THE BOND ETERNAL
The full moon shone down with its broadest smile on the group of young people who occupied Mrs. Gray’s roomy, old-fashioned veranda. As on another June night that belonged to the past, Mrs. Gray’s Christmas children had gathered home.
“We’re here because we’re here,” caroled Hippy Wingate. “But allow me to make one observation.”
“One,” jeered Reddy Brooks. “You mean one hundred.”
“That’s very unkind in you, Reddy,” returned Hippy in a grieved tone. “Just to show you how entirely off the track you are I will make that one observation and subside.”
“I didn’t know you had such a word as ‘subside’ in your vocabulary,” derided David Nesbit.
“Nora, where art thou? Thy husband is calling,” wailed Hippy.
“I would hardly call that an observation,” laughed Grace.
“It sounds more like an anguished appeal for help,” remarked Anne.
“Or a perpetration by a deaf man who hasn’t the least idea of how it sounds,” added Tom Gray cruelly.
“Nora,” rebuked Hippy, fixing a disapproving eye on his wife, who was laughing immoderately, “how can you hear your husband thus derided and laugh at his suffering? Oh, if Miriam were only here to protect me. By the way,” he went on innocently, “where is Miriam?”
“She will be here a little later,” said Grace evasively.
“Ah, yes, I see,” smirked Hippy. “I suppose she is looking up further information on the drama. Miriam is really well-informed on that subject. Did she go to the library or”—he paused and his smile grew wider—“to the train?”
Absolute silence followed this pertinent question. Then Jessica giggled. That giggle proved infectious. A ripple of mirth went the round of the porch party.
“Here comes Miriam now.” Grace pointed down the drive. Two figures were seen strolling toward the house in leisurely fashion.
“Yes, here she comes. Better ask her what you just asked us,” Reddy satirically advised Hippy.
“Why ask questions when my eyes tell me it was the train? Still, if you think it advisable I will——”
“Be good,” ordered Nora. “Don’t you dare say one word.”
“But I haven’t made my observation yet,” reminded Hippy.
“It will keep.”
“Ah, here they come! Now for a pretty little speech of welcome.” Hippy rose and puffed out his chest, but before he could utter a word he was jerked back by the coat tails to the porch seat on which he and Nora had been sitting.
As Miriam and the man at her side neared the porch every one rose to greet them. Then the women of the party exchanged smiling glances. On Miriam’s engagement finger shone the white fire of a diamond. The next instant Everett Southard was shaking hands with Mrs. Gray and the Eight Originals, while Miriam looked on, an expression of radiant happiness in her eyes. Then the actor turned to her with the beautiful smile, that Nora O’Malley had often declared was seraphic, and said: “Shall we tell them now, Miriam?”
Miriam’s black eyes glowed with the soft light that love alone could lend to them. The pink in her cheeks deepened. “Yes,” she acquiesced.
“Miriam and I are going the rest of our way together, dear friends,” he said simply. Anne thought she had never heard his voice take on a more exquisitely tender tone. “I came from New York to tell you so.”
Immediately a flow of congratulations ensued. In the midst of them Tom Gray’s eyes met Grace’s. What he read there seemed to satisfy him. When every one was again seated he walked over to the porch swing where Grace and Anne sat idly rocking to and fro. Stopping directly in front of Grace, he held out his hands to her. As she looked up at him her face took on an expression of perfect love and trust. Placing her hands in Tom’s, Grace rose to her feet. Their friends watched the pretty tableau with affectionately smiling faces. Then the two young people faced the expectant company.
“You know, all of you, what I am going to say, so you must know, too, how happy I am. Grace has promised to marry me.” Tom’s face was aglow with happiness.
“My dear, dear child.” Mrs. Gray rose, her arms extended to Grace. “I have hoped for this ever since you were graduated from high school.” Grace embraced the old lady tenderly. Then her chums hemmed her in, and congratulations began all over again.
“Talk about your surprises,” beamed Reddy. “I hadn’t any idea that Grace and Tom had fixed up this one. I can’t tell you how glad I am, old fellow.” He shook Tom’s hand vigorously. David and Hippy followed suit. The faces of the three young men fairly shone with joy. They had long understood the depth of Tom’s dejection over Grace’s steadfast refusal to give up her work for his sake.
