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That was indeed a merry Christmas But after that I must own it was hard sled ding for Tom Cutts and for pretty Laura. A hero with one blue sleeve pinned neatly together, who, at the best, limps as he walks, quickens all your compassion and gratitude ; yes But when you are selecting a director of your lumber works, or when you are sending to New York to buy goods, or when you are driving a line of railway through the wilderness, I am afraid you do not choose that hero to do your work for you. Or if you do, you were not standing by when Tom Cutts was looking right and looking left for something to do, so that he might keep the wolf from the door. It was sadly like the life that his greatgrandfather, Samuel Cutts, led at the old farm in old Newbury after the old war. Tom lost his place when he went to the front, and he could not find it again. Laura, sweet girl, never complained. No, nor Moses Marvel. He never complained, nor would he complain if Tom and his wife and ren had lived with him till doomsday. Good luck for us, said Moses Marvel, and those were many words for him to say in one sentence. But Tom was proud, and it ground THEY SAW A GEEAT LIGHT. 25 him to the dust to be eating Moses Marvels bread when he had not earned it, and to have nothing but his majors pension to buy Laura and the babies their clothes with, and to keep the pot aboiling. Of course Jem joined the fleet again. Nor did Jem return again till the war was over. Then he came, and came with prizemoney. He and Tom had many talks of going into business together, with Toms brains and Jems money. But nothing came of this. The land was no place for Jem. He was a regular Norse man, as are almost all of the Tripps Cove s who have come from the loins of the Fiohtino; TAventyseventh. They sniff the temjDest from afar off; and when they hear of Puget Sound, or of Alaska, or of Wilkess Antarctic Continent, they fancy that they hear a voice from some longlost home, from which they have strayed away. And so Laiua knew, and Tom knew, that any plans which rested on Jems stay ing ashore were plans which had one false element in them. The raven would be calling him, and it might be best, once for all, .

to let him follow the raven till the raven called no more. 26 THEY SAW A GKEAT LIGHT. So Jem put his prizemoney into a new bark, wliicli he found building at Bath ; and they called the bark the Laura, and Tom and Laura Cutts went to the launching, and Jem superintended the rigging of her himself; and then he took Tom and Laura and the babies with him to New York, and a high time they had together there. Tom saw many of the old army s, and Laura* hunted up one or two old school friends ; and they saw Booth in lago, and screamed themselves hoarse at Niblos, and heard Eudolphsen and Johannsen in the Ger man opera ; they rode in the Park, and they walked in the Park ; they browsed in the Astor and went shopping at Stewarts, and saw the people paint porcelam at Haighwouts ; and, by Mr. Aldens kindness, went through the won ders of Harpers. In short, for three weeks, all of wdncli time they lived on board ship, they saw the lions of New York as ren of the public do, for whom that great city decks itself and prepares its wonders, albeit their existence is hardly known to its inhabitants. Meanwhile Jem had chartered the Laura for a voyage to San Francisco.

Enjoy-Monday