TRUE DELIGHT
When evening came and put a period to that memorable birthday, Topaz was a
dog of experiences. If he was a happy discovery to Jewel, she was none the
less one to him. He was delighted to romp in the fields, where his coat
vied with the goldenrod; or to scamper up and down the beach, barking
excitedly, while his friends jumped or swam through the cool waves.
Jewel was eager that her horse and dog should become acquainted; so, when
late in the afternoon Essex Maid and Star were brought out at the customary
hour, saddled and bridled, she performed an elaborate introduction between
the jet-black picture pony and the prince among dogs. Star arched his neck
and shook his wavy mane as he gazed down at the golden dog with his full
bright eyes. He had seen Topaz before; for the collie had spent the night
in the barn, making sunshine in a shady place as he romped about the man in
the checked suit.
"Oh, grandpa!" laughed Jewel, as Star pawed the ground, "he looks at Topaz
just the way Essex Maid used to look at him when he first came. Just as
_scornful_!"
She knelt down on the grass by the pony, in her riding skirt, and Topaz
instantly came near, hopefully. He had already learned that by sticking to
her closely he was liable to have good sport; but this time business
awaited him. Mr. Evringham watched the pony and dog, with the flaxen-haired
child between them, and wished he had a kodak.
"Now, Star and Topaz, you're going to love one another," said Jewel
impressively. "Shake hands, Topaz." She held out her hand and the dog sat
down and offered a white paw.
"Good fellow," said the child. "Now I guess you're going to be surprised,"
she added, looking into his yellow eyes. She turned toward the pony, who
was nosing her shoulder, not at all sure that he liked this rival. "Shake
hands, Star," she ordered.
It took the pony some time to make up his mind to do this. It usually did.
He shook his mane and tossed his head; but Jewel kept patting his slender
leg and offering her hand, until, with much gentle pawing and lifting his
little hoof higher and higher, he finally rested it in the child's hand,
although looking away meanwhile, in mute protest.
"Good Star! Darling Star!" she exclaimed, jumping up and hugging him.
"There, Topaz, what do you think of that?" she asked triumphantly. For
answer the golden dog yawned profoundly, and Mr. Evringham and Jewel
laughed together.
"Such impoliteness!" cried the child.
"You must excuse him if he is a little conceited," said the broker. "He
knows Star can't sit up and roll over and jump sticks."
"Oh, grandpa." Jewel's face sobered, for this revived a little difference
of opinion between them. "When are you going to let me jump fences?"
"In a few more birthdays, Jewel, a few more," he replied.
She turned back to her pets. "I suppose," she said musingly, "it wouldn't
be the least use to try to make them shake hands with each other."
"I suppose not," returned the broker, and his shoulders shook. "Oh, Jewel,
you certainly will make me lose my waist. Here now, time is flying. Mount."
He lowered his hand, Jewel stepped on it and was in her white saddle
instantly. The collie barked with loud inquiry and plunged hopefully.
In a minute the horses were off at a good pace. "Come, Topaz!" cried the
child, and the golden dog scampered after them with a will.
Harry and Julia took a sail in the "Jewel" while the riders were away,
otherwise the four had spent the entire day together; and after dinner they
all strolled out of doors to watch the coming of twilight.
Jewel and her father began a romp on the grass with the dog, and Mr.
Evringham and Julia took seats on the piazza.
The broker watched the group on the lawn in silence for a minute, and then
he spoke.
"I was very much impressed by the talk we had last evening, Julia; more so
even than by those that have gone before. Harry really seems very
intelligent on this subject of Christian Science."
"He is making a conscientious study of it," returned Julia.
"You have met my questions and objections remarkably well," went on Mr.
Evringham. "I am willing and glad to admit truth where I once was
skeptical, and I hope to understand much more. One thing I must say,
however, I do object to--it is this worship of Mrs. Eddy. I know you don't
call it that, but what does it matter what you call it, when you all give
her slavish obedience? I should like to take the truth she has presented
and make it more impersonal than you do. What is the need of thinking about
her at all?"
Julia smiled. "Well, ordinary gratitude might come in there. Most of us
feel that she has led us to the living Christ, and helped us to all we have
attained of health and happiness; but one very general mistake that error
makes use of to blind people is that Mrs. Eddy exacts this gratitude. How
willing everybody is to admit that actions speak louder than words; and yet
who of our opposers ever stop to think how Mrs. Eddy's retired,
hard-working life proves the falsity of the charges brought against her.
