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[Illustration: Frontispiece]
"OUR GUY"
OR
THE ELDER BROTHER.
BY
MRS. E. E. BOYD.
* * * * *
BOSTON:
BRADLEY & WOODRUFF.
234 & 236 CONGRESS ST.
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1875, by
HENRY HOYT,
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
New Year's Eve, 5
CHAPTER II.
Differently Constituted, 19
CHAPTER III.
Guy or Christ, 38
CHAPTER IV.
Little Philip, 47
CHAPTER V.
What happened one day, 53
CHAPTER VI.
Death,--Then Life, 69
CHAPTER VII.
Guy gives his views in full, 78
CHAPTER VIII.
The Young People's Association, 92
CHAPTER IX.
A Day of Pleasure, 111
CHAPTER X.
Miss Smithers comes, and a Surprise, 129
CHAPTER XI.
The Young People's Excursion, 144
CHAPTER XII.
Pete's Slavery and Freedom, 157
CHAPTER XIII.
Rev. John Jay delivers his Message, 166
CHAPTER XIV.
Weeping may Endure for a Night, 175
CHAPTER XV.
"But Joy cometh in the Morning," 191
"OUR GUY."
CHAPTER I.
NEW YEAR'S EVE
HE had gone, the good old year! It was no wonder people sighed as his
pulse beat slower and slower, for he had brightened many hearts and
gladdened many homes. If he had brought sadness and heart-ache to some,
it was only that he never once failed in any duty. Taking from the hand
that had given him life-joys and sorrows, hopes and disappointments,
crosses and ease, he gave unto each one what the Master designed. But it
happens very often that the rosy morning ends in a night dark and
tempestuous, while the clouds that greet our early waking, are followed
by the bright shining of the sun. And there is no life which would not
be more bright and joyous, if it only opened the windows and let the
light God means it to have, shine in.
So there were sighs and regrets as there always are, when one who has
been true and kind, has left us forever.
Out on the frosty air floated the sound of bells. Merrily, joyously they
pealed forth to welcome the new life that had just dawned, while from
far and near the guns gave out their noisy greeting.
Sad hearts brightened, tearful faces smiled. With their old friend had
gone the old life; they would throw aside regret and be brave and
strong. Among an assembly of silent worshippers knelt two sisters side
by side. It was as if they had gathered round the bedside of a
departing one, trying to catch the last look and to hear the last sound,
the stillness only broken by sobs from wrung hearts. Tremblingly their
girlish voices united with the multitude, as with a covenant-keeping God
they renewed their covenant in the words:--
"Come, let us use the grace divine,
And all with one accord,
In a perpetual cov'nant join
Ourselves to Christ the Lord;
Give up ourselves through Jesus' power
His name to glorify,
And promise in this sacred hour
For God to live and die.
The cov'nant we this moment make,
Be ever kept in mind;
We will no more our God forsake,
Or cast his words behind.
We never will throw off his fear,
Who hears our solemn vow,
And if thou art well pleased to hear,
Come down and meet us now.
Thee, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
Let all our hearts receive;
Present with the celestial host,
The peaceful answer give.
To each the cov'nant blood apply,
Which takes our sins away;
And register our names on high,
And keep us to that day."
At the words, "We will no more our God forsake," the voice of the eldest
suddenly failed, and burying her face she sobbed aloud. The other seemed
to have gathered strength with every word, and now as she sang:--
"We never will throw off his fear
Who hears our solemn vow;--"
her voice rang out clear and steady. To her sister it already had an air
of triumph, and caused her to look up wonderingly into the face so full
of trust and holy purpose. The clear, bright eyes met her tearful gaze;
there was a pressure of the hand as entreatingly she said, "Sing, Ruth;
the _Lord_ is our strength, He will help us."
Re-assured and comforted, Ruth sang, "To each the cov'nant blood apply,"
thinking of her sister's words, and feeling already His help.
The New Year's hymn was sung, friends looked into each other's faces
with words of cheer, and then separated. They went their ways to carry
out their purposes, and with them went Ruth and Agnes.
The girls were orphans. For ten years they had been motherless, and
several years previous their father had died. They had no one but their
brother Guy, not even a distant relative, and this made them cling very
closely to one another. One day when Guy was in a very gay and gracious
mood, he took his sisters by the arm and whirling them round sang,
"Lovers three are we, no truer could you see," to which Ruth laughingly
added, "And we'll faithful be, Guy, Agnes and me."
But they were not demonstrative. That is they rarely kissed each other;
they did not show their love in these many ways that are so beautiful
among brothers and sisters. Somehow they had never learned them, for
their father had been a stern, forbidding man, who would have called
such things "Stuff, and Nonsense," and their mother was very timid,
looking up to her husband in everything. She would not have dared to
teach her children these endearing ways. Sometimes she said "dear," and
kissed them, and O, how their hearts filled up with love! It made them
happy for days after. But they always knew she loved them even more than
words or caresses could express, and they gave her back the strength of
their young, loving natures. When she left them they drew up closer to
each other in thought, loving silently, yet with greater intensity.
