"
But his sister toiled early and late, washing, ironing, milking,
churning, baking, nursing the younger children, sharing her mother's
labors, and paid as her mother was--with her board and a scanty,
grudgingly given wardrobe. She was now twenty-four, and had never
had a five-dollar bill to spend as she pleased in her life--for that
matter, neither had the mother. There are many Mr. Stillmans, "Are
they honest men?" If father and son have the right to be paid for
their labor, have not the mother and daughter? I leave the question
with you.
Rachel carried a heavy heart to school next morning. The tinker's
wonderful allegory to her was very real, and to leave her hero in that
awful dungeon was almost more than she could bear. When at recess the
teacher offered her the book, she did not take it.
"Father said," she began--then sobs choked her utterance. He
understood, and after a moment's silence said: "I am interested in
Christian as well as you, Rachel, and if you will sit here I will read
to you." In all her after life Rachel never forgot these readings at
intermission, which were continued not only until Christian reached
the Celestial city, but until Christiana and the children completed
their wonderful journey to the same place. Her gratitude to her young
teacher would certainly have become love had she been a few years
older.
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