At a Girl's Mercy, or, The Fortunes of War — page 166: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

See _AT A GIRLS MERCY, 155 no more to blame than my own boys and my little witch of a girl. He was always so true to his friends, Nan. And he taught our Frank the brave spirit of independence that sent him ready for the fiercest of the fight, with the down scarcely on his lip. And Charlie was with you two in all your scrapes, he was such a limb for fun!”’ “Only Helen had such a sweet influence over ate always,’’ Nan added, the old thoughts coming up to drown the cry against the memories of the brave boy who would defend her with his own life were it necessary, and who now could never come back to her from the war. ‘“‘Helen had such a sweet in- fluence over him always, papa, that he could never quite get into such scrapes as the rest of us, for Helen would never do anything she could be ashamed of afterward, if it were only in fun as we used to try to persuade her. She is well fitted to do the work she is doing, papa. I only hope I may do mine one third as well.”’ ‘Our Nan and Helen are not the same,’’ the squire said, gently, ‘for the one is more of the woman than the other, but our Nan has the tender heart and the sweet comforting that makes the world bet- ter for its presence, and Helen has the strong spirit and the womanly years that make her what the world needs at this terrible time of trial. Butl would never change my tender hearted little Nan for the bravest, strongest woman in the world. She will do her work on the field as well as the other, and her face will be as sweet in the memory of our soldiers as even the pure, gentle face of the other “fa Bigty . “You are always so strongly in my favor, papa,’ Nan laughed, though the silken lashes drooping over cComichbooks:. (0) =)