She does wish for our love and gratitude; but it is for our sakes, not
hers. Think of any of the great teachers from St. Paul down to the present
day. Who could benefit by the truth voiced by any of them, while he nursed
either contempt or criticism of the personality of the teacher?"
"Yes," returned Mr. Evringham, "there is strength in that consideration;
but this blind following of any suggestion your leader makes looks to me
too much like giving up your own rationality."
Julia regarded him seriously. "Supposing you were one of a party who had,
for long years, searched in vain for gold. You had tried mine after mine
only to find you had not the ability to discriminate between the priceless
and the worthless ore, or to discern the signs of promise that lead to
rich discovery. Now, supposing another prospector had proved, over and over
again, that he did know the places where treasure was to be found.
Supposing he had demonstrated, over and over again, that his judgment and
discernment never led him astray, and that reward followed his labor
unfailingly. Now, what if this wise prospector was willing to help you?
Supposing he stated that in certain places, and by certain ways, you could
attain that for which you longed and had striven vainly. When his advice or
directions came to you, from time to time, do you think you would be likely
to stop to haggle or argue over them? No; I think you would hasten to
follow his suggestions, as eagerly and as closely as you were able, and
with a warmly grateful heart. Would that prospector be forcing you? or
doing you a kindness? What are the fruits of Christian Science? What are
the results of the directions of this wise, loving leader who can come so
close to God that He teaches her to help us to come, too. Oh, father, this
obstacle, this foolish argument, meets nearly every one in the path you are
treading, and tries to turn him back. I do hope, for your sake, you will
decline to give that very flabby error-fairy a backbone, or let it detain
you longer. It is marvelous how, without one element of truth or reason, it
seems able to hold back so many, and waste their precious time."
Mr. Evringham was regarding the speaker with close attention. "You are a
good special pleader," he said, when she paused.
"It is easy to speak the truth," she answered.
He nodded thoughtfully. "You have given me a new light on the situation. I
see it now from an entirely new standpoint."
Here the trio on the lawn came running up the steps, father and child
laughing and panting as hard as Topaz, whose tongue and teeth were all in
evidence in the gayety of his grin.
Harry threw himself into the hammock, and Jewel sat on the floor beside
Topaz, who gazed at her from his wistful eyes, his head on the side. Harry
laughed. "Jewel, he looks at you as if he were saying, 'Really, now, you
are a person after my own heart.'"
"She is after his heart, too," said Jewel's mother, "and I'm sure she'll
win it."
"He likes me already," declared the child. "Don't you, Topaz?" she asked
tenderly, laying her flaxen head with its big bows against the gold of his
coat. "Oh, there ought to be one more story in my book," she added, "one
for us to read right now and finish up my birthday."
"Why not have 'The Golden Dog' again?" suggested Mr. Evringham, from the
comfortable big wicker chair in which he sat watching Jewel and Topaz.
"That would be appropriate."
"Oh, yes," cried the little girl, looking at her mother.
"Oh, no," returned Julia, smiling. "There ought to be a special fresh story
for a birthday. We might make one now."
"A new one, mother?" asked Jewel, much pleased. "Could you?"
"No indeed, not alone; but if everybody helped"--
"Oh, yes," cried Jewel, with more enthusiasm than before. "Grandpa begin
because he's the oldest, then father, then mother, then--well, me, if I
can think of anything."
"It's very wrong of you, Jewel," said the broker, "to remember that I'm the
oldest, under these circumstances. What did you tell me this morning?"
The child's head fell to the side and she leaned toward him. "I don't know
how old you are," she replied gently; "and it doesn't make any difference."
"Then let's begin with the youngest," he suggested.
"No," said his daughter, "I think Jewel's plan is the best. You begin,
father." She did not in the least expect that he would consent, but Jewel,
her hands resting on Topaz's collar, was looking at the broker lovingly.
"Grandpa can do just anything," she declared.
Mr. Evringham regarded her musingly. "I know only one story," he said at
last, "and not very far into that one."
"You don't have to know far," returned Julia encouragingly, "for Harry has
to begin whenever you say so."
"Indeed!" put in her husband. "I pity you if you have to listen to me."
"It's my birthday, you know, grandpa," urged Jewel.
"So I've understood," returned the broker. "Well, just wait a minute till I
hitch up Pegasus."
"Great Scott!" exclaimed his son. "You aren't in earnest, Julia? You don't
expect me to do anything like that right off the bat!"
