The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-05-12

win love nae II am faithful here, ne con-
tinued. shaking up tse fragrant clover, and
il must choosei between Andover and Mil
licent Redburn, why IN take Millie."
"He will grow reckless?" she said. Some
how feel assured that it will all be for the
best
Week after week went by, bringing moth
ing to the Holmes farm but the prosaic six
days of earnest toll. and one of rest and
pew in the quaint old chapel of Aberthene,
alternately, for Harry. Sometimes Millicent
walked wirh him down the green lanes to
the evening services, but she usually found
him so subdued and full of deep study that
her heart filled with fear and grave question
ing.
One of these evening walks she would
always remember in particular. The har-
vest moon had just risen, mellowing up the
landscape Of emerald aftermath and brown
stubble on either side of the way, as they
came to the old stile, which had been more
than mere stepping-stone over the wall the
past summer.
Harry had not crossed it since that mem
orable morning In June without a sensation
of pain. When they cams to the stile this
evening, he paused and looked helplessly at
Milhcent. "This is the boundary" he said,
finally.
"Yes," she replied, puzzled not little to
catch his meaning; 'the boundary between
our homes"
more than that" he exclaimed. desper-
ately, an unpleasant stoical ring in his voice
sc boundary to more than lands"
She looked at tie sad, expressive face,
rendered more pensive by the moonlight.
How much older-looking he had grown, how
much wiser he seemed. how much farther
away he was getting from-all of them.
since-oh, yes! that is what he had meant
the boundary she had thrown across his way
that morning
'.Ohi l understand. Harry. Perhaps l
did wrong instead of right. in opposing your
plans. Won't you forgive me for clouding
your morning of promise?"
She put out her hand and touched his arm
timidly, for there was that about him to-
night that awed and frightened her. "Will
you forgive me, Harry"
Was it the softness of the moonlight, or
was it the glow of the soul within, that
broke through the dark cloud of his counte-
nance, melting the stoicism into gentle resig-
nation?
He took her hand firmly and kindly in his
own toil-worn palm, and met her gaze OF
troubled inquiry with one that made her
heart throb faster, but not with fear.
ION one condition, Millie," he said. Il
can live without AndOver, but can only
exist without you. / was selfish enough to
crave the blessing of both with my whole
soul; but the one has slipped through my
poverty-stricken fingers, and the other-will
the other eyade the love Of my life at last,
and leave me but reed all broken, and o
plaything for destinyP"
mo; the aforementioned blessing will not
eyade your affection. but prove reciprocal
but you should not depend on me so much.
We should be valiant enough to discharge
our duties for duty's sake. Harry"
'sOh, yes" he rejoined, YEARLY, shat is a
fine theory. but do you not know that prac-
ticing is much more difficult than preaching?
l have the assurance of your love, and that is
enough to nerve me on"
The clergyman stretched forth his hand
that evening and reiterated his text with
great earnestness. "He that is faithful in
that which is least is also faithful in much /;
and he that is unjust in that which is least is
unjust also In much"
Millicent Redburn turned and looked at
her lover significantly and he understood.
Faithful in that which is least; faithful to
the best interests of a little home In Aber-
thene-faithful to rid it of a debt for in
stance" whispered his heart so audibly to
him that, for an instant, he imagined some
one might guess at his warfare of the sum-
mer.
81 see it all now," be said, as they walked
homeward in the moonlight. Strange that
was so selfish and unjust. But the sum-
mer has been such prosaic psalm that / had
altogether forgotten the sweeter anthem
until now"
Farmer Holmes sat ON the polished door
stone of his humble cottage, enjoying the
brisk, pure air of the Martinmas summer,
and by his side. old Philip West, smoking
his clay pipe and listening to the plans Of
his neighbor, throwing in occasionally, an
opinion of his own. Mrs. Holmes occupied
her accustomed seat by the window inside,
and looked out over the sunny lawn where
the dead leaves of the poplars scurried and
fiuttered about in the breezy weather, and
smiled approvingly. The old careworn look
had left the benign. motheriy face and the
neighbors said 'they believed, now that the
cottage was free from debt once more. she
would live to see hale old age" In his
own apartments, beneath the caves, COM
fortably out of sight, but within plain ear
shot Of the voices below, sat Harry, answer
ing letter. Up through the leafless wood
bine-trellis and over the easement, came a
part of tine conversation, and Harry heard
his father say: ''Mr. West, III tell you
Things were in bad shape last fall when
had but little to meet the payments. 1t took
everything to pay the hired help and defray
Harry's college expenses; and / was so wor-
ried this summer. thinking he might set his
head to continue at Andover, that couldn't
sleep O. nights. knew that II there was
another such drain on the finances as last
summer. would lose my old home," and his
voice faltered into silence.
During the pause in the conversation the
thing after the fashion of the voice below.
Then the paternal voice began again.
''But tell you, neighbor West, mother and
/ have never spent a happier summer In our
lives than the one just ended. Why,
thought we never could be thankful enough
when our boy gave up his school to help us.
Twas a terrible sacrifice for him, though,
but he stood 1t bravely, and now we are out
of debt 1 think I'll manage il somehow
that he can return to Andover."
"And If it had not been for Millicent, whis-
pered the writer of the letter, 81 know not
what SORROWS might have followed" Faith
full in the least" and this least was going to
be the greatest. II thank thee, Father"
and glad content settled over the handsome
"for the lesson contained In
this trying summer. Poor old father thinks
1t his duty to manage to send me back in
the spring, but shall do the managing my
self. l haven't had the experience of this
probational summer for nothing"
He wiped a suspicious moisture from his
glad eyes, and took peep into the closet.
at wasn't forever, dear old classics, nor is
labor onaid rincit so woefully wrong,