Winner Stories

Next Winner (62) | Previous Winner (60)

acutely than he had yet suffered, realizing more fully his child's
defection The private confession had startled, shocked, grieved
him inexpressibly; but the public profession, with its sense of
irrevocableness, filled his heart with a grief for which he could
find no single ray of comfort.
Erica's brave endurance of all the trials and discomforts involved
in her change of faith had impressed him not a little, and even
when most hurt and annoyed by her new views, he had always tried to
shield her; but it had been a hard summer, and the loss of the home
unity had tried him sorely.
Moreover, the comparative quiet of the last year was now ended. A
new foe had arisen in the person of a certain retired cheesemonger,
who had sworn war to the knife against the apostle of atheism.
Unfortunately, Mr. Pogson's war was not undertaken in a Christlike
spirit; his zeal was fast changing into personal animosity, and he
had avowed the he would crush Raeburn, though it should cost him
the whole of his fortune. This very day he had brought into action
the mischievous and unfair blasphemy laws, and to everybody's
amazement, had commenced a prosecution against Raeburn for a
socalled blasphemous libel in one of his recent pamphlets. An
attack on the liberty of the press was to Raeburn what the sound of
the trumpet is to the war horse. Yet, now that the first
excitement was over, he had somehow sunk into a fit of black
depression. How was it? Was his strength failing? Was he growing
old unfit for his work?
He was roused at length by a knock at his door. The servant
entered with a number of letters. He turned them over mechanically
until some handwriting which reminded him of his mother's made him
pause. The letter bore the Greyshot postmark; it must be from his
sister Isabel. He opened it with some eagerness; there had been no
communication between them since the time of his wife's death, and
though he had hoped that the correspondence once begun might have
been continued, nothing more had come of it. The letter proved
short, and not altogether palatable. It began with rejoicings over
Erica's change of views, the report of which had reached Mrs.
FaneSmith. It went on to regret that he did not share in the
change. Raeburn's lip curled as he read. Then came a request that
Erica might be allowed to visit her relations, and the letter ended
with a kindlymeant but mistaken offer.
My husband and I both feel that there are many objections to
Erica's remaining in her present home. We should be much pleased
if she would live with us at any rate, until she has met with some

Next Winner (62) | Previous Winner (60)

Winner Index