any
put sweetness into his life and made his burdens easier to bear.

Only once had a little shadow come between them, and the fact that so
little a thing could have made a shadow shows in what a narrow,
constrained atmosphere the two young people lived. Young Brent still had
his half-day position in the store, and when the employees of a rival
establishment challenged Daniels's clerks to a game of baseball, he was
duly chosen as one of the men to uphold the honour of their house upon
the diamond.

The young man was not fossilised. He had strength and the capacity for
enjoyment, so he accepted without a thought of wrong. The Saturday came,
the game was played. Fred Brent took part, and thereby brought a
hornets' nest about his ears. It would scarcely have been so bad, but
the young man entered the game with all the zest and earnestness of his
intense nature, and several times by brilliant playing saved his side
from defeat. In consequence, his name was in the mouth of every one who
had seen or heard of the contest. He was going home that evening,
feeling pleased and satisfied with himself, when he thought he would
drop in a moment on the way and see Elizabeth. He had hardly got into
the house before he saw from her manner that something was wrong, and he
wondered what it could be. He soon learned. It is only praise that is
slow.

"Oh, Fred," said the girl, reproachfully, "is it true that you have been
playing baseball?"

"Baseball, yes; what of it? What are you looking so horrified about?"

"Did you think it was right for you, in your position, to play?"

"If I had thought it was wrong I assuredly should not have played," the
young man returned.

"Everybody is talking about it, and father says he thinks you have
disgraced your calling."

"Disgraced my calling by playing an innocent game?"

"But father thinks it is a shame for a man who is preparing to do such
work as yours to have people talking about him as a mere ball-player."

The blood mounted in hot surges to the young man's face. He felt like
saying, "Your father be hanged," but he controlled his anger, and said,
quietly, "Elizabeth, don't you ever think for yourself?"

"I suppose I do, Fred, but I have been brought up to respect what my
elders think and say."

"Don't you think that they, as well as we, can be narrow and mistaken?"

"It is not for me to judge them. My part is to obey."

"You have learned an excellent lesson," he returned, bitterly