Produced by Beth Constantine, Charles Aldarondo, Juliet
Sutherland Charles Franks and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team.
[Illustration: He put his face close to hers, and stared into her eyes.Frontispiece—Awakening of Helena Richie]
By MARGARET DELAND
Author of "Dr Lavendar's People," "Old Cheater Tales," etc.
Dr. Lavendar and Goliath had toiled up the hill to call on old Mr.Benjamin Wright; when they jogged back in the late afternoon it waswith the peculiar complacency which follows the doing of a disagreeableduty. Goliath had not liked climbing the hill, for a heavy rain in themorning had turned the clay to stiff mud, and Dr. Lavendar had notliked calling on Benjamin Wright.
"But, Daniel," said Dr. Lavendar, addressing a small old dog who tookup a great deal more room on the seat of the buggy than he was entitledto, "Daniel, my boy, you don't consult your likings in pastoral calls."Then he looked out of the mud-spattered window of the buggy, at a houseby the roadside—"The Stuffed Animal House," Old Chester childrencalled it, because its previous owner had been a taxidermist of somelittle local renown. "That's another visit I ought to make," hereflected, "but it can wait until next week. G'long, Goliath!"
Goliath went along, and Mrs. Frederick Richie, who lived in the StuffedAnimal House, looking listlessly from an upper window, saw the hood ofthe buggy jogging by and smiled suddenly. "Thank Heaven!" she said.
Benjamin Wright had not thanked Heaven when Dr. Lavendar drove away. Hehad been as disagreeable as usual to his visitor, but being a verylonely old man he enjoyed having a visitor to whom to be disagreeable.He lived on his hilltop a mile out of Old Chester, with his "nigger"Simmons, his canary-birds, and his temper. More than thirty yearsbefore he had quarrelled with his only son Samuel, and the two men hadnot spoken to each other since. Old Chester never knew what thisquarrel had been about; Dr. Lavendar, speculating upon it as he andGoliath went squashing through the mud that April afternoon, wonderedwhich was to blame. "Pot and kettle, probably," he decided. "Samuel'sgoodness is very irritating sometimes, and Benjamin's badness is—well,it's not as distressing as it should be. But what a forlorn old critterhe is! And this Mrs. Richie is lonely too—a widow, with no children,poor woman! I must call next week. Goliath wouldn't like to turn roundnow and climb the hill again. Danny, I fear Goliath is very selfish."
Goliath's selfishness carried them home and landed Dr. Lavendar at hisown fireside, rather tired and full of good intentions in regard tocalls. He confided these intentions to Dr. William King who looked inafter supper to inquire about his cold.
"Cold? I haven't any cold! You can't get a job here. Sit down and giveme some advice. Hand me a match first; this ragamuffin Danny has goneto sleep with his head on my foot, and I can't budge."
The doctor produced the match; "I'll advise you not to go out in suchweather. Promise me you won't go out to-morrow."
"To-morrow? Right after breakfast, sir! To make calls on the peopleI've neglected. Willy, how can I find a home for an orphan child? Aparson up in the mountains has asked me to see if I can place a littleseven-year-old b