeneal) wreath 
 for her own brow. But what could Dennis know of all 
 this ? To him the glowing cheek and eyes so lustrous told 
 a different tale ; and hope sweet, exquisite, almost assured 
 sprang up in his heart. 
 
 And he meant that it should be assured. He would 
 speak that day if it were possible, and know his happiness, 
 instead of fondly believing and hoping that all was sure. 
 Then he would be as prudent and patient as she desired. 
 Thus Christine was destined to have her wish fulfilled. 
 
 She continued : "The note is from a special friend of 
 yours ; indeed I think you form a little mutual-admiration 
 society, and you are spoken of, so I think you had better 
 read it." 
 
 " I shall not read the note," said Dennis, "but you may 
 tell me, if you choose, what you think the writer will have 
 no objection tc my knowing." 
 
 " And do you mean to suggest that you do not kno\v 
 who wrote the note ? I can inform you that you are to be
 
 DENNIS AND CHRISTINE SURPRISED. 
 
 293 
 
 invited to a moon.ight sail and musicale on the water. Is 
 not that a chance for romance ? " 
 
 " And will you go ? " asked Dennis eagerly. 
 
 " Yes, if you will," she said in a low tone, giving him a 
 sidelong glance. * 
 
 This was too much for Dennis, the manner more than 
 the words, and taken together they would have led any 
 earnest man to committal. He was about to speak eagerly, 
 but she was not quite ready. 
 
 " Moreover," she continued quickly, while Dennis stood 
 before her with cheeks alternately hot and pale, "this 
 special friend who invites you will be there. Now don't 
 pretend innocence of her name." 
 
 " I suppose you mean Miss Winthrop," said Dennis, 
 flushing. 
 
 " Ah, you blush, do you ? Well, it is my turn to ask 
 pardon for seeming curiosity." 
 
 He drew a few steps nearer to her, and the expression 
 she had so longed to see came into his face. She looked 
 at him earnestly with her whole soul in her eyes. She 
 would photograph him on memory, if possible. For a 
 moment or two he hesitated, embarrassed by her steady 
 gaze, and seemingly at a loss for words. Then, in a low, 
 deep tone he said: 
 
 " You, better than any one, know that I have no cause 
 to blush at the mention of Miss Winthrop's name." 
 
 She did not answer, but was painting rapidly. He 
 thought this was due to natural excitement expressing itself 
 in nervous action. But she did not discourage him, and 
 this he felt was everything. With his heart in his eyes 
 and tones, he said: 
 
 " O Christine, what is the use of wearing this trans- 
 parent mask any longer? Your quick woman's eye has 
 seen fot weeks the devoted love I cherish for you. I have
 
 294 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 heard much of woman's intuitions. Perhaps you saw my 
 love before I recognized it myself, since your grace ^nd 
 beauty caused it to grow unconsciously while I was your 
 humble attendant. But Christine, believe me, if you will 
 but utter in words what I fondly beli'eve I have read in 
 your kindly glances and manner, though so delicately 
 veiled, if you will give me the strength and rest which come 
 of assured hope, I know that not far in the future I shall 
 be able to place at your feet more than mere wealth. I, 
 too, hope to be an artist, and you have been my chief inspi- 
 ration. At the store I could show you a picture now that 
 would tell more of what I mean than can my poor words. 
 There is a richer and happier world than you have yet 
 known, and O how I have prayed that I might lead you to 
 it," and in words of burning eloquence he proceeded to 
 tell the Ftory of his love. 
 
 She heard him as in a dream. She understood his 
 words, remembered them afterward, but so intent was she 
 on her darling propose that she heeded him not. His 
 voice sounded far away, and every power of mind and body 
 was concentrated to transfer his expression to the canvas 
 before her. Even he, blinded as he was by his emotions, 
 occupied by the long pent-up torrent of feeling that he was 
 pouring into her unheeding ear, wondered at her strange 
 dazzling beauty and peculiar manner. 
 
 After speaking a moment or two, the blur from his eyes 
 and confusion of mind began to pass away, and he was 
 perplexed beyond measure at the way she was receiving 
 the open declaration of his love. She was painting through 
 it all, not with the nervous random stroke of one who 
 sought to hide excitement and embarrassment in occupa- 
 tion. She was working earnestly, consciously, with preci- 
 sion, and, what was strangest of all, she seemed so intent 
 upon his face that his words, which would have been such
 
 DENNIS AND CHRISTINE SURPRISED. 
 
 295 
 
 music to any woman that loved, apparently were unheard. 
 He stopped, but the break in his passionate flow of lan- 
 guage was unnoted. 
 
 " Christine, listen to me ! " he cried, in an agony of fear 
 and perplexity. The tone of his appeal might have stirred 
 a marble bosom to pity, but she only raised her left hand 
 deprecatingly as if warding off an interruption, while she 
 worked with intense eagerness with her right. 
 
 " Christine ! " a frown contracted her brow for a 
 tecond, but she worked on. 
 
 He looked at her as if fearing she had lost her reason, 
 but there was no madness in her swift, intelligent strokes 
 Then like a flash the thought came to him 
 
 " It is my face, not myself, that she wants ! This, then, 
 has been the secret of her new hope as an artist. She 
 would not feel, as I told her she must, but she would call 
 out and copy my emotion ; and this scene, which means 
 life or death to me, is to her but a lesson in Art, and I am 
 no more than the human subject under the surgeon's knife. 
 But surely no anatomist is so cruel as to put in his lancet 
 before the man is dead." 
 
 Every particle of color receded from his face, and he 
 watched her manner for the confirmation of his thought. 
 
 Her face was indeed a study. A beautiful smile parted 
 her lips, her eyes glowed with the exultation of assured and 
 almost accomplished success, and she looked like an 
 inspired priestess at a Greek oracle. 
 
 But a bitterness beyond words was filling his heart. 
 
 A few more skilful strokes, and she threw down her 
 brush, crying in ecstatic tones 
 
 " Eureka ! Eureka ! " as she stood before the painting 
 in rapt admiration. 
 
 In an instant he stood by her side. With all the pride 
 of triumph she pointed to the picture, and said :
 
 296 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 " Criticise that, if you can ! Deny that there is soul, 
 life, feeling there, if you dare ! Is that painting but a ' beau- 
 tiful corpse ? ' " 
 
 Dennis saw a figure and features suggesting his own. 
 pleading with all the eloquence of true love before the 
 averted face of the maiden in the picture. It was indeed 
 a triumph, having all the power of the reality. 
 
 Dennis passed his hand quickly across his forehead, 
 as if to repel some terrible delusion, while yet he whispered 
 its reality to himself, in silent despairing confession 
 
 " Ah my God ! How cold she must be when she can 
 see any one look like that, and yet copy the expression as 
 from a painted face upon the wall ! " 
 
 Then his own pride and indignation rising, he deter 
 mined at once to know the truth ; whether he held anyplace 
 in her heart, or whether the picture was all, and he noth- 
 ing. 
 
 Drawing a step nearer, as if to examine more closely, 
 he seized a brush of paint and drew it over the face that 
 had cost both him and Christine so much, and then turned 
 and looked at her. 
 
 For a moment she stood paralyzed, so great seemed 
 the disaster. Then she turned on him in fury. " How 
 dare you ! " she exclaimed. 
 
 Only equal anger, and the consciousness of right, could 
 have sustained any man under the lightning of her eyes. 
 
 ~" Rather, let me ask, How dare you ? " he replied in the 
 deep concentrated voice of passion and lover and lady 
 stood before the ruined picture with blazing eyes. In the 
 same low stern voice he continued : 
 
 ' I see the secret of your artistic hope now, Miss Lu 
 clolph, but permit me to say that you have made your first 
 and last success, and there in that black stain, most appro- 
 priately black, is the result.
 
 DENNIS AND CHRISTINE SURPRISED. 
 
 297 
 
 She looked as if she could have torn him to atoms. 
 
 " You have been false," he continued. " You have 
 acted a lie before me for weeks. You have deceived in 
 that which is most sacred, and with sacrilegious hands 
 have trifled with that which every true man regards as 
 holy." 
 
 She trembled beneath his stern accusing words. Con- 
 science echoed them, anger and courage were fast desert- 
 ing her in the presence of the aroused and more powerful 
 spirit of her wronged lover. But she said petulantly: 
 
 "Nonsense ! You know well that half the ladies of the 
 city would have flirted with you from mere vanity and love 
 of power ; my motive was infinitely beyond this." 
 
 Until now this had almost seemed sufficient reason to 
 excuse her action, but she distrusted it even to loathing as 
 she saw the look of scorn come out on his noble face. 
 
 "And is that your best plea for falsehood? A mo- 
 ment ago I loved you with a devotion that you will never 
 receive again. But now I despise you." 
 
 " Sir ! " she cried, with her face scarlet with shame and 
 unger, " leave this room ! " 
 
 " Yes, in a moment, and never again to enter it while 
 Christine Ludolph is as false in character as she is beauti- 
 ful in person. But before I go, you, in your pride and 
 silken luxury, shall hear the truth for once. Not only have 
 you been false, but you have been what no true woman 
 ever can be cruel as death. Your pencil has been a 
 stiletto with which you have slowly felt for my heart. You 
 have dipped your brush in human suffering as if it were 
 common paint Giotto stabbed a man and mercifully took 
 him off by a few quick pangs, that he might paint his 
 dying look. You, more cruel, accomplish your purpose by 
 slow, remorseless torture. Merciful Heaven only knows 
 what I have suffered since you smiled and frowned on me
 
 /9 8 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 by turns, but I felt that if I could only win your love, I 
 would gladly endure all. You falsely made me believe 
 tiiat 1 had won it, and yet all the while you were dissect- 
 ing rny heart as a surgeon might a living subject. And 
 now what have you to offer to solace the bitterness of 
 coming years ? Do you not know that such deeds make 
 men bad, faithless, devilish ? Never dream of success till 
 you are changed utterly. Only the noble in deed and in 
 truth can reach high and noble art." 
 
 He left her seated at the defaced picture with her face 
 bowed in her hands. 
 
 She thought he was gone, but sat still like one doomed. 
 A few moments passed and she was startled by hearing 
 his voice again. It was no longer harsh and stern, but 
 sad, grave, and pitiful. 
 
 " Miss Ludolph, may God in His mercy forgive you. 
 I also will pray for strength to do the same." 
 
 She trembled. Pride and better feeling were contend- 
 ing for the mastery. After a few moments she sprang up 
 and reached out her hands ; but he was gone now in very 
 truth. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXV. 
 
 THE TWO PICTURES. 
 
 WHEN Christine saw that Dennis was not in the room, 
 she rushed to a window only in time to see his retreating 
 form passing down the street. For a moment she felt like 
 one left alone to perish on a sinking wreck. His words, 
 so assured in their tones, seemed like those of a prophet. 
 Conscience echoed them, and a chill of fear came over her
 
 THE TWO PICTURES. 
 
 299 
 
 heait. What if he were right? What if she had let the- 
 one golden opportunity of her life pass ? Even though she 
 had stolen her inspiration from him through guile And 
 cruelty, had he not enabled her to accomplish more than in 
 all her life before ? To what might he not have led her, if 
 she had put her hand frankly and truthfully in his ? There 
 are times when to those most bewildered in mazes of error, 
 light breaks, clear and unmistakable, denning right and 
 wrong with terrible distinctness. Such an hour was this 
 to Christine. The law of God written on her heart as- 
 serted itself, and she trembled at the guilty thing she saw 
 herself to be. But there seemed no remedy save in the 
 one she had driven away, never to return, as she believed. 
 After a brief but painful revery she exclaimed: , ( , . 
 
 " But what am I thinking of? What can he or any man 
 of this land be to me ? " 
 
 Then pride, her dominant trait, awoke as she recalled 
 his words. 
 
 " He despises me, does he ? I will teach him that I 
 belong to a sphere he cannot touch, the poor infatuated 
 youth ! And did he dream that I, Christine Ludolph, could 
 give him my hand. He shall learn some day that none in 
 this land could receive that honor, and none save the 
 proudest in my own may hope for it. The idea of my 
 giving up my ancient and honorable name for the sake of 
 this unknown Yankee youth ! Father would indeed say that 
 the Gudgeon farce was enacted over again." 
 
 Bold, proud words that her heart did not echo. 
 
 But pride and anger were now her controlling impulses, 
 and with the strong grasp of her resolute will she crushed 
 back her gentler and better feelings, and became more icy 
 and hard than ever. 
 
 By such choice and action, men and women commit 
 moral suicide.
 
 300 
 
 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 With a cold white face, and a burnished gleam in hei 
 eyes, she went to the easel and commenced painting oul 
 the ominous black stain. 
 
 " I'll prove him a false prophet also. I will be an artis.* 
 without passing through all his sentimental and supersti 
 tious phases that have so amused me during the past weeks 
 I have seen his lovelorn face too often not to be able tc 
 reproduce ir and its various expressions." 
 
 Her strokes were quick and almost fierce. 
 
 " Mrs. Dennis Fleet, ha ! ha ! Ha ! " and her laugh was 
 as harsh and discordant as the feeling that prompted it. 
 
 Again, a little later : 
 
 " He despises me ! Well, he is the first man that ever 
 dared say that," and her face was flushed and dark with 
 anger. 
 
 Dennis at first walked rapidly from the scene of his bit- 
 ter disappointment, but his steps soon grew slow and feeble. 
 The point of endurance was passed. . Body and mind act- 
 ing and reacting on each other had been taxed beyond 
 their powers, and both were giving way. He felt that they 
 were, and struggled to reach the store before the crisis 
 came. Weak and trembling, he mounted the steps bu"t fell 
 fainting across the threshold. One of the clerks saw him 
 fall and gave the alarm. Mr. Ludolph, Mr. Schwartz, and 
 others hastened to the spot. Dennis was carried to his 
 room and a messenger despatched for Dr. Arten. Ernst, 
 with flying feet, and wild, frightened face, soon reached his 
 home in DeKoven-street, and startled his father and mother 
 with the tidings. 
 
 The child feared that Dennis was dead, his face was 
 so thin nnd white. Leaving the children in. Ernst's care, 
 both Mr. and Mrs. Bruder, prompted by their strong grati 
 tude C 'JY Dennis, rushed through the streets as if distracted
 
 THE TWO PICTURES. 301 
 
 Their intense anxiety and warm German hearts caused 
 them to heed no more the curious glances cast after them 
 than would a man swimming for life note the ripple he 
 made. 
 
 When Dennis regained consciousness, they, with Mr. 
 Ludolph, and Dr. Arten, wjere standing around. At first 
 his mind was confused and he could not understand it all. 
 
 " Where am I ? " he asked feebly, " and what has hap- 
 pened?" 
 
 " Do not be alarmed, you have only had a faint turn," 
 Said the Doctor. 
 
 " O Mr. Fleet, you vork too hart, you vork too hart, I 
 knew dis vould come," sobbed Mrs. Bruder. 
 
 " Why, his duties in the store have not been so onerous 
 of late," said Mr. Ludolph, in some surprise. 
 
 " It is -not de vork in de store, but he vork nearly a! 
 night too. Den he haf had trouble, I know he haf. Do he 
 say no vort about him ? " 
 
 Dennis gave Mrs. Bruder a sudden warning look, and 
 then, through the strong instinct to guard his secret, roused 
 himself. 
 
 " Is anything serious, Doctor ? " he asked. 
 
 The physician looked grave, and said : 
 
 "Your pulse and whole appearance indicate great ex- 
 haustion and physical depression, and I also fear that fever 
 may set in." 
 
 " I think you are right," said Dennis. " I feel as if I 
 were going to be sick. My mind has a tendency to wander. 
 Mr. Ludolph, will you permit me to go home ? If I am to 
 be sick, I want to be with my mother." 
 
 Mr. Ludolph looked inquiringly at the Doctor, who saic 
 significantly in a low tone : 
 
 " I think it would be as well." 
 
 " Certainly, Fleet," said his employer ; " though I hope
 
 302 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 it is only a temporary indisposition, and that you will be 
 back in a few days. You must try and get a good night's 
 rest, and so be prepared for the journey in the morning." 
 
 "With your permission I will go at once. A train 
 iCaves now in an hour, and by morning I can be at home." 
 
 " I scarcely think it prudent," began the Doctor. 
 
 " O certainly not to-night," said Mr. Ludolph, also. 
 
 " Pardon me, I must go at once," interrupted Dennis, 
 briefly and so decidedly that the gentlemen looked at each 
 other and said no more. 
 
 " Mr. Bruder," he continued, " I must be indebted to 
 you for a real proof of your friendship. In that drawer 
 you will find my money. The key is in my pocketbook. 
 Will you get a carriage and take me to the depot at once, 
 and can you be so kind as to go on home with me ? I 
 cannot trust myself alone. Mrs. Bruder, will you pack up 
 what you think I need ? " 
 
 His faithful friends hastened to do his bidding. . . 
 
 " Mr. Ludolph, you have been very kind to me. I am 
 sorry this has occurred, i>ut cannot help it. I thank you 
 gratefully, and will now trespass on your valuable time no 
 longer." 
 
 Mr. Ludolph, feeling that he could be of no further use, 
 said: 
 
 " You will be back in a week, Fleet. Courage. Good- 
 bye." 
 
 Dennis turned eagerly to the Doctor and said : 
 
 " Can you not give me something that will reduce the 
 fever and keep me sane a little longer ? I know that I am 
 going to be delirious, but would reach the refuge of home 
 first." 
 
 A prescription was given and immediately procured, 
 and the Doctor went away shaking his head
 
 THE TWO PICTURES. 
 
 303 
 
 " 1 nis is the way people commit suicide. They know 
 no more about, or pay no more heed to, the laws of health 
 than the laws of China. Here is the result : This young 
 fellow has worked in a way that would break down a cast- 
 iron machine, and now may never see Chicago again." 
 
 But Dennis might have worked even in his intense way 
 for months and years without serious harm, had not a fair 
 white hand kept him on the rack of uncertainty and fear. 
 
 Not work, but worry makes havoc of health. 
 
 In the gray dawn Ethel Fleet, summoned from her rest, 
 received her son, weak, unconscious, muttering in delirium, 
 and not recognizing even her familiar face. He was in- 
 deed a sad, painful contrast to the ruddy, buoyant youth 
 who left her a few short months before, abounding in hope 
 and life. But she comforted herself with the thought that 
 neither sin nor shame had brought him home. 
 
 We need not dwell on the weary weeks that followed. 
 Dennis had every advantage that could result from good 
 medical skill and the most faithful nursing. But we be- 
 lieve that his life lay rather in his mother's prayers of faith. 
 In her strong realization of the spiritual world she would 
 go continually into the very presence of Jesus, and say, 
 " Lord, he whom Thou lovest is sick : " or, like parents 
 of old, she would seem by her importunity to bring the 
 Divine Physician to his very bedside. 
 
 Mr. Bruder, too, insisted on remaining, and watched 
 with the unwearied faithfulness of one who felt that he 
 owed to Dennis far more than life. It was indeed touch- 
 ing to see this man, once so desperate and depraved, now 
 almost as patient and gentle as the mother herself, sitting 
 bv his unconscious friend, often turning his eyes heaven- 
 and muttering in deep guttural German as sincere a
 
 504 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY 
 
 prayer as ever passed human lips, that Dennis might be 
 spared. 
 
 The hand of God seemed about to take him from them, 
 but their strong, loving faith laid hold of that hand, and 
 put upon it the restraint that only reverent, believing 
 prayer can. Dennis lived. After many days delirium 
 ceased, and the confused mind became clear. But during 
 his delirium Ethel and Mr. Bruder learned from the oft- 
 repeated words, " Cruel, cruel Christine ! " the nature of 
 the wound that had nearly destroyed his life. 
 
 Mr. Ludolph was late in reaching his home the 
 evening Dennis was taken sick. Christine sat in the 
 dusk on the ivy-shaded piazza, awaiting him. He said 
 abruptly : 
 
 " What have you been doing to Fleet, over here ? " 
 
 For a second her heart stood still, and she was glad 
 the increasing gloom disguised her face. By a great effort 
 she replied in a cool, matter-of-fact tone : 
 
 "I do not understand your question. Mr. Fleet was 
 here this afternoon, and gave some finishing touches to 
 my studio. I do not think I shall need him any more." 
 
 Her quiet, indifferent voice would have disarmed sus- 
 picion itself. 
 
 " It is well you do not, for he seems to have received 
 some ' finishing touches' himself. He fell across the 
 threshold of the store in a dead faint, and has gone home, 
 threatened with a serious illness." 
 
 Even her resolute will could not prevent a sharp, 
 startled exclamation. 
 
 " What is the matter ? " said her father hastily ; ' you 
 3! e not going to faint also, are you ? " 
 
 " No," said Christine quietly again ; " but I am tired 
 and nervous, and you told your news so abruptly. Why it 
 teemed but a moment ago he was here at work, and now
 
 THE TWO PICTURES. 305 
 
 he is dangerously ill. What an uncertain stumbling for- 
 ward in the dark life is 1 " 
 
 This was a style of moralizing peculiarly distasteful to 
 Mr. Ludolph all the more repugnant because it seemed 
 true, and brought home in Dennis' experience. Anything 
 that interfered with his plans and interests, even though it 
 might be God's providence, always angered him. And now 
 he was irritated at the loss of one of his best clerks, just 
 as he was becoming of great value ; so he said sharply : 
 
 " I hope you are not leaning toward the silly cant of 
 mysterious providence. Life is uncertain, stumbling only to 
 fools who can't see the chances that fortune throws right 
 in their way, or recognize the plain laws of health and suc- 
 cess. This young Fleet has been putting two days' work 
 in one for the past four months, and now perhaps his work 
 is done forever, for the doctor looked very grave over him." 
 
 Again the shadow of night proved most friendly to 
 Christine. Her face had a frightened, guilty look that it 
 was well her father did not see, or he would have wrung 
 from her the whole story. She felt the chill of a terrible 
 dread at heart. If he should die, her conscience would 
 give a fearful verdict against her. She stood trembling, 
 feeling almost powerless to move. 
 
 "Come," said her father sharply, "I am hungry and 
 tired." 
 
 "I will* ring for lights and supper," said Christine 
 hastily, and then fled to her own room. 
 
 When she appeared, her father was sitting at the table 
 impatiently awaiting her. But her face was so white, and 
 there was such an expression in her eyes, that he started 
 and said : 
 
 " What is the matter ? " 
 
 His question irritated her, and she replied as sharply 
 as he had spoken :
 
 306 BARRIERS BURNED AWAV. 
 
 " I told you I was tired, and I don't feel well. I have 
 been a month in constant effort to get this house to rights, 
 and I am worn out, I suppose." 
 
 He looked at her keenly, but said more kindly : 
 " Here, my dear, take this wine," and he poured out u 
 glass of old port. 
 
 She drank it eagerly, for she felt she must have some- 
 thing that would give her life, warmth, and courage. In a 
 way she could not understand, her heart sank within her. 
 
 But she saw her father was watching her and knew she 
 must act skilfully to deceive him. Rallied and strengthen- 
 ed by the generous wine, her resolute will was soon on its 
 throne again, and Mr. Ludolph with all his keen insight 
 was no match for her. In a matter-of-fact tone she said : 
 
 " I do not see how we have worked Mr. Fleet to death. 
 Does he charge anything of the kind ? " 
 
 " O no ! but he too seems possessed with the idea of 
 becoming an artist. That drunken old Bruder, whom he 
 appears to have reformed, was giving him lessons, and 
 after working all day he would paint all night. He might 
 have made something if he had had a judicious friend to 
 guide him," (and such you might have been, whispered 
 her conscience,) " but now he drops away like untimely 
 fruit." 
 
 " It is a pity," said she coolly, and changed the sub- 
 ject as if she had dismissed it from her mind. . 
 
 Mr Ludolph believed Dennis to be no more to his 
 daughter than a useful clerk. 
 
 The next morning Christine rose pale and listless. 
 
 Her father said, " I will arrange my business so that 
 we can go off on a trip in a few days." 
 
 When left alone she sat down at her easel and tried to 
 restore the expression that had so delighted her on the pre- 
 ceding day. But she could not. Indeed she was greatly
 
 THE TWO PICTURES. 307 
 
 vexed to find that her tendency was to pail t his stern and 
 scornful expression, which had made a deeper impression 
 on her mind than any she had ever seen on r is face, 
 because so unexpected and novel. She became irritated 
 with herself, and cried fiercely : 
 
 " Shame on your weakness. You are unworthy of 
 your blood and ancestry. I will reproduce that face as it 
 was before he so insolently destroyed it," and she bent 
 over her easel with an expression anything but in harmony 
 with her work. Unconsciously she made a strange con- 
 trast, with her severe, hard face and compressed lips, to 
 the look of love and pleading she sought to paint. For 
 several days she wrought with resolute purpose, but found 
 that her inspiration was gone. At last she threw down 
 her brush in despair, and cried : 
 
 "I cannot catch it again, the wretch either smiles or 
 frowns upon me. I fear he was right, I have made my 
 first and last success," and she leaned her head sullenly 
 and despairingly on her hand. Again the whole scene 
 passed before her, and she dwelt upon every word, as she 
 was beginning often to do now, in painful revery. When 
 she came to the words, " I too mean to be an artist. At 
 the store I could show you a picture that would tell you 
 far more of what I mean than can my poor words," she 
 started up, and hastily arraying herself for the street, was 
 soon on her way to the Art Building. 
 
 No one heeded "he? movements there, and she went 
 directly upstairs to his room. Though so simple and 
 plain, it had unmistakably been the abode of a gentleman 
 and a person of taste. It was partially dismantled, arid in 
 disorder from his hasty departure, and she found nothing 
 which satisfied her quest there. She hastened away, glad 
 to escape from a place where, everything seemed full of 
 mute reproach, and next bent her steps to the top floor of
 
 308 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 the building. In a part half-filled with antiquated lumber, 
 and seldom entered, she saw near a window facing the 
 east an easel with canvas upon it. She was startled at 
 the throbbing of her heart. 
 
 " It is only climbing these long stairs," she said, but 
 any one would ha^e seen that this was not all, from the 
 hesitating manner and eager face with which she approached 
 and removed the covering from the canvas. 
 
 She gazed a moment and then put out her hands for 
 something by which to steady herself. His chair was near 
 and she sank in that, exclaiming : 
 
 " He has indeed painted more than ht more than any 
 one could put in words. He has the genius that I have 
 not. All here is striking and original," and she sat with 
 her eyes riveted to a painting that had revealed to her 
 herself. 
 
 Here was the secret of Dennis' midnight toil and 
 early work. Here the results of his insatiable demand for 
 the incongruous elements of ice and sunlight. 
 
 Side by side were two emblematic pictures. In the 
 first there opened before Christine a grotto of ice. The 
 light was thin and cold but very clear and distinct, stalac- 
 tites hung glittering from the vaulted roof. Stalagmites 
 in strange fantastic forms rose to meet them. There was 
 a vivid brightness and beauty on every side, but of that 
 kind that threw a chill on the eye of the beholder. All 
 was of cold blue ice, and so natural was it that the eye 
 seemed to penetrate its clear crystal. To the right was an 
 opening in the grotto, through which was caught a glimpse 
 of a summer landscape, a vivid contrast to the icy cave. 
 
 But the main features of the picture were two figures. 
 Sleeping on a couch of ice was the form of a maiden. 
 The flow of the drapery, the contour of the form, was grace 
 itself, and yet all was ice. But the face was the most
 
 THE TWO PICTURES 
 
 39 
 
 wonderful achievement Christine saw her own features, 
 as beautiful as in her vainest moments she had ever dared 
 to hope. So perfect was the portrait that the delicate blue 
 veins branched across the temple in veiled distinctness. 
 I was a face that lacked but two things, life and love ; 
 and yet with all its beauty the want of these was painfully 
 felt all the more painfully, even as a lovely face in death 
 twakens a deeper sadness and regret. 
 
 One little icyhand grasped a laurel wreath, also of ice. 
 The other hand hung listless, half open down the couch, 
 and from it had dropped a brush that formed a small 
 stalagmite at her side. 
 
 Bending over her in a most striking contrast is the 
 figure of a young man, all instinct with life, power, and 
 feeling. Though the face was turned away, Dennis had 
 suggested his own form and manner. His left hand was 
 extended toward the sleeping maiden, as if to awaken her, 
 while with the right he pointed toward the opening through 
 which was seen the summer landscape, and his whole atti- 
 tude indicated an eager wish to rescue her. This was the 
 first picture. 
 
 The second one was still more suggestive. At the en- 
 trance of the grotto, which looked more cold than ever, in 
 its partial shadow, Christine saw herself again, but how 
 changed ! She now had a beauty which she could not 
 believe in could not understand. 
 
 The cold icy hue and rigidity were all gone. She stood 
 in the warm sunlight, and seemed all warmth and life to her- 
 self. Her face glowed with feeling, yet was full of peace. 
 Instead of the barren ice, flowers bloomed at her feet 
 and fruitful trees bent over her. Birds were seen flitting 
 through their branches. Their bended tops, her flowing 
 costume, and the tress of golden hair lifted from her temple, 
 all showed that the summer wind was blowing. 
 
 T4
 
 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 Everything, in contrast with the frozen, death-like cave, 
 indicated life, activity. Near where she stood, a plane-tree, 
 which in nature's language is the emblem of genius, tow- 
 ered into the sky, Around its trunk twined the passion- 
 flower, meaning in Flora's tongue, " Holy love ; " while just 
 above her head, sipping the nectar from an open blossom, 
 was a bright-hued butterfly, the symbol of immortality. By 
 her side stood the same tall, manly form, with face still 
 averted, that was in the act of awakening her in the first 
 picture. He was pointing, and her eyes, softened, and yet 
 so lustrous and happy, were following where a path wound 
 through a long vista, in alternate light and shadow, to a 
 gate, that in the distance looked like a pearl. Above and 
 beyond it, in airy outline, rose the walls and towers of the 
 Holy City, the New Jerusalem. 
 
 For a long time she sat in rapt attention moment by 
 moment the paintings in their meaning grew upon her. Ai 
 last her eyes filled with tears, her bosom rose and fell with 
 an excitement and emotion in her case most unwonted, and 
 in low tones she murmured : 
 
 " Heavenly delusion ! and taught with the logic I mosl 
 dearly love. O that I could believe it ! I would give ten 
 thousand years of the life I am leading to know that it is 
 true. Is there, can there be a path that leads through light 
 or shade to a final and heavenly home ? If this is true, in 
 spite of all my father's keen and seemingly convincing 
 arguments, what a terrible mistake our life is." 
 
 Then her thoughts reverted to the author. 
 
 " What have I done in driving him away with contempt 
 in his heart for me ? I can affect no more haughty superi- 
 ority to the man who painted those pictures. Though he 
 could not be my lover, what a friend he might have been. 
 I fear I shall never find his equal. O this world of chaos 
 and confusion ! What is right ? What is best ? Whut if
 
 THE TWO PICTURES. 311 
 
 truth 1 He might have taught me. But the skilful hand 
 that portrayed those wonderful scenes may soon turn to 
 dust, and I will go to my grave burdened with the thought 
 that I have quenched the brightest genius that will ever 
 shine upon me," and she clasped her hands :n an agony of 
 regret. 
 
 Then came the thought of securing the pictures. Drop- 
 ping a veil over her red eyes, she went down and got some 
 large sheets of paper, and by fastening them together made 
 a secure covering. Then she carried the light frame with 
 the canvas to the second floor, and summoning Ernst 
 started homeward with her treasure. The boy obeyed with 
 reluctance. Since the time she had surprised him out of 
 his secret in regard to the strawberries he had never liked 
 her, and now he felt that in some way she was the cause of 
 the sickness of his dearest friend. Christine could not bear 
 the reproach in his large, truthful eyes, and their walk was 
 a silent one. At parting she handed him a large bill, but 
 he shook his head. 
 
 " Have you heard from Mr. Fleet ? " she asked with a 
 flush. 
 
 The boy's lip quivered at the mention of that name, 
 and he answered hastily: 
 
 " Fader wrote moder he was no better. I feai he die," 
 and in an agony of grief he turned and ran sobbing away. 
 
 From under her veil Christine's tears were faD*ng fast 
 also, and she entered her elegant home as if it hat? been a 
 prison.
 
 CHAPTER XXXVL 
 
 REGRET. 
 
 THE next day was the Sabbath, and a long, dreary one 
 it was to Christine. But late in the afternoon Susie Win- 
 *h-op came with a pale, troubled face. 
 
 "O Christine, have you heard the news?" she ex- 
 claimed. 
 
 Christine's heart stood still with fear, but by a great 
 effort she said composedly : 
 
 What news?" 
 
 " Mr. Fleet has gone home very ill ; indeed he is not 
 expected to live." 
 
 For a moment she did not answer, and when she did it 
 was with a voice unnaturally hard and cold : 
 
 ' Have you heard what is the matter?" 
 
 Miss Winthrop wondered at her manner, but replied : 
 
 " Brain fever, I am told." 
 
 " Is he delirious ? " asked Christine in a low tone. 
 
 " Yes, all the time. Ernst, the little office-boy, told me 
 he did not know his own mother. It seems that the boy's 
 father is with Mrs. Fleet helping take care of him." 
 
 Christine's face was averted and so colorless that it 
 seemed like marble. 
 
 fc O Christine, don't you care ? " said Susie, springing 
 ap and coming toward her friend. 
 
 " Why should I care ? " was the quick answer. 
 
 Susie could rot know that it was in reality but an in- 
 coherent : of pair.. :he blind desperate effort of pride to
 
 REGRET. 313 
 
 shield itself. But the tone Checked her steps and filled her 
 face with reproach. 
 
 " Perhaps you have more reason to care than you 
 choose to admit," she said pointedly. 
 
 Christine flushed, but said coldly : 
 
 u Of course I feel an interest in the fate of Mr. Fleet, 
 as I do in that of every passing acquaintance. I feel very 
 sorry for him and his friends." But never was sympathy 
 expressed in a voice more unnaturally frigid. 
 
 Susie looked at her keenly, and again saw the tell-tale 
 flush rising to her cheek. She was puzzled, but saw that 
 her friend had no confidence to give, and she said with a 
 voice growing somewhat cold also : 
 
 " Well really, Christine, I thought you capable of see- 
 ing as much as the rest of us in such matters, but I must 
 be mistaken, if you only recognized in Dennis Fleet a pass- 
 ing acquaintance. Well, if he dies I doubt if either you or 
 I look upon his equal again. Under right influences he 
 might have been one of the first and most useful men of 
 his day. But they need not tell me it was overwork that 
 killed him. I know it was trouble of some kind." 
 
 Christine was very pale, but said nothing ; and Susie, 
 pained and mystified that the confidence of other days 
 was refused, bade rather a cold and abrupt adieu. 
 
 Left alone, Christine bowed her white face in her hand? 
 and sat so still that it seemed as if life had deserted her. 
 In her morbid state she began to fancy herself the victim 
 of some terrible fatality. Her heart had bounded at the 
 announcement of Susie Winthrop, believing that from her 
 she would gain sympathy, but in strange perverseness she 
 had hidden her trouble from her friend, and permitted her 
 to go away in coldness. Christine could see as quickly 
 and as far as any, and from the first had noted that Dennis 
 was very interesting to her friend. Until of late she had
 
 314 
 
 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 not cared, but now for some reason the fact was nc". pleas- 
 ing, and she felt a sudden reluctance to speak to Susie of 
 him. 
 
 But now that she was gone a deeper sense of loneliness 
 and isolation came over her than she had ever felt before. 
 Her one confidential friend had departed, chilled and hurt. 
 She made friends but slowly, and having once become 
 estranged, from her very nature, she found it almost im- 
 possible to offer the first advances towards reconciliation. 
 
 Soon she heard her father's steps, and fled to her room 
 to nerve herself for the part she must act before him. But 
 she was far from successful ; her pale face and preoccu- 
 pied manner awakened his attention and surmises as to 
 the cause. Having an engagement out, he soon left her to 
 welcome solitude for when she was in trouble he was no 
 source of help or comfort. 
 
 Monday dragged wearily to a close. She tried to work 
 but could not She took up the most exciting book she 
 could find, only to throw it down in despair. For ever be- 
 tween the canvas or the page would rise a pale thin face, at 
 times stern and scornful, again full of reproach, and then of 
 pleading. 
 
 Even at night her rest was disturbed, and in dreams 
 she heard the mutterings of his delirium, in which he con- 
 tinually charged her with his death. At times she would 
 get out his picture and look at it as one might some price- 
 less thing past and gone beyond reach forever. Then she 
 would become irritated with herself, and say angrily : 
 
 ' What is this man to me ? Why am I worrying about 
 one who never could be much more to me living than dead ? 
 Forget the whole miserable affair." 
 
 But she could not forget. Tuesday morning, but no re- 
 lief. " Whether he lives or dies he will follow me to my 
 grave " she cried. " From the time I first spoke to him
 
 REGRET. 
 
 315 
 
 there has seemed no escape, and in strange unexpected 
 ways he constantly crosses my path ! " 
 
 She felt that she must get some relief from the oppres- 
 sion on her spirit. Suddenly she thought of Ernst, and at 
 once went to the store and asked if he had heard anything 
 later. He had not, but thought that his mother would get 
 a letter that day. 
 
 " I want to see your father's picture, and will go home 
 that way, if you will give me the number." 
 
 The boy hesitated, but at last complied with her wish. 
 
 A little later Christine knocked at Mr. Binder's door. 
 There was no response, though she heard a stifled sound 
 within. After a little she knocked more loudly. Then the 
 door slowly opened, and Mrs. Bruder stood before her* 
 Her eyes were very red, and she held in her hand an open 
 letter. Christine expected to find more of a lady than was 
 apparent at first glance in the hard-working woman before 
 her, so she said : 
 
 My good woman, will you tell Mrs. Bruder I would 
 like to see her." 
 
 " Dis is Mrs. Bruder," was the answer. 
 
 Then Christine noticed the letter, and the half-effaced 
 traces of emotion, and her heart misgave her, but she nerved 
 herself to say : " I came to see your husband's picture." 
 
 " It is dare," was the brief reply. 
 
 Christine commenced expatiating on its beauty, though 
 perhaps for the first time she looked at a fine picture with- 
 out really seeing it. She was at a loss how to introduce 
 the object of her visit, but at last said : 
 
 " Your husband is away ? " 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " He is taking care of one of my father's of Mr. Fleet, 
 I am told. Have you heard from him as to Mr. Fleet's 
 health ? "
 
 3 l6 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 " Dis is Miss Ludolph ? " 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " You can no read Sherman ? " 
 
 " O yes I can. German is my native tongue." 
 
 " Strange that him should be so." 
 
 " Why so ? " 
 
 " De Shermans haf hearts." 
 
 Christine flushed deeply, but Mrs. Bruder without a 
 word put her husband's letter in her hand, and Christine 
 read eagerly what, translated, is as follows : 
 
 " MY DEAR WIFE : Perhaps before this reaches you, 
 our best friend, our human saviour, will be in heaven. There 
 is a heaven, I believe as I never did before ; and when 
 Mrs. Fleet prays the gate seems to open, and the glory to 
 stream right down upon us. But I fear now that not even 
 her prayers can keep him. Only once he knew her; then 
 he smiled and said, " Mother, it is all right," and dropped 
 asleep. Soon fever came on again, and he is sinking fast. 
 The doctor shakes his head and gives no hope. My heart 
 is breaking. Marguerite, Mr. Fleet is not dying a natural 
 death ; he has been slain. I understand all his manner 
 now, ail his desperate hard work. He loved one above 
 him in wealth none could be above him in other respects 
 and that one was Miss Ludolph. I suspected it, though, 
 till delirious, he scarcely ever mentioned her name. But 
 now I believe she played with his heart the noblest that 
 ever beat and then threw it away, as it were a toy instead 
 of the richest offering ever made to a woman. Proud fool 
 that she was; she had done more mischief than a thousand 
 *uc.h frivolous lives as hers can atone for. I can write no 
 more my heart is breaking with grief and indignation." 
 
 As Christine read she suffered her veil to drop over her 
 face. When she looked up she saw Mrs. Bruder regard-
 
 REGRET. 
 
 317 
 
 ing her as she might one who had murdered her best 
 friend. She drew her veil closer about her face, laid the 
 letter down, and left the room without a word. She felt so 
 guilty and miserable on her way home :hat it would scarcely 
 have surprised her had a policeman arrested her for the 
 crime with which her own conscience as well as Mr. Bruder's 
 letter charged her ; and yet her pride revolted at it all. 
 
 " Why should this affair take so miserable a form with 
 me ? " she said. " To most it ends with a few sentimental 
 sighs on one side, and as a good joke on the other. All 
 seems to go wrong of late, and I am destined to have 
 everything save happiness and the success upon which I 
 set my heart. There is no more cruel mockery than to give 
 one all save the very thing one wants, and in seeking to 
 grasp that I have brought down upon myself this wretched 
 blighting experience. O this chaotic world ! The idea 
 of there being a God ! Why I could make a better world 
 myself!" And she reached her home in such a morbid, 
 unhappy state, that none in the great city need have envied 
 the rich and flattered girl. Mechanically she dressed and 
 came down to dinner. 
 
 During the afternoon Ernst, while out on an errand, 
 had slipped home and heard the sad news. He returned 
 to Mr. Ludolph's office crying. To the question, " What 
 is the matter ? " he had answered : 
 
 " O, Mr. Fleet is dying he is dead by dis time ! " 
 
 Mr. Ludolph was sadly shocked and pained, for as far 
 as he could like anybody in addition to himself and 
 daughter, he had been prepossessed in favor of his useful 
 and intelligent clerk, and he was greatly annoyed at the 
 thought of losing him. He returned full of the subject, 
 and the first words with which he greeted Christine were : 
 
 " Well, Fleet will hang no more pictures for you, and 
 sing no more songs." 
 
 14*
 
 jl8 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 She staggered into a chair and sat before him pale 
 and panting, for she thought he meant that death had 
 taken place. 
 