"Certainly, I do," she replied, laughing.
"Oh, see here, I have an engagement. We're one, you know, and when it
comes to authorship, you're the one."
"Hush," returned Julia, "you're disturbing father's muse."
But Mr. Evringham's ideas, whatever they were, seemed to be at hand. He
settled back in his chair, his elbows on the arms and his finger-tips
touching. All his audience immediately gave attention. Even Anna Belle had
a chair all to herself and fixed an inspiring gaze on the broker. It was to
be hoped that her pride kept her cool, for, in spite of the quiet warmth of
the September evening, she was enveloped in her new furs, with her hands
tucked luxuriously in the large muff.
"Once upon a time," began Mr. Evringham, "there was an old man. No one had
ever told him that it was error to grow old and infirm, and he sometimes
felt about ninety, although he was rather younger. He lived in the Valley
of Vain Regret. The climate of that region has a bad effect on the heart,
and his had shriveled up until it was quite small and mean, and hard and
cold, at that.
"The old man wasn't poor; he lived in a splendid castle and had plenty of
servants to wait on him; but he was the loneliest of creatures. He wanted
to be lonely. He didn't like anybody, and all he asked of people was that
they stay away from him and only speak to him when he spoke to them, which
wasn't very often, I assure you. You can easily see that people were
willing to stay away from a cross-grained person like that. Everybody in
the neighborhood was afraid of him. They shivered when he came near, and
ran off to get into the sunshine; so he was used to seeing visitors pass
by the fine grounds of his castle with only a scared glance or two in that
direction, and he wished it to be so. But he was very unhappy all the same.
His dried-up heart gave him much discomfort, and then once he had read an
old parchment that told of a far different land from Vain Regret. In that
country was the Castle of True Delight, and many an hour the man spent in
restless longing to know how he might find it; for--so he read--if a person
could once pass within the portals of that palace, he would never again
know sorrow or discontent, but one happy day would follow another in
endless variety and satisfaction.
"Many a time the man mounted on a spirited horse and rode forth in search
of this castle, and many different paths he took; but every night he came
home discouraged, for no sign could he find of any hope or cheer in the
whole Valley of Vain Regret, and it seemed to him to hold him like a
prisoner.
"One day as he was strolling on the terrace before the castle, in bitter
thought, a strange sight met his eyes. A little girl pushed open the great
iron gates which he had thought were locked, and walked toward him. For a
minute he was too much amazed at such daring to speak, and the little girl
came forward, smiling as she caught his look. She had dark eyes and her
brown hair curled in her neck. Most people would have remarked her sweet
expression; but the old man turned fierce at sight of her.
"'Be off,' he commanded angrily, and he pointed to the gate.
"She did not cease smiling nor turn away, but came straight on.
"The little dried heart in the old man's breast began to bounce about at a
great rate in his anger. He turned to a servant who stood near holding in
leash two great hounds.
"'Set the dogs on her,' he commanded; and though the servant was loath to
obey, he dared not refuse, and set free the dogs who, at the master's word,
bounded swiftly toward the child.
"Her loving look did not alter as she saw them coming and she held out her
hands to them. When they reached her they licked the little hands with
their tongues and bent their great heads to her caresses, and so she
advanced to the man, walking between the hounds, a hand on the neck of
each.
"He stared at her dumfounded as she stood before him, her eyes smiling up
into his. Her garments were white and of a strange fashion.
"'From whence come you?' he asked, when he could speak.
"'From the Heavenly Country,' she answered.
"'And what may be your name?'
"'Purity.'
"'I ordered you out of my grounds!' exclaimed the old man.
"'I did not hear it,' returned the child, unmoved.
"'Don't you fear the dogs?'
"'What is fear?' asked Purity, her eyes wondering.
"'This is the land of Vain Regret,' said the man. 'Be off!'
"'This is a beautiful land,' returned the child.
"For a moment her fearless obstinacy held him silent, then he thought he
would voice the question that was always with him.
"'Have you ever heard, in your country, of the Castle of True Delight?' he
asked.
"'Often,' replied the child.
"'I wish to go there,' he declared eagerly.
"'Then why not?' returned Purity.
"'I cannot find the way.'
"'That is a pity,' said the child. 'It is in my country.'
"'And you have seen it?'
"'Oh, many times.'
"'Then you shall show me the way.'
"'Whenever you are ready,' returned Purity. So saying, she passed him,
still accompanied by the hounds, and walked up the steps of the castle and
passed within and out of sight."
