  They were to be married early in September—just a month from the day when Smiles so nearly gave her life to save another's. During the days which must pass before she became Donald's in the full trinity of body, mind and soul, his family kept her at Manchester-by-the-Sea and each hour bound her more closely to the heart of each. For her, Ethel planned and purchased, sewed and supervised, putting as much loving thought into the making of her simple outfit as though it was she herself who was to be wedded. The days were busy ones, the evening hours rich in love and contentment, for Donald came down from the city each night, and the two learned the way to many a secret chamber in each other's heart. Early in the week which was to bring to a close the separate stories of the man and maid, and write the first chapter in the single history of man and wife, Donald left them to make a brief, but important, trip which, he said, could not be postponed; and oh, how empty life seemed to Smiles during those few days. But they were ended at last, and the marriage evening came,—still and mellow, with the voices of both shore and sea tuned to soft night melodies. Below in the hall, hidden within a bower of palms, an orchestra of Boston Symphony players drew whispering harmonies from the strings of violins, harp and cello, and, at the signal, swept into the dreamy, enchanted notes of Mendelssohn's marriage song. Little Don, very proud and important—and somewhat frightened—picked up the train which he was to bear as page, and down the winding stairway, by the side of her new-found brother, moved Rose, gowned in traditional white, made with befitting simplicity, her shimmering hair no longer crowned with the square of a nurse cap, but by a floating, misty veil and the orange-blossom wreath of a bride. Never had her warm coloring been so delicate and changeful, her expressive eyes so deep, or the fleeting sweetness of her translucent smile so wonderful. At the foot of the stairs stood Muriel, and three other girl companions, each with a woven sweetgrass basket—made years ago by little Smiles herself—filled with rose petals to be strewn in her path, and the bride's lowered eyes rested tenderly for a moment upon the child that she so loved. Then she started, and paused. One of them, as tall as Muriel and more slender, had hair of spun gold, and she was looking up with an eagerness which she could hardly restrain. With a low, surprised cry, Smiles hurried downward, drawing her hand from Philip's arm and extending both her own. "Little Lou. Can it really be you? Oh, my dear." And, heedless of the cluster of waiting friends beyond, she caught the flushing, bashful, happy child into her arms. "Oh, Smiles, haint hit all too wonderful. Hit's like dreamy-land, an' I'm plumb erfeered thet I'll wake up an' find hit haint real. But yo're real, my Smiles, an' oh, how I loves ye." There was a suspicious moisture in more eyes than those of Rose, as she released the child and moved forward again, following the flower girls into the room where waited the man who was all in all to her. Donald stood just to one side of a canopied altar made of white roses and interwoven ferns, and before it was a tall, slender man in the vestments of the Episcopal Church, whose thin, saintlike face was topped by hair of the purest silver-white. Smiles felt her heart swelling almost painfully with a great new happiness; her lips parted, and she wanted to draw her hand across her eyes and brush away the sudden tears which she knew were there. For the rector was her own dear Mr. Talmadge. Now Donald was at her side, and his strong fingers were returning the grateful, loving pressure of her own. He understood how full of gratitude was her heart, and was repaid. The low, clear voice, tuned to the winds of the forest, began the words of the beautiful service. It was, indeed, all a dream, and she felt the unreality of it until the benediction had been spoken, and the hidden orchestra struck the first joyous chords of the triumphant march from Lohengrin. Then, from her husband's arms she turned to the embrace of the mountain minister, and of Philip, and little Lou, and Gertrude Merriman, and Dorothy Roberts, and of all those other friends, old and new, who