Their Yesterdays Read online

  Produced by Julie Barkley, Charles Franks and the OnlineDistributed Proofreading Team.

  In the glowing heart of the fire she saw her home warmwith holy love.]

  THEIR YESTERDAYS

  By: HAROLD BELL WRIGHT

  Author of "The Winning Of Barbara Worth" etc., etc.

  With illustrations by F. GRAHAM COOTES

  To Mrs. Elsbery W. Reynolds

  In admiration of the splendid motherhood that, in her sons, hascontributed such wealth of manhood to the race. And, in her daughter,has given to human-kind such riches of womanhood. With kindestregards, I inscribe this book.

  H. B. W.

  "Relay Heights" June 8, 1912

  _Behold the child, by Nature's kindly law, Pleased with a rattle,tickled with a straw; Some livelier plaything gives his youth delight,A little louder, but as empty quite; Scarfs, garters, gold, amuse hisriper stage, And beads and prayer-books are the toys of age; Pleasedwith this bauble still, as that before; Till tired he sleeps, andlife's poor play is o'er._

  "AN ESSAY ON MAN"--_Pope._

  PROEM

  There was a man.

  And it happened--as such things often so happen--that this man wentback into his days that were gone. Again and again and again he wentback. Even as every man, even as you and I, so this man went back intohis Yesterdays.

  Then--why then there was a woman.

  And it happened--as such things sometimes so happen--that this womanalso went back into her days that were gone. Again and again and againshe went back. Even as every woman, even as you and I, so this womanwent back into her Yesterdays.

  So it happened--as such things do happen--that the Yesterdays of thisman and the Yesterdays of this woman became Their Yesterdays, and thatthey went back, then, no more alone but always together.

  Even as one, they, forever after, went back.

  What They Found in Their Yesterdays

  And the man and the woman who went back into Their Yesterdays foundthere the Thirteen Truly Great Things of Life. Just as they foundthese things in their grown up days, even unto the end, so they foundthem in Their Yesterdays.

  Thirteen Truly Great Things of Life there are. No life can have less.No life can have more. All of life is in them. No life is without themall.

  Dreams, Occupation, Knowledge, Ignorance, Religion, Tradition,Temptation, Life, Death, Failure, Success, Love, Memories: these arethe Thirteen Truly Great Things of Life--found by the man and thewoman in their grown up days--found by them in Their Yesterdays--andthey found no others.

  It does not matter where this man and this woman lived, nor who theywere, nor what they did. It does not matter when or how many timesthey went back into Their Yesterdays. These things are all that theyfound. And they found these things even as every man and woman findsthem, even as you and I find them, in our days that are and in ourdays that were--in our grown up days and in our Yesterdays.

  And it is so that in all of these Thirteen Truly Great Things of Lifethere is a man and there is a woman.

  THE THIRTEEN TRULY GREAT THINGS OF LIFE

  DREAMS

  OCCUPATION

  KNOWLEDGE

  IGNORANCE

  RELIGION

  TRADITION

  TEMPTATION

  LIFE

  DEATH

  FAILURE

  SUCCESS

  LOVE

  MEMORIES

  THEIR YESTERDAYS