* * * * *
The story-teller paused. Jewel had risen from her seat on the floor and
come to sit on a wicker hassock at his feet, and Topaz rapped with his tail
as she moved.
"I wish you'd been there, grandpa, to take care of that little girl," she
said earnestly, her eyes fixed on his. "What happened next?"
"Ask your father," was the response.
Harry Evringham rolled over in the hammock where he lay stretched, until he
could see his daughter's face. She rose again and pulled her hassock close
to him as he continued:--
"As Purity passed into the house, the dogs whined, and the servant calling
them, they ran back to him. The old man stood still, bewildered, for a
minute; then he struck his hands together.
"'It is true, then. Even that child has seen it. I will go to her at once,
and we will set forth.'
"So the old man entered the castle, and gave orders that the child who had
just come in should be found and brought to him.
"The servants immediately flew to do his bidding, but no child could they
find.
"'Lock the gates lest she escape,' ordered the master. 'She is here. Find
her, or off goes every one of your foolish heads.'
"This was a terrible threat. You may be sure the servants ran hither and
thither, and examined every nook and corner; but still no little girl could
be found. The master scowled and fumed, but he considered that if he had
his servants all beheaded, it would put him to serious inconvenience; so he
only sat down and bit his thumbs, and began to try to think up some new way
to search for the Castle of True Delight.
"He felt sure the child had told the truth when saying she had beheld it.
It was even in the country where she had her home. The man began to see
that he had made a mistake not to treat the stranger more civilly. The very
dogs that he kept to drive away intruders had been more hospitable than he.
"All at once he had a bright thought. The roc, the oldest and wisest of all
birds, lived at the top of the mountain which rose above his castle.
"'She will tell me the way,' he said, 'for she knows the world from its
very beginning.'
"So he ordered that they should saddle and bridle his strongest steed, and
up the mountain he rode for many a toilsome hour, until he came to where
the roc lived among the clouds.
"She listened civilly to the man's question. 'So you are weary of your
life,' she said. 'Many a pilgrim comes to me on the same quest, and I tell
them all the same thing. The obstacles to getting away from the Valley of
Vain Regret are many, for there is but one road, and that has difficulties
innumerable; but the thing that makes escape nearly impossible is the
dragon that watches for travelers, and has so many eyes that two of them
are always awake. There is one hope, however. If you will examine my wings
and make yourself a similar pair, you can fly above the pitfalls and the
dragon's nest, and so reach the palace safely.'
"As she said this, the roc slowly stretched her great wings, and the man
examined them eagerly, above and below.
"'And in what direction do I fly?' he asked at last.
"'Toward the rising sun,' replied the roc; then her wings closed, her head
drooped, and she fell asleep, and no further word could the man get from
her.
"He rode home, and for many weeks he labored and made others labor, to
build an air-ship that should carry him out of the Valley of Vain Regret.
It was finished at last. It was cleverly fashioned, and had wings as broad
as the roc's; but on the day when the man finally stepped within it and set
it in motion, it carried him only a short distance outside the castle
gates, and then sank to the boughs of a tall tree, and, try as he might,
the air-ship could not be made to take a longer flight.
"His poor shrunken heart fluttered with rage and disappointment. 'I will
go to the wise hermit,' he said. So he went far through the woods to the
hut of the wise hermit, and he told him the same gruesome things about the
difficulties that beset the road out of the Valley of Vain Regret, and said
that one's only hope lay in tunneling beneath them.
"So the old man hired a large number of miners, and, setting their faces
eastward, they burrowed down into the earth, and blasted and dug a way
which the man followed, a greater and greater eagerness possessing him with
each step of progress; but just when his hopes were highest, the miners
broke through into an underground cavern, bottomless and black, from which
they all started back, barely in time to save themselves. It was impossible
to go farther, and the whole company returned by the way they had come, and
the miners were very glad to breathe the air of the upper world again; but
the man's disappointment was bitter.
"'It is of no use,' he said, when again he stood on the terrace in front of
his castle. 'It is of no use to struggle. I am imprisoned for life in the
Valley of Vain Regret.'"
* * * * *
Jewel's father paused. She had listened attentively. Now she turned to her
grandfather.
"Is that the way you think the story went, grandpa?"
Mr. Evringham nodded. "I think it did," he replied.
"Then go on, please, father, because I like a lot of happiness in my
stories, and I want that man to hurry up and know that--that error is
cheating him."
