, 1891-07-30


read TO me; he brought me cooling drink
made of fruits after some Oriental rec
ipes which ne possessed; he found sweeI
flowers dripping with dew in the woods
and he sang, as ! never heard any ont
sing before, those Scottish ballads thai
are loveier han any other music evei
written, 10 my mind; and it ended in
my loving them
So when | was well enough to go away
L took Madge's hand in mine and said.
How shall | ever thank you for your
tender care of mey'
And she answered, Agnes Grey, the
only gratitude | ask is belief in us. The
people down there" Caud she pointed
with her brown hand toward the town
"call us the children of a murderer. We
are the children of n martyr instead. /
never saw my father, but we both know
that he is innocent. And Gideon remem-
bers his kindness, his tenderness, his gem
tleness and his honor.
Your uncle Mathew-forgive me, but
it is the truth-was a wild, bad fellow.
He quarreled with my father, not father
with him. and the debt was paid. Mother
saw it done, and heard him boast that
the money should take him beyond the
reach of irksome laws and chattering
tongues. And for the bloody handker-
chief, he had cut his hand, and unbound
and washed it, and tied it up afresh in
mothers very sight that day. Don't dare
to doubt it; don't be so cruel as to doubt
it, Agnes Grey"
Then she brought me the picture that
they kept rs a sacred relic. and verses
written by his hand and tender love let
tiers yellow with age, aud as looked at
the face-so sweet, so good, so like that
of the Gideon Lee | knew-l felt sure
that those who stood before me, though
they were the children of the man who
was hung, were not the offspring Of a
murderer And afterward Gideon also
spoke.
ut is hard to bear" he said; ''hard to
know that we must zeal it all our lives;
but if you only see the truth-if only,
without proof, you will understand that
we know no murder was ever done by
our dear fathers hand-wc. who have
his pictured face upon tho wall. the let
tiers written to our mother, the words
our mother wrote begging IS to read
them often when she was dead, and
never doubt the man who on his knees
in the condemned cell, calling on God 70
witness his last words, had sworn to the
wife who would have loved him even
had he in some hasty dealt IL
fatal blow, that he knew nothing Of
Mathew Grey's death and even doubted
that he was dead at all-if you can believe
with us and not with those who were
his murderers, /. at least, shall have IA
lighter heart"
And / put my hand into his, and gave
the other to Madge, and said honestly
II do believe rs You do. and ! always
will"
And so | went away; but | tool; their
faces with me, their pleasant ways, their
voices. As for Gideon's face, it haunted
me. There was about him a charm that
no one else ever had. They were all
quaint, all charming in their way, hut
he most of all.
A pretty scandal there was through
the town when | began to go down to
the farmhouse to see my friends, |
knew it, and fought it bravely,
Gideon Lee never killed II one" /
vowed aloud to those who chided mt,
al will not ban his children for the fault
of others"
LUZ lAANAV II AlV A'Nh "NAS AAlCoC WIN
had been Mt the trial, and eleven Of the
jurymen and witnesses; and under a
stone in the graveyard were the bones
that had been sworn to as Uncle
Mathews, and in n bleak, lonely spot
near the prison the coffin of the man who
was hung; and how dared l, n baby al
most at the time, to judge for myself.
knew they We're right enough, but |
never faltered. was as sure as Madge
was that her father never killed Uncle
Mathew.
They would not come to my home.
Indeed, grandfather would have had the
door closed in their faces, but nothing
could keep me from them. And it was
dangerous work for me, too, as | began
to know before long, to sit so much by
Gideon Lees side, to neal his dear voice
so often, to feel my heart thrilling with
a loving pity for him for which | had no
words. He was my wounded and des-
pissed knight, this lean Gideon Lee, be.
fore / had known him three months, and
| would nave given my life for him.
But he said no words of love to me nor |
to him, Just friends we were, and moth
ing more, outwardly. That was enough
for the t-own-enough for grandfather.
| was called unnatural. | found my
dearest friends grown cold. Even the
clergyman asked me II sit would not
harm me to hold companionship with
such people"
And | said; They are the best people
| have ever known. And even had their
father done the deed for which he died
they would be no worse for it. As it is
he was murdered, and you are all cruel
to these poor children of his-cruel and
unchristian."
So he left me angrily, and so many "A
friend left me, and all my comfort was
to sit between Madge and Gideon in the
quiet evenings and talk to them.
In the summer time we used te.+fght
no candles, and the moonlight fell
through the ivy leaves upon us, and the
old dog lay at our feet and put his curly
head upon Madge's lap. We would tell
stories of fairies and COLLINS or sing ro
mantle songs written before any of II,
We're born. Now and then Gideon
would steal his arm about my waist OF
hold my hand awhile, and wrong though
any one might have thought there wa,
, no more harm in it than though we hac
been children.
just so we were sitting one evening
when grandfather walked into our Inids
4 and clutched me f~iercely by the arm
No need to repeat the words lie uttered
The insults stuug me as sharply rs the,
: could Gideon Lees children. But b.