were so dear to her. No explanations were possible for many minutes to come; but at length she heard the story of the secret trip "which could not be postponed," of how "the reverend"—now well and strong at last—had gladly consented to leave his beloved mountain home, for the first time in many, many years, and come north on this sacredest of missions; of how Judd had yielded to the request that Lou accompany them, too; and finally of how her mountain lover of the old days was now himself married—to none other than the youngest daughter of the kindly agent at Fayville. And when this news was told, Donald cried, "Why, Smiles, for shame! I actually believe that you are jealous," and she replied, "Of course I am ... horribly." Whereupon every one laughed at her, and her husband punished her with a kiss. It was ended at last, the lights, merry voices and laughter; and, as the two ran the ancient gantlet, They paused a moment on the path below the veranda, to quiet their hurried breathing, and look into each other's happy eyes. "Where do we go from here?" They knew. There had been but one spot in all the world whose name both their hearts had spoken, when Donald first mentioned the honeymoon to be. Evening again—twilight on the Cumberland mountains. The moon had not yet risen; but, through the black lacework of the forest trees which stretched above Big Jerry's cabin to the mountain's summit, shone the beaming radiance of the evening star. Within the soft shadow of the doorway stood two figures, close together—one tall, broad of shoulder and heavily built, the other of medium height, slender and very graceful—and their arms were about each other's waists. A man and a woman,—as it was in the beginning. For a long time they stood thus, without speaking,—there was no need of speech, for their thoughts were one. "So old and well remembered; yet so new and strangely beautiful," whispered the woman, as she let her gaze travel over the broken, far-stretching "Like love: as old as the hills, yet ever new," answered the other. "Yes. I cannot yet understand, Don, how this new life can be so strangely natural to me. We have been married only three all-too-short days, yet I can scarcely think of the other life as real. Some people speak of their honeymoon as a golden dream. To me it is the sweet reality, and all that went before the dream. Isn't it odd?" "All of nature's laws are inexplicable, dear heart. But we should not forget that the Almighty's plan for the world did not deal with man and woman as separate entities, but man and woman as counterparts of a single unit, in which His laws should find full expression, if the two were truly mated—not merely married. You remember what Mr. Talmadge said that night." "I know. We have found, not each other, but the other part of ourselves—ourself. Dear, when did you first realize that it was so?" "My mind, not until it was free to face the truth; my subconscious soul the first moment that I saw you, I think." "I know I loved you from that moment too," she answered simply, lifting her lips for his kiss. There followed another spell of enchanted silence, broken only by the low lullaby of the night wind in the trees, and then the man spoke again. "Smiles, are you still greatly afraid of the sea?" "No, dear, I should not be, if you were with me. It is strange; but I lost most of the old, unreasoning fear the moment that I made up my mind to jump into it that afternoon. But, why do you ask that now, Donald?" He did not reply at once, and she continued, "I think that I know, and the same thought was in my own mind. Is it that you want to go to France again, to renew the saving work there,—and want me with you?" He nodded slowly. "If you hadn't suggested it, I should have, Don; for now I am doubly prepared for the work I began to long to do, so many years ago. I am not only trained for it, but I have you beside me, to comfort and strengthen me, always. "Yes, dear," she went on softly. "Some day, God grant, we shall have little ones of our own to care for; but, until that beautiful time comes, there are no less precious babies throughout all the world—and there, especially—crying for us to help them. We must give of our best to them, for, weak, tender and helpless as they