had been a highly strung, imaginative child. He had been his sister
Ester's almost constant companion during those last months in which she
was slowly fading out of sight. While Julia held steadily to her
mother's side, and learned to do many helpful things, he had been
stationed chief nurse in Ester's room, to see that she lacked for no
tender care during the hours when others must be away from her. And
those hours she had tenderly improved. He remembered to this day just
how she looked, with a pink flush all over her cheeks, and a bright
light in her eyes, as she talked to him of the things that she and Dr.
Douglass had meant to do for boys,--neglected, homeless, friendless
boys. Oh, the plans they had carefully thought out, to reach after these
forsaken ones! He remembered that his own cheeks had grown hot while he
listened, and the blood had seemed to race like fire through his veins
when she said, "God wants _me_ for something else, Alfred; but you
will do my work when you get to be a man; you will find helpers, and
carry it on as I wanted to do." He had made no audible answer, but he
had told himself sturdily again and again that he certainly would. Yet
here he was, barely of age, and almost soured by disappointments.
Certain well-meant attempts having proved failures, and having not found
the helpers whom he had eagerly expected, the magnitude of the work
impressed itself upon him more remorselessly each hour. Yet now he
seemed to feel again the thrill in his veins, and he felt almost under
the power of his sister's eye while those words were in his ears: "They
rest from their labors, and their works do follow them." Might it
possibly be that this was one of the "helpers" of whom Ester used to
talk, sent by God himself to take up her planned work and follow it out?
Yet she was so utterly unlike his memory of Ester! She had seemed to
him a self-reliant, strong-toned woman; Mrs. Roberts was so small and
frail-looking, and so fashionably dressed, and how those boys had acted
with her only yesterday! What could she possibly do?