The Diary of a Saint

urprises. She has written to Deacon Rich

was on the broad grin when he presented himself

asked. "You seem much

. "I've been appoin

nded. "I should have thought I wa

uckled. "Miss Privet has

hitable?"

ble Privet,"

en to you abou

ident delight ov

y pleased to approve of him,-largely, I believe, on account of some accidental discovery of his very satisfactory pedigree. That she should write to him, however, was most surprising, and argued an amount of feeling on her part much greater t

write to you?" I a

swer, "she didn't know

d she expect

sture. When he is greatly amused he seizes himself by the chin as if he must

of that baby," was his reply. "She said if I was any sort o

are not

he ass

't have her if y

con Daniel returned. "I shoul

, because she is so fond of telling things; Miss Charlotte would be better, but she is not very worldly wise; and if I may tell the truth, I wanted to talk with a man. The advice of women is wise often, and yet more o

y," I said. "Then nobody could tak

would agree, and I said

heir if you died witho

than to make a will, and of course

aniel observed, looking at me curiously. "So

"but in any case making a will wouldn't have any more terrors for me

more intently, clasping his gr

ter a little. "You haven't any belief in a hereafter th

ld have, and he answer

possible good I can do by fretting about it. Father brought me up, you know, to feel that I had all I could attend to in making the best I can of this life, without wastin

en, as if he declined to be drawn into an argument

o have anything to do w

by he may be fond of her, but now he tries not to think of her at all. I

care for him," th

is what I hope. Then she migh

er with her father even if

think I had any right to deprive her of her father's aff

face was graver, and for some t

ready to excuse him for 'most anything. His father never had the spunk to say boo to a goose, and Mrs. Webbe has bullied him from t

niel," I answered, rather saucily; "and

that Tom had been nagged

ning iniquity; "but there's a good deal to be said for him. Aunt Naomi says he ought

eed with him. Tom's sin makes me cringe; but I realize that I'm not capable of judgin

asked me what Tom had meant to do about the child if its mother lived. I told him Ju

eant to live with that woman. He must h

child should not be d

those great keen eyes glowing

was his comment. "There are not many men would have ti

at the time this meant nothing to me. If he had thought of making a home, he would naturally expect to have his child, but after all I doubt if at that time he considered anything except the good of baby. He did not love her; he had not even looked at her; but he tried to do her right as far as he could. He coul

ied Julia for her own sake. If she had lived, I am afraid I should have been tempted to think he had better not have bound himself to her; and yet I realize that I should have been disappointed in him if he had decided not to do i

aiment. I remember that when I called I thought her rather overdressed. To-day Aunt Naomi talked for half an hour with the greatest apparent enjoyment about the fine gowns and expensive jewelry with which the bride is astonishing the town. I am afraid it does not take much to set us talki

; "folks want to see the wedding outfit. This is

old her; and I added that it did not seem to

onded; "and the dresses she's had made since she was married.

hadn't time to get her wedding outfit. At any rate, Aunt Nao

n wagging her foot and smi

nd if she keeps on with her extravagance, isn't it? Besides, she wear

n't ruin her husb

ing of a second," Aunt Naomi went on, unsha

that I had tw

fferent. I hope you don't put her o

but secretly I am troubled. George has very little aside from what he earns in his profession, an

se. I communicated the important event to Mr. Saychase, who came to call, and he could neither take it gravely nor laugh at the absurdity of our noticing so slight a thing. He seemed to be trying to find out how I wished him to look at it; and as I was

, when we feel that we ought to do our best, yet are practically sure that in the end we can effect little or nothing. What can I do to influence George's wife? Somehow we seem to have no common ground to meet on. Father used to say that people who do not speak the same ethical language cannot communicate moral ideas to each other. This is rather a high-sounding way of saying that Mrs. Weston and I cannot understand each other when anyth

cupied with graver matters ever since George was married that I have seen few people, and have paid little heed to the village talk

uts us in the right whatever happens; but she w

new she was right, but I

o see her. She said a good deal about it's being the duty of us-she said 'us,' my dear,-to wake up this sleepy old place

s' delivering this with well-bred sweetness, and I

nderstand?

I doubt if she quite knew what it was. She was uneasy, and said s

any definite idea how this l

he could entertain properly. Her dress was dreadfully showy, according to my old-fashioned notions. I

do her little good when they have looked her over and given her up. They will come to my house to meet anybody I select, but they

in vain to set him at his ease. I fear he may have taken it into his head to try to bring me into the church. He did not, it is true, say anything directly about religion, but he had an air of having something ve

what is undesirable they somehow make more evident. If superstition is to be a help, it must appeal to the best feelings, and a weak priest touches o

and he means well with whatever s

she shall be treated with deference. I see myself rapidly growing into a hen-with-one-chicken attitude of mind, but I do not know how it is to be helped. I exhibite

