The Awakening of Helena Richie

avendar had his own reasons for the delay, which he did not share with anybody, but th

her off; "I can't let him visit you t

get his li

n old man, at that; and with never a chick or a child of his own. How did he know what a child'

know how to sew. I thought

hings, but if you will be s

eagerly, and Dr. Laven

to be m

n." David's coming was always a delight, but the old man fretted her, somehow;-he was so good. She said so to William King, who laughed at the h

athetic blunder of haste and happ

verything a joke. It was a demand for the eternal child in her, to which, involuntarily, she responded. She laughed at him, and even teased him about his shabby buggy with a gayety that made him tingle with pleasure. She used to wonder at herself as she did

ng man should go away for a while, had fallen flat; Sam replying, frankly, that he did not care to leave Old Chester. As Mr. Wright was not prepared to give any reasons for urging his plan, he dropped it; and instead on Sunday nights detained his grandson to listen to this or that drama or poem until the boy could hardly h

led it with stones and sunk it, because you didn't like rowing," she spoke to him wi

What difference does it make

in," he explained, "and then I sculled out in mid-stream, and scuttled her. I had to swim ashore. It

t stop being so foolish, I wo

bout my drama?" he

gnificantly; but Sam was too happy

nings had not checked the boy's acquaintance with Mrs. Richie, he tried a more direct met

d him earnestly, "she doesn't

to tell the truth?" And then he swore steadily for a mi

se little night-drawers on which she pricked her fingers interested her a thousand times more than did his dramatic visions. They interested her so much that sometimes she could almost forget that Lloyd Pryor's

ite showers; across the sky, from west to east, was a path of mackerel clouds. It was a pastel of spring-a dappled sky, apple blossoms, clover, and the river's sheen of gray-blue. All about her were the beginnings of summer-the first exquisite green of young leaves; oaks, still white and crumpled from their furry sheaths; horse-chestnuts, each leaf drooping from its stem like a hand bending at the wrist; a thin flicker of elm bud

he buggy. Had anything happened? Was he sick? Had Dr. Lavendar changed his mind? Her heart stood still at that. She debated whether or not she should go down to the Rectory and find out what the delay meant? Then

he will have to go every mo

ling, "you're wan tha

hool every day; she was sure he was not strong enough. She ventured something like t

Ellen, did ye? No; she'd married Spangler and gone out West before you came to us. Ah, a dear woman, but wickedly unselfish. Rose Knight took the school when Spangler took Ellen." Then he added one or two straigh

led; "you don't want me to teac

s like

ism, and-to

but nobody can teach them to pray. Only life does that. But David's bee

say good-by. But when Dr. Lavendar called out that he was going, the little boy's heart misgave him. He came and stood by the step of t

. The child with his chin sunk on his breas

nd David ran swiftly back to the rabbits. There Helena found him, gazing through two large tears at the opal-eyed pair behind the wooden bars. The

hool, of his old home;-without drawing anything more from him than "yes ma'am," or "no ma'am," she gave it up and waited until he should be tired of the rabbits. The sun was warm, the smell of the crushed dock leaves heav

mes?" he said at l

names; you can nam

. Smith," he said with decisio

h Mr. Pryor," she said after a while; "he

know?" dem

e himself," Hel

. "Is that gent

't anybody's enemy," s

silently to

k he was your ene

he wasn't; I don'

ha

ave to love him, you know,

t to reply. She stammered something about that b

sh water," David interr

into the hutch for

nder the mottled branches of the button-woods; at every step the water splashed over the rusty brim, and

she spoke to him but he hardly noticed her until, as they went down through the orc

rously. "A snake," he added, looking up at her

iendly puppy. She was very happy. As it grew dusk and cool, and all the sky was yellow behind the black

troduce the subject? The embarrassed color burned in her cheeks as she helped him undress and tried to decide on the proper moment to speak of-prayers.

see that star when I open my eyes. It's hard to keep you

e and then the other. "'Now I lay me-"' he began in a businesslike voice. At the Amen he opened hi

rd, hear me, Bless Thy

olt?" Before she could reply he decided for himself.

h another satisfied Amen. Helena put her arms about him

" he reproached her "You

ngs?" she a

lf, his eyes snapping open, "because my old blessings were all gone to heaven. God bless everybody; Dr. Lavendar, an' Mary, an' Goliath-" Helena laughed. "He said I could," Dav

? Won't you ask God

avid, frownin

though, it wo

coldly, "God can bless

o it just to