CHAPTER PAGE I. Childhood, 9 II. Thanksgiving, 22 III. Cousin Will, 39 IV. The Schoolmistress, 52 V. Pine Hill, 60 VI. Doctor Clayton’s Visit, 80 VII. Dell Thompson’s Party, 88 VIII. Close of School in Pine District, 100 IX. Pro and Con, 105 X. Mrs. Dr. Clayton, 111 XI. Boston, 116 XII. Ada Montrose, 135 XIII. The Flight, 149 XIV. Ten Thousand Dollars, 156 XV. The Old Homestead, 174 XVI. “Out West,” 179 XVII. The Dark Man, 192 XVIII. The Death of the Drunkard, 200 XIX. The Death of the Righteous, 214 XX. Going South, 218 XXI. Uncle Dick, 236 XXII. Ada, 255 XXIII. Dr. Clayton, 278 XXIV. The Crisis, 296 XXV. The Angel of the Pines, 307 XXVI. Return, 318 XXVII. Light, 325 XXVIII. The Chase, 335 XXIX. Human Nature, 350 XXX. “The Southern Planter’s Northern Bride,” 354 XXXI. Sunny Bank, 358 XXXII. November 25th, 378 MEADOW BROOK. CHAPTER I. CHILDHOOD. Far away among the New England hills stands a large, old-fashioned farmhouse, around whose hearth-stone not many years agone, a band of merry, noisy children played, myself the merriest, noisiest of them all. It stood upon an eminence overlooking a broad strip of rolling meadow-land, at the extremity of which was the old grey rock, where the golden rod and sassafras grew, where the green ivy crept over the crumbling wall, and where, under the shadow of the thorn-apple tree, we built our play-houses, drinking our tea from the acorn saucers, and painting our dolls’ faces with the red juice of the poke berries, which grew there in great abundance.