 " Why, what is the matter ? ' cried he. 
 
 She stared at him gaspingly, bat said nothing. 
 
 " Here, drink "his." he said, hastily pouring out a glass 
 of wine. 
 
 She took it eagerly. After a moment he said : 
 
 " Christine, I do not understand all this. I was merely 
 saying that my clerk, Mr. Fleet, was not expected " 
 
 The point of endurance and guarded self-control was 
 past, and she cried half hysterically : 
 
 " Am I never to escape that man? Must every one I 
 meet speak to me as if I had murdered him ? " 
 
 Then she added, almost fiercely : 
 
 " Living or dead, never speak to me of him again ! I 
 am no longer a child, but a woman, and as such I insist 
 that his name be dropped between us forever ! " 
 
 Her father gave a low exclamation of surprise, and 
 said: 
 
 " What ! was he one of the victims ? " (this being his 
 term for Christine's rejected suitors.) 
 
 " No," said she, " I am the victim. He will soon be at 
 rest, while I shall be tormented to the grave by " She 
 hardly knew what to say, so mingled and chaotic were her 
 feelings. Her hands clenched, and with a stamp of her 
 foot she hastily left the room. 
 
 Mr. Ludolph could hardly believe his eyes. Could this 
 passionate, thoroughly aroused woman be his cold, self- 
 contained daughter ? He could not understand, a? so 
 many cannot, that such natures when aroused are tenfold 
 more intense than those whom little things excite. A long 
 and peculiar train of circumstances, a morbid and over- 
 wrought physical condition, led to this outburst from
 
 REGRET. 319 
 
 Dhristine, which was as much a cause of surprise to herself 
 afterward as to her father. He judged correctly that a 
 great dea] had occurred between Dennis and herself of 
 which he had no knowledge, and again his confidence in 
 her was thoroughly shaken. 
 
 At first he determined to question and extort from hei 
 the truth. But when, an hour later, she quietfy entered the 
 parlor, he saw at a glance that he could not treat the cold, 
 proud, self-possessed woman before him as he might the 
 little Christine of former days. The wily ma-n read from 
 her manner and the expression of her eye that he might 
 with her consent lead, but could not command without 
 awakening a nature as imperious as his own. 
 
 He was angry, but he had time to think. Prudence 
 had given a decided voice in the way of wary caution. 
 
 He saw what she did not recognize herself, that her 
 heart had been greatly touched, and in his secret soul he 
 was not sorry now to believe that Dennis was dying. 
 
 " Father," said Christine abruptly, " how soon can we 
 start on our trip East ? " 
 
 " Well, if you particularly wish it," he replied, "I can 
 leave by the evening train to-morrow." 
 
 " I do wish it very much," said Christine earnestly, 
 " and will be ready." 
 
 After a silent, stiff evening, they separated for the night. 
 
 Mr. Ludolph sat for a long time sipping his wine after 
 she had gone. 
 
 "After all it will turn out for the best," he said 
 " Fleet will probably die, and then will be out of the way. 
 Or, if he lives, I can easily guard against him, and it will 
 go no further. If she had been bewitched by a man like 
 Mr. Mellen, the matter would have been more difficult. 
 
 "In truth," he continued after a little, "now that he! 
 weak woman's heart is occupied by an impossible lover
 
 320 
 
 % 
 
 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 there is no danger from possible ones," and the man of 
 the world went complacently to his rest, believing that 
 what he regarded as the game of life was entirely in his 
 own hands. 
 
 The next evening the night express bore Christine 
 
 ' from the events she sought to escape ; but she was to 
 
 learn, in common with the great host of the sinning and 
 
 suffering, how little change of place has to do with change 
 
 of feeling. 
 
 We take memory and character with us from land to 
 land, from youth to age, from this world to the other, from 
 time through eternity. Sad, then, is the lot of those who 
 ever carry the elements of their own torture with them. 
 
 It was Christine's purpose, and she had her father's 
 consent, to make a long visit in New York, and, in the 
 gayety and excitement of the metropolis, to forget her 
 late wretched experience. 
 
 As it was still early September, they resolved to stop 
 at West Point and participate in the gayest season 
 of that fashionable watering-place. At this time the 
 hotels are thronged with summer tourists returning home- 
 ward from the more northern resorts. Though the broad 
 piazzas of Cozzens' great hotel were crowded by the elite 
 of the city, there was a hum of admiration as Christine 
 first made her round, on her father's arm ; and in the 
 evening, when the spacious parlor was cleared for dancing, 
 officers from the post and civilians alike eagerly sought 
 her hand, and hundreds of admiring eyes followed as she 
 swept through the mazes of the dance, the very embodi- 
 ment of grace and beauty. She was very gay, and hei 
 repartee was often brilliant, but a close observer would 
 have seen something forced and unnatural in all. Su< h 
 an observer was her father. He saw that the sparkle of 
 her eyes had no more heart and happiness in it than that
 
 REGRET. 321 
 
 of the diamonds on her bosom, and that with the whole 
 strength of her resolute nature she was laboring to repel 
 thought and memory. But as he witnessed the admira- 
 tion she excited on every side, he became more determined 
 than ever that his fair daughter should shine a star of the 
 first magnitude in the salons of Europe. Late, and wea- 
 ried past the power of thought, she gladly sought refuge in 
 the blank of sleep. 
 
 The next morning they drove out early, before the sun 
 grew high and warm. It was a glorious Autumn day. Recent 
 rains had purified the atmosphere, so that the unrivalled 
 scenery of the Hudson stood out in clear and grand outline. 
 
 As Christine looked about her she felt a thrill of almost 
 delight; the first sensations of the kind since that moment 
 of triumph and exultation which Dennis had inspired, but 
 which he had also turned to the bitterness of disaster and 
 humiliation. She was keenly alive to beauty, and she saw 
 it on every side. 
 
 The Ludolph family had ever lived among the moun- 
 tains on the Rhine, and the heart of this latest child of the 
 race yearned with hereditary affection over the rugged 
 scenery before her, which had grown stronger with each 
 successive generation. 
 
 The dew, like innumerable pearls, gemmed the grass in 
 the park-like lawn of the hotel, and the slanting rays of the 
 sun flecked the luxuriant foliage. Never before had this 
 passion for the beautiful in nature been so gratified, and 
 all the artist feeling within her awoke. 
 
 When out upon the street the carriage turned south- 
 ward, and after passing the village of Highland Falls, they 
 entered on one of the most beautiful drives in America. 
 At times the road led under overarching forest trees, shaded 
 and dim with that delicious twilight which only myriads of 
 fluttering leaves can make.
 
 322 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 Again it would wind around some bold headland, and 
 the broad expanse of the Hudson would shine out dotted 
 with white sails. Then through a vista its waters would 
 sparkle, suggesting an exquisite cabinet picture. On the 
 right the thickly-wooded mountains rose like emerald walls, 
 with here and there along their base a quiet farm-house. 
 With kindling eye and glowing cheeks she drank in view 
 after view, and at last exclaimed : 
 
 " If there were only a few old castles scattered among 
 these Highlands, this would be the . very perfection of 
 scenery." 
 
 Her father watched her closely, and with much satis- 
 faction. 
 
 " After all, her wound is slight," he thought, " and new 
 scenes and circumstances will soon cause her to forget." 
 
 Furtively, but continually, he bent his eyes upon her, 
 as if to read her very soul. A dreamy, happy expression 
 rested on her face, as if a scene were present to her fancy 
 even more to her taste than the one her eyes rested upon. 
 In fact she was living over that evening at Miss Winthrop's, 
 when Dennis told her that she could reach truest and high- 
 est art that she could feel could copy anything she saw; 
 and exhilarated by the fresh morning air, inspired by the 
 scenery, she felt for the moment as never before that it 
 might all be true. 
 
 Was he who gave those blissful assurances also exerting 
 a subtle, unrecognized power over her? Certainly within 
 the last few weeks she had been subject to strange moods 
 and reveries. But the first dawning of a woman's love is 
 more like the aurora with its strange fitful flashes. The 
 phenomena have never been satisfactorily explained. 
 
 But as Mr. Ludolph watched complacently and admir- 
 ingly, her expression suddenly changed, and a frightened, 
 guilty look came into her face. The glow upon her cheeks
 
 REGRET. 
 
 323 
 
 gave place to extreme pallor, and she glanced nervously 
 around as if fearing something, then caught her father's eye, 
 and was conscious of his scrutiny. She at once became 
 cold and self-possessed, and sat at his side pale and quiet 
 till the ride ended. But he saw from the troubled gleam 
 of her eyes that there was tumult and suffering beneath that 
 calm exterior. 
 
 Few in this life are so guilty and wretched as not to 
 have moments of forgetful ness, when the happier past 
 comes back and they are oblivious to the painful present. 
 Such a brief respite Christine enjoyed during part of her 
 morning ride. The grand and swiftly varying scenery 
 crowded her mind with pleasant images, and all had ended 
 in a delicious revery. She felt herself to be a true priest- 
 ess of nature, capable of understanding and interpreting 
 her voices and hidden meanings of catching her evanes- 
 cent beauty arid of fixing it on the glowing canvas. The 
 sirongly felt consciousness of such power was indeed sweet 
 and intoxicating. Her mind naturally reverted to him who 
 had most clearly asserted her possession of it. 
 
 " He, too, would have equal appreciation of this 
 scenery," she said to herself. 
 
 Then came the sudden remembrance, shrivelling her 
 ' pretty dreams as the lightniq^scorches and withers. 
 
 " He he is dead ! he must be by this time! " 
 
 And dread and guilt and something else that she did 
 not define, but which seemed more like a sense of great 
 loss, lay heavy at her heart. No wonder her father was 
 perplexed and provoked by the sad change in her face. 
 At first he was inclined to remonstrate and put spurs to 
 hei pride. But there was a dignity about the lady at his 
 side, even though she was his daughter, that embarrassed 
 and restrained him. Moreover, though he understood 
 much and suspected far more more indeed than the truth
 
 324 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 there was nothing acknowledged or tangible that he 
 could lay hold of, and she meant that there should not be. 
 For reasons she did not understand she felt a disinclination 
 to tell her troubles to Susie Winthrop, and she was most 
 resolute in her purpose never to permit her father to speak 
 on the subject. 
 
 If Mr. Ludolph had been as coarse and ignorant as he 
 was hard and selfish, he would have gone to work at the 
 case with sledge and hammer dexterity, as many a parent 
 has, making sad brutal havoc in delicate womanly natures 
 with which they were no more fit to deal than a blacksmith 
 with hair-springs. But though he longed to speak and 
 bring his remorseless logic to bear, Christine's manner 
 raised a barrier which a man of his fine culture could not 
 readily pass. 
 
 She joined her father at a late breakfast smiling and 
 brilliant, but all was clearly forced. The morning was 
 spent in sketching, she seeming to crave constant occupa- 
 tion or excitement. 
 
 In the afternoon they drove up the river to the military 
 grounds to witness a drill. Her father did his best to rally 
 her, pointing out everything of interest. First, the grand 
 old ruin of Fort Putnam frowned down upon them. This 
 had been the one feature wa^ng, and Christine felt that 
 she could ask nothing more. Her wonder and admiration 
 grew as the road wound along the immediate bluff and 
 around the plain by the river fortifications. Put when she 
 stood on the piazza, of the West Point Hotel and looked 
 up through the Highlands towards Newburgh, tears came 
 even to her eyes, and she trembled with excitement 
 From what had happened her nerves were morbidly sensi- 
 tive. But her father could only look and wonder, she 
 seemed so changed to him. 
 
 " And is the Rhine like this ? " she asked.
 
 REGRE1. 
 
 325 
 
 " Well, the best I can say is, that to a German and a 
 Ludolph, it seems just as beautiful," he replied. 
 
 " Surely," said she slowly and in half soliloquy, " if one 
 could live always amid such scenes as these, elysium of ihe 
 gods or the heaven of the Christians would offer few lemp 
 tations." 
 
 "And among just such scenes you shall ive after a 
 short year passes/' he answered warmly and confidently. 
 But with anger he missed the wonted sparkle of her eyes 
 when these cherished plans were broached. 
 
 In bitterness Christine said to herself: " A few weeks 
 since this thought would have filled me with delight. Why 
 does it not now?" 
 
 Silently they drove to the parade-ground. At the sally 
 port of the distant barracks bayonets were gleaming. 
 There was a burst of martial music, then each class at the 
 Academy four companies came out upon the grassy 
 plain upon the double-quick. Their motions were light 
 and swift, and yet so accurately timed that each company 
 seemed one perfect piece of mechanism. A cadet stood at 
 a certain point with a small color flying. Abreast of this 
 their advance was checked as suddenly as if they had been 
 turned to stone, and the entire corps was in line. Then 
 followed a series of skilful manoeuvres, in which Christine 
 was much interested, and her old eager manner returned. 
 
 " I like the army," she exclaimed ; " the precision and 
 inflexible routine would just suit me. I wish there was 
 war, and I a man, that I might enter into the glorious 
 excitements." 
 
 Luxurious Mr. Ludolph had no tastes that way, and, 
 shrugging his shoulders, said : 
 
 " How about the hardships, wounds, and chances of an 
 obscure death ? These are the rule in a campaign ib* 
 gbrious excitements the exceptions."
 
 326 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 "I did not think of those," she said, shrinking against 
 the cushions. " Everything seems to have so many misera- 
 ble drawbacks." 
 
 The pageantry over, the driver turned and drove north- 
 waid through the most superb scenery. 
 
 "Where are we going?" asked Christine. 
 
 " To the cemetery," was the reply. 
 
 " No, no ! not there ! " she exclaimed nervously. 
 
 " Nonsense ! Why not ? " remonstrated her father. 
 
 " I don't wish to go there ! " she cried excitedly. " Please 
 turn around." 
 
 Her father reluctantly gave the order, but added : 
 
 " Christine, you certainly indulge in strange moods and 
 whims of late." 
 
 She was silent a moment, and then commenced a run- 
 ning fire of questions about the Academy, that left no space 
 for explanations. 
 
 That evening she danced as resolutely as ever, and by 
 her beauty and brilliant repartee threw around many be_wil- 
 dering spells that even the veterans of the Point could 
 scarcely resist. 
 
 But, when alone in her own room, she looked at her 
 white face in the mirror, and murmured in tones full of 
 indescribable dread and remorse : 
 
 ** He is dead he must be dead by this' time ! "
 
 CHAPTER XXX\rL 
 
 REMORSE. 
 
 CHRISTINE had a peculiar experience while at West 
 Point. She saw on every side what would have been to 
 her the choicest enjoyments, were her mind at rest. To 
 her artist nature, and with her passion and power for 
 sketching, the Highlands, on the Hudson were Paradise. 
 But though she saw in profusion what once would have 
 delighted her, and which she now felt ought to be the 
 source of almost unmingled happiness, she was still thor- 
 oughly wretched. It was the old fable of Tantalus 
 repeating itself. Her sin and its results had destroyed 
 her receptive power. The world offered her pleasures on 
 every side ; she longed to enjoy them, but could not, for 
 her heart was preoccupied filled and overflowing with 
 fear, remorse, and a sorrow she could not define. 
 
 A vain, shallow girl might soon have forgotten such an 
 experience as Christine had passed through. Such a 
 creature would have been sentimental or hysterical for a 
 little time, according to temperament, and then have gone 
 to flirting with some new victim with the <*ame old zest. 
 There are belles so weak and wicked that they would 
 lather plume themselves on the fact that one had died out 
 of love for them. But in justice to all such it should be 
 stated that they rarely have mind enough to realize the 
 evil they do. Their vanity overshadows every other 
 faculty, and almost destroys those sweet, pitiful, unselfish
 
 328 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 qualities which make a true woman what a true man most 
 reverences next to God. 
 
 Christine was proud and ambitious to the last degree, 
 hut she had not this small vanity. She did not realize 
 the situation fully, and was unsparing in her self-condem- 
 nation. 
 
 If Dennis had been an ordinary man, and interested 
 her no more than had other admirers, and had she giver, 
 him no more encouragement, she would have shrugged 
 her shoulders over the result and said she was very sorry 
 he had made such a fool of himself. 
 
 But as she went over the past (and this now she often 
 did), she saw that he was unusually gifted ; nay, more, the 
 picture she discovered in the lo/t of the store proved him 
 possessed of genius of the highest order. And such a man 
 she had deceived, tortured, and even killed ! This was the 
 verdict of her own conscience, the assertion of his own 
 lips. She remembered the wearing life of alternate hope 
 and fear she had caused him. She remembered how eagerly 
 he hung on her smiles and sugared nothings, and how her 
 equally causeless frowns would darken all the world to him. 
 She saw day after day how she had developed in a strong, 
 true heart, with its native power to love unimpaired, the 
 most intense passion, and all that her own lesser light 
 might burn a little more brightly. Then, with her burning 
 face buried in her hands, she would recall the bitter, 
 shameful consummation. Worse than all, waking 01 sleep- 
 ing, she continually saw a pale, thin face, that even in 
 death looked upon her with unutterable reproach. * In 
 addition to the misery caused by her remorse, there was a 
 deeper bitterness still. Within the depths of her soul a 
 voice told her that the picture was true ; that he might have 
 awakened her, and led her out into the warmth and light 
 of a happy life a life which she felt ought to be possible,
 
 REMORSE 
 
 3 2 9 
 
 but which as yet had been but a vague and tantalizing 
 dream. Now the world seemed to her utter chaos a 
 place of innumerable paths leading nowhere and her own 
 hands had broken the clue that might have brought her 
 to something assured and satisfactory. She was very 
 wretched, for her life seemed but a little point between 
 disappointment on one side, and the blackness of death 
 and nothingness on the other. 
 
 The very beauty of the landscapes about her often 
 increased her pain. She felt that a few weeks ago she 
 would have enjoyed them keenly, and found in their 
 transference to canvas a source of unfailing pleasure. With 
 a conscious blush she thought that if he were present to 
 encourage, to stimulate her, by the very vitality of his 
 earnest, loving nature, it would be paradise itself. In a 
 word, she saw the heaven she could not enter. 
 
 To that degree that she had mind, heart, conscience, 
 and an intense desire for true happiness, she was unhappy. 
 Dress, dancing, the passing admiration of society, the 
 pleasures of a merely fashionable life, seemed less and less 
 satisfactory. She had got beyond them, as children do 
 their toys, because she had a native superiority to them, 
 and yet they seemed her best resource. She had all hei 
 old longing to pursue her art studies, and everything about 
 her stimulated to this, but her heart and hand appeared 
 paralyzed. She was in just that condition, mental and 
 moral, in which she could do nothing well. 
 
 And so the days passed in futile efforts to forget to 
 drown in almost reckless gayety the voices of conscience 
 and memory. 
 
 But she only remembered all the more vividly she 
 only saw the miserable truth all the more clearly. She 
 suffered more in her torturing consciousness than Dennis 
 in his wild delirium.
 
 330 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 After they had been at the hotel about a week, Mr. 
 Ludolph received letters that made his speedy return 
 necessary. 
 
 On the same day the family of his old New York part- 
 ner arrived at the house on their return from the Catskills. 
 Mrs. Von Brakhiem gladly received Christine under her 
 care and protection, feeling that the addition of such a 
 bright star would make her little constellation one of the 
 most brilliant of the fashionable world. 
 
 The ladies of the house were now immersed in the ex- 
 citement of an amateur concert. Mrs. Von Briikhiem, bent 
 upon shining among the foremost, though with a borrowed 
 lustre, assigned Christine a most prominent part. She half 
 shrank from it, for it recalled unpleasant memories, but she 
 could not decline without explanations, and so tried to 
 enter into the affair with a sort of recklessness. 
 
 The large parlors were filled with chairs, and these 
 were soon occupied by a very silent audience, and it was 
 evident that elegant toilets would vie for attention with the 
 music. Christine came down on her father's arm, dressed 
 like a princess, and though her diamonds were few, such 
 were their size and brilliancy that they seemed on fire. 
 Every eye followed Mrs. Von Brakhiem's party, and that 
 good lady took half the admiration to herself. 
 
 A superior tenor, with an unpronounceable foreign name, 
 had come up from New York to grace the occasion. But 
 personally he lacked every grace himself, his fine voice 
 being the one thing that redeemed him from utter insignifi- 
 cince in mind and appearance. Nevertheless he was vain 
 beyond measure, and made the most of himself on all oc- 
 casions. 
 
 The music was fine, for the amateurs, feeling that they 
 had a critical audience, did their best. Christine chose 
 three brilliant, difficult, but heartless pieces as her rontri-
 
 REMORSE. 33 1 
 
 bution to the entertainment (she would not trust herself 
 with anything else), and with something approaching reck- 
 less gayety she sought to hide the bitterness at her heart. 
 Her splendid voice and exquisite- touch doubled the admi- 
 ration her beauty and diamonds had excited, and Mrs. Von 
 Brakhiem basked in still stronger reflected light. She took 
 every opportunity to make it known that she was Miss Lu- 
 dolph's chaperon. 
 
 After her first effort, the " distinguished " tenor from 
 New York opened his eyes widely at her. At her second, 
 he put up his eye-glass in something like astonishment, 
 and the close of her last song found him nervously rum- 
 aging a music portfolio in the corner. 
 
 But for Christine the law of association had become 
 too strong, and the prolonged applause recalled the eve- 
 ning at Miss Brown's when the same sounds had deaf- 
 ened her, but when turning from it all she had seen Den- 
 nis Fleet standing in rapt attention, his lips parted, his 
 eyes glowing with such an honest admiration that even 
 then it was worth more to her than all the clamor. Then, 
 by the same law of association, she again saw that eager, 
 earnest face, changed, pale, dead dead ! and she the 
 cause. 
 
 Regardless of the compliments showered upon her she 
 buried her face in her hands and trembled from head to 
 foot. 
 
 But the irrepressible tenor had found what he wanted, 
 and now came forward asking that Miss Ludolph would 
 sing a duet with him. 
 
 She lifted a wan and startled face. Must the torturing 
 similarity and still more, torturing contrast of the two 
 occasions be continued ? But she saw her father regard- 
 ing her sternly, and that she was becoming the subject of 
 curious glances and whispered surmises. Her pride was
 
 33 2 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 aroused at once, and goaded on by it she said : " O cer- 
 tainly ; she was not feeling well, but it did not signify. 
 
 " And den," put in the tenor, " dis is von grand occa- 
 zeon to you, for it is so unfrequent dat I find any .-on 
 vorthy to sing dis style of music vith me" 
 
 " What is the music ? " asked Christine coldly. 
 
 To her horror she found it the . same selection from 
 Mendelssohn that she had sung with Dennis. 
 
 "No," she said sharply, "I cannot sing that.'' 
 
 " Pardon me, my daughter, you can sing it admirably 
 if you choose," interposed her father. 
 
 She turned to him imploringly, but his face was inflex- 
 ible, and his eyes had an incensed, meaning look. For a 
 moment she, too, was angry. Had he no mercy? She 
 was about to coldly decline, but her friends were very 
 urgent and clamorous, " Please do don't disappoint us," 
 echoing on every side. The tenor was so surprised and 
 puzzled at her insensibility to the honor he had conferred, 
 that, to prevent a scene she could not explain, she went to 
 the piano as if led to the stake. 
 
 But the strain was too great upon her in her suffering 
 state. The familiar notes recalled so vividly the one who 
 once before had sung them at her side, that she turned 
 almost expecting to see him, but saw only the vain little 
 animated music-machine, who with many contortions was 
 producing the harmony. " Just this .mockery my life will 
 ever be," she thought ; " all that I am the best I can do, 
 will always be connected with something insignificant and 
 commonplace. The rich, impassioned voice of the man 
 who sang these words, and who might have taught me tc, 
 sing the song of a new and happier life, I have silenced 
 forever." 
 
 The thought overpowered her. Just then her part re- 
 curred, but her voice died away in a miserable quaver, and
 
 REMORSE. 333 
 
 again she buried her face in her hands. Suddenly she 
 sprang from the piano, darted through the low-cut open 
 window near, and a moment later ordered her startled 
 maid from the room, turned the key, and was alone. 
 
 Hei father explained coldly to the astonished audience 
 and the half-paralyzed tenor (who still stood with his mouth 
 open,) that his daughter was not at all well that evening, 
 and ought not to have appeared at all. This Mrs. Von 
 Brakhiem took up and repeated with endless variations. 
 But the evidences of sheer mental distress on the part of 
 Christine had been too clear, and countless were the whis- 
 pered surmises of the fashionable gossips in explanation. 
 
 Mrs. Von Brakhiem herself, burning with curiosity, 
 soon retired, that she might receive from her lovely charge 
 some gushing confidences, which she expected, as a mat- 
 ter of course, would be poured into what she chose to re- 
 gard as her sympathizing heart. But she knocked in vain 
 at Christine's door. 
 
 Later, Mr. Ludolph knocked there was no answer. 
 
 " Christine ! " he called. 
 
 After some delay a broken voice answered : 
 
 " You cannot enter I am not well I have retired." 
 
 He turned on his heel and strode away, and that night 
 drank more brandy and water than was good for him. 
 
 As for Christine, warped and chilled though her nature 
 had been, she was still a woman, she was still young, and 
 though she knew it not, she had heard the voice which had 
 spoken her heart into life. Through a chain of circum- 
 stances for which she was partly to blame, she had been 
 made to suffer as she did not believe she could. The ter- 
 rible words of Mr. Binder's letter rang continually in her 
 ears. "Mr. Fleet is not dying a natural death; he has 
 been slain." 
 
 For many long weary days the conviction had been
 
 S34 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 growing upon her that she had indeed slain him and mor- 
 tally wounded herself. Until to-night she had kept herself 
 outwardly under restraint, but now the long pent-up feeling 
 gave way, and she sobbed as if her heart would break- 
 sobbed till the power to weep was gone. If now some 
 kind, judicious friend had shown her that she was not so 
 guilty as she deemed herself; that, however frightful the 
 consequences of such acts, she was really not to blame for 
 what she did not intend and could not foresee ; more "Than 
 all, if she could only have known that Dennis was recover- 
 ing instead of being dead and buried, she might at once 
 have entered on a new and happier life. But there was no 
 such friend, no such knowledge, and her wounded spirit 
 was thrown back upon itself. 
 
 .At last, robed as she had been for the evening, she fell 
 asleep from sheer exhaustion and grief for grief induces 
 sleep. 
 
 The gems that shone in her dishevelled hair, that rose 
 and fell as at long intervals her bosom heaved with a con- 
 vulsive sob, like the fitful gusts of a storm that is dying 
 away ; the costly fabrics she wore made sad mockery in 
 their contrast with the pale, tear-stained, suffering face. 
 The hardest heart might have pitied her yes, even the 
 wholly ambitious heart of her father, incensed as he was 
 that a plebeian stranger of this land should have caused such 
 distress. 
 
 When Christine awoke, her pride awoke also. With 
 bitterness of spirit she recalled the events of the past even- 
 ing. But a new phase of feeling now begun to manifest 
 itself 
 
 After ner passionate outburst she was much calmer. 
 In this respect the unimpeded flow of feeling had done her 
 good, and, as intimated, if kindness and sympathy could 
 now have added their gentle ministrations, she might have
 
 REMORSE. 335 
 
 been the better for it all her life. But left to herself, ner 
 old and worst traits resumed their sway. Chief among 
 these was pride; and under the influence of this passion 
 and the acute suffering of her unsoothed, unguided spirit, 
 she began to rebel in impotent anger. She grew hard, 
 cynical, and reckless. Her fathei 's lack of sympathy and 
 consideration alienated her heart even from him. Left 
 literally alone in the world, her naturally reserved nature 
 shul itself up more closely than ever. Even her only 
 friend, Susie Winthrop, drifted away. One other, who 
 might have been but she could think of him with only a 
 shudder now. All the rest seemed either indifferent, or to 
 condemn, or worse still, to be using her like Mrs. Von 
 Briikhiem, and even her own father, as a stepping-stone to 
 their personal ambition. Christine could not see how she 
 was to blame for this isolation. She did not understand 
 that cold, selfish natures, like her own and her father's, 
 could not surround themselves with warm, generous 
 friends. 
 
 She saw only the results. But with flashing eyes she 
 resolved that they should pry into her heart's secrets not a 
 hair's breadth further; that she would be used only so far 
 as she chose. She would, in short, " face out " the events 
 of the past evening simply and solely on the ground that 
 she was not well, and permit no questions to be asked. 
 
 Cold and self-possessed she came down to a late break- 
 fast. Mrs. Von Brakhiem, and others who had been intro- 
 duced, joined her, but nothing could penetrate through the 
 aice polished armor of her courteous reserve. Her father 
 Booked at her keenly but she coolly returned his gaze. 
 
 When alone with her soon afterward, he turned and 
 said sharply : 
 
 " What does all this mean? " 
 
 She looked around as if some one else were near.
 
 336 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 "Were you addressing me?" she asked coldly. 
 
 " Yes, of course I am," said her father impatiently. 
 
 " From your tone and manner, I supposed you must 
 tw: speaking to some one else." 
 
 " Nonsense ! I was speaking to you. What does all 
 this mean ? " 
 
 She turned on him an indescribable look, and after a 
 moment said in a slow, meaning -tone : 
 
 " Have you not heard my explanation, sir ? " 
 
 Such was her manner, he felt he could as easily strike 
 her as say another word. 
 
 Muttering an oath, he turned on his heel and left her 
 to herself. 
 
 The next morning her father bade her " Good-bye." 
 In parting, he said meaningly : 
 
 " Christine, beware ! " 
 
 Again she turned upon him that peculiar look, and 
 replied in a low, firm tone : 
 
 "That expression applies to you, also. Let us both 
 beware, lest we repent at leisure." 
 
 The wily man, skilled in character, was now thoroughly 
 convinced that in his daughter he was dealing with a nature 
 very different from his wife's that he was now confronted 
 by a spirit as proud and imperious as his own. He clearly 
 saw that force, threatening, sternness would not answer in 
 this case, and that if he carried his points it must be through 
 skill and cunning. By some means he must ever gain her 
 consent and cooperation. 
 
 His manner changed. Instinctively she divined the 
 cause ; and hers did not. Therefore father and daughter 
 parted as father and daughter ought never to part. 
 
 After his departure she was to remain at West Point 
 till the season closed, and then accompany Mrs. Von Briik- 
 hiem to New York, where she was to make as long a visit
 
 REMORSE. 
 
 337 
 
 as she chose and she chose to make quite a long one. 
 In the scenery, and the society of the officers at West Point, 
 and the excitements of the metropolis, she found more to 
 occ :py her thoughts than she could have done at Chicago. 
 She went deliberately to work to kill time and snatch from 
 it such fleeting pleasures as she might. 
 
 They stayed in the country till the pomp and glory of 
 October began to illumine the mountains, and then (to 
 Christine's regret) went to the city. There she entered into 
 every amusement and dissipation that her tastes permitted, 
 and found much pleasure in frequent visits to the Central 
 Park, although it seemed tame and artificial after the wild 
 grandeur of the mountains. It was well that her nature 
 was so high toned that she found enjoyment only in what 
 was refined or intellectual. Had it been otherwise she 
 might soon have taken, in her morbid, reckless state, a path 
 Jo swift and remediless ruin, as many a poor creature all 
 at war with happiness and truth, has done. And thus in 
 a giddy whirl of excitement (Mrs. Von Brakhiem's normal 
 condition) the days and weeks passed, till at last, thoroughly 
 satiated and jaded, she concluded to return home, for the 
 sake of change and quiet, if nothing else. Mrs. Von Brak- 
 hiem parted with her in much regret. Where would she 
 find such another ally in her determined struggle to be 
 talked about and envied a little more than some other 
 pushing, jostling votaries of fashion ? 
 
 In languor or sleep she made the journey, and in the 
 dusk of a winter's day her father drove her to their beauti- 
 ful home, but which from association was now almost hate- 
 ful to her. Still she was too weary to think or suffer much. 
 They met each other very politely, and their intercourse 
 assumed at once its wonted character of high-bred courtesy, 
 though perhaps a little more void of manifested sympathy 
 and affection than before.
 
 338 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 Several days passed in languid apathy, the natural re- 
 action of past excitement ; then an event occurred which 
 most thoroughly aroused her. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVIII. 
 
 AN APPARITION. 
 
 MR. LUDOLPH had hoped to hear on his return that 
 Dennis was dead. That would end all difficulties. Mr. 
 Schwartz did not know he was not at last accounts. 
 Ernst was summoned. With a bright hopeful face he stated 
 that his mother had just received a letter saying Dennis 
 was a little better. He was much surprised at his employ- 
 er's heavy frown. 
 
 " He will live," mused Mr. Ludolph ; " and now shall I 
 permit him to return to my employ, or discharge him ? " 
 
 His brow contracted in lines of thought that suggested 
 shrewdness, cunning, nothing manly, and warily he judged. 
 
 " If I do not take him, he will go to Mr. Frame with 
 certainty. He had better return, for then both will be 
 more thoroughly under my surveillance. 
 
 11 Curses on Christine's waywardness ! there may be no 
 contesting her, and my best chance will be in managing 
 him. This I could not do if he were in the store of my 
 rival." And so for unconscious Dennis this important 
 question was decided. 
 
 At last, as we have said, his delirium ceased, and the 
 quiet light of reason came into his eyes. He looked at his 
 mo';her and smiled, but was too weak even to reach out his 
 hand. 
 
 The Doctor coming in soon after, declared danger past,
 
 AN APPARITION. 
 
 339 
 
 and that all depended now on good nursing. Little fear of 
 his wanting that ! 
 
 " Ah, mine Gott be praised ! mine Gott be praised ! " 
 exclaimed Mr. Bruder, who had to leave the room to pre- 
 vent an explosion of his grateful happy feelings that might 
 have proved too rude a tempest to Dennis in his weak 
 state. He was next seen striding across the fields to a 
 neighboring grove, ejaculating as he went. When he 
 returned his eyes shone with a great peace and joy, and he 
 had evidently been with Him who had cast out the demon 
 from his heart. 
 
 Day after day Dennis rallied back into life. Unlike 
 poor Christine, he had beneath him the two strongest le- 
 vers, love and prayer, and steadily they lifted him up to 
 health and strength and comparative peace. At last he 
 was able to sit up and walk about feebly, and Mr. Bruder 
 returned rejoicing to his family. As he wrung Dennis' 
 hand at parting, he said in rather a hoarse voice : 
 
 " If .any von tell me Gott is not goot and heareth not 
 prayer, den I tell him he von grand heathen. Oh ! but ve 
 vill velcome you soon. Ve vill haf de grandest supper, de 
 grandest songs, de grandest " but just here Mr. Bruder 
 thought it prudent to pull his big fur cap over his eyes, and 
 make a rush for the stage. 
 
 As if by tacit understanding, Christine's name had not 
 been mentioned during Dennis' recovery. But one evening, 
 after the little girls had been put to bed, and the lamp 
 shaded, he sat in the twilight room, looking fixedly for a 
 long time at the glowing embers. His mother was moving 
 quietly about, putting away the tea-things, cleaning up after 
 the children's play: but as she worked she furtively 
 watched him. At last, coming to his side, she pushed back 
 the hair that seemed so dark in contrast with the thin white 
 face, and said gently :
 
 340 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 " You are thinking of Miss Ludolph, Dennis." He had 
 some blood yet, for that is not the glow of the fire that suf- 
 fuses his cheek ; but he only answered quietly : 
 
 " Yes, mother." 
 
 "Do you think you can forget her?" 
 
 " I don't know." 
 
 " Prayer is a mighty thing, my son." 
 
 " But perhaps it is not God's will," said Dennis de- 
 spondently. 
 
 " Then surely it is not yours, my child." 
 
 " No, mother," said Dennis with bowed head and lo* 
 tone, " but yet I am human and weak." 
 
 " You wouM still wish that it were His will ? " 
 
 " Yes; I could not help it." 
 
 " But you would submit ? " 
 
 " Yes, with His help I would," firmly. 
 
 " That is sufficient, my boy ; I have such confidence in 
 God that I know this matter will result in a way to secure 
 you the greatest happiness in the end." 
 
 But after a little time he sighed wearily : 
 
 "Yet how hard it is to wait till the great plan is 
 worked out." 
 
 Solemnly she quoted : 
 
 " God will render to every man according to his deeds. 
 To them who by patient continuance in well-doing, seek 
 for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life." 
 
 Braced by the stirring words of inspiration, strength- 
 ened by his mother's faith, he looked up after a moment 
 and said earnestly: 
 
 " At any rate I will try to be a man in your sense of 
 Ihe word, and that is saying a great deal." 
 
 She beamed at him through her spectacles over her 
 knitting-needles ; and he thought as he gazed fondly at her, 
 that in spite of her quaint, old-fashioned garb, and homely
 
 AN APPARITION. 341 
 
 occupation, she appeared more truly a saint than any 
 painted on cathedral windows. 
 
 He soon noticed that his mother had grown quite 
 feeble, and determined on his return to take her with him, 
 believing that, by his care, and wise use of tonics, he could 
 restore her to her wonted strength. His increased salary 
 now justified the step. 
 
 Early in November his physician said he might return 
 to business if he would be prudent. He gladly availed 
 himself of the permission, for he longed to be employed 
 again. 
 
 The clerks all welcomed him warmly, for his good 
 nature had disarmed jealousy at his rapid rise. But in 
 the greeting of Mr. Ludolph he missed something of the 
 cordiality he expected. 
 
 "Perhaps she has told him," thought he, and at once 
 his own manner became tinged with a certain coldness and 
 dignity. He determined that both father and daughter 
 should think of him only with respect. 
 
 At the Bruders the Millennium came with Dennis. 
 Metaphorically the fatted calf was killed ; their plain little 
 room was trimmed with evergreens, and when he entered 
 he was greeted by such a jubilant triumphant chorus of 
 welcomes that almost took away his breath. 
 
 What little he had left was suddenly squeezed out of 
 him, for Mrs. Bruder, dropping her frying-pan and dish- 
 cloth, rushed upon him exclaiming : 
 
 "Ah! mine fren! mine fren ! De goot Gott be 
 praised," and she gave him an embrace that made his 
 bones ache. 
 
 Mr. Bruder stalked about the room repeating with 
 
 explosive energy like minute-guns, "Praise Gott! Praise 
 
 Gott." Ernst, with his great eyes dimmed with happy tears, 
 
 clung to Dennis hand, as if he would make sure by sense 
 
 IS*
 
 342 
 
 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 of touch as well as sight that he had regained his beloved 
 teacher once more. The little Binders were equally 
 jubilant, though from rather mixed motives. Dennis was 
 very weH, but they could not keep their round eyes long 
 off the preparations for such a supper as never before had 
 blessed their brief career. 
 
 " Truly," thought Dennis, as he looked around upon the 
 happy family, and contrasted its appearance with the 
 time he had first seen it, " my small investment of kind- 
 ness and effort in this case has returned large interest. I 
 think it pays to do good." 
 
 The evening was one of almost unmingled happiness, 
 even to his sore, disappointed heart, and passed into 
 memory as among the sunniest places of his life. 
 
 He found a pleasant little cottage over on the West 
 side, part of which he rented for his mother and sisters. 
 
 With Mr. Ludolph's permission he went after them, 
 and installed them in it. Thus he had what he had 
 needed all along, a home a resting-place for body and 
 soul, under the watchful eye of love. 
 
 About this time Dr. Arten met him stared a moment, 
 then clapped him on the back in his hearty way, saying : 
 
 " Well, well, young man ! you have cause to be thank- 
 ful, and not to the doctors, either." 
 
 " I think I am," said Dennis smiling. 
 
 Suddenly the Doctor looked grave, and asked in a 
 stern voice : 
 
 " Are you a heathen, or a good Christian ? " 
 
 " I hope not the former," replied Dennis, a little startled. 
 
 "Then don't go and commit suicide again. Don't you 
 know flesh and blood can only stand so much ? When an 
 intelligent young fellow like you goes beyond that, he is 
 committing suicide. Bless your soul, my ambitious friend, 
 the ten commandments ain't all Ihe law of God. His
 
 AN APPARITION. 343 
 
 laws are also written all over this long body of yours, and 
 you came near paying a pretty penalty for breaking them, 
 You won't get off the second time." 
 
 " You are right, Doctor, I now see that I acted very 
 wrongly." 
 
 " ' Bring forth fruits meet for repentance,' I am rich 
 enough to give sound advice," said the brusque old physi- 
 cian, passing on. 
 
 " Stop a moment, Doctor," cried Dennis, " I want you 
 to see my mother." 
 
 " What is the matter with her ? She been breaking 
 the commandments, too ? " 
 
 " Oh no ! " exclaimed Dennis. " She is not a bit of a 
 heathen." . 
 
 " I'm not so sure about that. I know many eminent 
 saints in the church who will eat lobster salad for supper, 
 and then send for the doctor and minister before morning. 
 There is a precious twaddle about ' mysterious Provi- 
 dence.' Providence isn't half as mysterious as people 
 make out. The doctor is expected to look serious and 
 sympathetic, and call their law-breaking and its penalty 
 by some outlandish Latin name that no one can understand. 
 I give 'em the square truth, and tell 'em they've been 
 breaking the commandments." 
 
 Dennis could not forbear smiling at the Doctor's rough 
 handling of humbug, even in one of its most respectable 
 guises. Then remembering his mother, he added gravely : 
 
 "I am truly anxious about -my mother, she has grown 
 so feeble. I want, and yet dread, the truth." 
 
 The bantering manner of the good old Doctor changed 
 at once, and he said kindly : 
 
 " I'll come, my boy ; I'll be in within a few days, though 
 J am nearly run off my feet." 
 
 He went off muttering, " Why don't the people send foi
 
 344 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 some of tne youngsters that sit kicking up their heels in 
 their offices all day ? " 
 
 Dennis soon fell into the routine of work and grew 
 stronger rapidly. But his face had acquired a gravity, a 
 something in expression that only experience gives, which 
 made him appear older by ten years. All trace of the boy 
 had gone, and his face was now that of the man, and of 
 one who had suffered. 
 
