Year: 1879

l wish you might have seen her or


that morning long ago. don't believe


Van Dyke himself ever put on canvas 8


more winsome court beauty in all his


life than Morning Glory. The sturdy


Vermont hills were all about her, and


the river and the valley were not fal


away. The day had hardly begun, but


the men were carrying in the brimming
pals of milk and the cows were saun.


tering down the lane with that delight


full air of reverie which q COW knows so
well how to assume. White Face and


Starry Eye and Ruby and a dozen 9th.


ers leisurely whisking their tails at the


early fly, stopping moment to snatch


an inviting bunch of grass, crunching


the appetizing morsel as they went on.
The September morning was as fresh
and fair as the young girl walking
down the beaten path OF the lane. The


sunlight only made the gold of her hair


more dazzling; not 4" frizzed" or


banged" but in q single coil like q
above the brown eyes; the carriage was
whole movement would have indicated
perfect health if you had not seen the
face. Sixteen summers like the pres
OhS hso OAhe0A Re>Ss hCk ~ hCk A1Oaht-
ain home. No, not like the present,
for Morning Glory had suddenly come
into her birthright-she was q woman.
A child last night, enjoying with a
child's zest her country life; to-d day with
q woman's hopes and a woman's fears.
How subtle the change and how quick
it comes! Woe be to him who rudely
stirs the sleeping waters. She lifted the
bars to their places as in q dream, the
fine contour of her shapely figure well
expressed in the act, and leaned upon
them with bowed head a moment, and
then watched the fog lazily climbing
the valley.


"A penny for your thoughts, Morn
ing Glory" came from an adjoining
lot, and q young man cleared the wall
at q bound as she started at his voice,
and joined her in the walk home. A
summer morning idyl, you say, of no
interest to those who have got beyond
such nonsense. But soft, dear sir, /
saw . gray head furtively wipe away q
tear the other day, Chambers Aiscetla-
M in his hand, and only love story
which touched his heart. The young
man WINS spending his vacation at her
fathers farm. He had Just graduated
at7college, and would enter the semi
nary in the fall. Meanwhile he held
his own with the other hired men in the
long days work. He'll wilt" they
said. "These college-larned chaps
can't stand much" But they were
glad to cry quarter as he, with quiet
smile, struck out with what he styled
the Grecian curve, in the meadow, the
first day of moving.


If the gods moved like that they
must have been uncommon tough"
said one of the men as he stared at Ran
som Sayles' bowl away through the tall
grass. That settled the men; they re-
spected muscle, and Sayles had not
dipped his oar in the river without
toughening the arm that handled it.
They soon learned to respect the man.
Deacon John Raymond had morning
prayers" even in the busiest season,
and when, on the second morning after
his arrival, Sayles was invited to lead
the devetions, Sam, one of the hired
men, said .. he prayed like Jehoso-
phat-" Sans Bible knowledge was
limited, and he doubtless got the names
little mixed, but he tod the men when
they were grinding the scythe in the
shed, 4" that he talked as if he was &C.
quainted with the Almighty, and it was
powerfully well done"


That was three months before. Ran
som Sayles had done his days work.
Sometimes walking in the cleaning
with Carrie Raymond-Miss Carrie he
had called her at first, with stately
courtesy, but now he had christened
her =" Morning -Glory'-they had talked
of books, authors, art, morals-a thou
sand things that hover in the air before
ho ~ Hx,k IS
Morning Glory wanted nothing of it.
She was satisfied with her present and
Ransom. Well, it was the old story
He knew now what the grand passion
was that stirred the old Greeks. This
mountain flower, with the dew on its
crimson petals, that had never felt the
scorching sun, twining about the old
homestead, how he had watched it,
wishing he might put out his hand and
take it. But Sayles had iron in his
blood. He was penniless, with an aged
mother looking to him for care. And
she was only achild-this girl-in years.
He had his future yet to make. and she,
womanly as she was, might not bear
the strain of waiting; and then, too,
frank as she was, in all their talks he
never could penetrate beyond q certain
maidenly reserve. She would never
give herself to any man unasked; he
doubted what an answer would be, for
this country girl in her sweet simplicity
was worthy of the best love the world
contained.


And so he went back to his work and
made no sign. If the vision of golden
haired girl, with beseeching brown
eyes, mixed itself up with Greek exc
gesis and Hebrew idiOms, he doggedly
applied himself to the work in hand
and tried to forget. But Morning
Glory had had the chrism laid upon her