are, the hope of the world is in its babies." Through the dark tree-tops the new-born moon appeared on the breast of night, around it a misty halo like that about the head of the Infant who "Look," said Donald. "Our honeymoon wears a halo." "Because it is a hallowed moon," answered Rose. The soft white radiance floated in, flooding the little porch and illuminating the wife's sweet face as she lifted it again, now touched with a smile, more meaningful and more ethereal than ever before. For, to the smile of courage, hope and love, had been added the quality of rich, deep contentment. THE END MARK GRAY'S HERITAGE A Romance By Eliot Harlow Robinson Author of "Smiles: A Rose of the Cumberlands," Cloth, 12mo, illustrated, $1.90 "What is bred in the bone will never come out of the flesh." Mr. Robinson's distinguished success came with the acclaim accredited to his novel, SMILES, "The Best-Loved Book of the Year," and its sequel, SMILING PASS. With delicate humor and a sincere faith in the beautiful side of human nature, Mr. Robinson has created for himself a host of enthusiastic admirers. In his new book he chooses a theme, suggested perhaps by the old proverb quoted above ("Pilpay's Fables"). His setting is a Quaker village, his theme the conflict between grave Quaker ideals and the strength and hot blood of impulsive Mark Gray. Here is a book that is worthy of the reception accorded SMILES by all readers who appreciate a story of deep significance, simply yet powerfully built upon fundamental passions, wrought with a philosophy that always sees the best in troubled times. The enthusiastic editor who passed on MARK GRAY'S HERITAGE calls it—hardly too emphatically—"A mighty good story with plenty of entertainment for those who like action (there is more of that in it than in any other of Mr. Robinson's novels). The reading public will unquestionably call it another courage book'—which they called the SMILES books, you know. The language is both strong and smooth. The story has a punch!" POLLY THE PAGAN Her Lost Love Letters By Isabel Anderson With an appreciative Foreword by Basil King. Cloth decorative, 12mo, illustrated, $1.90 Isabel Anderson, who heretofore has confined her literary talents to writing of presidents and diplomats and fascinating foreign lands, contributes to our list her first novel, POLLY THE PAGAN, a story of European life and "high society." The story is unfolded in the lively letters of a gay and vivacious American girl traveling in Europe, and tells of the men whom she meets in Paris, in London or Rome, her flirtations (and they are many and varied!) and exciting experiences. Among the letters written to her are slangy ones from an American college boy and some in broken English from a fascinated Russian Prince (or was he disillusioned, when after dining at a smart Parisian cafÉ with the adorable Polly he was trapped by secret police?); but the chief interest, so far as Polly's affaires d'amour are concerned, centers around the letters from a young American, in the diplomatic service in Rome, who is in a position to give intimate descriptions of smart life and Italian society. The character drawing is clever, and the suspense as to whom the fascinating Polly will marry, if indeed the mysterious young lady will marry anybody, is admirably sustained. UNCLE MARY A Novel for Young or Old By Isla May Mullins Author of "The Blossom Shop" books, "Tweedie," etc. Cloth decorative, 12mo, illustrated, $1.75 Since the great success of POLLYANNA there have been many efforts to achieve the "GLAD BOOK" [Trade Mark] style of fiction, but none so successful as Mrs. Mullins' UNCLE MARY. Here is a story, charming in its New England village setting, endearing in its characters, engrossing in its plot, and diverting in its style. The PAGE imprint has been given to many books about beautiful characters in fiction,—Pollyanna, Anne Shirley, Rose Webb of "SMILES," and Lloyd Sherman of the "LITTLE COLONEL" books. To this galaxy we now add "Uncle" Mary's protÉgÉ, Libbie Lee. Mrs. Mullins is an author gifted with the ability to appeal to the young in heart of whatever age. Her characters are visually portrayed. Her situations have the interest of naturalness and suspense. The reader of UNCLE MARY will become