Anna Chapin Ray

“ The boy's grief was beyond any words, but, clinging to Bess, he sobbed bitterly, as he learned the sacrifice so nobly made for him. As he gradually became calmer, Bess said to him gently, as she stroked his hair,—
"Fred, my dear boy, Sam has willingly given his life for yours, and nothing can change that now. He is at rest and happy. There is only one thing you can do,—live each day so that, as he looks down on you and watches you, he can be happier still in feeling that the life he saved was the life of a true, noble boy, who deserves the sacrifice." ”

“ The two women looked up the pond. There was no one near to help, and, besides, what could any one do? The boys were rushing to certain death; could it be that in the twilight they did not see their danger? But at that moment Bess saw them spring up, run to their improvised sail and try to pull it down, as if hoping in that way to check their mad speed; but it was too firmly lashed to its place. Must she see them drown? There was the one chance for them, and, straining her voice to the utmost, she shouted: “Rob! Phil! Jump for your lives!” ”

“ Fred blushed.
“I’m afraid I am. Miss Bess. I am sorry afterwards, but, in the time of it, I don’t think. You see, I can’t do anything at all, and when things go wrong, it seems worse than ever, and the first I know, I’ve said it.”
“Just like Fuzz,” said Bess, as the dog raised his head from his basket, and gave a low, angry growl at the Dominie, who entered the room. “I know it is hard for you, Fred, when things go wrong, to be good-natured, but I want you to try as much as you can. I think you would be better off if you had some regular occupation, something to do with yourself.” ”

“ That afternoon the first flakes of a snowstorm were falling, as Bess started to make her usual pilgrimage to Fred, and by evening it lay over all things soft and white.
"I am afraid your boys won't come," said Mrs. Carter, as they sat lingering over their dinner. "It is too bad, when you are all ready for your candy-pull."
"Don't you worry," predicted Bess, as she slyly dropped a morsel in front of the nose of Fuzz, who for once lay asleep. "It will take more than this snow to keep those boys away, unless Teddy has one of his colds and can't come. I wish Fred could have been here." ”

“ The roaring of the storm made Fred unusually nervous, and Bess caught his mood, as she glanced out occasionally to see the air filled with the hurrying snowflakes, and watched the drift against the window slowly mount up until it half shut out the outer world, while the wind blew more and more furiously. At length she put down her book.
“Fred,” said she, “this isn’t doing either of us any good to-day. Suppose we leave it, and go to see what mother is doing?”
“Is it still snowing?” asked the boy.
“Snowing! I should think it was; faster than ever. And such a large drift by the window! ”

“ It was always, “Sam is,” Sam does;” never the dreadful “was” and “did,” that past tense which seems to separate our friends from us by an impassable barrier. Bess encouraged this feeling of nearness, for she loved to have the boys feel that their friend had only left them as if for a little journey, and they would soon meet him again. It was the first time they had learned the real meaning of death, and it had been a terrible blow to them all, but the tender, loving memory, and the thought that their friend was always watching over them, had a sweet, helpful influence on their young lives. ”

“ Poor Bess was at her wit's end. The boy was nervous and excited, and she felt that she must quiet him, but she knew not what to say. His trouble was too great, too real, to make light of it; and yet, now was the time, if ever, to impress on him the idea that he could and must be a man, in spite of it.
"'And win with them the victor's crown of gold,'"
she thought to herself, as she listened to Fred's convulsive sobs. ”

“ Beyond the little necessary help that Bess gave him so easily and pleasantly, there was nothing to suggest to him his blindness. Bess read to him, played simple memory games with him, or, with his hand drawn through her arm, they walked up and down the long hall, talking and laughing gayly, while Fuzz tagged at their heels. He held Mrs. Carter’s skein of yarn while she wound it, and in many little ways began to live more like a natural boy, less like a wax doll. ”

“ You see, the earth used to be just a great ball of melted rock, whirling around in the air, and growing cool over the outside. But as it grew cool and hard, deeper and deeper down, the core seemed to shrink, and so the outside began to wrinkle, just like a dried-up old winter apple. And because it was colder than the air, the water condensed on the earth like steam on a cold window, and it all ran down into the low places, so there was an ocean where the Rocky Mountains are now. ”

“ On one side rose, tall and straight, the glorious old oaks and chestnuts, and through their branches capered whole families of red squirrels, whose antics and chattering nearly drove Fuzz to frenzy. On the other side lay the pretty, open fields, with their bunches of corn stalks, and their low, irregular fences. It was a favorite drive, but footpath there was none, so Rob and Bess were forced to wander along the middle of the road, turning aside occasionally to let a carriage pass them, while Fuzz barked defiance at its occupants. ”

