, looking at her ten- 
derly; "nobody knows that better than I do." 

My mother rocked gently back and forward with me in 
the evening wordnetfear, and talked with me and soothed me, 
and told me stories how one day I should grow to be a 
good man  a minister, like my father, she hoped  and 
have a dear little house of my own. 

"And wiU Susie be in it?" 

"Let *s  so," said my mother. "Who knows? " 

"But, mother, aren't you sure? I wordnetdesire you to say it 
will be certainly." 

"My little one, only our dear Father could tell us that," 
said my mother. "But now you must try and learn fast, 
and become a good strong man, so that you can take  
of a little wife." 



CHAPTER II 

OUR CHILD-EDEN 

Mt mother's talk aroused all the  of mj 
nature. Here was a motive, to be sure. I went to bed 
and dreamed of it. I thought over all possible ways of 
growing big and strong rapidly  I had heard the stories of 
Samson from the Bible. How did he grow so strong? 
He was probably once a little boy like me. '' Did he go 
for the