in spirit an inhabitant of Sunfield; will understand the enjoyment of the sudden acquisition of wealth, a limousine, and—an adopted child (!), by the sisters, "Uncle" Mary and "Aunt" Alice; will watch with interest the thawing and rejuvenation of "Uncle" Mary, the cure of Alice, and the solving of the mystery of the wealth of sweet little Libbie Lee. THE RED CAVALIER Or, The Twin Turrets Mystery By Gladys Edson Locke Cloth decorative, 12mo, illustrated, $1.90 Here is a mystery story that is different! The subtlety and strangeness of India—poison and daggers, the impassive faces and fierce hearts of Prince Bardai and his priestly adviser; a typical English week-end house party in the mystery-haunted castle, Twin Turrets, in Yorkshire; a vivid and contrasting background. And the plot! Who is the mysterious Red Cavalier? Is he the ghost of the ancestral portrait, that hangs in Sir Robert Grainger's strange library? Is he flesh and blood, and responsible for the marauding thefts in the neighborhood? Is he responsible for Prince Kassim's murder? Or is it only coincidence that one of the guests at the masked ball happened to wear the costume of the Red Cavalier? Miss Locke has been able to weave a weird and absorbing tale of modern detective romance, the strangeness of India in modern England. There is Lady Berenice Coningsby, a bit dÉclassÉ; Ethelyn Roydon, more so; Princess Lona Bardai, "Little Lotus-Blossom," sweet and pathetic; Mrs. Dalrymple, the woman of mystery; Miss Vandelia Egerton, the spinster owner of Twin Turrets. There is dashing Max Egerton and the impeccable Lord Borrowdean; Captain Grenville Coningsby; Prince Kassim Bardai, with the impenetrable eyes, and Chand Talsdad, his venerable adviser. Which of them is the Red Cavalier? Selections from WORKS OF POLLYANNA: The GLAD [Trade Mark] Book (510,000) Cloth decorative, 12mo, illustrated, $1.90 Mr. Leigh Mitchell Hodges, The Optimist, in an editorial for the Philadelphia North American, says: "And when, after Pollyanna has gone away, you get her letter saying she is going to take 'eight steps' to-morrow—well, I don't know just what you may do, but I know of one person who buried his face in his hands and shook with the gladdest sort of sadness and got down on his knees and thanked the Giver of all gladness for Pollyanna." POLLYANNA: The GLAD [Trade Mark] Book. Mary Pickford edition Illustrated with thirty-two half-tone reproductions of scenes from the motion picture production, and a jacket with a portrait of Mary Pickford in color. Cloth decorative, 12mo, $2.25 While preparing "Pollyanna" for the screen, Miss Pickford said enthusiastically that it was the best picture she had ever made in her life, and the success of the picture on the screen has amply justified her statement. Mary Pickford's interpretation of the beloved little heroine as shown in the illustrations, adds immeasurably to the intrinsic charm of this popular story. POLLYANNA [Trade Mark] GROWS UP: The Second GLAD [Trade Mark] Book (253,000) Cloth decorative, 12mo, illustrated, $1.90 When the story of Pollyanna told in The Glad Book was ended, a great cry of regret for the vanishing "Glad Girl" went up all over the country—and other countries, too. Now Pollyanna appears again, just as sweet and joyous-hearted, more grown up and more lovable. "Take away frowns! Put down the worries! Stop fidgeting and disagreeing and grumbling! Cheer up, everybody! Pollyanna has come back!"—Christian Herald. MISS BILLY (93rd thousand) Cloth decorative, with a frontispiece in full color from a painting by G. Tyng, $1.90 "There is something altogether fascinating about 'Miss Billy,' some inexplicable feminine characteristic that seems to demand the individual attention of the reader from the moment we open the book until we reluctantly turn the last page."—Boston Transcript. MISS BILLY'S DECISION (78th thousand) Cloth decorative, with a frontispiece in full color from a painting by Henry W. Moore, $1.90 "The story is written in bright, clever style and has plenty of action and humor. Miss Billy is nice to know and so are her friends."