 As soon as he recovered sufficient strength to act with 
 decision, he indignantly tried to banish Christine's image 
 from his memory. But he found this impossible. Though 
 at times his eyes would flash in view of her treatment, they 
 would soon grow gentle and tender, and he found him- 
 self excusing and extenuating by the most special plead- 
 ings that which he had justly condemned. 
 
 One evening his mother startled him out of a long rev- 
 ery in which he had almost vindicated Christine, by say- 
 ing: 
 
 " A very pleasant smile has been gradually dawning on 
 your face, my son." 
 
 " Mother," replied he, hesitatingly, " perhaps I have 
 judged Miss Luclolph harshly." 
 
 " Your love, not your reason, has evidently been plead- 
 ing for her." 
 
 " Well, mother, I suppose you are right." 
 
 " So I suppose the Divine love pleads for the weak 
 and sinful," said Mrs. Fleet dreamily. 
 
 " That is a very pleasant thought, mother, for some- 
 times it seems that my love could make black white." 
 
 "That the Divine love has done, but at infinite cost to 
 itself." 
 
 ; ' Oh ! that my love at any cost to itself could lead her 
 into the new life of the believer," said Dennis in a low 
 earnest tone.
 
 AN APPARITION. 345 
 
 " Your love is like the Divine in being unselfish, but 
 remember the vital differences, and take heed. God can 
 change the nature of the imperfect creature that He loves, 
 you cannot. His love is infinite in its strength and pa- 
 tience. You are human. The proud, selfish, unbelieving 
 Miss Ludolph (pardon mother's plain words) could not 
 make you happy. To the degree that you were loyal to 
 God, you would be unhappy, and I should surely dread 
 such a union. The whole tone of your moral character 
 would have to be greatly lowered to permit even peace." 
 
 " But mother," said Dennis almost impatiently, " in view 
 of my unconquerablfc love, it is nearly the same as if I was 
 married to her now." 
 
 " No, my son, I think not. I know your pretty theory 
 on this subject, but it seems more pretty than true. Mar- 
 riage makes a vital difference. It is the closest union that 
 we can voluntarily form on earth, and is the emblem of the 
 spiritual oneness of the believer's soul with Christ. We may 
 be led through circumstances, as you have been, to love 
 one with whom we should not form such a union. Indeed, 
 in the true and mystic meaning of the rite, you could not 
 marry Christine Ludolph. The Bible declares that man 
 and wife shall be one. Unless she changes, unless you 
 change (and that God forbid), this could not be. You 
 would be divided, separated in the deepest essentials of your 
 life here, and in every respect hereafter. Again, while God 
 loves every sinful man and woman, He does not take them 
 to His heart till they cry out to Him for strength to 
 abandon the destroying evil He hates. There are no un 
 changed, unrenewed hearts in heaven." 
 
 " Oh, mother, how inexorable is your logic," said Den- 
 nis, breathing heavily. 
 
 " Truth in the end is ever more merciful than false- 
 hood,' 1 bhe answered gently.
 
 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 After a little, he said with a heavy sigh, " Mother, you 
 are right, and I am very weak and foolish." 
 
 She looked at him with unutterable tenderness; she 
 could not crush out all hope, and so whispered, as before, 
 " Prayer is mighty, my child. It is not wrong for you to 
 love. It is your duty, as well as privilege, to pray for her. 
 Trust your Heavenly Father, do His will, and He will solve 
 this question in the very best way." 
 
 Dennis turned to his mother in sudden and passionate 
 earnestness, and said : 
 
 "Your prayers are mighty, mother, I truly believe. Oh, 
 pray for her for my sake as well as tiers. Looking from 
 the human side, I am hopeless. It is only God's almighty 
 power that can make us, as you say, truly one. I fear 
 that now she is only a heartless fashionable girl. Yet, if 
 she is only this, I do not see how I came to love her as I 
 do. But my trust now is in your prayers to God." 
 
 " And in your own also; the great Father loves you too, 
 my son. If He chooses that the dross in her character 
 should be burned away, and your two lives fused, there are 
 in His providence just the fiery trials, just the circumstances 
 that will bring it about." (Was she unconsciously uttering 
 i prophecy ? ) " The crucible of affliction, the test of some 
 great emergency, will often develop a seemingly weak and 
 frivolous girl into noble life, where there is real gold of 
 latent worth to be acted on." 
 
 " Christine Ludolph is anything but weak and frivo- 
 lous," said he. " Her character is strong, and I think most 
 decided in its present bent. But, as you say, if the Divine 
 Alchemist wills it, He can change even the dross to g*. <1, 
 ai d burn unbelief to faith." 
 
 Hope ! Christine. There is light coming, though as yet 
 you cannot see it. There are angels of mercy flying toward 
 you, though as yet you cannot hear the rustle of their
 
 AN APPARITION. 34? 
 
 wings. The dark curtain of death and despair can never 
 shut down upon a life linked to heaven by such true strong 
 prayers. 
 
 And yet the logica. results of wrong- doing will work 
 themselves out, sin must be punished, and faith sorely 
 tried. 
 
 Dennis heard incidentally that Christine was absent on 
 a visit to New York, but knew nothing of the time for her 
 return. 
 
 He now bent himself steadily and resolutely to the 
 mastering of his business, and under Mr. Bruder's direc- 
 tion resumed his art studies, though now in such moder- 
 ation as Dr. Arten would commend. 
 
 He also entered on an artistic effort that would tax his 
 powers and genius to the very utmost, of which more anon. 
 
 By the time Christine returned, he was quite himself 
 again, though much paler and thinner than when first 
 entering the store. 
 
 After Christine had been home nearly a week, her 
 father, to rouse her out of her listlessness, said one 
 morning : 
 
 "We have recently received quite a remarkable paint- 
 ing from Europe you will find it in the upper show-room, 
 and had better come down to-day to see it, for it may be 
 sold soon. I think you would like to copy one or twq 
 figures in it. 
 
 The lassitude from her New York dissipation was 
 passing away, and her active nature beginning to assert 
 itself again. She started up and said : 
 
 " Wait five minutes and I will get sketching materials 
 and go down with you." 
 
 By reason of her interdict, made so earnestly, and indeed 
 fiercely, and confirmed by her manner, at West Point, her
 
 348 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 father had never mentioned the name of Dennis Fleet 
 The very fact that no one had spoken of him since that 
 dreadful day when tidings came in on every side that he 
 could not live, was confirmation in her mind that he was 
 dead. 
 
 She dreaded going to the store, especially for the first 
 time, for everything would irresistibly remind her of him 
 of whom she could never think now without a pang. But 
 as the ordeal must come, why the sooner it was over the 
 better. So a few moments later her hand was on her 
 father's arm, and they on their way to the Art Building 
 as in former and happier days. 
 
 Mr. Ludolph went to his office, and Christine, looking 
 neither to the right or left, ascended to the upper show- 
 room, and at once sought to engage every faculty in mak- 
 ing the sketch her father had suggested. 
 
 Since Dennis was not, as she believed, either on the 
 earth or elsewhere, she tried to take up life again as it was 
 before he came, and act as if he never had been. 
 
 Hopeless task ! In that familiar place, where they had 
 commenced re-arranging the store, everything spoke of 
 him. She saw his glowing cheeks again, his dark, eager 
 eyes followed her every movement, and interpreted her 
 wishes even before she could speak. Some of the pictures 
 on the walls his hands had handled, and in her strong 
 fancy his lithe form seemed moving the ladder to lift therr 
 down again, while she, with heart and mind at rest, look 
 ed on with growing curiosity and interest on her humblfc 
 helper. 
 
 What changes had occurred within a short half year 1 
 She shuddered at the thought that one who was then so 
 instinct with life and happiness could now be dust and 
 nothingness, and she the cause. 
 
 Association and conscience were again too powerful.
 
 AN APPARITION. 349 
 
 She was becoming nervous and full of a strange unrest, so 
 she concluded to finish her sketch at another time. As 
 she was gathering up her materials, she heard some one 
 enter the room. 
 
 She was in that morbid unstrung state that the least 
 thing startled her. 
 
 But imagine if you can her wonder and terror as she saw 
 Dennis Fleet the dead and buried, as she fully believed 
 enter carrying a picture as of old, and looking as of old, 
 save that he was paler and thinner. Was it an apparition ? 
 or, as she had read, had she dwelt so long on this trouble 
 that her mind and imagination were becoming disordered 
 and able to place their wild creations before her as re- 
 alities ? 
 
 Her sketching materials fell clattering to the floor, 
 and after one sharp exclamation of alarm she stood as if 
 transfixed, with lips parted, eyes dilated, and panting like 
 a frightened bird. 
 
 If a sculptor had wished to portray the form and at- 
 titude of one startled by the supernatural, never could he 
 have found a more perfect model than Christine at this 
 moment. 
 
 As she had been seated a little to one side Dennis had 
 not seen her at first ; but on recognizing her so unexpect- 
 edly he was scarcely less startled than she, and the valuable 
 picture he was carrying nearly met sudden and untimely 
 destruction. But he had no such reason as Christine for 
 the continuance of his surprise, and at once recovering 
 himself, he set the picture against the wall. 
 
 This made the illusion still more strange and teriible 
 to Christine. There was the dead before her doing just as 
 she had been imagining. Just what he had done at her 
 bidding months before. 
 
 Dennis was greatly puzzled by her look of alarm and
 
 350 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 distress. Then he thought that perhaps she feared he 
 would break out in bitter and angry invectives again, and 
 he advanced toward her to assure her of the contrary. 
 
 Slowly and instinctively she retreated and put up her 
 hands with an indescribable and deprecatory gesture. 
 
 She cannot endure the sight of me, thought he, but at 
 once said with dignified courtesy : 
 
 " Miss Ludolph, you have nothing to fear from me that 
 you should regard me in that manner. You need not 
 shrink as if I had a contagion. We can treat each other 
 as courteous strangers, at least." 
 
 " I I I thought you were dead ! " gasped she in a 
 loud whisper. 
 
 Dennis' cheek grew paler than it had been in all his 
 sickness, and then as suddenly became dark with anger. 
 With eyes terrible in their indignation he advanced a few 
 paces almost fiercely. She trembled violently and shrank 
 farther away. 
 
 " You thought I was dead ? " he asked sternly. 
 
 " Ye-e-s, 5 ' in the same unnatural whisper. 
 
 "What I'' he exclaimed, in short and bitter emphasis, 
 '' do you mean to say that you never cared ';ven to ask 
 whether I lived or died in my long, weary illness that you 
 were so supremely indifferent to my fate that you could 
 not articulate one sentence of inquiry ? Surely this is the 
 very sublimity of heartlessness; this is to be callous beyond 
 one's power of imagination. It seems to me that I would 
 feel that much interest in any human being I had once 
 known. If even a dog had licked my hand in good will, 
 and afterwards I had seen it, wounded or sick, creep off 
 into a covert, the next time I passed that way I would 
 step aside to see whether the poor creature had lived or 
 died. But after all the wealth of affection that I lavished 
 upon you, after toiling and almost dying in my vain effoit
 
 IF HE KNEW! 
 
 35 
 
 to touch your marble heart, you have not even the humanity 
 to ask if I am above ground ! " 
 
 The illusion had now passed from Christine's mind, and 
 with it her alarm. The true state of the case was rapidly 
 dawning upon her, and she was about to speak eagerly, but 
 in his strong indignation he continued impetuously : 
 
 " You thought I was dead ! The wish probably was 
 father of the thought. My presumption deserved no better 
 fate. But permit me to tell you, though all unbidden, I 
 did not die. With God's blessing I expect to live to a 
 good old age, and intend that but few years shall pass before 
 my name is as well known and honored as the ancient one 
 of Ludolph," and he turned on his heel and strode from 
 the room. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIX. 
 
 IF HE KNEW ! 
 
 CHRISTINE sat for a little time after the angry tread of 
 Dennis died away almost paralyzed by surprise and deeper 
 emotions. Her mind, though usually clear and rapid in its 
 action, was too confused to realize the truth. Suddenly 
 she sprang up, gathered together her sketching materials, 
 and drawing a thick veil over her face sped through the 
 store, through the streets, to the refuge of her own room. 
 She must be alone. 
 
 Hastily throwing aside her wrappings, she commenced 
 walking up and down in her excitement. Her listlessness 
 was gone now in very truth, and her eye and cheek 
 glowed as never before. As if it had become the great 
 vivifying principle of her own life, she kept repeating con- 
 tinually in a low ecstatic tone :
 
 352 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 " He lives ! he lives ! he is not dead ; his blood is not 
 upon my conscience !" 
 
 At last she sat down in her luxurious chair before the 
 window to think it all over to commune with herself 
 often the habit of the reserved and solitary. From the 
 disjointed sentences she let fall, from the reflection of her 
 excited face in yonder glass, we gather quite correctly the 
 workings of her mind. Her first words were : 
 
 " Thank heaven ! thank something or other, I have 
 not blotted out that true strong genius." 
 
 Again " What untold wretchedness I might have saved 
 myself if I had only asked the question in a casual way, 
 How is Mr. Fleet ? Christine Ludolph, with all your 
 pride and imagined superiority, you can be very foolish. 
 
 "How he hates and despises me now! little won- 
 der! 
 
 " But if he knew ! 
 
 " Knew what ? Why could you not ask after him, as 
 any other sick man ? You have had a score or so of 
 offers, and did not trouble yourself as to the fate of the love- 
 lorn swains. Seems to me your conscience has been very 
 tender in this case. And the fact that he misjudges you, 
 thinks you callous, heartless, and is angry, troubles you 
 beyond measure. 
 
 " When before were you so sensitive to the opinion of 
 clerks and trades-people, or even the proudest suitors for 
 your hand ? But in this case you must cry out in a tone 
 of sentimental agony ' Oh, if he only knew.' 
 
 " Knew what ?" 
 
 Her face in yonder mirror has a strange introverted 
 expression, as if she were scanning her own soul. Her 
 orow contracted with thought and perplexity. 
 
 Gradually a warm beautiful light steals into her face 
 like the scowl of* a winter morning turning into a dawn of
 
 IF HE KNEW ! 353 
 
 June; her eyes become gentle and tender. A richer 
 color comes out upon her cheeks, spreads up her temples, 
 mantles her brow, and pours a crimson torrent down her 
 snowy neck. Suddenly she drops her burning face into her 
 hands, and hides a vision one would gladly look longer 
 upon. But see, even her little ears have become as red 
 coral. 
 
 The bleakest landscape in the world brightens into 
 something like beauty when the sun shines upon it. So 
 love, the richer, sweeter light of the soul, makes the plain- 
 est face almost beautiful. But when it changed Christine 
 Ludolph's faultless, but too cold and classical, features 
 into those of a loving woman's, it suggested a beauty 
 scarcely human. 
 
 A moment later there came a faint whisper : 
 . " I fear I almost fear I love him." Then she lifted a 
 startled, frightened face and looked timidly around as if, 
 in truth, walls had ears. 
 
 Reassured by the consciousness of solitude, her head 
 dropped on her wrist and her revery went forward. Her 
 eyes became dreamy, and a half smile played upon her lips 
 as she recalled proof after proof of his affection, for she 
 knew the cruel words of the last interview were the result 
 of misunderstanding. 
 
 Bfft suddenly she sprang from her seat and commenced 
 pacing the room in the strongest perturbation. 
 
 " Mocked again !" she cried ; " the same cruel fate ! 
 My old miserable experience in a new aspect. Ever) thing 
 within my reach, save the one thing I want, I possess the 
 means of all kinds of happiness except that which makes 
 me happy. In every possible way I am pledged to a ca- 
 reer and future in which he can take no part. Though my 
 heart is full of the strangest, sweetest chaos, and I do not 
 truly understand myself, yet I am satisfied that this is not
 
 354 
 
 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 a school-girl's fancy. But my father would regard it as the 
 Gudgeon farce repeated. Already he suspects and frowns 
 upon the whole thing. I should have to break with him 
 utterly and forever. I should have to give up all my am- 
 bitious plans and towering hopes of life abroad. A plain 
 Mrs. in this city of shops is a poor substitute for a count- 
 ess' coronet and a villa on the Rhine." 
 
 Her cheek flushed and lip curled. 
 
 "That indeed would be the very extravagance of ro- 
 mance, and how could I, least of all, who so long have 
 scoffed at such things, explain my action? These mush- 
 room shop-keepers, who were all nobodies the other day, 
 elevate their eyebrows when a merchant's daughter marries 
 her father's clerk. But when would the wonder cease if 
 a German lady of rank followed suit ? 
 
 " Then again my word, my honor, every sacred pledge 
 I could give, forbids the whole thing. 
 
 "Would to heaven I had never seen him, for this un- 
 fortunate fancy of mine must be crushed in its inception ; 
 strangled before it comes to master me as it has him." 
 
 After a long and weary sigh she continued : " Well, 
 everything is favorable for a complete and final break be- 
 tween us. He believes me heartless and wicked to the 
 last degree. I cannot undeceive him without showing 
 more than he should know. I have only to avoid him, to 
 say nothing, and we drift apart. 
 
 " If we could only have been friends, he might have 
 helped me so much; but that now is clearly impossible- 
 yes, for both of us. 
 
 "Truly one of these American poets was right 
 
 For of all sad words of tongue or pen, 
 The saddest are these It might have been. 
 " But, thanks to the immortal gods, as the pious hea- 
 then used to say, his blood is not on my hands, and this
 
 IF HE KNEW; 355 
 
 has taken a mountain off my heart. Thus relieved, I can 
 perhaps forget all the miserable business. The Fates 
 forbid that I, as it has forbidden that many another high- 
 born woman, should marry where she might have loved.'' 
 
 "If Christine's heart was wronged, her pride was highly 
 gratified by this conclusion. Here was a new and strong 
 resemblance between herself and the great. In mind she 
 recalled the titled unfortunates who had "loved where 
 they could not marry," and with the air and feeling of a 
 martyr to ancestral grandeur she pensively added her name 
 to the list. 
 
 With her conscience freed from its burden of remorse, 
 with the consciousness, so sweet to every woman, that she 
 might accept if she would, in spite of her airs of martyr- 
 dom, the world had changed greatly for the better, and 
 with the natural buoyancy of youth she reacted into quite a 
 cheerful and hopeful state. 
 
 Her father noticed this on his return to dinner in the 
 evening, and sought to learn its cause. He asked : 
 
 " How did you make out with your sketch ? " 
 
 " I made a beginning," she answered, with some little 
 color rising to her cheek. 
 
 " Perhaps you were interrupted ? " 
 
 "Why did you not tell me that Mr. Fleet had recov- 
 ered ? " she asked abruptly. 
 
 " Why, did you think he was dead ? " 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 
 
 Mr. Ludolph indulged in a hearty laugh (he knew the 
 power of ridicule). 
 
 " Well, that is excellent ! " he said. " You thought the 
 callow youth had died on account of your hardness of heart; 
 and this explains your rather peculiar moods and tenses of 
 late. Let me assure you that a Yankee never dies from 
 such a cause."
 
 35 6 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. ,: 
 
 Mr. I.udolph determined if possible to break down her 
 reserve and let in the garish light, which he knew to be 
 most fatal to all romantic iancies, that ever thrive jest in 
 the twilight of secrecy. 
 
 But she was on the alert now, and in relief of mind had 
 regained her poise and power to mask her feeling. So 
 she said in a tone tinged with cold indifference : 
 
 " You may be right, but I had good reason to believe 
 to the contrary, and as I am not altogether without a con- 
 science, you might have saved much pain by merely men- 
 tioning the fact of his recovery." 
 
 "But you had adjured me with frightful solemnity 
 never to mention his name again," said her father, still 
 laughing. 
 
 Christine colored and bit her lip. She had forgotten 
 for the moment this awkward fact. 
 
 " I was nervous, sick, and not myself that day, and every 
 one I met could speak of nothing but Mr. Fleet." 
 
 " Well really," he said, " in the long list of the victims 
 that you have wounded, if not slain, I never supposed my 
 clerk and quondam man-of-all-work would prove so serious 
 a case." 
 
 " A truce to your bantering, father ! Mr. Fleet is humble 
 only in station, not in character, not in ability. You know 
 I have never been very tender with the ' victims,' as you des- 
 ignate them, of the Mellen stamp ; but Mr. Fleet is a man, 
 in the best sense of the word, and one that I have wronged. 
 Now that the folly is past I may as well explain to you some 
 things that have appeared strange. I think I can truly say 
 that I have given those gentlemen who have honored, or 
 rather annoyed me, by their unwished for regard, very little 
 encouragement. Therefore, I was not responsible for any 
 follies they might commit. But for artistic reasons I did 
 encourage Mr. Fleet's infatuation. Ycu remember how I
 
 IF HE KNEW! 
 
 357 
 
 failed in making a copy of that picture. In my determina- 
 tion to succeed, I hit upon the rather novel expedient of 
 inspiring and copying the genuine thing. You know my 
 imitative power is better than my imagination, and I thought 
 that by often witnessing the expression of feeling and pas- 
 sion, I might learn to portray it without the disagreeable 
 necessity of passing through any such experiences myself. 
 But the experiment, as you know, did not work well. 
 These living subjects are hard to manage, and, as I have 
 said, I am troubled by a conscience." 
 
 Mr. Ludolph's eyes sparkled, and a look of genuine ad- 
 miration lighted up his features. 
 
 " Bravo ! " he cried, "your plan was worthy of you and 
 of your ancestry. It was a real stroke of genius. You 
 were too tender-hearted, otherwise it would have been per- 
 fect. What are the lives of a dozen such young fellows to 
 be compared with the development and perfection of such 
 a woman as you bid fair to be ? " 
 
 Christine had displayed in this transaction just the 
 qualities that her father most admired. But even she was 
 shocked at his callousness, and lifted a somewhat startled 
 face to his. 
 
 " Your estimate of human life is rather low," she 
 said. 
 
 " Not at all. Is not one perfect plant better than a 
 dozen imperfect ones ? The gardener often pulls up the 
 crowding and inferior ones to throw them about the roots 
 of the strongest, that in their death and decay they may 
 nourish it to the most perfect development. What the 
 gardener does for his plants, we certainly can do for our- 
 selves. They secure most in this world who have the skill 
 and power to grasp most." 
 
 " But how about the rights of others ? Human plants 
 would naturally object to the uprooting process." 
 r6
 
 358 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 " Let them be on their guard and prevent it then. 
 Every one is for himself in this world. That can be plainly 
 seen through the thin disguises that some, try to assume. 
 After all, half the people we meet are little better than sum 
 mer weeds." 
 
 Christine almost shuddered to think that the one bound 
 to her by closest ties cherished such sentiments toward the 
 world, and probably, to a certain extent, toward herself, 
 but she only said quietly : 
 
 " I can hardly subscribe to your philosophy as yet, 
 though I fear I act upon it too often. Still it does not ap- 
 ply to Mr. Fleet. He is gifted in no ordinary degree, and 
 doubtless will stand high here in his own land in time. And 
 now as explanation has been made, with your permission 
 we will drop this subject out of our conversation as be- . 
 fore." 
 
 " Well," said Mr. Ludolph to himself, between sips of 
 his favorite Rhine wine, " I have gained much light on the 
 subject to-night, and I must confess, that even with my 
 rather wide experience, the whole thing is a decided nov- 
 elty. If Christine were only less troubled with conscience, 
 over-fastidiousness, or whatever it is if she were more 
 moderate in her ambition as an artist, and could be satis- 
 fied with power and admiration, as other women are, what 
 a star she might become in the fashionable world of Eu- 
 rope ! But, for some reason, I never feel sure of her. Her 
 spirit is so wilful and obstinate, and she seems full of vague 
 longing after an ideal, impossible world, that I live in con- 
 stant dread that she may be led into some folly, fatal to ruy 
 ambition. This Fleet is a most dangerous fellow. I wioh 
 1 were well rid of him ; still, matters are not so bad as I 
 fear, that is, 'if she told me the whole truth; which I 
 am inclined to doubt. But I had better keep him \i my 
 employ dur'ng the few months we still remain in thh Knd,
 
 IF HE KNEW! 
 
 359 
 
 as I can watch over him, and guard against his influence 
 better than if he were beyond my control. But no more 
 promotion or encouragement does he get from me.' 5 
 
 Janette, Christine's French maid, passed the open 
 door. The thought struck Mr. Ludolph that he might se- 
 cure an ally in her. 
 
 The unscrupulous creature was summoned, and agreed 
 for no very large sum to become a spy upon Christine, and 
 report anything looking toward intercourse with Dennis 
 Fleet. 
 
 " The game is still in my hands," said the wary man. 
 " I will yet steer my richly-freighted argosy up the Rhine. 
 Here's to Christine, the belle of the German court ! " and 
 he filled a slender Venetian glass to the brim, as "if the 
 reality were before him, and then retired. 
 
 Christine, on reaching her room, muttered to herself, 
 " He now knows all that I mean he ever shall. We are one 
 in our ambition, if nothing else, and therefore our relations 
 must be, to a certain degree, confidential and amicable. 
 And novv forget you have a conscience, forget you have 
 a heart, and, above all things, forget that you have ever 
 seen or known Dennis Fleet" 
 
 Thus, the impetuosity of a false education, a proud, self- 
 ish, ambitious life, decided her choice. 
 
 She plunged as resolutely into the whirl of fashionable 
 gayety about her as she had in the dissipations of New 
 York, determined to forget the past, and kill the time that 
 must intervene before she could sail away to her brilliant 
 future in Germany. 
 
 But she gradually learned that if conscience robbed 
 hei of peace before, something else disturbed her now, and 
 rendered her efforts futile. She r ound that there was a 
 principle at work in her heart stronger even than her reso- 
 lute will.
 
 360 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 In spite of her purpose to the contrary, she caught 
 herself continually thinking of him, and indulging in 
 strange delicious reveries in regard to him. 
 
 At last she ceased to shun the store as she had done 
 at first, but with increasing frequency found some necessity 
 for going there. 
 
 After the interview in the show-room, Dennis was 
 driven to the bitter conclusion that Christine was utterly 
 neartless. and cared not a jot for him. His impression 
 was confirmed by the fact that she shunned the store, and 
 that he soon heard of her as a belle and leader in the ultra- 
 fashionable world. He, too, bitterly lamented that he had 
 ever seen her, and was struggling with all the whole power 
 of his will to forget her. He fiercely resolved that, since 
 she wished him dead, she should become dead to him. 
 
 As the weeks passed on, he apparently succeeded 
 better than she. There was nothing in her character, as 
 she then appeared, that appealed to anything gentle or 
 generous. She seemed so proud, so strong and resolute 
 in her choice of evil, so devoid of the true womanly 
 nature, as he had learned to reverence it in his mother, 
 that he could not pity, much less respect her, and even his 
 love could scarcely survive under such circumstances. 
 
 When she began coming to the store again, though his 
 heart beat thick and fast at her presence, he turned his 
 back and seemed not to see her, or made an errand to a 
 remote part of the building. 
 
 At first she thought this "might be accident, but she 
 soon found it a resolute purpose to ignore her very exist- 
 ence. 
 
 B} i eason of a trait said to be peculiarly feminine, 
 certainly peculiar to Christine, this was only the more 
 stimulating. She craved all the more that which was 
 seemingly denied.
 
 IF HE KNEW 3 bl 
 
 Accustomed to every gratification, to see all yield to 
 her wishes, and especially to regard gentlemen as almost 
 powerless to resist her beauty, this one stern, averted 
 face became to her- infinitely more attractive than all the 
 rest in the world. 
 
 "That he so steadily avoids me, proves that he is 
 anything but indifferent," she said one day. 
 
 She condemned her visits to the store, and often 
 repeated to herself what utter folly it was, but a secret 
 powerful magnetism drew her thither in spite of herself. 
 
 Dennis, too, soon noticed that she came quite often, 
 and the fact awakened a faint hope within him. He 
 learned that his love was not dead, but only chilled and 
 chained by circumstances and his own strong will. True, 
 apart from the fact of her coming, she gave him no 
 encouragement. 
 
 She was as distant and seemingly oblivious of his 
 existence as he of hers, but love can gather hope from 
 a marvellously little thing. 
 
 But one day Christine detected her father watching her 
 movements with the keenest scrutiny, and after that she 
 came more and more rarely. 
 
 The hope that for a moment had tinged the darkness 
 that had gathered around Dennis, died away like the me- 
 teor's transient light. 
 
 He went into society very little after his sickness, and 
 shunned large companies. He preferred spending his 
 evenings with his mother and in study. The Winthrops 
 were gone, having removed to their old home in Boston, 
 and .he had not formed very intimate acquaintances else- 
 where. Moreover, his limited circle, though of the best 
 and most refined, was not one in which Christine often 
 appeared. 
 
 But one evening his cheek paled and his heart fluttered
 
 3 6a BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 as he saw her entering the parlors of a lady where he had 
 been invited to meet a few friends. For some little time 
 he studiously avoided her, but at last his hostess, with 
 well-meant zeal, formally presented him. 
 
 They bowed very politely and very coldly. The lady 
 surmised that Christine did not care about the acquaint- 
 ance of her father's clerk, and so brought them -no more 
 together. But Christine was pained by Dennis' icy manner, 
 and saw that she was thoroughly misunderstood. When 
 asked to sing, she chose a rather significant ditty : 
 
 Ripple, sparkle, rapid stream, 
 Every dancing wavelet gleam 
 
 In the noonday bright ; 
 Children think the surface glow 
 Reaches to the depths below, 
 
 Hidden from the light. 
 
 Human faces often seem 
 Like the sparkle of the stream, 
 
 In the social glare ; 
 Some assert, in wisdom's guise, 
 (Look they not with children's eyes?) 
 
 All is surface there. 
 
 As she rose from the piano her glance met his with 
 something like meaning in it, he imagined. He started, 
 flushed, and his face became full of eager questioning. But 
 her father was on the watch also, and placing his daughter's 
 hand within his arm, led her into the front parlor, and soon 
 after they pleaded another engagement and vanished 
 altogether. 
 
 No chance for explanation came, and soon a new and 
 ftli-absorbing anxiety filled Dennis' heart, and the shadow 
 of the greatest sorrow that he had yet experienced daily 
 grew nearer.
 
 CHAPTER XL. 
 
 THE GATES OPEN. 
 
 AT Dennis' request, Dr. Arten called and carefully in- 
 quired into Mrs. Fleet's symptoms. Her son stood anx 
 iously by awaiting the result of the examination. At last 
 the physician said cheerily : 
 
 " There is no immediate occasion for alarm here. I 
 am sorry to say that your mother's lungs are far from 
 strong, but they may carry her through many comfortable 
 years yet I will prescribe tonics, and you may hope for 
 the best. But mark this well, she must avoid exposure. A 
 severe cold might be most serious in its consequences." 
 
 How easy to say, "Do not take cold." How many 
 whose lives were at stake, sought to heed and obey the 
 warning, but all in vain. Under Dr. Arten's tonics, Mrs. 
 Fleet grew stronger, and Dennis rejoiced over the improve- 
 ment. But in one of the sudden changes attendant on the 
 breaking up of winter, the dreaded cold was taken, and it 
 soon developed into acute pneumonia. 
 
 For a few days she was very sick, and Dennis never left 
 her side. In the intervals of pain and fever she would 
 smile at him and whisper : 
 
 ."The harbor is near. This rough weather cannot last 
 much longer." 
 
 " Mother, do not leave us ; we cannot spare you/' ever 
 pleaded her son. 
 
 Contrary to her expectations however, she rallied, but 
 continued in a very weak and feeble state. Dennis was able
 
 364 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 to resume his duties in the store, and he hoped and tried 
 to believe that the warm spring and summer days soon to 
 come would renew his mother's strength. But every day 
 she grew feebler and Dr. Arten shook his head. 
 
 The Bruders were very kind, and it was astonishing 
 how much Mrs. Bruder, though burdened with her large 
 family, found time to do. If Mrs. Fleet had been her own 
 mother she could not have been the object of. more loving 
 solicitude. Mr. Bruder was devotion itself. He removed 
 his easel to an attic room in Mrs. Fleet's house, and every 
 hour of Dennis' absence heard him say : 
 
 " Vat I do for you now ? I feel no goot unless I do 
 sometink." 
 
 Some little time after Mrs. Fleet was taken sick a 
 mystery arose. The most exquisite flowers and fruit were 
 left at the house from time to time, marked in a bold 
 manly hand, " For Mrs Fleet." But all efforts to discover 
 their source failed. 
 
 The readers will guess that Christine was the donor, 
 and Dennis hoped it, though, he admitted to himself, with 
 little reason. 
 
 Mrs. Fleet had not much pain. She seemed gently 
 wafted as by an ebbing tide away from time and earth. 
 Kindly but firmly she sought to prepare Dennis' mind for 
 the change soon to take place. At first he could not 
 endure its mention, but she said earnestly : 
 
 " My son, I am not dying. I am just entering on the 
 true, real, eternal life a life which is as much beyond this 
 poor feeble existence as the sun is brighter than a glow- 
 worm I shall soon clasp my dear husband to my heart 
 again, and, oh, ecstasy, I shall soon in reality see the 
 Saviour that I now see almost continually in vision." 
 
 Then again she would turn towards her earthly treas- 
 ures with unutterable yearning and tenderness.
 
 THE GATES OrLJN. 365 
 
 " Oh, that I could gather you up in my arms and take 
 you all with me," she would often exclaim. Many times 
 during the day she would call the little girls from their 
 play and kiss their wondering faces. 
 
 One evening Dennis came home and found a vase of 
 flowers, with a green background of mint, at his mother's 
 bedside. Their delicate fragrance greeted him as soon as 
 he entered. As he sat by her side holding her hand, he 
 said softly : 
 
 " Mother, are not these sprays of mint rather unusual 
 in a bouquet ? Has the plant any special meaning ? I have 
 noticed it before mingled with these mysterious flowers." 
 
 She smiled and answered : 
 
 " When I was a girl its language was, Let us be friends 
 again." 
 
 " Do you think can it be possible that she sends 
 them ? " said he in a low hesitating tone. 
 
 " Prayer is mighty, my son." 
 
 "And have you been praying for her all this time, 
 mother ? " 
 
 "Yes, and will continue to do so to the last." 
 
 " Oh mother, I have lost hope. My heart has been 
 full of bitterness toward her, and I have felt that God was 
 against the whole thing." 
 
 " God is not against her learning to know Him, which 
 is life. Jesus has loved her all the time, and she has 
 wronged Him more than you." 
 
 Dennis bowed his head on his mother's hand, and she 
 felt hot tears fall upon it. At last he murmured: 
 
 " You are indeed going to heaven soon, dear mother, 
 for your language is not of earth. When will such a spirit 
 dwell within me ? " 
 
 " Again remember your mother's words," she answered 
 gently ; " prayer is mighty." 
 1 6*
 
 366 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 " Mother," said he with a sudden earnestness, " do you 
 think you can pray for us in heaven ? " 
 
 " I know of no reason to the contrary." 
 
 "Then I know you will, and the belief will ever be a 
 source of hope and strength." 
 
 Mrs. Fleet was now passing through the land of Beulah. 
 Tc her strong spiritual vision, the glories of the other 
 shore seemed present, and at times she thought that she 
 really heard music ; again it would seem as if her Saviour 
 had entered the plain little room, as He did the humble 
 home at Bethany. 
 
 Her thoughts ran much on Christine. One day she 
 wrote feebly : 
 
 "Would Miss Ludolph be willing to come and see a 
 dying woman ? ETHEL FLEET." 
 
 Mr. Bruder carried it, but most unfortunately Christine 
 was out, so that her maid, ever on the alert to earn the 
 price of her treachery, received it. It was slightly sealed. 
 She opened it, and saw from its contents that it must be 
 given to Mr. Ludolph. He with a frown committed it to 
 the flames. 
 
 " I have written to her," she whispered to her son in 
 the evening, " and think she will come to see me." 
 
 Dennis was sleepless that night, through his hope 
 and eager expectation. The following day, and the next 
 passed, and she came not. 
 
 " I was right," exclaimed he bitterly. " She is utterly 
 heartless. It was not she who sent the flowers. Who 
 that is human would have refused such a request ! Waste 
 no more thought upon her, for she is unworthy, and it is 
 all in vain.'' 
 
 " No ! " said Mrs. Fleet in sudden energy. " It is not 
 m vain. Have I not prayed again and again ? and shall J 
 Soubt God ?
 
 THE GATES OPEN. 367 
 
 " Your faith is stronger than mine," he answered in 
 deep despondency. 
 
 " God's time is not always ours," she answered gently. 
 
 But an angry fire lurked in Dennis' eyes, and he mut- 
 tered to himself as he went to his room : " She has snap- 
 ped the last slender cord that bound me to her. I cciuld 
 endure about anything myself, but that she should refuse 
 to visit my dying mother proves her a monster, with all 
 her beauty." 
 
 As he was leaving in the morning, his mother whis- 
 pered gently : " Who was it that said, ' Father forgive 
 them, they know not what they do ?'" 
 
 " Ah, but she does know," said he bitterly. " I can 
 forgive about everything against myself, but not slights to 
 you." 
 
 "The time will come when you will forgive everything, 
 my son." 
 
 " Not till there is acknowledgment and sorrow for the 
 wrong," answered he sternly. Then with a sudden burst 
 of tenderness added : *" Good-bye, darling mother. I will 
 try to do anything you wish, even though it is impossi- 
 ble." 
 
 But his love, through Janette's treachery, suffered the 
 deepest wound it had yet received. 
 
 Christine, of her own accord, had almost decided to 
 call upon Mrs. Fleet, but before she could carry out her 
 purpose, while hastily coming downstairs one day, she 
 sprained her ankle, and was confined to her room some 
 little time. 
 
 She sent Janette with orders for the flowers, who, at 
 Once surmising their destination, said to the florist that 
 she vas Miss Ludolph's confidential maid, and would carry 
 them to tfcose for whom they were designed. He, thinking 
 it " all right," gave them to her, ard she took them to a
 
 368 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 Frenchman in the same trade whom she kne\s, and sold 
 them at half-price, giving him a significant sign to ask no 
 questions. To the same market she brought the fruit ; so 
 from that time they as mysteriously ceased as they had ap 
 peared at Mrs. Fleet's bedside. 
 
 But Dennis was so anxious, and his mother was no^ 
 failing so rapidly, that he scarcely noted this fact The 
 warm spring days seemed rather to enervate than strengthen 
 her. He longed to stay with her constantly, but his daily 
 labor was necessary to secure the comforts needful to an in- 
 valid. Every morning he bade her a most tender adieu, and 
 during the day often sent Ernst to inquire how she was. 
 
 One evening, Christine ventured to send Janette on 
 the same errand, and impatiently awaited her return. At 
 last she came, appearing as if flushed and angry. 
 
 " Whom did you see ? " asked Christine eagerly. 
 
 " I saw Mr. Fleet himself." 
 
 " Well, what did he say ? " 
 
 " He bite his lip, frown, and say, c Dare is no answer,' 
 and turn on his heel into de house." 
 
 It was now Christine's turn to be angry. "What!" 
 she exclaimed, " does his Bible teach him to forget and 
 forgive nothing? Can it be, that he, like the rest of them, 
 believes and acts on only such parts as are to his mood ? " 
 
 ' I don't know nothing about him," said the m?\d, 
 "only I don't want to go dare again." 
 
 " You need not," was the brief reply. 
 
 After a long, bitter revery, she sighed : 
 
 " Ah, well, thus we drift apart. But it .s just as well, 
 for apart we must ever be." 
 
 One morning early in May, Mrs. Fleet was very weak, 
 and Dennis left her with painful misgivings. During the 
 morning he sent Em si to see how she was, an4 he soon 
 returned, with wild r~\ce. crying, " Come home quick ! "
 
 THE GATES OPEN. 369 
 
 Breaking abruptly from his startled customer, Dennis 
 soon reached his mother's side. Mr. and Mrs. Bruder 
 were sobbing at the foot of the bed, and the girls were 
 pleading piteously on either side : 
 
 " Oh, mother, please don't go away." 
 
 " Hush ! " said Dennis solemnly. Awed by Irs man- 
 ner, all became comparatively silent He bent over the 
 bed, and said : 
 
 " Mother, you are leaving us at last." 
 
 The voice of her beloved son rallied the dying woman's 
 wandering mind. After a moment, she recognized him, 
 smiled faintly, and whispered : 
 
 " Yes, I think I am kiss me good-bye. Bring the 
 children. Jesus take care my little lambs. Good-bye 
 true honest friends meet me heaven. Dennis these 
 children your charge bring them home to me. Pray 
 for her. I don't know why she seems very near to 
 me. Farewell my good true son mother's blessing 
 God's blessing ever rest on you." 
 
 Her eyes closed, and she fell into a gentle sleep. 
 
 " She vake no more in dis vorld," said Mrs. Bruder in 
 an awed tune. 
 
 Mr. Bruder, unable to control his feelings any longer, 
 hurried from the room. His wife, with streaming eyes, 
 silently dressed the little girls, and took them home with 
 her, crying piteously all the way for mamma. 
 
 Pale, tearless, motionless, Dennis sat, hour after hour, 
 holding his mother's hand. He noted that her pulse grew 
 more and more feeble. At last the sun in setting broke 
 through the clouds that had obscured it all day, and filled 
 the room with a sudden glory. 
 
 To Dennis' great surprise, his mother's eyes opened 
 wide, with the strange, far-off look they ever had when she 
 was picturing to herself the unknown world.
 
 370 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 Her lips moved he bent over her and caught the 
 words : " Hark ! hear ! It never was so sweet before. 
 See the angels thronging toward me they never came 
 so near before." 
 
 Then a smile of joy and welcome lighted up her wan. 
 features, and she whispered : 
 
 " O, Dennis, husband are we united once more ? " 
 
 Suddenly there was a look of ecstasy such as her son had 
 never seen on any human face, and she cried almost aloud : 
 
 " Jesus my Saviour ! " and received, as it were, directly 
 in His arms she passed from earth. 
 