"Your mother to the rescue, then," replied Harry Evringham, smiling.
Jewel turned to look at her mother, and, rising again, picked up her
hassock and carried it to the steamer chair in which Mrs. Evringham was
reclining.
Her mother looked into her serious eyes and nodded reassuringly as she
began:--
* * * * *
"As that sorry old man stood there on the terrace, things had never looked
so black to him. He was so tired, so tired of hating. He longed for a
thousand things, he knew not what, but he was sure they were to be found at
the Castle of True Delight; but he was shut in! There was no way out. As he
was thinking these despairing thoughts and looking about on the scenes
which had grown hateful to him, he saw something that made him start. The
great iron gates leading out of his grounds opened as once before, and a
little girl in white garments came in and moved toward him. His heart
leaped at the sight,--and it swelled a bit, too!
"Instead of ordering her off, he hurried toward her and, although he
scowled in his eagerness, she smiled and lifted dark eyes that beamed
lovingly.
"'I cannot find my way to your country nor to the Castle of True Delight,'
said the man, 'and I need you to show me. Since you have found your road
hither twice, surely you can go back again.'
"'Yes, easily,' replied Purity, 'and since you know that you need me, you
are ready, and the King welcomes all.'
"'He will not like me,' said the sorry man, 'because nobody does.'
"'I do,' replied the child; and at her tone the man's heart swelled a
little more.
"'There is water in my eyes,' he said, as if to himself. 'What does that
mean?'
"'It will make you see better,' replied the child. 'It is the kind of water
that softens the heart, and that always improves the sight.'
"'Be it so, then. Perhaps I can better see the way; but the road is full of
perils innumerable, child. Have you found some other path?'
"'There is but one,' replied Purity.
"'So the roc said,' declared the man. 'How did you pass the dragon?'
"The child looked up wonderingly. 'I saw no dragon,' she answered.
"The man stared at her. 'There are pitfalls and obstacles innumerable,' he
repeated, 'and an ever-wakeful dragon. You passed it in the night, perhaps,
and were too small to be observed.'
"'I saw none,' repeated the child.
"'Yet I will risk it!' exclaimed the man. 'Rather death than this life.
Wait until I buckle on my sword and order our horses.'
"He turned to go, but the child caught his hand. 'We need no horses,' she
said, gently, 'and what would you with a sword?'
"'For our defense.'
"The child pressed his hand softly. 'Those who win to True Delight use only
the sword of spirit,' she answered.
"The man frowned at her, but even frowning he wondered. Again came the
swelling sensation within his breast, which he could not understand.
"The child smiled upon him and started toward the heavy gates and the man
followed. He wondered at himself, but he followed.
"Emerging into the woodland road, Purity took a path too narrow and devious
for a horse to tread, but the man saw that it led toward the rising sun.
She seemed perfectly sure of her way, and occasionally turned to look
sweetly on the pilgrim whose breast was beginning to quake at thought of
the difficulties to come. No defense had he but his two hands, and no guide
but this gentle, white-robed child in her ignorant fearlessness. Indeed it
was worse than being alone, for he must defend her as well as himself. She
was so young and helpless, and she had looked love at him. With this
thought the strange water stood again in his eyes and the narrow heart in
his bosom swelled yet more.
"The forest thickened and deepened. Sharp thorns sprang forth and at last
formed a network before the travelers.
"'You will hurt yourself, Purity!' cried the man. 'Let me go first,' and
pushing by the little child, he tried to break the thorny branches and
force a way; but his hands were torn in vain; and seeing the hopelessness,
after a long struggle, he turned sadly to his guide.
"'I told you!' he said.
"'Yes,' she answered, and the light from her eyes shone upon the tangle.
'On this road, force will avail nothing; but there are a thousand helps for
him who treads this path with me.'
"As she spoke, an army of bright-eyed little squirrels came fleetly into
the thicket and gnawed down thorns and briers before the pilgrims, until
they emerged safely into an open field.
"'A heart full of thanks, little ones,' called Purity after them as they
fled.
"'Why did they do that for us?' asked the astonished man.
"'Because they know I love them,' replied the child, and she moved forward
lightly beside her companion.
"They had walked for perhaps half an hour when a sound of rushing waters
came to their ears, and they soon reached a broad river. There was no
bridge and the current was deep and swift.
"The man gazed at the roaring torrent in dismay. 'Oh, child, behold the
flood! Even if I could build a raft, we should be carried out to sea, and
no swimmer could stem that tide with you in his arms. How ever came you
across by yourself?'