“We saved it as a special feature of the occasion,” laughed Tom, “but I’ll tell you three fellows a secret.” He lowered his voice and the laughter died out of his fine face, leaving it very serious. “I never expected this happiness was coming my way. Long ago I gave up all idea of ever being anything but a friend to Grace. I can’t understand how it all came about, and I suppose I never shall.”
“Maybe we aren’t tickled over your good fortune,” said Hippy warmly. “We’ve waited for this a long while. I always told Nora that it would happen some day. I knew there was just one Tom Gray and that it would only be a question of time until Grace found it out.”
“No fair having secrets,” called out Nora. “What and who are you boys talking about in such low, confidential voices?”
“Me,” beamed Hippy. “Reddy was just telling me that he never fully appreciated me until cruel distance separated us. Of course I can’t help feeling touched. It is so seldom that Reddy appreciates anything or any one. He is——”
The confidential group suddenly dissolved in a hurry. Reddy took hold of Hippy’s arm and rushed him down the steps and around the corner of the house in an anything but gentle manner. “There,” he declared, as he returned to the porch alone. “That will teach him that he can’t make pointed remarks about me. I guess he felt ‘touched’ that time.”
“N-o-r-a,” wailed a pathetic voice. “Come and get me. I want to sit on the veranda, too.”
“Promise you’ll be nice to Reddy, or I won’t come after you,” stipulated Nora, making no effort to rise.
“I won’t promise,” came the defiant answer. “I don’t like Reddy. He is a hard-hearted ruffian.”
“Thank you,” sang out Reddy. “Now come back if you dare.”
“I don’t want to come back. I’d rather walk around by myself in the garden.”
Nothing further was heard from Hippy for a time. Conversation on the veranda went on merrily. Apparently no one missed the stout young man. Suddenly a bland voice at Reddy’s elbow said, “Why, good evening, Reddy.” Hippy’s fat face appeared between the lace curtains at the open parlor window. He beamed joyfully at the company, then favored Reddy with a smile so wide and ingratiating that the latter’s fierce expression changed to a reluctant grin. At this hopeful sign Hippy clambered through the window and crowded himself into the swing between Jessica and Anne, who had resumed their seats there. They protested vigorously, then made room for him.
After announcing their engagement and receiving the congratulations of their friends, Tom and Grace had seated themselves on a rustic bench a little apart from the others. Grace’s slim fingers lay within Tom’s strong hand.
“Grace,” he said, bending toward her so that he could look into her eyes, “are you perfectly sure that you love me? Are you quite content to give up your work? You don’t think there will ever come a time when you will be sorry that you chose me instead? It still seems like a dream to me. I can’t believe that you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives together. It’s too much happiness. If you knew how black everything seemed that rainy day when you sent me out of your life——”
“Hush, you mustn’t speak of it,” Grace lightly laid the fingers of her free hand against Tom’s lips. “I did not know how wonderful your love for me was. It took sorrow and separation to make me see it. But I’m sure now, Tom, perfectly sure. I used to think I could never give up being house mother at Harlowe House, but now I am entirely satisfied to have Emma Dean take my place. She will do the work even better than I. Harlowe House can spare me, but Tom Gray can’t, and I can’t spare him. What you said to me so long ago came true, dear. When love came to me, not even work could crowd it out. I have found my fairy prince at last.”
“Then the prince is going to claim the princess and bind her to him forever with a jeweled circle of gold,” said Tom softly. His hand reached into an inner pocket of his coat. Over Grace Harlowe’s slender finger was slipped the magic circle of gold, a glittering pledge of eternal devotion, and as she touched the jeweled token with her lips the knowledge came to her that though Loyalheart’s pilgrimage in the Land of College was ended, an infinitely more wonderful journey on the Highway of Life was soon to begin.
How Grace Harlowe spent her last summer in her father’s house before starting upon that journey, with Tom Gray as her life-long guide, will be told in “Grace Harlowe’s Golden Summer.”