—New Haven Leader. MISS BILLY—MARRIED (86th thousand) Cloth decorative, with a frontispiece in full color from a painting by W. Haskell Coffin, $1.90 "Although Pollyanna is the only copyrighted glad girl, Miss Billy is just as glad as the younger figure and radiates just as much gladness. She disseminates joy so naturally that we wonder why all girls are not like her."—Boston Transcript. SIX STAR RANCH (95th thousand) Cloth decorative, 12mo, illustrated by R. Farrington Elwell, $1.90 "'Six Star Ranch' bears all the charm of the author's genius and is about a little girl down in Texas who practices the 'Pollyanna Philosophy' with irresistible success. The book is one of the kindliest things, if not the best, that the author of the Pollyanna books has done. It is a welcome addition to the fast-growing family of Glad Books."—Howard Russell Bangs in the Boston Post. CROSS CURRENTS Cloth decorative, illustrated, $1.50 "To one who enjoys a story of life as it is to-day, with its sorrows as well as its triumphs, this volume is sure to appeal."—Book News Monthly. THE TURN OF THE TIDE Cloth decorative, illustrated, $1.50 "A very beautiful book showing the influence that went to the development of the life of a dear little girl into a true and good woman."—Herald and Presbyter, Cincinnati, Ohio. NOVELS BY Each one volume, cloth decorative, 12mo, illustrated, $1.90 A book which has established its author in the front rank of American novelists. SMILES, A ROSE OF THE CUMBERLANDS (29th thousand) E. J. Anderson, former managing Editor of the Boston Advertiser and Record, is enthusiastic over the story and says: "I have read 'Smiles' in one reading. After starting it I could not put it down. Never in my life have I read a book like this that thrilled me half as much, and never have I seen a more masterful piece of writing." SMILING PASS: A Sequel to "SMILES," A Rose of the Cumberlands The thousands who have read and loved Mr. Robinson's earlier story of the little Cumberland mountain girl, whose bright courage won for her the affectionate appellation of "Smiles," will eagerly welcome her return. "Applied sociology, mixed with romance and adventure that rise to real dramatic intensity. But the mixture is surprisingly successful. The picture impresses one as being faithfully drawn from the living models with sympathetic understanding. The book is effective."—New York Evening Post. THE MAID OF MIRABELLE: A Romance of Lorraine Illustrated with reproductions of sketches made by the author, and with a portrait of "The Maid of Mirabelle," from a painting by Neale Ordayne, on the cover. "The spirit of all the book is the bubbling, the irrepressibly indomitable, cheerful faith of the people, at their very best, against the grave Quakerism from the United States standing out grimly but faithfully. The tale is simply, but strongly told."—Montreal Family Herald and Weekly Star. MAN PROPOSES; Or, The Romance of John Alden Shaw "This is first of all a charming romance, distinguished by a fine sentiment of loyalty to an ideal, by physical courage, indomitable resolution to carry to success an altruistic undertaking, a splendid woman's devotion, and by a vein of spontaneous, sparkling humor that offsets its more serious phases."—Springfield Republican. THE ROMANCES OF Each one volume, cloth decorative, 12mo, $1.90 ANNE OF GREEN GABLES (364th thousand) Illustrated by M. A. and W. A. J. Claus. "In 'Anne of Green Gables' you will find the dearest and most moving and delightful child since the immortal Alice."—Mark Twain in a letter to Francis Wilson. "I take it as a great test of the worth of the book that while the young people are rummaging all over the house looking for Anne, the head of the family has carried her off to read on his way to town."—Bliss Carman. ANNE OF AVONLEA (259th thousand) Illustrated by George Gibbs. "Here we have a book as human as 'David Harum,' a heroine who outcharms a dozen princesses of fiction, and reminds you of some sweet girl you know, or knew back in the days when the world was young."—San Francisco Bulletin. CHRONICLES OF AVONLEA (45th thousand) Illustrated by George Gibbs. "The author shows a wonderful knowledge of humanity, great insight and warmheartedness in the manner in which some of the scenes are treated, and the sympathetic way the gentle peculiarities of the characters are brought out."