"'Love helped me,' answered Purity.
"'Alas, it will not help me,' said the man. 'I know Hate better.'
"'But you are becoming acquainted with Love, else you would not look on me
so kindly,' returned the child. 'Have faith and come to the shore.' She put
her little hand in his and he held it close, and together they walked to
the edge of the rushing river. Suddenly its blackness was touched and
twinkling with silver which grew each instant more compact and solid, and,
without a moment's hesitation, Purity stepped upon the silver path, drawing
with her the man, who marveled to see that countless large fish, with their
noses toward the current and their fins working vigorously, were offering
their bodies as a buoyant bridge, over which the two passed safely.
"'A thousand thanks, dear ones,' said Purity, as they reached the farther
bank; and instantly there was a breaking and twinkling of the silver, and
the rushing water swallowed up the kindly fish.
"The man, speechless with wonder, moved along beside his guide, and from
time to time she sang a little song, and as she sang he could feel his
heart swelling and there was a strange new happiness born in it, which
seemed to answer her song though his lips were mute.
"And then Purity talked to him of her King and of the rich delights which
were ever poured out to him who once found the path to the Heavenly
Country; and the man listened quite eagerly and humbly and clung to Purity
as to his only hope.
"When night fell he feared to close his eyes lest the child slip away from
him; but she smiled at his fears.
"'I can never leave you while you want me,' she answered; 'beside, I do not
wish to, for I love you. Do you forget that?'
"At this the man lay down quite peacefully. His heart was full and soft,
and the strange water that filled his eyes overflowed upon his cheeks.
"In the morning they ate fruits and berries, and pursued their journey, and
it was not long before another of the obstacles which the roc and the
hermit had foretold threatened to end their pilgrimage. It was a chasm that
fell away so steeply and was so deep and wide that, looking into the depths
below, the man shuddered and started back. Before he had time to utter his
dismay, a large mountain deer appeared noiselessly before the travelers.
The man started eagerly, but as the creature's bright, wild gaze met his,
it vanished as silently and swiftly as it had come.
"'Ah, why was that?' exclaimed Purity. 'Felt you an unloving thought?'
"''Twas a fine deer. Had I but possessed a bow and arrow, I could have
taken it!' returned the man, with excitement.
"'To what end?' asked Purity, her wondering eyes sad. 'One does not gain
the Heavenly Country by slaying. We must wait now, until Love drives out
all else.'
"The repentant man hung his head and looked at the broad chasm. 'Would that
I had not willed to kill the creature,' he said, 'for I am loath to lose my
own life, and it is less good than the deer's.'
"Purity smiled upon him and slid her hand into his, and again the deer
bounded before them, followed this time by its mate.
"The child fondled them. 'Mount upon its back,' she said to the man,
indicating the larger animal. He obeyed, though with trembling, while the
smaller deer kneeled to the child and she took her seat.
"Then the creatures planted their feet unerringly and stepped to a lower
jutting point of rock, from whence with flying leaps they bridged the chasm
and scrambled to firm earth on the other side.
"'Our hearts' best thanks, loved ones,' said Purity, as the deer bounded
away.
"The man was trembling. 'I have slain many of God's creatures for my
pleasure,' he faltered. 'May He forgive me!'
"'If you do so no more you will forgive yourself; but only so,' returned
Purity.
"They moved along again and the man spoke earnestly and humbly of the
wonders that had befallen them.
"'To Love, all things are possible,' returned the child; 'but to Love
only;' and her companion listened to all she said, with a full heart.
"By noon that day, an inaccessible cliff stared the travelers in the face.
Its mighty crags bathed their feet in a deep pool, and up, up, for hundreds
of feet, ran a smooth wall of rock in which no one might find a foothold.
"The man stared at it in silence, and it seemed to frown back inexorably.
His companion watched his face and read its mute hopelessness.
"'Have you still--_still_ no faith?' she asked.
"'I cannot see how'--stammered the man.
"'No, you cannot see how--but what does that matter?' asked the child. 'Let
us eat now,' and she sat down, and the man with her, and they ate of the
fruits and nuts she had gathered along the way and carried in her white
gown.
"While they ate, a pair of great eagles circled slowly downward out of the
blue sky, nor paused until they had alighted near the travelers.
"'Welcome, dear birds,' said Purity. 'You know well the Heavenly Country,
and we seek your help to get there, for we have no wings to fly above those
rocky steeps.'