The End
HENRY ALTEMUS COMPANY’S
Best and Least Expensive
Books for Boys and Girls
The Motor Boat Club Series
By H. IRVING HANCOCK
The keynote of these books is manliness. The stories are wonderfully entertaining, and they are at the same time sound and wholesome. No boy will willingly lay down an unfinished book in this series.
| 1 | THE MOTOR BOAT CLUB OF THE KENNEBEC; Or, The Secret of Smugglers’ Island. |
| 2 | THE MOTOR BOAT CLUB AT NANTUCKET; Or, The Mystery of the Dunstan Heir. |
| 3 | THE MOTOR BOAT CLUB OFF LONG ISLAND; Or, A Daring Marine Game at Racing Speed. |
| 4 | THE MOTOR BOAT CLUB AND THE WIRELESS; Or, The Dot, Dash and Dare Cruise. |
| 5 | THE MOTOR BOAT CLUB IN FLORIDA; Or, Laying the Ghost of Alligator Swamp. |
| 6 | THE MOTOR BOAT CLUB AT THE GOLDEN GATE; Or, A Thrilling Capture in the Great Fog. |
| 7 | THE MOTOR BOAT CLUB ON THE GREAT LAKES; Or, The Flying Dutchman of the Big Fresh Water. |
| Cloth, Illustrated | Price, per Volume, $1.00 |
Sold by all booksellers or sent postpaid on receipt of price.
Henry Altemus Company
1326-1336 Vine Street Philadelphia
Battleship Boys Series
By FRANK GEE PATCHIN
These stories throb with the life of young Americans on today’s huge drab Dreadnaughts.
| 1 | THE BATTLESHIP BOYS AT SEA; Or, Two Apprentices in Uncle Sam’s Navy. |
| 2 | THE BATTLESHIP BOYS’ FIRST STEP UPWARD; Or, Winning Their Grades as Petty Officers. |
| 3 | THE BATTLESHIP BOYS IN FOREIGN SERVICE; Or, Earning New Ratings in European Seas. |
| 4 | THE BATTLESHIP BOYS IN THE TROPICS; Or, Upholding the American Flag in a Honduras Revolution. |
| 6 | THE BATTLESHIP BOYS IN THE WARDROOM; Or, Winning their Commissions as Line Officers. |
| 7 | THE BATTLESHIP BOYS WITH THE ADRIATIC CHASERS; Or, Blocking the Path of the Undersea Raiders. |
| 8 | THE BATTLESHIP BOYS’ SKY PATROL; Or, Fighting the Hun from above the Clouds. |
[Transcriber’s Note: There was no book “5” in the original advertisement.]
Price $1.00 each.
The Range and Grange Hustlers
By FRANK GEE PATCHIN
Have you any idea of the excitements, the glories of life on great ranches in the West? Any bright boy will “devour” the books of this series, once he has made a start with the first volume.
| 1 | THE RANGE AND GRANGE HUSTLERS ON THE RANCH; Or, The Boy Shepherds of the Great Divide. |
| 2 | THE RANGE AND GRANGE HUSTLERS’ GREATEST ROUND-UP; Or, Pitting Their Wits Against a Packers’ Combine. |
| 3 | THE RANGE AND GRANGE HUSTLERS ON THE PLAINS; Or, Following the Steam Plows Across the Prairie. |
| 4 | THE RANGE AND GRANGE HUSTLERS AT CHICAGO; Or, The Conspiracy of the Wheat Pit. |
| Cloth, Illustrated | Price, per Volume, $1.00 |
Submarine Boys Series
By VICTOR G. DURHAM
| 1 | THE SUBMARINE BOYS ON DUTY; Or, Life on a Diving Torpedo Boat. |
| 2 | THE SUBMARINE BOYS’ TRIAL TRIP; Or, “Making Good” as Young Experts. |
| 3 | THE SUBMARINE BOYS AND THE MIDDIES; Or, The Prize Detail at Annapolis. |
| 4 | THE SUBMARINE BOYS AND THE SPIES; Or, Dodging the Sharks of the Deep. |
| 5 | THE SUBMARINE BOYS LIGHTNING CRUISE; Or, The Young Kings of the Deep. |
| 6 | THE SUBMARINE BOYS FOR THE FLAG; Or, Deeding Their Lives to Uncle Sam. |
| 7 | THE SUBMARINE BOYS AND THE SMUGGLERS; Or, Breaking Up the New Jersey Customs Frauds. |
Grace Harlowe Overseas Series
| 1 | GRACE HARLOWE OVERSEAS. |
| 2 | GRACE HARLOWE WITH THE RED CROSS IN FRANCE. |
| 3 | GRACE HARLOWE WITH THE MARINES AT CHATEAU THIERRY. |
| 4 | GRACE HARLOWE WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY IN THE ARGONNE. |
The College Girls Series
By JESSIE GRAHAM FLOWER, A.M.