 We touch briefly on the scenes that followed. Dennis 
 took the body of his mother to her old home, and buried it 
 under the wide-spreading elm in the village church-yard, 
 where as a happy child and blooming maiden she had often 
 sat between the services. It was his purpose to remove 
 the remains of his father and place them by her side as 
 soon as he could afford it. 
 
 His little sisters accompanied him east, and he found a 
 home for them with a sister of his mother, who, though in 
 rather straitened circumstances, was a good, kind, Christian 
 lady. Dennis' salary was not large, but sufficient to insure 
 that his sisters would be no burden to his aunt, and he also 
 arranged that the small annuity should be paid for their 
 benefit. 
 
 It was hard parting from his sisters, whose little hearts 
 seemed breaking at what seemed a new loss and bereave- 
 ment. 
 
 " How can I leave them ! " he exclaimed with tears 
 falling fast from his eyes. 
 
 " They are children," said his aunt soothingly, " and 
 will forget their troubles in a few days." 
 
 And so it proved ; but Dennis, with a sore heart, and 
 feeling very lonely, returned to Chicago.
 
 THE GATES OPEN. 
 
 371 
 
 When at last Christine got out again, she learned from 
 Ernst at the store that Dennis' mother had died, and he 
 had taken the remains and his sisters east. In his sorrow 
 he seemed doubly interesting to her. 
 
 " How I wish it were in my power to cheer and com foil 
 him," she sighed, " and yet I fear my power to do this is 
 less than that of any one else. In very truth he seems to 
 despise and hate me now. The barriers between us grow 
 strongei and higher every day. How different it all might 
 have been if But what is the use of these wretched ' ifs ? ' 
 What is the use of resisting this blind remorseless fate that 
 brings happiness to one and crushes another ? " 
 
 Wearily and despondingly she rode back to the elegant 
 home where she found so little enjoyment. 
 
 But whom should she meet there but Mrs. Von Brakhiem 
 from New York, bound westward with a gay party on a trip 
 to the Rocky Mountains and California. They had stop- 
 ped to spend a few days in Chicago and were determined 
 to take Christine on with them. Her father also strongly 
 seconded the plan. Though Christine surmised his motive 
 she did not care to resist. Since she would soon be sep- 
 arated from Dennis forever, the less she saw of him, the 
 less would be the pain. Moreover, her sore and heavy 
 heart welcomed any change that would cause forgetfulness ; 
 and so it was speedily arranged. 
 
 Mrs. Von Brakhiem and her party quite took possession 
 of the Ludolph mansion, and often made it echo with gayety. 
 
 On the evening of the day that Dennis would bury his 
 mother, Ernst came over at Mr. Ludolph's request to carry 
 a message. He found the house the scene of a fashionable 
 revel. There was music and dancing in the parlors, and 
 from the dining-room the clink of glasses and loud peals 
 of laughter proved that this was not Christine's ideal of an 
 entertainment as she had portrayed it to her father on a
 
 372 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY 
 
 former occasion. In truth, she had little to do with the 
 affair ; it was quite impromptu, and Mr. Ludolph and Mrs. 
 Von Brakhiem were responsible for it. 
 
 But Ernst could not know this, and to him it seemed 
 shocking. The simple funeral service taking place on that 
 day in the distant New England village had never been 
 absent from his thoughts a moment. Since early morning 
 he had gone about with his little face composed to funeral 
 gravity. 
 
 His simple, warm-hearted parents felt that they could 
 only show proper respect for the occasion by the deepest 
 gloom. Their rooms were arranged in stiff and formal 
 manner with crape here and there. All unnecessary work 
 ceased, and the children, forbidden to play, were dressed 
 in mourning as far as possible, and made to sit in solemn 
 and dreadful state all day. It would not have surprised 
 Ernst if the whole city had gone in mourning. Therefore 
 the revelry at the Ludolph mansion seemed to him heart- 
 less and awful beyond measure, and nearly the first thing 
 he told Dennis on his return was that they Iiad had " a 
 great dancing and drinking party the night of the funeral, 
 at Mr. Ludolph's." Then trying to find some explanation 
 for what seemed to him such a strange and wicked thing, 
 he suggested, " Perhaps they meant it for a wake." 
 
 Poor little Ernst's ideas of the world, outside of his 
 home, had been gathered from a very low neighborhood. 
 
 He also handed Dennis a letter that Mr. Ludolph re- 
 quested to be given him on his return, which read as fol- 
 io \vs : 
 
 "CHICAGO, MAY 6th, 1871. 
 
 " I "have been compelled to supply your place in your 
 absence : therefore your services will be no longer needed 
 at this store. Inclosed you will find a check for the small 
 balance still due you. AUGUST Lrooi.i'H."
 
 THE GATES OPEN. 373 
 
 Dennis' brow grew very dark, and in bitter soliloquy 
 he said, half aloud, as he strode up and down his little room 
 in great agitation : 
 
 "And so it all ends ! The girl at whose side my mother 
 would have watched in the most dangerous and loathsome 
 of diseases, the woman of ice whom I sought to melt and 
 render human by as warm, true love, as ever man lavished 
 on one who rewarded his affection this beautiful monster 
 will not even visit my mother when dying. She holds a 
 revel the day of the funeral, and now, through her influence, 
 no doubt, I am robbed of the chance of winning honest 
 bread. She cannot even endure the sight of the man who 
 once told her the unvarnished truth. Poor as you deem 
 me, Christine Ludolph, with God's help, not many years 
 shall pass before it will be condescension on my part to 
 recognize you." 
 
 He would not even go to the store again. The Bru- 
 ders, having heard what had occurred, took Ernst away 
 also ; but Dennis soon found him a better situation else- 
 where. 
 
 The day on which Dennis returned, Christine was 
 speeding in a palace-car toward the Rocky Mountains, 
 outwardly gay, determined to enjoy herself and carry out 
 her reckless purpose to get the most possible out of life, 
 cost what it might. 
 
 If she had been a shallow girl, thoughtless and vain, 
 with only mind enough to take in the events of the passing 
 moment, she might have bought many fleeting pleasures 
 with her abundant wealth. But this she was not, with all 
 her faults, and wherever she went, in the midst of gayest 
 scenes, and in the presence of the grandest and most in- 
 spiring scenery, thought and memory, like two spectres that 
 no spell could lay, haunted her and robbed her of peace 
 and anything like happiness. Though possessing the
 
 374 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 means of gratifying every whim, though restrained by no 
 scruples from doing what she chose, she felt that all 
 around were getting more from life than she. 
 
 During her absence she experienced a sudden and 
 severe attack of illness. Her friends were much alarmed 
 about her, and she far more about herself. All her old 
 terror returned. In one respect she was like her mother ; 
 she had no physical courage, but shrank with inexpressi- 
 ble dread from danger, pain, and death. Again the black- 
 ness of darkness gathered round her, and not one in the 
 gay pleasure party could say a word to her. 
 
 She recovered, and soon regained her usual health, but 
 her self-confidence was more thoroughly shaken. She felt 
 like one in a little cockle-shell boat out upon a shoreless 
 ocean. While the treacherous sea remained calm, all might 
 be well, but she knew a storm would soon arise, and that she 
 must go down, beyond hope and remedy. Again, she had 
 been taught how suddenly, how unexpectedly, that storm 
 might rise. 
 
 Dennis resolved at once to enter on the career of an 
 artist. He sold to Mr. Frame, at a moderate price, some 
 paintings and sketchings he had made. He rented a small 
 room that became his studio, sleeping apartment in brief, 
 his home, and then went to work with all the ordinary in- 
 centives to success intensified by his purpose to reach a 
 social height that would compel Christine to look upward, 
 if their acquaintance was renewed. 
 
 Disappointment in love is one of the severest tests of 
 character in man or woman. Some sink into weak senti- 
 mentality, and mope and languish ; some become listless, 
 apathetic, and float down the current of existence like drift- 
 wood. Men are often harsh and cynical, and rail at the 
 sex to which their mothers and sisters belong. Some- 
 rimes a man inflicts a well-nigh fatal wound, and leaves
 
 THE GATES OPEN. 375 
 
 his victim to cure it as best she may. From that time forth 
 she may be like the wronged Indian, who slays as many 
 white men as he can. Not a few, on finding they cannot en- 
 ter the beautiful paradise of happy love, plunge into imbru 
 ting vice, and drown not only their disappointment, but 
 themselves in dissipation. Their course is like that of some 
 who deem that the best way to cure a wound or end a 
 disease is to kill the patient as soon as possible. If women 
 have true metal in them (and they usually have) they become 
 unselfishly devoted to others, and by gentle, self-denying 
 ways seek to impart to those about them the happiness 
 denied to themselves. 
 
 But with all manly young men, the instinct of Dennis 
 is perhaps the most common. They will rise, shine, and 
 dazzle the eyes that once looked scornfully or indifferently 
 at them. 
 
 As he worked patiently at his noble calling, this smaller 
 ambition was gradually lost in the nobler, broader one, to 
 be a true artist and good man. 
 
 During his illness, some gentlemen of large wealth 
 and liberality, who wished to stimulate and develop the 
 native artistic talent of their city, offered a prize of $2,000 
 for the finest picture painted during the year, the artist 
 also having the privilege of selling his work, 
 
 On his return after his illness, Dennis heard of this, 
 and determined to be one of the competitors. He applied 
 to Mr. Consoor, who had the matter in charge, for permis- 
 sion to enter the lists, which that gentleman granted rather 
 doubtfully. He had known Dennis only as a critic, not as 
 an artist. But, having gained his point, Dennis went 
 earnestly to work on the emblematic painting he had re- 
 solved upon, and with what success the following chapters 
 will show. 
 
 His mother's sickness and death, of course, put a com-
 
 .5.76 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 plete stop to his artistic labors for a time, but on entering 
 his new career as an artist, he gave himself wholly to this 
 effort. 
 
 The day for exhibition and decision was fixed on Sat- 
 urday morning, October 7th, 1871. 
 
 CHAPTER XLI. 
 
 SUSIE WINTHROP APPEARS AGAIN. 
 
 OUR story passes rapidly over the scenes and events 
 of the summer and fall of '71. Another heavy blow fell 
 upon Dennis, in the loss of his old friend and instructor, 
 Mr. Bruder. 
 
 By prayer and effort, his own and others', he was saved 
 morally and spiritually, but he had been greatly shattered 
 by past excess. He was attacked by typhoid fever, and 
 after a few days' illness died. Recovery from this disease 
 depends largely upon strength and purity of constitution. 
 But every one of the innumerable glasses of liquor that 
 poor Bruder had swallowed robbed him of these, and so 
 there was no constitution to resist. 
 
 Under her husband's improved finances, Mrs. Bruder 
 had removed to comfortable lodgings in Harrison Street, and 
 these she determined to keep if possible, dreading for the 
 sake of her children the influences of a crowded tenement 
 house. Dennis stood by her, a staunch and helpful frier d; 
 Ernst was earning a good little sum weekly, and by hei 
 needle and wash-tub the patient woman continued the 
 hard battle of life with fair prospects of success. 
 
 Dennis' studio was over on the south side, at the top 
 of a tal' building overlooking the lake. Even before the
 
 SUSIE WINTHROP APPEARS AGAIN. 
 
 377 
 
 earl/ summer sun rose above the shining waves he was at 
 his easel, and so accomplished what is a fair day's work 
 before many of his profession had left their beds. Though 
 he worked hard, and many hours, he still worked judi- 
 ciously. Bent upon accomplishing what was almost impossi- 
 ble within the limited time remaining, he determined, with 
 all his long hours of labor, Dr. Arten should never charge 
 him with suicidal tendencies again. Therefore he trained 
 himself mentally and morally for his struggle as the athlete 
 does physically. 
 
 He believed in the truth too little recognized among 
 brain-workers, that men can develop themselves into splen- 
 did mental conditions, wherein they can accomplish al- 
 most double their ordinary amount of labor. 
 
 The year allotted to the competitors for the prize to 
 be given in October was all too short for such a work as he 
 had attempted, and through his own, his mother's and 
 Mr. Bruder's illness, he had lost a third of the time, but in 
 the careful and skilful manner indicated he was trying to 
 make it up. 
 
 He had a long conversation with shrewd old Dr. Arten } 
 who began to take quite an interest in him. And also read 
 several books n on hygiene. Thus he worked under guid- 
 ance of reason, science, Christian principle, instead of mere 
 impulse, as is too often the case with genius. 
 
 In the absorption of his task he withdrew utterly from 
 society, and, with the exception of his mission-class, Chris 
 tian worship on Sabbath, and attendance on a little-prayei 
 meeting in a neglected quarter during the week, he per- 
 mitted no other demands upon his time and thoughts. 
 
 His pictures had sold for sufficient to provide for his 
 sisters and enable him to live, with close economy, till after 
 the prize was given, and then, if he did not gain it (of which 
 he was not at all sure), his painting would sell for enough 
 to meet future needs.
 
 378 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 And so we leave him for a time earnestly at work. He 
 was like a ship that had been driven hither and thither 
 tempest-tossed and in danger, but which, on reaching a clear 
 sky and smooth water at last, finds its true bearings, and 
 steadily pursues its homeward voyage. 
 
 The Christine that he first had learned to *ove in 
 happy unconsciousness while they arranged the store 
 together, became a glorified, artistic ideal. The Christine 
 he had learned to know as false and heartless, was now to 
 him a strange, fascinating, unwomanly creature, beautiful 
 only as the sirens were beautiful, that he might wreck 
 himself body and soul before her unpitying eyes. He 
 sought to banish all thought of her. 
 
 Christine returned about midsummer. She was com- 
 pelled to note, as she neared her native city, that of all the 
 objects it contained, Dennis Fleet was uppermost in her 
 thoughts. She longed to go to the store and see him 
 once more, even though it should be only at a distance, 
 with not even the shadow of recognition between them. 
 She condemned it all as folly, and worse than in vain, but 
 that made no difference to her heart ; that would have its 
 way. 
 
 Almost trembling with excitement, she entered the 
 Art Building the next day, and glanced around with a 
 timidity that was in marked contrast to her usual cold and 
 critical glance. But, as the reader knows, Dennis Fleet 
 was not to be seen. From time to time she went again, 
 but neither he nor Ernst appeared. She feared that for 
 some reason he had left, and determined to learn the 
 truth. Throwing off the strange timidity and reshamt 
 that ever embarrassed her where he was concerned, she 
 said to Mr. Schwartz one day : 
 
 " I don't like the way that picture is hung. Where is 
 Mr. Fleet? I believe he has charge of that department"
 
 SUSIE WINTHROP APPEARS AGAIN. 37y 
 
 " W hy, bless you ! Miss Ludolph,'' replied Mr. 
 Schwartz, with a look of surprise, " Mr. Ludolph dis- 
 charged him over two months ago." 
 
 " Discharged him ! what for ? " 
 
 " For being away too much, I heard, ' said old Schwat tz 
 with a shrug indicating that that might be the reason and 
 might not. 
 
 Christine came to the store but rarely thereafter, for it 
 had lost its chief element of interest. That evening she 
 said to her father : 
 
 "You have discharged Mr. Fleet?" 
 
 " Yes," was the brief answer. 
 
 " May I ask the reason ? " 
 
 " He was away too much." 
 
 " That is not the real reason," she said, turning sud- 
 denly upon him. " Father, what is the use of treating me 
 as a child ? What is the use of trying to lock things up 
 and keep them from me? I intend to go to Germany 
 with you this fall, and that is sufficient.'"' 
 
 With a courtly smile Mr. Ludolph replied: "And I 
 have lived long enough, my daughter, to know that what 
 people intend and what they do are two very different 
 things." 
 
 She flushed angrily and said : 
 
 " It was most unjust to discharge him as you did. 
 Do you not remember that he offered his mother's services 
 as nurse, when I was dreading the small-pox?" 
 
 " You are astonishingly grateful in this case," said her 
 father with a meaning that Christine understood too well, 
 " but if you will read the records of the Ludolph race, you 
 will find that its representatives have often been compelled 
 to do things somewhat arbitrarily. Since you have been 
 gone, I have received letters announcing the death of my 
 brother and his wife. I am now Baron Ludolph !"
 
 380 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 But Christine was too angry and too deeply wounded 
 to note this information, which at one time would have 
 elated her beyond measure, and she coldly said : 
 
 " It is a pity that noblemen are compelled to uight !m^ 
 noble deeds," and, with this parting arrow, left him. 
 
 Even her father winced, and then with a heavy frown 
 said, " It is well that this Yankee youth has vanished j 
 still the utmost vigilance is required." 
 
 Again he saw the treacherous maid, and promised 
 increased reward if she would be watchful, and inform him 
 of every movement of Christine. 
 
 In the unobtrusive ways that her sensitive pride permit- 
 ted, Christine tried to find out what had become of Dennis, 
 but vainly. She offered her maid a large reward if she 
 would discover him, but she had been promised a larger 
 sum not to find him, and so did not. The impression was 
 given that he had left the city, and Christine feared, with a 
 sickening dread, she would never see him again. But one 
 evening Mr. Consoor stated a fact, in a casual way, that 
 startled both Mr. and Miss Ludolph. 
 
 He was calling at their house, and they were discuss- 
 ing the coming exhibition of the pictures of those who 
 would compete for the prize. 
 
 " By the way, your former clerk and porter is among 
 the competitors ; at least he entered the lists last spring, 
 but I have lost sight of him since. I imagine he has given 
 it up, and betaken himself to tasks more within the range 
 of his ability." 
 
 The eyes of father and daughter met, but she turned to 
 Mr. Consoor, and said, coolly, though with a face somewhat 
 flushed : 
 
 " And has Chicago so much artistic talent that a reaj 
 genius has no chance here ? " 
 
 " I was not aware that Mr. Fleet was a genius," 
 answered Mr. Consoor.
 
 SUSIE WINTHROP APPEARS AGAIN. 381 
 
 " I think he will satisfy you on that point, and that you 
 will hear from him before the exhibition takes place." 
 
 Mr. Ludolph hastily changed the subject, but he had 
 forebodings as to the future. 
 
 Christine went to her room, and thought for a long 
 time ; suddenly she sprang up, exclaiming : 
 
 " He told me his story once, on canvas, I will now tell 
 him mine." 
 
 She at once stretched the canvas on a frame for a small 
 picture, and placed it on an easel, that she might com- 
 mence with the dawn of day. 
 
 During the following weeks she worked scarcely less 
 earnestly and patiently than Dennis. The door was locked 
 when she painted, and before she left the studio the pic- 
 ture was hidden. 
 
 She meant to send it anonymously, so that not even her 
 father should know its authorship. She hoped that Dennis 
 would recognize it. 
 
 When she was in the street her eyes began to have an 
 eager, wistful look, as if she was seeking some one. She 
 often went to galleries, and other resorts of artists, but in 
 vain, for she never met him, though at times he was nearer 
 than Evangeline's lover, the dip of whose oar she heard in 
 her dream. Though she knew, if she met him, she would 
 probably give not one encouraging glance, yet the instinct 
 of her heart was just as strong. 
 
 Mr. Ludolph told the maid that she must find out what 
 Christine was painting, and she tried to that degree that 
 she awakened suspicion. 
 
 On one occasion Christine turned suddenly on her and 
 said : 
 
 " What do you mean ? If I find you false if I have 
 even good reason to suspect you, I will turn you into the 
 street, though it be at midnight ! "
 
 382 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 And the maid learned, as did Mr. Ludolph, that she 
 was not dealing with a child. 
 
 At last, Monday, October zd, dawned, and on the fol- 
 lowing Saturday the prize would be given. All the long day 
 Dennis was employed in giving the finishing touches to his 
 picture. It was not worked up as finely as he could 
 have wished; time did not permit this. But he had brought 
 out his thought vividly, and his drawings were full of power. 
 
 In the evening he walked out for air and exercise. 
 As he was passing one of the large hotels, he heard his 
 name called. Turning, he saw on the steps, radiant with 
 welcome, his old friend, Susie Winthrop. Her hand was 
 on the arm of a tall gentleman, who seemed to have eyes 
 for her only. But in her old impulsive way she sprang 
 down the steps, and gave Dennis a grasp of the hand that 
 did his lonely heart good. Then, leading him to the 
 scholarly-looking gentleman, who was looking through his 
 glasses in mild surprise, she said : 
 
 " Professor Learned, my husband, Mr. Fleet. This is 
 the Dennis Fleet I have told you about so often." 
 
 "Oh h," said the Professor in prolonged accents, 
 while a genial light shone through the rims of his gold 
 spectacles ; " Mr. Fleet, we are old acquaintances, though 
 we have never met before. If I were a jealous man, you 
 are the only one I should fear." 
 
 "And we mean to make you woefully jealous to-night, 
 for I intend to have Mr. Fleet dine with us and spend the 
 evening. No, I will take no excuse, no denial. This in- 
 fatuated man will do whatever I bid him, and he is a sort 
 of a Greek athlete. If you do not come right along I shall 
 command him to lay violent hands on you and drag you 
 ignomimoubjy in." 
 
 Dennis was only too glad to accept, but only wished to 
 make a better toilet. 
 
 " I have just come from my studio," he said.
 
 SUSIE WINTHROP APPEARS AGAIN. 383 
 
 " And you wish to go and divest yourself of all artis- 
 tic flavor and become commonplace. Do you imagine I 
 will permit it ? No ! so march in as my captive. Who 
 ever heard of disputing the will of a bride. This man" 
 (pointing up to the tail Professor) " never dreams of it." 
 
 Dennis learned that she was on her wedding trip, and 
 saw that she was happily married, and proud of her Pro- 
 fessor, as he of her. 
 
 With feminine tact she drew his story from him, and 
 yet it was but a meagre, partial story, like the play of Ham- 
 let with Hamlet left out, for he tried to be wholly silent 
 on his love and disappointment. But in no respect did 
 he deceive Mrs. Learned. 
 
 Her husband went away for a little time. In his ab- 
 sence she asked abruptly : 
 
 " Have you seen Miss Ludolph lately ? " 
 
 " No ! " said Dennis with a tell-tale flush. Seeing her 
 look of sympathy, and knowing her to be such a true friend, 
 the impulsive young man gave his confidence almost be- 
 fore he knew it. She was just the one to inspire trust, and 
 he was very lonely, having had no one to whom he could 
 speak his deeper feelings since his mother died. 
 
 " Miss Ludolph wronged me in a way that a man finds 
 it hard to forget or forgive," he said in a low bitter tone, 
 " but I should have tried to do both had she not treated my 
 mother most inhumanly," and he told his story over again 
 with Hamlet in. 
 
 Mrs. Learned listened with breathless interest, and then 
 said: 
 
 " She is a strange girl, and that plan of making you her 
 anconscious model is just like her, though it was both cruel 
 and wicked. And yet, Mr. Fleet, with shame for my sex 
 I admit it, how many would have flirted with you to the 
 same degree from mere vanity and love of excitement. J
 
 384 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 have seen Miss Ludolph, and I cannot understand her. 
 We are no longer the friends we once were, but I cannot 
 think -her utterly heartless. She is bent upon becoming a 
 great aitist at any cost, and I sometimes think she would 
 sacrifice herself as readily as any one else for this purpose. 
 She looks to me as if she had suffered, and she has lost 
 much of her old haughty, cold manner, save when some- 
 thing calls it out. Even in the drawing-room she was ab- 
 stracted, as if her thoughts were far away. You are a man 
 of honor, and it is due that you should know the following 
 facts. Indeed I do not think that they are a secret any 
 longer, and at any rate they will soon be known. If Mr. 
 Ludolph were in Germany he would be a noble. It is his 
 ntention to go there this Fall, and take his wealth and 
 Christine with him, and assert his ancestral titles and posi- 
 tion. Christine could not marry in this land without in- 
 curring her father's curse, and I think she has no disposi- 
 tion to do that, her ambition is fully in accord with his." 
 
 "Yes," said Dennis bitterly, "and where other women 
 have hearts, she has ambition only." 
 
 The Professor returned and the subject was dropped. 
 
 Dennis said, on leaving : " I did not expect to show 
 any one my picture till it was placed on exhibition, with 
 the others, but if you care to see it, you may to-morrow. 
 Perhaps you can make some suggestions that will help 
 me." 
 
 They eagerly accepted the invitation, and came the 
 following morning. Dennis watched them with much 
 solicitude. 
 
 When once they understood his thought, their delight 
 and admiration knew no bounds. 
 
 1'ne Professor turned and stared at him as if he were 
 an entirely different person from the unpretending youtt 
 who was introduced on the preceding evening.
 
 SUGGESTIVE PICTURES AND A PRIZE. 385 
 
 " If you do not get the prize," he said sententiously, 
 " you have a great deal of artistic talent in Chicago." 
 " ' A Daniel come to judgment ! ' " cried his wife. 
 
 CHAPTER XLII. 
 
 SUGGESTIVE PICTURES AND A PRIZE. 
 
 AT last the day of the exhibition dawned. Dennis had 
 sent his picture, directed to Mr. Consoor, with his name in 
 an enve4ope nailed on its back. No one was to know who 
 the artists were till after the decision was given. Christine 
 had sent hers also, but no name whatever was in the en- 
 velope on the back of her picture. 
 
 Quite early in the day, the doors were thrown open for 
 all who chose to come. The committee of critics had 
 ample time given them for their decision, and at one P. M. 
 this was to be announced. 
 
 Although Dennis went quite early, he found that 
 Christine was there before him. She stood with Professor 
 and Mrs. Learned, Mr. Consoor and her father, before 
 his picture. He could only see her side face, and she was 
 glancing from the printed explanation in the catalogue to 
 the painting. Mrs. Learned was also at her side, seeing 
 to it that no point was unnoted. Christine's manner 
 betrayed intense interest and excitement, and with cause, 
 for again Dennis had spoken to her deepest soul in the 
 language she best loved and understood. 
 
 As before she saw two emblematic pictures within one 
 fi ame merely separated by a plain band of gold. 
 
 The first presented a chateau of almost palatial pro- 
 portions, heavy, ornate, but stiff and quite devoid of beauty
 
 386 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 It appeared the abode of wealth and ancestral greatness. 
 Everything about the place indicated lavish expenditure. 
 The walks and trees were straight and forma], the flowers 
 that bloomed here and there, large and gaudy. A pairot 
 hung 'i a gilded cage against a column of the piazza. No 
 wild songsters fluttered in the trees, or were on the wing. 
 Hills shut the place in and gave it a narrow, restricted im- 
 pression, and the sky overhead was hard and brazen. On 
 the lawn stood a graceful mountain ash, and beneath it 
 were two figures. The first was that of a man, and evidently 
 the master of the place.. His appearence and manner 
 chiefly indicated pride, -haughtiness, and also sensuality. 
 He had broken a spray from the ash tree, and witn a con- 
 descending air was in the act of handing it to a lady, in 
 the portraiture of whom Dennis had truly displayed great 
 skill. She was very beautiful, and yet there was nothing 
 good or noble in her face. Her proud features showed 
 mingled shame and reluctance to receive the gift in the 
 manner it was bestowed, and yet she was receiving it. 
 The significance of the mountain ash is " Grandeur." The 
 whole scene was the portrayal, in the-beautiful language of 
 Art, of a worldly, ambitious marriage, where the man seeks 
 mere beauty, and the woman wealth and position, love 
 having no existence. 
 
 It possessed an eloquence that Christine could not 
 resist, and she fairly loathed the alliance she knew her 
 father would expect her to make after their arrival in 
 Germany, though once she had looked forward to it with 
 eagerness as the stepping-stone to her highest ambition. 
 
 The second picture was a beautiful contrast. Instead of 
 the brazen glare of the first, the air was full of glimmering 
 lights and shades, and the. sky of a deep transparent blue. 
 Far up a mountain side, on an over-hanging cliff, grew the 
 same graceful ash-tree, but its branches were entwined with
 
 SUGGESTIVE PICTURES AND A PRIZE. 387 
 
 vines of the passion-flower (signifying " holy love ") that 
 hung around in slender streamers. On a jutting rock, with 
 precarious footing, stood a young man reaching up to grasp 
 a branch, his glance bold and hopeful, and his whole man- 
 ner full of daring and power. He had evidently had a 
 hard climb to reach his present position ; his hat was gone, 
 and his dress light and simple and adapted to the severest 
 effort. 
 
 But the chief figure in this picture also, was that of a 
 young girl who stood near, her right hand clasping his left, 
 and steadying and sustaining him in his perilous footing. 
 The wind was in her golden hair, and swept to one side 
 her light airy costume. Her pure, noble face was lifted up 
 toward him^ rather than toward the spray he sought to 
 grasp, and an eager happy light shone from her eyes. She 
 had evidently climbed with him to their present vantage- 
 point, and now her little hand secured and strengthened 
 him as he sought to grasp for her success and prosperity 
 joined with unselfish love. The graceful wind-flowers 
 tossed their delicate blossoms around their feet, and above 
 them an eagle wheeled in its majestic flight 
 
 Below and oposite them on a breezy hill-side stood^an 
 elegant modern villa, as tasteful in its architecture as the 
 former had been stiff and heavy. A fountain played upon 
 the lawn, and back of it a cascade broke into silver spray 
 and mist. High above this beautiful earthly home, in the 
 clear, pure air rose a palace-like structure in shadowy gold- 
 en outline, indicating that after the dwelling-place of time 
 came the grander and more perfect mansion above. 
 
 Christine looked till her eyes were blinded with tears, 
 and then dropped her veil. In the features of the lady in 
 each case she had not failed to trace a faint likeness, suffi- 
 cient to make it clear to herself. She said in a low plain* 
 tive tone, with quivering lips :
 
 388 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 " Mr. Fleet painted that picture." 
 
 " Yes," said Mrs. Learned, looking at her with no little 
 wondei and perplexity. 
 
 By a great effort Christine recovered herself and said : 
 
 " You know how deeply fine paintings always affect 
 ne." 
 
 Dennis of course knew nothing of Christine's feelings. 
 He could only see that his picture had produced a pro- 
 found effect on her, and that she had eyes for nothing else. 
 But he overheard Mr. Consoor say : 
 
 " It is indeed a remarkable painting." 
 
 " Do you know its author ? " asked Mr. Ludolph with 
 a heavy frown. 
 
 " No, I do not. It is a mystery as yet." 
 
 " Will it take the prize do you think ? " 
 
 " I am not at liberty to give an opinion as yet," replied 
 Mr. Consoor with a smile. " There is another picture here, 
 almost if not quite as fine, though much smaller and sim- 
 pler," and he took Mr. Ludolph off to show him that. 
 
 Dennis was now recognized by Mrs. Learned and her 
 husband, who came forward and greeted him cordially, and 
 they commenced making a tour of the gallery together. 
 Though his heart beat/ast, he completely ignored Chris- 
 tine's presence, and replied coldly to Mr. Ludolph's slight 
 bow. 
 
 Christine, on being aware of his presence, furtively 
 devoured him with her eyes. The refining influences of his 
 life were evident in his face and bearing, and she realized 
 her ideal of what a man ought to be. Eagerly she watched 
 till he should discover her painting where it hung opposite 
 his own, and at last she was amply rewarded for all her 
 toij. He stopped suddenly and stood as if spell bound. 
 
 The picture was very simple, and few accessories entered 
 into it. Upon a barren rock of an island stood a woman
 
 SUGGESTIVE PICTURES AND A PRIZE. 389 
 
 gazing far out at sea, where in the distance a ship was sail- 
 ing away. Though every part had been worked up with 
 exquisite finish, the whole force and power of the painting 
 lay in the expression of the woman's face, which was an in- 
 describable mingling of longing and despair. Here also 
 Christine had traced a faint resemblance to herself, though 
 the woman was middle aged and haggard, with famine in 
 her cheeks. 
 
 As Dennis looked and wondered, the thought flashed 
 into his mind, " Could she have painted that ? " He turned 
 suddenly toward her and was convinced that she had j for 
 there she was looking at him with something of the same 
 expression, or at least he fancied so. She blushed deeply 
 and turned hastily away. He was greatly agitated, but in 
 view of the eyes that were upon him controlled himself and 
 remained outwardly calm. 
 
 Mr. Ludolph also was convinced that his daughter had 
 painted the picture, and frowned more heavily than before. 
 He turned a dark look on her, and found her regarding 
 Dennis in a manner that caused him to grind his teeth with 
 rage. But he could do nothing but sit down and watch the 
 course of events. 
 
 The people were now thronging in. The gentlemen 
 who made up the prize, with their co'mmittee of award, of 
 which Mr. Consoor was chairman, were also present. Most 
 critically they examined each picture till at last their choice 
 narrowed down to the two paintings above described. But 
 it soon became evident that their choice would fall upon the 
 larger one, and Dennis saw that he was to be the victor. 
 To his surprise Christine seemed utterly indifferent as to 
 the result of their decision. He could not know that the 
 prize had no place in her thoughts when she painted her 
 picture. She had found her reward in its effect on him. 
 At one o'clock Mr. Consoor came forward and said:
 
 390 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 " Ladies and gentlemen, and especially do I address that 
 group of liberal citizens who are so generously seeking to 
 encourage art in our great and prosperous city, it gives 
 me pleasure to inform you that your munificence has 
 Lrought forth rich fruit, for here are many paintings that 
 would do credit to any gallery. We hesitated a little time 
 between two very superior pictures, but at last we have 
 decided that the larger one is worthy of the prize. The 
 smaller picture is one of great merit ; its treatment is un- 
 usually fine, though the subject is not new. 
 
 " The two emblematic pictures in some parts show crude 
 and hasty work indeed some minor parts are quite unfin- 
 ished. The artist evidently has not had sufficient time. 
 But the leading features are well wrought out, and there is 
 a power and originality about the entire effort that so im- 
 presses us that, as I have said, we render our decision in 
 its favor. That all may know that our verdict is fair, we 
 state on our honor that we do not know the authorship of 
 a single painting present. Dr. Arten, as the largest con- 
 tributor towards the prize, you are appointed to bestow it. 
 On the back of the picture you will find an envelope con- 
 taining the name of the artist, whom we all shall delight to 
 honor." 
 
 Amid breathless " expectation, Dr. Arten stepped for- 
 ward, took down the envelope, and read in a loud, trumpet- 
 like voice, 
 
 " DENNIS FLEET."
 
 CHAPTER XLIII. 
 
 FIRE ! FIRE ! 
 
 " WILL Dennis Fleet come forward ? " cried Dr. Arten. 
 Very pale, and trembling with excitement, Dennis stepped 
 out before them all. 
 
 " Take heart, my young friend, I am not about to read 
 your death-warrant," said the Doctor cheerily. "Permit 
 me to present you with this check for two thousand dol- 
 lars, and express to you what is of more value to the true 
 artist, our esteem and appreciation of your artistic merit. 
 May your brush ever continue to be employed in the 
 presentation of such noble, elevating thoughts ; your 
 laurel crown of earth will change to the more unfading 
 one of heaven." 
 
 And the good Doctor, quite overcome by this unusual 
 flight of eloquence, blew his nose vigorously and wiped 
 from his spectacles the moisture with which his own eyes 
 had bedewed them. 
 
 Dennis responded with a low bow, and was about to 
 retire ; but his few friends, and indeed all who knew him, 
 pressed forward with their congratulations. 
 
 Foremost among these were the Professor and his wife. 
 Tears of delight fairly shone in Mrs. Learned's eyes as 
 she shook his hand again and again. Many others also 
 trooped up for an introduction, till he was quite bewil- 
 dered by strange names, and compliments that seemed 
 stranger still.
 
 392 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 Suddenly a low, well-known voice at his side sent a 
 thrill to his heart and a rush of crimson to his face 
 
 "Will Mr. Fleet deign to receive my congratulations 
 also ? " 
 
 He turned and met the deep blue eyes of Christine 
 Ludolph lifted timidly to his. But at once the association 
 that had long been uppermost in regard to her the mem- 
 ory of her supposed treatment of his mother flashed 
 across him, and he replied with cold and almost stately 
 courtesy : 
 
 ' " The least praise or notice from Miss Ludolph would 
 be a most unexpected favor." 
 
 She thought from his manner that he might as well 
 have said " unwelcome favor," and with a sad disappointed 
 look she turned away. 
 
 Even in the excitement and triumph of the moment, 
 Dennis was oppressed by the thought that he had not 
 spoken as wisely as he might. Almost abruptly he broke 
 away and escaped to the solitude of his own room. 
 
 He did not think about his success. The prize lay 
 forgotten in his pocket-book. He sat in his arm-chair and 
 stared apparently at vacancy, but in reality at the picture 
 that he was sure Christine had painted. He went over 
 and over again with the nicest scrutiny all her actions in 
 the gallery, and now reproached himself bitterly for the 
 repelling answer he had given when she spoke to him. 
 He tried to regain his old anger and hardness in view of 
 her wrongs to him and his, but could not. The tell-tale 
 picture, and traces of sorrow and suffering in her face in 
 accord with it, had disarmed him. He said to himself, 
 and half believed, that he was letting his imagination run 
 away with his reason, but could not help it. At last he 
 seized his hat and hastened to the hotel where Mrs. Lear- 
 ned was stain. She at once launched out into a strain 
 
 T4
 
 FIRE! FIRE! 
 
 eulogistic and descriptive of her enjoyment of the whole 
 thing. 
 
 " I never was so proud of Chicago," she exclaimed. 
 4 ' It is the greatest city in the world. Only the other day 
 her streets were prairies. I believe my husband expected 
 to find buffalo and Indians just outside the town. But 
 see ! already by its liberality and attention to Ait, it 
 begins to vie with some of our oldest cities. But what is 
 the matter ? You look so worried." 
 
 " Oh, nothing," said Dennis, coming out of his troubled, 
 abstracted manner. 
 
 With her quick intuition, Mrs. Learned at once divined 
 his thoughts, and said soon after, when her husband's back 
 was turned : 
 
 "All I can say is, that she was deeply, most deeply 
 affected by your picture, but she said nothing to me, more 
 than to express her admiration. My friend, you had better 
 forget her. They sail for Europe very soon ; and besides, 
 she is not worthy of you." 
 
 " I only wish I could forget her, and am angry with niy- 
 self that I cannot," he replied, and soon after said "go<.d- 
 night." 
 
 Wandering aimlessly through the streets, he almost 
 unconsciously made his way to the north side, where the 
 Ludolph mansion was situated. Then the impulse to go to 
 it came over him, and for the first time since the evening, 
 long before, when, stunned and wounded by his bitter dis- 
 appointment he had gone away apparently to die, he again 
 was at the familiar place. The gas was burning in Mr. 
 Ludolph's library. He went around on the side street 
 (for the house was on a corner), and a light shone 
 from what he knew was Christine's studio. She undoubt- 
 edly was there. Even such proximity excited him 
 strangely, and in his morbid state he felt that ht rnu'd
 
 394 
 
 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 almost kiss the feeble rays that shimmered out into the 
 darkened street. In his secret soul he utterly condemned 
 his folly, but promised himself that he would be weak no 
 longer after that one night. The excitements of the day 
 bad rather thrown him off his balance. 
 
 Suddenly he heard, sweet and clear, though softened 
 by distance and intervening obstacles, the same weird, pa- 
 thetic ballad that had so moved him when Christine sang 
 it at Le Grand Hotel, the evening of the day on which 
 he had pointed out the fatal defect in her picture. At 
 short intervals, kindred and plaintive songs followed each 
 other. 
 
 " There is nothing exultant or hopeful about those 
 strains," he said to himself. " For some reason she is not 
 happy. Oh, that I might have one frank conversation with 
 her, and find out the whole truth. But it seems that I 
 might just as well ask for a near look at yonder star that 
 glimmers so distantly. For some reason, I cannot believe 
 her so utterly heartless as she has seemed ; and then 
 mother has prayed. Can it all end as a miserable dream ? " 
 
 Late at night the music ceased, and the room was dark- 
 ened. 
 
 Little dreamed Christine that her plaintive minstrelsy 
 had fallen on so sympathetic an ear, and that the man who 
 seemingly had repelled her slightest acquaintance had shiv- 
 ered long hours in the cold, dark street. 
 
 So the Divine friend waits and watches, even till the 
 dews of morning fall, while we, in ignorance and unbe- 
 lief, pay no heed. Stranger far, He waits and watches when 
 we know, but yet, unrelenting, ignore His presence. 
 
 With heavy steps, Dennis wearily plodded homeward. 
 He was oppressed by that deep despondency which follows 
 great fatigue and excitement. 
 
 In the southwest he saw a brilliam light. He heard
 
 FIRE! FIRE! 395 
 
 the alarm-bells, and knew there was a fire, but to have 
 aroused him that night it must have come scorchingly 
 close. He reached his dark little room, threw himself 
 dressed on the couch, and slept till nearly noon the next 
 day. 
 
 When he awoke, and realized how the best hours of the 
 Sabbath had passed, he started up much vexed with him- 
 self, and after a brief retrospect said : 
 
 " Such excitements as those of yesterday are little bet- 
 ter than a debauch, and I must shun them hereafter. God 
 has blessed and succeeded me, and it is but a poor return I 
 am making. However my unfortunate attachment ends, 
 nothing is gained by moping around in the dead of night. 
 Henceforth let there be an end to such folly." 
 
 He made a careful toilet and sat down to his Sabbath- 
 school lesson. 
 
 To his delight he again met Mrs. Learned, who came to 
 visit her old mission-class. She smiled most approvingly, 
 and quoted : 
 
 " ' He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful 
 also in much.' " 
 
 He went home with her, and in the evening they all 
 went to church together. 
 
 He cried unto the Lord for strength and help, and 
 almost lost consciousness of the service in his earnest 
 prayer for true manhood and courage to go forward to 
 what he feared would be a sad and lonely life. And 
 the answer came; for a sense of power and readiness to do 
 God's will, and withal a strange hopefulness, inspired him. 
 Trusting in the Divine strength, he felt that he could meet 
 his future now, whatever it might be. 
 
