Produced by Brendan Lane, carol david and PG Distributed Proofreaders
NELLIE L. McCLUNG
Copyright, 1912
_To the Pioneer Women of the West, who made life tolerable, and evencomfortable, for the others of us; who fed the hungry, advised theerring, nursed the sick, cheered the dying, comforted the sorrowing,and performed the last sad rites for the dead;
The beloved Pioneer Women, old before their time with hard work,privations, and doing without things, yet in whose hearts there wasalways burning the hope of better things to come;
The godly Pioneer Women, who kept alive the conscience of theneighborhood, and preserved for us the best traditions of the race;
To these noble Women of the early days, some of whom we see no more,for they have entered into their inheritance, this book is respectfullydedicated by their humble admirer,
The Author._
"Let me live in a house by the side of the road, and be a friend ofman."
When John Corbett strolled leisurely into the Salvation Army meeting inold Victoria Hall in Winnipeg that night, so many years ago now, theremay have been some who thought he came to disturb the meeting.
There did not seem to be any atmospheric reason why Mr. Corbett oranyone else should be abroad, for it was a drizzling cold Novembernight, and the streets were muddy, as only Winnipeg streets in the olddays could be—none of your light-minded, fickle-hearted, changeablemud that is mud to-day and dust to-morrow, but the genuine, original,brush-defying, soap-and-water-proof, north star, burr mud, blacker thanlampblack, stickier than glue!
Mr. Corbett did not come to disturb the meeting. His reason forattending lay in a perfectly legitimate desire to see for himself whatit was all about, he being happily possessed of an open mind.
Mr. Corbett would do anything once, and if he liked it he would do itagain. In the case of the Salvation Army meeting, he liked it. He likedthe music, and the good fellowship, and the swing and the zip of itall. More still, he liked the blue-eyed Irish girl who sold War Crysat the door. When he went in he bought one; when he came out he boughtall she had left.
The next night Mr. Corbett was again at the meeting. On his way in hebought all the War Crys the blue-eyed Irish girl had. Every minute heliked her better, and when the meeting was over and an invitation wasgiven to the anxious ones to "tarry awhile," Mr. Corbett tarried. Whenthe other cases had been dismisse