| 1 | GRACE HARLOWE’S FIRST YEAR AT OVERTON COLLEGE. |
| 2 | GRACE HARLOWE’S SECOND YEAR AT OVERTON COLLEGE. |
| 3 | GRACE HARLOWE’S THIRD YEAR AT OVERTON COLLEGE. |
| 4 | GRACE HARLOWE’S FOURTH YEAR AT OVERTON COLLEGE. |
| 5 | GRACE HARLOWE’S RETURN TO OVERTON CAMPUS. |
| 6 | GRACE HARLOWE’S PROBLEM. |
| 7 | GRACE HARLOWE’S GOLDEN SUMMER. |
All these books are bound in Cloth and will be sent postpaid on receipt of only $1.00 each.
Pony Rider Boys Series
By FRANK GEE PATCHIN
These tales may be aptly described the best books for boys and girls.
1 THE PONY RIDER BOYS IN THE ROCKIES; Or, The Secret of the Lost Claim.—2 THE PONY RIDER BOYS IN TEXAS; Or, The Veiled Riddle of the Plains.—3 THE PONY RIDER BOYS IN MONTANA; Or, The Mystery of the Old Custer Trail.—4 THE PONY RIDER BOYS IN THE OZARKS; Or, The Secret of Ruby Mountain.—5 THE PONY RIDER BOYS IN THE ALKALI; Or, Finding a Key to the Desert Maze.—6 THE PONY RIDER BOYS IN NEW MEXICO; Or, The End of the Silver Trail.—7 THE PONY RIDER BOYS IN THE GRAND CANYON; Or, The Mystery of Bright Angel Gulch.
| Cloth, Illustrated | Price, per Volume, $1.00 |
The Boys of Steel Series
By JAMES R. MEARS
Each book presents vivid picture of this great industry. Bach story is full of adventure and fascination.
1 THE IRON BOYS IN THE MINES; Or, Starting at the Bottom of the Shaft.—2 THE IRON BOYS AS FOREMEN; Or, Heading the Diamond Drill Shift.—3 THE IRON BOYS ON THE ORE BOATS: Or, Roughing It on the Great Lakes.—4 THE IRON BOYS IN THE STEEL MILLS; Or, Beginning Anew in the Cinder Pits.
| Cloth, Illustrated | Price, per Volume, $1.00 |
The Madge Morton Books
By AMY D. V. CHALMERS
| 1 | MADGE MORTON—CAPTAIN OF THE MERRY MAID. |
| 2 | MADGE MORTON’S SECRET. |
| 3 | MADGE MORTON’S TRUST. |
| 4 | MADGE MORTON’S VICTORY. |
| Cloth, Illustrated | Price, per Volume, $1.00 |
West Point Series
By H. IRVING HANCOCK
The principal characters in these narratives are manly, young Americans whose doings will inspire all boy readers.
| 1 | DICK PRESCOTT’S FIRST YEAR AT WEST POINT; Or, Two Chums in the Cadet Gray. |
| 2 | DICK PRESCOTT’S SECOND YEAR AT WEST POINT; Or, Finding the Glory of the Soldier’s Life. |
| 3 | DICK PRESCOTT’S THIRD YEAR AT WEST POINT; Or, Standing Firm for Flag and Honor. |
| 4 | DICK PRESCOTT’S FOURTH YEAR AT WEST POINT; Or, Ready to Drop the Gray for Shoulder Straps. |
| Cloth, Illustrated | Price, per Volume, $1.00 |
Annapolis Series
By H. IRVING HANCOCK
The Spirit of the new Navy is delightfully and truthfully depicted in these volumes.