 Again the-alarm bells were ringing, and there was a 
 light in the southwest. 
 
 "There seemb to be a fire ovei there in the direction of
 
 396 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 my poor German friend's house. You remember Mrs. 
 Bruder. I will go and call on them, I think. At any rate 
 I should call, for it is due to her husband that I won the 
 prize," and they parted at the churchdoor. 
 
 Christine soon left the gallery with a veil drawn over 
 her face. Her gay friends tried in vain to rally her, and 
 rather wondered at her manner, but said : 
 
 " She is so full of moods of late, you can never know 
 what to expect." 
 
 Her father, with a few indifferent words, left her for his 
 place of business. His hope and plan still was to prevent 
 her meeting Dennis and keep up the estrangement that 
 existed. 
 
 Christine went home and spent the long hours in bitter 
 revery, which at last she summed up by saying : 
 
 " I have stamped out his love by my folly, and now his 
 words, ' I despise you,' express the whole wretched 
 truth." Then clenching her little hands she added with 
 livid lips and a look of scorn, " If I can never help him 
 (and therefore no one) win earthly greatness, I will never 
 be the humble recipient of it from another. Since his 
 second picture cannot be true of my experience, neither 
 shall the first." 
 
 And she was one to keep such a resolve. The even- 
 ing was spent, as we know, in singing alone in her studio, 
 this being her favorite, indeed her only way of giving 
 expression to her feelings. Very late she sough* her bed 
 to find but little sleep. 
 
 The day of rest brought no rest to her, sugges ed no 
 hope, no sacred privilege of seeking Divine help to beat' 
 up under life's burdens. To her it was a relic of super- 
 stition, at. which she chafed as interfering with the usual 
 routine of affairs. She awoke with a headache, and a long 
 mis>.-rabk- clay she found it. Sabbath night she determiner 3
 
 FIRE. FIRE! 397 
 
 to have sleep, and therefore took an opiate and retired 
 early. 
 
 Mr. Ludolph sat in' his library trying to construct some 
 plan by which Christine could be sent to Germany at once 
 
 When Dennis reached the neighborhood of the fire he 
 found it much larger than he supposed, and when he 
 entered Harrison Street, near where Mrs. Bruder lived, 
 discovered that only prompt action could save the family. 
 The streets were fast becoming choked with fugitives and 
 teams, and the confusion threatened to develop into panic 
 and wide-spread danger. The fire was but a block away 
 when he rushed up-stairs to the floor which the Bruders 
 occupied. From the way that blazing brands were flying 
 he knew that there was not a moment to spare. 
 
 He found Mrs. Bruder startled, anxious, but in no way 
 comprehending the situation. 
 
 "Quick!" cried Dennis, "waken and dress the chil- 
 dren pack up what you can lay your hands on and carry 
 you have no time to do anything more." 
 
 " Ah ! mine Gott ! vat you mean ? " 
 
 " Do as I say there's no time to explain. Here 
 Ernst, help me," and Dennis snatched up one child and 
 commenced dressing it before it could fairly wake. 
 Ernst took up another and followed his example. Mrs. 
 Bruder, recovering from her bewilderment, hastily gathered 
 a few things together, saying in the meantime : 
 
 " Surely you don't tink our home burn up ? " 
 
 " Yes, my poor friend, in five minutes more we must all 
 be out of this building." 
 
 " Oh, den come dis minute ! Let me save de childer," 
 and throwing a blanket around the youngest the frightened 
 woman rushed downstairs followed by Ernst and his little 
 brother, while Dennis hastened with the last child and the 
 bundle
 
 398 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 Their escape was none too prompt, for the blazing 
 embers were falling to that degree in the direct line of the 
 fire as to render it very unsafe. But though their progress 
 was necessarily slow, from the condition of the streets, the 
 breadth of the fire was not great at this point, and they soon 
 reached a position to the west and windward that was safe. 
 Putting the family in charge of Ernst, and telling them {o 
 continue westward, Dennis rushed back, feeling that many 
 lives might depend upon stout hands and brave hearts 
 that night. Moreover he was in that state of mind that 
 made him court rather than shun danger. 
 
 He had hardly left his humble friends before Mrs. Bru- 
 der stopped, put her hand on her heart and cried : 
 
 " O Ernst ! O Gott forgive me ! dat I should forget 
 him your fader's picture. I must go back." 
 
 " O moder, no ! you are more to us than the picture." 
 The woman's eyes were wild and excited, and she cried 
 vehemently : " Dat picture saved mine Berthold life yes, 
 more, more, him brought back his artist soul. Vithout 
 him ve vould all be vorse dan dead. I can no live vith- 
 out him. Stay here," and with the speed of the wind the 
 devoted wife rushed back to the burning street, up the 
 stairs, already crackling and blazing, to where the lovely 
 landscape smiled peacefully in the dreadful glare, with its 
 last rich glow of beauty. She tore it from its fastenings, 
 pressed her lips fervently against it, regained the street, 
 but with dress on fire. She staggered forward a few steps 
 in the hot stifling air and smoke, and then fell upon her 
 burden. Spreading her arms over it, to protect it even in 
 death, the mother's heart went out in agony toward her 
 children. 
 
 " Ah merciful Gott ! take care of dem," she sighed, and 
 the prayer and the spirit that breathed it went up to heaven 
 together.
 
 CHAPTER XLIV. 
 
 BARON LUDOLPH LEARNS THE TRUTH. 
 
 WITH eyes ablaze with excitement, Dennis plunged 
 into the region just before the main line of fire, knowing 
 that there the danger would be greatest. None realized 
 the rapidity of its advance. At the door of a tenement- 
 house he found a pale, thin, half-clad woman tugging 
 at a sewing-machine. 
 
 "Madam," cried Dennis, "you have no time to waste 
 over that burden if you wish to escape." 
 
 " What is the use of escaping without it ? " she answered 
 sullenly. " It is the only way I have of making a living." 
 
 " Give it to me then, and follow as fast as you can." 
 Shouldering what meant to the poor creature shelter, 
 clothing, and bread, he led the way to the southeast, out 
 of the line of fire. It was a long, hard struggle, but they 
 got through safely. 
 
 " How can I ever pay you ? " cried the grateful woman. 
 
 " By your prayers. Good-bye," and he was off again. 
 
 " Well," she muttered, " I never prayed much before, 
 but I am going to begin now." 
 
 Dennis determined to make his way to the west, and 
 "windward of the fire, as he could then judge better of the 
 chances of its spreading. He thought it safer to go 
 around and back of the flames, as they now seemed much 
 wider, and nearer the south branch of the Chicago river. 
 
 He found that he could cross the burnt district a little
 
 400 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 to the southwest, for the small wooden houses were swept 
 so utterly away that there were no heated blazing ruins to 
 contend with. He also saw that he could do better by 
 making quite a wide circuit, as he thus avoided streets 
 choked by fugitives. Reaching a point near the river on 
 the west side of the fire, he climbed a high pile of lumber, 
 and then discovered to his horror that the fire had caught 
 in several places on the south side, and that the nearest 
 bridges were burning. 
 
 To those not familiar with the topography of the city, 
 it should be stated that it is separated by the Chicago 
 river, a slow, narrow stream, into three main divisions, 
 known as the south, north, and west sides. 
 
 By a triumph of engineering, the former mouth of this 
 river at the lake is now its source, the main stream being 
 turned back upon itself, and dividing into two branches 
 at a point little o T 'er half a mile from the lake, one flowing 
 to the southwest into the Illinois, and the other from the 
 northwest. 
 
 The south division includes all the territory between 
 the lake east of tl;e south branch and south of the main 
 river. The north division includes the area between the 
 lake east of the north branch and north of the river ; 
 while the west division embraces all that part of the city 
 west of the two branches. The fire originated in De 
 Koven Street, the southeastern part of the west side, and 
 it was carried steadily to the north and east, by an increas- 
 ing gale. The south side, with all its magnificent build- 
 ings, was soon directly in the line of the fire. 
 
 When Dennis saw that the flames had crossed the 
 south branch, and were burning furiously beyond, he knew 
 that the best part of the city was threatened with destruc- . 
 tion. He hastened to the Washington Street tunnel, 
 where he found a T ~ast throng, carrying all sorts of burdens,
 
 BARON LUDOLPH LEARNS THE TRUTH. 401 
 
 rushing either way. He plunged in with the rest, and 
 soon found himself hustled hither and thither by a surging 
 mass of humanity. A little piping voice that seemed 
 under his feet cried : 
 
 " Oh, mamma ! mamma ! Where are you ? I'm gettin' 
 lost." 
 
 " Here I am, my child," answered a voice some steps 
 in advance, and Dennis saw a lady carrying another child ; 
 but the rushing tide would not let her wait, each one, in 
 the place where they were wedged, being carried right 
 along. Stooping down, he put the little girl on his shoul- 
 der where she could see her mother, and so they pressed 
 on. Suddenly, in the very midst of the tunnel, by reason 
 of the destruction of the works, the gas all at once ceased, 
 and utter darkness filled the place. 
 
 There was a loud cry of consternation, and then a 
 momentary and dreadful silence, which would have been 
 the preface of a fatal panic, had not Dennis cried out in a 
 clarion voice : 
 
 " All keep to. the right ! " 
 
 This cry was taken up and repeated on every hand, and 
 side by side, to right and left, the two living streams of 
 humanity, with steady tramp ! tramp ! rushed past each 
 other. 
 
 When they emerged into the glare of the south side 
 Dennis gave the child to its mother and said : " Madam, 
 your only chance is to escape in that direction," pointing 
 northwest. 
 
 He then tried to make his way to the hotel where Pro- 
 fessor and Mrs. Learned were staying, but it was in the 
 midst of an unapproachable sea of fire. If they had not 
 escaped some little time before, they had already perished. 
 He then tried to make his way to the windward, towards 
 his own room. His two thousand dollars ai*d all he pos-
 
 402 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 sessed was there, and the instinct of self-preservation 
 caused him to think it was time to look after ms own. 
 But progress was now very difficult. The streets were 
 choked by drays, carriages, furniture, trunks, and every de- 
 gree and condition of humanity. In addition to these im- 
 pediments his steps were often stayed by thrilling scenesi 
 and the need of a helping hand. In order to make his way 
 faster he took a street nearer the fire from which the people 
 had mostly been driven. As he was hurrying along with 
 his hat drawn over his eyes to avoid the sparks that were 
 driven about like fiery hail, he suddenly heard a piercing 
 shriek. Looking up he saw the figure of a woman at the 
 third story window of a fine mansion that was already burn- 
 ing, though not so rapidly as those in the direct line of the 
 fire. He with a number of others stopped at the sound. 
 
 "Who will volunteer with me to save that woman?" 
 ~ried he. 
 
 " Wai, stranger, you can reckon on this old stager for 
 one," answered a familiar voice. 
 
 Dennis turned and recognized his old friend, the Good 
 Samaritan. 
 
 " Why Cronk," he cried, " don't you know me ? Don't 
 you remember the young man you saved from starving by 
 suggesting the snow-shovel business ? " 
 
 " Hollo ! my young colt. How are you ? give us your 
 fore foot. But come, don't let's stop to talk about snow in 
 this hell of a place with that young filly whinnying up 
 there." 
 
 "Right!" cried Dennis. "Let us find a ladder and 
 rope ; quick " 
 
 At a paint-shop around the corner a ladder was found 
 that reached to the second story, and some one procured a 
 rope. 
 
 ' A thousand dollars," cried another familiar voice, '* tc 
 the man who saves that woman ! "
 
 BARON LUDOLPH LEARNS THE TRUTH. 
 
 43 
 
 Looking round, Dennis saw standing on a box near the 
 burly form of Mr. Brown, the brewer, his features . : istorted 
 by agony and fear, then glancing up he discovered in the 
 red glare upon her face that the woman was no other than 
 his daughter. She had come to spend the night with a 
 friend, and being a sound sleeper, had not escaped with the 
 rest of the family. 
 
 " Who wants yer thousand dollars ? " replied Bill Cronk's 
 gruff voice. " Dy'e spose we'd hang out here over the bot- 
 tomless pit for any such trifle as that ? We want to save 
 the gal." 
 
 Before Cronk was through his characteristic speech 
 Dennis was half way up the ladder. He entered the second 
 story only to be driven back by fire and smoke. 
 
 " A pole of some kind ! " he cried. 
 
 The thills of a broken-down buggy supplied this, but 
 the flames had already reached Miss Brown. Being a girl 
 of a good deal of nerve and physical courage however, she 
 tore off her outer clothing with her own hands. ^Dennis 
 now handed her the rope on the end of the buggy-thill and 
 told her to fasten it to something in the room that would 
 support her weight, and lower herself to the second story. 
 She fastened it, but did not seem to know how to lower 
 herself. Dennis tried the rope, found it would sustain his 
 weight, then bringing into use an art learned in his college 
 gymnasium, he over-handed rapidly till he stood at Miss 
 Brown's side. Drawing up the rope he fastened her to it 
 and lowered her to the ladder, where Bill Cronk caught 
 her, and in a moment more she was in her father's arms, 
 who at once shielded her from exposure with his over- 
 coat. Dennis followed the rope down, and had hardly got 
 away before the building fell in. 
 
 " Is not this Mr. Fleet ? " asked Miss Brown. 
 
 "Yes."
 
 404 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 
 
 " How can we ever repay you ? " 
 
 "By learning to respect honest men, even though they 
 are not rich, Miss Brown." 
 
 " Did you knew who it was when you saved me ? " 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 " Mr. Fleet, I sincerely ask yotn pardon." 
 
 But before Dennis could teply they were compelled to 
 fly for their lives. 
 
 Mr. Brown shouted as he ran " Call at the house or 
 place of business of Thomas Brown, and the money will be 
 ready." 
 
 But Thomas Brown would have found it hard work 
 to rake a thousand dollars out of the ashes of either place 
 the following day. The riches in which he trusted had 
 taken wings. 
 
 Cronk and Dennis kept together for a short distance, 
 and the latter saw that his friend had been drinking. 
 Their steps led them near a large liquor-store which a 
 party ojf men and boys were sacking. One of these, half 
 intoxicated, handed Bill a bottle of whiskey, but as the 
 drover was lifting it to his lips, Dennis struck it to the 
 ground. Cronk was in a rage instantly. 
 
 " What the did you do that for ? " he growled. 
 
 " I would do that and more too, to save your life. If 
 you get drunk to-night you are a lost man," answered 
 Dennis earnestly. 
 
 " Whose agoir.' ter get drunk, I'd like ter know ? You 
 feel yer oats too much to-night. No man or horse can 
 kick over the traces with me," and he went off in the 
 unreasoning ange v of a half-drunken man. But he carried 
 all his generous impulses with him, for a few minutes after, 
 seeing a man lying in a most dangerous position, 'he ran 
 up and shook him crying : 
 
 " I say, stranger, get up, or yer ribs will soon be roasted.'
 
 BARON LUDOLPH LEARNS THE TRUTH. 405 
 
 " Leon me 'lone," was the maudl : n answer. " I've had 
 drink 'nuff. 'Tain't mornin' yet." 
 
 "Hi there ! '* cried a warning voice, and Cronk started 
 back just in time to escape a blazing wall that fell across the 
 street. The stupefied man he sought to arouse was hope- 
 lessly buried. Cronk, having got out of danger, stood and 
 scratched his head, his favorite way of assisting reflection. 
 
 "That's just what that young critter Fleet meant. What 
 a cussed ole mule I was to kick up so. Ten chances to 
 one but it will happen to me afore mo r nin'. Look here, 
 Bill Cronk, you just pint out of this fiery furnace. You 
 know yer failin', and there's too long and black a score 
 agin you in tother world for you to go to-night," and Bill 
 made a bee line for the west side. 
 
 Struggling off to windward through the choked streets 
 for a little distance, Dennis ascended the side stairs of a 
 tall building, in order to get more accurately the bearings 
 of the fire. He now for the first time realized its magni- 
 tude, and was appalled. It appeared as if the whole south 
 side must go. At certain points the very heavens seemed 
 on fire. The sparks filled the air like flakes of fiery snow, 
 and great blazing fragments of roofs, and boards from lum- 
 ber yards, sailed over his head, with the ill-omened glare 
 of meteors. The rush and roar of the wind and flames was 
 like the thunder of Niagara, and to this awful monotone 
 accompaniment was added a Babel of sovnds shrieks, and 
 shouts of human voices, the sharp crash of falling build- 
 ings, and ever and anon heavy detonations, as the fire 
 reached explosive material. As he looked down into the 
 white upturned faces in the thronged streets, it seemed to 
 him as if the people might be gathering for the last great 
 day. Above all the uproar, the court-house bell could be 
 heard, with its heavy, solemn clangor, no longer ringing 
 alarm, but the city's knell ! 
 18
 
 406 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 But he saw that if he reached his own little room in 
 time to save anything, he must hasten. His course lay 
 near the Art Building, the-place so thronged with associ- 
 ations to him. An irresistible impulse drew him to it. li 
 was evident that it must soon go, for an immense building 
 to the southwest, on the same block, was burning, and 
 the walls were already swaying. 
 
 Suddenly, a man rushed past him, and Mr. Ludolph 
 put his pass-key in the 'side door. 
 
 " Mr. Ludolph, it is not safe to enter," said Dennis. 
 
 " What are you doing here with your ill-omeed face ? " 
 retorted his old employer, turning toward him a counte- 
 nance terrible in its expression. As we have seen, any- 
 thing that threatened Mr. Ludolph's interests, even that 
 which most men bow before, as sickness and disaster, only 
 awakened his anger ; and his face was black with passion 
 and distorted with rage. 
 
 The door yielded and he passed in. 
 
 " Come back, quick, Mr. Ludolph, or you are lost ! " 
 cried Dennis at the door. 
 
 " I will get certain papers, though the heavens fall ' " 
 yelled back the infuriated man, with an oath. 
 
 Dennis heard an awful rushing sound in the air. He 
 drew his hat over his face as he ran, crouching. Hot bricks 
 rained around him, but fortunately he escaped. 
 
 When he turned to look, the Art Building was a crushed 
 and blazing ruin. Sweet girlish faces that had smiled upon 
 him from the walls, beautiful classical faces that had in- 
 spired his artist soul, stern Roman faces, that had made 
 the past seem real, the human faces of gods and goddesses 
 that made mythology seem not wholly a myth, and' the 
 white marble faces of the statuary, that ever reminded him 
 of Christine, he knew were now all blackened and defaced 
 forever. But n )t of t!ij,e he thought, as he shudder-
 
 " CHRISTINE, AWAKE ! " 407 
 
 ingly covered his eyes with his hands to shut out the vision ; 
 but of that terrible face that in the darkness had yelled 
 defiance to heaven. 
 
 CHAPTER XLV. 
 
 " CHRISTINE, AWAKE ! FOR YOUR LIFE ! " 
 
 DENNIS Was too much stunned and bewildered to do 
 more than instinctively work his way to the windward as 
 the only point of safety, but the fire was- now becoming so 
 broad in its sweep that to do this was difficult. The awful 
 event he had witnessed seemed to partially paralyze him ; 
 for he knew that the oath, hot as the scorching flames, was 
 scarcely uttered before Mr. Ludolph's lips were closed for- 
 ever. He and his ambitious dream perished in a moment, 
 and he was summoned to the other world to learn what hs 
 proud reason scoffed at in this. 
 
 For a block or more Dennis was passively borne along 
 by the rushing mob. Suddenly a loud voice seemed to 
 shout almost in his ear: 
 
 "The north side is burning!" and he started as from 
 a dream. The thought of Christine flashed upon him, per- 
 ishing perhaps in ^the flames. He remembered that now 
 she had no protector, and that he for the moment had for- 
 gotten her ; though in truth he never imagined that the 
 north side would burn. 
 
 In an agony of fear and anxiety he put forth every ef- 
 fort of which he was capable, and tore through the crowd as 
 if mad There was no way of getting across the river now 
 save by the La Salle Street tunnel. Into this dark passage
 
 408 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 he plunged with multitudes of others. It was indeed as 
 near Pandemonium as any earthly condition could be. 
 Driven forward by the swiftly pursuing flames, hemmed in 
 on every side, a shrieking, frenzied, terror-stricken throng 
 rushed into the black cavern. Every moral difference was 
 represented there. Those who led abandoned lives were 
 plainly recognizable, their guilty consciences finding expres- 
 sion in their livid faces. These jostled the refined and 
 delicate lady, who, in the awful democracy of the hour, 
 brushed against thief and harlot. Little children wailed for 
 their lost parents, and many were trampled under foot. 
 Parents cried for their children, women shrieked for their 
 husbands, some praying, many cursing with oaths as hot as 
 the flames that crackled near. - Multitudes were in no other 
 costumes save those in which they sprang from their beds. 
 Altogether it was a strange incongrnuous writhing mass of 
 humanity such as the world never looked upon, pouring 
 into what might seem, in its horrors, the mouth of hell. 
 
 As Dennis entered the utter darkness a confused roar 
 smote his ear that might have appalled the stoutest heart, 
 but he was now oblivious to everything save Christine's 
 danger. With set teeth he put his shoulder against the liv- 
 ing mass and pushed with the strongest till he emerged into 
 the glare of the north side. Here escaping from the throng 
 somewhat, he made his way rapidly to the Ludolph man- 
 sion, which to his joy he found was still considerably to the 
 windward of the fire. But from the southwest he saw that 
 another line of flame was bearing down* upon it. 
 
 The front door was locked, and the house utterly dark. 
 He rung the bell furiously, but there was no response. He 
 walked around under the window and shouted, but the 
 place remained as dark and silent as a tomb. He pounded 
 on the door, but its massive thickness scarcely admitted of 
 a reverberation.
 
 " CHRISTINE, AWAKE ! " 409 
 
 " They must have escaped," he said ; " but, merciful 
 heaven, there must be no uncertainty in this case. What 
 shall I do ? " 
 
 The windows of the lower story were all strongly 
 guarded and hopeless, but one opening on the balcony of 
 Christine's studio seemed practicable if it could be reached. 
 A half-grown elm swayed its graceful branches over the 
 balcony, and Dennis knew the tough and fibrous nature of 
 this tree. In the New England woods of his early home 
 he had learned to climb for nuts like a squirrel, and so 
 with no great difficulty he n* anted up the trunk and drop- 
 ped from an overhanging bianch to the vantage-point he 
 sought. The window was uown from the top, but the 
 lower sash was fastened. He could see the catch by the 
 light of the fire. He broke the pane of glass nearest it, 
 hoping that the crash might awaken Christine, if she were 
 still there. But after the clatter died away there was no 
 sound. He then noisily raised the sash and stepped in. 
 
 What a rush of memories came over him as he looked 
 around the familiar place. There was the spot where he 
 stood and asked for the love that he had valued more 
 than life. There stood the easel where, tnrough Christine's 
 gifted touch, his painted face had pleaded with scarcely I 
 less eloquence, till he blotted it out with his own hand. In 
 memory of it all his heart again failed him, and he sighed - 
 
 " She will never love me." 
 
 But there was 'no time for sentiment. He called loudly : 
 '*" Miss Ludolph, awake ! awake ! for your life ! " 
 
 There was no answer. " She must be gone," he said. 
 The front room, facing toward the west, he knew to be hei 
 sleeping apartment. Going through the ordinary passage 
 of city houses, he knocked loudly, and called again ; but 
 in the silence that followed he heard his own watch tick, 
 and his heart beat. He pushed the door open with the
 
 4io 
 
 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 feeling of one who was profaning a shrine, and looked 
 timidly in. Even in that thrilling hour of peril and anxiety, 
 his eye was enraptured by the beauty of the room. Not 
 only was it furnished with the utmost luxuriance, but every- 
 thing spoke of a quaint and cultured taste, from the 
 curious marble clock and bronze on the mantel, even to 
 the pattern of the Turkey carpet on which the glare of the 
 fire, as it glinted through the shutters, played faintly. One 
 of the most marked features, however, was an exquisite life- 
 size statue of Diana at the foot of the bed, grasping her bow 
 with one hand, and in the act of seizing an arrow with the 
 other, as if aroused to self-defence. When Dennis first 
 saw it, he was so startled by its life-like attitude that he 
 stepped back into the passage. But, with all the beauty 
 of the room, it was utterly pagan ; not a single thing sug- 
 gested Christian faith or a knowledge of the true God. 
 With the exception of its modern air, it might just as well 
 have been the resting-place of a Greek or Roman maiden 
 of rank. 
 
 Reassured, he timidly advanced again, and then for 
 the first time, between two marble statuettes holding back 
 the curtains of the bed, saw Christine, but looking more 
 white and deathlike than the marble itself. 
 
 She lay with her face toward him. Her hair of gold, 
 unconfined, streamed over the pillow; one fair round arm, 
 from which her night robe had slipped back, was clasped 
 around her head, and a flickering ray of light finding access 
 at the window played upon her face and neck with the 
 strangest and most weird effect.- 
 
 So deep was her slumber that she seemed dead, and 
 Dennis, in his overwrought state, thought that she was. 
 For a moment his heart stood still, and his tongue was 
 paralyzed. A distant explosion aroused him. Approach- 
 ing softly he said in an awed whisper (he seemed power 
 less to speak louder) :
 
 "CHRISTINE, AWAKE!" 411 
 
 "Miss Ludolph ! Christine ! " 
 
 But the light of the coming fire played and flickered 
 over the still, white face, that never before seemed so 
 strangely beautiful. 
 
 "Miss Ludolph ! Oh, Christine, awake ! " cried Dennis 
 louder 
 
 To his wonder and unbounded perplexity, he saw the 
 hitherto motionless lips wreathe themselves into a lovely 
 smile, but otherwise there was no response, and the 
 ghostly light played and flickered on, dancing on temple, 
 brow, and snowy throat, and clasping the white arm in 
 wavy circlets of gold. It was all so weird and strange, 
 that he was growing superstitious, and losing faith in his 
 own senses. He could not know that she was under the 
 influence of an opiate, and that his voice of all others 
 could, like a faint echo, find access to her mind so deeply 
 sunk in lethargy. 
 
 But a louder and nearer explosion, like a warning 
 voice, made him wholly desperate ; and he roughly seized 
 her hand, determining to dispel the illusion, and learn 
 the truth at once. 
 
 Christine's blue eyes opened wide with a bewildered 
 stare ; a look of the wildest terror came into them, and 
 she started up and shrieked, " Father ! Father ! " 
 
 Then turning toward the as yet unknown invader, she 
 cried piteously: 
 
 " Oh, spare my life ! Take everything ; I will give you 
 anything you ask, only spare my life." 
 
 She evidently thought herself addressing a ruthless 
 jobber. 
 
 Dennis retreated toward the door the moment she 
 awakened ; and this somewhat reassured her. 
 
 In the firm quiet tone that always calms excitement he 
 replied :
 
 412 
 
 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 ' I only ask you to give me your confidence, Miss 
 Ludolph, and to joir with me, Dennis Fleet, in my effort 
 to save your life." .**,> 
 
 "Dennis Fleet! Dennis Fleet! save my life! O ye 
 gods what does it all mean ? " and she passed her hand in 
 bewilderment across her brow, as if to brush away the 
 wild fancies of a dream. 
 
 " Miss Ludolph, as you love your life, arouse yourself 
 and escape ! The city is burning ! " 
 
 " I don't believe it ! " she cried in an agony of terror 
 and anger. " Leave the room ! How dare you ! You are 
 not Dennis Fleet ; he is a white man, and you are black ! 
 You are an impostor ! Leave quick, or my father will 
 come and take your life ! Father ! Father!" 
 
 Dennis without a word stepped to the window, tore 
 iside the curtain, threw open the shutters, and the fire 
 filled the room with the glare of noonday. At that mo- 
 ment an explosion occurred which shook the very earth. 
 Everything rattled, and a beautiful porcelain vase fell 
 crashing to the floor. 
 
 Christine shrieked and covered her face with her 
 hands. 
 
 Dennis approached the bedside, and said in a gentle, 
 firm tone that she knew to be his : 
 
 " Miss Ludolph, I am Mr. Fleet. My face is blackened 
 through smoke and dust, as is every one's out in the 
 streets to-night. You know something of me, and I think 
 you know nothing dishonorable. Can you not trust me ? 
 Indeed you must ; your life depends upon it ! " 
 
 " Oh, pardon me, Mr. Fleet ! " she cried eagerly. " I 
 am not worthy of this, but now that I know you, I do 
 trus: you from the depths of my soul ! " 
 
 " Prove it then by doing just as I bid you," he replied 
 in a voice so firm and prompt that it seemed almost stern.
 
 "CHRISTINE, AWAKE!" 413 
 
 Retreating to the door, he continued : " I give you just 
 five minutes in which to make your toilet and gather a 
 light bundle of your choicest valuables. Dress in woollen 
 throughout, and dress warmly. I will see that the servants 
 are aroused. Your father is on the south side, and cannot 
 reach you. You must trust in God, and what I can do 
 for you." 
 
 " I must trust to you alone? she said. " Please send 
 my maid to me." 
 
 Mr. Ludolph had sipped his wine during the evenir.g, 
 and his servants had sipped, in no dainty way, something 
 stronger, and therefore had not awakened readily. But the 
 uproar in the streets had aroused them, and Dennis found 
 them scuttling down the upper stairs in a half-clad state, 
 each bearing a large bundle, which had been made up 
 without regard to meum and tuitm. 
 
 " Och, murther ! is the wourld burning up ? " cried the 
 cook. 
 
 "Be still, ye howlin' fool," said the cool and travelled 
 maid. " It's only von big fire." 
 
 " Go to your mistress and help her, quick ! " cried 
 Dennis. 
 
 " Go to my mistress ! I go to de street and save my 
 life." 
 
 " Oh, Janette ! " cried Christine. " Come and help me !'' 
 
 " I am meeserable dat I cannot. I must bid Mademoi- 
 selle quick adieu," said the heartless creature, still keeping 
 up the thin veneer of French politeness. 
 
 Dennis looked through the upper rooms and was satis- 
 fied they were empty. Suddenly a piercing shriek from 
 Christine sent him flying to her room. As he ran he 
 heard her cry : 
 
 " Oh, Mr. Fleet ! mercy ! mercy 1 " 
 
 To go back a little (for on that awful night events 
 1 8*
 
 4 I4 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 marched as rapidly as the flames, and the experience of 
 years was crowded into hours, and that of hours into mo- 
 ments), Christine had sought as best she could to obey 
 Dennis directions, but she was sadly helpless, having been 
 trained to a foolish dependence on her maid. She ; ac 
 accomplished but little when she heard a heavy step in the 
 room. Looking up, she saw a strange man regarding hei 
 with an evil eye, and yet there was something most disa 
 geeably familiar about him. 
 
 " What do you want ? " she faltered. 
 
 " You, for one thing, and all you have got, for another, 
 was the brutal reply. 
 
 " Leave this room ! " she cried in a voice she vainly 
 tried to render firm. 
 
 " No yer don't, Miss Ludolph. Yer don't git off sc 
 easy this time. Don't yer know me ? yer once said yer 
 loved me ! Yer see I'm faithful if you hain't," he added 
 with a satanic grin, and to her horror she recognized 
 Deacon Gudgeon's son, her unknown boyish admirer, 
 grown up to coarse and criminal manhood. She sought tc 
 escape by him with the loud cry that Dennis heard, but he 
 planted his big grimy hand in the delicate frill of her 
 night-robe where it clasped her throat, and with a coarse 
 laugh said : 
 
 " Not so fast, my dainty ! you are in my power this 
 time, and I can take what I please." 
 
 Trembling and half fainting (for she had no physical 
 courage) she cried for Dennis, and never did knightly 
 heait respond with more brave and loving throb to the cry 
 of helpless woman than his. He came with almost the 
 impetus of a thunderbolt, and young Gudgeon, startled, 
 looked around, and catching a glimpse of his blazing eyes, 
 dropped his hold on Christine, and shrank and cowered 
 from the blow he could not avert. Before his hand could
 
 "CHRISTINE, AWAKE!'' 415 
 
 instinctively reach the pistol it sought, there was a thud, 
 and he fell like a log to the floor. Then springing upon 
 him Dennis took away his weapons, and seizing him by the 
 collar of his coat, dragged him backward downstairs and 
 thrust him into the street. Pointing his own pistol at him 
 he said, " If you trouble us again, I will shoot you like a 
 dog!" 
 
 The villain slunk off more quickly than on the former 
 occasion, but in a rage of disappointment. Finding some 
 kindred spirits sacking a liquor-store not far off, he joined 
 the orgy, seeking to drown his feelings in rum, and suc- 
 ceeded so effectually that he lay in the gutter soon after, 
 and the escaping multitude trampled over him, and soon 
 the fire blotted out his miserable existence, as it did that 
 of so many who rendered themselves helpless by drink. 
 
 When Dennis returned he found Christine panting help- 
 lessly on a chair. 
 
 " Oh, dress ! dress ! " he cried. " We have not a mo- 
 ment to spare." 
 
 The sparks and cinders were falling about the house, a 
 perfect storm of fire. The roof was already blazing and 
 smoke pouring down the stairs. 
 
 At his suggestion she had at first laid out a heavy 
 woollen dress and Scotch plaid shawl. She nervously 
 sought to put on the dress, but her trembling fingers could 
 not fasten it over her wildly throbbing bosom. Dennis saw 
 that in the terrible emergency he must act the part of a 
 brother or husband, and springing forward he assisted her 
 with the dexterity he had learned in childhood. 
 
 Just then a blazing piece of roof, borne on the wings of 
 the gale, crashed through the window, and m a moment the 
 room, that had seemed like a beautiful casket for a still 
 more exquisite jewel, was in flames. 
 
 Hastily v/rapping Christine in the blanket shawl, he
 
 4 i 6 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 snatched her, shrieking and wringing her hands, into the 
 street. 
 
 Holding his hand she ran two or three blocks with ah 
 the speed her wild terror prompted; then her strength 
 hegan to fail, and she pantingly cried that she could run no 
 longer. But this rapid rush carried them out of immediate 
 peril, and brought them into the flying throng pressing 
 their way north and westward. Wedged into the multitude 
 they could only move on with it in the desperate struggle 
 forward. But fire was falling about them like a meteoric 
 shower. 
 
 Suddenly Christine uttered a sharp cry of pain. She 
 had stepped on a burning cinder, and then realized for the 
 first time, in her excitement, that her feet were bare. 
 
 " Oh, what shall I do ? " she cried piteously, limping and 
 leaning heavily on Dennis' arm. 
 
 " Indeed, Miss Ludolph, from my heart I pity you." 
 
 " Can you save me ? Oh, do you think you can save 
 me ? " she moaned in an agony of fear. 
 
 " Yes, I feel sure I can. At any rate I shall not leave 
 you," and taking her a little out of the jostling crowd he 
 knelt and bound up the burned foot with his handkerchief. 
 A little farther on they came to a shoe-store with doors 
 ooen and owners gone. Almost carrying Christine into it, 
 for her other foot was cut and bleeding, he snatched down 
 a pair of boy's stout gaiters, and wiping with another hand- 
 kerchief the blood and dust from her tender little feet, he 
 made the handkerchiefs answer for stockings, and drew the 
 shoes on over them. 
 
 In the brief moment so occupied, Christine said, with 
 tears in her eyes, " Mr. Fleet, how kind you are ! How 
 little I deserve all this!" 
 
 He looked up with a happy smile, and she little knew 
 that her few words amply repaid him.
 
 "CHRISTINE, AWAKE!" 417 
 
 There was a crash in the direction of the fire. With a 
 cry of fear, Christine put out her hands and clung to him. 
 
 " Oh, we shall perish ! Are you not afraid ? " 
 
 " I tremble for you, Miss Ludolph." 
 
 " Not for yourself? " 
 
 " No ! why should I ? I am safe. Heaven and mother 
 are just beyond this tempest." 
 
 " I would give worlds for your belief." 
 
 " Come quick ! " cried he, and they joined the fugitives, 
 and for a half hour pressed forward as fast as was possible 
 through the choked streets, Dennis merely saying an en- 
 couraging word now and then. Suddenly she felt herself 
 carried to one side, and falling to the ground with him. 
 In a moment he lifted her up, and she saw with a sicken- 
 ing terror an infuriated dray-horse plunging through the 
 crowd, striking down men, women, and children. 
 
 "Are you hurt?" he asked gently, passing his aim 
 around her and helping her forward, that they might not 
 lose a single step. 
 
 " Awful ! awful ! " she said in a low shuddering tone. 
 
 The dreadful scenes and danger were beginning to 
 overpower her. 
 
 A little farther on they reached an avenue to the 
 northwest through which Dennis hoped to escape. But 
 they could make but little headway through the dense 
 masses of drays, carriages and human beings, and at last 
 everything came to a dead lock. Their only hope was 
 to stand in their place till the living mass moved on again. 
 
 Strange, grotesque, and sad beyond measure were the 
 scenes by which they were surrounded. By the side of the 
 aristocratic Christine, now Baroness of Ludolph, stood a 
 stout Irishwoman hugging a grunting, squealing pig to her, 
 breast. A little in advance a hook-nosed spinster carried 
 in a cage a hook-nosed parrot that kept discordantly cry
 
 4 i8 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 ing, " Poll} want a cracker." At Dennis' left a delicate 
 lady of the highest social standing clasped to her bare 
 bosom a babe' that slept as peacefully as in the luxurious 
 nursery at home. At hej side was a little girl carrying as 
 tenderly a large wax doll. A diamond necklace sparkled 
 like a circlet of fire around the lady's neck. Her husband 
 had gone to the south side, and she had had but time to 
 snatch this and her children. A crowd of obscene and 
 profane rowdies stood just behind them, and with brutal 
 jest and coarse laughter, they passed around a whiskey- 
 bottle. One of these roughs caught a glimpse of the 
 diamond necklace, and was putting forth his blackened 
 hand to grasp it, when Dennis pointed Gudgeon's pistol 
 at him and said : 
 
 " This is law now ! " 
 
 The fellow slunk back. Just before them was a dray 
 with a corpse half covered with a blanket. The family 
 sat around crying and wringing their hands, and the driver 
 stood on his seat, cursing and gesticulating for those in 
 advance to move on. Some moments passed, but there 
 was no progress. Dennis became very anxious, for the 
 fire was rapidly approaching, and the sparks were falling 
 like hail. Every few moments some woman's dress was 
 ablaze, or some one struck by the flying brands. Shrieks 
 for help were heard on every side. Christine, being clad 
 in woollen, escaped this peril in part. She stood at Dennis' 
 side trembling like a leaf, with her hands over her face to 
 shut out the terrible sights. 
 
 At last the driver, fearing for his life, sprang off his 
 dray and left all to their fate. But a figure took his place 
 that thrilled Dennis' heart with horror. 
 
 There on the high seat stood Susie Winthrop rather 
 Mrs. Learned. The light of insanity glowed in her eyes; 
 her long hair swept away to the north, and turning toward
 
 "CHRISTINE, AWAKE!" 419 
 
 the fiery tempest she bent forward as if looking for some 
 one. But after a moment she sadly shook her head, as if 
 she had sought in vain. Suddenly she reached out her 
 white arms toward the fire, and sang clear and sweet 
 above the horrid din : 
 
 O burning flakes of fiery snow, 
 
 Bury me too, bury me deep; 
 My lover sleeps thy banks below; 
 
 Fall on me that I may sleep ! 
 
 At this moment a blazing brand fell upon the horses' 
 heads; they started forward, and the crazed lady fell over 
 on the corpse below. The animals being thoroughly terri- 
 fied turned sharp around on the sidewalk, and tore their 
 way right toward the fire, trampling those down in their 
 track, and so vanished with their strangely assorted load. 
 
 Dennis, fearing to stay any longer where he was, deter- 
 mined to follow in their wake and find a street leading to 
 the north less choked, even though it might be nearer 
 the fire, and so with his trembling companion he pressed 
 forward again. 
 
 Two blocks below he found one comparatively clear, 
 but in terrible proximity to the conflagration. Indeed, the 
 houses were burning on each side, but the street seemed 
 clear of flame. He thought that by swiftly running they 
 could get through. But Christine's strength was fast fail- 
 ing her, and just as they reached the middle of the block 
 a tall brick building fell across the street before them! 
 Thus their only path of escape was blocked by a blazing 
 mass of ruins that it would have been death to cross. 
 
 They seemed hemmed in on every side, and Dennis 
 groaned in agony. 
 
 Christine looked for a second at the impassable fiery 
 barrier, then at Dennis, in whose face and manner she
 
 420 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 read unutterable sympathy for herself, and the truth flashed 
 upon her. 
 
 With a piercing shriek she fainted dead away hi his 
 arms 
 
 CHAPTER XLV1. 
 
 <* 
 
 ON THE BEACH. 
 
 IN the situation of supreme peril described in the last 
 chapter, Dennis stood a second helpless and hopeless 
 Christine rested a heavy burden in his arms, happily un 
 conscious. Breathing an agonized prayer to heaven, he 
 looked around for any possibility of escape. Just then an 
 express-wagon was driven furiously toward them, its driver 
 seeking his way out by the same path that Dennis had 
 chosen. As he reached them the man saw the hopeless 
 obstruction, and wheeled his horses. As he did so, quick 
 as thought, Dennis threw Christine into the bottom of the 
 wagon, and clinging to it, climbed into it himself. He 
 turned her face downward from the fire, and covering his 
 own lay down beside her, trusting all now to God. 
 
 The driver urged his horses toward the lake, believing 
 that his only chance. They tore away through the blazing 
 streets. The poor man was soon swept from his seat and 
 perished, but his horses rushed madly on till they plunged 
 into the lake. 
 
 At the sound of water Dennis lifted his head and gave 
 a cry of joy. It seemed that the hand of God had snatched 
 them from death. Gently he lifted Christine out ujon the 
 sands and commenced bathing her face from the water 
 that broke in spray at his feet. She soon revivtJ and
 
 ON THE BEACH. 4k/ 
 
 looked around. In a voice full of awe and wonder she 
 whispered : 
 
 " Ah ! there is another world and another afe after all." 
 
