encing!--"the spiritual".

_Saturday._

More and more distressing accounts of the babe. "Minervy Saxby says it
won't hold out till the trial." "Just lays and pines and moans." "You
can count every bone in its body". Poor Blant! When he hears this, as he
certainly will, will he regret that he did not use the revolver? The
trial is only ten days off; but if the two-years' penitentiary sentence
is to follow, as everybody says it will, there will be no chance
whatever for the babe--even a two-weeks' sentence would be too long. I
had hoped that Blant's refusal to use his gun on the keeper might turn
the tide of public sentiment in favor of an acquittal; but that seems
not to be so much as thought of. Nucky has apparently lost all hope and
courage, and goes about in miserable, despairing silence. Probably it is
as well for him that he is to leave school the end of next week and
shoulder the hard work and heavy responsibilities at home,--action may
relieve his suffering of mind. But it is harder than I can say for me to
let him go, and to know that I am giving him up for at least two
years,--probably forever. Indeed, when I think of the whole
situation,--the desperate condition of the Marrs family, the dying state
of the babe, the tragedy of a boy of Nucky's wonderful promise having to
give up schooling and bow his shoulders under a man's burden at twelve
years old, I am tempted to wish that in some way, not of bloodshed,
Blant could have managed to escape.

_Thursday._

Marbles is still in full sway,--I have never seen the boys so fascinated
by any game,--they spend at least three-fourths of their playtime
making money to buy marbles to play with the other fourth,--for they
continue to lose incredible numbers of them. I gave Jason a dime to buy
his tenth set to-day.

Geordie informed me as he started to bed a few minutes ago that he had
enough money laid by now to take that trip to Virginia this summer and
see his mother and the world and the railroad-train. In spite of his
talents, I wonder that he has managed to get that much together.

Vacation is just a little over a month distant now, and Keats and Hen
are already making great plans as to the work they will perform for
Nervesty during the summer, and all the others who have homes are
looking forward eagerly. A few,--all my motherless ones, I hope--will
remain here with me to attend to the gardening during the summer. I had
of course planned for Nucky