Boston (Mass.) -- Fiction; Women philanthropists -- Fiction
“Here we stopped to rest a while, under the spreading boughs of a
pine-tree, beside the graves of the two British soldiers that fell in
the famous fight. We shared our sandwiches and bananas, and threw crumbs
to the saucy squirrels that darted from limb to limb above our heads;
and then, like two children, we trimmed our hats with daisies and
buttercups from the fields close by. I watched him closely, with the
pleasing consciousness that my pretty dress and new hat were noticed
with evident approval on his part. Evidently he was able to enjoy some
other things as well as philosophy; and when he shook back the thick
blonde hair which rose from his broad forehead in a sort of Rubenstein
mane, and tossed over into the fields a great stone that had fallen from
the wall, I began to query whether a young man with locks and sinews
like a young Norse god might not be a very fascinating type of hero.
“But I was curious to know what he meant by ‘shipwreck of his faith.’ As
we picked up our various belongings (this time I noted that he asked for
my bag) and walked over through the woods to Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, I
determined to probe him a little.
“‘Mr. Everett,’ I began, ‘don’t you think, after all, that philosophy is
a rather dangerous thing for one to begin to study?’”
I smiled mischievously as Mildred inadvertently disclosed the name which
hitherto she had adroitly concealed. She flushed a little, as if
annoyed.
“After all,” she said, “you might as well know his name, for he has
gone, heaven knows where, and I shall never see him again.”
A shade of sadness fell upon her face turned toward the firelight, but
she went quietly on:
“He hesitated a moment before he answered, as if mentally to adjust
himself to my plane of ignorance. Then he asked, ‘And why dangerous,
Miss Brewster?’
“‘You know what I mean,’ said I, rather vexed at being obliged to put my
vague thoughts into words. ‘What good can all this theorizing and
speculation do? Don’t you think it would be a great deal better for all
these people here to spend their time in talking about something
practical? My feeling is, that people who begin to think and question
about God and immortality and such things, and aren’t satisfied with the
simple truths of the Bible, get to be skeptics before they know it, and
are ruined for life. My mother’s religion is good enough for me. If I
can live up to that I shall be satisfied, without racking my brains and
reasoning over things that God intended us to take on faith.’
“To tell the truth, this didn’t exactly represent my thought; but I had
often heard it said, and thought it sounded well. Besides, I was curious
to see what he would reply to it.
“‘It would take hours to answer adequately what you have just said, Miss
Brewster,’ replied Mr. Everett; ‘but I will try to say something; for it
is precisely these same questions that I myself have been trying to
answer in the last few years.’
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account