 " Indeed there is, Miss Ludolph," said Dennis, support- 
 ing her on his arm and bending over her, " but, thanks to 
 a merciful Providence, you are in this one yet." 
 
 " How is it ? " she said with a bewildered air, " I do 
 not understand. The last I remember, we were sur- 
 rounded by fire, you were despairing, and it seemed that I 
 died." 
 
 " You fainted, Miss Ludolph. But God as by a miracle 
 brought us out of the fiery furnace, and for the present we 
 are safe." After she had sufficiently rallied from her ex- 
 cessive exhaustion and terror, he told her how they had 
 escaped. 
 
 "I see no God in it all," she said, "only a most fortu- 
 nate opportunity of which you, with great nerve and pres- 
 ence of mind, availed yourself. To you alone, again and 
 again this dreadful night, I owe my life." 
 
 " God uses us as His instruments to do His will. The 
 light will come to you by-and-by, and you will learn a bet 
 ter wisdom." 
 
 " In this awful conflagration the light has come. .On 
 every side I see as in letters of fire, ' There is no God.' 
 If it were otherwise these scenes would be impossible. 
 And any being permitting or causing the evils and crimes 
 this dreadful night has witnessed, I should fear and hate 
 beyond the power of language to express." 
 
 She uttered these words sitting on the sands with mul- 
 titudes of others, her face (from which Dennis had washed 
 the dust and smoke) looking in the glare so wan and white 
 that he feared, with a sickening dread, that through expos- 
 ure, terror, or some of the many dangers by which they 
 were surrounded, she mi^ht pass into the future world with
 
 422 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 all her unbelief and spiritual darkness. He yearned over 
 her with a solicitude and pity that he could not express. 
 She seemed so near indeed he could feel her form tremble, 
 as he knelt beside her, and supported her by his arm 
 and yet, in view of her faithless state, how widely were 
 the) separated ! Should any one of the many perils about 
 them quench the little candle of her life, which even now 
 flickered faintly, where in the wide universe could he hope 
 to meet her again ? God can no doubt console and make 
 up every loss to His children, but the passionate heart, with 
 its intense human love, clings to its idol none the less. 
 
 Dennis saw that the fire would probably hem them in 
 on the beach the remainder of the night, and the follow- 
 ing day. He determined therefore in every way possible to 
 beguile the weary, perilous hours, and, if she would permit 
 it, to lead her thoughts heavenward. Hence arose from 
 time to time religious conversations, to which, with joy, he 
 found Christine no longer averse. Indeed she often 
 introduced them. 
 
 Chafing her hands he said in the accents of the deep- 
 est sympathy : 
 
 " How I pity you, Miss Ludolph. It must indeed be 
 terrible to possess your thoughtful mind to realize these 
 scenes so keenly, and yet have no faith in a Divine Friend. 
 I cannot explain to you the mystery of evil why it came,, 
 or why it exists. Who can ? I am but one of God's little 
 children, and only know with certainty that my Heavenly 
 Father loves and will take care of me." 
 
 " How do you know it?" she asked eagerly. 
 
 " In several ways. Mainly because I feel it." 
 
 " It all seems so vague and unreal," she sighed dream- 
 ily "There is nothing certain, assured. There is no 
 test by which I can at once know the truth." 
 
 " That does not prevent the truth from existing.
 
 ON THE BEACH. 423 
 
 Because some are blind is no proof that color does not 
 exist." 
 
 "But how can you be sure there is a God ? you never 
 saw Him." - -, 
 
 " I do not see the heat that scorches us, but I feel it, 
 and know it exists." 
 
 " But I feel the heat the same as yourself, but I have 
 no consciousness of a Divine Being." 
 
 "That does not take away my consciousness that He 
 is my Saviour and friend? As yet you are spiritually 
 dead. If you were physically dead, you would not feel 
 the heat of this fire." 
 
 " Oh, it is all mystery darkness," she cried piteously. 
 
 The sun had now risen quite above the waters of the 
 lake, but seen through the lurid smoke swept over its 
 face, it seemed like one of the great red cinders that 
 were continually sailing over their heads. In the frightful 
 glare, the transition from night to day had scarcely 
 been noted. The long narrow beach was occupied by 
 thousands of fugitives. They were hemmed in on every 
 side. On the south was the river skirted with fire, while 
 opposite, on the west, the heat was almost intolerable ; on 
 the east the cold waves of the lake, and on the north a 
 burning pier that they could not cross. Their only hope 
 was to cling to that narrow line where fire and water min- 
 gled, and with one element to fight the other. Here again 
 was seen that mingling of every class which the streets 
 and every place of refuge witnessed. Judges, physicians, 
 statesmen, clergymen, bankers, were jostled by roughs and 
 thieves. The laborer sat on the sand with his family, 
 side by side with the millionnaire and his household. The 
 poor debauched woman of the town moaned and shivered 
 in hsr scant clothing, at a slight remove from the most 
 refined Christian lady. In the unparalleled disaster, all
 
 424 
 
 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 social distinctions were lost, levelled like the beach on 
 which they cowered. From some groups was heard the 
 voice of prayer, from others, bitter wailings and passionate 
 cries for lost members of the family ; others had saved 
 quantities of vile whiskey, if nothing else, and made ihe 
 scene more ghastly by orgies that seemed not of earth. 
 Added to the liquor, was the mad excitement and reckless- 
 ness which often seizes the depraved classes on such 
 occasions. They committed excesses that cannot be 
 mentioned these drunken, howling, fighting wretches. 
 Obscene epithets and words fell around like blows. And 
 yet all were so occupied with their own misfortunes, suffer- 
 ings and danger, that they scarcely heeded those about 
 them, unless they became very violent. 
 
 Upon this heterogeneous mass of humanity the fire 
 rained down almost as we imagine it might have fallen 
 upon the doomed cities of the plain, and the hot breath of 
 the flames scorched the exposed cheek and crisped even 
 eyebrows and hair. Sparks, flakes, cinders, pieces of 
 roof, and fiery pebbles from the same seemed to fill the 
 air, and often cries and shrieks announced that furni- 
 ture and bedding that many had dragged thither, and even 
 the clothing of women and children, were burningi Added 
 to all the other terrors of the scene was the presence of 
 large numbers of horses and cattle, snorting and plunging 
 in their terror and pain. 
 
 But the sound that smote Dennis' heart with the deep- 
 est commiseration was the continuous wail of helpless little 
 children, many of them utterly separated from parents and 
 friends, and in the very agony of fear. 
 
 He greatly dreaded the effect of these scenes upon 
 Christine, knowing how, in the luxurious past, she had been 
 shielded from every rough experience. But she at length 
 rallied into something like composure. Her constitut.ni
 
 ON THE BEACH. 425 
 
 was elastic and full of vitality, and after escaping from 
 immediate danger she again began to hope. Moreover, to 
 a degree that even she could not understand, his presence 
 was a source of strength and courage, and her heart clung 
 to him with desperate earnestness, believing him the sole 
 barrier against immediate death, and (what she dreaded 
 scarcely less) a lonely, wretched existence, should her ^ life 
 be spared. 
 
 Though he never lost sight of her a moment, and kept 
 continually wetting her hair and person, he found time to 
 render assistance to others, and by carrying his hat full of 
 water here and there, extinguished many a dangerous 
 spark. He also, again and again, snatched up little chil- 
 dren from under the trampling hoofs of frightened horses. 
 
 As she watched him, so self-forgetful and fearless, she 
 realized more and more vividly that he was sustained and 
 animated by some mighty principle that she knew nothing 
 of, and could not understand. The impression grew upon 
 her that he was right and she wrong. Though it all 
 remained in mystery and doubt, she could not resist the 
 logic of true Christian action. 
 
 But as the day advanced the flames grew hotter, and 
 their breath more withering. About noon Dennis noticed 
 that some shanties on the sands near them were in danger 
 of catching fire and periling all in that vicinity. Therefore 
 he said : " Miss Ludolph, stay here where I leave you for 
 a little time, so that I may know just where to find you." 
 
 " Oh, do not leave me," she pleaded, " I have no one in 
 the wide world to help me save you." 
 
 "I shall not be beyond call. You see those shanties 
 there ; if possible we must keep them from burning, or the 
 fire will come too near for safety." Then, starting forward 
 be cried : 
 
 " Who will volunteer to keep the fire back ? All must 
 see that if those buildings burn we shall be in danger."
 
 426 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 Quite a number of men stepped forward, and with hats 
 and anything that would hold water they commenced wet- 
 ting the old rookeries. But the fiery storm swooped stead- 
 ily down on them, and their efforts were as futile as to beat 
 back the wind. Suddenly a mass of flame leaped upon 
 them and in a moment they were all ablaze. 
 
 " Into the lake, quick ! " cried Dennis, and all rushed 
 foi the cool waters. 
 
 Lifting Christine from the sand, and passing his arm 
 around her trembling, shivering form, he plunged through 
 the breakers, and the crowd pressed after him. Indeed 
 they pushed him so far out in the cold waves that he nearly 
 lost his footing, and for a few moments Christine did hers 
 altogether, and added her cries to those of the terror-strick- 
 en multitude. But pushing in a little nearer the shore, he 
 held her firmly and said, with the confidence that again in- 
 spired hope : 
 
 . " Courage, Miss Ludolph. With God's help I will 
 save you yet." 
 
 Even as she clung to him in the water, she looked into 
 his face. He was regarding her so kindly, so pitifully, that 
 a great and generous impulse, the richest, ripest fruit of her 
 human love, throbbed at her heart, and faltered from her 
 lips " Mr. Fleet, I am not worthy of this risk on your 
 part. If you will leave me you can save your own life, and 
 your life is worth so much more than mine." 
 
 True and deep must have been the affection that could 
 lead Christine Ludolph to say such words to any human 
 being. There was a time when, in her creed, all the woild 
 existed but to minister to her. But she was not sorry to 
 see the look of pained surprise which came into Dennis' 
 face and hear him say very sadly : 
 
 " Miss Ludolph, I did not imagine that you could think 
 me capable of that. I had the good fortune to rescue Miss
 
 ON THE BEACH. 427 
 
 drown to-night, at greater peril than this, and do you think 
 I would leave you ? " 
 
 " You are a true knight, Mr. Fleet," she said, humbly, 
 "and the need and danger of every defenceless woman is 
 alike a sacred claim upon you." 
 
 Dennis was about to intimate that though this was true 
 in knightly creed, still among all the women in the world 
 there might be a preference, when a score of horses, driven 
 before the fire, and goaded by the burning cinders, rushed 
 down the beach, into the water of course, right among the 
 human fugitives. 
 
 Again went up the cry of agony and terror. Some were 
 no doubt stricken down not to rise again. In the melee 
 Dennis pushed out into deeper water, where the frantic 
 animals could not plunge upon him. A child floated near, 
 and he snatched it up. As soon as the poor brutes became 
 quiet, clasping Christine with his right arm and holding up 
 the child with the other he waded into shallow water. 
 
 The peril was now perhaps at its height, and all were 
 obliged to wet their heads, to keep even their hair from 
 singeing and burning. Those on the beach threw water on 
 each other without cessation. Many a choice bit of prop- 
 erty it might be a piano, or an express-wagon loaded with 
 the choicest furs and driven to the beach as a place of fan- 
 cied security now caught fire, and added to the heat and 
 consternation. 
 
 When this hour of extreme danger had passed, stand- 
 ing with the cold billows of the lake breaking round him, 
 and the billows of fire still rolling overhead, Dennis com- 
 menced singing in his loud clear voice : 
 
 % 
 " Jesus lover of my soul, 
 
 Let me to thy bosom fly. 
 While the billows near me roll, 
 While the tempest still is high."
 
 428 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 Voice after voice joined in, some loud and strong, but 
 more weak and trembling, the pitiful cry of poor terror- 
 stricken women to the only One who seemingly could help 
 them in their bitter extremity. Never before were those 
 beautiful words sung in such accents of clinging, touching 
 faith; its sweet rise and cadence was heard above the 
 roar of the flames and the breakers. 
 
 Christine could only cling weeping to Dennis. 
 
 When the hymn ceased, in harshest discord, the voice 
 of a half-drunken man grated on their ears. 
 
 " An' what in bloody blazes does yer Jasus burn us all 
 up for, I'd like to know. Sure an he's no right to send us 
 to hell before our time." 
 
 " Oh, hush ! hush !" cried a dozen voices, shocked and 
 pained. 
 
 " Divil a bit will I hush, sure ; an' haven't I as good a 
 right to have me say as that singin' parson ! " 
 
 " You are an Irishman, are you not ? " said Dennis, now 
 venturing out of the water. 
 
 " Yis ! what have ye got to say agin it ? " asked the man, 
 belligerent at once. 
 
 " Did you ever know an Irishman -refuse to do what a 
 lady asked of him ? " , 
 
 " Faith no, and I niver will." 
 
 " Then this lady, who is sick and suffering, asks you to 
 please keep still, and I will be still too ; so that's fair." 
 
 The Irishman scratched his head a moment, and said 
 in a quieter tone : 
 
 " Since ye spake as civil and dacent, I'll do as ye sez j 
 and here's to the leddy's health," and he finished a bottle 
 of whiskey which soon laid him out on the beach. 
 
 " Thank you ! thank you ! " said several grateful voices 
 on either side. 
 
 Dennis found the mother of the child and gave it to
 
 ON THE BEACH. 429 
 
 her ; and then causing Christine to sit down near the 
 water, where he could easily throw it on her, he stood at 
 her side, vigilant and almost tender in his solicitude. Her 
 tears were falling very fast, and he presently stooped down 
 and said gently : " Miss Ludolph, I think the worst of 
 the danger is over." 
 
 " Oh, Mr. Fleet," she whispered, " dreadful as it may 
 seem to you, the words of that drunken brute there are 
 nearer the language of my heart than those of your sweet 
 hymn. How can a good God permit such creatures and 
 evils to exist ? " 
 
 "Again I must say to you," said Dennis, "that I 
 cannot explain the mystery of evil. But I know this, 
 God is superior to it ; He will at last triumph over it. 
 The Bible reveals Him to us as able and as seeking to 
 deliver all who will trust Him and work with Him, and 
 those who venture out upon His promises find them true. 
 Miss Ludolph, this is not merely a matter of theory, argu- 
 ment and belief. It is more truly a matter of experience. 
 The inspired Bible invites, ' Oh, taste and see that God is 
 good.' I have tasted and know He is. I have trusted 
 Him for years, and He never failed me." 
 
 "You certainly have been sustained throughout this 
 dreadful scene by a principle that I cannot understand, 
 but I Would give all the world to possess it." 
 
 ' You may possess it, Miss Ludolph." 
 
 " How ? how ? " she asked eagerly. 
 
 " Do you wish to believe as I do ? " 
 
 " Yes, indeed ; and yet my heart rebels against a God 
 who permits, even if He does not cause, all this evil." 
 
 " Does it rebel against a Being who from first to last 
 tries to save men from evil ? " 
 
 " Tries ! tries ! what an expression to apply to a God 1 
 Why does He not do it in every case?"
 
 430 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 " Because multitudes will not let Him." 
 
 " Oh, that is worse still. Surely, Mr. Fleet, you let 
 your reason have nothing to do with your faith. How can 
 a poor and weak being like myself prevent an Almighty one 
 from doing what He pleases ? " 
 
 "I am stronger than you, Miss Ludolph, and yet I could 
 not have saved you to-night unless you had first trusted 
 me, and then done everything in your power to further my 
 efforts." 
 
 " But your power is human and limited, and you say 
 God's is all-powerful." 
 
 " Yes, but it is His plan and purpose never to save us 
 against our will. He has made us in His own image and 
 endowed us with reason, conscience, and a will to choose 
 between good and evil. He appeals to these noble facul- 
 ties from first to last. He has given us hearts, and seeks 
 to win them by revealing His love to us. Chief of all, His 
 spirit, present in the world, uses every, form of truth in per- 
 suading and making us willing to become His true chil- 
 dren. So you see that neither on the one hand does God 
 gather us up like drift-wood, nor does He on the othei 
 drag us at His chariot wheels, unwilling captives, as did 
 those who, at various times, have sought to overrun the 
 world by force. God seeks to conquer the world by the 
 might of the truth, by the might of love." 
 
 Christine was hanging with the most eager interest on 
 his words. Suddenly his eyes, which had expressed such 
 a kindly and almost tender interest in her, blazed with 
 indignation, and he darted up the beach. Turning around 
 she saw, at some little distance off, a young woman most 
 scantily clad, clinging desperately to a bundle which a 
 large coarse man was trying to wrench from her. The 
 wretch, finding that he could not loosen her hold, struck 
 her in the face with such force that she fell stunned upon
 
 ON THE BEACH. 
 
 431 
 
 the ground, and the bundle flew out of her hand. He 
 eagerly snatched it up, believing it to contain jewelry ; but 
 before he could escape he was confronted by an unexpected 
 enemy. But Dennis was in a passion, and withal weak and 
 exhausted, while his adversary was cool, and an adept in the 
 pugilistic art. The two men fought savagely, and Chris- 
 tine, forgetting herself in her instinctive desire to help 
 Dennis, was rushing to his side, crying : 
 
 " If there is a man here worthy of the name, let him 
 strike for the right ! " but before she and others could reach 
 the combatants the thief had planted his fist on Dennis' 
 temple. Though the latter partially parried the blow, it fell 
 with such force as to extend him senseless on the earth. 
 The villain, with a shout of derision, snatched up the 
 bundle and dashed off apparently toward the fire. There 
 was but a feeble attempt made to follow him. Few under- 
 stood the case, and indeed scenes of violence and terror 
 had become so common that most had grown apathetic, 
 save in respect to their personal well-being. 
 
 Christine lifted the pale face, down which the blood was 
 trickling, into her lap, and cried in a tone of indescribable 
 anguish : 
 
 " Oh, he is dead 1 he is dead 1 " 
 
 " Oh no, Miss, he is not dead, I guess," said a good- 
 natured voice near. " Let me bring a hat full of water 
 from the lake, and that'll bring him to." 
 
 And so it did. Dennis opened his eyes, put his hand 
 to his head and then looked around. But when he saw 
 Christine bending over him with tearful eyes, and realized 
 how tenderly she had pillowed his aching head, he started 
 up with a deep flush of pleasure, and said : 
 
 " Do not be alarmed, Miss Ludolph ; I was only stunned 
 for a moment. Where is the thief? " 
 
 " Oh, they let him escape," said Christine indignantly
 
 43 2 
 
 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 " Shame ' ' cried Dennis regaining his feet rather un- 
 steadily. 
 
 " Wai, stranger, a good many wrongs to-night must go 
 tmrighted." 
 
 The poor girl who had been robbed sat on the sands 
 gwaying back and forth, wringing her hands and crying 
 -that she had lost everything. 
 
 " Well, my poor friend, that is about the case with the 
 most of us. We may be thankful that we have our lives. 
 Here is my coat (for her shoulders and neck were bare), 
 and if you will come down to the lake, this lady (pointing 
 to Christine) will bathe the place where the brute struck 
 you." 
 
 " Shall I not give up my shawl to some of these poor 
 creatures ? " asked Christine. 
 
 " No, Miss Ludolph, I do not know how long we may 
 be kept here ; but I fear we shall suffer as much from cold 
 as heat, and your life might depend upon keeping warm." 
 
 " I will do whatever you bid me." she said, looking 
 gratefully at him. 
 
 " That is the way to feel and act toward God," he said 
 gently. 
 
 But, with sudden impetuosity she answered : 
 
 " I cannot. See what He has just permitted to happen 
 before my eyes. Right has not triumphed, but the foulest 
 wrong." 
 
 " You do not see the end, Miss Ludolph." 
 
 "But I must judge from what I see." 
 
 After she had bathed the poor girl's face, comforted and 
 reassured her, Dennis took up the conversation again and 
 found Christine eager to listen. Seldom was the Gospel 
 preached under stranger circumstances. Pausing ever)' 
 few moments to throw water over his companion, he said : 
 
 " Faith is beyond reason, beyond knowledge, though
 
 CHRISTINE A CHRISTIAN. 
 
 433 
 
 not contrary to them. You are judging as we do not even 
 about the commonest affairs from a few isolated myste- 
 rious facts, instead of carefully looking the subject all over. 
 You pass by what is plain and well understood to what is 
 obscure, and from that point seek to understand Christi- 
 anity. Every science has its obscure points and mysteries, 
 but who commences with those to learn the science ? Can 
 you ignore the fact that millions of highly intelligent 
 people, with every motive to know the truth, have satisfied 
 themselves as to the reality of our faith ? Our Bible sys- 
 tem of truth may contain much that is obscure, even as 
 the starry vault has distances that no eye or telescope can 
 penetrate, and this little earth mysteries that science can- 
 not solve, but there is enough known and understood to 
 satisfy us perfectly. Let me assure you, Miss Ludolph, 
 that Christianity rests on broad truths, and is sustained 
 by arguments, that no candid mind can resist, after pa- 
 tiently considering them." 
 
 She shook her head, silenced perhaps but not satisfied 
 
 CHAPTER XLVIL 
 
 "PRAYER is MIGHTY." 
 
 CHRISTINE A CHRISTIAN. 
 
 THE day was now declining, and the fire in that part 
 of the city opposite them had so spread itself, that they 
 were beginning to have a little respite from immediate 
 danger. The fiery storm of sparks and cinders was fall- 
 ing mostly to the northward. 
 
 Dennis now ventured to sit down almost for the first 
 time, for he was wearied beyond endurance. The tremen-
 
 434 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 dous danger and excitements, and trie consciousness of 
 peril to the one most dear to him, had kept him alert long 
 after he ought to have had rest, but over-taxed nature now 
 asserted its rights, and the moment the sharp spur of 
 hunger was removed, he was overpowered by sleep. 
 
 Christine spoke to him as he sat near, but even to 
 uer (a thing he could not have imagined possible) he re- 
 returned an incoherent reply. 
 
 44 My poor friend, you do indeed need rest," said she 
 in kindest accents. . . .- 
 
 He heard her voice like a sweet and distant harmony 
 in a dream, swayed a moment, and would have fallen over 
 in utter unconsciousness on the sands, had she not glided 
 to his side and caught his head upon her lap. 
 
 In the heavy stupor that follows the utmost exhaustion, 
 Dennis slept hour after hour. The rest of the day was a 
 perfect blank to him. But Christine, partially covering 
 and shading his face with the edge of her shawl, bent 
 over him as patient a watcher as he had been her brave 
 deliverer. It was beautiful to see the features once so 
 cold and haughty, now sweet with more than womanly 
 tenderness. There upon that desolate beach, cold, hun- 
 gry, homeless, shelterless, she was happier than she had 
 been for months. But she trembled as she thought of 
 the future ; everything was so uncertain. She seemed 
 involved in a labyrinth of dangers and difficulties from 
 which she could see no path. She knew that both store 
 and home had gone, and probably most, if not all, of her 
 father's foi tune. She felt that these losses might greatly 
 modify his plans, and really hoped that they would lead 
 him to remain in this country. She felt almost sure that 
 he would not go back to Germany a poor man, and to 
 stay in Ameru^ .'."'= to give her a chance of happiness, 
 and happiness now meant nim over whom she bent. For
 
 CHRISTINE A CHRISTIAN. 435 
 
 a long time she had felt that she could give ur> all the 
 world for him, but now existence was scarcely en unible 
 -without him. To the degree that her love had been 
 slowly kindled, was it intense, the steady concentrated 
 passion of a strong, resolute nature, for the first time fully 
 aroused. All indecision passed from her mind, and she 
 was ready to respond whenever he should speak ; but 
 woman's silence sealed her lips, and more than maiden 
 delicacy masked her heart. While she bent over him 
 with an expression that, had he opened his eyes, might 
 have caused him to imagine for a moment that his sleep 
 had been death, and he had wakened in heaven, yet he 
 must needs awake to find that the look and manner of 
 earth had returned. Her sensitive pride made her 
 guarded even in expressing her gratitude, and she pur- 
 posed to slip his head off upon her shawl whenever he 
 showed signs of awakening, so that he might believe the 
 earth only had been his resting-place. 
 
 But now in his unconsciousness, and unnoted by all 
 around, indeed more completely isolated by the universal 
 misery and apathy about her than she could have been in 
 her own home, with a delicious sense of security, she bent 
 her eyes upon him, and toyed daintily with the curling 
 locks on his brow. Whatever the future might be, nothing 
 should rob her of the strange unexpected happiness of 
 this opportunity to be near him, purchased at such cost. 
 
 As she sat there and saw the fire rush and roar away 
 to the northward, and the sun decline over the ruins of her 
 earthly fortune, she thought more deeply and earnestly of 
 life than ever before. The long, heavy sleep induced by 
 the opiate had now taken away all sense of drowsiness, 
 and never had her mind been clearer. In the light of the 
 terrible conflagration many things stood out with a dis- 
 tinctness that impressed her as never before. Wealth and
 
 436 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 rank had shrivelled to their true proportions, and she said 
 half aloud : 
 
 " That which can vanish in a night in flame and smoke 
 cannot belong to us, is not a part of us. All that has come 
 Out of the crucible of this fire is my character, myself. It 
 is the same with Mr. Fleet ; but comparing his character 
 with mine, how much richer he is ! What if there is a future 
 life, and we enter into it with no other possession than our 
 character? and that which is called soul or spirit is driven 
 forth from earth and the body as we have just been from 
 our wealth and homes ? I can no longer coolly and con- 
 temptuously ignore what he believes as superstition. He 
 is not superstitious, but calm, fearless, and seemingly as- 
 sured of something that as yet I cannot understand. One 
 would think that there must be reality in his belief, for it 
 sustains him and others in the greatest of trials. The 
 hymn he sang was like a magnet introduced among steel 
 filings mingled with this sand. The mere earth cannot move, 
 but the steel is instinct with life. So, while many of us 
 could not respond, others seemed inspired at the name of 
 Jesus with new hope and courage, and cried to the Naza- 
 rene as if He could hear them. Why don't people cry for 
 help to other good men who lived in the dim past, and 
 whose lives and deeds are half myth and half truth ? why 
 to this one man only? for educated Catholics no longer 
 pray to the saints." 
 
 Then her thoughts reverted to Mr. Ludolph. 
 
 "Poor father," said she, "how will he endure these 
 changes ? We have not felt and acted toward each other 
 as we ought. He is now probably anxious beyond measure, 
 fearing that I perished in my sleep, and so I would, had it 
 not been foi this more than friend that I have so wronged. 
 Oh, that I could make amends ! I wonder oh, I wonder 
 if he has any spark of love left for me? He seems kind,
 
 CHRISTINE A CHRISTIAN. 
 
 437 
 
 even tender but he is so to every one he saved Miss 
 Brown " 
 
 But here a most violent interruption took place. Chris- 
 tine, in the complete absorption of her thoughts, had not 
 noticed that a group of rough men and women near by, who 
 had been drinking all day, had now become intoxicated 
 and violent. They were pushing and staggering, howling 
 and fighting in reckless disregard of the comfort of others, 
 and before she knew it she was in the midst of a drunken 
 brawl. One rough fellow struck against her, and another 
 trod on Dennis, who started up with a cry of pain. In a 
 moment he comprehended the situation, and snatching up 
 Christine and the shawl, he pushed his way out of the 
 melee with his right arm, the wretches striking at him and 
 each other aimlessly in their fury ; while both men and 
 women used language that was worse than their blows. 
 After a brief struggle they extricated themselves, and made 
 their way northward up the beach till they found a place 
 where the people seemed quiet. 
 
 Dennis' sudden awakening had revealed to him that his 
 head had been pillowed, and it seemed such a kind and 
 thoughtful act on Christine's part that he could scarcely 
 believe it; at the same time he was full of shame and self- 
 reproach that by his sleep he had left her unguarded, and 
 he said : 
 
 " Miss Ludolph, I hope you will pardon your recreant 
 knight, who slept while you were in danger. But 'really I 
 could not help it. The spirit indeed is willing, but the 
 flesh is weak." 
 
 " It is I who must ask pardon," replied Christine 
 warmly. " After your superhuman exertions, your very life 
 depended on rest. But I made a wretched watcher in- 
 deed I have lost confidence in myself every way. To tell 
 the truth, Mr. Fleet, I was lost in thought, and with your 
 19*
 
 438 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 permission I would like to ask you further about two things 
 you said this morning. You asserted that you knew God 
 loved you, and that Christianity was sustained by argu- 
 ments that no candid mind could resist. What are those 
 arguments, and how can you know such a comforting 
 thing as the love of God ? " 
 
 His eyes lighted up in his intense delight that she 
 should voluntarily recur to this subject, and he hoped that 
 God was leading her by His solemn providence to a knowl- 
 edge of Him, and that he, in answer to his own and his 
 mother's prayers, might be partly instrumental in bringing 
 the light. Therefore he said, earnestly : 
 
 " Miss Ludolph, this is scarcely the time and place to 
 go over the evidences of Christianity. When in happy 
 security I hope you may do this at your leisure, and am 
 sure you will be convinced, for I believe that you honestly 
 wish the truth. But there is no need that you should wait 
 and look forward into the uncertain future for this priceless 
 knowledge. The father will not keep his child waiting 
 who tries to find him. God is not far from any one of us. 
 When our Lord was on earth, He never repulsed those who 
 sought Him in sincerity, and He is the true manifestation 
 of God. 
 
 "Moreover," he continued reverently, "God is now 
 on earth as truly as when Christ walked the waves of 
 Galilee, or stood with the life-giving word upon His lips at 
 the grave of His friend Lazarus. The mighty spirit of God 
 now dwells among men to persuade, help, and lead them 
 into all truth, and I believe He is guiding you. This Divine 
 spirit can act as directly on your mind as did Christ's 
 healing hand when He touched blind eyes, and they saw, 
 and palsied bodies and they sprang into joyous activity." 
 
 Under his eager, earnest words, Christine's eyes also 
 lighted up with hope, but after a moment her face became 
 very sad, and she said wearily :
 
 CHRISTINE A CHRISTIAN 439 
 
 " Mystery ! mystery ! you are speaking a language that 
 I do not understand." 
 
 " Can you not understand this : ' For God so loved the 
 world, that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever 
 believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting 
 life ? and that the Bible tells us that His Son did, in very 
 truth, die that we might live .'" 
 
 " Yes, yes, I know that the Bible seems to state all that, 
 but there must be some mistake about it. Why should an 
 all-powerful God take such a costly indirect way of accom- 
 plishing His purpose when a word would suffice ? " 
 
 " V/e will not discuss God's reasons ; ! think they are 
 beyond us. But imagining the Bible story to be true, even 
 though you do not believe it, is not the love of God re- 
 vealed to us through His Son, Jesus Christ ? " 
 
 " Yes, it is the very extravagance of disinterested love. 
 So much so that my reason revolts at it. It is contrary to 
 all my ideas of Deity and power." 
 
 " Pardon me, Miss Ludolph, for saying it, but I think 
 your ideas of Deity are borrowed more from mythology and 
 human greatness than from the Bible. Let your reason 
 stand aside a moment ; this is not contrary to it, but beyond 
 it Imagining the Bible story true, can you not wish it 
 true ? If the man who died on Calvary out of love for you 
 and us all is also God, would you fear to trust yourself to 
 Him ? Could you distrust One who loved you well enough 
 to die for you ? " 
 
 " No ! no ! if I could only believe it, no ! But how 
 can I ever be sure it is true ? I am sure of nothing. I 
 am not sure there is a God. I am not sure the Bible is 
 more than human in its character. I feel as if my feet 
 stood out upon those shifting waves, and that there was 
 nothing certain or stable.' 
 
 " But in part you know the truth, Miss Ludolph, though
 
 440 - BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 you do not believe it, and I believe that the <*od of whom 
 we have spoken can directly reveal himself to you and make 
 His truth as real as it is to me." 
 
 " Mr. Fleet," cried Christine, " if I could believe as you 
 do, I should be the happiest of the happy, for I should feel 
 that, however much I suffered in this brief life, in the 
 the existence beyond I should be more than compensated," 
 and covering her tearful face with her hands she moaned, 
 as if it were wrung from her, " I have suffered so much and 
 there seemed no remedy ! " 
 
 Dennis' feelings were also deeply touched, and the dew 
 of sympathy gathered in his own eyes. In the gentlest 
 accent he said : 
 
 " Oh, that you could trust that merciful mighty One 
 who invites all the heavy laden to come to Him for rest." 
 
 She looked up and saw his sympathy, and was greatly 
 moved. In faltering tones she said : 
 
 " You feel for me, Mr. Fleet. You do not condemn 
 me in my blindness and unbelief. I cannot trust Him 
 because I am not sure He exists. If there was such a God 
 I would gladly devote my whole being to Him ; but I trust 
 you, and will do anything you say." 
 
 " Will you kneel on these sands with me in prayer to 
 Him ? " he asked, earnestly. 
 
 She hesitated, trembled, but at last said, " Yes." 
 
 He took her hand as a brother might, and they knelt 
 together on the desolate beach. The glow of sunset was 
 lost in the redder glow of the fire that smouldered all over 
 the ruins, and still raged in the northwest, and the smoke 
 and gathering gloom involved them in obscurity. 
 
 Though the weary, apathetic fugitives regarded them 
 not, we believe angelic forms gathered round, and that the 
 heart of the Divine Father yearned toward His children. 
 
 When they rose, after a simple prayer from Dennis, in
 
 CHRISTINE A CHRISTIAN. 441 
 
 which he pleaded almost as a child might with an earthly 
 father, Christine trembled like a leaf, and was very pale, 
 but her face grew tearless, quiet, and very sad. Dennis 
 still held her hand in the warm, strong grasp of sympathy. 
 Gently she withdrew it, and said, in a low, despairing tone: 
 
 " It is all in vain. There is no answer. Your voice 
 has been lost in the winds and waves." 
 
 " Wait the King's time," said he, reverently. 
 
 " You addi essed him as Father. Would a good father 
 keep his child waiting?" 
 
 "Yes, sometimes he does ; he is also king." 
 
 After a moment she turned to him the saddest face he 
 ever looked upon, and said gently, again giving him her 
 hand: 
 
 " Mr. Fleet, you have done your best for me, and I 
 thank you all the same." 
 
 He was obliged to turn away to hide his feelings. 
 Silently they again sat down on the beach together. Wea- 
 riness and something like despair began to tell on Chris- 
 tine, and Dennis trembled when he thonght of the long 
 night of exposure before her. He bent his face into his 
 hands and prayed as he never prayed before. She looked 
 at him wistfully, and knew he was pleading for her ; but 
 she now believed it was all in vain. The feeling grew upon 
 her that belief or unbelief was a matter of education and 
 temperament, and that the feelings of which Dennis spoke 
 were but the deceptive emotions of cur agitated hearts. 
 To that degree that the Divine love seemed visionary and 
 hopeless, she longed for him to speak of his own, if in 
 truth it still existed, that she could understand and 
 believe in. If during what remained of life she could only 
 drink the sweetness of that, she felt it was the best she 
 could hope for and then the blank of nothingness. 
 
 But he prayed on, and with something of his mother's
 
 442 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 faith seemed at last, as it were, in the personal presence 
 of Christ. With an importunity that would not be denied, 
 he entreated for her who despaired at his side. 
 
 At last, putting her hand lightly on his arm, she said 
 
 '' Mr. Fleet, waste no more time on me. From the 
 gtoans I hear, some poor woman is sick or hurt. Perhaps 
 you can do some real good by seeing to her needs." 
 
 He rose quietly, feeling that in some way God would 
 answer, and that he must patiently wait. 
 
 Going up the beach a short distance he found a Ger- 
 man woman lying just on the edge of the water. In answer 
 to his questions, he learned from her broken English that 
 she was sick and in pain. A sudden thought struck him. 
 In seeking to help another, might not Christine find help 
 herself, and in the performance of a good deed, might not 
 the author of all good reveal himself? Returning to her, 
 he said : 
 
 " Miss Ludolph, the poor woman you have heard is sick 
 and alone. She is German, and you can speak to her and 
 comfort her as only a woman can." 
 
 Christine went at once, though with little confidence 
 in her powers. Indeed, it was, perhaps, the first visit of 
 charity and mercy she had ever made. But she would 
 have done anything he asked, and determined to do her 
 best. She helped the poor creature farther up from the 
 water, and then taking her hands, spoke to her soothingly 
 and gently in her native tongue. 
 
 '' Heaven and all the angels bless your sweet face, for 
 taking pity on a poor lone body, and' so they will too," is 
 '.he flee rendering of her grateful German. 
 
 "Would you please say a little prayer for a lone, sick 
 body? " she asked after a little while. 
 
 Christine hesitated a moment, and then thought. "Why 
 not ? if it will be of any comfort to the poor thing. It can 
 rlo neither of us harm."
 
 CHRISTINE A CHRISTIAN. 443 
 
 Kneeling at the woman's side, Dennis saw her lift her 
 white face to Heaven, and her lips move. Her attitude 
 was unmistakably that of prayer. He could scarcely be- 
 lieve his eyes. 
 
 Her petition was brief and characteristic : " O God 
 if there is a God, help this poor creature !" 
 
 Then Dennis saw her start up and glance around in a 
 strange bewildered manner. Suddenly she clasped her 
 hands and looked up with an ecstatic thrilling cry : 
 
 " There is ! there is ! God lives and loves me, I feel, 
 I know, and therefore I may hope and live." Turning to 
 the still raging flames, she exclaimed: " Burn on with your 
 fiery billows, I do not fear you now ! I am safe, safe for- 
 ever ! Oh, how can I ever love and praise Thee enough ! " 
 Then springing to Dennis' side, she took both his 
 hands in hers, and said : " Mr. Fleet, you have saved my 
 life again and again, and I am, oh, how grateful ; but in 
 leading me to this knowledge you have made me your 
 debtor for evermore. God does live, and I believe now 
 He loves even me." 
 
 As the glare of the fire fell on her face, he was awed 
 and speechless at its expression. From its ecstatic joy 
 and purity it seemed that the light of heaven, instead of 
 her burning home, was illumining it. 
 
 At last he said brokenly: "Thank God! thank God! 
 my many, many prayers are answered." 
 
 The look of love and gratitude she gave him will only 
 find its counterpart in heaven, when the saved beam upon 
 those who led them to the Saviour. The whole of her 
 strong womanly soul, thoroughly aroused, was in her face v 
 and it shone like that of an angel. 
 
 To Dennis, with the force of fulfilled prophecy, recur- 
 red his mother's words, and unconsciously he spoke them 
 iloud : " PRAYER is MIGHTY."
 
 CHAPTER XLVIII. 
 
 CHRISTINE'S GRAVE. 
 
 AFTER a moment Christine returned to her charge 
 
 and said gently : 
 
 " I think I can take better care of you now." 
 
 The poor woman looked at her in a bewildered way, 
 half fearing she had lost her senses. But there was that 
 in Christine's tone and manner now that went like sun- 
 light and warmth to the heart, and in broadest German 
 th* grateful creature was soon blessing her again and 
 again, and Christine felt that she was blessed beyond even 
 her wildest dreams. 
 
 Dennis now felt that she must have food and rest. She 
 appeared, in the ghostly light of the distant flames, so pale 
 and spirit-like, that he almost feared she would slip away 
 to heaven at once, and he commenced looking for some 
 one stronger, older and more suitable to take her place. 
 At a little distance farther north, he at last found a stout 
 German woman sitting with her two children on a large 
 feather bed, the sole relic of her household goods. Dennis 
 aciuainted her with the case and she soon took the matter 
 out of his and Christine's hands in a very satisfactory way. 
 
 South and west opportunity of escape was utterly cut 
 off; eastward were the waters of the lake, so that .heir 
 only chance was to push northward. After making their 
 way slowly for a short distance among the thickly scattert.il
 
 CHRISTINE'S GRAVE. 445 
 
 groups and varied articles that had b,een dragged to the 
 shore for safety, Dennis thought he heard a familiar voice. 
 
 " Dr. Arten," he cried. 
 
 " Hallo ! who wants me : " answered the good old phy- 
 sician, bustling up in rather incongruous costume, con- 
 sisting of a dress coat, white vest, red flannel drawers, and 
 a very soiled pair of slippers. 
 
 " Oh, Doctor, the very sight of you inspires hope and 
 courage." 
 
 " Surely a young fellow like you can be in no want of 
 those articles ? " 
 
 " If he is lacking," cried Christine, " it must be for the 
 reason that he has given hope and courage to every one 
 he has met, and so has robbed himself." 
 
 " Heigho ! " exclaimed the Doctor, " you here ? " 
 
 " Yes, thanks to the heroism of Mr. Fleet." 
 
 "Fleet, is that all you have -saved from the fire?" 
 asked the Doctor, with a humorous twinkle,' pointing to 
 Christine. 
 
 u I am well satisfied," said Dennis quietly but with 
 rising color. 
 
 " I should have perished, had not Mr. Fleet come to 
 my rescue," continued Christine warmly, glad of an oppor- 
 tunity to express a little of her gratitude. 
 
 The Doctor turned his genial humorous eye on her and 
 said : " Don't be too grateful, Miss Ludolph ; he is a young 
 man and only did his duty. Now if I had been so for- 
 tunate you might have been as grateful as you pleased." 
 
 It was Christine's turn to grow rather rosier than even 
 the red fire warranted, but she said : 
 
 " You would have your joke, Doctor, if the world were 
 burning up." 
 
 " Yes, and after it burned up," he replied. "What do 
 you think of that, Miss Ludolph, with your German 
 skepticism ? "
 
 446 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY, , 
 
 Tears came in Christine's eyes and she said in a low 
 tone: 
 
 "I am glad to say that-I have lost my German skepti- 
 cism in the fire also." 
 
 ' What ! " cried the Doctor, seizing both her hands in 
 his hearty way. " Will you accept of our Christian super- 
 stition ? " 
 
 " I think I have accepted your glorious Christian truth, 
 and the thought makes me very happy." 
 
