of it together for weeks before the great event. At that time my objective in life, in so far as I had one, was to be a locomotive engineer, but John had ele

e reserved for moments of emotion, "it's a long road he's starting on, and a hard one, too, or he'll no be like the rest o' us." My mother scoured me well and dressed me in a clean new suit

possible advantage it could be to a locomotive engineer to know that A had two slanting legs tied together in the middle. But nothing of importance happened until after school was dismissed, when suddenly

e, but much his inferior in strength and hardihood. Now I had never been in a fight in my life, unless dragging Marjorie home once or twice when she was obstreperous could be so

y assailant proceeded to punish me systematically. The little circle of savages were shouting, "Punch him, Carrots! Punch him, Carrots!" and I could have testified that Carrots was following their advice. I threw my arms about in the air and yelled wit

eful; he seized the bully by the knees and bore him to the ground, where they rolled about together. Enheartened by this sudden change of fortune I too pounced upon Carrots, k

dden change of Carrots' fortune with surprise, certainly, but also with complacency. Very soon they were shouting, "Punch him, New Boy! Punch him, New Boy!" and even seemed disposed

be sure to take adequate revenge. And yet, even through my swollen eyes, I looked on the world with a new joy, and had a stride in my gait that I

he replied,

in for it,

rots, and he got the w

to feel that I could stand what anybody else could

emanded as I entered the hou

had two black eyes and a mouth swollen out of shape for his pains, had something more

hot day, and the cows had knocked down the fence and got into the corn field, and mother had h

g to school, and we were proud boys indeed as

ays, when large families were still considered proper, her two children were a comparatively small impediment; indeed, it was commonly said among the townspeople that the smallness of my father's family had made

and sports. Jack-he was Jack now-and Jean often came over to our house on a winter's evening, bringing their school books, and the four of us sat about our big kitchen table poring over our studies or throwing or intercepting furtive glances b

nching in great happiness. Then we would have a game of blind-man's buff, in which I had a way of catching Jean, or button, button, who's got the button? or hide-the-handkerchief. And at nine Jack and Jean w

ed it into my hand when we parted in front of her house. I hurried home, but my mother and Marjorie sat so close to the l

n I

very

pe m

e Mrs.

t I was no versifier, and had to be content with prose. I put it in very matt

sal is acce

owl, would begin to recount tales of their youth when they were part of the locust-army of axe-men that had swept through the land and in some strange way had left standing the great tree at the end of our farm. Then lessons were forgotten, and we children drew silently close to the fire, as, big-eyed and flushed with adventure, we entered the enchanted halls of Romance. Sometimes it was a tale of the bear that my father met on a lonely road at night, or of the spring-gun which Mr. Lane had set and which h

ever known mother to be sick, and it was hard to understand the silent house and the darkene

to the mill that afternoon. He was sitting on a chair with his elbows resting on his knees and his cheeks between his hands, and a stray bea

her thin hands in my hair, and ran her fingers slowly, with a strange sort of caressing, up and down and about my head. And then an odd thing happened. She began to sing, in a strange, high, tremulous key, "The Lord is my Shepherd." She did not sing it as you have heard

"Oh, Frank! Is mother going-is mother going-to di

hing by her and gulping at

uld be hoped. I took a job in the mill-my dream of being a locomotive engineer had vanished almost with my baby teeth-and I was now working from seven in the morning until six at night for a consideration of three

as a handsome boy, with the fair skin and hair of his sister Jean, and many a coquettish eye was turned on him as we strolled about the little town, or even as he worked at his po

some loose end of his clothing lapped around it. He clutched the shaft and whirled with it until the strength of his arms gave way; then his

eloped a habit of putting on his good clothes in the evening and brushing his shoes, and w

a blood-red globe through an avenue of maple trees, and its slanting light struck the autumn foliage with a wizardry of color and beauty. Jack sat down on

or two he punched the earth with a stick,

I am, Frank," he said at length,

d your mother," but I stopped; someway it seemed ou

h sat silen

it to you?" I ventured, "H

xpected touches of humor,-"I'm not sure th

laugh. "Your mother has been pretty much a mother to Marjorie

r as they are concerned. But just h

hy

ty. "Do you think Marjorie is going to play second fid

if I thought that Jack would play second fiddle to a

are we to

? Drudge away in the mill, seven to six, seven to six, seven to six, seven to six, week in, month in, year in; then, some day, caught on a shaft, a

ps were pressed together; his eyes were big and luminous in the twilight; his pose was a picture of resolution, even of de

se Ontario farms. Others are doing it-so can we. And it won't be so hard for us. The worst thing, usually, is the loneliness; holding it down in a shack, three years or m

had already come into my mind. "

rom some superior wisdom of his own, "those girl