"The eagles nestled their heads within her little hands, in token of
obedience, and when she took her seat upon one, the man obeyed her sign and
trusted himself upon the outstretched wings of the other.
"Up, up, soared the great birds, over the sullen pool, up the sheer rock.
Up, and still up, with sure and steady flight, until, circling once again,
the eagles alighted gently upon a land strewn with flowers.
"The man and his guide stood upon the green earth, and Purity kissed her
hands gratefully to the eagles as they circled away and out of sight.
"'This is a beautiful country,' said the man, and he gathered a white
flower.
"'Yes,' returned Purity, smiling on him, 'you begin to see it now.'"
* * * * *
Mrs. Evringham paused. Jewel's eyes were fixed on her unwinkingly. "Go on,
please, mother," she said.
"I think I've told enough," replied Mrs. Evringham.
"Oh, but you finish it, mother. You can tell it just beautifully."
"Thank you, dear, but I think it is your turn."
"Yes, Jewel," said her father, "it's up to you now."
"But I don't think a little girl _can_ tell stories to grown-up people."
"Oh, yes, on her birthday she can," returned her father. "Go on, we're all
listening; no one asleep except Topaz."
Jewel's grandfather had been watching her absorbed face all the time,
between his half-closed lids. "I think they've left the hardest part of all
to you, Jewel," he said,--"to tell about the dragon."
"Oh, no-o," returned the child scornfully, "that part's easy."
The broker raised his eyebrows. "Indeed?" he returned.
In honor of her birthday, Jewel was arrayed in her silk dress. The white
ribbons, Anna Belle's gift, were billowing out behind her ears. She
presented the appearance, as she sat on the wicker hassock, of a person who
had had little experience with dragons.
"Well," she said, after a pause, smiling at her grandfather and lifting her
shoulders, "shall I try, then?"
"By all means," returned the broker.
So Jewel folded her hands in her silken lap and began in her light, sweet
voice:--
* * * * *
"When the man looked around on the flowers and lovely trees and brooks, he
said, 'This is a beautiful land.'
"And Purity answered: 'I'm glad that you see it is. You remember I told you
it was.'
"'It was the Valley of Vain Regret we were talking about then,' said the
man. 'If you had known more about it, you wouldn't have called _that_
beautiful.'
"Then the little girl smiled because she knew something nice that the man
didn't know yet; but he was going to.
"So they journeyed along and journeyed along through pleasant places, and
while they walked, Purity told the man about the great King--how loving He
was and everything like that, and the man had hold of her hand and listened
just as hard as he could, for he felt sure she was telling the truth; and
it made him glad, and his heart that had been wizzled up just like a fig,
had grown to be as big as--oh, as big as a watermelon, and it was full of
nice feelings.
"'I'm happy, Purity,' he said to the little girl.
"I'm glad,' she answered, and she squeezed his hand back again, because she
loved him now as much as if he was her grandpa.
"Well, they went along, and along, and at last they came to some woods and
a narrow path through them. The man was beginning to think they might need
the squirrels again, when suddenly"--Jewel paused and looked around on her
auditors whose faces she could barely see in the gathering dusk,--"suddenly
the man thought he saw the dragon he had heard so much about; and he
shivered and hung back, but Purity walked along and wondered what was the
matter with him.
"'There's the dragon!' he said, in the most _afraid_ voice, and he hung
back on the girl's hand so hard that she couldn't move.
"When she saw how he looked, she patted him. 'I don't see anything,' she
said, 'only just lovely woods.'
"'Oh, Purity, come back, come back, we can't go any farther!' said the man,
and his eyes kept staring at something among the trees, close by.
"'What do you see?' asked the little girl.
"'A great red dragon with seven heads and ten horns!' answered the man, and
he pulled on her again, to go back with him.
"'Dear me,' said Purity, 'is that old make-believe thing ground here,
trying to cheat you? I've heard about it.'
"'It would make anybody afraid,' said the man. 'It has seven heads and it
could eat us up with any one of them.'
"'Yes, it could, if it was there,' said Purity, 'but there isn't any such
thing, to _be_ there. The King of the country is all-powerful and He knows
we're coming, and He _wants_ us to come. Hasn't He taken care of us all the
way and helped us over every hard place? Shouldn't you think you'd _know_
by this time that we're being taken care of?'
