work. She was depended on to get up the "sociables," to plan the
entertainments, to invent new and happy games that would take them as
near as they dared go in the direction of dance and stage without
actually outraging the old-fashioned Methodist conscience by getting
there. It was Belle who entirely refurnished the parsonage in one
harmonious style by copying a mission chair and table from a picture,
and then inviting each of the boys to make a like piece, and each of the
girls to make a "drape" to match it. It was a sort of Noah's Ark trick,
this gathering in of things in pairs, but it succeeded originally--the
ark was full--and it succeeded now, for the parsonage was full; and it
will always succeed, for it is built on the old fundamental pairing
instinct.

Belle also imported and put in practical working the idea of a daily
school 'bus, which gathered up the twenty-odd children for ten miles
along the winter road and brought them on a huge hay rack to the Cedar
Mountain School in the morning, and took them back at night to their
homes. But in all these multiplied activities there was a secret
dissatisfaction. She felt that she was a mere hanger-on of the church, a
sort of pet cat to the parson's wife. She was not developing herself
independently, and she began secretly to outline a scheme which meant
nothing less than leaving home to take some sort of position on the west
coast. She had no fear for her success, but she was restrained by two
things: the question of health in case she could not find an outdoor
enterprise, and the sorrow her parents would feel over her--to their
thinking, unnecessary--departure.

For some time both in her school and church work Belle had been much
associated with John Lowe, the schoolteacher. He was considered a
well-meaning person, a dozen years older than herself, and had certain
pleasing qualities, a suave manner--almost too suave--and a readiness of
speech. He was fairly well educated, a good worker, a member of the
church, and had no obvious bad habits. His history was not known; in
fact, no one's history was known in those days of beginnings. Every one
had to be taken as he was found and often on his own statement.

Lowe soon became a devoted admirer of Belle; and Mrs. Boyd, seeing a
chance to beguile her daughter into settling down, did all she could to
bring them together, never losing a chance of praising Jack. He was just
what Belle needed as an executive help to realize m