 " Well, now, I can almost say, Pr"aise God for the fire, 
 though old Dr. Arten must commence again where the 
 youngsters are who kick up their heels in their office all 
 day." 
 
 With professional instinct he slipped his finger on 
 Christine's pulse, then rumaged in his pocket and soon 
 drew out some powders, and in his brusque way made her 
 take one. 
 
 " Oh, how bitter ! " she exclaimed. 
 
 " That is the way the ladies treat me," began the merry 
 bachelor : "not an ounce of gratitude when I save their 
 lives. But let a young fellow like Fleet come along and 
 get them out of danger by mere brute strength instead of 
 my delicate skilful way, and language breaks down with 
 their thanks. Very well, I shall have compensation I 
 shall present my bill before long. And now, young man, 
 since you have set out to rescue the young lady, you had 
 better carry the matter through, for several reasons which 
 I need not urge. Your best chance is to make your way 
 northward, and then get around to the west where you can 
 get food and shelter." And with a hearty grasp of the 
 hand, the brave genial old man wished them " God speed ! " 
 
 Dennis told him of the poor German woman, and then 
 pushed on in the direction indicated. But Christine was 
 growing weak and exhausted. At last they reached the
 
 CHRISTINE'S GRAVE. 447 
 
 Catholic cemetery. It was crowded with fugitives, and the 
 fire to the northwest yet cut off all escape, even if Chris- 
 tine's strength had permitted further exertion. It was now 
 approaching midnight, and she said wearily: 
 
 " Mr. Fleet, I am very sorry, but I fear I cannot take 
 another step. The powder Dr. Arten gave me, strength- 
 ened me for a time, but its effect is passing away, and I 
 feel almost paralyzed with fatigue. I am not afraid to stay 
 here, or indeed anywhere now." 
 
 " It seems a very hard necessity that you should* have 
 to remain in such a place, Miss Ludolph, but I see no help 
 for it. We are certainly as well off as thousands of others, 
 and so I suppose ought not to complain.'"' 
 
 " I feel as if I could never complain again, Mr. Fleet. 
 I only hope my father is as safe and as well as we are. I 
 cannot tell you how my heart goes out toward him now 
 that I see everything in a different light. I have not been 
 a true daughter, and I do long to make amends. He 
 surely has escaped, don't you think ? " 
 
 " Mr. Ludolph was possessed of unusual sagacity and 
 prudence," said Dennis evasively. " What any man could 
 do, he could. And now, Miss Ludolph, I will try to find 
 you a resting-place. There are such crowds here that 1 
 think we had better go nearer that side, where early in the 
 evening the fire drove people away." 
 
 The cemetery had not been used of late years, and many 
 of the bodies had been removed. This caused excavations 
 here and there, and one of these from which the gathered 
 leaves and grass had been burned, Dennis thought might 
 answer for Christine's couch, as in the hollow of this vacant 
 and nearly filled grave she would be quite sheltered from 
 the wind, and the sand was still warm from the effects of 
 the fire. To his. surprise she made no objection. 
 
 " I am so weary that I can rest anywhere," she said, 
 "and a grave is not to me what it was once."
 
 448 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 He arranged her shawl so that it might be both mat 
 tress, pillow and covering, and wrapped her up. 
 
 ' And how will you endure the long cold hours, my 
 liiend ? " she asked, looking up most sympathetically. 
 
 " Thanks to your kindness, I had such a good sleep 
 this afternoon that I feel strong and rested," he replied 
 with a smile. 
 
 " I fear you say so to put my mind at rest," but even 
 as she spoke her eyes closed and she went to sleep like a 
 tired and trusting child. As with Dennis a few hours be- 
 fore, the limit of nature's endurance had been reached, and 
 the wealthy, high-born, Miss Ludolph, who on Sabbath 
 night had slept in the midst of artistic elegance and luxury, 
 now, on Monday night, rested in a vacant grave under the 
 open and storm-gathering sky. Soon (to be accurate), at 
 two o'clock on the morning of Tuesday, rain began to fall. 
 But with all the discomfort it brought, never was it more 
 welcome. 
 
 Christine shivered in her sleep, and Dennis looked 
 around vainly for some additional covering. The throng- 
 ing fugitives were all in a similar plight, and their only 
 course was simply to endure till some path of escape 
 opened. 
 
 The night was indeed a long one to him ; at first ex- 
 citement and happiness kept him awake and unconscious 
 of time and discomfort. But he soon felt how weary and 
 hungry he was, for he had eaten nothing since his slight 
 supper on Sabbath evening. The heat of the fire percep 
 tibly lessened as the rain commenced falling, and without 
 his coat Dennis was soon chilled to the bone. On every 
 side he heard moans of discomfort, and he knew that he 
 had far more reason to endure patiently than many near 
 him. He tried to keep himself warm by walking around, 
 but at last he grew too weary for that, and sat, a patient
 
 CHRISTINE'S GRAVE. 449 
 
 cowering watcher, at the head of Christine's weird couch, 
 listening sadly betimes to the pitiful crying of little chil- 
 dren, and the sighs and groans of older sufferers. 
 
 At last the light of welcome day streaked the eastern 
 horizon, and Christine opened her eyes in a bewildered 
 way, but on seeing him swaying backward and forward 
 with half-closed eyes, sprang up and said : 
 
 " And have you sat and watched there all the long 
 night ? " 
 
 " I hope you feel rested and better, Miss Ludolph," he 
 replied, startled by her voice from drowsiness. 
 
 " It has been raining, too. I fear you are wet through. 
 Oh, how much you must have suffered on my account" 
 
 " I imagine you are as wet as I am, Miss Ludolpn. 
 This has been a very democratic experience for you. We 
 are all about alike in this strange camping-ground." 
 
 " No, your kindness made me quite comfortable. In- 
 deed, I never slept better. And you, without any coat or 
 shelter, have watched patiently hour after hour." 
 
 " Well, you did as much for me yesterday afternoon, so 
 we are quits." 
 
 " I think there is a great difference," she said. " And 
 remember what a watcher I made ; I let those drunken 
 creatures run over you." 
 
 " I don't see how you could have helped it," said he 
 laughing. "That you should have cared for me as you 
 did, was a favor that I never expected," he added, blushing. 
 
 She blushed too, but made no reply, at the same time 
 she was vexed with herself that she did not. Dennis, with 
 a lover's blindness, misunderstood her silence, and thought 
 that, as a friend, she was more grateful than he could wish, 
 but he must speak in no other light. 
 
 Then he remembered that it would be dishonorable to 
 urge his suit under the circumstances ; it would be a
 
 450 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 source of inexpressible pain to her, with her deep sense 
 of obligation, to put aside expressions of his deeper regard, 
 and he resolved to avoid if possible any manifestations of 
 his feelings. While she was dependent upon him he would 
 treat her as a brother might, and if his human love could 
 never find its consummation, he would bear his loss as 
 patiently as possible. But in spite of himself a tinge of 
 sadness and restraint came into his manner, and Christine 
 sighed to herself: 
 
 " If he only knew, and / only knew, just the truth, how 
 much happier we might be." 
 
 There was a general movement now among the 
 strangely assorted multitude. The fire had swept every- 
 thing away so completely on the north side that there 
 were no hot blazing ruins to prevent crossing. Accord- 
 ingly men came pouring over, looking for their families. 
 On every side were cries of joy on recognition of those 
 whom fear and terrible forebodings had buried under the 
 blackened remains of once happy homes. But mingled 
 with exclamations of joy were sobs and wails of anguish, 
 as some now realized in the lapsing hours that absent 
 members of the household were lost. 
 
 Christine looked in vain for her father ; at last Dennis 
 said : 
 
 " Miss Ludolph, do you feel equal to the effort of cross- 
 ing to the west side ? you must be faint with hunger, and 
 there only can we hope for help." 
 
 " Oh, yes, let us go at once, for your sake as well as 
 mine," for she saw that his long fasting and great fatigue 
 had made him very haggard. 
 
 They urged their way across the burned district as fast 
 as their exhausted state would permit, carefully avoiding 
 burning brands that still lay in the street. 
 
 " I hope you will have patience with me in my slow
 
 CHRISTINE'S GRAVE. 451 
 
 progress," said Christine, "for I feel as I imagine Rip Van 
 Winkle must, after his twenty years' nap." 
 
 " I think you have borne up heroically, Miss Ludolph," 
 .said Dennis warmly. 
 
 " Oh, no ! I am not in the least heroic, but I confess 
 that I am very hungry. I never knew what hunger was 
 before. Well, I can now appreciate what must often be 
 the condition of the poor, and hope not to be so forgetful 
 of them hereafter." 
 
 " I am glad to hear you say that you are hungry, Miss 
 Ludolph, for it proves that with care you will rally after 
 this dreadful exposure, and be your former self." 
 
 " Ah ! Mr. Fleet, I hope I shall never be my old self 
 again. I shudder when I think what I was when you 
 awakened me that dreadful night." 
 
 " But I have feared," said he, ever avoiding any refer- 
 ence to his own services, " that though you might escape 
 the fire, the exposure would be greater than you could 
 endure. I trembled for you last night when it began to 
 rain, but could find no additional covering." 
 
 No brother could be kinder or more thoughtful of me," 
 she said, turning upon him a glad, grateful face. 
 
 " That is it," thought Dennis. " She hints to me what 
 must be our relationship. She is the Baroness of Ludolph, 
 and is pledged to a future that I cannot share." 
 
 But as he saw her gratitude, he resolved all the more 
 resolutely not to put it to the hard test of refusing his love. 
 A little after he unconsciously sighed wearily, and she 
 looked at him wistfully. 
 
 " Oh thai I knew if he felt toward me as he once did," 
 she said to herself. 
 
 They now reached the unscathed streets of the west 
 side, which were already thronged with fugitives as 
 hungry and gaunt as themselves. Mingling with this
 
 452 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 great strange tide of weak, begrimmed, hollow-eyed 
 humanity, they at last reached Dr. Goodwin's Beautiful 
 church. Here already had commenced the noble chaiity 
 dispensed from that place during the days of want aud 
 suffering that followed. 
 
 CHAPTER XLIX. 
 
 SUSIE WINTHROP. 
 
 WAITING with multitudes of others, Christine and Den- 
 nis at last received an army biscuit (hard tack in the sol- 
 dier's vernacular) and a tin-cup of what resembled coffee. 
 To him it was very touching to see how eagerly she 
 received this coarse fare, proving that she was indeed 
 almost famished. Too weak to stand, they sat down near 
 the door on the sidewalk. A kind lady presently came and 
 said: 
 
 " If you have no place to go you will find it more com- 
 fortable in the church." 
 
 They gladly availed themselves of her permission, as 
 the thronged street was anything but pleasant. 
 
 " Mr. Fleet," said Christine, " I am now going to take 
 eare of you in return for your care last night," and she led 
 Hm up to a secluded part of the church by the organ, 
 arranged some cushions on -a seat, and then continued, 
 ' ; As I have obeyed you, so you must now be equally 
 docile. Don't you dare move from that place till I call 
 you," and she left him. 
 
 He was indeed wearied beyond expression, and most 
 grateful for a chance to rest. This refuge and the way it
 
 SUSIE WINTHROP. 
 
 453 
 
 was secured seemed almost a heavenly experience, and he 
 thought with deepest longing, " If we could always take 
 care of each other, I should be perhaps too well satisfied 
 with this earthly life." 
 
 When after a little time Christine returned he was sleep- 
 ing as heavily as before upon the beach, but the smile his 
 last thought occasioned still rested on his face. For some 
 little time she also sat near and rested, and her eyes sought 
 his face as if a story were written there she never could 
 finish Then she went to make inquiries after her father. 
 But no one tc whom she spoke knew anything about him. 
 
 Bread and provisions were constantly arriving, but not 
 fast enough to meet the needs of famishing thousands. 
 Though not feeling very strong she offered her services, 
 and was soon busily engaged. All present were strangers 
 to her, but when they learned from the inquiries for her 
 father that she was Miss Ludolph, she .was treated with 
 deference and sympathy. But she assumed nothing, and 
 as her strength permitted, during the day, she was ready 
 for any task, even the humblest. She handed food around 
 among the hungry, eager applicants with such a sweet and 
 pitying face, that she heard many a murmured blessing. 
 Her efforts were all the more appreciated as all saw that 
 she too had passed through the fire and had suffered deeply. 
 At last a kind motherly lady said : 
 
 " My dear, you look ready to drop. Here, take this," 
 and she poured out a glass of wine and gave her a sand- 
 wich, " now go and find some quiet nook and rest. It's 
 your duty." 
 
 " I have a friend who has suffered almost everything in 
 laving me. He is asleep now, but he has had scarcely 
 anything to eat for nearly three days, and I know he will be 
 Very hungry when he wakes.'' 
 
 " Sakes alive ! nothing to eat for three days ! why you
 
 454 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 
 
 must take him a whole loaf, and this, and this," cried th& 
 good lady, about to provision Dennis for a month. 
 
 " Oh, no," said Christine with a smile, " so much would 
 not be good for him. If you will give me three or foul 
 sandwiches, and let me come for some coffee when he wakes, 
 it will be sufficient," and she carried what now seemed 
 treasures to where Dennis was sleeping, and sat down with 
 a happy look on her face. 
 
 The day had been full of sweet trustful thoughts. She 
 was conscious of a presence within her heart and all around 
 that she knew was Divine, and in spite of her anxiety about 
 her father, and the uncertainty of the future, she had a rest 
 and contentment of mind that she had never experienced 
 before. Then she felt such a genuine sympathy for the 
 sufferers about her, and found, when she spoke to them 
 gently and kindly, they seemed so grateful, she wondered 
 she had never discovered the joy of ministering to others 
 before. She was entering a new world, and though there 
 might be suffering in it, the antidote was ever near, and its 
 pleasures promised to grow richer, fuller, more satisfying, 
 till they developed into the perfect happiness of heaven. 
 But every Christian joy that was like a sweet surprise ; every 
 thrilling hope that pointed to endless progress in all that is 
 best and noblest in life, instead of the sudden blank and 
 nothingness that threatened but yesterday ; and chief of 
 all, the thrilling consciousness of the Divine love which 
 kept her murmuring, " My Saviour, my good, kind Heaven- 
 ly Father," all reminded her of him who had been instru- 
 mental of the wondrous change. Often during the day she 
 would go and look at him, and could Dennis only have 
 opened his eyes at such a moment, and caught her expres- 
 sion, no words would have been needed to assure him of 
 his happiness. 
 
 The low afternoon sun shone in gold and crimson on
 
 SUSIE WINTHROP. 45S 
 
 his brow and face through the stained windows before he 
 gave signs of waking, and then she hurried away to get the 
 coffee hot from the urn. 
 
 She had hardly gone before he arose greatly refreshed 
 and s lengthened, but so famished that a roast ox would 
 have seemed but a comfortable meal. His eye at once 
 caught the sandwiches placed temptingly near. 
 
 " That is Miss Ludolph's work," he said ; " I wonder if 
 she has saved any for herself." He was about to go and 
 seek her when she met him with the coffee. 
 
 "Go back," she said ; " how dare you disobey orders ? " 
 
 " I was coming to find you." 
 
 " Well, that is the best excuse you could have made, 
 but I am here ; so sit down and drink this coffee and 
 devour these sandwiches." 
 
 " Not unless you share them with me." 
 
 " Insubordinate ! See here," and she took out her 
 more dainty provision from behind a seat and sat down 
 opposite, in such a pretty companionable way that he in 
 his admiration and pleasure forgot his sandwiches. 
 
 " What is the matter ? " she asked. " You are to eat 
 the sandwiches, not me." 
 
 " A very proper hint, Miss Ludolph; one might well 
 be inclined to make the mistake." 
 
 " Now that is a compliment worthy of the king of the 
 Cannibal Islands." 
 
 "Miss Ludolph," said Dennis, looking at her earn- 
 estly, "you do indeed seem happy." 
 
 A ray of light slanting through a yellow diamond of 
 glass fell with a sudden glory upon her face, and in a tone 
 of almost ecstasy she said : 
 
 " Oh, I am so glad and grateful, when I realize what 
 might have been, and what is. It seems that I have lost 
 so little in this fire in comparison with what I Vave gained.
 
 456 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 And but for you I might have lost everything. How rich 
 this first day of life, real, true life, has been ! My Heavenly 
 Father has been so kind to me 1 cannot express it. And 
 then to think how I have wronged Him all these years." 
 
 " You have indeed learned the secret of true eternal 
 happiness, Miss Ludolph." 
 
 " I believe it I feel sure of it. All trouble, all pain 
 will one day pass away forever ; and sometimes I feel as if 
 I must sing for joy. I do so long to see my father and tell 
 him. I fear he won't believe it at first, but I can pray as 
 you did, and it seems as if my Saviour would not deny me 
 anything. And now, Mr. Fleet, when you have finished 
 your lunch, I am going to ask one more favor, and then 
 will dub you truest knight that ever served defenceless 
 woman. You will find my father for me, for I believe you 
 can do anything." 
 
 Even in. the shadow where he sat, she caught the 
 pained expression of his face. 
 
 She sprang up and grasped his arm. 
 
 " You know something," she said ; then added : " Do 
 not be afraid to find my father now. When he knows 
 what services you have rendered me, all estrangement, if 
 any existed, will pass away." 
 
 But he averted his face, and she saw tears gathering in 
 his eyes. 
 
 " Mr. Fleet," she gasped, " do you know anything I do 
 not?" 
 
 He could hide the truth no longer. Indeed it was time 
 she should learn it. 
 
 Turning and taking her trembling hand, he looked at 
 her so sadly and kindly, that she at once knew her father 
 Was dead. 
 
 " Oh, my father," she cried in a tone of anguish that he 
 could never forget, "you will never, never know. All
 
 SUSIE WINTHROP. 45 j 
 
 day I have been longing to prove to you the truth of Chris- 
 tianity by my loving patient tenderness, but you have died, 
 and will never know," she moaned shudderingly. 
 
 He still held her hand indeed she clung to it as 
 something that might help sustain her in the dark, bitter 
 hour. 
 
 " Poor, poor father ! " she cried, " I never treated him 
 as I ought, and now he will never know the wealth of love 
 I was hoping to lavish on him." Then looking at Dennis 
 almost reproachfully, she said, " Could you not save him ? 
 You saved so many others." 
 
 " Indeed I could not, Miss Ludolph ; I tried, and nearly 
 lost my life in the effort. The great hotel back of the store 
 fell and crushed all in a moment." 
 
 She shuddered, but at last whispered : 
 
 " Why have you kept this so long from me ? " 
 
 " How could I tell you when the blow would have been 
 death ? Even now you can scarcely bear it." 
 
 "My little beginning of faith is sorely tried. Heavenly 
 spirit," she cried, "guide me through this darkness, and 
 let not doubt and unbelief cloud my mind again." 
 
 " Amen," said Dennis in a deep low tone. 
 
 They sat in the twilight in silence. He still held her 
 hand, and she was sobbing more gently and quietly. Sud- 
 denly she asked : 
 
 " Is it wrong thus to grieve over the breaking of an 
 earthly tie ? " 
 
 " No, not if you will say as did your Lord in His agony : 
 " ' Oh. my Father, Thy will be done. ' " 
 
 "I will try," she said softly, "but it is hard." 
 
 " He is a merciful and faithful High Priest. For in 
 that He himself suffered, being tempted, He is able to succor 
 them that are tempted." 
 
 " Do you know that I think mv change in feeling makes
 
 458 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 me grieve all the more deeply. Until to-day I never loved 
 my father as I ought. It is the curse of unbelief to deaden 
 everything good in the heart. Oh, I do feel such a great 
 unspeakable pity for him." 
 
 "Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord 
 pitieth them that fear Him :" 
 
 " Is that in the Bible ? " she asked. 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 " It is very sweet. He indeed must be my refuge now, 
 for I am alone in the world." 
 
 " He has said, ' I will never leave thee nor forsake 
 thee.' I have passed through this sorrow so recently my- 
 self that I can sympathize with you as a fellow-sufferer." 
 
 " True, true, so you have," she answered. " Is that 
 the reason that Christ suffered with us that we might know 
 He sympathized with us ? " 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " How unspeakably comforting is such sympathy, both 
 human and divine. Tell me about your mother." 
 
 " I fear I cannot without being unmanned.' She was 
 one of heaven's favorites, and I owe everything to her. I 
 can tell you one thing though, she prayed for you con- 
 tinually even with her dying lips, when my faith had 
 broken down." 
 
 This touched Christine very deeply. At last she said : 
 " I shall see her some day." 
 
 " I wish you had seen her," he continued very sadly, 
 looking as if at a scene far away. 
 
 " You cannot wish it more than I. Indeed I would 
 have called on her, had it not been for an unfortunate 
 accident." 
 
 He looked at her with some surprise as if not under- 
 standing her remark, but said : 
 
 "She greatly wished to see you before she died,"
 
 SUSIE WINTHROP. 4 j v 
 
 <: Oh, I wish I had known it." 
 
 " Did you not know it? " he asked in a startled manner 
 
 " No, but I felt grateful to her, for I understood thaJ 
 she offered to take care of me in case I had the small-pox 
 I wanted to visit her very much, and at last thought I 
 would venture to do so, but just then I sprained my ankle. 
 I sent my maid to inquire, but fear she didn't do my 
 errand very well," added Christine, looking down. 
 
 "She never came, Miss Ludolph." Then he con- 
 tinued eagerly : " I fear yl have done you a great wrong. 
 A little time before my mother died, she wrote you a line 
 saying that she was dying and would like to see you. I 
 did not know you could not come I thought you would 
 not." 
 
 Crimson with shame and humiliation, Christine buried 
 her burning cheeks in her hands and murmured, " I never 
 received it." 
 
 " And did you send the exquisite flowers and fruit ? " he 
 asked. " Ah, I see that you did. I am so glad so very 
 glad that I was mistaken. I sincerely ask your pardon 
 for my unjust thoughts." 
 
 " It is I who should ask pardon, and for a long time I 
 have earnestly wished that I might find opportunity to do 
 so. My conduct has been simply monstrous, but of late 
 it has seemed worse than the truth. Everything has been 
 against me. If you only knew but " (and her head 
 bowed lower.) Then she added hastily: "My maid has 
 been false, and I must have appeared more heartless than 
 ever." But, with bitter shame and sorrow, she. remem- 
 bered who must have been the inspirer of the treachery, 
 and though she never spoke of it again, she feared that 
 Dennis suspected it also. It was one of those painful 
 things that must be buried, even as the grave closes over 
 the frail perishing body.
 
 460 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY, 
 
 Let those who are tempted to a wicked, dishonorable 
 deed remember that even after they are gone, the knowl- 
 edge of it may come to those who loved them, like an 
 incurable wound. 
 
 Dennis' resolution not to speak till Christine should 
 be no longer dependent on him was fast melting away, as 
 he learned that she had not been so callous and forgetful 
 as she seemed. But before he could add another word, 
 a wild, sweet, mournful voice was heard singing : 
 
 O fiery storm, wilt never cease ? 
 
 Thy burning hail falls on my heart ; 
 Bury me deep, that I in peace 
 
 May rest where death no more can part. 
 
 In awed, startled tones they both exclaimed : " SUSIE 
 WINTHROP 1 " 
 
 CHAPTER L. 
 
 DR. ARTKN STRUCK BY LIGHTNING. 
 
 HASTENING down into the body of the church, Dennis 
 and Christine found Mrs. Learned lying on some cushions 
 in a pew. She was scantily clad, her sweet face scorched 
 and blackened, and her beautiful hair almost crisped away. 
 
 Her husband was bending over her in an agony of 
 mingled grief and joy. She had just been brought in from 
 wandering aimlessly and alone quite out upon the prairie, 
 silking, in a low plaintive way to herself, words suggested 
 by the sudden disaster that had temporarily robbed her of 
 husband, reason, and almost of life. 
 
 Dennis afterward learned from Professor Learned that
 
 DR. ARTEN STRUCK BY LIGHTNING. 461 
 
 when first aroused they had escaped from the hotel, but, not 
 realizing the danger, he had stepped back a moment at her 
 request to get something she valued very much, and they 
 became separated. 
 
 " And thus at last I find the poor child," he cried viith 
 a look of agony. 
 
 Mrs. Learned did not know any of them, but continued 
 her low plaintive singing. 
 
 Dr. Arten, who had found his way to the church as one 
 of the centres, was soon in attendance, his benevolent face 
 becoming the very embodiment of pity. The crowd were 
 pushed back, and Christine and other kind ladies took 
 charge of her poor unconscious friend, and all was done 
 that skill and tender love could suggest. At last, under 
 the doctor's opiates, her low weird singing ceased, and 
 she slept, her husband holding her hand. The thronging 
 fugitives were kept a little away, and Dr. Arten slept 
 near, to be within call. 
 
 A lady asked Christine to go home with her, but she 
 thanked her and said : 
 
 " No, I would rather remain in the church near my 
 friends." 
 
 Dennis saw that she was greatly wearied. Taking her 
 hand, he said : 
 
 " Miss Ludolph, it is my turn to take care of you again. 
 See, our friends are preparing a place there for the ladies 
 to sleep. Please go to rest at once, for you do indeed 
 need it." 
 
 " I am very tired, but I know I could not sleep. How 
 strange this life is ! All day, the world, in spite of what 
 has happened, seemed growing brighter. Now with the 
 night has come the deeper darkness of sorrow. On every 
 side pain and suffering seem to predominate, and to me 
 there will ever be so much mystery in events like my
 
 462 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 father's death and my friend Susie's experience, that I 
 know it will be hard to maintain a child-like faith." 
 
 " God will help you to trust ; you will not be left to 
 struggle alone. Then remember you are His child, and 
 earthly parents do much that little children cannot under- 
 stand." 
 
 With a faint smile she answered, " I fear I shall be one 
 of those troublesome children that are ever asking why ? 
 All day it has seemed so easy to be a Christian, but already 
 I learn that there will be times when I shall have to cling 
 to my Saviour, instead of being carried forward in His arms. 
 Indeed, I almost fear that I shall lose Him in the dark- 
 ness." 
 
 "But He will not lose you," replied Dennis. "Since 
 you are not sleepy, let me tell you a short Bible story." 
 
 " Oh do, please do, just as if I were a little child." 
 
 " It is in the New Testament. Jesus has sent His dis- 
 ciples in a boat across the sea of Galilee, while He went 
 up alone in a mountain to pray. The night came, and 
 with it a storm swept down against the disciples. The 
 smooth sea was lashed into great foam-crested waves 
 which broke over the little ship in which were the disci- 
 ples. They tugged hour after hour at the oars, but in 
 vain. The night grew darker, the wind more contrary, 
 the waves higher and more threatening, their arms wearied, 
 and they may have feared they would perish alone, and 
 without remedy in the black midnight. But we read that 
 ' He saw them toiling in rowing,' though they knew it 
 not. From the distant mountain side ' He saw them' 
 marked every weary stroke of the oar, and every throb of 
 fear. But at last, when they were most ready to welcome 
 Him, when none could say, ' We would have rowed through 
 the storm alone,' He came to them walking safely on the 
 dark waves that threatened them with death, and said, ' Be
 
 DR. ARTEN STRUCK BY LIGHTNING. 463 
 
 of good cheer, it is I ; be not afraid.' Then they gladly 
 received Him into the ship, and immediately the rough 
 waves were hushed, and the keel of the boat, grated on the 
 beach, toward which they had vainly rowed. Thrt, they 
 that were in the ship came and worshipped Him, saying, 
 ' Of a truth thou art the Son of God.' 
 
 " Now it was on the evening of that very night that these 
 same disciples had engaged in a scene of festivity. They 
 had stood in the sunset on the mountain slope, and seen 
 their Lord feed many thousand. Then all was peace, 
 safety, and good cheer. Life changed as quickly for them 
 as you, but did not their Divine Master see them as truly 
 in the stormy night as in the sunlight? Did He leave them 
 to perish ? 
 
 " He is watching you, Miss Ludolph, for He is ever the 
 same ; and before this stormy night of your sorrow passes 
 away, you will hear His voice, saying, ' Be of good cheer, it 
 is I ; be not afraid.' " 
 
 " Already I hear it," she said in a low glad voice, smil- 
 ing through her tears. " I can, I do trust Him, and the con- 
 flicting winds of doubt and fear are becoming still. Among 
 all these homeless people there must be many sad discour- 
 aged hearts. You have helped me so much ; can you not 
 say a word or sing something that will help them ?" 
 
 Dennis thought a moment and then in a sweet, clear 
 Voice that penetrated every part of the large building, sang : 
 
 Father in Heaven, the night is around us, 
 
 Terror and danger our portion have been ; 
 We cry unto thee, oh, save and defend us, 
 
 Comfort the trembling and pardon our sin. 
 
 Hearts that are heavy look x>nward and upward ; 
 
 Though wild was the storm that wrecked your loved homes, 
 Faith lifts your sad glances hopefully heavenward, 
 
 The mansions prepared with glory-crowned domes.
 
 464 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 Hearts that are breaking, whose Icv'd ones have vanished, 
 
 Swept down in the seething ocean of fire, 
 E'en now they may rest where pain is all banished, 
 
 And join their glad songs with the heavenly choir. 
 
 Hearts that are groaning with life's weary burden, 
 
 Who fear to go forward to sorrow a prey ; 
 Jesus invites you' Oh, come, heavy laden ; ' 
 
 Leave sin at his feet, bear mercy away. 
 
 After the first line there was a breathless hush, but 
 when he closed, low sobbings might be heard from many 
 of the women, and in the dim light not a few tears shone 
 in the eyes of manhood. Dennis' voice was sympathetic 
 in its character, and he had the power of throwing into it 
 much feeling. 
 
 Christine was weeping silently and quietly, but her tears 
 now were like the warm spring rain as it falls on 'the pre- 
 cious seed. At last she said : 
 
 "You have done these people much good." 
 
 " To you belongs all the credit, for it was at your sug- 
 gestion I sang." 
 
 She shook her head, and then said : " Good-night, 
 my friend, I shall never forget this day with its mingled 
 experience ; but I think, I hope, I shall never doubt God 
 again," and she went to her rest. 
 
 The light of the next day brought to view many hard 
 realities, and chief among these was the bread question. 
 Dennis was up with the dawn, and by eager inquiries 
 sought to comprehend the situation somewhat. Some 
 were gloomy and discouraged, some apathetic, and some 
 determined, courageous, and hopeful : and to this last class 
 he belonged. 
 
 Most thankful that he had come out of the fiery ordeal 
 unscathed, he resolved to contribute his quota towards a 
 new and better Chicago. Young, and sanguine in temper
 
 DR. ARTEN STRUCK BY LIGHTNING. 465 
 
 ament, he already saw the city rise from its ashes in 
 statelier proportions and richer prosperity. With a thrill 
 of exultation he heard the report that some Napoleonic 
 business-men had already telegraphed for building mate- 
 rial, and were even now excavating the hot ruins. 
 
 Christine had hardly joined him as he stood at the 
 door, when a gentleman entered and asked : 
 
 " Who here are willing and able to work fof fair 
 wages?" 
 
 " I am at your service," said Dennis, stepping forward 
 promptly. 
 
 "You are a gentleman, sir," said the speaker, im- 
 pressed with the fact by Dennis' bearing, though his hat 
 and coat were gone ; " I need laborers who can handle the. 
 pick and shovel." 
 
 " I will work for less, then, till I can handle these 
 tools as well as a laborer. There is rio reason why I 
 should eat the bread of charity a day longer, especially 
 when so many need it more than I." 
 
 " I said you were a gentleman ; I now say you are a 
 man, and that to me means a great deal more," said the 
 energetic stranger. "You shall have two dollars a day 
 with the rest." 
 
 He turned to Christine and said almost proudly: 
 "The supper you have to-night shall be yours also." 
 
 " That is," she replied with a smile, " I shall live on 
 your charity instead of that of some one else." 
 
 His face grew sad at once, but he answered, as he 
 went away : " I could not give you charity^ Miss Ludolph." 
 
 Christine saw that she had pained him, and was much 
 vexed with herself. But his remark added to the hope 
 and almost belief that she still held her old place in his 
 heart, and she resolved to make amends in 'he evening 
 for her unlucky speech.
 
 466 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 With a smile she said to herself : " If he only knew that 
 I would prefer the coarsest, scantiest fare provided by 
 him, to the most costly banquet, he would not have gone 
 away with that long face. How rich life would be if I 
 could commence it with him, and we struggle up to- 
 gether. Oh, Heaven grant," she sighed, looking earnestly 
 upward, "that through these wonderful terrible changes, I 
 may* climb the mountain at his side, as he so graphically 
 portrayed it in his picture." 
 
 Mrs. Learned still slept, and her husband in an 
 agony of anxiety watched at her side. At last, a little 
 before midday, she opened her eyes and said in her natu- 
 ral tone: 
 
 "Why, John, I must have greatly overslept. Where am 
 "F ? " and then, as her husband commenced fairly sobbing 
 for joy, she started up and said hurriedly : 
 
 " What is the matter ? What has happened ? " 
 
 " Oh, be calm," whispered Christine to the Professor. 
 " Everything depends on keeping her quiet." Then she 
 bent over her friend, and said : " Do not be alarmed, Su- 
 sie ; you are now safe and well, and so is your husband. 
 But you have been sick, and for his sake and your own 
 you must keep quiet." 
 
 She turned inquiringly to her husband, who said more 
 calmly : 
 
 " It is all true, and if you can only be careful we can 
 go back to Boston as well as ever." 
 
 " I will do anything you say, John, but why am I in a 
 church ? " 
 
 " You were taken sick in the street, and this was the 
 rearest place to bring you." 
 
 " Oh, dear, I have had such strange, dreadful dreams. 
 1 am so glad they were only dreams, and you are here with 
 me," and she lay quietly holding her husband's hands and
 
 DR. ARTEN STRUCK BY LIGHTNING. 467 
 
 looking contentedly in his face ; and it was evident she was 
 herself again, and much better. 
 
 Dr. Arten soon after came and said cheerily : 
 
 " All right ! all right ! will have you out in a d..y or 
 two as good as new, and then, Miss Ludolph, you see how 
 much more grateful she is to the old Doctor than you were." 
 
 " You must present your bill," replied Christine with a 
 smile. 
 
 " May I ? " retorted the Doctor, wiping his lips. 
 
 " Oh, I don't know about that," cried Christine, adding 
 quickly, " when I welcome you to my own home you may." 
 
 " An old maid's hall, I suppose." 
 
 " It will be an orphan's home at least," said Christine, 
 softly and sadly. 
 
 Tears sprang to the old man's eyes, and putting his 
 arm around her he drew her to him saying, as he stroked 
 her drooping head : 
 
 " Poor child ! poor child ! I did not know. But you 
 shall never want a protector while the old Doctor is above 
 ground. As far as possible, I will be a father to you," and 
 Christine knew she had found a friend as true and strong 
 as steel, and she buried her face on his shoulder and cried 
 as trustingly as his own child might. 
 
 " Oh, Christine," cried Mrs. Learned, " I am so sorry 
 for you." 
 
 At the voice of her old friend she at once rallied, and 
 trying to smile through her tears, said : 
 
 " God has been so much better to me than I deserved 
 that I have only gratitude when I think of myself ; but ray 
 poor father," and again she covered her face and wept. 
 
 " Christine, come here," said Mrs. Learned softly, and 
 she put her arms around the weeping girl. " You spoke 
 of God's being good to you Have you in truth found and 
 learned to trust Him ? "
 
 468 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 " Yes," she replied eagerly, joy and peace coming out 
 in her face like the sun shining through clouds and rain. 
 Then with bowed head she whispered low, " The one 1 
 wronged on earth led me to the one I wronged in Heaven, 
 and both have forgiven me. Oh, I am so glad, so happy." 
 
 " Then you have seen Mr. Fleet ? " 
 
 " Yes, he saved my life again and again, but in teach- 
 ing me how to find my Saviour, he has done far more for 
 me." 
 
 "And you will not wrong him any more, will you, Chris- 
 tine? He has loved you so long and faithfully." 
 
 In reply she lifted an eager face to her friend and said : 
 " Do you think he can love me still after my treatment of 
 him ? " 
 
 " Give him a chance to tell you," said Mrs. Learned, 
 with a half-mischievous smile ; " has he not shown his 
 feelings ? " 
 
 " He .has treated me more as a brother might, and yet 
 he is so very respectful and deferential I hope but I 
 am not perfectly sure and then he seems under some 
 restraint." 
 
 Mrs. Learned said musingly : " He knows that you are 
 Baroness of Ludolph. I told him last week, for I thought 
 he ought to know, and the fact of your departure for 
 Europe soon has been no secret of late. He thinks you 
 are pledged to a future in which he cannot share ; and in 
 your grateful dependent condition he would not cause you 
 the pain of refusing him. I think that is just where he 
 stands," she concluded, with a woman's mastery of the 
 science of love, and taking almost as much interest in her 
 friend's affair as she had in her own. To most ladies this 
 subject has a peculiar fascination, and having settled 1 heir 
 own matters they enter with scarcely less zest on the task 
 of helping others arrange theirs. Mrs. Learned rallied
 
 DR. ARTEN STRUCK BY LIGHTNING. 469 
 
 faster under the excitement of this new interest than from 
 the Doctor's remedies. 
 
 After a few moments' thought Christine said decidedly: 
 
 " All that nonsense about the Baroness of Ludolph is 
 passed forever burned up in the fire with many things of 
 more value. I have been fed too long on the husks of 
 human greatness and ambition to want any more of them. 
 They never did satisfy me, and in the light and heat of the 
 terrific ordeal through which I have just passed, they 
 shrivelled into utter nothingness. I want something that I 
 cannot lose in a whif of smoke and flame, and I think I 
 have found it. Henceforth I claim no other character save 
 that of a simple Christian girl." Then bowing her head 
 on her friend's shoulder she added in a whisper : " If I 
 could climb to true greatness by Mr. Fleet's side, as he 
 portrayed it in his picture, it seems to me heaven would 
 begin at once." 
 
 The Doctor who had taken the Professor aside, now 
 joined them, and said : 
 
 " Mrs. Learned, you have only to take reasonable care 
 of yourself and you will soon recover from this shock and 
 exposure. I wish all my patients were doing as well." 
 
 She replied with a smile, taking her husband's hand: 
 " Since I have found my old Greek here, with his learned 
 spectacles, I am quite myself, arid feel as if I were only 
 playing invalid." 
 
 " You may have slept in a church before," said the 
 Doctor with a twinkle in his eye, " and you must do so 
 again. But no one will thunder at you from the pulpit 
 this time, so I leave you in peace and security, and to-night 
 will be within call." 
 
 Christine followed him to to the lobby of the church, 
 when the irrepressible joker could not forbear saying, 
 "Now let me give you a little paternal advice. Don't be
 
 470 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 too grateful to that young Fleet. He only did his duty, 
 and of course doesn't deserve any special " 
 
 Christine, with flushing cheeks, interrupted him as if 
 she had not heard : 
 
 " Doctor, how good and kind you are. Here you are 
 off without any rest to look after the sick and suffering, and 
 you seem to bring health and hope wherever you go." 
 
 " Yes, yes; but I send my bill in too mind that." 
 (Some of his poorer patients never received any, and when 
 twitted of the fact he would mutter roughly, "Business 
 oversight can't attend to everything.") 
 
 Christine looked for a moment at the face so contagious 
 in its hearty benevolence, and with an impulse, so unlike 
 the cold haughty girl of old, sprang forward, threw her arms 
 around his neck, and gave him a kiss which he declared 
 afterwards was like a mild stroke of lightning, and said : 
 
 " And there is the first instalment of what I owe you." 
 
 The old gentleman looked as if he decidedly liked the 
 currency, and with moistened eyes that he vainly tried to 
 render humorous, he raised his finger impressively in part- 
 ing, and said : 
 
 " Don't yon ever get out of debt to me." 
 
 CHAPTER LI. 
 
 BILL CRONK'S TOAST. 
 
 AFTER all, it was a long day to Christine. Tears would 
 start from her eyes at the thought of her father, but she 
 realized that the only thing for her to do was to shroud his 
 memory in a great forgiving pity, and put it away forever. 
 She could only turn from the mystery of his life and death
 
 BILL CRONK'S TOAST. 47I 
 
 the mystery of evil to Him who taketh away the sin of 
 the world. There was no darkness in that direction. She 
 busied herself with Mrs. Learned, and the distribution of 
 food to others, till six o'clock, and then she stood near the 
 door to watch till her true knight should appear in his 
 shirt-sleeves, with shovel on his shoulder, and an old burnt, 
 tattered felt hat on his head, instead of jewelled crest and 
 heron plume. 
 
 Dennis had gone to his work not very hopeful. He 
 knew Christine would be his grateful friend while she lived, 
 and might even regard him as a brother, but all this might 
 be and still she be unable to respond to his deeper feelings. 
 Moreover, he knew she was Baroness of Ludolph, and 
 might be heiress of such titles and estates in Germany as 
 would require that she should go at once to secure them ; 
 and so she seemed clearly to pass beyond his sphere. 
 
 As he shovelled the hot bricks and cinders hour after 
 hour among other laborers, the distance between himself 
 and the Baroness of Ludolph seemed to increase : and 
 when, begrimed and weary, he sat down to eat his dinner 
 of a single sandwich saved from breakfast (for as yet he 
 had no money), the ruins around him were quite in keep- 
 ing with his feelings. He thought most regretfully of his 
 two thousand dollars and burned picture. The brave reso- 
 lute spirit of the morning had deserted him. He did not 
 realize that few men have lived who could be brave and 
 hopeful when weary and hungry, and fewer still, when, in 
 addition, they doubted the favor of the lady of their Icve. 
 
