Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: THE OUTCAST. Saturday night has come, and the last sunstreaks have drawn themselves down the snowy hills of Clovernook, and where they lately shone, the darkness is fallen and unfolding very fast. The chickens are gone to roost among the cold, comfortless boughs of the trees nearest the barn ; the cows are milked, and in most places the work-horses, feeding in the stable, have had an extra currying, preparatory to Sunday morning, when they are expected to walk soberly and straightly to the village church, drawing after them, in the newly-washed and tar-smelling wagon, father and mother, and all the children, from the eldest sou— as proud of his darkening beard, and " boughten" coat and hat, as he will be in years to come of more stylish appareling or senatorial honors ; and the little girl on her mother's knee, more pleased with the brass buttons on her father's coat, and her own red shoes, than she will be, perhaps, with her point lace and shining brocade, when a few years hence she shall dance at the president's ball. Another week has gone ; great, in its little events, to the unambitious people who are now done with its hopes and fears, its working and planning—with their tending of sick beds, and making of wedding gowns—as great to them as the largest experience to the largest mind ; and who knows but that in thefinal summing up of good and evil, the highest glory .will be set down to the account of those who have thought always of the pride and place of this world, as the child does of the marvels of the fairy story ; for what, after all, can be got out of this life but usefulness ? With all our racking of the soul, we cannot solve the problem of fore-ordination and free will, of good and evil, of life and death. I am not sure that they are not wisest, as well as best, ...