The Americanization of Edward Bok

with Henry

wonder. He never wrote a commonplace letter. There w

ost of it. One evening Edward was helping Mrs. Beecher handle an unusually large number of letters. H

Henry Wa

ar

ing, of course, to hear an exposition of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Instead, I heard

uly your

with a smile; and then seating himself at h

ear

polite enough to call a 'political harangue.' I am sorry, too, that you think I made an ass of myself. In

Ward

ourse, was further from Mr. Beecher's mind. As a matter of fact, the two men were exceedingly good friends. Mr. Beecher once met Doctor Talmage in a crowded business thoroughfare, where they got so deeply interested in each other's talk that they sat down in some chairs standing in front of

r Talmage walked away laughing, "I was ti

ore," rejoined

the two men met they b

y people say that Plymouth holds more people than the Tabernacle, and your

le holds about fifteen thousand peopl

at Plymouth accommodates, comfortably, twenty thousand people. Now,

more heart than head, often tried to persuade him to answer some attack, but he invariably w

s, to the extent that he preached temperance but drank beer at his own dinner-table. This attack angered the friends of Mr. Beecher, who trie

e broadened," pers

ad said. I thought he ought not to have done so, and the next time we met I told him so. He persisted, and I felt the only way to treat him was as I would an unruly child. So I just took hold of

y Mr. Beecher ended with "You see, it i

who had brought a girl-friend. Both were attired in full evening decollete costume. Mr. Beecher came in late from another engagement. A chair had been kept vacant for him in the immediate front of the box, since his presence had been widely advertised, and the audience was expecting to see him. When he cam

show him something, was going up-stairs with his guest and had nearly reached the second landing when ther

" called M

voice from behind the doo

e minute," sa

the voice. "We are rea

ou are," retur

n-stairs," Edw

right here," s

How can we? Isn't

iting for you," was th

Then the door opened and the fi

s, please, as it was

Mr. Be

heard

o beautiful girls of the box

ou run away?" a

a question?" pouted one of the girls,

sty did not prevent you all this evening from sitting beside him, under a myriad of lights, in dresses that exposed nearly half of your bodies. That's what I call a distinction with a difference-with th

her," Edward asked later, "in

girl has some excuse of youth on

ents late

or woman is one that reveals

ed an opinion of his sister's famous book, Uncle Tom's Cabin, and she

xcepting Mr. Beecher, looked impatiently for its appearance each week. But, try as we m

nt week after week,' he would say. 'I shall wait til

st was ready he took his book with him to the table, where reading and eating went on together; but he spoke never a word. After morning prayers, he threw himself on the sofa, forgot everything but his book, and read uninterruptedly till dinner-time. Though evidently intensely interested, for a long time he controlled any marked indication of it. Before noon I knew the storm was gathering that would conquer his self-control, as it had done with us

showed the intense excitement under which he was laboring. We were alone at the table, and there was nothing to distract his thoughts. He drank his coffee, ate but li

the book. I could see that he entered into the whole story, every scene, as if it were being acted right before him, and he himself were

I felt impelled to urge him to retire. Withou

; you go; I'

reat relief, I heard Mr. Beecher coming up-stairs. As he entered, he threw Uncle Tom's Cabin on the table, exclaiming

cked up the book

g his books and he always forgot the borrowers. Then when he wanted a certain volume from his library he could

nd's house and, quietly entering the drawing-room without

bring back that Ruskin

" he said, "I'll go up-stairs and get it for you right away.

hter. "Found! Found!" he shouted, as he took o

case, that I wanted that volume of Ruskin about a week ago; but when I went to the shelf for it, it was gone. I knew I must have lent it, but to whom I could not remember. During the past week, I began to demand the book o

supper, Mr. Beech

e we among our papers abou

e his autobiography, and he had decided to d

two boxes broug

dward, "and I'll take this one, and we'll see what we can find about

of one box, shoemaker-fashion, while Edward,

h set Mrs. Beecher coughing. At last she said: "I'll leave you two to finish. I have s

erruption; and, with his memory constantly taken back to his early days, h

n when quiet had reigned longer than usual, an

boy. "Only a lot of

echer mechanically, with

ttle knowing what he was reopening to the preac

ers he chanced to look in the preacher's direction and found him

commented the boy. "Here's an

dy look at him as he sat there on the floor

as a big suit. What does it m

d asked. "Noth

few moments, and turned to his

as the Beecher in this

n him that serious

thought again for a few moments an

" the bo

he repeate

to his box and

is box," the boy said, "but more papers in th

uit,' as you call it?" asked Mr

he reply. "I nev

look upon Edward again. It was so compelling that it held the b

he renewed the search of his box. "Never

ive minutes not

e day," said Mr.

" asked the boy. He had fo

Edward and sighed. "He

understand you,

. And I don't know," then he hesitated, "but-but you might as well get it straight.

chool," was

on his haunches so that his back rested against the box, "I am g

sting then, as Mr. Beecher progressed; but how thrice interesting that wonderful recital was to prove as t

p by step, came the unfolding of that remarkable story. Once or twice only did the

arges. That is wha

nd asked: "Do you know jus

sked with such feeling, and the answer was said so mec

d weeks, yes, for months, it went on, from January to July, and those were

rked, in court all day, and up half the night, preparing for the next day. "Mostly around that little table there," he sai

ell, months. To some it seemed years," sa

o the jury: the men, you know, who had

all twelve should think

oy," said Mr. Beecher-"that wa

t they?" Edward asked,

r stopped and did not finish the sentence. "But nine did," he repeated. "Nine to thr

estion! Yet, instinctively, something within him made him hesitate to ask that quest

eecher-" th

oked clear into the boy's mind; and Edward can still see him lift t

he nine was in exact a

vined the

d at the clock. It was past midnight; Mr. Beecher had

turned to Mr. Beecher sitti

, Mr. Beech

ooked at the clock, smiled, and answered: "Good morning, I should say. God bless you, my b