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THE GIRL’S OWN PAPER
Vol. VIII.—No. 368.
Price One Penny.
JANUARY 15, 1887.
[Transcriber’s Note: This Table of Contents was not present in the original.]
THE SHEPHERD’S FAIRY.
BERCEUSE.
MERLE’S CRUSADE.
FAITH AND UNFAITH.
THE INHERITANCE OF A GOOD NAME.
VARIETIES.
MORE ABOUT Y.W.C.A.; “GIRL’S OWN PAPER” BRANCH.
TINNED MEATS; THEIR VALUE TO HOUSEKEEPERS.
A “PRINCESS OF THULE” IN THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY.
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.
THE SHEPHERD’S FAIRY.
A PASTORALE.
By DARLEY DALE, Author of “Fair Katherine,” etc.
“HE STOPPED AND WANTED TO KNOW WHERE SHE WAS GOING.”
All rights reserved.]
CHAPTER XV.
CONCERNING A HORSESHOE.
The greater part of the majority of livesis passed in a groove. Sometimes a greatcrash comes, and all the machinery isput out of gear, but then the life is resumed,and all goes on quietly again—notas before, the change was too violentfor that, but in another groove, inwhich it moves until another crisiscomes. These crises come to all, eventhe most uneventful lives, but they comeoftener to some than to others, and whenthey do come they invariably come suddenlyand in the most unexpected way.Let the road of life be ever so long andstraight and dull and monotonous, it issure to lead to a turning some day,though, perhaps, the new road on whichwe enter with such hope and zest maybe longer and duller and rougher thanthe first. And, after all, monotonouslives are often the happiest, though theyoung are very sceptical on this point,{242}until their own lives have been upset byone or two of the great changes whichcome sooner or later to everyone.
Jack’s sudden departure was such acrisis in his life, and, indeed, it affectedthe whole family, though after he wasgone they settled down again into theold quiet daily routine. It was not thesame as before; it never is. This is reallythe sad part of it; not that life is monotonous,as people often complain, butthat after a great change, no matterhow brief—