Here Polly found her place at
once, for in this little world love and liberty prevailed; talent,
energy, and character took the first rank; money, fashion, and
position were literally nowhere; for here, as in the big world
outside, genius seemed to blossom best when poverty was head
gardener. Young teachers, doing much work for little pay; young
artists, trying to pencil, paint, or carve their way to Rome; young
writers, burning to distinguish themselves; young singers,
dreaming of triumphs, great as those of Jenny Lind; and some who
tried to conquer independence, armed only with a needle, like poor
Jane. All these helped Polly as unconsciously as she helped them,
for purpose and principle are the best teachers we can have, and
the want of them makes half the women of America what they are,
restless, aimless, frivolous, and sick.
To outsiders that was a very hard-working and uneventful winter
to Polly. She thought so herself; but as spring came on, the seed of
new virtues, planted in the winter time, and ripened by the
sunshine of endeavor, began to bud in Polly's nature, betraying
their presence to others by the added strength and sweetness of her
character, long before she herself discovered these May flowers
that had blossomed for her underneath the snow.
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