God's Green Country

g into life, happy in its blindness to the rigors of seed-time and harvest and the burdens incident to its later family life, Mary found that her battle was nearing the end. The world

r a dress she was making for Jean's commencement,

can do," was the

back over the wires in a voice shar

he had been too blind to see it coming, that he had ever left her to take alone the hardships and worries that made such

o make the waiting easier. I'm just as helpless as you are. It was too late to do anything even when s

s no room for the bitterness in his heart now-only a cold, gripping dread, a dread for her, for the suffering and the heart-break of

suffer?"

g is over. Kept it hidden

she

erself yet, and she won't. After all, there comes a time when none of us can hold life for a minute; t

ved he would have hard memories to fight. When he was alone he waited miserably outsid

ressmaker, so she can have it finished in time. I think I'd better no

e rest supposed, but he made an unprecedented attempt at kindness. In spite of his assumed optimism, he had a sinking feeling that something which had contributed indispensably to the background of his life was going to be t

of the house, and notwithstanding his young terror of the inevitable, mana

y she gave him her philosophy, pointing it out to him on the worn page of a Bible-"If thou hast run with the footmen and they have wearied thee, then how

cted to find in the Bible. He handed the book back soberly, but without a word; he didn't know what to say. He was not sufficiently sure of the theories s

him anxiously, then

l think about it. You've had a lot of hard things already; there may be more ahead, and I'm afraid for you-not that I think you'd fail where any other man w

by way of assurance. It w

kwardly each morning and drove off; the strain of things at home made him nervous. It was Billy who stayed day and night within hearing of the room, whose awk

ean, and he had always assured her that he would not forget her plans for the little sister. The

it?" he w

is your

he had lived for first; she wanted him now and no one knew where to find him. Unless by chance he returned in the next few minutes it would be too late. Even now, when he had not considered the hours precio

rget ... to think

ing, and having made a promise he knew he would

gainst him, and with the weariness of a hard da

She had seen the announcement and had come at once, but when she reached the churchyard everyone had gone, so she came to the house and found Billy alone behind the mat of vines

o," he said, bitterly; "it'

ever heard, listened until it wasn't in her nature to wait any longer. For the hour he was only a broken-hearted boy and the mother instinct was strong in her. She bent over him as she would to comfort a suffering child, and ran her slim, supple hand through his hair. And because Billy couldn't speak just then he covered the hand with his own and held it there to show his gratitude. Beyo