s expected! Short about she turned the
horse, and away he sprang, the express thundering in the rear.
For a mile the road was a straight, dead level, and right along
the track. At utmost speed the frantic animal strained on. On
plunged the train behind. Neither gained nor lost. No sound came
but the rushing of steed and train. It was a race for life, and
the blood horse won. Then, as the road turned from the track up a
long slope, the train shot by, taming the horse's fright; but, as
his blood was up, she kept him hard pushed to the crest of the
slope, then slacked his pace, and headed him homeward. Faithful
Maggie stuck fast to her promise and to the wagon-bottom, until
told, "It's all over," when she broke silence with her
wonderments. When she got home the kitchen rang with
exclamations. That race was long her standing topic, she always
insisting that she wasn't scared a bit, not she, because she
"knew the missus wasn't."

While living in New Jersey, word came that a colored man and his
wife, who had just come to the township, were lying sick of
malignant small-pox, and that none of their neighbors dared go to
them. She immediately sought them out, and found them in a
deplorable plight, neither able to do anything for the other, and
at once became to them eyes, hands, feet, nurse, care-taker and
servant in all needed offices; and thus, relieved in nursing and
watching by a friend, her patients were able, after three days,
to minister in part to each other. Meanwhile, no neighbor
approached them.

Some striking traits were scarcely known, except by her special
intimates; and they were never many. Her fidelity in friendship
was imperishable. Friends might break with her; she never broke
with them, whatever the wrong they had done her. She never stood
upon dignity, nor exacted apology, nor resented an unkindness,
though keenly feeling it; and, if falsely accused, answered
nothing. She never spoke disparagingly of others, unless clearest
duty exacted it. Gossips, tattlers, and backbiters were her
trinity of horrors. Her absolute truthfulness was shown in the
smallest things. With a severe sincerity, it was applied to all
those customs looked upon as mere forms involving no
principle--customs exacting the utterance of what is not meant,