ich her brief rebellion had prompted. She was young,
inexperienced, and of a highly-sensitive temperament, but she was not
weak. And it was this fact which urged her now. Metaphorically
speaking, she had determined to tackle life with shirt sleeves rolled
up.

She knew that duty was not only duty, but something which was to yield
her a measure of happiness. She knew, too, that duty was not only to
be regarded from a point of view of its benefit to others. There
was a duty to oneself--which must not be claimed for the sin of
selfishness--just as surely as to others; that in its thoroughness of
performance lay the secret of all that was worth having in life, and
that the disobedience of the laws of such duty, the neglect of them,
was to outrage the canons of all life's ethics, and to bring down upon
the head of the offender the inevitable punishment.

She must live her life calmly, honestly, whatever the fate hanging
over her. That was the first and most important decision she arrived
at. She must not weakly yield to panic inspired by superstitious
dread. To do so was, she felt, to undermine her whole moral being. She
must ignore this shadow, she must live a life that defied its power.
And when the cloud grew too black, if that method were not sufficient
to dispel it, she must appeal for alleviation and support from that
Power which would never deny its weak and helpless creatures. She knew
that human endurance of suffering was intended to be limited, and that
when that limit was honestly reached support was still waiting for the
sufferer.

Thus she left the house in a chastened spirit, and once more full of
youthful courage. The work, the new life she had chosen for herself,
must fill every moment of her waking hours. And somehow she felt that
with her stern resolve had come a foretaste of that happiness she
demanded of life. Her spirits rose as she neared the barn, and a wild
excitement filled her as she contemplated a minute inspection of her
belongings and her intention to personally minister to their wants.

Something of the instinct of motherhood stirred in her veins at the
thought. These were hers to care for--hers to attend and "do" for. She
laughed as she thought of the family awaiting her. What a family. Yes,
why not? These creatures were for the guardianship of the human race.
With all their physical might they were helpless dependents on human
aid. Yes, they must be thought for and cared for. They were her