Produced by David E. Brown and The Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) [Illustration: Mary H. Dodge] THE STORY OF THE TOYS BY MARY H. DODGE CAMBRIDGE PRINTED AT THE RIVERSIDE PRESS 1909 "We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, the noble works that Thou didst in their days and in the old time before them." "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses ... let us run with patience the race that is set before us." FOREWORD This story of my mother's family was set down by her originally only to recall it to my mind when I might no longer listen to it as it fell so often from her own lips. It was written in the intervals of her ill-health, without copying or revision, and was not intended for publication. For this reason, she has dwelt more at length upon the history of her own family life than upon that of her sisters, and has purposely omitted all but a slight reference to the grandchildren and the events of later years, her intention being to record only what was outside my memory, leaving the rest to some other pen. The story, however, has proved to be of so much interest to the other members of the family that she was expecting to review it with me as soon as possible, in order to prepare it to be printed for them. Her sudden illness and death cut short her plans; but I have carried them out as closely as I could, and the little book is printed very nearly as she wrote it. Any errors or inaccuracies are mine and not hers. It has seemed to me that there could be no more fitting memorial of my mother among ourselves, than this story. Its style is appropriate to the subject and characteristic of herself--forceful, yet full of tender sentiment, ready wit and apt quotation of Scripture; while through it all, quite unconsciously to herself, there shine her cheery hopefulness, her rare unselfishness, and her beautiful faith in God. Since my father's death her health had been very much better, and she was looking forward to years of comfort; but, in December, 1908, she was suddenly seized with a serious heart trouble, and after a distressing illness of about three months, which she bore with her own brave patience, on the morning of February 27, 1909, she went to join her beloved. For those of us who have known her wonderful personality, no memorial is needed to increase our love and admiration of her; but to the younger members of the family, whose memory of her may be slight, I hope that this little book may give a glimpse of the beauty of her life, as well as of the noble souls whom she so worthily represented and whose blood we are proud to share. "They climbed the steep ascent of Heaven Through peril, toil and pain; O God, to us may grace be given To follow in their train."