The Seeker

Table of

of the

is complacent brother there swelled the conviction that one does ill to flaunt one's skepticism, when the rewards of belief are substantial and imminent. For before th

ers. For a wondering moment they looked from their beds, sputtering, gibbering, gasping, with cautious calls one to the other. Then having proved speech to be no disenchantment they shouted and laughed crazily. There followed a scramble from the beds and a swift return from the cold, each bearing such of the priceless bits as had lain nearest. And while these were fondled or shot or

, a creature that looked not only magnificently willing, but superbly untamable, with a white mane and tail of celestial flow, with alert, pointed ears of maroon leather nailed nicely to the right spot. At this marvel he stared in that silence which is the highest power of joy: a presentiment had been his that such a horse, curveting on blue rockers, would be found on this very morning. Two days before had he in an absent moment beheld a vision of this horse poised near the door of the attic; but when he ran to make report of it below,

en-a candy cane: one of fearful length, thick of girth, vast of crook, and wide in the spiral stripe that seemed to run a living flame before his ravished eyes, beginning at the bottom and winding around and around the whole dizzy height. Fearfully in nerve-b

never had he been able to hear of one who had owned a thing like this. Indeed, among the boys he knew, it was believed that they were not even to be seen save on their wire at Christmas time in the windows of the rich. One boy had hinted that the "set" would not be broken even if a person should appear with money enough to buy a single one. And here before him was the finest of them all, receding neither from his gaze or his touch, one as long as the longest of which Heaven had hitherto vouchsafed him a chilling vision through glass; here was the s

ittle impotent pointings toward the candy cane. But the action now in order served to restore him to a state of working sanity. There was washing and dressing after Clytie had the fire crackling; the forgetting of some treasures to remember others; and the conveyance of them all d

seemed to be awkwardly pleased with their pleasure, yet scarce able to be one with them; as if that inner white

hat he looked forward to it with pleased terror. This was that, when they were all seated, there ensued a pause of precisely two seconds-no more and no less-a pause that became awful by reason of the fact that every one grew instantly solemn and expectant-even apprehensive. His tingling nerves had defined his spine for him b

rity and consent to eat his egg and muffins, of which latter Clytie had to bring hot ones from the kitchen because both boys had let the first plate go cold. For Clytie, like Grandfather Delcher, was also one of the last of a race of American giants-in her case a race preceding servants, that called itself "hired girls"-who not only ate with the family, but joyed and sorrowed with it and for l

mined, appraised, and accorded perpetual rank by merit. Grandf

, had he been able to say the words "candy cane." It was a creation which mere words were inadequate to name. It was a presence to be pointed at. He pointed again firmly when the old m

boy, who tactfully divined that a different

o you like

ows that the teacher's favour rests upon him-"'From Eden to Calvary; or through the Bible in a year with our boys and girls; a book of pl

t to betray the consciousness of his own superiorit

man-who wondered if it might be by any absurd twist that the boy most like the godless father were more godly than the one s

is old friend and pastor; and with him his tiny niece to greet the grandchildren of his friend. The Doctor went with his host to the study on the seco

arried a large closely-wrapped doll which she affected to think might have taken cold. With great self-possession she doffed her cloak and overshoes; then slowly and tenderly unwound the wrappings of the doll, talking meanwhile in low mothering tones, and going with it to the fire when she

ar as he could slowly

father and that gentleman." He felt voluble from the mere ease of the answer

that shuts up her eyes e

ffering moderately, and then would have edged cautiously away with the air of wishing to go, only at this point, without seeming to see him, she chirped to him quite winningly in a soft, warm little voice, and there was free talk at

they told their own. Hers

he called you Nancy when you came in

's a very disagreeable name, so I took Lillian May for my real name. But I tell very few

-piece you found?" he ask

great riches,'" he reminded her. "Didn't

e had chosen her good name without knowing of the case of Ben Holt. Then he promised to show her something the most wonderful in all the world, which she would never

ne" baldly, whenever she could find a place for them in her soulless praise; whereas an initiate would not once have uttered the term, but would have looked in silence. Another initiate, equally silent by his side, would have known him to be of the brotherhood. Perhaps at the end there would have been respectful wonder expressed as to how long it would stay unbroken and so untasted. Still he was not unkind to her, except in ways requisite to a mere

course could not consider, even though he suddenly wished it of all things-for he had never kissed any one but his father and mother. He had told Clytie it made him sick to be kissed. Now, when the little girl called to

dignation at her and at Allan. He wondered that no one was shocked at him for feeling as he did. But, as they seemed

a little. "Do you think there's a real

the dining-room with

eck, would the saw go

what ta

in there, like a regular ho

nt hardly a moment with it. Clytie didn't; he had seen her pick it up when she dusted the sitting-room; there was sacrilege in her very grasp of it; and his grandfather seemed hardly to know of its existence

nt window, after the manner of the rich, and dazzle the outer world into envy. The mood was but slightly chastened when he remembered, as he now did, that on last Christmas he had received only one pretentious