Guy, the eldest, was twenty-two and Agnes eighteen. He had just been
admitted to the bar, and expected to stand high in his profession before
long. His sisters were sure if any one rose, he certainly would, for he
had not only ambition but talent, and in speaking of "our Guy," they
dwelt on the name with great tenderness and pride. He assured them that
no one had made a higher mount at first than he, having rented a third
story room, and as the girls did not know much about such matters they
were quite satisfied.
Agnes was confiding, truthful. "Saintly," Guy called her. She did not
know how to reason about things as Ruth, she said, and "of course was
not so wise;" but withall she was stronger and wiser, for she had
learned the true wisdom of leaving everything in the hands of God,
knowing that He could better order them than she. And knowing this, she
did not question His providences, although they were many times painful
and hard to understand. He was to her always a loving Father, and she
wanted to be to him a loving, dutiful child.
Ruth was intensely earnest and more practical than Agnes. She believed
in the exercise of judgment and not such entire dependence upon the
Lord; the latter kept one weak she thought, and she did not see the
sense of doing anything that she could not quite understand. So in
spiritual things she very often took her own way, but it did not
satisfy; her life seemed a life of failure, while Agnes never appeared
to be disappointed. They often talked to each other about these things
and Ruth felt strange after their talks and more confident of success,
but her unsanctified will, her efforts at self-government brought the
same result as before.
Guy was not a Christian, he had not even gone much to church since he
began to study law, but he was a good, kind brother, and the sisters
were sure he would come out right some time. If they had given the
reason of their assurance, Agnes would have said, she prayed for it and
believed that God would answer prayer, while Ruth's reply would have
been, "He is our Guy, and of course he will die a Christian." The girls
did not talk so much to their brother as to each other; he could not
understand their "spiritual talks," and his life and theirs were after
all so different. But when he spent an evening at home as he
occasionally did, their joy was extreme. Agnes then was sure the Lord
meant to answer her prayer very soon, and asked to be directed so that
she might draw her brother to Christ by her consistent life. Ruth
exerted herself to the utmost to entertain him. Watching him very
closely to see the effect of her efforts, and being rewarded by some
such remark as: "Ruth, you are becoming quite brilliant; it will not do
to have you cooped up here; you must see more of the world."
That satisfied her; she knew she was doing him good, and she would not
stop at anything to accomplish her purpose. For while she was not so
keenly alive to spiritual things as Agnes, she saw as Agnes never
appeared to see, the danger there was of his being led astray, knowing
how few real Christians were to be found in the legal professions.
The girls had had many struggles during the last few years, even since
Guy commenced the study of law. And he had not been without his
difficulties. It had been a hard fight between his love of profession
and love for his sisters. So that many a time he resolved to throw aside
his books and earn a livelihood in some other way, any way rather than
have them helping him. But whenever he mentioned it, they seemed so
distressed that he yielded the point, resolved to study with more
earnestness so that one day they might be proud of him. He did not know
already how proud they were, or what pleasure it was to make sacrifices
for him; for they never hinted at the self-denial they were called upon
continually to practice.
It had occurred to Guy's mind frequently that he ought to spend more
time with his sisters, that being alone, their evenings must be dull;
but home always suggested that which he wanted to drive from his
thoughts as much as possible; hard toiling and sacrifice on the part of
his sisters. If he kept this before him constantly, he reasoned, it
would so dishearten and depress him that his chance of success would be
naturally lessened. Indeed his spirits must be kept up or he give up
altogether. When he began to make money, things should be very
different; he would devote himself entirely to them. But with diplomas,
fortunes do not come, and so it was rarely that the girls had their
brother home with them. When they did, we have seen how it cheered and
re-assured them.
On the death of their father it was ascertained that very little support
was left for his family, and Guy entered a store at a very small salary,
while Ruth was compelled to remain at home on account of her mother's
delicate health. She managed to obtain a few scholars, however, and
every month had a little to add to the general fund. Agnes, then too
young to support herself or others, continued to go to school, and in
time received a teacher's certificate. But as she was not yet old enough
to obtain a situation in the public schools, she helped Ruth with hers
which had increased in size, making quite a good appearance in the
second story back room.
They were at that time living comfortably, when Guy, who had never liked
the store, expressed his ardent desire to study law. He was rather
surprised to find the readiness with which his mother consented, and the
eagerness of his sisters. Speaking truthfully, they thought him far
above his present business and much preferred that he should have a
profession. So it was not long until he was in a lawyer's office. Then
their mother died. It seemed a very cruel thing to Guy that she should
be taken away just now; if she could only have lived a few years longer
to see her son a great man; he had determined to repay her for all her
devotion.
Ruth soon had to do without her assistant when Agnes, with a bright,
cheerful heart, went out into the world "to help Guy and Ruth." And now
the sisters are teaching, while "Guy Gorton, Attorney at Law," mounts
his three flights of stairs daily, with a great deal of hope, and as
large a share of importance.
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