in the
former had fallen off largely. Of the bread that in Samantha Allen's
view "required cast-iron principle to back it up," very little was seen.
It had been rather hard work to convince some of the mothers that bread
wasn't naturally born into the world heavy and sour, but it had been
done.

If Hope Mills failed, the impetus to general knowledge that had been
diffused throughout Yerbury would remain and bear fruit. An
evening-school had been opened for boys too large to stay at home
evenings, and just the right age to fall into temptations. It began with
the mill-boys, but it soon drew in others. There was a short session of
study, then a talk about some useful art or science. Maverick had
treated them to sundry experiments, and explained many general rules of
health. Mr. Winston had described Western cities in a vivid and
picturesque manner. There had been some astronomy within the reach of
all, some philosophy of common every-day things; and it had given the
boys ideas above "high, low, Jack."

Darcy tried to find comfort in this when other matters looked dark to
him. A little good seed had been sown. The generation growing up would
not be quite so dull and brutish. One thing was remarked,--the saloons
were not as full. This was laid to dull times, and ascribed to the
"revival" of two years ago; but that had not touched the poorer class of
Irish and English, who, even during the hardest winter, had managed to
find drink-money, when their families were being supported by the
relief-store.

Business did "pick up" a little. Prices went lower and lower, however.
They looked at their great store of goods with dismay. If the currency
question could ever be settled, if we could export more and import
less,--though there were people who argued that, the more money we spent
abroad, the more it really strengthened us, and money lying idle in our
treasury at home was no evidence of prosperity: partly true and partly
false reasoning; and, to our astonishment, while we were brilliantly
theorizing how to do it, our vain and superficial neighbors across the
water, crushed and beaten down by a useless and costly war, and a
government of gigantic selfishness, went to work with intrepid courage
and industry, and did it.

Meanwhile it must be confessed that Jack's interests were very much
divided. The practical part of him never lost sight of the mill. He had
the dogged tenacity that holds on with a deathless grip until it
con