“ To him, Miss Bess was the one person in the world, and well might he feel so, for she was most unselfishly kind to him. From the moment when, on leaving his room in the morning, he met her at the door, ready to guide him down the unfamiliar stairs, until, after he was all in bed, she came in to say a last good-night, she was constant in her attentions to him, and adapted herself to his every mood, bright and full of fun when he was blue, encouraging when he was despondent, and with apparently nothing to do but read to him or talk with him. ”

“ And tired as she was, drowsy and longing for rest, she sat by the fire until the clock struck one and the lamp burned low, rather than awaken the sleeping child. At length she went out to look at him, and sat down on the edge of the sofa, thinking to waken him; but as she saw his tired little face and quiet, even breathing, she waited and still kept her uncomfortable seat, till her cramped position forced her to move. The boy stirred as she touched his hand. ”

“ Then, suddenly turning to Bess with a smile, he went on: "What I want most of all is to be your faithful soldier."
"And Sam has always said that he'd rather be a good mechanic than anything else," added Bert. "That accounts for us all, Miss Bessie. How do you like the assortment?"
"Very much," answered Bess. "I can have Bert to cure my body, and Phil my soul, while Ted shall survey my garden, and Rob shall make a collection of the insects that devour my crops. Fred I shall keep to fight for me and with me. ”

“ You say you can't ever do anything more, like the rest of the boys, but you have one chance that Rob and the others have not. One thing you can be now, while their turn hasn't come yet."
"What is it?" asked Fred wonderingly.
"A hero, dear. A brave boy, who will grow to be a braver man. We know too well that you can never see again, but because you can't see, that is no reason you should be a coward and want to die. We aren't put here, Fred, just to have a good time; but instead, we are to make just as much of ourselves as we can, with what is given us. ”

“ And I'll tell Ted to-morrow night that I'm sorry. Good-night."
As was her usual habit, Bess went up-stairs a little later to say good-night, and see that the boy needed nothing. When she came downstairs again, tempted by the warm June moonlight, she went out to the piazza and dropped into a hammock. The tall trees on the lawn threw dark patches of shade on the grass, that came and went as the evening wind moved the leafy branches, or vanished in one dull, uniform shadow as the full moon went behind some fleecy bit of cloud. ”

“ Fred will be happy with us, and Rob will help me with him, won’t you, dear?”
“One thing more, Bess,” said her father seriously. “If you start on this, you must make up your mind not to give up all your time to the boy, even if he does want you. You must go out, and walk, and make calls, as much as ever. You are not going to turn hermit for a year in your devotion to one small boy, however much good you may do him. And it would not do him good, either. He must grow self-reliant and unselfish, and not feel that he must be amused and waited on every moment.” ”

“ Rob so delicately, nervously alive, quick, active, and full of quiet, happy fun; and Fred slower in his motions, now more than ever, and with a solid, sturdy strength that was little suggestive of his helplessness, while his face and manner were so sad and subdued. With a quick glance as she rose, Bess noted the difference in the faces, and rejoiced at the tact beyond his years that Rob showed as he guided his friend down the aisle and out into the starry night.
"How good the boys are for each other," she thought. "I wish they might be together more than they are. ”

“ And the boots came off with a jerk, while a shower of half-melted snow proved the truth of his statement.
As the lads drew their chairs to the fire and prepared to toast their toes, a moment must be given up to glancing at them, as they sit recounting to their hostess their varied experiences in the storm.
At her left hand sat Phil Cameron, a short, slight, delicate-looking boy of thirteen, whose gray eyes, large mouth, pug nose, and freckled face laughed from morning till night. Everybody liked Phil, and Phil liked everybody in return. ”

“ Phil, dear, ever so long ago, Fred and I took for our motto a verse from your All Saints' Hymn,—'Oh, may thy soldiers,' and we are trying to win our 'victor's crown.' Why not take it for your motto, too? You boys all have a good deal of the stuff that makes heroes and fighters. Just now you are forgetting that a soldier's first duty is to obey his superior officer, and that any disobedience, even a slight one, may ruin the whole campaign. ”

“ Miss Bessie, I don’t think my father and mother care for me just the same way Rob’s and Ted’s do for them.”
“Why, Fred!” said Bess, with a start of surprise. “What can have given you such an idea?”
“Well, lots of things; their going off and leaving me—but I’m awfully glad they did that, because it’s more fun to be here than at home, and they don’t write often, nor care to hear from me, only once a month. I’ve thought it all out, and it’s reasonable enough. You see, I can’t do things much now, or by and by when I am a man, and they want somebody that can. ”

“ You see, Miss Bess is no end good to me, and she's more fun than half the boys. She reads to me and plays games with me, and we go to walk together, and, really, we do have lots of fun."
"You are a real hero, my boy," said Mr. Muir warmly. "A brave boy will make a brave man."
"Yes," said Fred, nodding soberly; "that's what Miss Bess said she wanted me to be. But it's kind of hard work sometimes, for I do get awfully mad at the boys when they do things I can't." ”

