d let the
rest go. They don't half of them live as if they took more comfort than
I do, and there are spells when I don't take much."

Janet's eyes glistened with sympathy. There was some surprise in them,
too. Mr Snow continued--

"Yes, I do get pretty sick of it all by spells. After father died--and
other things--I got over caring about going out West, and I thought it
as good to settle down on the old place as any where. So I fixed up,
and built, and got the land into prime order, and made an orchard, a
first-rate one, and made believe happy. And I don't know but I should
have stayed so, only I heard that Joe Arnold had died out West--he had
married Rachel Jennings, you know; so I got kind of unsettled again, and
went off at last. Rachel had changed considerable. She had seen
trouble, and had poor health, and was kind o' run down, but I brought
her right home--her and little Emily. Well--it didn't suit mother. I
hadn't said anything to her when I went off. I hadn't anything to say,
not knowing how things might be with Rachel. Come to get home, things
didn't go smooth. Mother worried, and Rachel worried, and life wasn't
what I expected it was going to be, and I worried for a spell. And Mis'
Nasmyth, if there had been any such thing as getting religion, I should
have got it then, for I tried hard, and I wanted something to help me
bad enough. There didn't seem to be anything else worth caring about
any way.

"Well, that was a spell ago. Emily wasn't but three years old when I
brought them home. We've lived along, taking some comfort, as much as
folks in general, I reckon. I had got kind of used to it, and had given
up expecting much, and took right hold to make property; and have a good
time, and here is your minister has come and stirred me up, and made me
as discontented with myself and everything else as well."

"You should thank the Lord for that," interrupted Janet, devoutly.

"Well, I don't know about that. Sometimes when he has been speaking, I
seem to see that there is something better than just to live along and
make property. But then again, I don't see but it's just what folks do
who have got religion. Most of the professors that I know--"

"Man!" exclaimed Janet, hotly, "I hae no patience with you and your
professors. What need you aye to cast them up? Canna you read your
Bible? It's that, and the blessing that was never yet withheld from any
one that asked it with humility, th