 The work of the afternoon seemed desperately hard 
 and long, but with dogged persistency, Dennis held his 
 own with the others till six, and in common with them re- 
 ceived his two dollars. Whether Christine would accept the 
 supper he brought or not, he determined to fulfil his promise 
 and bring one. Wearily he trudged off to the west side,
 
 472 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 in order to find a store. No one who met him would have 
 imagined that this plodding laborer was the artist who the 
 week before had won the prize and title of genius. 
 
 If he had been purchasing a supper for himself, he 
 would doubtless have been sensible about it ; but one that 
 the Baroness of Ludolph might share was a different mat- 
 ter. He bought some very rich cake, a can of peaches, a 
 box of sardines, some fruit, and then his money gave out ! 
 But, with these incongruous and indigestible articles made 
 up into one large bundle, he started for the church. He 
 had gone but a little way, when some one rushed upon 
 him, and little Ernst clasped him round the neck and fairly 
 cried for joy. Sitting on the sidewalk near were the other 
 little Bruders, looking as forlorn and dirty as three mother- 
 less children could. Dennis stopped and sat down beside 
 them (for he was too tired to stand), while Ernst told his 
 story how their mother had left them, and how she had 
 been found so burned that she was recognized only by a 
 ring (which he had) and a bit of the picture preserved 
 under her body. They had been looking ever since to find 
 him, and had slept where they could. 
 
 As Ernst sobbingly told his story the other children 
 cried in doleful chorus, and Dennis' tears fell fast too, as 
 he realized how his humble friend had perished. He re- 
 membered her kindness to his mother and little sisters, 
 and his heart acknowledged the claim of these poor little 
 orphans. Prudence whispered, " You cannot afford to 
 "burden yourself with all these children," and pride added, 
 " What a figure you will make in presenting yourself be- 
 fore the Baroness of Ludolph with all these children at 
 your heels." But he put such thoughts, resolutely aside, 
 and spoke as a brother might ; and when one of the chil- 
 dren sobbed, " We so hungry ! " out came the Baroness of 
 Ludolph's fruit and cake and nothing remained for Chris-
 
 BILL CRONK'S TOAST. 473 
 
 tine but the sardines and peaches, since these could not 
 well be opened in the street. The little Bruders having 
 devoured what seemed to them the ambrosia of the gods, 
 he took the youngest in his arms, Ernst following with the 
 others ; and so they slowly made their way to the church 
 where Christine was now anxiously waiting with many sur- 
 mises and forebodings at Dennis' delay. 
 
 Ai last, in the dusk, the little group appeared at the 
 church door, and she exclaimed : 
 
 " What has kept you so, Mr. Fleet ? " 
 
 He determined to put the best face on the situation, 
 and indulge in no heroics, so he said: "You could not 
 expect such a body of infantry as this to march rapidly." 
 
 " What ! " she exclaimed, " have you brought all the 
 lost children in the city back with you ? " 
 
 " No, only those that fell properly to my care," and in 
 a few words he told their story. 
 
 " And do you, without a cent in the world, mean to 
 assume the burden of these four children ? " she asked in 
 accents of surprise. 
 
 He could not see her face, but his heart sank within 
 him, for he thought that to her it would seem quixotic and 
 become another barrier between them, but he answered 
 firmly : 
 
 "Yes, till God who has imposed the burden, removes 
 it, and enables me to place them among friends in a good 
 home. Mrs. Bruder, before she died, wrote to her family 
 in Germany, telling her whole story. Relatives may take 
 the children ; if not, some way will be provided." 
 
 " Mr. Fleet, I wonder at you," was her answer. " Give 
 me that child, and you bring the others." 
 
 He wondered at her as he saw her take the child and 
 Imprint a kiss on the sleepy, dirty face ; and Ernst, who 
 had bee'n eyeing her askance, crept timidly nearer when 
 he saw the kiss, and whispered :
 
 474 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 " Perhaps her old outside heart has been burnt away." 
 They followed to a lobby of the lecture-room, and here 
 she procured a damp towel and proceeded to remove the 
 tear and dust stains from the round and wondering faces 
 of the children. Having restored them to something of 
 their original color, she took them away to supper, saying 
 to Dennis with a decided nod : 
 
 " You stay here till I come for you." 
 
 Something in her manner reminded him of the same 
 little autocrat who ordered him about when they arranged 
 the store together. She soon returned with a basin of 
 water and a towel saying : 
 
 " See what a luxury you secure by obeying orders. 
 Now give an account of yourself, as every lady's knight 
 should on his return. How have you spent the day ? " 
 
 He could not forbear laughing as he said : " My em- 
 ployment has been almost ludicrously incongruous with 
 the title by which you honor me. I have been shovelling 
 brick and mortar with other laborers." 
 
 "All day?" 
 
 "All day." 
 
 Her glance became so tender and wistful that he for- 
 got to wash his hands in looking at her, and felt for the 
 moment as if he could shovel rubbish forever, if such 
 could be his reward. 
 
 Seemingly by an effort, she regained her brusque 
 manner, which he did not know was but the mask she 
 was trying to wear, and said quickly : 
 
 "What is the matter? Why don't you wash your 
 face?" 
 
 " You told me to give an account of myself," he re- 
 torted, at the same time showing rising color in his dust- 
 begrimed face. 
 
 "Well, one of your ability can do two things at once, 
 What ha\v you got in that bundle?"
 
 BILL CRONK'S TOAST. 475 
 
 " You may have forgotten, but I promised to bring you 
 home something that you chose to regard as charity." 
 
 " If I was so ungracious, you ought to have rewarded 
 me by bringing me a broken brick. Will you let me see 
 what you brought ? " But without waiting for permission 
 she pounced upon the bundle and dragged out the peaches 
 and sardines. 
 
 He, having washed and partially wiped his face, was 
 now able to display more of his embarrassment, and added 
 apologetically : 
 
 " That is not all I had. I also bought some cake and 
 fruit and then my money gave out." 
 
 "And do you mean to say that you have no money 
 left?" 
 
 " Not a penny," he answered desperately. 
 
 " But where is the cake and fruit ? " 
 
 " Well," he said laughingly, " I found the little Bru 
 ders famishing on the sidewalk, and they got the best part 
 of your supper." 
 
 " What an escape I have had ! " she exclaimed. " Do 
 you think I should have survived the night if I had eaten 
 those strangely assorted dainties, as in honor bound I would 
 have done, since you brought them ? " Then with a face of 
 comical severity she turned upon him and said, " Mr. Fleet, 
 you need some one to take care of you. What kind of 
 economy do you call this, sir, especially on the part of one 
 who has burdened himself with four helpless children ? " 
 
 There was a mingling of sense and seriousness in her 
 raillery, which he recognized, and he said, with a half-vexed 
 laugh at himself: 
 
 " Well, really, Miss Ludolph, I suppose that I have not 
 wholly regained my wits since the fire. I throw myself on 
 your mercy." (The same expression he had used once 
 before. She remembered it, and her face changed instant-
 
 47 6 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 ly.) Turning hastily away to hide her feelings, she said, 
 in rather a husky voice : 
 
 " When I was a wicked fool, I told you I had none ; but 
 I think I am a little changed now." Then she added 
 sharply, " Please don't stand there keeping our friends 
 waiting," and she led the way into the lecture-room now 
 filled with tables and hungry people. 
 
 Dennis was in a maze, and could scarcely understand 
 her. She was so different from the pensive lady, shrinking 
 from the rude contact with the world, that he had expected 
 to meet. He did not realize that there was not a particle 
 of weak sentimentality about her, and now that pride was 
 gone, her energetic spirit would make her a leader in scenes 
 like these as truly as those in which she always had been 
 at home. Much less could he understand that she was 
 hiding a heart brimming over with love to him. 
 
 He followed her, however, with much assumed humility. 
 When in the middle of the room, who should meet him 
 squarely but Bill Cronk ? 
 
 " Hollo ! " he roared, giving Dennis a slap on his back 
 that startled even the hungry apathetic people at the 
 tables. 
 
 Dennis was now almost desperate. Glad as he was 
 to see Cronk, he felt that he was gathering around him as 
 incongruous a company as was the supper he had brought 
 home. If Yahcob Bunk or even the red-nosed bar-tender 
 should appear to claim him as brother, he would scarcely 
 have been surprised. He naturally thought that the Baro- 
 ness of Ludolph might hesitate before entering such a 
 circle of intimates. But he was not guilty of the meanness 
 of cutting a humble friend, even though he saw the eyes of 
 Christine resting on him. In his embarrassment, however, 
 he held out the wash-basin in his confused effort to shake 
 hands, and said heartily :
 
 BILL CRONK'S TOAST. 477 
 
 " Why, Cronk, I am glad you came safely out of it.' v 
 
 " Is this gentleman a friend of yours ? " asked Christine 
 with inimitable grace. 
 
 " Yes ! " said Dennis firmly, though coloring somewhat 
 He once rendered me a great kindness " 
 
 " Well, Miss, you bet your money on the right hoss that 
 time," interrupted Bill. " If I hain't a friend of his'n I'd 
 like to know where you'll find one ; though I did kick up 
 like a cussed ole mule when he knocked the bottle out of 
 my hand. Like a nuff if he hadn't I wouldn't be here." 
 
 " Won't you present me, Mr. Fleet ? " said Christine with 
 an amused twinkle in her eye. 
 
 " Mr. Cronk," said Dennis (who had now reached that 
 state of mind when one becomes reckless), " this lady is 
 Miss Ludolph, and, I hope I may venture to add, another 
 friend of mine." 
 
 She at once put out her hand, that seemed like a snow- 
 flake in the great horny paw of the drover, and said : 
 
 " Indeed, Mr. Cronk, I will permit no one to claim 
 stronger friendship to Mr. Fleet than mine." 
 
 " I can take any friend of Mr. Fleet's to my buzzom at 
 once," said Bill, speaking figuratively, but Christine instinct- 
 ively shrank nearer Dennis. In talking with men, Bill used 
 the off-hand vernacular of his calling, but when addressing 
 ladies, he evidently thought that a certain style of metaphor 
 bordering on sentiment was the proper thing. But Chris- 
 tine said : 
 
 " As a friend of Mr. Fleet's you shall join our party at 
 once," and she led them to the farther end of the room, 
 where at a table sat Dr. Arten, Professor and Mrs. Learned, 
 Ernst and the little Bruders, who at the prospect of more 
 eating were wide awake again. After the most hearty 
 greetings they were seated, and she took her place by the 
 side of the little children in order to wait on them. Few 
 
 21
 
 478 BARRIERS BURNED AWAV. 
 
 more remarkable groups sat down together, even in that 
 time of chaos and deprivation. Professor Learned was 
 without vest .or collar, and sat with coat buttoned tight up 
 to his chin to hide the defect He had lost his scholaily 
 gold-rimmed spectacles and a wonderful pair of goggles 
 bestrode his nose in their place. Mrs. Learned was lost in 
 the folds of an old delaine dress that was a mile too large, 
 and her face looked as if she had assisted actively in an 
 Irish wake. Dr. Arten did the honors at the head of the 
 table in his dress coat and vest that were once white, 
 though he no longer figured around in red flannel draw- 
 ers as he had on the beach. The little round faces of 
 the Bruders seemed as if protruding from animated rag 
 babies, while nothing could dim the glory of Ernst's great 
 spiritual eyes, as they gratefully and wistfully followed 
 Dennis' every movement. Cronk was in a very dilapidated 
 and famished state, and endured many and varied tortures 
 in his efforts to be polite while he bolted sandwiches at a- 
 rate that threatened famine. Christine still wore the wool- 
 len dress she had so hastily donned by Dennis assistance 
 on Sunday night, and the marks of the fire were all over it. 
 Around her neck the sparks had burned a hole here and 
 there through which her white shoulders gleamed. While 
 she was self-possessed and asiduous in her attention to the 
 little children, there was a glow of excitement in her eyes, 
 which perhaps Mrs. Learned understood better than any- 
 one else, though the shrewd old Doctor was anything but 
 blind. 
 
 Dennis sat next to Christine in shirt-sleeves once white, 
 but now through dust and smoke as many colors as Jo 
 seph's coat. He was too weary to eat much, and there was 
 a weight upon his spirits that he could not throw off, the 
 inevitable despondency that follows great fatigue, when the 
 mind is not at rest.
 
 BILL CRONK'S TOAST. 4?9 
 
 Christine sprang up and brought him a huge mug of hot 
 coffee. 
 
 " Really, Miss Ludolph," he remonstrated, " you should 
 n )t wait on me in this style." 
 
 " You may well feel honored, sir," said Mrs. Learned. 
 * It is not every man that is waited on by a Baroness." 
 
 " The trouble with Christine is that she is too grateful," 
 put in the old Doctor. 
 
 " Now I should say that was scarcely possible in view 
 of " commenced the Professor innocently. 
 
 " I really hope Miss Ludolph will do nothing more from 
 gratitude," interrupted Dennis in a low tone that showed 
 decided annoyance. 
 
 The Doctor and Mrs. Learned were ready to burst with 
 some suppressed amusement, and Cronk seeing something 
 going on that he did not understand, looked curiously 
 around with a sandwich half way to his open mouth, while 
 Ernst, believing Dennis wronged from his tone, turned his 
 great eyes reproachfully from one to another. But Christine 
 was equal to the occasion. Lifting her head and looking 
 round with a free clear glance she said : 
 
 " And I say that men who meet this great disaster with 
 courage and fortitude, and hopefully set about retrieving it, 
 possess an inherent nobility such as no King or Kaiser 
 could bestow, and were I twenty times a Baroness, I would 
 esteem it an honor to wait upon them." 
 
 A round of applause followed this speech in which 
 Cronk joined vociferously, and Mrs. Learned cried, " Oh, 
 Christine, how beautifully I learn from your face the differ- 
 ence between dignity and pride. That was your same old 
 proud look, changed and glorified into something so much 
 belter." 
 
 Dennis also saw her expression and could not diguise 
 his admiration, but every moment he felt more how despei
 
 480 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 ately hard it would be to give her up, now that she seemed 
 to realize his very ideal of womanhood. 
 
 And Cronk, having satisfied the clamors of his appetite, 
 began to be fascinated in his rough way with her grace and 
 beaut} , Nudging Dennis he asked in a loud whisper heard 
 by all and which nearly caused Dr. Arten to choke : 
 
 "The young filly is a German lady, ain't she?" 
 
 Dennis, much embarrassed nodded assent. 
 
 A happy thought struck Bill. Though impeded by the 
 weight of indefinite sandwiches, he slowly rose and looked 
 solemnly round on the little group. Dennis trembled, for 
 he feared some dreadful bull on the part of his rough but 
 well-meaning friend, but Dr. Arten in a state of intense en- 
 joyment, cried, 
 
 " Mr. Cronk has .the floor." 
 
 Lifting a can of coffee containing about a quart, the 
 Drover said impressively and with an attempt at great 
 stateliness : 
 
 " Beautiful ladies and honorable gentlemen here assem- 
 bled, I would respectfully ask you to drink to a toast in 
 this harmless beverage : The United States of Ameraky I 
 When the two great elemental races the sanguinary Yan- 
 kee and the pleagmatic German become one, and, as rep- 
 resented in the blooded team before me (waving his hand 
 majestically over the heads of Dennis and Christine), pull 
 up in the traces together, how will the ship of state go for- 
 ward ? " and his face disappeared behind his huge flagon 
 of coffee in the deepest pledge. Bill thought he had ut- 
 tered a very profound and elegant sentiment, but his speech 
 fell like a bomb-shell in the little company. 
 
 " The very spirit of mischief is about to-day," Dennis 
 groaned. And Christine with a face like a peony snatched 
 up the youngest little Bolder, saying, " It is time "these 
 sleepy children were abed," but the Doctor and the Learn-
 
 EVERY BARRIER BURNED AWAY. 481 
 
 eds went off again and again in uncontrollable'fits of laugh- 
 ter, in which Dennis could not refrain from joining, though 
 he wished the unlucky Cronk a thousand miles away. 
 Bill put down his mug, stared around in a surprised and 
 non-plussed manner, and then said in his loud whisper 
 
 " I say, Fleet, was there any hitch in what I said ? " 
 
 This set them off again, but Dennis answered good- 
 naturedly, slapping his friend on his shoulder: 
 
 " Cronk, you would make a man laugh in the face of 
 fate." 
 
 Bill took this as a compliment, and the strange party 
 thrown together by an event that mingled every class in 
 the community, broke up and went then* several ways. 
 
 CHAPTER LII. 
 
 EVERY BARRIER BURNED AWAY. 
 
 DENNIS was glad to escape, and went to a side door 
 where he could cool his hot cheeks in the night air. He 
 fairly dreaded to meet Christine again, and even where the 
 wind blew cold upon him his cheeks grew hotter and hot- 
 ter, as he remembered what had occurred. He had been 
 there but a little time when a light hand fell on his arm 
 and he was startled by her voice : 
 
 " Mr. Fleet, are you very tired ? " 
 
 " Not in the least," he answered eagerly. 
 
 " You must be : it is wrong for me to think of it" 
 
 "Miss Ludolph, please tell me what I can do for 
 you?" 
 
 She looked at him wistfully and said : 
 
 " This is a time when loss and disaster burden every
 
 482 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 heart, and I know it is a duty to try to maintain a cheerfu* 
 courage, and forget personal troubles. I have tr'ed to-day, 
 and, with God's help, hope in time to succeed. While 
 endeavoring to wear in public a cheerful face, I may per- 
 haps now, and to so true a friend as yourself, show lucre of 
 my real feelings. Is it too far would it take too long, to go 
 to where my father died ? His remains could not have been 
 removed." 
 
 " Alas, Miss Ludolph," said Dennis, very gently, 
 " there can be no visible remains. The words of the Prayer 
 Book are literally true in this case 'Ashes to ashes.' 
 But I can take you to the spot, and it is natural that you 
 should wish to go. Are you equal to the fatigue ? " 
 
 " I will not feel it if you go with me, and then we can 
 ride part of the way, for I have a little money. (Dr. Arten 
 had insisted on her taking some.) Wait for me a moment." 
 
 She soon reappeared with her shawl cut in two equal 
 parts. One she insisted on folding and putting around 
 him as the Scotsman wears his plaid. " You will need it 
 in the cool night wind," she said, and then taking his arm 
 in perfect trust, they started. 
 
 In the cars she gave him her money, and he said, " I 
 will return my fare to-morrow night." 
 
 " What ! " she replied, looking a little hurt. " After 
 spending two dollars on me will you not take five cents in 
 return. 
 
 " But I spent it foolishly." 
 
 " You spent it like a generous man. Surely, Mr. Fleet, 
 you did not understand my badinage this evening. If I 
 had not spoken to you in that strain, I could not have 
 spoken at all. You have been a brother to me, and we 
 should not stand on these little things." 
 
 " That is it," thought he again. " She looks upon and 
 trusts me as a brother, and such I must try to be till she
 
 EVERY BARRIER BURNED AWAY. 483 
 
 departs for her own land ; yet if she knew the agony of the 
 effort she would scarcely ask it." 
 
 But as they left the car, he said : " All that you would 
 ask from a brother please ask from me." 
 
 She put her hand in his, and said : " I now ask your 
 support, sympathy and prayer, for I feel that T shall need 
 all here." 
 
 Still retaining her hand, he placed it on his arm and 
 guided her most carefully around the hot ruins and heaps 
 of rubbish till they came to where the Art Building had 
 stood. The moon shone brightly down, lighting up with 
 weird and ghostly effect the few walls remaining. They 
 were utterly alone in the midst of a desolation sevenfold 
 more impressive than that of the desert. Pointing to the 
 spot where, in the midst of his treasures of art and idolized 
 worldly possessions, Mr. Ludolph had perished, she said in 
 a thrilling whisper : 
 
 " My father's ashes are there." 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 Her breath came quick and short, and her face was so 
 pale and agonized that he trembled for her, but he tight- 
 ened his grasp on her hand and his tears fell with hers. 
 
 " Oh, my father," she cried in a tone of indescribable 
 pathos, " can I never, never see you again ? Can I never 
 tell you of the love of Jesus, and the better and happier 
 life beyond ? Oh, how my heart yearns after you ! God for- 
 give me if this is wrong, but I cannot help it 1 " 
 
 " It is not wrong," said Dennis brokenly. " Our Lord 
 himself wept over those He could not save." 
 
 " It is all that I can do," she murmured, and leaning 
 her head on his shoulder, a tempest of sobs shook her 
 person 
 
 He supported her tenderly as a brother might, and 
 said in the accents of the deepest sympathy: "My pooi
 
 484 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 sorrowing sister, let every tear fall that will ; they will do 
 you good." At last, as she became calmer, he added: 
 " Remember that your great Elder brother has called the 
 heavy laden to him for rest." 
 
 At last she raised her head, turned, and gave one long 
 parting look, and, as Dennis saw it in the white moonlight, 
 it was the face of a pitying angel. A low " Farewell ! " 
 trembled from her lips, and leaning heavily on his arm 
 they turned away, and seemingly the curtain fell between 
 father and child to rise no more. 
 
 " Mr. Fleet," she said pleadingly, " are you too tired to 
 take me to my old home on the north side ? " 
 
 " Miss Ludolph, I could go to the ends of the earth 
 for you, but you are not equal to this strain upon your 
 feelings. Have mercy on yourself." 
 
 But she said in a low dreamy tone : 
 
 "I wish to take leave to-night of my old life the 
 strange sad past with its mystery of evil ; and then I will 
 set my face resolutely toward a better life a better 
 country. So bear with me, my true kind friend, a little 
 longer." 
 
 " Believe me, my thought was all for you. All sense 
 of fatigue has passed away." 
 
 Silently they made their way, till they stood where, a 
 few short days before, rose the elegant home that was full 
 of sad and painful memories to both. 
 
 " There was my studio," she said in the same dreamy 
 tone, " where I indulged in my wild ambitious dreams, 
 and sought to grasp a little fading circlet of laurel, while 
 ignoring a heavenly and immortal crown. There," she 
 Continued, her pale face becoming crimson, even in the 
 pale moonlight, I most painfully wronged you, my most 
 generous, forgiving friend, and a noble revenge you took 
 when you saved my life and led me to a Saviour. May 
 God reward you, but I humbly ask your pardon "
 
 EVERY BARRIER BURNED AWAY. 485 
 
 " Please, Miss Ludolph, do not speak of that. I have 
 buried it all. Do not pain yourself by recalling that 
 which I have forgiven and almost forgotten. You are now 
 my ideal of all that is noble and good, and in my solitary 
 artist life of the future, you shall be my gentle yet potent 
 inspiration." 
 
 " Why must your life be solitary in the future ? " she 
 asked in a low tone. 
 
 He was very pale, and his arm trembled under her 
 hand ; at last he said in a hoarse voice : 
 
 " Do not ask me. Why should I pain you by telling 
 the truth ? " 
 
 " Is it the part of a true friend to refuse confidence ? " 
 she asked reproachfully. 
 
 He turned his face away, that she might not see the 
 evidences of the bitter struggle within the severest he 
 had ever known ; but at last he spoke in the firm and 
 quiet voice of victory. She had called him brother, and 
 trusted him as such. She had ventured out alone on a 
 sacred mission with him as she might with a brother. 
 She was dependent on him, and burdened by a sense of 
 obligation. His high sense of honor forbade that he 
 should urge his suit under such circumstances. If she 
 could not accept, how painful beyond words would be the 
 necessity of refusal, and the impression had become 
 almost fixed in his mind that her regard for him was only 
 sisterly and grateful in its character. 
 
 " Yes, Miss Ludolph," he said, " my silence is the part 
 of true friendship truer than you can ever know. May 
 Heaven's richest blessings go with you to your own land, 
 and follow you through a long happy life." 
 
 " My own land ? This is my own land." 
 
 " Do you not intend to go abroad at once, and enter 
 upon your ancestral estates as the Baroness of Ludolph ? "
 
 486 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 " Not if I can earn a livelihood in Chicago," she 
 answered most firmly. " Mr. Fleet, all that nonsense has 
 perished as utterly as this my former home. It belongs to 
 my old life, of which I have forever taken leave to-night. 
 My ancestral estate in Germany is but a petty affair, and 
 mortgaged beyond its real worth by my deceased uncle. 
 All I possess all I value, is in this city. It was my father's 
 ambition, and at one time my own, to restore the ancient 
 grandeur of the family with the wealth acquired in this 
 land. The plan had lost its charms to me, long ago (I 
 would not have gone if I could have helped it) and now it 
 is impossible. It has perished in flame and smoke with 
 something else more substantial. Mr. Fleet, you see before 
 you a simple American girl. I claim and wish to be 
 known in no other character. If nothing remains of my 
 father's fortune I shall teach either music or painting " 
 
 " Oh, Christine," he interrupted, " forgive me for speak- 
 ing to you under the circumstances, but indeed I cannot 
 help it. Is there hope for me ? " 
 
 She looked at him so earnestly as to remind him of 
 her strange steady gaze when before he pleaded for her 
 love on that same spot, but her hand trembled in his like 
 the flutter of a frightened bird. 
 
 In a low eager tone she said, " And can you still truly 
 love me after all the shameful past ? " 
 
 " When have I ceased to love you ? " 
 
 With a little cry of ecstasy, like the note of joy that a 
 weary bird might utter as it flew into its nest, she put her 
 arm around his neck and buried her face on his shoulder 
 and said : 
 
 '' No hope for you, Dennis, but perfect certainty, for now 
 F.VERY BARRIER is BURNED AWAY ! " 
 
 What though the home before them is a deserted ruin ? 
 Love is joining hands that shall build a fairer and better
 
 EVERY BARRIER BURNED AWAY. 487 
 
 one, because filled with that which only makes a home- 
 love. 
 
 What though all around are only dreary ruins, where 
 the night wind is sighing mournfully? Love has transformed 
 that desert place into the Paradise of God ; and if such 3 
 its power in the wastes of earthly desolation, what will be 
 its might^amid the perfect scenes of Heaven ? 
 
 Our story is finished. 
 
 It only remains to say, that Christine stands high at 
 court, but it is a grander one than any of earth. She is 
 allied to a noble, but to one who has received his patent 
 from no petty sovereign of this world. She has lost sight 
 of the transient laurel wreath which she sought to grasp 
 at such cost to herself and others, in view of the " crown 
 of glory that fadeth not away," and to this already, as an 
 earnest Christian, she has added starry jewels. 
 
 Below is the Ludolph Hall in which sturdy indepen- 
 dence led her to commence her married life. But she is 
 climbing the mountain at her husband's side, and often 
 her hands steady and help. The ash-tree, twined with the 
 passion-flower, is not very far above them, and the villa, 
 beautiful within and without, is no vain dream of the 
 future. But even in happy youth their eyes of faith see 
 in airy golden outline their heavenly home awaiting.
 
 488 
 
 BARRIERS BURNED AWAY. 
 
 SHELTER COMMITTEE. 
 
 HOUSE WITH TWO ROOMS. 
 
 \ 
 
 NOTE. The above is a fac-simile of the little houses furnished by 
 the Chicago Shelter Committee to those who possessed or could pro. 
 cure ground on which to build. 
 
 THE END.
 
 Any Book on this List sent by mail, postpaid, on receipt of price, 
 Remit by Check, Registered Letter, or Postal Money Order. 
 We are not responsible for remittances made in bills or currency. 
 
 CATALOGUE OF 
 Standard & Miscellaneous Books 
 
 PUBLISHED BY 
 
 DODD & MEAD, 
 
 762 Broadway, N. Y. 
 New Books and New Editions marked thus \. 
 
 ABBOTT, JOHN S. C. 
 
 Early American Pioneers and Patriots. A series illus- 
 trating the Early History and Settlement of America. Each in 
 one volume, I2mo, fully illustrated and handsomely bound in 
 black and gold ; per vol $1.50 
 
 i st Daniel Boone and the Early Settlement of Kentucky . f 
 
 zd Miles Standish, the Puritan Captain f 
 
 -i,d De Solo, the Discoverer of the Mississippi 
 
 4//z Peter Sttiyuesant, and the Early Settlement of New York f 
 Other volumes to follow. 
 
 ABBOTT, LYMAN. 
 
 A Layman's Story. Being the Experiences of a Layman 
 
 hi a Country Parish. A new edition, i6mo, reduced to. ... 1.25 
 
 BUNYAN. 
 
 CLARK. 
 
 "ThTvalley Kingdoms Egypt and Assyria By Rev. f 
 
 E. L. Clark, author of Daleth." With many beautiful din* 
 
 trations. (In preparation. ) 
 
 CRUPEN. 
 
 Crude* s Complete Concordance A Dictionary and Al pha- 
 betical Index to the Bible. (The Unabridged Edition). 
 
 By 
 
 Alexander Cruden, A.M. ft . .- 
 
 Price in cloth, reduced from ....................... *4-~ Jg 
 
 " "sheep, " ' ...................... 5' en to ^r 
 
 "halfmorocco, " ....................... 6 ' 5 
 
 GUMMING. 
 
 /, Christianity from God? A Manual of Bible E^dence 
 for the People. By Rev. John Gumming, author of the 
 Tribulation." iSmo, brown cloth extra ...........
 
 DODD & MEAD'S CATALOGUE. 
 
 CHARLES, MRS. 
 
 Against the Stream. 121110 1.75 \ 
 
 Schonberg-Cotta Family izmo 1.50 
 
 " ' ; " Hampstead edition i.oo 
 
 The Early Dawn. 12010 1.50 
 
 " " Hampstead edition i.oo 
 
 Diary of Kitty Trevylyan 1.50 
 
 " " " Hampstead edition i.oo 
 
 Winifred Bertram 1.50 
 
 " " Hampstead edition .... i.oo 
 
 The Draytons and the Davenants . . 1.50 
 
 " " " Hampstead edition ; ro 
 
 On Both Sides of the Sea. i2mo 1.50 
 
 " " " Hampstead edition i.oo 
 
 The Victory of the Vanquished. 1 2 mo i. 50 
 
 " " " Hampstead edition. i.oo 
 
 Sets of the New Uniform Edition. 
 
 The Hampstead Edition, i6mo, illustrated, and bound in 
 black and gold. Seven vols., not including Against the 
 Stream 7.00 
 
 Mary, the Handmaid of the Lord. New edition, i8mo> 
 
 red edges i.oo 
 
 Poems. New edition, i8mo, red edges 1.25 
 
 Watchiyprds for the Warfare of Life. Selected from the 
 
 Writings of Luther. I2mo, bevelled boards 1.75 
 
 Song Without Words. Cheaper edition 75 
 
 DANA. 
 
 Corals and Coral Islands. By James D. Dana, Professor f 
 of Geology in Yale College, author of a System of Mineralogy, 
 &c. One vol., large 8vo, with colored frontispiece and three 
 maps, and nearly 100 illustrations, cloth extra 6.00 
 
 DOLLINGER. 
 
 Dr. J. J. I. Von Ddllinger's Fables Respecting the Popes f 
 in the Middle Ages. Translated by Alfred Plummer, together 
 with Dr. Dollinger's Essay on the Prophetic Spirit and the 
 Prophecies of the Christian Era. Translated for the American 
 Edition, with Introduction and Notes to the whole work by 
 Prof. H. B. Smith, D.D. One vol., large I2mo 2.25 
 
 Lectures on the Reunion of the Churches. By J. J. I. Von f 
 Dollinger, D.D., D.C.L. Translated by Henry Nutcombe 
 Oxenham, M.A. i2mo 1.50
 
 DODD & MEAD'S CATALOGUE. 
 FISH. 
 
 History and Repository of Pulpit Eloquence, (Deceased 
 Divines.) By Henry C. Fish, D. D. A new edition. Two 
 volumes in one. 8vo, over i,aoo pages, with portraits. Cloth, 
 extra bevelled boards $5-5O 
 
 Pulpit Eloquence of the XlXth Century. With Seven large 
 
 steel portraits. 8vo, cloth extra, bevelled boards 4,00 
 
 FENELON. 
 
 Spiritual Progress or instructions in the Divine Life of 
 the Soul, including Fenelon's Christian Counsel and Spiritual 
 Letters, and Mme. Guyon's Short and Easy Method of Prayer, 
 I2,mo, red edges, bevelled boards 1.50 
 
 Christian Counsel and Spiritual Letters. In a Separate 
 
 volume. i8mo, red edges I.OO 
 
 DAILY PRAYER BOOK. 
 
 Daily Prayer Book, The. For the use of Families, with f 
 additional Prayers for special occasions. Edited by John Stoughton, 
 D. D. lamo, bevelled boards, red edges 1.50 
 
 GRAY. 
 
 Bible Lore. Chapters on the Rare Manuscripts, Various f 
 Translations, and Notable Characteristics of the Bible. By 
 James Comper Gray. One vol., iimo 1.2$ 
 
 GARRETT. 
 
 Crooked Plaees. A Story of Struggles and Triumphs. t 
 
 One vol. I2mo I- ?5 
 
 Premiums Paid to Experience. Incidents in my Business f 
 Life, by Edward Garrett, author of " Occupations of a Retired 
 
 Life," &c. II illustrations, izrno - 1-75 
 
 The Dead Sin, and other Stories. By Edward Garrett. f 
 I z illustrations, 1 2mo J -75 
 
 The Occupations of a Retired Life. 12 illustrations, I2mo. 1.75 
 The Crust and the Cake. 12 illustrations, I2mo i-7S 
 
 HARE. 
 
 Wanderings, in Spain. By Augustus J. C. Hare, author \ 
 of " Walks in Rome." Finely illustrated . 
 
 HALL. 
 
 Papers for Home Reading. By Rev. John Hall, D. D., 
 
 of New York. One elegant I amo, with Portrait 1-75 
 
 Questions of the Day. By Rev. John Hall, D.D. One 
 elegant I amo
 
 HOWSON/ 
 
 The Character oj St. Paul. By J. 3. Howson, D. D., f 
 one of the authors of Connybeare & Howson's St. Paul. nmo. 1.75 
 
 HOOD. 
 
 Lamps, Pitchers, and Trumpets. Lectures on the Voca- * 
 
 tion of the Preacher. Illustrated by Anecdotes, Biographical, 
 Historical, and Elucidatory, of every order of Pulpit Eloquence 
 from the great Preachers of all Ages. By E. Paxton Hood. 
 A New Edition, two series in one vol., iamo $1.75 
 
 JAY. 
 
 Prayers for the Use of Families. By William Jay, author f 
 of "Morning and Evening Exercises," &c. A New Edition. 
 I2mo, tinted paper, reduced from $1.50 to i.oo 
 
 JENKINS. 
 
 Little Hodge. By the author of Ginx's Baby. One vol. 1 2mo. i.s 
 Luchmee and Dilloo. A Novel. (In press.} 
 
 MOFFAT. 
 
 A Comparative History of Religions. By Jas. C. Moffat. f 
 D. D., Professor of Church History in Princeton Theological 
 Seminary. One vol., iamo. Part 1st, The Ancient Scriptures.. 1.75 
 
 MACDONALD. 
 
 The Book of Ecclesiastes Explained, Critically and Popu- 
 larly, by James M. Macdonald, D. D. I2mo 1.75 
 
 MANNING, ANNE. 
 
 Maiden and Married Life of Mary Powell. 1.25 
 
 Cherry and Violet. i8mo., red edges i.oo 
 
 The Household of Sir Thos. More. 1 8mo, red edges i.oo 
 
 The Faire Gospeller, Anne Askew. i8mo, red edges 1.00 
 
 Jacques Bonneval: A Tale of the Huguenots. i6mo.... i.oo 
 
 The Spanish Barber: A Tale of the Bible in Spain. i6mo. 1.25 
 
 MARRIAGE CERTIFICATES. 
 
 Marriage Certificates. From a beautiful and chaste steel 
 
 engraving. On plate paper, per dozen i.oo 
 
 On bank note paper, per dozen i.oo 
 
 MATEER. 
 
 The Land of Charity : A Descriptive Account of Tra- 
 vancore and its Devil Worship. By Rev. F. S. Mateer, F. L. S. 
 With over 50 illustrations. i;mo, fancy cloth 2.25
 
 DODD & MEAD S CATALOGUE. 
 
 MIMPRISS. 
 
 The Gospel Treasury and Treasury Harmony of the Four 
 Evangelists. With Scripture Illustrations, Copious Notes and 
 Addenda, Analytical and Historical Tables, Indexes and Map, 
 &c. By Robert Mimpriss. Crown 8vo, over 900 pages, cloth 
 extra, edges 2.50 
 
 The Same, quarto edition, large type, reduced from $n.oo 
 
 to $7-50 
 
 The Gospels in Harmony. Having the Texts of the 
 Four Evangelists in parallel columns, with Notes, References, 
 and Chart. By R.' Mimpriss. 
 f Pocket Edition, small type, paper, 60 cts. ; cloth. 0.75 
 
 i6mo " larger " cloth 1.25 
 
 The Steps- of Jesus. The Four Evangelists combined and ar- 
 ranged in Chronological Order, and as a Consecutive Narrative. 
 
 With Chart. By R. Mimpriss, i8mo, cloth 75 
 
 Pocket Edition, cloth 35 
 
 The Path of Jesus. A Map of Palestine, showing the 
 Journeys of Christ, and locating all the Events in the Gospel 
 History. By R. Mimpriss. For the Wall, mounted on rollers, 
 
 size 4x5 feet 7' 
 
 With cloth back, folded for pocket 20 
 
 Lessons on the Life of Christ. Harmonized from the Four 
 Evangelist In Four Grades, with Teachers' Manuals. By 
 Robt. Mimpriss. 
 
 Voll. Lessons. ) Grade I, 2O 
 
 forthe V " 2, 20 
 
 Scholar. } " 3, 2 
 
 Manuals ) Grade I, 4 
 
 forthe V " 2, 40 
 
 Teacher,) " 3 40 
 
 Studies, 40 
 
 Vol.11. Lessons. Grade i 20 
 
 2 20 
 
 3 " 
 
 Manuals. 
 
 i,. 
 
 2, 40 
 
 3 % 
 
 Studies, 
 
 NEWCOMB. 
 
 The Youn Ladies' Guide to the Harmonious Development 
 
 of Cteratter. By Harvey Newcomb. I2mo '-5 
 
 PETERS. 
 
 Peters on Baptism. Sprinkling the only Scripture Mode 
 of Baptism. By Absalom Peters, D. D. i8mo
 
 DODD & MEAD S CATALOGUE 
 
 PORTER. 
 
 The Sciences of Nature versus the Science of Man. By f 
 Noah Porter, D.D., President of Yale College. One volume, 
 I2mo $l.oo 
 
 ROWLAND. 
 
 The Path of Life. By Rev. H. A. Rowland, D.D. 
 
 l8mo 60 
 
 Light in a Dark Alley. i8mo 
 
 The Way of Peace. 1 2mo 
 
 RALEIGH. 
 
 The Little Sanctuary and other Meditations. By Dr. f 
 Alex. Raleigh, of London, author of " Quiet Resting Places." 
 I2mo 1.75 
 
 R4UCH. 
 
 Psychology ; or, a View of the Human Soul, including 
 
 Anthropology. By Rev. F. A. Rauch, D.D. i2mo 1.75 
 
 ROE. 
 
 Barriers Burned Away. A Story. By Rev. E. P. Roe. f 
 
 I2mo..." 1.75 
 
 Play and Profit in My Garden, i vol. i2mo I -S 
 
 SPENCER. 
 
 A Pastor* s Sketches. By Rev. I. S. Spencer, D.D. A f 
 New Edition, two vols. in one, large I2mo, with portrait, re- 
 duced from $3-So to 2.00 
 
 Sermons. Vol. i. Practical * 2.00 
 
 " " 2. Doctrinal 2.00 
 
 " " 3. Sacramental 2-00 
 
 Any volume sold separately. 
 SIMMONS. 
 
 Scripture Manual. Alphabetically and Systematically 
 arranged. By Charles Simmons. Designed to facilitate the 
 finding of proof texts. I2mo, cloth 1.75
 
 DOLD & MEADS CATAJAXsUB. 
 STRETTON, HESBA. 
 
 BedJs Charity. A New Edition, with twelve illustrar f 
 tions ,. 5o 
 
 Hester Morlefs Promise. A Novel, I2mo 1.75 f 
 
 The King's Servants. i6mo 1.25 f 
 
 Lost Gip and Michel Lories Cross 1.25 f 
 
 Max Kramer: A Story of the Siege of Strasburg. 
 
 i6mo 75 
 
 Nelly's Dark Days. i6mo 75 
 
 SPRING'S WORKS, (Rev. Gardiner, D.D.) 
 
 Attractions of the Cross, i amo *. f i.oo 
 
 The Mercy Seat 1.75 
 
 First Things. Two vols 3.50 
 
 Glory of Christ. Two Vols 3,00 
 
 Short Sermons for the People 1.50 
 
 Power of the Pulpit 1.75 
 
 The Contrast. Two vols 3.00 
 
 Obligations of the World to the Bible 1.50 
 
 SMITH. 
 
 The Book that Will Suit You; or, a Word for Every 
 One. By Rev. James Smith. 321110, doth extra, bevelled 
 boards, red edges I.OO 
 
 VlNET. 
 
 Montaine and other Miscellanies. By Alex. Vinet, D.D. 
 
 I2H10 , 1.75 
 
 Gospel Studies. By Alex. Vinet, D.D. i2mo 1.50 
 
 VAN OOSTERZEE. 
 
 The Theology of the New Testament; A Hand-Book for f 
 Bible Students. By J. J. Van Osterzee, D.D., one of the authors 
 of Lange's Commentary. Translated by Maurice J. Evans. 
 One vol., I2mo 1-75 
 
 WORLD'S LACONICS. 
 
 World's Laconics, The. On the Best Thoughts of the Best 
 Authors, in Prose and Poetry. By Tryon Edwards, D.D. 
 I2mo, cloth extra I7S 
 
 WEITBRECHT. 
 
 Afiracles of Faith : A Sketch of the Life of Beat6 Paulus. f 
 By Mary Weitbrecht. With an Introduction by Charles S. 
 Robinson, D.D. i8mo, red edges. O-75

 
 Ul/OD LIDKHIM
 
 ..