Excerpt from Maine in History and Romance I am asked to say grace, before this feast of reason and flow of soul. In the writer's request to his Master by Henry Van Dyke is my cautionary grace: Lord, let me never tell a story without a meaning. Make me respect so much my material that I dare not slight my work. Help me to deal very honestly with words and with people because they are both alive. Give me an ideal that will stand the strain of weaving into human stuff, on the loom of the real, and when that is done, help me to say a grateful Amen. The women of Maine in this same spirit salute you, whose stories grace this book. You have that which cannot be taken from you - a gift sent to you as the golden windows come by reflection from above. Cherish your gifts and refresh us again. We thank you; we prize your work; and above all, your efforts. One may know only so much as one lives and the day is his at its best when it is full of serenity and rich in work accomplished with high aims. Treasure the ideals! May faith with understanding keep you and may you so continue, dear friends who have written this charming book, and you, women of Maine who may become its readers, till the twilight comes with its glorious sunset and God's well done. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.