e by little the fun-loving sparkle came i

Ruth," he said, "if you could show

ecially with baby to remind us; but we have been good friends so long that it i

g to touch her, that I offered to put her

u that I can't care for the baby, bu

ursery. When I came back to the parlor Tom was in his favorite posi

angry, Ruth

answered; "

hile he walked about the room. He s

h," he said, "that I am no

m questioningl

there," he went on; "but I th

ed hi

obstinacy that makes me too stubborn to run away from disgrace, and partly it's

ming, and I held out my

ely; "but it wouldn't be square to leave

rather abruptly, with hardly a good-by; but I think I understood. I am glad he has the pluck to s

e has apparently already come to realize that she is not succeeding in Tuskamuck, and is determined to conquer

id one thing which made him attractive to me was that he was so willing to be influenced, but we see a man in a light entirely different when it is another woman who shapes his life. What once seemed a fine comp

to tell me. She had been brooding over it half the night, poor soul,

ink anybody dared to ask me to sell the house, the Kendall house that our family has lived in fo

to buy her house George had thought only of how much he admired

lotte said, with a bitterness which I am sure was unconsci

how much he had always liked it. He confessed that it was his wife who first suggested the purchase: she wan

g. I don't know how pleased his wife would be if she knew he told me, but he said it. He told me she meant to have repairs and improvements. She must feel

down completely. She sobbed so unrestrainedly and with so complete an abandonment of

ep up the name, and the family's ending with me, and none of my kin even to bury me. It's all of the hurts I've got from life, R

the tears from her wrinkled cheeks, th

rlotte. You break my heart! We are all of us

convulsively, and trie

s cowardly and wicked. I never broke down so befor

o do anything else. I got her to take a nap in the afternoon, and when she went home she w

'll try not to be so much like the waterworks girl th

elf to be serious. And I, who do not dare to trust myself

hed his tall figure coming up the driveway, bent with age a little, but still massive and vigorous; and somehow

ded. "I supposed I should fi

r baby's supper, you are just as ignorant as a man always is. A

wn upon me fr

e asked, with a laugh in his voice. "I never ra

ffected indignation, "I will not have my baby c

in the west, and the single star swimming out of the purple as the sky changed into gray. The frogs were working at their mu

t; "it almost makes one feel there can ne

t, then he said with the solemnity of on

the Twenty-t

always wonder whether somewhere in the past Deacon Richards has had his romance, and if so what it may have been. If

length in the growing dark, "what a responsibilit

course he cannot understand how entirely religious one may be without theology. I told him I had thought of it very seriously; and it seemed

d. Then he added, with a shrewdness that surprised me a little:

right to love as well as to milk, and poor little Th

gave a conte

nything," he declared; "or if she

certainly

t I can't more than half blame Tom Webbe as I ought to, when I

for baby to be with me than wit

I wondered if you'd thought of the responsi

used to affirm that believers are anxious to proselyte because they cannot bear to have anybody refuse to acknowledge that they are right. This is not, I am sure, the whole of it. Of course no human being likes to be thought wrong, especially on a thing which, like religion, cannot be proved; but there is a good deal of genuine love in the attempt

ll religious instruction, but I should never interfere if o

er that religion isn'

ked that I don't believe we know anything about another life; but of cour

h me, but I entirely

vening wasted on theology. You couldn't convince me, and I don't in the least care about convincing you. I am entirely content that you

nce get that to working it will be a great help to the young men and boys. "The time seems to have come in human development," I rememb

to them that I do not think in their way. How a consistent and narrow man can look at the situation I have had a painful illustration in Mr. Thurston. If Kathie had not pushed him into a corner by asking him about Mother, I doubt if he could have gone to the lengt

right that a human being should have solemn vows made for her before she can have any notions of what all this means; but if one looks at the whole as simply promises on the part of adults that they will

et to-day, and he absolutely r

of mine," he declared. "I've had enough

aying I wished he

told that I was 'a child of the covenant' till I hate the very thought of the whole business. Whatever you do, don't give anybo

I begged him.

k it off quickly, but I could not face him, and I got away at once. Poor Tom! He is so lonely and so faithful. I am so sorry that he will keep on caring for me

ally, I believe, going to bloom this very summer. I am g

Tomine's tiny belongings, or now and then sit in the dark and think about her. My journal has been a good friend, but I am afraid its nose is out of joint. Baby has taken its place. I begin to see I made this book a sort of safety-valve

an unresponsive journal; to-night I feel as if I must have just this outlet to my

and I was happy in thinking he was getting into tune with wholesome life. I was so pleased that I took the footpath across the field as a mere excuse to speak to him, and I thought he would ha

glad I am to see you look as if you were getting conte

eech, but I was entirely unprepared fo

y tired out that I should sleep l

s ambitious, and he is fond of pleasure. He has no pleasure, and he can see nothing before him but staying on with his father. It is true enough that it is his own fault. He has never been willing to stick to work, and the keenest of his regrets must be about his own ill-doing. He is so generous,