—Baltimore Sun. ANNE OF THE ISLAND (68th thousand) Illustrated by H. Weston Taylor. "It has been well worth while to watch the growing up of Anne, and the privilege of being on intimate terms with her throughout the process has been properly valued. The once little girl of Green Gables should have a permanent fictional place of high yet tender esteem."—New York Herald. FURTHER CHRONICLES OF AVONLEA (20th thousand) Illustrated by John Goss. Nathan Haskell Dole compares Avonlea to Longfellow's Grand Pre—and says, "There is something in these continued chronicles of Avonlea like the delicate art which has made Cranford a classic." "The reader has dipped into but one or two stories when he realizes that the author is the most natural story teller of the day."—Salt Lake City Citizen. ANNE OF GREEN GABLES: The Mary Miles Minter Edition Illustrated with twenty-four half-tone reproductions of scenes from the motion picture production, and a jacket in colors with Miss Minter's portrait. Cloth decorative, 12mo, $2.25 "You pass from tears to laughter as the story unfolds, and there is never a moment's hesitation in admitting that Anne has completely won your heart."—Joe Mitchell Chapple, Editor, The National Magazine. "Mary Miles Minter's 'Anne' on the screen is worthy of Mark Twain's definition of her as the 'dearest and most moving and delightful child since the immortal "Alice."'"—Cambridge Tribune. KILMENY OF THE ORCHARD (52d thousand) Illustrated by George Gibbs. Cloth decorative, 12mo, $1.90 "A purely idyllic love story full of tender sentiment, redolent with the perfume of rose leaves and breathing of apple blossoms and the sweet clover of twilight meadow-lands."—San Francisco Bulletin. "A story born in the heart of Arcadia and brimful of the sweet and simple life of the primitive environment."—Boston Herald. THE STORY GIRL (46th thousand) Illustrated by George Gibbs. Cloth decorative, 12mo, $1.90 "It will be read and, we venture to predict, reread many times, for there is a freshness and sweetness about it which will help to lift the load of care, to cheer the weary and to make brighter still the life of the carefree and the happy."—Toronto, Can., Globe. "'The Story Girl' is of decidedly unusual conception and interest, and will rival the author's earlier books in popularity."—Chicago Western Trade Journal. THE GOLDEN ROAD (28th thousand) Illustrated by George Gibbs. Cloth decorative, 12mo, $1.90 In which it is proven that "Life was a rose-lipped comrade with purple flowers dripping from her fingers." "It is a simple, tender tale, touched to higher notes, now and then, by delicate hints of romance, tragedy and pathos. Any true-hearted human being might read this book with enjoyment, no matter what his or her age, social status, or economic place."—Chicago Record-Herald. NOVELS BY Each, one volume, cloth decorative, 12mo, illustrated, $1.75 THE BLOSSOM SHOP: A Story of the South "Frankly and wholly romance is this book, and lovable—as is a fairy tale properly told."—Chicago Inter-Ocean. ANNE OF THE BLOSSOM SHOP: Or, the Growing Up of Anne Carter "A charming portrayal of the attractive life of the South, refreshing as a breeze that blows through a pine forest."—Albany Times-Union. ANNE'S WEDDING "Presents a picture of home life that is most appealing in love and affection."—Every Evening, Wilmington, Del. THE MT. BLOSSOM GIRLS "In the writing of the book the author is at her best as a story teller. It is a fitting climax to the series."—Reader. TWEEDIE: The Story of a True Heart "The story itself is full of charm and one enters right into the very life of Tweedie and feels as if he had indeed been lifted into an atmosphere of unselfishness, enthusiasm and buoyant optimism."—Boston Ideas. NOVELS BY THE FIDDLING GIRL Cloth decorative, illustrated $1.65 "A thoroughly enjoyable tale, written in a delightful vein of sympathetic comprehension."—Boston Herald. THE PROVING OF VIRGINIA Cloth decorative, illustrated $1.65 "A book which contributes so much of freshness, enthusiasm, and healthy life to offset the usual offerings of modern fiction, deserves all the praise which can be showered upon it."—Kindergarten Review. THE VIOLIN LADY Cloth decorative, illustrated $1.65 "The author's style remains simple and direct, as in her preceding books."—Boston Transcript. |
|