| 1 | DAVE DARRIN’S FIRST YEAR AT ANNAPOLIS; Or, Two Plebe Midshipmen at the U. S. Naval Academy. |
| 2 | DAVE DARRIN’S SECOND YEAR AT ANNAPOLIS; Or, Two Midshipmen as Naval Academy “Youngsters.” |
| 3 | DAVE DARRIN’S THIRD YEAR AT ANNAPOLIS; Or, Leaders of the Second Class Midshipmen. |
| 4 | DAVE DARRIN’S FOURTH YEAR AT ANNAPOLIS; Or, Headed for Graduation and the Big Cruise. |
| Cloth, Illustrated | Price, per Volume, $1.00 |
The Young Engineers Series
By H. IRVING HANCOCK
The heroes of these stories are known to readers of the High School Boys Series. In this new series Tom Reade and Harry Hazelton prove worthy of all the traditions of Dick & Co.
| 1 | THE YOUNG ENGINEERS IN COLORADO; Or, At Railroad Building in Earnest. |
| 2 | THE YOUNG ENGINEERS IN ARIZONA; Or, Laying Tracks on the “Man-Killer” Quicksand. |
| 3 | THE YOUNG ENGINEERS IN NEVADA; Or, Seeking Fortune on the Turn of a Pick. |
| 4 | THE YOUNG ENGINEERS IN MEXICO; Or, Fighting the Mine Swindlers. |
| Cloth, Illustrated | Price, per Volume, $1.00 |
Boys of the Army Series
By H. IRVING HANCOCK
These books breathe the life and spirit of the United States Army of to-day, and the life, just as it is, is described by a master pen.
| 1 | UNCLE SAM’S BOYS IN THE RANKS; Or, Two Recruits in the United States Army. |
| 2 | UNCLE SAM’S BOYS ON FIELD DUTY; Or, Winning Corporal’s Chevrons. |
| 3 | UNCLE SAM’S BOYS AS SERGEANTS; Or, Handling Their First Real Commands. |
| 4 | UNCLE SAM’S BOYS IN THE PHILIPPINES; Or, Following the Flag Against the Moros. |
| 6 | UNCLE SAM’S BOYS AS LIEUTENANTS; Or, Serving Old Glory as Line Officers. |
| 7 | UNCLE SAM’S BOYS WITH PERSHING; Or, Dick Prescott at Grips with the Boche. |
| 8 | UNCLE SAM’S BOYS SMASH THE GERMANS; Or, Winding Up the Great War. |
[Transcriber’s Note: There was no book “5” in the original advertisement.]
Dave Darrin Series
By H. IRVING HANCOCK
| 1 | DAVE DARRIN AT VERA CRUZ; Or, Fighting With the U. S. Navy in Mexico. |
| 2 | DAVE DARRIN ON MEDITERRANEAN SERVICE. |
| 3 | DAVE DARRIN’S SOUTH AMERICAN CRUISE. |
| 4 | DAVE DARRIN ON THE ASIATIC STATION. |
| 5 | DAVE DARRIN AND THE GERMAN SUBMARINES. |
| 6 | DAVE DARRIN AFTER THE MINE LAYERS; Or, Hitting the Enemy a Hard Naval Blow. |
The Meadow-Brook Girls Series
By JANET ALDRIDGE
| 1 | THE MEADOW-BROOK GIRLS UNDER CANVAS. |
| 2 | THE MEADOW-BROOK GIRLS ACROSS COUNTRY. |
| 3 | THE MEADOW-BROOK GIRLS AFLOAT. |
| 4 | THE MEADOW-BROOK GIRLS IN THE HILLS. |
| 5 | THE MEADOW-BROOK GIRLS BY THE SEA. |
| 6 | THE MEADOW-BROOK GIRLS ON THE TENNIS COURTS. |
All these books are bound in Cloth and will be sent postpaid on receipt of only. $1.00 each.
High School Boys Series
By H. IRVING HANCOCK
In this series of bright, crisp books a new note has been struck. Boys of every age under sixty will be interested in these fascinating volumes.
| 1 | THE-HIGH SCHOOL FRESHMEN; Or, Dick & Co.’s First Year Pranks and Sports. |
| 2 | THE HIGH SCHOOL PITCHER; Or, Dick & Co. on the Gridley Diamond. |
| 3 | THE HIGH SCHOOL LEFT END; Or, Dick & Co. Grilling on the Football Gridiron. |
| 4 | THE HIGH SCHOOL CAPTAIN OF THE TEAM; Or, Dick & Co. Leading the Athletic Vanguard. |
| Cloth, Illustrated | Price, per Volume, $1.00 |
Grammar School Boys Series
By H. IRVING HANCOCK
This series of stories, based on the actual doings of grammar School boys, comes near to the heart of the average American boy.