“ The latter stuck fast in the soft snow and mud, and the boy went tumbling and rolling away, amidst the shouts of his friends. The fun waxed fast and furious. Mishaps were many, and Sam was particularly luckless. Sometimes his board would escape from his clutches, and go merrily bobbing down the slope away from him, or else it would run off from the side, and land him in the snow beneath, or, again, some other boy on his sled would come whizzing up behind him, and, knocking his feet out from under him, would carry him along on top of the pile, struggling and laughing. ”

“ When quiet was restored, Bess went on quite seriously:—
“Now, my boys, I don’t want you to be selfish in starting this club. It is for us all to enjoy together, and I want you to help me make it a great success; but most of all it is for Fred. He tries so hard not to be shy with you, but it is hard for him when he doesn’t see you but once in a long time. He needs boys and boy fun now, more than anything else, and he is staying with me so much that there is danger of his growing girlish and—and—what is it you call it?—a mollycoddle.” ”

“ A click of the shell betrayed him, and he blushed furiously, as Bess raised her eyebrows at him, while Rob answered promptly,—
"Oh, bugs and butterflies."
And Sam added,—
"Stones and shells."
"Want any snakes?" asked Ted wickedly.
"Never!" replied Bess with fervor. "I don't want anything alive. I only meant moths and butterflies, or perhaps pressed flowers and curious stones and shells, that would help us understand the world we live in, and teach us all to keep our eyes open for fresh discoveries." ”

“ But this was all over now, as far as the little barn was concerned, for some treacherous spark, flying farther than its companions, had blown in at the wide-open door and lighted on the hay, where it had lain smouldering until it had gained strength and was ready to burst forth in the long tongue of flame that had met Ted’s eye. Already the hay was blazing merrily and sending up a thin banner of smoke, which soon became a dense yellowish cloud that hid the sun and the sky. It was too far from any other building to cause any danger of its spreading, so the boys felt that the worst had come. ”

“ Carter was never destined to know, for at the sound of her daughter’s voice, there was a sudden uprising in the willow basket by the fire, and out jumped a small gray dog, who stretched himself for a moment, and then darted straight at his mistress, and climbed into her lap with sundry growls and yelps of pleasure, wagging, not his tail only, but his whole body, clear to his curly head. ”

“ Because you can’t go to college, or play baseball, or skate, you need not think there is nothing you can do. Which is better, to be a great scholar and a strong, active man, or to bear bravely a sorrow like yours, be cheerful in spite of it, and, in thinking how to make people around you a little happier and better, forget your own loss? I’m not hard in saying this, Fred, but I am looking years ahead, and telling you what will make you the best and happiest man. ”

“ As she approached, she heard Rob saying,—
"I didn't think Phil had so much grit. If it had been you, Bert, or Sam"—
"Well, my boys," said Bess, as she sat down in the midst of them, and took off her hat, "what is the occasion of this call? You look as if something were the matter."
"Matter enough!" said Sam. "That Miss Witherspoon hadn't ought to teach school anyway!" And he scowled darkly on the unconscious Fred, who chanced to be in range of his glance.
"Sam! Sam!" remonstrated Bess.
"It's a fact, Miss Bessie," said Bert. "She's too old and cross for anything! ”

“ Was that quite worthy of my boy?"
"I suppose I'm cowardly and selfish," said Fred rather bitterly. "What else?"
"A thoroughly wretched little boy," answered Bess quickly. "I am not scolding you, Fred; only trying to help you. Now answer me frankly; if you had come down to see the boys, even if you did find it hard, wouldn't you have been happier now than you are as it is?"
"I suppose so," admitted Fred reluctantly. "But, truly, I didn't mean to be hateful."
"Neither does the soldier who runs away from his place, but he isn't as brave a man as the one who stays. ”

“ But Rob’s protestations encouraged her, and on the third day she ceased to be the new-comer. Her successor was a tall youth who awkwardly put on his skates, rose unsteadily to his feet, balanced himself for a moment, and then, with a smile that said as plainly as words, “Conquer or die,” struck out boldly, only to land in an ignominious pile at her very feet. From that moment she felt herself a veteran in the art of skating.
It was late the next afternoon when Bess with one of her friends reached the pond. ”

“ But will you go home, or shall we drive a little longer?"
"Home, please: that is, if you are willing, Miss Bessie."
"Fred, do you think me a dragon?" asked Bess, soberly. "Now tell me truly, are you sorry you came out to-day? Even if you are a little tired, won't the old sofa feel all the better for the change?" And while she waited for his reply, she looked with pleasure at the clear, bright color that the wind had brought into his cheeks.
"No, I don't know as I'm sorry, as long as you came too. But it's no fun driving alone, and mother's too busy to go with me." ”