Fireside Stories for Girls in Their Teens

by Margaret W. Eggleston

  I WOULD BE TRUE

  'Twas a beautiful day in the late fall and the roadside was lined with thelate asters and goldenrod. The sun was shining so brightly and the sky wasas blue as a New Hampshire sky could be, yet the girl, walking along thewinding, climbing road, saw none of them. The little brook by the roadsidewhispered and chattered as it ran along, yet she did not hear; a few latebirds still twittered to her from the trees, but she did not notice; achipmunk called to her from a dead tree by the roadside, but she paid notthe least attention. She was alone with her thoughts and they were farfrom pleasant.

  How different it all seemed from what it had seemed six months before!Then she had stood in the office of a great doctor in Philadelphia andheard him say to her father, "Unless you leave the city at once and gowhere there is pure air and simple food and real quiet, there is no helpfor you."

  The father had looked at the doctor for a moment in silence and thenanswered, "Well, if that is the case, I am sorry, for I cannot leave thecity. My business needs me; Katherine is in college and she must be here.I shall stay."

  But with flashing eyes the girl had stepped to the doctor and said,"Father is mistaken, doctor. His business can do without him and there isno need at all why he should stay here for me. There is a dear little oldplace in the hills of New Hampshire that belongs to us, where grandfatherused to live. We can go there and have all the things that you have saidhe must have. You may leave the matter with me. We shall be out of thecity within two weeks."

  Then turning to her father she had put her arms about his neck and said,"Of course we can go, daddy, for what is college and money and friendscompared with your health? Gladly will I give them up for you. We shallhave a wonderful time there in the hills--just you and mother and I."

  So they had come. Then it was early in the spring and the country wasbeginning to show green. Into the little old farmhouse under the hill theymoved. Of course there were no electric lights, and no telephones, and nofaucets out of which the water could be drawn. But there were the quaintold candle holders on the big mantels; there was the fireplace so largethat a log could be drawn into it; there was a well in the yard with wateras cold as ice. And outside the home--oh, there were the most wonderfulthings to see. The trailing arbutus trailed everywhere; the lady slippersgrew even in the front dooryard. The old trees in the yard were soonfilled with nesting birds; the apple and pear trees in bloom were a sightnever to be forgotten.

  So the days fled by and the little family under the hill were so happy tosee the color coming back to the face of the sick one and the smile oncemore on his face. Katherine loved it all--the home--the flowers--themountains and even the quiet of the little hamlet.

  Then the summer had come and with it the stream of visitors who comeevery year to the New Hampshire mountains. Within a short distance of thehome were large hotels, and the guests soon learned of the cool water inthe well in front of the house; of the father who was such a pleasantcompanion; of the pretty girl who could sing, and climb, and play so well.So there had been picnics, and parties, and auto rides, and the summer hadfled.

  And when the people had gone, there were the wonderful colors in thetrees, the gorgeous sunsets in the sky, the fun of the harvest time andstill the life in the country was full of wonder and satisfaction.

  But now--oh, now the days had begun to grow cold, the trees were bare, thebirds had flown to the south, and her friends had all gone away. Here andthere a family was left in the farmhouses that dotted the little, windingroad but none of them were people for whom she cared. And so as the dayshad come and gone, there had crept into the heart of the girl a lonelinessthat would not be forced down, a longing that she could not stifle, adissatisfaction that grew with the days.

  How could she pass the long winter nights that were ahead? How could shestay away from the friends who were gathering at the college? How couldshe live without her piano? How could she keep a smile so that the dearones at home would not see how unhappy she was becoming? The house seemedso big and bare; the trees in the yard seemed to sigh instead of sing; theway ahead seemed full of blackness. She longed for all that had gone; shelonged for her friends, especially the one who had been her ideal duringher college days; she longed to run back to him for always.

  But on this October morning, she had risen early to keep the quiet hourbefore the rest were up. Usually she read in the gospels, but thismorning her Bible opened to the Psalms and she read, "I will lift up mineeyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from theLord who made heaven and earth." She stopped and looked from the window atMt. Kearsarge in the distance.

  Then she read again, "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills from whencecometh my help." "Ah!" said the girl, "I need help. God knows I need help.I wonder if there is any help for me. 'I will lift up mine eyes unto thehills from whence cometh my help.' Perhaps if I should go out into thehills for the day, God would help me. I think I will try it."

  To the mother she had said, "I think I should like to go for a long walkto-day if you do not mind. I feel like having a tramp," and then withlunch box in hand and book under her arm, she had started.