"'Oh, dear!' said the man, 'I shall never see the Heavenly Country, nor the
castle, nor know what true delight is; for no one could get by that
dragon!'
"Purity felt bad because his face was the sorriest that you ever saw, and
his voice sounded full of crying. So she put her arms around him. 'Now
don't you feel that way;' she said, 'everything is just as happy as it was
before. There isn't any dragon there. Tell me where you see him.'
"So the man pointed to the foot of a great tree close by.
"'All right,' said Purity, 'I'll go and stand right in front of that tree
until you get 'way out of the woods, and then I'll run and catch up with
you.'
"The man stooped down and put his arms around the girl just as lovingly as
if she was his own little grandchild.
"'I can't do that,' he said; 'I'd rather the dragon would eat me up than
you. You run, Purity, and I'll stay; and when he tries to catch you, I'll
throw myself in front of him. But kiss me once, dear, because we've been
very happy together.'
"Purity kissed him over and over again because she was so happy about his
goodness, and she saw the tears in his eyes, that are the kind that make
people see better. She _knew_ what the man was going to see when he stood
up again."
The story-teller paused a moment, but no one spoke, although she looked at
each one questioningly; so she continued:--
"Well, he was the most _surprised_ man when he got up and looked around.
"'The dragon has gone!' he said.
"'No, he hasn't,' said Purity, and she just hopped up and down, she was so
glad. 'He hasn't gone, because he wasn't there!'
"'He _isn't_ there!' said the man, over and over. 'He _isn't_ there!' and
he looked so happy--oh, as happy as if it was his birthday or something.
"So they walked along out into the sunshine again, and sweeter flowers than
ever were growing all around them, and a bird that was near began singing a
new song that the man had never heard.
"There was a lovely green mountain ahead of them now. 'Purity,' said the
man, for something suddenly came into his head, 'is this the Heavenly
Country?'
"'Yes,' said Purity, and she clapped her hands for joy because the man knew
it was.
"They walked along and the bird's notes were louder and sweeter. 'I
_think_, said the man softly, 'I think he is singing the song of true
delight.'
"'He is,' said Purity.
"So, when they had walked a little farther still, they began to see a
splendid castle at the foot of the mountain.
"'Oh,' said the man, just as happily as anything, 'is that home at
_last_!'
"'Yes,' said Purity, 'it is the Castle of True Delight.'
"The man felt young and strong and he walked so fast the little girl had to
skip along to keep up with him, and the bird flew around their heads and
sang 'Love, love, love; _true_ delight, _true_ delight,' just as _plain_."
* * * * *
Jewel gave the bird-song realistically, then she unclasped her hands.
"Mother," she said, turning to Mrs. Evringham, "now you finish the story.
Will you?"
"Yes, indeed, I know the rest," returned Mrs. Evringham quietly, and she
took up the thread:--
* * * * *
"As the man and Purity drew near to the great gates before the castle,
these flew open of their own accord, and the travelers entered. Drawing
near the velvet green of the terraces, a curious familiarity in the fair
scene suddenly impressed the man. He stared, then frowned, then smiled. A
great light streamed across his mind.
"'Purity,' he asked slowly, 'is this my castle?'
"'Yes,' she answered, watching him with eyes full of happiness.
"'And will you live with me here, my precious child?'
"'Always. The great King wills it so.'
"'But what--where--where is the Valley of Vain Regret?'
"Purity shook her head and her clear eyes smiled. 'There is no Valley of
Vain Regret,' she answered.
"'But I lived in it,' said the man.
"'Yes, before you knew the King, our Father. There is no vain regret for
the King's child.'
"'Then I--I, too, am the King's child?' asked the man, his face amazed but
radiant, for he began to understand a great many things.
"'You, too,' returned Purity, and she nestled to him and he held her close
while the bird hovered above their heads and sang with clear sweetness,
'Love, love, love; true delight, true, true, _true_ delight.'"
* * * * *
The story-teller ceased. Jewel saw that the tale was finished. She jumped
up from the hassock and clapped her hands. Then she ran to Mr. Evringham
and climbed into his lap. It was so dark now on the veranda that she could
scarcely see his face. But he put his arms around her and gathered her to
her customary resting place on his shoulder. "Wasn't that _lovely_,
grandpa? Did you think your story was going to end that way?"
He stroked her flaxen hair in silence for a few seconds before replying,
then he answered, rather huskily:--
"I hoped it would, Jewel."
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End of Project Gutenberg's Jewel's Story Book, by Clara Louise Burnham