Molly is going back to Kentucky to assist at her sister’s wedding, this
wedding a formal affair in a church, to suit the notions of the
formidable Aunt Clay. Molly has many plots in her head to work out. Her
little success with “The Basket Funeral” has fired her ambition, and she
is longing for time to write more. French must be studied hard all
summer if they are to go abroad, and Kent must be coached, as he is very
rusty in his French and must rub up on it for lectures at the Beaux
Arts. She has promised Edwin Green to write to him, and he has offered
to criticize her stories, which will be a great help to her. The place
of meeting in Europe has not been decided on, but Professor Green is
determined that meeting there shall be.
Melissa will go back to her beloved mountains and try to give out during
her well-earned vacation some of the precious knowledge she has gained
in her freshman year to the less fortunate children of her county. She
will in a measure repay the noble woman who has spent her life in the
mountain mission work for all the care and labor she has expended on
her, and will go back to Wellington for the sophomore course with her
purpose stronger and deeper: to help her people and uplift them as she
herself has become uplifted.
One more incident only we must record before this volume ends. After
Molly got home she received by express a box wrapped in Japanese paper,
so carefully and wonderfully done up that it seemed a pity to break the
fastenings. In the box was the most beautiful little stunted tree in a
pot that looked as though it had come out of a museum. The tree had all
the characteristics of a “gnarled oak olden,” with thick twisted
branches and one limb that looked as though little children might have
had a swing on it, so low did it sag. And this tiny tree, with all the
dignity of a great “father of the forest,” was, pot and all, only eight
inches high! With it, came the following letter:
“Will the honorably and kindly graciously Miss Brown be so stoopingly as
to accept this humble gift from the father of Otoyo Sen, who has by the
most graciously help of Miss Brown passed her difficulty examinations at
Wellington College and now is to become the humble wife of honorable
Japanese gentleman, Mr. Seshu? The honorable gentleman gave greatly
praise to graciously Miss Brown for her so kindly words about humble
Japanese maiden and is gratefully that his humble wife is the friend of
so kindly lady.”
With this little note, it seemed to Molly that the last ties that bound
her to the precious life at Wellington and the old, complete Queen’s
group had suddenly snapped. Little Otoyo had outstripped them all! She
was quietly entering the school of Life, while the rest were only
standing at the threshold.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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