| 1 | THE GRAMMAR SCHOOL BOYS OF GRIDLEY; Or, Dick & Co. Start Things Moving. |
| 2 | THE GRAMMAR SCHOOL BOYS SNOWBOUND; Or, Dick & Co. at Winter Sports. |
| 3 | THE GRAMMAR SCHOOL BOYS IN THE WOODS; Or, Dick & Co. Trail Fun and Knowledge. |
| 4 | THE GRAMMAR SCHOOL BOYS IN SUMMER ATHLETICS; Or, Dick & Co. Make Their Fame Secure. |
| Cloth, Illustrated | Price, per Volume, $1.00 |
High School Boys’ Vacation Series
By H. IRVING HANCOCK
“Give us more Dick Prescott books!”
This has been the burden of the cry from young readers of the country over. Almost numberless letters have been received by the publishers, making this eager demand; for Dick Prescott, Dave Darrin, Tom Reade, and the other members of Dick & Co. are the most popular high school boys in the land. Boys will alternately thrill and chuckle when reading these splendid narratives.
| 1 | THE HIGH SCHOOL BOYS’ CANOE CLUB; Or, Dick & Co.’s Rivals on Lake Pleasant. |
| 2 | THE HIGH SCHOOL BOYS IN SUMMER CAMP; Or, The Dick Prescott Six Training for the Gridley Eleven. |
| 3 | THE HIGH SCHOOL BOYS’ FISHING TRIP; Or, Dick & Co. in the Wilderness. |
| 4 | THE HIGH SCHOOL BOYS’ TRAINING HIKE; Or, Dick & Co. Making Themselves “Hard as Nails.” |
| Cloth, Illustrated | Price, per Volume, $1.00 |
The Circus Boys Series
By EDGAR B. P. DARLINGTON
Mr. Darlington’s books breathe forth every phase of an intensely interesting and exciting life.
| 1 | THE CIRCUS BOYS ON THE FLYING RINGS; Or, Making the Start in the Sawdust Life. |
| 2 | THE CIRCUS BOYS ACROSS THE CONTINENT; Or, Winning New Laurels on the Tanbark. |
| 3 | THE CIRCUS BOYS IN DIXIE LAND; Or, Winning the Plaudits of the Sunny South. |
| 4 | THE CIRCUS BOYS ON THE MISSISSIPPI; Or, Afloat with the Big Show on the Big River. |
| Cloth, Illustrated | Price, per Volume, $1.00 |
The High School Girls Series
By JESSIE GRAHAM FLOWER, A.M.
These breezy stories of the American High School Girl take the reader fairly by storm.
| 1 | GRACE HARLOWE’S PLEBE YEAR AT HIGH SCHOOL; Or, The Merry Doings of the Oakdale Freshman Girls. |
| 2 | GRACE HARLOWE’S SOPHOMORE YEAR AT HIGH SCHOOL; Or, The Record of the Girl Chums in Work and Athletics. |
| 3 | GRACE HARLOWE’S JUNIOR YEAR AT HIGH SCHOOL; Or, Fast Friends in the Sororities. |
| 4 | GRACE HARLOWE’S SENIOR YEAR AT HIGH SCHOOL; Or, The Parting of the Ways. |
| Cloth, Illustrated | Price, per Volume, $1.00 |
The Automobile Girls Series
By LAURA DENT CRANE
No girl’s library—no family book-case can be considered at all complete unless it contains these sparkling twentieth-century books.
1 THE AUTOMOBILE GIRLS AT NEWPORT; Or, Watching the Summer Parade.—2 THE AUTOMOBILE GIRLS IN THE BERKSHIRES; Or, The Ghost of Lost Man’s Trail.—3 THE AUTOMOBILE GIRLS ALONG THE HUDSON; Or, Fighting Fire in Sleepy Hollow.—4 THE AUTOMOBILE GIRLS AT CHICAGO; Or, Winning Out Against Heavy Odds.—5 THE AUTOMOBILE GIRLS AT PALM BEACH; Or, Proving Their Mettle Under Southern Skies.—6 THE AUTOMOBILE GIRLS AT WASHINGTON; Or, Checkmating the Plots of Foreign Spies.
| Cloth, Illustrated | Price, per Volume, $1.00 |