  As long as father and mother could see, she had smiled and waved to them,but when the turn in the road had come, the light faded from her eyes andher problem was still before her. The night before had been endless, yetthere were longer ones to come. No wonder she saw no sunshine, heard nobird and saw no brook as she walked along the country road.

  On and on she went; mile after mile was put behind her, till the sun washigh in the heaven and she was weary and hungry. Then a sudden turn in theroad brought her to the foot of a little lake--one of those mountain lakesthat make New Hampshire so beautiful. All around it were hills; the waterwas very, very blue and its surface was as calm as could be. Amoss-covered stone was very near and the girl sank beside it and, leaningher head on her hand, she looked at the quiet waters.

  "Ah!" she said to herself, "how I wish my life were as calm as the lake.One would never dream that it ever were rough and troubled. I wish Godcould send peace to me as He sends it to the little lake."

  Her eyes wandered to the shores and then to the hills about the lake. Howbeautiful the tall pines and spruces were! How fragrant the resinousbalsams! How bleak and cold the trees with no leaves!

  Then her eyes turned to the top of the hills when suddenly--it seemed asif by magic--there stood out before her, as if outlined in the sky, thegiant face of a man. What could it be? Had it been carved there? Howstrong and noble the face seemed to be! How had it come to be there at thevery top of the hill? Then she remembered a story she had heard when firstshe had come to the valley. This must be the "Old Man of the Mountain."For centuries and centuries he had stood here guarding the little lake.

  When the wonder of finding the Great Stone Face had passed by, she studiedit. The forehead was high and the face of noble mien. The mouth showedmuch of strength. It was a face one would like to see often. God had putit there--the God who made the heaven and earth. Then there came to hermind again the verse of the morning, "I will lift up mine eyes unto thehills from whence cometh my help." Perhaps the Old Man of the Mountaincould help her. He had stood here for years and years. He must know whatit meant to be weary with the long days and the longer nights. He musthave seen the multitude pass by and still leave him in the mountains.Perhaps he would understand how lonely and full of unrest she was.

  So leaning her head on the moss-covered stone, she said dreamily, "Old Manof the Mountains, if you were I and were longing to go back to your workand your friends, if you were afraid of the long winter that is coming, ifyou had a duty to do right here when you longed to be there, if you had afather who needed you and a mother who is brave as can be, and still thereburned within you the longing to get back to the others, what would youdo? Are you never weary with it all? Do you never long to run away fromyour task that God has given you to do? Are you never discontented? Oh,Old Man of the Mountain, if you were I and had my burden to carry, whatwou
ld you do?"

  A silence was everywhere as she listened for his answer. Not a bird sang,not a ripple crossed the lake. For a moment she watched the face--thenanother, and then she was sure that she saw the face begin to relax. Asign of a twinkle came across the great stone eyes and the lips smiled asthere came to her heart this answer:

  "Oh, little girl from the city with a burden to carry! What would I do ifI had a father who was surely growing strong and a mother who had smiledthrough the days of the sickness? What would I do if I longed to go backto the life of pleasure and happiness when my duty lay here? What would Ido if I had forgotten the books that might be read during the long winternights for which there had been no time in the city; the lessons ofpatience and loyalty that might be learned in doing the hard thing; thehappiness of really being needed? What would I do if I were you and werelonely and discouraged and heartsick?

  I would be true, for there are those that trust me; I would be pure, for there are those who care; I would be strong, for there is much to suffer; I would be brave, for there is much to dare.

  I would be friend of all--the foe, the friendless; I would be giving, and forget the gift; I would be humble, for I know my weakness; I would look up, and laugh, and love, and lift.[A]

  "Aye, little girl from the city, I would go back into the little homeunder the hill with all its comfort, and home-likeness, and wealth oflove, and I would look up to God for help; I would laugh at the hardthings and help them to vanish from sight; I would love the dear ones whoare dearer to you than life itself; and I would lift, not only theirburden, but that of others who need you in this beautiful valley."

  Slowly the face was again set into the lines that others saw and the headof the girl dropped deeper into the moss. For a long time there was nosign that she had heard. Then she lifted a face, full of light, to that ofthe Old Man of the Mountain.

  "Thank you, my friend," she said. "I have lifted my eyes unto the hillsand help has come. I will go back to the little white house and, withGod's help, I will look up, and I will laugh, and I will love, and I willlift."

  So she ate her lunch by the calm, little mountain lake and the tinybreezes whispered in her ears. Then she walked again the winding road thatled down to the home. But the sky was blue and full of beauty; the birdsheard an answering call; the little brook gave her to drink, and thechipmunk found on his stump a little piece of the cake from the box. Herface was smiling and her heart full of courage, for she had looked untothe hills--and God had answered.

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  [A] Poem by Harold Arnold Walter.