The making of a man

by W. D. Flatt

Robert had always been very much at home in the forest. How he walked had not bothered him very much, but as now he stepped along the path with her whom he knew to be the queen of his heart he felt very awkward. But, as they passed along the trail and talked of the flowers, the birds, the trees and the beauties of nature, the mutual sympathy which was soon very evident shortly remedied any feelings of diffidence either of them had, and both felt that the other was surely a kindred spirit. Arriving in a little time at the cabin door, the maiden invited Robert to enter, explaining a little diffidently, “This is a stranger, mother, whom I met on our trail.” The mother’s hand was at once extended and in her eyes shone a welcome which Robert knew to be sincere. After a moment, when the mother inquired his name, he suggested somewhat casually, “If you would please me, madam, just call me Robert.” Accepting the suggestion as it was meant, the father, in a matter of fact way, in his turn remarked, “Well, Robert, where did you come from? Are you settled down around here?”

A few moments sufficed to make Robert feel heartily at home. Very soon he found out that the father was the son of a United Empire Loyalist who had left his home in the United States when the rebellion against British rule occurred thirty years before and made his way up into another section of Canada. The son, when he had married and when his family was beginning to grow up, had started out to find a fortune in this new district adjacent to Burlington Bay. Robert learned also that within a few miles of him in another new district there were a number of other loyalist families. He had heard stories at home of the sacrifices made by these splendid people and was very well satisfied that he had been directed to cast in his lot among them.

One of the many things Robert had been taught at home was that to be a good conversationalist one must be a good listener, and although he had done very little talking since he had come to Canada he remembered his parents’ advice, particularly at this time when he was anxious to make a good impression in the home, and for a time he sat listening attentively and showing a deep interest in the conversation. The father in turn was greatly impressed with the young man. He liked his open countenance and his modest and unassuming manner and, with so attentive a listener, he was moved to tell a good deal about the early experiences of his father’s family in the United States and of the journey north from New Jersey. Had he known of the adventures through which the youth had passed during the last few years, how his endurance and pluck had been tested to the uttermost, he would have considered his experiences hardly worth telling about.

In the meantime the young woman, with several others of the good-sized family of boys and girls of the home, had been busy preparing dinner, and shortly this was announced. What a dinner it was! To us who are used to several courses, cooked under most convenient conditions, it might not have seemed so appetizing, but to Robert, who for several years past had been doing the most of his cooking himself and had lived most plainly, it surely seemed a banquet, and truly it was wholesome and abundant. To the young man, who had been living largely on dried meat and flap-jacks, a boiled dinner of cabbage, potatoes and meat, tastefully seasoned, cooked to a finish, with an inviting-looking pudding and a well-filled plate of cookies, all served on a spotless tablecloth, was surely a treat. Then it all seemed so much like his mother’s cooking that it was with difficulty that the tears were kept from running down his cheeks. It was but natural, too, that the mother of the home reminded him in many ways of his own dear mother.

The afternoon passed all too quickly, and when he felt that he must go Robert said good-bye with a heart so full of love with the world that it appeared to be brighter to him. The grass was greener, the birds sang more sweetly, and even the path under his feet seemed softer than when he passed that way before. The maiden of the home came to the door with him, after he had said good-bye to the others and after the mother had given him an invitation to visit them often, and had given him a firm but gentle grip of the hand which sent a thrill to his very soul. When their eyes met as they had done that morning a look of understanding and appreciation passed between the two which told Robert more than words could have done.

Robert’s head was held a little higher than was usual when he walked to his cabin that evening. Here was the answer to his hopes and his prayers of the last few weeks. His helpmate was now within reach, and what a helpmate his newly-found love was! On Monday morning he entered on his conflict with the forest with a new spirit. He had worked hard before, but now he worked with a definite object in view. Land must be cleared to grow food and to provide for the support of his bride, and as his sturdy muscles drove the ringing axe into the trunks of the trees, with every blow the words seemed to ring through his heart, “It is for her.” Again at times he would pause for a moment and listen, and then there seemed to come to him, faintly ringing through the forest, the notes of the hymn he had heard so sweetly sung the Sunday previous. He appreciated, too, the fact that something more than his own sense had been guiding him along the trail that Sunday morning, and often during the week he was on his knees in thankfulness for the blessings that had been given him.

You chaps who have been through something of the same circumstances will appreciate how hard it was for Robert to stay away from the newly-discovered cabin even for a week. Every evening when his day’s work was done, even though he was tired enough to drop, he felt an almost unbearable impulse to walk the few miles which separated his cabin from the other home. He felt, however, that the good impression he had made the previous Sunday should be preserved, and he tried to work all the harder so that the temptation would not be so strong. It was not surprising that he woke early the following Sunday, and it was not surprising also that after his few regular duties were done he was particular to spend some little time looking after his personal appearance. Clothes were not a matter of much import those days and his appearance was something which had not heretofore bothered Robert very much. Now, however, with his new experience was coming a new feeling that he must be worthy of his new-found love in every way, and also he was anxious to appear as well as possible in her eyes. The weather was threatening that morning, but the young man could not have been held away from the other home by iron bars. As soon as he dared he started off through the forest, and again the birds sang sweetly to him and the flowers looked specially beautiful, as they had done on the previous Sunday. Arriving at the cabin he found the door open and knocked with some little diffidence, stepping to one side and waiting for an answer. In a moment he was welcomed with a pleasant smile by the one he wanted most to see. She, too, had been spending some little time over her dress. Her rosy-golden hair was neatly coiled around her shapely head. Robert had learned her name on his previous visit, when her mother had addressed her simply as “Mary,” and in consequence he greeted her naturally and simply with a “Good-morning, Mary,” and in reply she called him just as naturally by his name.

This time, as was to be expected, Mary’s father and mother were anxious to learn something more about the young man who had happened so curiously into their home, and the opportunity he had wished for but had not had previously to tell them something of his experiences was thus afforded. As simply as he could without emphasizing unduly his own deeds, he told them how he had left his home in the Orkneys with his brother, under contract with the Hudson’s Bay Company, and something of his experiences since that time. Lest they should feel that he was boasting, he hesitated to tell them about the adventuresome happenings of the last two years. Rather he dwelt upon the people at home and talked of his mother and father and of the conditions there.

While he talked Robert’s eyes followed Mary about the home while she, as a good housewife would, looked after varied duties. While perhaps he did not realize it he was interested in seeing what kind of a home was provided, and it was exceedingly satisfactory to him to see that everything was tidy and in its place. Evidently peace and love ruled supreme, and this was the kind of a home, where the parents of the children lived happily, where a man finds rest and where he learns to love and cherish the one who shares his daily duties. To Robert it seemed that Mary was the jewel of the home. He saw that she relieved her mother so far as she could with the household duties, and he noted also that she had been well trained to look after these as they should be done. With the realization of all these things the joy in his heart increased. Occasionally glances passing between them gave him further satisfaction because he felt that the feeling of kindred sympathy which had been evident on the day of their first meeting had continued, that they were both beginning to know what love meant. When they spoke to one another they continued to use the names Robert and Mary just as naturally as though they had known one another since childhood.

As the weeks passed these pleasant visits continued. After a little time, when Robert felt that he had made his position in the home known, he felt that he could make his visits more frequent, and after a little time, also, it became the custom for Mary to accompany him part of the way home when his visit was over in the early evening. Of course Robert came back when it was time for Mary to be in the cabin, and after lingering for a few moments to get a last glimpse of his sweetheart, walked away sturdily to his own cabin, dreaming of love and future happiness.