efore some of his people, feels it his duty to
not only call, but drive them back into the square pen of the old ideas;
yet we must not condemn him, neither measure his heart exactly by the
words of his text or sermon. The circumference of the tree is more than
three times its diameter, and yet we know the width of the board we use
is found in the diameter. Words are a circumference which encircle the
breadth of a diameter, and we may feel and know that this man, standing
as he does within the bounds of a belief whose main foundation embraces
the two thoughts, heaven and misery, cannot, if he believes this to be
true, do less than urge it upon us all. But if we stop and think, we can
say, perhaps the heart of this religious tree he represents may not be
sound, and when the axe of advancing ideas trims its branches and buries
its blade within its trunk, we shall, as I believe, have proof of this;
and then, perhaps his eyes will turn with ours to the outstretched arms
of a noble oak, whose leaves are green, whose heart is sound, and at
whose base we all may gather, against whose sides we all may rest. It
has waited long, and grown in our father's forest until at last its
giant dimensions have been apparent. The leaves of its upper branches
caught the eye of a ranger on truth's high mountain, and the underbrush
must now be cut away to make a path for our feet. Let the winds
annihilate the dogmas of a creed, let our hearts open to all good
thoughts, and let this one also be as the anchor of our souls, this
glorious thought of our Father's love, this binding together of his
children. Patience and work both are needed: will not my dear boy help
me? I know he will, and our Emily; God give to me the help I need from
these two young hearts," and she held out her hands to us.

I said "Oh, Clara!" and sank on the floor beside her, put my head in her
lap, and let the tears fall as they would, unmindful of all else save my
dear, beautiful friend. Louis sat on the other side of her with his arm
around her waist, and her head lay on his shoulder. The curtain of the
evening slowly fell, and in slumbers I drew her thoughts close to my
heart, Aunt Hildy's "God help us" floating like music through my
dreams.

CHAPTER IX.

THE NEW FAITH.

"Emily will help me!" Oh, how those words haunted me! I would help her;
yes, if I could, but when should I ever stop making blunders, when
should I lose the impetuous nature that drove me too